Confused about radiator support for 220T and 465X cases

Hi Guys,

I am building a new rig for work, and am looking at using either the iCUE 220T case or the iCUE 465X case. I have not decided which yet, but am leaning towards the 465X due to the clean looking front glass panel but it costs a little more (better fans I am assuming and a little more room inside).

Anyway my plan is to have a radiator in the front of the case with RGB fans, so both of these are good options as they come with RGB fans in the front and I can then relocate the ones that come with the cooler to other parts of the case. However according to the specs on both cases, while the front of the case supports both 3x 120mm and 2x 140mm fans, when it comes to radiator specs it says the front only supports 280mm and 360mm while the top of the case supports 240mm. That seems a bit odd to me in that the default fans setup is 3x 120mm fans? Surely a 240mm radiator would fit nicely behind the top two fans, but since it says it is not supported I am thinking maybe the mounting holes don't line up or something? But the fans normally bolt right to the radiator through the front panel, so it seems odd it says that is not supported?

I don't really want to use a 360mm radiator up front as then you lose the hard disk trays, which I plan to use for my backup drives using ShadowProtect.

So what gives? Can those two cases have a 240mm radiator up front behind the top two fans or not?

The option of course is to use a 280mm radiator which it says is supported, but both of those cases have the front fans behind structures that match the 3x front fan layout. So if you put 2x 140mm fans up front for a 280mm radiator, the fans will move down on the front of the case and then it would look silly as they would not line up with the front panel grid? Probably more silly on the 465X which is the case I am leaning towards. Perhaps the grid on the 465x can be removed, or there is a different one to use for the 2x140mm fan config (I think it's the dust guard)?

If it supports a 280mm and a 360mm, it will support a 240mm. I had the H100i Pro behind two LL120 fans in the front of my 500d with no issues. People just like to know the maximum size for the fan type. What you will not be able to do is use 120mm fans with a 280mm radiator. The holes will not line up correctly.

Right so that’s the other question, if you did use a 280mm up front, how is that going to work with the 465X case since from what I can see looking at the photos and review videos online, there are holes cut specifically for the 120mm fans. I don’t see how 140mm fans would fit up front without looking whacked and not lining up with the fan cut outs or the dust screen crosses?

There are likely two rails in the front frame. One for 120mm width and the other for 140mm. That is how it accommodates both sizes. However, that does not mean it handles both equally well. Some cases are much better with one or the other. What you are looking for is a picture of the exposed front rail. This will give you an idea of how much of a 280mm radiator or its fans will be blocked by rail/frame. Case owners may be able to help with this as well.

Then there is the other thing to consider. Some cases just look better with 3x120 vs 2x140. I love 140mm fans. I have a lot of 280mm radiators. However, that does not make them automatically superior for all builds. You especially need to be careful in the mid-tower category. These cases tend to be not so wide, and not so tall. The 140mm wide radiator may be impossible up top (RAM/VRM heatsinks/ATX plugs) and difficult on the front stretching from MB wall to door panel. I recommend caution any time you are considering a 280mm with a mid sized case like both of those above.

There are likely two rails in the front frame. One for 120mm width and the other for 140mm. That is how it accommodates both sizes. However, that does not mean it handles both equally well. Some cases are much better with one or the other. What you are looking for is a picture of the exposed front rail. This will give you an idea of how much of a 280mm radiator or its fans will be blocked by rail/frame. Case owners may be able to help with this as well.

Right, this is the best I found so far for the front:

You can clearly see that the fans have fan cut outs, so I honestly can't see how Corsair considers the font of the case compatible with 140mm fans? Sure there are mounting holes, but the fans would end up being behind the fan cut outs and would look ridiculous. Then there is this image to show how there is a big X in front of the center of the fans on the dust cover. That would also look a bit silly with 140mm fans in front:

Then there is the other thing to consider. Some cases just look better with 3x120 vs 2x140. I love 140mm fans. I have a lot of 280mm radiators. However, that does not make them automatically superior for all builds. You especially need to be careful in the mid-tower category. These cases tend to be not so wide, and not so tall. The 140mm wide radiator may be impossible up top (RAM/VRM heatsinks/ATX plugs) and difficult on the front stretching from MB wall to door panel. I recommend caution any time you are considering a 280mm with a mid sized case like both of those above.

Yes I agree. I do not think a 280mm radiator is even an option on this case simply because the fan layout would be odd. Much better is to keep the 3x120mm fans up front, and bolt either a 240mm or 360mm behind the fans. I don't think the 360mm is an option for me as I need the hard drive caddy at the bottom, and it sure looks like if you had a 360mm radiator it would hit the caddy down the bottom.

Which brings me back to my original post. I think the specs are wrong on this case and it would happily accept a 240mm radiator bolted to the back of the top two fans? This is what it looks like from behind the fans:

I can't see any reason why a 240mm would not work just fine there?

