Log Portable workstation: A4 H2O w/ 280 radiator

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Status: Restarted, as I'm mightly disappointed with the "regular" build. The GPU + riser issue still applies, but workarounds should do, for now.

Update on 2024-09-20:

Got so disappointed with the regular option, that I decided to just "shove it" and return to my original plans. So back to side-mounted AIO it is.

Yeah, the GPU might be sitting around in a bit of a wonky situation, as in: probably gonna have fun with zip ties + the fan / AIO mounting bracket for the GPU back, the other side should be sitting rock solid with neodym magnets .. but at least the riser is gonna work as expected.

Future improvements may involve a HDPlex GaN 500 and the eventual move to the S400 V2, when I'm done with the "inverted classic" mod (including replacing the back panel).

Update on 2024-09-02:

Going with a "regular" 240 AIO for now, as I need a new working system ASAP.

Conclusion: 280 AIO / radiator works, but the primary issue is, that you need to figure out a solid, proper mounting AND riser solution for the GPU first. Anything else after is rather easy.

Going to look into this in a few months again, while I finish other tasks, including the S396, my new sleeper build and maybe a S400 V2 back panel mod.

Original post on May 28th:

Today, I received my fallback case (see other thread), the A4 H2O with PCIe 4 riser cable.
Did a quick test fit, and as it turns out, my be quiet Silent Loop 2 280 AIO fits almost perfectly. Had to get a bit creative with the tube routing, but it works!

The system specs are basically the same as seen in the Mesh-mATX thread.

Full image dump over at my blog: https://wp-devil.com/a4-h2o-with-280-mm-aio-part-1/

So next, I ordered the Asrock Z690 PG-ITX/TB4 board, and a Silent Wings 4 Pro 140 (soon to be two of them, but could also be replaced by SilverStone Shark Force 140 ARGB; depending on outcome of tests).

Spoiler: original planned setup

Case: Dan Case A4-H2O w/ black panels
CPU: Intel i7 13700K
MB: Asrock B650E PG-ITX/TB4
Contact Frame: The original by Thermalgrizzly
RAM: 64 GB Corsair DDR5 5200 (Corsair Vengeance)
Storage: 2x 2 TB (FireCuda 530 + SK Hynix P41)
AIO: be quiet Silent Loop 2 280 w/ 2x Silent Wings 4 Pro / 2x Shark Force 140 Silent Wings 4 Pro 140 + Silverstone Air Slimmer 140
PSU: Corsair SF750
GPU: Inno3D RTX 4070 Twin X2 OC White Stealth with "hidden" power connector
Riser: PCIe 4 supplied with the case 20 cm 90° angle Cooler Master V2

Spoiler: originally planned GPU + Riser

GPU: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6800 Gaming OC (for now) w/ 180° angled power adapters
Riser: PCIe 4 supplied with the case, but is being replaced with the EZ-DIY PCI riser of the same style (23 cm)

Spoiler: original AIO setup (till June 30th 2024)

Currently replacing one of the fans (SW 3 HS) with the Silverstone Air Slimmer 140, as this is the side with the in / outlet ports and pressing a bit too much against the tubes with the default 25 mm tall fan.

When the board arrives, the SW 4 Pro goes where the SW 4 HS 120 is installed right now (had to use this one because in the original setup inside the Meshlicious, the MB ATX cables would be squished too much, so the smaller frame of the 120 mm fan helped mitigating this issue).

Full list of components: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/user/fwolf/saved/6zgNyc

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Also ordered: Some hard rubber rolls / pads which I intend to use as ... exactly that: padding for the radiator. Until I come up with a better solution, eg. proper mounting brackets.

cu, w0lf

 

[RAAM]

Looking forward to some pics for sure! Going to be a very nice system for not much more than the cost of a 4090.
And you got me very interested in that case or the hard to find and much more expensive FormD T1 which will not fit a 280mm AIO so the A4-H2O makes more sense, not that I always have any in the common variety.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Looking forward to some pics for sure! Going to be a very nice system for not much more than the cost of a 4090.
And you got me very interested in that case or the hard to find and much more expensive FormD T1 which will not fit a 280mm AIO so the A4-H2O makes more sense, not that I always have any in the common variety.

