As a proud owner of a 280x who recently installed a hydro X set onto their case, I will tell you that it is 100% possible to achieve acceptable temps on your set up. (See attached picture of my completed set up)
I’ll start with my setup specs:
-8700K OC @ 1.26v
-RTX 2080
-4 sticks of vengeance pro rgb
-Micro atx gigabyte z390 motherboard
-LL120 x2 for front intake
-ML120 RGB (2500rpm version from h110i platinum)
-ML140 RGB (1800rpm versión from h115i platinum)
As you can see, my motherboard form factor already limits what I can do on paper. However, this is what I was able to fit into the case without any actual case mods:
-Corsair cpu + GPU block
-XD3 pump (mounted parallel to the front intake fans, allowing unobstructed view of the wonderful ram RGB)
-xr5 280 (top exhaust)
-xr5 240 (bottom intake)
This was a very challenging endeavor. I accomplished this by overcoming specific challenges in different ways. For the sake of organization and avoiding rambling I’ll explain each one separately
Step 1— Mounting the top 280 rad: I used a 45 degree elbow fitting attached to a 90 degree fitting on the back rad plug hole, this is the only way to enable the fitting to clear the motherboard IO shroud. I was able to bend it to exactly the angle I needed. I routed the CPU block and all fan cables BEFORE mounting it. You lose access to that top cable management aperture as soon as it’s mounted. You must mount this before placing the top intake 120mm fan(otherwise good luck even inserting the rad inside the case). The tubes also had to be pre-cut, attached, and secured to the rad fittings before mounting (again, impossible to access or tighten once it is mounted). The rad had to be mounted as close to the back as possible, and although it pushes the 8 pin CPU cable aside, it does not interfere with its connection to the motherboard.
-Step 2— mount the front intake fan: self explanatory. Securing the top rad as far back as the case allows, will allow you JUST the right amount of space to insert the front intake fan into its proper position.
-Step 3— Mounting the F@;$#&! XD3 pump: this was the most difficult part and the part that required lots of trial and error and digging through my old “spare accessories” ziploc bags. I mounted the XD3 to the 280 (yes the 280 included mounting bracket) over the 120mm front intake fan, which using long mounting screws allow it to sit at the exact clearance needed for the top filling port to clear the top fan blade. When I say “long screw” I really mean the male-male standoffs that come with the H100i platinum AIO, sandwiched between the screw-pegs (removed from the “X-shaped” plastic socket support bracket)- which end up being the exact length necessary to avoid interfering with the front air filter. I filled the whole loop through the top pump fill hole, while holding the pump in my hand. Once that’s done, THEN i finally (and with some difficulty) cap the fill port, and secure the pump. The thumbscrews that secure the pump to the mounting bracket end up right up against the vibration dampening pads of my LL120 intake fan, which really works out.
Finally, I populate the ram slots, with a few cuts on my fingers but a satisfied smile, and replace the glass panels on the case.
Step 4 — Increase the bottom ground clearance of the case: I placed furniture chair pegs underneath each rubber foot to increase the case height and maximize air intake. This does not affect aesthetics at all and does wonders for temperature
Step 5— Raise the top glass: I used superglue to secure each rubber piece to the screw poles at the highest point possible, before carefully sliding the glass through it and finally securing it with the standard screws. The end result is a top exhaust rad that is not suffocated. (Using superglue was extremely risky, as any stray glue drops inside the screw threads would effectively ruin the ability to screw in the glass- using nylon spacers is a much better equivalent solution that I did not want to wait for)
Radiator airflow : make sure you are using static pressure fans on all of your rads. Using QL120s and QL140s I got SIGNIFICANTLY worse water temps. By switching to the ML RGB fans (AIO versions) I was able to address this, effectively improving coolant temperatures by 4-6 degrees under load without sacrificing noise performance or RGB. The lesson for me was that water cooling in this case DEMANDS static pressure optimized fans for the radiators to function at all, and successfully overcome the airflow limitations of the case.
And finally, my conclusion [\B]
The end result yielded a 28-29 degree idle coolant temp (with 22-24 ambient temp, pump at 3000RPM and all fans at 1000 RPM), 39 degree load coolant temp (AAA gaming titles at 4K), and steady 41C coolant temp under MAX stress (1 hour of p95 putting 167W on CPU, and furmark simultaneously pushing GPU to 300W at 120% power target, for a total load of 467W that incurs a maximum fan speed of 1200-1300 rpm and pump speed of 3200-3500rpm). This took me a lot of trial and error but I am extremely happy with the outcome.
I hope this helps somewhat!
