1/14/13 updates
As seen in the pic in the first post, the rad fits in the larger of the two parts of the bottom sections of the case by itself. But when I put a motherboard in, it did not fit, and thus the radiator would have to overlap with the ridge on the bottom. This would be troublesome, because the ridge is not parallel to the floor, preventing the rad from being screwed down. So I needed to cut it.
I needed to remove the ridged part at the bottom in a straight cut, so I went out and brought a jigsaw, and fine metal blades. After measuring things out and securing my case by putting old textbooks to hold it down, I prepared to cut. Turns out those books were good for something after all.
The cut went relatively well, and I reattached the side cover. The picture below is where I plan to drill for the grill. I'll be using a 4-1/2" holesaw.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
theknappkin 
I am seriously considering watercooling and modding a SG09 a long while down the road so I have a few questions if you would:
1) On the side 120mm, can I fit a rad w/ fan(s) there? or would it conflict with PSU cage? Could I dremel space?
2) Is the top fan compatible with 140mm fans, and if so, could I have a thick 120 push/push in the rear, and still have clearance for a thin rad up top in either push or pull?
3) I really dislike the plastic front, so what I am considering is removing it, and replacing it with steel/plexi with 2 5.25inch bays at bottom. Is this possible- how easy/hard would it be and how much space would there be leftover?
Btw, subbed, and really looking forward to progress
looks like a killer rig!! Keep it up!
1. Thanks. It doesn't seem possible to fit a rad on the side, as you can see there is very little space between a side 120mm fan and a standard 6.3 in. PSU. In addition, the thickness of the radiator would run into your GPU's unless you are using something short like a 670.
2. The SG09 actually comes with 180mm to 140mm fan brackets, but it is set up so that there is just enough space for clearance even for a 140mm fan over the motherboard, otherwise it will run into the motherboard heatsink.There is literally no clearance between the top fan and the motherboard, if you want a top mounted rad you need to make you own brackets, which is actually something I'll be doing.
The pic below is the back exhaust area, as you can see there is only one direction to mount a 120mm rad, which is with its outlets pointed downward. However, depending on the length of your rad it will run into the area of the first PCI-E slot.
3. Putting 5.25 bays on the bottom is actually an interesting idea, you'd just need to make your own brackets I suppose. It would be relatively simple if you had the right tools to make clean cuts and screw holes, because the front grill is basically just a screw on, with no areas of weird curvature.
