Enclosure Thermaltake Core G3: a 24L ATX case with SFX mount

[Phuncz]

It's 440mm without the feet, so it should just about fit. It also occured to me it had the shape and size of a short 4U rack case. Though be sure to mount rails across the entire length or atleast ears at the front and back to secure it properly, it's not made of sturdy enough material to just suspend from the front alone.

 

[Nanook]

I measured my G3 case. It looks to be just under 17.4” if you remove the feet.

 

[SilverJS]

Thanks so much to both of you! I actually have 17.75, as it turns out. Looks like it'll work!

One more please : with a micro ATX board, what thickness of 240 cooler could I mount? I guess, what's the free space between the front edge of the board, and the front edge of the case, where the rad would mount? Could I even have two sets of fans (push-pull), internally?

(I understand someone said that there's the possibility of mounting fans just behind the front cover, that's an option too.)

Again, thanks much!!

 

[Phuncz]

I'd suggest you browse this topic, it's already a nice collection of information, builds and pictures.

 

[Nanook]

I only built mITX in this case. Based on how cramped it was for water cooling, I recommend going no thicker than 30mm radiator, and 25mm fans set to pull / intake.

 

[jaruri]

Have any owners of this case tried flipping it to the standard layout (flip 180 and stick feet to the "top" of the case?)
Are the bottom feet removable easily/the bottom look ugly?

I have an idea brewing in my head in the past few hours for a new build in this case, but my desk is oriented so my PC is always on the right side.

Thanks for any insights!

 

[Phuncz]

The top and bottom are identical except for the 8 small holes for the feet, which are missing for the top panel. So it’s atleast possible to put it into the upside-down orientation you want, with some modding.

You could also consider putting the case flat against the wall since the side the motherboard attaches to is just flat and unperforated.

 

[jaruri]

Awesome, thanks for the info! I might pick this case up and drill some holes for the feet on the top then. Seems like it should be pretty straightforward.

 

[Soundseer]

1st post looking for some info from anyone who owns this case. Would it be possible to fit a 120mm radiator and fan at the top fan position with a standard size GPU installed? Specifically could I install an EVGA 1080 Hybrid FTW and mount the radiator above it?

GPU Dimensions

• Height: 5.064in - 128.626mm
• Length: 10.5in - 266.7mm
• Radiator is 27mm thick
• Fan is 25mm thick

I know in a pinch I could mount the GPU radiator in the HDD cage location, but I would prefer it up top for cable management purposes. Thanks for any info.

 

[Averywongky]

Anyone knows if a EATX board will fit in a g3 with an AIO?

 

[neyurt]

Hey Nanook, just went through this thread and it was a fun read. Thanks for documenting your process a long the way.

This case is on sale today on amazon (prime day) for $54, was thinking of picking it up for testing for fun. Any chance there's room on top to fit a slim 240mm raid + 15mm noctua fan (xspc has a 20.5mm rad)?

 

[neyurt]

Someone mentioned the Ceberus here, which is a sub 20L case. Just wanted to point out that with some DIY modding, the rosewill srm-01 ($18-30) can be modded to fits tons of radiators for an itx build.

I'm able to get a some-what janky modded setup that fits a 280mm EK CE, 140mm HW Labs GtS, and an XSPC 240mm (3 rads!), and a hydro 5 into an SRM-01. (I'm cooing a 9900k+20180Ti, so I need all the rads I can fit for heat dissipation.)

 

[Nanook]

Hey Nanook, just went through this thread and it was a fun read. Thanks for documenting your process a long the way.

This case is on sale today on amazon (prime day) for $54, was thinking of picking it up for testing for fun. Any chance there's room on top to fit a slim 240mm raid + 15mm noctua fan (xspc has a 20.5mm rad)?

The top spot is very tight. I could only fit a 25mm fan in the top front spot. The top rear spot gets a lot of interference with the riser cable.

 

[neyurt]

The top spot is very tight. I could only fit a 25mm fan in the top front spot. The top rear spot gets a lot of interference with the riser cable.

That's what I expected.

Thought about some modding ideas. You have the case so would like to know your thoughts on it.

1. Drop the video card by 1 inch? Looks like it could be done with extra room from an ITX board (might need a different riser and re-secure it somehow?

2. Could use a flex-psu (1.5" thickness) and mod some mounting holes to mount it Behind the GPU? that will open up the space on the bottom for another 240mm Rad.

......OR do both and get 2 more 240mm rads in the case ?

3. If water cooling, modd the vent-holes to mount the GPU right on top of the mobo (shouldn't be too bad). Both the GPU & CPU can use 90 elbow fittings to make use of the space in between. Then that opens up the top by a huge margin, that can be used for even thicker rads and full 25mm fans.

 

[Nanook]

That's what I expected.

Thought about some modding ideas. You have the case so would like to know your thoughts on it.

1. Drop the video card by 1 inch? Looks like it could be done with extra room from an ITX board (might need a different riser and re-secure it somehow?

2. Could use a flex-psu (1.5" thickness) and mod some mounting holes to mount it Behind the GPU? that will open up the space on the bottom for another 240mm Rad.

......OR do both and get 2 more 240mm rads in the case ?

3. If water cooling, modd the vent-holes to mount the GPU right on top of the mobo (shouldn't be too bad). Both the GPU & CPU can use 90 elbow fittings to make use of the space in between. Then that opens up the top by a huge margin, that can be used for even thicker rads and full 25mm fans.

It’s probably possible, but it’s pretty tight in that case in general. The chassis is steel, so it could be sturdy enough with mods / welding / bolting on brackets. Overall build quality isn’t amazing though, and the thinner gauge metal, and brittle plastic snaps might disappoint.

 

[neyurt]

It’s probably possible, but it’s pretty tight in that case in general. The chassis is steel, so it could be sturdy enough with mods / welding / bolting on brackets. Overall build quality isn’t amazing though, and the thinner gauge metal, and brittle plastic snaps might disappoint.

I did it! I was able to mod the case a bit, going with (1 - drop the vid card by 1 inch). I was able to fit 3 rads into the case. 360, 240, and a thick 120.

Maybe I should make a post about it.

 

[Nanook]

I did it! I was able to mod the case a bit, going with (1 - drop the vid card by 1 inch). I was able to fit 3 rads into the case. 360, 240, and a thick 120.

Maybe I should make a post about it.

That’s awesome. I would love to see it!

 

[neyurt]

That’s awesome. I would love to see it!

I made a post here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/tt-core-g3-3-rads-custom-loop-24-5l.11207/

 

[vex_sb]

I made a post here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/tt-core-g3-3-rads-custom-loop-24-5l.11207/

Epic

could be better cablewise and tubingwise, but for first time - great job

 

[neyurt]

Epic

could be better cablewise and tubingwise, but for first time - great job

Thanks!

I actually replaced the 120 gtx with a 120 pe (the width is slightly less by a few mm - but this helps me close the side panel without it bulging out too much).

In the process I already cleaned up the cabling. Putting the Command Pro behind the GPU makes it much cleaner. It looks quite tidy now!

I might be able to re-route the GPU's tubbing to go behind it and "hide" from the side panel view. But maybe at the next maintenance... or when I decide to take the loop apart for some random reason, whichever comes first