[like30ninjas]

hey
I have a CM 690 case and I'm looking to watercool my Q9550 CPU so i can hopefully get into some large-scale water cooling.

I'm looking to get a Swiftech MCR220 Radiator, and have that mounted on top, where the 2 120mm blowholes (is that right?) are located. For the top cover, i cut out the plastic design things underneath the mesh.

I don't want to go into any intense case modding, like cutting the metal parts, and I don't want to have an externally mounted radiator. I'm going to be picking up some Yate loons 120x120x20mm which will fit between the top of the chassis and the mesh.

my question is, would I be able to mount a MCR220 Radiator on the top where the 2 120mm fans are supposed to go? I saw ericeod did something like this, and I wanted to PM him but i'm a new user, and I can't pm, so .. heh =/

btw, i love these forums, they were so helpful when building my first rig, hopefuly i can get some decent help with water cooling

 

[Dar_T]

Here you go. http://www.overclock.net/computer-ca...-radiator.html

 

[like30ninjas]

thanks alot, that thread was really helpful!!!!!

 

[KarmaKiller]

The problem your gonna run into is in the spacing of the fans. The top of the CM 690 has different spacing for dual 120's then what the swiftech needs. Your gonna have to throw one of the fans off the original mounting spot for it to line up right.
*(or you could just double mount it, like in that thread)*

I've had a 240mm RAD on mine before. I just recently upgraded to a 360mm RAD. It's a tight fit. I ended up having to remove the top USB/mic/1394 connections. I plan on modding them into the front at some time...
Anyhow, here's a pic of both the setups I talked about before.

 

[like30ninjas]

For the spacing, will i need to drill new holes or are the preperforated holes for the exhaust itself good enough? Either way, it shouldn't be too much of an obstacle to overcome.

 

[DarkstarX10a]

Does anyone know if the grommets on the back can fit a 1/2 Id tubes. Sorry local store has it for cheap, its soon to replace my old Antec 900 case, due to better W/C potential

 

[KarmaKiller]

yeah, they can fit up to 1/2 OD tubing. I don't think anything bigger will fit through the holes though.

 

[ericeod]

I hope I'm not too late to offer advice. I was PMed last week asking the same thing and accidentaly deleted it when I was trying to clean out some mesages. I'm at school right now on my iPhone, but will post info with pics when I get a chance.

 

[DarkstarX10a]

Nut's anything bigger than a 1/2 OD... darn hmm i guess i have to go with a 3/8 ID tubes for this build

 

[ericeod]

Here is my old setup. Note I did cut the top metal fan screen out and had to drill 2 mounting holes for the front screws to secure the fans to the RAD. You will also see that I had to mount the rear 120mm fan right next to the front for 2 reasons. First to allow for clearance under the mesh when the top plastic piece was clipped on. And second, to allow for the fan to mount on the rad. I also had to straighten the tabs on the top mesh to allow for clearance of the rear fan. it is only about 1/8" off, and is not noticeable.

Here you can see the slight bend in the top mesh:

Front of Rad mounted:

Back of Rad mounted:

I didnt have to cut the metal mesh on the top piece, just the plastic slats. I did however have to bend the mesh slightly upward. But it makes for a nice profile. And yes the fans are under the mesh:

To help with the clearance issues, I got a 220 Stealth Rad:

I used window seal ($1.49 a roll) to seal the rad and limit vibration from the fans:

 

[grim596]

ericeod,
just browsing through cm690 mods, and saw yours, erm are your fans blowing into your case?? isn't that bad?
like... hot air going in... shouldn't it be blowing out?