Finally got my build done; it's pretty ugly on the inside, but that can be cleaned up over time. I'm going to cut and crimp some shorter wires for the loop's thermal probe, cut, crimp and sleeve the aquaero's bits, and hope a J-HACK arrives at some point.
Some notes:
* the finished product looks great, very happy with it
* with my card (6800XT) and waterblock, I couldn't fit a second slim fan on the 280mm on the top in the end; the 140mm to 120mm fan adapter from Noctua adds ~5mm (probably less), but just enough that it doesn't fit. Ah well. I've just left everything built (but without a second fan), but given I've got the solid side panels, I suspect I'd get better thermal performance if I swap the single-fanned 280mm radiator in the top for a 140mm radiator and a separate exhaust fan. The current performance is good enough that I really cbf ripping it apart and re-tooling just yet, but that's probably the next logical step when I've got some free time.
* I managed to squeeze in a Swiftech MC-RES sitting above the CPU block; it's not ideal but again, my dumb GPU block is huge, so I couldn't squeeze anything in on the other side. This is my first ever water-cooled build; after I built the loop outside of the case and ran it for a couple of weeks to get a feel for these things, I realised I _really_ didn't want to try my original plan of running without a res. If I was starting again, I'd try and get one of those CPU blocks that have a res built in (like the Barrow) and file back whatever needed to be filed.
* the side panels rattle a little bit when the case is moved; their fit isn't quite snug. I'm probably going to mimic the case I saw somebody else had, and pad the sides of the radiators with a bit of noise foam or something to apply a slight outward pressure on the panels and make them fit more firmly.
* there is some minor warping that has settled in over time. Nothing that upsets me for the first run of a product, so that's OK, but it is slightly visible
I'll take some pictures when the foam arrives and I take the panels off again. Overall, I'm happy -- I'm targeting a maximum of ~38C loop temperature with ~80L/minute flow rate, which keeps the fans and pump essentially silent at max load (using Furmark and Prime95) with the CPU peaking at 70C (GPU 45C). Dropping the maximum loop temperature to 30C (which is closer to the -- so I'm led to believe? -- ideal ~10C DT) sees the fans ramp up to a still tolerable level (and a better CPU temp), but 70C is fine and I'd prefer it to be silent.
I got the solid side panels, and when I was running the radiators outside the case as a test, as should be obvious I did get better performance. That'll be thanks to the fresh air/better DT across 2 radiators. I therefore suspect that, per WinterCharm's thoughts, the performance panels would've been the quieter option. So it goes; I've got performance I'm happy with and I prefer the look of the solid panels
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Cheers WinterCharm, best of luck for your next adventure.
Also -- as mentioned, this is my first custom loop. I've gleaned what I can from reading forums and watching YouTube, but if anyone's got any tips or pointers or suggestions (eg. flow rate is too low?), I'd love some pointers!