Log Riba's 14L N-ATX water-cooled build - 3700x + Vega64

[riba2233]

Hi everyone,

I have finally done my dream build in N-ATX prototype. It is fully custom water cooled system with 360mm radiator with following specs:

Ryzen 3700x
Vega 64
B550i Aorus
Focus Gold 1000W + Custom cables
2x8gb 3600cl16 G-skill trident Z
250gb 960 pro + 960gb A1000

Water cooling components:

EKWB Velocity AMD copper + plexi + black shroud CPU block
EKWB Vega copper + plexi block
EKWB SPC-60 pump res block
Freezemod 360mm copper radiator
3x Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans ~750 rpm

System is absolutely noiseless and very cold, just as I wanted. It had cooling capacity for highest TDP gpu and mainstream cpu, and can support psu that can power both without any issues. I also made my own psu cables that fortunately worked after first try

Here are some pictures:

Hope you like it, and if you have any questions or feedback please ask below.

Here is the link to album with all the pictures:

 

[BaK]

Everything looks well thought, planned and executed!
Beautiful, congrats!

What kind of tubing is that?
Are you going to add some clamps on the fittings or is it secured enough without?

 

[riba2233]

Everything looks well thought, planned and executed!
Beautiful, congrats!

What kind of tubing is that?
Are you going to add some clamps on the fittings or is it secured enough without?

Thanks

It is standard EKWB matte black tubing:

EK-Loop ZMT Soft Tube 10/16mm 3m – Black

EK-Loop ZMT Soft Tube(Zero Maintenance Tubing) is a high quality, zero maintenance industrial grade EPDM rubber tubing in stylish matte black. Excellent resistance to aging, weathering, ozone and UV! Internal diameter (ID): 9,5mm (3/8

www.ekwb.com

I have put some zip ties (lol) on some fittings, and left some out because they are close to the left panel. But from my experience it is firm enough, although always use some kind of clamps, don't listen to me

 

[BaK]

It is standard EKWB matte black tubing:

EK-Loop ZMT Soft Tube 10/16mm 3m – Black

EK-Loop ZMT Soft Tube(Zero Maintenance Tubing) is a high quality, zero maintenance industrial grade EPDM rubber tubing in stylish matte black. Excellent resistance to aging, weathering, ozone and UV! Internal diameter (ID): 9,5mm (3/8

www.ekwb.com

Oh similar to Norprene then.
Curious to see if dust is going to stick to it as it does with the Tygon Norprene tubing I have in my NCase Build. Not that much actually but still more than on completely smooth tubing.

I have put some zip ties (lol) on some fittings, and left some out because they are close to the left panel. But from my experience it is firm enough, although always use some kind of clamps, don't listen to me

Heh, I only used compression fittings so far!

 

[SFF Watercooled]

The fact that you can fit a 360mm rad+fans, a 400mm long GPU, a reservoir/pump, and an ATX PSU is great. You can even fit a threadripper with a 280mm radiator in there! The flexibility and compatibility in this case is insane!

 

[thelaughingman]

@riba2233 could you check and share the following measurements when using ITX motherboard, GPU in upper position with 60mm rad + 25mm fans please?

• Clearance from the bottom edge of the motherboard to the top edge of the radiator/fan -> looks like 10mm maybe?
• Clearance from the bottom edge of the radiator/fan to the bottom panel of the case -> looks like another 10mm to clear the USB daughterboard?

-> To check if HWL radiators would fit as they are wider than standard (133mm vs 120mm) so needs another 7-8mm on each side​

• Clearance from the top of the motherboard to the top panel of the case -> looks like 25mm to clear full size fans? and those fan mounting are for 80mm right? 92mm fans too big?

I did not pull the trigger on your P-ATX because of shipping cost, but N-ATX might force my hands if a HWL 360 GTX or GTR can fit

 

[riba2233]

@riba2233 could you check and share the following measurements when using ITX motherboard, GPU in upper position with 60mm rad + 25mm fans please?

• Clearance from the bottom edge of the motherboard to the top edge of the radiator/fan -> looks like 10mm maybe?
• Clearance from the bottom edge of the radiator/fan to the bottom panel of the case -> looks like another 10mm to clear the USB daughterboard?

-> To check if HWL radiators would fit as they are wider than standard (133mm vs 120mm) so needs another 7-8mm on each side​

• Clearance from the top of the motherboard to the top panel of the case -> looks like 25mm to clear full size fans? and those fan mounting are for 80mm right? 92mm fans too big?

I did not pull the trigger on your P-ATX because of shipping cost, but N-ATX might force my hands if a HWL 360 GTX or GTR can fit

Here you go, I made some renders with 60mm 360 alphacool rad model that I have:

As you can see, this rad is 124mm wide, so for HWL rad you need extra 4,5mm on each side. You have that on mbo side, but on usb side it's a bit tricky, but not impossible, please see this render:

This is the cable end of the USB connectors, which can be pushed down a bit no problem.

For fan over the mbo you have 30mm so you can install 8025 fan, 92 is a bit wide, it could fit but I don't know how you would attach it.


