Project P182 Watercooled V2!

[DMB2000uk]

For those that want to follow, but don't want to wade through the whole thread to find picture updates (yeah I'm a picture whore too, so I know what it's like), I'll keep this first post updated with links to my other posts with pictures/major developments.

Modlog Links

Old Meets New

P182 Sexytime

Let the Modding Commence!

WC Parts Are Here!

Cuts Etc

Jigsaws and Zipties

Laziness Sets In

GTX 480 Has Arrived!!!

The End Is Near :D

Finally Finished!


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Project P182 Watercooled V2!


Wait, don't we already have a P180 watercooled thread by Dan?

Yeah we do, but this one is all new and it's going to be the mac daddy of P180(/2) watercooled threads.


The plan is pretty simple (and I'm afraid this time you don't get an awesome mockup done in paint).

I'm going to take one of these bad boys:



And fit it internally into a P182
(yeah I got a new case too as my P180 has a big hole in the top where my 240mm rad is, and it'd look stupid without the rad there. Plus I always wanted a black P180, so now's my chance )

Dan

PS. I would have waited till I had a bit more content/pictures to start this thread, but I'm excited about it and so am posting it now

[XstollieX]

Lookin forward to see what you do with it. What rad is that? I am toying with the idea of drowning my armor/940be rig soon.

[DMB2000uk]

It's a Thermochill PA120.3

I'm looking forward to it too

Dan

[XstollieX]

Nice! I already know this thread is gonna make me drown my other rig.

[Skippman]

You using the Thermochill because it's better than the Swiftech Tripple? Or because it's cheaper?

I know nothing about Thermochill but will follow this for advice/experience on my i7 rig.

[Sporg]

If I remember correctly the Thermochill is a bit pricier. I think I was looking at that one before I ended up going with the swifty.

[DMB2000uk]

You using the Thermochill because it's better than the Swiftech Tripple? Or because it's cheaper?

I know nothing about Thermochill but will follow this for advice/experience on my i7 rig.

It's better :D

It's optimised for fans with less than 100CFM of airflow, so is great at good temps with low speed fans. In fact, with the right fans, Thermochill's PA120.2 (dual rad, not triple) was within a degree of performance of Swiftech's triple rad. But, the PA120 series are a lot thicker than the Swiftech stuff, and with the cost of exporting them around the world (They are a UK company, but are used worldwide) the aren't the cheapest of rads when bought in places like the US.

Just for those of you that don't know the scale of this radiator, here's my current P180 vs the PA120.3



See why it's going to be fun now?

Dan

[martini161]

you know dan, there is a fine line between making something a challenge and making it as impractical as humanly possible

[Skippman]

Wonder if one of those bad boys would fit in the top of that new Corsair case....


DANGIT DAN! Now you got me thinking about another machine again.

[Sporg]

That Thermochill is also thicker, correct?

[DMB2000uk]

Yeah it is. In fact, it's actually couple of mm's off of being twice as thick (which makes trying to find somewhere to stash it in a P180/P182 twice as fun )

Dan

[Skippman]

It's twice as thick, but is it twice as thermally efficent?

[DMB2000uk]

It's not, so it might not be the best choice for price/performance (especially outside of the UK), but I've done my research and I'm happy to have paid for this one
(It also is one of the lowest restriction radiators currently out, which has the positive factor of allowing more water through your waterblocks which will lead to better temps too).

Dan

[DMB2000uk]

Argh, I shouldn't have ordered parts knowing they would get here while I still have to work I want to mod now, but haven't got the time
(I've got the two weeks around Easter off to work on this though :D)

Well I got my P182 today



Why Antec didn't make this in black originally I'll never know! It's so sexy.



Here's the inside of the P182, just like all the other P182's in the world. But this one didn't look like that for long.



Within 5mins of opening the box (and taking the above pics) I'd stripped it down as far as I could.

Don't look, she's nekkid!



Oh have I got plans for this baby

Dan

[DMB2000uk]

Before I could do any modding I needed something to cut with (because I was out of Dremel wheels), fortunately I managed to find some (after looking in three hardware stores!). So let the modding commence!

I've still not got everything planned out in my head, so I'm taking this slow till I work out where things are going to go.



I'd taken out the rivets on the bottom chamber middle bits yesterday so I could try and fit some stuff in, but I couldn't. So to see if this is all going to fit, i'm going to have to cut it and just pray!



Cuts cut out! Hmm, there's still a bit of metal I've got to cut out. What shall I do about that?



Let's murderalise the case is what!
I was having fun taking out rivets, Maybe I went a little too far?
I made some other cuts and filed down edges etc, but I'll not bore you with pictures (namely because I didn't take any more)



And this is what a case looks like when it's held together with zipties rather than rivets, hmm, it's like a whole new level of ghetto modding
But anyway, that masked up thing is actually my rad, and if you hadn't of guessed yet, that's where I'm planning on stashing it.



To make enough room for the rad, the shroud and the fans, I going to have to to turn the PSU on it's side and cut out the metal lip that the sidepanel hooks onto (I'll have to mod the sidepanel accordingly later).

Where the PSU is, there will be absolutely no room across the width of the case for anything else in the bottom chamber. At the end of all this, if the sidepanel goes back on without a bulge then I'll be dead chuffed

I've ordered a bunch of watercooling gear, and apart from a couple more cuts in the case, I'll be waiting on all that to get here before I can carry on with anything major.

Dan

[Skippman]

Jebus Dan! Next time just use a Saws-All, it'll be quicker!

I'm guessing you're not at all concerned with having the heat of the power supply that close to the radiator then? I'd think that would cut into your thermal efficency.

[DMB2000uk]

See why i needed a good stock of dremel wheels now?

Well as the PSU fan will be sucking air from inside the case out the back (and the PSU intake fan is right infront of the rad), it should actually give a little boost to the rad cooling (at the expense of making the PSU hotter.

But yeah, it's not going to be a perfect setup (the pump is going to be blocking some airflow too), but with the size of the rad in a P182, i've got to compromise somewhere

Dan

[martini161]

saws all will warp the metal real bad, dont recommend using those

[Skippman]

saws all will warp the metal real bad, dont recommend using those

Skip begins to wonder is Martian can tell a joke....

[martini161]

trust me ive seen dumber than you try it worst i saw was someone trying to remove rivets with a router