DevBiker's Corsair 7000 Series Build Log and FAQ

[DevBiker]

Hey there everyone! DevBiker from deep in the heart of Texas and I'm just starting down the path of rebuilding my rig into a Corsair 7000 series case. I've gotten my hands on the iCUE 7000X RGB in white as well as the front and top panels for the 7000D Airflow editions (also in white, though black may have been an interesting contrast).

I do plan on playing around with it a bit ... to rearrange things a bit and rebuilt it several times, looking at different options. Over the next month or so - before I do the actual build - I'll be playing around with the case and measuring things and seeing how different things may or may not fit. I'm not going to go over all the marketing fluff - except for a single Obligatory Marketing Image - because y'all can read all of that stuff on all the various reviews that are out there. So with that ... this should also be a discussion. What ideas do y'all have for the 7000? I've already talked with one other forum member that was looking to put a monitor screen on the PSU window and I got some measurements for that. You'll that info in the FAQ as well (under PSU installation)

I'm using the new Album feature for the FAQ; comments are enabled for each photo so you can ask questions there or here. It's best to view the Album by Caption. I like the List View, personally.

Table of Contents - each link points to the first image in the 'section' .

• 0001: Intro, Marketing Image, in the Box
• 0002: Devices, including the Commander Core XT
• 0003: Motherboard Mounts
• 0004: PSU Shroud, including vertical GPU mounting
• 0005: PSU Installation
• 0006: Drive Cages and SSD Mounts
• 0007: Front Fans and Radiators
• 0008: Side Fans and Radiators
• 0009: Top Fans and Radiators
• 0010: Outer Glass and Panels (In Progress ...)

Corsair 7000 Series Cases / HydroX Options : This is an ongoing list of different configurations with HydroX and the 7000 series cases.

Diagrams:

RGB Diagram for 7000X with 2x XR5 420mm

Much thanks to the folks at Corsair as well for helping with this by answering questions and providing a LOT of goodies for this build!!

Links to the 7000 Series Product Pages:

• iCUE 7000X RGB Tempered Glass in Black and White.
• 7000D AIRFLOW in Black and White.

 

The system that will be going through this will be my main rig:

Asus Zenith II Extreme 
ThreadRipper 3970X with HydroX XC9
8x 16GB Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB @ 3466Ghz
nVidia RTX 3090 Founder's Edition with HydroX XG7 (I paid MSRP for this!)
MP600 1TB (System Drive)
MP600 1TB [This will be replaced with an MP600 Core 2TB]
MP510 960GB [This will be replaced with an MP600 Core 2TB]
Sabrent Rocket Q 2TB
Seagate Ironwolf NAS 10TB

I have lots of RGB in there (of course) but all that's likely going to be replaced. I've even got 4 LL140 RGB fans in there from way back just after the LLs actually launched ... and they are still going. Those things have seen some use. On of them even has an RGB cable that I had to cut and re-crimp because I snipped the wire. I've got Commander Pros, Lighting Node Pros and Fan Hubs that are around 4 years old or so ... still going.

Of course there's gonna be a ton of Corsair in here because that's just how I roll. None of y'all are going to be surprised by that in the least.

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by DevBiker

[DougCube]

I'm planning on building in this case but do not have it yet. These are some radiator options I'm considering.

1) A thick (60mm) 420 rad on top with push-pull fans totaling 110mm of thickness.

2) A thin (30mm) 480 rad on the side with fans pulling -- 55mm total thickness. I guess ports oriented down.

3) A thin (30mm) 480 rad on the front with only fans on the other side of the bracket.

 

Does #1 give reasonable motherboard clearance?

Is it possible to do #1 and #2 at the same time?

Is it possible to do #1 and #3 at the same time?

Is is possible to do #1, #2, and #3 at the same time?

 

I'm leaning towards doing #1 and #2, with no rad on the front side just four 120mm fans in front.

If some of these configurations don't work, I would consider using a 360 instead of a 480.

[DevBiker]

You've got 95mm clearance from the top of the motherboard to the top of the case - you'll see this in the Motherboard Mounts section. So #1 would be problem due to the width of the 140mm on top; it would overlap with the motherboard. You could do a 30mm rad (like the XR5 420) with push/pull in the top. You could do a thick 360mm radiator though as you can offset the 120mm radiators from the centerline so that you have the clearance you need.

