# [Build Log] MiT X 5 Water Cooled Micro ITX Worklog



## SonDa5 (Jan 30, 2013)

*[Build Log] MiT X 5 Water Cooled Mini iTX Worklog*

*MiT X 5*  _ Pronounced mighty x five._


Have been thinking about building a mini itx build for awhile and finally decided to do it.  My build is small and large at the same time.



Here is the initial parts list.  

*WATER COOLING*

1 x Alphacool NexXxoS XP³ Light - Acetal Edition CPU block
1 x Alphacool NexXxoS Monsta 240 Radiator*
1 x EK-LGA115x TRUE Backplate (EK-LGA115X)*
1x EK 290X Plexi/Copper block
1 x Swiftech MCW pump
9 x Danger Den G1/4 High Flow Fittings - 1/2"*
1 x Alphacool Decoupling Kit Eheim/Hydor 4 Decouplers*
5 x Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120 mm by Nidec Servo Corp. - Ultra High Speed - Sleeved (D1225C12B5AP-15) *
1 x Monsoon Silver Bullet Antimicrobial G1/4 Plug*
1 x Bitfenix Hydra Pro 5 Channel 30W Fan/LED Controller with Slide Control (HYDRA-PRO)*
1 x Tygon R-3603 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) Clear tubing
1 x Danger Den Fill Port


*Hardware*

1 x Intel i7-4770k
1 x SAPPHIRE 290X 
1 x ASUS Z87 ROG IMPACT 6 ITX Motherboard
1 x GSkill 2400 MHZ CL9 2x4GB  kit
2 x Crucial M4 60GB SSD, 1x 120GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
1 x OCZ Agility 3 120GB
1 x SeaSonic SS-660XP 660W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS PLATINUM Certified*

*Case*

LIAN LI PC-A04B Black Aluminum MicroATX/Mitx Mini Tower Computer Case Modded with CaseLabs 240 Radiator Mount.


*OS*

1 x Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) OEM

Don't plan on painting or modifying case but if needed to snip some metal I will.
Want it to be clean, functional and powerful.





Thanks for stopping by.  Looking forward to this build.


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## Nordic (Jan 30, 2013)

Cool. Ive been thinking that when I upgrade my MB/CPU to skywell or whaterver I am going to go mitx. I am very interested in your results.


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## Kaynar (Jan 30, 2013)

Nice! My friend has this case and I must warn you that it is very hard to fit anything in there. In order to fit your 240mm rad you will have to cut the 5.25" drive bay metal supports. A corsair H100 cooler couldnt fit without doing that... but in general you will be ok with a 7870 since a 7970 fits easily with a push/pull fan config on a 240mm rad (meaning u'll have space for pump and res).

Good luck and have fun assembling!


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## SonDa5 (Jan 31, 2013)

Kaynar said:


> In order to fit your 240mm rad you will have to cut the 5.25" drive bay metal supports. A corsair H100 cooler couldnt fit without doing that...
> 
> Good luck and have fun assembling!




Thanks.  That was my greatest concern before ordering the case.  Once modified I think the huge Alpha Cool NexXxus Monsta 240mm will fit snug.

I'm thinking I might need to order some type of vertical support part to help hold the radiator in place.  Not sure how much support the front fan holders will have.  I am going to run the fans in push pull.  25mm fan+ 86mm Thick Monsta 240 Radiator + 25mm fan.  Total thickness of the radiator will be 136mm/5.36 inches.


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## Nordic (Jan 31, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


> huge Alpha Cool NexXxus Monsta 240mm



Missed that when reading the list. Wonder where you got that idea...

I don't know how this case will be but for my 550d I needed to secure it from the bottom because the 5.25inch bays above surrounded and held it in place at the top.


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## SonDa5 (Jan 31, 2013)

james888 said:


> Missed that when reading the list. Wonder where you got that idea...




Its an awesome radiator and you have good taste.  
When I saw your build I was very impressed with your choice of radiators. 

My main gaming rig has Alphacool NexXxus UT60 3x140.  These new OCCool NexXxus radiators are awesome.


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## SonDa5 (Jan 31, 2013)

My biggest challenge is modifying the case a little so a Alphacool NexXxus Monster 240 radiator will fit with push/pull fans.  

I ordered the case based on the published dimensions of the card, radiator, fans and case.


Rough idea of the spacing and what it will look like.








I think it will fit.


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## Kaynar (Jan 31, 2013)

You've got it right on that picture this is exactly how this will fit and u can see this is exactly the small part of the 5.25 bay u need to cut. My friend was lucky, some guys at his university laboratories cut it for him 

As for the supports of the rad, dunno how heavy it is but the front of the case has fitted rubber with holes. That means that if you try hard you can actually dislodge the rubber from the metal (which is intended) and there are a few different mounting options availalble. So yes you might need to secure you radiator from the bottom.


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## Nordic (Jan 31, 2013)

I agree with securing from the bottom may be necessary. I don't know you have thought of this, but there is a port in the bottom. The provided copper stop will add no more than 5 millimeters to the height and make the radiator want to lean at an angle.

