Watercooling Micro-Atx cases

I was thinking of using watercooling in my new rig which I intend to build (which may not happen if I don't get the money im owed soon enough though) but I was leaning more to the custom loop side of the spectrum.

The main idea was a loop for the cpu and the gpu, getting a full cover waterblock for either a Radeon HD7000 series when one is available or a kepler depending on price/performance. But the main restricting factor is the size. I need to be able to transport this to and from university on the train. So I need to go with micro-ATX or smaller. Since smaller is not conducive to larger coolers im staying with m-Atx.

The setup would likely be a single or dual fan rad. with a small-ish pump and res to save some space. Now is it worth cooling the gfx this way? or should I just leave it.

Also if going down the cpu only route would I be better off going with the likes of a corsair H80 or similar?

and then onto cases.
I was thinking the NZXT Vulcan but another selling point for me would be USB3 - with an internal header - which the vulcan is sadly lacking. Any ideas guys?

Thanks for the help.

-W

 

water cooling and transporting do not go well together. I would suggest going air cooling and not just because of the weight but the moving mass (water is a liquid). If you go water make sure it is well sealed 100%

 

Silverstone TJ08-E and air cooling.

 

I'll second what both previous posters said.
Just because the box is small, don't discount the amount of weight all of this will add.

Not to mention moving it around, increases the odds of a leak due to hose flex. Then there is also the fact that all that jostling gets those hoses moving, which puts leverage on the components. Vid cards are already pretty heavy, now add a bit of mass yanking them around and it's begging for problems. Same with the CPU depending on the mount.

Then there is maintenance and costs of water cooling...
With the current I5 and I7's and current air cooling, the only reason to water cool is bragging rights or extreme overclock. A 2500k,2600k and 2700k are pretty dang fast out of the box. Overclock them a bit with air cooling and you have more than enough power for gaming or just about anything else without the cost or hassles.

As for the box, that Silverstone is one of the most compact.

 

Im going to wade in and agree with the above as-well.
TJ08-E + air cooling.

 

I'm in agreement with the air cooling point, but as a suggestion for a m-atx box you could watercool, the Fractal Arc Mini has space for a dual 120 in the roof.

 

Mod it! This is Bit-Tech, after all

 

I'll throw in my two bits: Air Cooling.

 

Honestly, you can shove watercooling in just about anything if you get creative enough.

The bigger worry is weight (to carry), and the weight of the hoses being thrown around inside the system while being transported. It's just asking for problems at some point. Jostling hoses can make them slip on the fittings, and while good clamps solves that issue, it doesn't stop the leverage the hoses place on the components when moving around. Constantly flexing a circuit board is not good.






Another thing for the Op to consider since this will be moved a lot, is consider a good heatpiped air cooler for the video card as they are usually lighter than the big copper slabs. Less weight here will put much less leverage on the card and be easier to carry.

For the CPU, I would consider something low profile, like a stock type cooler. Weight is less of an issue on lower profile ones, but as you go out for tower coolers, weight and height will create a lot of force on the mount. A low profile heat pipe cooler would be optimal if you can find one.

 

Maybe the Antec P180 Mini? It's spacious for a mATX case, I've seen people build custom WC systems in it.

It's heavy though.

 

That is very true. I have looked a few times at doing a small watercooled computer, but there are usually too many compromises - size/depth of rads, space for res, pump, etc. - so have stuck with either air cooling or a closed loop system. If the computer is going to be moved around a lot then air cooling is the way to go.

Back on topic. For m-ATX the Lian Li PC A04 may be an option, it is quite small and very light. There are also some half decent m-ITX options depending on what cooling is reqired - pairing the Zotac Z68 with something like the Lian Li Q-08 or Silverstone SG 07 would probably provide all the power needed, but in a much smaller package than a m-ATX box.

Just a thought.
N

 

The fractal Arc Mini is an awesome case, and can be easily watercooled.

I use it for my main PC now, currently running just a cpu loop, since I have a fair few HDDs, but if you don't, you can remove the HDD cages and run 2 240 rads. (one in the roof like I have, and then one in the front aswell)
Also moving cases once watercooled is more awkward, yes, but it's not out of the question. I move mine probably once a month, either taking it to/from uni, or to LANs etc.

 

How well do you think a corsair H80 would fit in the silverstone tj08-e???

 

Any 120mm cooler would fit on the rear exhaust. The 180mm AP fan on the front shifts a load of air so I use my mahoosive HR-02 passively with an Akasa Apache behind it as an exhaust. The TJ08-E has a little stand thing on the bottom of the case which helps to support the heatsink which would be handy when you move the computer.