The 420 on top is going to limit what you can do in the front and side. One thing that I'm going to try is 2x XR5 420's for fit. That might work. 

The thin (30mm) 480's in the front and side should work. Again, with the front, you'll want to offset from the centerline. But the 420 in the top would be close.

Give me a few hours - I do have one of my 420mm radiators in so I can do a mount on the top to give you an idea of the clearance.

Edited August 7, 2021 by DevBiker

[DevBiker]

You won't be able to do a 480 on top - only a 360 or 420.

[DevBiker]

@DougCube OK ... some pictures of the XR5 420mm (30mm width) radiator mounted in the top. You see that you have just a little bit of clearance above a motherboard. That extra 30mm will certainly take it over the motherboards VRM cooling and the CPU power connector ... and maybe even the RAM. With the thick 360mm in the top, you'll be able to mount it with 20mm clearance from where the 420 is so that might work.

With the ports in the back, you'll have some challenges:

Now, the rear 140mm can go down about 10mm but it'd still be really tight for fittings in there.

Here's the front, with the ports in the rear, mounted fully to the front:

You'd be able to use that top 120mm slot (those are 4x 120mm fans in the front) for an airflow fan but nothing else. A 360mm radiator would fit easily though.

 

With the ports in front, mounted forward:

You can see the clearance there too. The fittings will be much easier to deal with mounted like this. I'm not sure about the 420 in the front yet. If it does work, it's close.

Edited August 7, 2021 by DevBiker

[DevBiker]

Full view, with the ports in the rear:

 

 

[DougCube]

WOW! Thank you so much for the detailed replies and pictures. Very helpful.

Is there any room for a 480 rad on the side when there is a 420 rad on top? It looks like you're not planning on mounting anything to the side mounts.

[DougCube]

Based on the top clearance, I'll probably just use a single layer of fans (below the rad). I already purchased a thick 420x140x60 rad for the top (white too). Although I'd consider putting another layer of fans above the rad on the outside of the chassis, below the top glass panel, but I doubt there's enough room there. OR I can just keep the glass panel off and put in some fan grills, which I've done on a different case and it didn't look terrible.

[DougCube]

I'm planning on doing two loops (one for CPU, one for GPU) so I can have two different color fluids (blue and purple).

Is there enough room on the front to mount two XD5 pump/res to the fans, one on top of the other? Probably the 2nd and 4th (120mm) fans spots from the top. And still have enough clearance to fill the bottom res?

[DevBiker]

2 hours ago, DougCube said:

WOW! Thank you so much for the detailed replies and pictures. Very helpful.

Is there any room for a 480 rad on the side when there is a 420 rad on top? It looks like you're not planning on mounting anything to the side mounts.

I am planning on mounting stuff in the sides - absolutely! Just right now, I'm still doing fit and stuff for the FAQ.

And no, that's not going to work. You won't have clearance from the 420mm in the top.

Here's the side fan tray with 4x 120mm fans installed. This is with the fans at the "lowest" setting, giving you about 22mm in the bottom for the radiator's end cap. You have about 8mm of play here ... so you can move the fans 8mm towards the top to get some more space in the bottom, up to about 30mm.

When mounting the fans in the tray, make sure to route the cables through the notches in the side of the fan bracket.

While you may be thinking that this will fit a 480mm radiator just fine (and it will), when you add in the 420mm on top, it's not so good:

As you can see, a good bit of that top fan on the side is covered by the fan on the 420mm radiator. While I didn't measure it, there is no where near enough space for a radiator to go there (which is why I didn't bother measuring it).

Removing the fan doesn't help - there just isn't enough space. You wouldn't be able to do it in the front either - with the fittings there, you'd not be able to put a radiator in. However, if you are only doing 1 layer of fans, you might have space to flip that, put the fittings in the back of the case and squeeze a 480mm radiator in front ... if you had a 30mm radiator (this radiator is an XR5). In your case, add 30mm to the radiator height - a little more than a fan - and it's pretty obvious that the only thing you'll be able to do is 2x 360mm radiators. I'd keep the top fans for fresh cool air tho.

2 hours ago, DougCube said:

Based on the top clearance, I'll probably just use a single layer of fans (below the rad). I already purchased a thick 420x140x60 rad for the top (white too). Although I'd consider putting another layer of fans above the rad on the outside of the chassis, below the top glass panel, but I doubt there's enough room there. OR I can just keep the glass panel off and put in some fan grills, which I've done on a different case and it didn't look terrible.