The main potential problem with 60mm rad is the space you have left for tube routing:

In theory, there is enough space for two 16mm OD tubes, but could be a bit tricky to install.

Another note, I would say that 45mm thick rad is more than enough for everything you can install in this case, let's say OC'ed intel chip that pulls 200-250w and some top of the line gpu with 350w TDP, and they would have to work at full tilt at the same time to max it out. And it would be easier to route everything and fans would have easier time pushing the air through the fins. IDK if 60mm rad requires push pull setup basically.

 

[thelaughingman]

@riba2233 thank you! that is some level of details & visuals. there is enough wiggle room there as I only use Alphacool TPV 12.7/7.6 together with very low profile adapters. about the thick rad, actually HWL Nemesis 360 GTX is only 54mm thick so some additional room as well. personally I may not use up all the cooling capacity but the additional headroom just means I can run the fans at even slower speed.

and more importantly, all the volume must be used to the max! cannot leave any space behind haahaha

 

[thelaughingman]

@riba2233 apologies, another question for different build altogether

-ATX motherboard (or e-ATX up to 275 mm long if using SFX psu)

With additional bracket and short riser, you can mount GPU in upper position. Note that this severely limits CPU cooler clearance, as follows:
- 35 mm or up to the top of IO shield with 2-slot gpu
- 55 mm with 1-slot gpu

in this config, HWL Nemesis GTS 360 mounted at the bottom of the case has the same fitment cautions as the previous use case right?

 

[riba2233]

@riba2233 thank you! that is some level of details & visuals. there is enough wiggle room there as I only use Alphacool TPV 12.7/7.6 together with very low profile adapters. about the thick rad, actually HWL Nemesis 360 GTX is only 54mm thick so some additional room as well. personally I may not use up all the cooling capacity but the additional headroom just means I can run the fans at even slower speed.

and more importantly, all the volume must be used to the max! cannot leave any space behind haahaha

I completely agree! 54mm sound better yeah.

@riba2233 apologies, another question for different build altogether



in this config, HWL Nemesis GTS 360 mounted at the bottom of the case has the same fitment cautions as the previous use case right?

With ATX mbo you can't use the rad in the bottom position, only in the side position (240 or 280). I mean you could with some case modding, so that the 360mm rad would be in in front of mbo, but that would limit you to 30mm fan with 25mm fans (15 would be even better for airflow).

I hope I got your question but I'm not sure, maybe you can post the render of the exact configuration, to many of them lol.

 

[thelaughingman]

I completely agree! 54mm sound better yeah.



With ATX mbo you can't use the rad in the bottom position, only in the side position (240 or 280). I mean you could with some case modding, so that the 360mm rad would be in in front of mbo, but that would limit you to 30mm fan with 25mm fans (15 would be even better for airflow).

I hope I got your question but I'm not sure, maybe you can post the render of the exact configuration, to many of them lol.

you've got it exactly right! my idea is to use an E-ATX board (X570 Aorus XTREME to be exact as I have a local deal for it at the same price as a Crosshair VIII Dark Hero) with the SF750 or maybe Silverstone 1000W SFX-L for some piece of mind. so yeah it will have to be, from front-to-back: panel - rad - fan - mb - panel.

When you say 30mm rad + 25mm fans how much clearance is left? I think the tallest component at the bottom of the motherboard will be the PCIE Slot (11.25mm in height from the motherboard). So my napkin math is: 85mm - 11.25mm - 10mm (MB standoffs + PCB thickness) - 30mm - 25mm = 8.75mm?

I realised after asking that the case only have mounting 'rails' in the 'back' of the case and not in the front. Have you ever thought about adding 2 mounting rails to the front?

Apologies for my Paint skill

• The yellow bits are basically I'll drill the lips of the case to create mounting for my rails, allowing some flexibility in terms of moving up & down
• The green bits are the eventual fan/rad mounting rails cut from aluminium or steel

Thanks a lot man!

 

[riba2233]

you've got it exactly right! my idea is to use an E-ATX board (X570 Aorus XTREME to be exact as I have a local deal for it at the same price as a Crosshair VIII Dark Hero) with the SF750 or maybe Silverstone 1000W SFX-L for some piece of mind. so yeah it will have to be, from front-to-back: panel - rad - fan - mb - panel.

When you say 30mm rad + 25mm fans how much clearance is left? I think the tallest component at the bottom of the motherboard will be the PCIE Slot (11.25mm in height from the motherboard). So my napkin math is: 85mm - 11.25mm - 10mm (MB standoffs + PCB thickness) - 30mm - 25mm = 8.75mm?

I realised after asking that the case only have mounting 'rails' in the 'back' of the case and not in the front. Have you ever thought about adding 2 mounting rails to the front?



Apologies for my Paint skill

• The yellow bits are basically I'll drill the lips of the case to create mounting for my rails, allowing some flexibility in terms of moving up & down
• The green bits are the eventual fan/rad mounting rails cut from aluminium or steel

Thanks a lot man!

Yes, I did think about adding that option, and I was very close to it, but it turned out to be more complicated than I thought, since I have to do it in a way that it doesn't make any other case features worse, but is also structurally sound enough to hold a big heavy rad. I thought it is not worth it since not many people would do something like that, and those who would can probably DIY some option.