Technically I only had to pay for the case and the mainboard. So its more like the price for a used 3060 Ti. All the other components have already been sitting here either for quite a while (PSU, GPU), are left-over parts (the 280 AIO) or are in active use (eg. the CPU, RAM and storage).

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

Even better yet, reusing or even first time using parts already on hand

I am thinking about a new case and graphics card but looking for a card I can use in this case and in the new one. I can sell my 3060 TI for most of the cost of the newer card, which I do not need but want one I can deshroud to have fun going that route.

Still waiting to see how you put the 280 radiator into that new case!!!

Or maybe I will just go ahead and get the same case and do my own version and we can see how they turn out compared to each other.....I do not like to copy kat anyone else but only two cases interest me at this time.

Rick

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Ordered and already received the "Mesh Frontend kit" for the O11 Evo. Some poor kid is gonna cry their eyes out for not being able to upgrade their fish tank. Of which I intend to use the mounting brackets for somehow mounting the AIO to the case. As of now, its only held in place thanks to the tubes and a few repurposed hard rubber blocks from other cases (primarly meant for PSUs).

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

Oops, forgot you had mentioned the rubber pads, etc.....

Lucky for me I have a lot of different types of metal and tools to bend it, small sheet metal brake for bending, drill press, etc so pretty easy for me to make brackets as needed.

Rick

 

[RAAM]

Oops, forgot you had mentioned the rubber pads, etc.....

Lucky for me I have a lot of different types of metal and tools to bend it, small sheet metal brake for bending, drill press, etc so pretty easy for me to make brackets as needed. Years ago I was still able to make such parts by using blocks of hardwood, strong clamps and a rubber mallet then use a punch to mark drill holes and a hand held drill and still get ery good results. I have made parts our of polycarbonate and other plastics as well using a heat tape to warm it up then bend by hand.

Rick

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

After trying out several riser cables with 90° and reverse angled connectors, I came to the conclusion its not gonna work out with these, at least not with my humongous 60 mm thicc RX 6800. So I've ordered a straight 20 cm PCIe 4 riser cable plus a singular 90° angled adapter card, in the hope to remedy this issue.

Also ordered a few other rubber pads that should fit better.

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

I stuffed the 280mm AIO into the top of the FR and it is right against the GPU, CPU dropped a lot of temp stress testing but GPU gained way to much heat, expected it. I am just going to have to order the A4-H20 and follow your lead on how to use the 280mm or ...I will be watching this thread

Rick

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

I am just going to have to order the A4-H20 and follow your lead on how to use the 280mm or ...I will be watching this thread

You gotta read up / measure a lot of the radiator sizes, because it only works if the rad is smaller = shorter in length than the case.
The be quiet Silent Loop 2 280 is 315 mm, and that works perfectly, there is even about 1 cm space left.

All the other restrictions still apply, ie. Arctic Liquid Freezer wont fit, because the CPU block is too tall. I'd guess that 38 mm is a bit too thick, too. My guess is that 55 mm is about the thickest you can go, ie. 30 mm radiator + 25 mm fan. But YMMV.

Another thing to think about: AIOs with the pump built into the tubes. I'm very skeptical if they would fit, so that'd rule out the be quiet Pure Loop in general, the Raijintek Orcus and the Thermalright Frozen Magic Scenic V2.

The SFF master list might be helpful; its listing the actual dimensions of a lot of AIOs:


cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

VERY useful information, thanks!!!

I knew the Corsair was not going to fit right with the front fans installed but would with them removed or open up the back of the case. I bought it but just wanted to see what I could do with it and at the price hard to not go for it

NOW, I know I want either a slimmer graphics card to try without the shroud or fans or will buy a new case first, etc....

The AIO is 320mm long, GPU max in the A4-H20 is 322mm, likely same for AIO on the side....

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I have looked and looked at cases and the A4-H20 seems like such a great choice, I can see why you went with it.

