Carbide 100R Side Panel Doesn't Fit with Radiator Installed

[jimnms]

I bought the Carbide 100R Silent Edition case to build my new system in, which I just finished, and I've run into a problem. I've had all the parts for about 2 weeks, but due to limited time I was only able to recently assemble it. I went to install the side panels just now, but I can't get the "front" side panel to go on. It took me a few minutes to figure out the problem. I have an Arctic Liquid Freezer 120 cooler, which is similar to the H80. The radiator sits up against the top of the case rail that the side panel locks into. The side panel has a lip that sticks out that goes under this rail, but it can't go on because the radiator is in the way and prevents the little latches or whatever they're called from sliding into the notches.

 

On the product page for the case they show the case with what looks like an H80 installed:

http://www.corsair.com/~/media/corsair/product%20photos/cases/carbide-series/100r-silent/large/100r_silent_005.png

 

The Arctic Cooler fits and looks exactly like that picture. According to the dimensions, the Arctic's radiator is 3mm narrower than the H80's radiator. I also took measurements of my old H50 and it's the same as the Arctic, except for the narrower radiator, so if the case can't close with either of those radiators in it, there's no way it will close with an H80 in it.

 

You can see the side panel with the lip at the top and bottom here:

http://www.corsair.com/~/media/corsair/product%20photos/cases/carbide-series/100r-silent/large/100r_silent_006.png

 

You can see a closeup of the lip on the side panel here at the bottom left edge here:

http://www.corsair.com/~/media/corsair/product%20photos/cases/carbide-series/100r-silent/large/100r_silent_008.png

 

You can actually see a spot that is flattened in the above picture so that lip will fit over the 5.25" drive bay mount. That part from the 5.25" drive bay sticks out about as far as the radiator does.

 

I'm not sure what to do now. It took me forever to pick out a case and narrow it down to this one. I'm not even sure if I can return it, and then I have to go through the case selection process all over again.

 

I can move the radiator to the front, but it will only fit in the front of the case if I mount it sideways. I don't even know if the radiator will even work mounted sideways. Like the H80, it doesn't say in the manual not to mount it sideways, it just recommends mounting it with the hoses at the bottom.

 

I can try to force the side panel on and try to live with the side panel bulging out, or I could try flattening the lip where the radiator is so there is no bulge.

 

There should be a warning on the product page that this case isn't compatible with water coolers, and don't show it with an H80 if it won't fit in the case.

[jimnms]

For anyone that buys this case and runs into the same problem, here is my solution. I drilled out the front holes so the wider radiator screws would fit through and mounted it in the front. You have to turn the radiator on its side. The radiator does work fine this way, and there is still plenty of room there for a long GPU. I mounted one fan on the front side with the radiator and the other fan on the inside.

 

http://i.imgur.com/kr6VGrCl.jpg

 

This was after I finished mounting it, I have since tidied up the cables, closed the case and it's working fine.

[franzdom]

That looks really good! There should be more love for the 100R it is a very capable case.

[jimnms]

It looks good and it works, but it's not an ideal solution. You generally want the radiator to be the highest point in a liquid cooling loop because if any air gets in the system, it will generally go to the highest part of the loop. Mounting the radiator in the front now makes the pump the highest part of the loop, so any that gets in the system can get trapped in the pump, and there goes your cooling.