Fans won't fit on the outside the default glass top or even the Airflow top.

2 hours ago, DougCube said:

I'm planning on doing two loops (one for CPU, one for GPU) so I can have two different color fluids (blue and purple).

Is there enough room on the front to mount two XD5 pump/res to the fans, one on top of the other? Probably the 2nd and 4th (120mm) fans spots from the top. And still have enough clearance to fill the bottom res?

I'd have to check this but my gut instinct is that it'd fit but would be tight. You'd definitely lose the one of the 3.5" drive cages and you'd need to using either the low profile PSU cover or non at all.  You'd be better off, tbh, using the XD3 as a second pump.

If you don't care about the vertical mount, you could certainly put 2 XD5's on the PSU shroud. Or just one.

[DougCube]

Okay, what about a 480mm rad on the side, but only the bottom 3/4 with fans? Would a 420+fans on top still fit?

EDIT: Recall that the side bracket can be oriented two ways... I mean when it's oriented the stock way to give the most room. In your first picture with the 4 fans on the bracket, it looks like you put them on the other side of the bracket.

Edited August 8, 2021 by DougCube

[DevBiker]

43 minutes ago, DougCube said:

Okay, what about a 480mm rad on the side, but only the bottom 3/4 with fans? Would a 420+fans on top still fit?

Yes, that would work with a 30mm 480mm rad. You have about 20mm between the 420 radiator on the top and the front of the first fan for a total depth of about 45mm.

55 minutes ago, DougCube said:

EDIT: Recall that the side bracket can be oriented two ways... I mean when it's oriented the stock way to give the most room. In your first picture with the 4 fans on the bracket, it looks like you put them on the other side of the bracket.

Hmmm ... I don't recall ever seeing that and, in looking at the bracket, I really don't see how it's possible. I did try it (for giggles) and it wouldn't fit. The bottom of the side fan tray has guides that fit in to the bottom of the case, not the top. Furthermore, the mounting screws wouldn't line up with the tabs.

[DougCube]

9 hours ago, DevBiker said:

I don't recall ever seeing that and, in looking at the bracket, I really don't see how it's possible. I did try it (for giggles) and it wouldn't fit. The bottom of the side fan tray has guides that fit in to the bottom of the case, not the top. Furthermore, the mounting screws wouldn't line up with the tabs.

I didn't mean upside-down, I meant to reverse it so it faces inward instead of outward. But maybe I confused it with the front bracket and reversing the side bracket is not possible. Or I'm confusing it with a feature from the 5000D, I don't know.

[DougCube]

I ought to buy the 7000X so I don't have to keep asking such questions. But it seems really pricy right now. I guess I'm holding out for it to go on sale. I'm not in a rush to build in it (even tho I already bought all the fans, 2 rads, and a PSU for it), because I am working on a Lian Li O11 Mini Snow build at the moment. I've already built 3 new PCs in the last 12 months and am planning out this 5th build in the 7000X and crimping custom light-blue and purple sleeved cables for it and the EK Torque fittings are one the way. Due to graphics card shortage, it's likely I won't finish my O11 build until next summer and won't finish my 7000X build until December 2022.

[DevBiker]

3 hours ago, DougCube said:

I didn't mean upside-down, I meant to reverse it so it faces inward instead of outward. But maybe I confused it with the front bracket and reversing the side bracket is not possible. Or I'm confusing it with a feature from the 5000D, I don't know.

No, that won't work either. The braces aren't matching on both sides. You might be able to do it with the front though.

As for the Airflow vs the 7000X - besides the obvious differences (glass vs. airflow panels, RGB Fans), the 7000X also comes with the Commander Core XT, which the Airflow doesn't have.

[DevBiker]

7000 Series / HydroX Options

Below is a list of configurations in the 7000 series that I've done for actual fit. Configurations where you might think it'd work just from the specs, but doesn't, are included but struck through. This isn't an all-encompassing list - certainly, smaller combinations will work, as will combinations from other vendors.

This is made possible by the awesome support of the folks from Corsair, who provided a lot of the components used here. Their support is much appreciated!