And you get the challenge of making it work with the 280mm AIO, far more fun that just sticking a system together which takes little time or thought....

Rick

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

In theory, I could have gone with the default 25 mm fan on the PSU side, but it felt to be a future PITA, because I already nearly broke my fingers when working with an SFX-L PSU in the S396 built (replaced it with a SeaSonic SFX PSU since then, and 3 cm more wriggle room are soooo much more worth it; my fingers agree ).

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

Looks like I will be building an A4-H20, just snagged one on Ebay, new, make an offer, $98 shipped!
I will post the info in the right thread here for others to see it. It is black, I wanted silver though black is better for my needs, I just wanted something different.

Now I am really interested in how you are setting up the 280mm and graphics card but I have ideas that I can use and might just go my own way just to to it though not too many options so might be very close to your solution.

You inspired me to do this, all your fault. J/K.....

Rick

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

After a lot of back and forth I decided to rotate the GPU by 180°, ie. with the fans pointing towards the case. And THAT is the only position it somewhat fits, without trying to bend the Riser centipede to painful angles. Even allows better access to the power connectors, albeit THOSE cables get smushed now INSTEAD.

Really, best option is to get a thinner GPU. At this point, even a reference-sized RX 7800 XT would be better than this ... OOOOOUCH ... feeling

But I gonna stick with my plan with the Inno3D RTX 4070 - whether its gonna be a regular one or the White Stealth. Despite being about 250 g heavier than eg. the MSI Ventus 2X, it should fit much much better. Also, reports show its got the heads up in cooling and power consumption, while staying above the performance levels of the FE base model (and the MSI).

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

I think we are on the same page on how to orient the GPU, seems the best way but everything I consider is still just guessing until the case arrives, glad you have yours to work with on hand

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Created a quick blog post with a wagonload of images showing the initial test installation, secondary proper figuring out the ways of installation, and the GPU installation process, both with the GPU in normal and 180° rotated position. Also highlights most of the potential tight spaces and issues (eg. bending the riser cable too painfully with the "normal" GPU position etc.).

A4-H2O with 280 mm AIO – Part #1​

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

Great pictures on a really cool build

Mine is coming along well also, just waiting on new GPU and I also plan to run the fans facing down on it, going to be a tight fit but a fun project.

I just found out the 30cm riser cable is about 2cm short to have fans facing down and the rides cards I have on hand do not fit so I have to come up with a different solution.

Rick

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Just realized albeit I now got a test CPU, I dont have any RAM - cause this is a DDR 5 MB, not a DDR 4
So I ordered a decent 32 GB DDR5 kit on Amazon. Yet another Corsair Vengeance. IDK even how much a 12400 packs in terms of XMP, so I just took a 5600 MHz kit with solid timings.

Kinda sad that the same kit in 64 GB costs about 2/3 of what I paid for my 5200 kit at the begin of 2023

Also ordered 2x Thermalright Contact Frames, the Thermalgrizzly OG is gonna go on the 13700k, but the TR one is nice enough for the 12400. Oh yeah, and it does a very solid job in the S396 build, so all good. One CF is for usage, the other is a spare, eg. if I wanted to do a build with the MSI B660 board of the original SAMA IM01 NAS/Media server vertical tower.

cu, w0lf.

 

[RAAM]

From everything I have read including actual benchmarks by pros the faster RAM means little if anything in real world performance, at least on games, maybe some on production work....

I tested Samsung DDR5 4800, then ran it at 5400, then tested some Ripjaws CL32 at 6000 then at 6400, not a bit of difference in any test worth noting.

The article I read that had the most testing I think they went as far as 7400, nothing gained to consider.

Seems buying the fastest RAM is like buying the fastest car but not really knowing what to do with it(most do not and should not try)

Must of been back in 1993 or 94 I bought my first two gigs of RAM, $700 in 2024 values it would be over $1,400~
A half decent all around computer cost $2,500 and would be over $5,000 now. I built a bunch for friends, co workers, etc.

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Your new RAM will be just fine

Rick