And whose pic did you crop that monsta from? It is not mine. I did a lot of research before buying that rad. I don't remember finding anyone else who had the 240mm version.

That lian, newegg must have an error on the dimensions. Newegg says 18.11" x *3.46"* x 15.20" and 3.46" seems a bit skinny. You would need about 5 inches to fit a 120mm fan... like in the picture.


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## SonDa5 (Jan 31, 2013)

james888 said:


> And whose pic did you crop that monsta from? It is not mine. I did a lot of research before buying that rad. I don't remember finding anyone else who had the 240mm version.
> 
> That lian, newegg must have an error on the dimensions. Newegg says 18.11" x *3.46"* x 15.20" and 3.46" seems a bit skinny. You would need about 5 inches to fit a 120mm fan... like in the picture.





Found all of the images online.  



That width dimension is definitely off.



I am going to lay the bottom of the case with sound damper material and that may fill in the gap a little and I,m going to screw in 4 rubber bushings in the bottom of the case o support four corners of the radiator.  Thinking about making a hold in the bottom of case and adding a drain valve/connector to the radiator sticking out just a little at the bottom of the case.  That will make it easier to drain for servicing the radiator.

Once I get the case and hardware it will be easier to figure out what I'm going to do.  Thanks for the feed back.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 5, 2013)

Day one.


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## Nordic (Feb 6, 2013)

The pic isn't showing for me at least.


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## HammerON (Feb 6, 2013)

Sub'd


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## micropage7 (Feb 8, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


> My biggest challenge is modifying the case a little so a Alphacool NexXxus Monster 240 radiator will fit with push/pull fans.
> 
> I ordered the case based on the published dimensions of the card, radiator, fans and case.
> 
> ...







thats pretty tight, maybe you could use slim fans with higher rpm


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## Nordic (Feb 8, 2013)

micropage7 said:


> thats pretty tight, maybe you could use slim fans with higher rpm



I don't know if that would be a good idea. By what I have read, this rad works best with high static pressure fans so the air can get all the way through.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 9, 2013)

james888 said:


> I don't know if that would be a good idea. By what I have read, this rad works best with high static pressure fans so the air can get all the way through.




These fans I got highly regarded as being great for water cooling.  I'm sure they will fit.  Should have some time soon to focus on this build again.  I already have the card.


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## adulaamin (Feb 9, 2013)

Subbed! 



SonDa5 said:


> These fans I got highly regarded as being great for water cooling.  I'm sure they will fit.  Should have some time soon to focus on this build again.  I already have the card.



Or if it won't fit maybe you could try using 2 of the SanAce 38mm leaf blowers pushing air through the rad. That might help save some space although they'd be noisy at high RPM.


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## Symetrick (Feb 9, 2013)

Hey I am new here but this definitely looks like a very interesting build to follow. I have seen some mITX builds on a forums I am a regular on and they seem to be pretty cool. Pretty packed with every bit of space used but it is amazing what some of you guys can do when you mod a case.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 13, 2013)

Update on my build.

I got the dremel out and cut out the bottom of the hdd bay to make way for the radiator.


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## Nordic (Feb 13, 2013)

Its about time. You can't continue with your life while you have an interesting build log! ...sarcasm...


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## SonDa5 (Feb 13, 2013)

james888 said:


> Its about time. You can't continue with your life while you have an interesting build log!




I'm enjoying this. Don't want to rush it but I don't have time to rush it any ways.  So when I have some time I will do some updates.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 13, 2013)

This was the A plan RAD configuration which unfortunately didn't work out.  The video card didn't fit.    









So I moved on to Plan B OC v.5.0 route. More work and will not be as kosher looking as your traditional Lian Li case but will work well for air flow to the radiator.


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## Kaynar (Feb 13, 2013)

cool!


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## SonDa5 (Feb 16, 2013)

The front cover of the case will not fit properly with the 120x25 mm fans.  I really wanted to use the fans but I am considering getting a 120x20mm fan to preserve the front of the case.  If I stick with the Scythe fans I'm going to have to hack up the front of case to allow the fans to stick out.  not going to look pretty.


I wish Koolance made a 2x120mm radiator shroud so that I could stick that onto the front to the case.  I think that would look tough.

Not sure what I am going to do. 


I think the koolance 2x92mm fan shroud could be modified to fit over the fans but It's going to take alot of hacking.


I'm leaning towards just using 120x20mm fans on the front to preserve the front of the case....


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## micropage7 (Feb 16, 2013)

umm thats kinda hard since behind front panel may not fit the fans, btw have you measure the space? you may change your front fans


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## PopcornMachine (Feb 16, 2013)

Looking forward to your progress.  Thanks for the pics.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 16, 2013)

micropage7 said:


> umm thats kinda hard since behind front panel may not fit the fans, btw have you measure the space? you may change your front fans




I measured the lip of the front case cover to be about 14/16" deep and there is a little crack to the front case as well about 1/16".


I think the 20mm radiator with a slim filter will fit.


