465x and top rad?

Hey all, has anyone successfully mounted a 240mm rad in the top of the 465x case? My understanding is that this would be the ideal placement, but I don't think it will clear my ram. I have no experience with AIOs, but I want the extra cooling, and of course, the superior RGB. I was either going to go for the top 240mm option, or the 360mm front option, maybe the 280mm option in the front. TBH though, I'd rather go with a 360 in the front, as this will be easiest.

A lot of people will have a hard time with top mount in that case because of RAM clearance. Typically you need something 40mm or shorter there to avoid collisions.

 

If CPU temperature is the only concern, you will get the lowest possible CPU temp from doing a front intake placement (regardless of size). The air in the front of the case will be 2-3C cooler than the top layer above the MB VRM and RAM. That 2-3C is the baseline difference and it can be more when under heavy GPU load. Because the 3700x and other Ryzen 3000 processors are fairly power efficient (low watts), the environment becomes a larger factor in CPU temps than the actual load. The wattage the cooler needs to dissipate is not all that much, so coolant rise is generally smaller than someone with a comparative Intel 6-8 core processor.

Ok, ty c-attack.

 

So, I guess the choice is between a front-mounted 280 or 360. Unless I took a dremel to it, I would not be able to mount the rad tubes down with a 360mm, which as I understand, is the correct way. I could of course accomplish that with a 280, but id rather have the 360, as using a 280 would require the removal of the 120mm fans, and rewiring. Personally, I think I would prefer to keep the 3-fan look.

 

Now the question is, which 360mm rad?

You've got a bunch to choose from now.

 

H150i Pro - Asetek, only one with ultra quiet 1100 rpm pump mode, no RGB fans

H150i XT - CoolIT, black pump bezel, no RGB fans, perhaps not for those sensitive to pump noise while working quietly

H150i Elite - CoolIT, brand new, interesting pump RGB options, + 3ML "Elite" 8 LED RGB fans.

 

I find the new Elite interesting, it would allow you to use a more purposeful ML fans on the front while still getting good RGB effect, allows you to move the front 3 LL to the top and rear slots. You know have full RGB coverage at just slightly more. The base prices of the Pro and XT seem to have remained higher priced than expected through the last 6 months, surely supply related with everything going on. Local prices vary, but at only $20 USB more, this seems like an easy decision.

 

There is one caveat. The new Elite comes with a Commander Core that is both 6 fan speed and lighting controller, as well as required for the special pump lighting. However, we don't know a lot about it. We do know it will only work with 4 pin PWM fans (not a problem here), but there still are some questions about which combinations of fan can be added to the controller. The rule has always been "no mixing" without skewing your patterns, but it has been suggested this one can. Don't have a lot of data on this yet and I am skeptical you can do and random combination of QL/ML/LL/SP-Pro/ML-Elite fans you want. That seems like a lot of programming. For you, I think the worst case scenario is you have to keep the Lighting Node Pro that came with the case and run the 3 LL from that for lighting, while the 3 ML Elite go on the Commander Core. All fans can run from Com Core's fan controller, so you get that as a bonus not available on the other two coolers.

 

Also, I suspect you won't see much difference in coolant temperature between a 240 and 360mm radiator for the 3700x. These Ryzen 3000s (at least those with less than 12 cores) don't really have a lot of wattage. You will be hot from voltage, but the cooler is not going to be the limiting factor. Most users are reporting coolant temp rise of +3-4C with a 240mm. I still like the 360mm and would be more likely to mod the PSU shroud or whatever is in the way, but you can go H100i Elite (240m) and not give up much in terms of temps. You would lose the 1 more ML-elite fan, which complicates the plan above and the general symmetry.

Edited September 29, 2020 by c-attack

Aww. I almost went with the Elite Capellix. But I don't like the idea of havbing that Commander Core and yet more wiring.

 

Isn't the Asetek really bad?

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Liquid-Cooling/iCUE-RGB-PRO-XT-Coolers/p/CW-9060045-WW

 

Think I want that one. Prefer the black pump-head look, which is why I was initially leaning towards the Elite Capellix.

Aww. I almost went with the Elite Capellix. But I don't like the idea of havbing that Commander Core and yet more wiring.

 

Isn't the Asetek really bad?

 

No, quite the opposite. The Pro series has been one of their best ever. The reliability rate has been extremely high and you don’t find it in these forums very often. Few cases complaints and few issues.

 

Yes, you do have to use the Com Core thing with the Elite, but you get fan control from CUE out of it. Even with no track record, it seems to be a better value.

Edited September 29, 2020 by c-attack

Forgot to say, I already have a Commander Core installed IIRC, unless I'm thinking of something else.

We now have Lighting Node Pro and Commander Pro (1st gen), along with Lighting Node Core and Commander Core (2nd gen). The names are messy as usual. As of now, the Commander Core is only available with the Elite coolers. It is a Commander Pro with 6 fan control headers, plus 6 built-in lighting headers. It has 1 thermal sensor and then the unique connector for the pump heads Capellix lighting show.

 

You may already have a Commander Pro, which would eliminate some of the utility of the new device since you already have fan control, 4 temp sensors, 2 USB passthroughs, and 2 RGB channels. However, it is more likely you have a Lighting Node Core, which is just the power conduit for lighting for 6 fans. That still has value and can be quickly jacked into any system to add more fans, but it's not the same as the fan speed control for your fans + lighting in one device.

Pretty sure I have both the Lighting Node Core and the Commander Pro. So if I were to get the Elite and have the Commander Core, what would I need to do to maintain my RGB and have fan control?

 

EDIT: Confirmed, I have both

Edited September 30, 2020 by Loki84

I have the 465x, which came w/ a RGB hub and Commander Pro preinstalled. This case in particular will not allow you to top-mount an AIO 240mm radiator, I just used the fans that came with it and mounted those to the top and just stuck the radiator in the front of the case.