P180 watercooling

[Skyguy]

Hello everyone, yes, I'm new here So I figured I'd start by showing off some of my stuff. Here's my P180 WC setup, nothing spectacular, but it was my first

For anyone who has a P180/182 (or might be considering it) and wishes to install a watercooling setup. There are more extreme setups than this, but I wanted to show how to do it with minimal case modding and a beginner's understanding of watercooling.

The P180 case is not the most water-friendly, but I was determined to do a job I could be proud of for my very first crack at water cooling. So after a lot of research and work, I finally got my new WC setup bought and installed in my P180 case.

First and foremost my build had to QUIET. And affordable. And completely internal, as my 1 year old kid loves to grab and chew on things.....and an external rad/hoses/fans would be irresistable to him I'm also anal about cable management and aesthetics, so the setup had to be sleek and clean. And lastly, the new setup had keep things cool. I have a C2D X6800 OC'd to 3.5ghz (for now), an 8800GTS 640, 2 Raptors in RAID 0, 2 storage drives, 2 opticals.....all sorts of goodies. Noctua fans all around to keep the airflow moving in silence. And I didn't want to hack up my case either, so a 240mm rad wasn't gonna work internally. Anyways, onto the good stuff:

Setup:
-Swiftech 350 (I know, I know.....3/8" will do me just fine, not to worry)
-Apogee GT
-2 x MCR120's
-Micro Reservoir
-distilled water with HydrX
-3/8" Clearflex, Smartcoils

Loop:
Res > Pump > Rad1 > CPU > Rad2 > Res

There are certainly other products, but for a variety of reasons (budget, space, timing) I went with these. Using a 655 pump instead of a 350 and going to 1/2" tubing will create more space issues inside the case, so keep it in mind if you want to go more hardcore. But if you really want to, then consider another case and drop a small $$ fortune instead

Pics:
Overall. Added a bunch of additional noise dampening foam to the interior areas of the P180:


Side. The "extra" smart coils you may notice if you look carefully.....are not part of the loop.....they're used to disguise the USB cables and maintain a consistent aesthetic LOL. And no, the CPU > Rad hose is not kinked....it's just the angle of the pic. Next pic shows a smooth bend.


Upper chamber. Noctuas, more noise dampening, cable management.


Lower chamber. Tight fit but works alright I think. High output fan is connected to fan controller.


Front. Added 2 intake fans, 1 each for upper and lower chamber to increase airflow to the rads. Very minor modification.....some rubber grommet for clearances, some noise matting for separation.



My upper rad is an exhaust configuration right now. Temps seems pretty good considering it's venting the case air. I'm gonna try flipping the fan to make it an intake and compare temps. Then for whichever is better, I may do a push-pull on the rad with 2 fans instead of just one.


TEMPS:
When the case was running on air, I used a Scythe Ninja, and then tried a Zalman 9500. My case is near the furnace vent, so my ambient temps are kinda high (29C/80F). Temps on air for each HSF were virtually identical.....54C idle / 66C load in TAT :shock:

Now, I am VERY PLEASED to say that my idle temps are 9C cooler at idle, and 18C cooler at load, HELLYA!

Also runs VERY quiet at low fan rpm's, highest isn't too bad.....I only use that setting when I'm gaming for a long time and have the headphones on anyways.

So, overall I think I did pretty good for a WC virgin. Clean setup, all internal, temps have dropped HUGE, didn't have any major problems, and managed to do it all in a cramped P180 case

I've since bought a 240mm rad and am considering moving to a P190 case. I'd really like to move to a Lian Li or Silverstone but it's not in the budget right now with 2 toddlers at home. ALTHOUGH.......Themaltake's new upcoming Armor+ is looking like it might steal my heart

Cricitism and feedback is welcome, and I hope this helps anyone out there who's considering a WC setup for their P180/182.

~Skyguy.

[magicman]

Beautiful work.

The P180 is a pretty case, but one of the worst to work in. It's got Tonnes of nice features, but man what a pain in the butt. You have done one of the best job's I've seen. Just hope you don't have to change anything...

The Armour on the other hand is a Tweaker's Dream. Loads of room, nothing is cramped. I've got a 360mm rad conquering the front of my Armour.

Not quite as pretty, but a bit more functional. All Aluminum too. Boards come in and out with ease, and without taking anything else out of the way...

I'll see if I can get some pics of my loop up, to show you what you can expect.

I'd like to see more than 3.5 out of that X6800... Seems like a waste of $700, when just about any E6600 would do that, and with a higher FSB, you'd actually get better performance...

[Delph1]

You fitted dual-rads inside a P180! That's very impressive

I actually have a P182 staning here and this makes me really want to start working with again

Top notch! idu:

Oh, and welcome to the forums. Always nice to see a new face around here

//Andreas

[Mean Machine]

Nice! That made me want a P182 myself, or at least almost.

And welcome!

[Skyguy]

Thank you for the kind welcome!