7000 Series / HydroX Options

Front Radiator	Front Fans	Side Radiator	Side Fans	Top Radiator	Top Fans	Notes
XR5 420	6x 140		4x 120	XR5 360	6x 120
XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR5 360	6x 120	2, 9
XR5 360	7x 120	XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 360	6x 120	2, 9
XR7 360	7x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR5 360	6x 120	12
XR5 420	6x 140		4x 120	XR5 420	6x 140	1, 5
XR5 360	7x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR5 420	6x 140
XR7 360	7x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR5 420	6x 140	1, 3, 4, 5
XR5 360	6x 120	XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 420	6x 140	2, 6, 7
XR7 360	7x 120	XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 420	6x 140
XR5 420	3x 140	XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 420	3x 140	8
XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR5 420	6x 140	9
XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR7 360	4x 120	XR5 420	6x 140
XR5 360	7x 120	XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR7 360	6x 120	2, 10, 11, 12
XR5 420	6x 140		4x 120	XR7 360	6x 120	11, 12
XD7 Pump/Res	1x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR7 360	6x 120	2, 11, 12
XR7 360	7x 120	XR5 360	4x 120	XR7 360	6x 120	12

Notes:

1. Must use the Low Profile PSU Shroud cover if doing push/pull in front.

2. Front Radiator must be in offset position, not on the centerline.

3. Cannot use the Low Profile PSU Shroud cover.

4. Cannot use any PSU shroud if configuring the front as push/pull.

5. Front radiator should be "raised" just a bit off of the floor of the case.

6. Cannot fit push/pull with all radiator fans. One fan is missing on the inside.

7. Cannot use the standard PSU shroud cover if the XD7 is in the lowest position in the tray.

8. It physically fits but there isn't enough clearance for the radiator intake/outtake on the XD7.

9. XD7 is mounted on the inside of the fan tray. It's an odd mounting. The fan fits best on the outside of the fan tray, which looks weird.

10. For push/pull, the radiator should be mounted to the top of the bracket and the XD7 to the bottom of the bracket (offset).

11. Top radiator should be in offset position if using push/pull. May be on centerline if there is only one layer of fans.

12. XR7 in push/pull may have clearance issues with VRM heatsinks and the EPS 12V CPU power connector on the motherboard.

Edited September 2, 2021 by DevBiker

[DevBiker]

RGB Diagram for a 7000X Build with 2x 420mm XR5 Radiators, with push/pull

- 17 Total Fans

• 4x QL-RGB 120mm
• 13x QL-RGB 140mm

- (up to) 12x RGB Strips

- HydroX XD5 + XG7 + XC9

The Commander Pro controls the two RGB Fan LED Hubs for the QL-RGB fans that are on the radiators using a Fan Hub splitter. Both sets of six will be synchronized with the inner fans being a reversed image of the outer fans. I'm hoping that this will look pretty cool with some of the channel effects.

The HydroX RGB is going on the Commander Pro as well, as will the fan PWM (via 2 PWM Hubs) and the temp sensors in the loop. In short - the Commander Pro is "in charge" of all of the HydroX control (Single Responsibility Principle).

The Commander Core will control the case airflow fans - these will be the 4 QL-RGB fans on the size and a 5th QL-RGB fan in the rear. I may use the SP-RGB Elite that came with the case in the rear instead (I've not made a final decision on that yet).

Finally - adding a Lighting Node Pro into the mix to control some strips. It will probably be 4-6 inside the case and a connection going out of the case for the six strips under my desk.

USB Connections: The CoPro will need a USB header to itself. For the Commander Core and Lighting Node Pro, they can both share the same USB port using the cable that comes with the Commander Core ... so a total of 2x USB headers are required for this. I will be using an NZXT internal USB 2.0 hub - and adding the AX1600i that powers everything to the hub as well (for a grand total of 3 USB headers).

Edited September 2, 2021 by DevBiker

[DevBiker]

She lives and breathes!!!

Very happy, overall, with how it turned out. There are some things that I will need to change around though - but I'll cover those here.

I almost feel like I need to scuff the glass - I've hit it (more than once) going to tap on the pump to get rid of the bubbles.

Wound up only using 6 strips and I did wind up keeping the SP Elite in the back for giggles. More details will be coming later - work has been absolutely insanely busy lately.

 

[Ravendarat]

I literally just started my build tonight  in a 7000d. Im using a pair of xd5 pump/res combos with a 420mm and 360mm rads and then I am just using all sp fans. I know there are better options but I just couldnt bring myself to not use the 4 140mm fans I paid for when I bought the case. Ive been watching your thread and it helped me figure out what I needed to get to keep my RGB straight. Your build looks great, glad you get it going. 

