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280X radiator and fan options


kahless

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Hi,

 

I ordered a 280X and would like to place an M-Itx motherboard in it with an H115i Pro cooler.

 

Is it possible to have that radiator at the top with 140mm fans in the front and bottom?

 

I seem to find conflicting information when Googling what people are saying/doing.

 

Thanks!

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It would put heat in the case, yes. But it's less heat than the GPU puts out. Especially if you have a powerful GPU, you could wind up actually increasing your coolant temperatures because of GPU heat. The radiator heat won't be much of an issue with the bottom fans as well.

 

Additionally, there's more room in the front for mounting a cooler.

 

For the record, I do have a 280X with an H100i V2 front mounted. ;) (It's not the system in my specs.)

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You're right, that page is missing some details. I don't even see specific location fan compatibility. It certainly looks like two sets of holes/slots up top for 120/140mm. However, I do not see a lot of extra room around the side. That said, it sure looks like a H115i Pro in top on the product page and that was put on long before the H100i Pro was announced.

 

I was thinking front mount might look nice without making the top feel weighty and giving you an unblocked exhaust without resorting to small, buzzy fans on the back panel. However, I think the fit is going to be really close. 266/267mm on the Titan (P). +29mm on the radiator. Listed 300mm max GPU length. Not clear if the max length includes a front mounted 25mm thick fan, but it usually does and that matched my eyeballing of the stock photos with the Nvidia SLI at the bottom. That leaves the front H115i PRO with... 3-4mm? I don't know. There would be no moving parts on that side and airflow never did a whole lot for the cooling the top plate on the Titan, but I am not sure which way I would go either without getting my hands on the case. I suppose on the bright side it appears you can do either, so a short change over can be done either way.

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I think I will ultimately go with a top mount radiator since the amount of heat coming from the gpu into the case is minimal since its a blower cooler. I would like to keep the coolest air possible going to the gpu.

 

Someday, I will no longer have blower coolers then I would likely move the radiator to the front.

 

I had planned on putting a Z390 Strix-I itx motherboard in here with an i8-9700K 8 core cpu. But now it looks like none of that is launching until 1st quarter 2019.

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I think I will ultimately go with a top mount radiator since the amount of heat coming from the gpu into the case is minimal since its a blower cooler. I would like to keep the coolest air possible going to the gpu.

 

Someday, I will no longer have blower coolers then I would likely move the radiator to the front.

OK. You may want to experiment as well.

 

I had planned on putting a Z390 Strix-I itx motherboard in here with an i8-9700K 8 core cpu. But now it looks like none of that is launching until 1st quarter 2019.

 

Where did you hear this??? :eek:

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New "leaked" Intel roadmap.

 

https://www.techradar.com/news/intel-roadmap-points-to-the-core-i9-9900k-releasing-in-early-2019

 

Since you have the 280X case. I'm concenred with a 280mm radiator at the top will two 140mm fans fit in the front? I suspect its possible that the radiator would come in contact with part of the 140mm fan on the front of the case. Where as a 120mm would sit just below the radiator. What do you think?

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Well here is where things get muddy and back to my original post as to why I only see conflicting information.

 

The downloadable documentation on the corsair site says a 280mm radiator at the top is fine. The overview page on Corsair shows a 280mm radiator at the top fits.

 

The Bit Tech, Overclock3d, and Tech Report reviews all say a 280mm radiator at the top is OK. But I still see some other reviews that state only 240mm at the top.

 

Looks like there is a 2mm difference in thickness between the H100i Pro and H115i Pro. The 115i being the thicker one.

Edited by kahless
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  • Corsair Employee
Well here is where things get muddy and back to my original post as to why I only see conflicting information.

 

The downloadable documentation on the corsair site says a 280mm radiator at the top is fine. The overview page on Corsair shows a 280mm radiator at the top fits.

 

The Bit Tech, Overclock3d, and Tech Report reviews all say a 280mm radiator at the top is OK. But I still see some other reviews that state only 240mm at the top.

 

Looks like there is a 2mm difference in thickness between the H100i Pro and H115i Pro. The 115i being the thicker one.

 

Having done a custom loop in this case myself, I will tell you that a 280mm rad WILL fit, BUT it will be really tight, so be prepare for that, your memory need to be low-profile, as well as your motherboard.

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From Dev's picture, it looks like the GPU length is slightly more generous than advertised, so the front mount should work at a later date.

 

I don't think the G.Skill are any larger the PRO RGB installed in most of these shots, but I suppose some board makers could shift their DRAM slots a little the wrong way.

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Its going to be an ITX motherboard. I have some Trident Z RGB that I have for it already. You think the 280mm rad extends down to the memory modules?

 

Can't speak for the trident Z but just ram with higher heatsink in general. Best if you measure everything beforehand

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  • 1 year later...

I know this is a two year old thread but I’m replying since I ended up buying incompatible and unoptimizable products due to info notably from here.

 

1. Only a 240 aio like the h110i can be mounted at the front but you lose the fan mount where the water tubes leave the rad and on the opposite side only a 120 can be mounted adjacent to the rad. So for example 240 aio at the front tubes on top (unfortunately) with two 120 intakes, two 120 along the bottom and a single 140 at the top near the rear.

 

2. If you install a 280 like the h115i in the top, you can only mount a 120 in the front slot closest to that rad. But you can still install a 140 next to it. Meaning you could have a 120 and 140 at the front, two 140s at the bottom and the 115i with two 140s on the top.

 

This case favors mounting rads at the top more than the front like other cases and If you want to fully populate all the fan mounts you have to go with either a single 280 max on the top or go with a custom loop if you want a front rad.

 

To be clear: You CAN NOT install 140mm fans all round and water cool at the same time. Either you go with a 280 aio on the top and at least 1 120 fan front or you go 240 aio front and lose a fan mount outright and end up with at least 3 120mm fans in your build. I have two LL140mm fans for sale and an h115i platinum for sale if someone doesn’t believe me and wants to try themselves!

Edited by Helljester
Clarification at the end
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dude I'm sorry for your frustration if you felt the urge to revive a 2 years old thread but that's just not true. I've done pretty much everything with that case.

 

- 280mm aio fits either top with tubes to the back with 140mm fans everywhere else

- 280mm custom loop rad fits top with ports to the back with 140mm fans everywhere else

- 280mm aio fits front with a small offset down if you want 140x25mm fans top

- 280mm custom loop rad fits front with a small offset and ports down and 140mm fans top - lose a bottom fan slot

- 280mm custom loop rad fits top with ports to the back with 240mm custom loop rad and 120mm fans front incl. XD3 pump

- 2x 240mm custom loop rads fit either way on any mounting space incl. XD3 pump

 

the only things you can not do are:

- use thicker rads than 30mm top, just doesn't fit

- use thicker rads than 30mm, you will lose fan mounts due to overlap

- push/pull

- fit 2x 280mm custom loop rads top + front

- fit an EK SE280 rad front because it's too large to physically fit - Corsair rads are 10mm shorter

 

all Corsair fans and EKWB rads and H115i Plat in case of the aio.

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