Now regarding that motherboard, it can be a bit problematic since it is long AND has angled 24 pin connector, so once you plug in the cable it will certainly interfere with the SFX PSU.

In terms of clearance for stuff over the mbo, there is around 74mm of space from the top of pci-e connectors to the side flange, but there has to be some space left for airflow and potentially other stuff on mbo such as pcie clips, io cables etc.

 

[thelaughingman]

Yes, I did think about adding that option, and I was very close to it, but it turned out to be more complicated than I thought, since I have to do it in a way that it doesn't make any other case features worse, but is also structurally sound enough to hold a big heavy rad. I thought it is not worth it since not many people would do something like that, and those who would can probably DIY some option.

Now regarding that motherboard, it can be a bit problematic since it is long AND has angled 24 pin connector, so once you plug in the cable it will certainly interfere with the SFX PSU.

In terms of clearance for stuff over the mbo, there is around 74mm of space from the top of pci-e connectors to the side flange, but there has to be some space left for airflow and potentially other stuff on mbo such as pcie clips, io cables etc.

Yeah totally understand on the mounting rails. Fortunately I have a professional modder locally to me so he can help with making stuff happen, no issue at all

Great insights on the 24pin plug btw! I totally glossed over that and just assumeed it to be standard, i.e. come out vertically and not horizontally. one workaround I can think of is to "lift" the PSU from the back panel all the way to the front panel, similar to how you mount the PSU + bracket with standoffs in the T1 2-slot mode so PSU is in 3-slot mode position. EDIT #1: a 2nd possible solution comes to mind is to flip the PSU around so cables come out from the 'top', and then lower it to clear the 24-pin plug. But it might not clear the bottom fan+rad. Need to physically verify

74mm clearance off the PCIE slot is quite interesting. Technically can still fit a HWL 360 GTX (54mm) + slim fans (15mm) but then for 2 out of the 3 fans there would be no path to exhaust / blocked by the MB. My current thinking is to use the 360 GTS (30mm) + full-size fans (25mm) but in order of panel - fan - rad - MB - panel so that the 3rd fan position not blocked by MB, I can do push-pull with another fan. EDIT #2: with that 4th fan I can possibly try and mount the entire fan+rad to the back of the case with extra long screws & spacers. It SHOULD be quite solid, I think

Thank you so much for the details & thoughtful answers, it's fun just to think about all the components and clearance and compatibility! Next is to have to case in hand and test fit everything! Can't wait!

 

[riba2233]

Yeah totally understand on the mounting rails. Fortunately I have a professional modder locally to me so he can help with making stuff happen, no issue at all

Great insights on the 24pin plug btw! I totally glossed over that and just assumeed it to be standard, i.e. come out vertically and not horizontally. one workaround I can think of is to "lift" the PSU from the back panel all the way to the front panel, similar to how you mount the PSU + bracket with standoffs in the T1 2-slot mode so PSU is in 3-slot mode position. EDIT #1: a 2nd possible solution comes to mind is to flip the PSU around so cables come out from the 'top', and then lower it to clear the 24-pin plug. But it might not clear the bottom fan+rad. Need to physically verify

74mm clearance off the PCIE slot is quite interesting. Technically can still fit a HWL 360 GTX (54mm) + slim fans (15mm) but then for 2 out of the 3 fans there would be no path to exhaust / blocked by the MB. My current thinking is to use the 360 GTS (30mm) + full-size fans (25mm) but in order of panel - fan - rad - MB - panel so that the 3rd fan position not blocked by MB, I can do push-pull with another fan. EDIT #2: with that 4th fan I can possibly try and mount the entire fan+rad to the back of the case with extra long screws & spacers. It SHOULD be quite solid, I think

Thank you so much for the details & thoughtful answers, it's fun just to think about all the components and clearance and compatibility! Next is to have to case in hand and test fit everything! Can't wait!

Well I'm sure you will figure it out, you seem to be very experienced and have fun while doing so

 

[thelaughingman]

in the end I will, most likely, just do a similar build to yours

just casually assemble and test my new pump-res combo: "blemish" Optimus Absolute D5 5.75" & XSPC D5 PWM (not MOLEX, SATA cable FTW!)

 

[riba2233]

Current state of this build lol:

 

[thelaughingman]

Current state of this build lol:

what case is this?

 

[riba2233]

what case is this?

It is HEAVILY moded LC-POWER 3001b. It cost me around 30 USD 5 years ago and it was my first smaller case. It is so thin that it doesn't fit reference height gpu with pcie power connector, you have to use low profile adapter and you can forget about anything taller than 111 mm. Also the temps were horrendous.

 

[thelaughingman]

It is HEAVILY moded LC-POWER 3001b. It cost me around 30 USD 5 years ago and it was my first smaller case. It is so thin that it doesn't fit reference height gpu with pcie power connector, you have to use low profile adapter and you can forget about anything taller than 111 mm. Also the temps were horrendous.

any insight why it is used again instead of your own N-ATX?

 

[riba2233]

any insight why it is used again instead of your own N-ATX?

I'll keep that for later!