Yes, dual rads in a P180 was........challenging......to say the least. A few cuts on the knuckles to show for it, but was worth it overall.

As for the Armor, very nice case........HOWEVER, I was actually talking about the upcoming Armor+, take a peek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYT3eIFETqY

:shock:


As for the X6800 and $700.....no no......I got it CHEAP from a buddy, sold it to me when he upgraded to QX6850's Although I'm proud to say I had my E6300 hit 3.5ghz and basically topped out the Gigabyte DS3 Not bad for a little chip, eh? I'll push the X6800 more (also waiting for a new mobo), but my temps are not the greatest to begin with.....my case is near the furnace vent under the desk and that sucks. HOWEVER, I'm looking at the P190 which has a huge fan on the side and dual 120's exhaust on the top so that should help alot compared to the P180. Too bad Antec's 900 isn't 2" longer with a gap behind the hard drive cage......I just did a build for a friend, and the 900 dropped temps 15C over the NZXT Hush case. 15C! Nuts.

Oh, and Andreas.......Stan told me to talk to you about reviews. I'll be in touch very soon and we can chat.

[Mean Machine]

As for the X6800 and $700.....no no......I got it CHEAP from a buddy, sold it to me when he upgraded to QX6850's

Not to ruin your day (or magicman's life), but I actually have one of both, and I got them both for free. :P

[super dank]

Nice work!

Welcome to the forums.

[Skyguy]

LOL Mean.......I know. I also know you guys got to play with a QX9650

I'm a bit more "mainstream" than you hardcore guys LOL. An E6300 at 3.5ghz is pretty good I think. X6800 at 3.5. And my Q6600 B3 at 3.5 as well.

DANG!!! Looks like 3.5ghz is my magic number......or curse, depending on how you look at it LOL. You sir, however, kick my butt in the overclocking arena, that I am sure of. But I do ok for a dumb architect that is self-taught on computers and remembers playing on a Commodore 64 with a tape drive and Space Invaders

I get cheap and free stuff too....I write reviews I don't get Intel ES chips, but Dell is going to be sending me an $8,000 system (complete with 30" LCD)......so I can't complain about spending a bit of $$ on an X6800

[Mean Machine]

Yeah, well... I never got to touch the QX6950, and I'm actually not that hardcore, more of a wannabe hardcore with too much good contacts. I'm actually pretty much self-taught when it comes to OC as well.

Nice on getting a 30" LCD for free (if you get to keep it that is), I'd like one of those myself. Right now I'm looking for a nice monitor of some sort (mainly cheaper 24", since I'm not exactly rich).

[Delph1]

As for the Armor, very nice case........HOWEVER, I was actually talking about the upcoming Armor+, take a peek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYT3eIFETqY

Yikes, seems like a pretty damn good case. I just wish they would have redesigned the wingflaps on the front. Don't like 'em.

We all started overclocking at some point, doesn't really matter when or how long you've been doing it. I mean did my first overclock before Mean Machine could barely speak whole words, but he's still more active than I am today

My glory days are probably behind me, but I still enjoy it from time to time and I do have the luck of being the company of Kinc and crotale. They keep my OC flame burning pretty much round the clock

//Andreas

[Skyguy]

LOL good stuff.

At the end of the day, it depends what each of us are looking to accomplish and if we have fun doing it! I was looking to build a quiet, performance system, and succeeded. I also managed to squeeze alot of juice out of a 6300 for cheap, and now an X6800 I'm not in the same universe as Kinc and Crotale, but I'm sure they're nowhere near as good at mapping level designs as I am Or as good at changing a dirty diaper on a 1 year old either LMAO.

What matters is that we each bring a unique set of talents and experience to the table, for the better of everyone else, to learn and grow. Gotta love teamwork and info sharing

[magicman]

I started OC'ing with the S754 DFI Lanparty UT 250GB.

That board will teach someone how to use hardware... Actually, ANY DFI LP board will teach someone how to use hardware...

I love that they added the removable mobo tray, but it's not like it needed it. There is SO much space to work with in the original Armour. The Liquid cooling stuff is nice, and the actual HDD rack at the bottom. All of which would have to make way for my triple rad.

I'm also glad to see a fellow Canuck here too.

[Skyguy]

YA, I was thinking I could do a 240mm rad and then still have 2x120's......but I think the restriction on the flow might pose a problem with the 350 pump. Oh well. I could do a 240mm on the front of an Armor, which would keep the interior of the case very open. I'm absolutely ANAL about cable management and keeping a clean interior in a case......it's a blessing and a curse LOL. Regardless, I do love the original (current) Armor, I've always had my eye on it.

Yes, nice to see a fellow Canuck.....unfortunately my Swedish isn't very good (ie-ZERO LOL).....and a Haligonian at that!! Booyah!

Go Leafs GO!!

[Delph1]

Go Leafs GO!!

No World Cup until May next year

//Andreas

[Igrovox]

Hi everyone i am also new here. Looking for a great time here.