[DevBiker]

Thanks @Ravendarat! I'm glad that it's helped you figure out your build ... definitely what I was trying to do.  

Are you doing the 420 in the front or in the top? If in the top, are you planning to have the radiator ports in front or back?

And I'll be re-arranging it over the coming months too ... will do a variation with an XD7 (because it's cool) and with some 360's as well. But first there are a couple of things I need to change on this variation first.

[Ravendarat]

On 9/7/2021 at 11:10 PM, DevBiker said:

Thanks @Ravendarat! I'm glad that it's helped you figure out your build ... definitely what I was trying to do.  

Are you doing the 420 in the front or in the top? If in the top, are you planning to have the radiator ports in front or back?

And I'll be re-arranging it over the coming months too ... will do a variation with an XD7 (because it's cool) and with some 360's as well. But first there are a couple of things I need to change on this variation first.

I’m doing the 420 at the front and the 360 at the top. I placed all the gear in the case last night and damn near cried when I realized the wiring I’m left with lol. Still need to layout the location for my commander pros and led breakout boxes and the USB 2.0 distribution. It really is daunting but I’ve made a black plexi panel for behind the mobo tray to mount stuff to so I’m hoping I can get a handle on it all. 

[DevBiker]

420 in front and 360 on top will be pretty straightforward to fit. However - one thing to consider is that the 420 in front eliminates the possibility of another 360 on the side.

For the USB, I used the NZXT hub and put it right next to the PSU, wedged in there. You also have space on top of the PSU. For mounting, I crazy-glued magnets to the LNP, CP and Fan Hubs that I used in my build. The Commander Core is already magnetic. This gave me flexibility to easily move things around. Corsair's sticky pads do not like to let go.

I'm also not sure that you'll need all of those controllers. Maybe the Commander Core XT and the CoPro, with a fan hub or two. How many total fans are you running? Are you doing push/pull?

[DevBiker]

Oh ... and here's a funny to share ...

That glass ... OMG ... it's amazing. I've literally forgotten it was there and went to reach in to tap the bubbles on the side of the rez. Ooops. I'm leaving the fingerprints as a reminder.

But then the reflection ... when it's just write and reflects my mouse cursor a certain way, out of the corner of my eye it looks like a drip. Freaked me out the first time that happened.

[thejaxx]

@DevBiker Thanks for the detailed install. I'm building my first custom loop with this case, and obviously a little bit overwhelmed now. 

I did have a question in regards to hook ups. I have a XR7 with 3 LL 120's in the top, XR5 3 LL120's (plus 1 to fill gap) in the side, and a XD7 plate in the front, with another LL 120 to fill that gap. So a total of 8 LL 120's & 1 140 (rear exhaust). I'm trying to figure out how I would hook these up with what I have or if I need to buy another controller.

Besides the CoPro XT and the PWM hub, I also have a iCUE lighting Node Pro & RGB Lighting Hub. Also bought a pack of PWM splitters.

Am I good or am I going to be short spaces?

[DevBiker]

Hey @thejaxx! So let's see if I have this straight ...

1x XR7 360mm (Top)
1x XR5 360mm (Side)
1x XD7 (Front)
Plus ... XG7 and XC5/7?
and 9 total LL's.

You have the CoCore XT and the PWM hub that come with the case. ... plus a LNP and RGB Hub (only one? or two?)

You'll be good.

You can put 6 of the fans on a fan hub/Lightning Node Pro channel and then the other 4 on the Commander Core. The HydroX components can also be controlled from the Commander Core XT's 3-pin RGB port.

You'll use the PWM hub for at least 3 of the fans on a radiator, possibly all 6. Those will be controlled from a single port on the Commander Core XT. The HydroX Thermal sensor can go to the CoCoXT (from the XD7 - it comes with the sensor) as well as a single temp sensor for the case exhaust temperature. These would then be your two control variables for your fans.

And you'll have a Lighting Node Pro channel to spare for more RGB ... you can get the strip expansion kit ... because one can never have too many RGBz.

Oh ... and you'd only have to use the USB connector for the Commander Core XT - so only one motherboard USB header. The USB connector for the Lighting Node Pro will connect to the end of the USB connector for the CoCoXT. This is one of the coolest aspects of the CoCoXT.

Edited September 15, 2021 by DevBiker