With the 280mm, the fans or radiator is partially obstructed by the railing system. Based one experience, you really don't want your fans blocked in close proximity with that kind of things. It makes an awful sound. In this case, you put the radiator against the rail, fans mounted behind on the internal side. This mostly solves the obstruction issue, although I can't think of any reason to put a 280mm in this case unless that was the only part you had in hand. I am quite sure you are convinced as well, so no need to dwell on that.

The radiator on the H150 is about 27mm thick, or roughly another fan. I think it fits with the shroud in place (and unmodified), however the hoses would definitely need to go up top. That said, when it comes to these fit issues, the best source of information is someone else with the case. I can read the specs. I can remember other people's comments. I do not remember any specific discussions related to the 220T and 360mm front mount.

This is the thread with the most discussion I can remember, but a 360mm is not addressed.

https://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=189406&highlight=220T

And now for the zinger... the front fans on the 220T are the newer SP-PRO series. These are DC motor fans, like the SP-RGB they are replacing. The issue is all the AIO controllers out there (including Corsair) are going to be PWM fan only. This means you either need to relocate the front RGB fans, replace them with HD/ML/LL/QL PWM RGB fans, or... move the fan header for the front fans to the motherboard for control using CPU temp as your control variable instead of the fan controller on the pump. Yes, I see the irony.

And now for the zinger... the front fans on the 220T are the newer SP-PRO series. These are DC motor fans, like the SP-RGB they are replacing. The issue is all the AIO controllers out there (including Corsair) are going to be PWM fan only. This means you either need to relocate the front RGB fans, replace them with HD/ML/LL/QL PWM RGB fans, or... move the fan header for the front fans to the motherboard for control using CPU temp as your control variable instead of the fan controller on the pump.

Yeah I realized that myself after the case was already ordered (220T). Dang it. So the only two real options are 1) swap out all the fans on the 220T to LL120 fans that are PWM or 2) get the 465X and return the 220T. Cost wise it would be a lot cheaper to get the 465X case since a three pack of LL120 fans is a lot more than the difference in the price of the case. :[pouts:

Yes, I see the irony.

:biggrin:

Ok update for those reading this thread. I got the 220T today as that was the case I originally ordered, and as expected 140mm fans look ridiculous. Corsair (if you are listening!) need to update the specs for this case and not say that it supports 140mm fans nor 280 mm coolers, as it will just be a super sub-par experience for anyone trying to do that. Yes the mounting holes exist, but to do it you are going to lose the bottom fan and will likely end up with nasty fan noises due to the blades spinning right next to the cut out the overhang the fans.

For the 220T covered up behind the grill, maybe losing a fan at the bottom is not a huge deal. It would look a bit odd if someone looked behind the shield, but probably doable other than the nasty noise you would get.

Likewise I a 240mm cooler is going to fit just fine in there. I will mock one up shortly when I remove the 140mm fans I had lying around to test out the fit. As you can see it's not pretty with 2 x 140mm fans installed. It looks great with 3x120mm fans so I think the only viable radiator choice for this case is a 240mm mounted up top or a 360mm provided you remove the hard drive tray as there is no room otherwise (not an option for me as I need to put two hard drives in this rig for backups - SSD is just not there yet for price/GB for high capacity).

Here it is with the cooler mocked up. Its a bit cramped up the top of the case with the inlets up the top, but I don't think you can run the cooler with them at the bottom as then the lines would interfere with the graphics card, but it looks like it would fit just fine (like a 360mm would fit and extend all the way to the bottom with the hard drive cage removed).

On the fence about whether I am going to build with this case or just get the larger 465X and go with a 240mm on the front of that one, as I need the hard drive caddy and this case is really small inside. Not a ton of clearance for large graphics cards nor much clearance for the PSU, so it might be getting returned :(.

Ok since this particular rig is not for heavy gaming, I only needed a 650W power supply so I am using the CX650M, which actually fits in there nicely with a reasonable about a wiggle room to stash all the cables. So I might build with this case after all. Have to see how the GPU fits in.

I think if you were going to put a decent GPU in here you would be hard pressed to get an 850W power supply in there, probably even a tight fit for a modular 750W also. For that I reckon the 465X is a better option. Kinda like that case so much I might try it as a new face for my full gaming rig. Anywhere, here is what it looks like with the 650W power supply seated.

Well there is more room for the GPU than I thought. Unless you have a monster graphics card, there would still be room for a long GPU and some space before the radiator. Not much, but it would work I think. Here it is mocked up with the 2080Ti that's going into my gaming rig:

Here it is with the Radeon card I actually plan to have in there, and it has lots of room so I think I will build one out and see how it turns out.