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## Kaynar (Feb 16, 2013)

I think you should use the 20mm fans... think that the fans pushing air will already provide airflow through the radiator so the pull fans are just there to evacuate heat faster.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 17, 2013)

Kaynar said:


> I think you should use the 20mm fans... think that the fans pushing air will already provide airflow through the radiator so the pull fans are just there to evacuate heat faster.



The front fans are going to push air into the radiator and the fans on the inside of the case are going to pull.  Both jobs are important.  I'd like to have the AP 15 (120x25mm) fans for both but I may have to go with 120x20 mm fans on the front to push the air in because the front of the case isn't deep enough to fit the 120x25mm fans but will work with the 120x20 fans.


I also have an idea to mod the front of the case but it seems like too much work and money just to get the fans that I want to use.  I would like to keep the clean Lian Li look on the front but I could go monster look.


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## Nordic (Feb 17, 2013)

You could always cut a half inch off the gpu..


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## SonDa5 (Feb 17, 2013)

james888 said:


> You could always cut a half inch off the gpu..




I'll probably preserve the front of the case and use 120x20mm fan for front push fans and then get a shorter better video card later on and then stick the other nice AP15 fans on the inside in push.


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## Nordic (Feb 18, 2013)

This might get a bit too complicated but an pcie extender cable might allow you to mount the card in  a place to allow the radiator to fit. Then there is the problems of where/how to mount it while still having video out from the card.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 22, 2013)

james888 said:


> This might get a bit too complicated but an pcie extender cable might allow you to mount the card in  a place to allow the radiator to fit. Then there is the problems of where/how to mount it while still having video out from the card.




I have been thinking about this and it may look odd but work well.  I think I could mount the card vertical from the top of the case.  


I'm having some  problems with a new XSPC HD79XX block that I was gong to mod for this card, it has some rough spots on it and looks like a poorly made full cover block.


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## t77snapshot (Feb 22, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


>



That radiator is a BEAST!!


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## Nordic (Feb 22, 2013)

t77snapshot said:


> That radiator is a BEAST!!



Nah, its a monsta. Cools like a beast though.

One question sonda5, why did you go with the xspc block? Sad to hear it isn't working out.


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## SonDa5 (Feb 22, 2013)

james888 said:


> Nah, its a monsta. Cools like a beast though.
> 
> One question sonda5, why did you go with the xspc block? Sad to hear it isn't working out.



This is the new style that has 0.5mm fins which are half the spacing size of the first edition.  This should lead to better cooling than the first version.

The only real reason I bought this block was because I think I can mod it to fit the Vapor X HD7950.

http://www.xs-pc.com/products/waterblocks/gpu-waterblocks/razor-7970-new-style/


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## SonDa5 (Mar 3, 2013)

Bump for an update in the parts lists.  
Had some problems with a part but back on track now.  

Will be testing new XSPC RAZER HD7970 "New Edition" soon.  If you want to read up on my test I am comparing it to my HEatkiller block that is on my HD7950 950mhz Edition.

My tests here:  http://www.overclock.net/t/1366829/...or-hd-7970-full-coverage-vga-block-new-design


I'd like to thank JAMES888 for giving me some good ideas to help improve my loop.


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## n0tiert (Mar 3, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


> The front cover of the case will not fit properly with the 120x25 mm fans.  I really wanted to use the fans but I am considering getting a 120x20mm fan to preserve the front of the case.  If I stick with the Scythe fans I'm going to have to hack up the front of case to allow the fans to stick out.  not going to look pretty.
> 
> 
> I wish Koolance made a 2x120mm radiator shroud so that I could stick that onto the front to the case.  I think that would look tough.
> ...




what about using 2x 






Scythe Slip Stream Slim 120 mm Fan (12 mm height, regular 25mm height) and 2 regular 
to go push / pull


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## SonDa5 (Mar 3, 2013)

n0tiert said:


> what about using 2x
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/130224/Slip-Stream-120-SLIM--fan3_01.jpg
> 
> ...




Thanks. 

I just happen to have 2 of those sitting around and they are nice little fans but I want to use a more proper water cooling fan.  

I have a few ideas in mind but right now I'm focusing on other areas of my loop.  The front end of the case will come together once I get my loop configuration down.


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## n0tiert (Mar 3, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


> Thanks.
> 
> I just happen to have 2 of those sitting around and they are nice little fans but I want to use a more proper water cooling fan.
> 
> I have a few ideas in mind but right now I'm focusing on other areas of my loop.  The front end of the case will come together once I get my loop configuration down.



what i was trying to tell is, attach em @ gfx side as pull and the "proper" fans as push
that fixes your prob with the space in gfx card area






might also safe you from cutting the Case front


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## SonDa5 (Mar 3, 2013)

n0tiert said:


> what i was trying to tell is, attach em @ gfx side as pull and the "proper" fans as push
> that fixes your prob with the space in gfx card area
> 
> 
> might also safe you from cutting the Case front




Thanks for the help.  I don't mean to be rude but I already thought about that as well and... I'm really hell bent on getting the AP15's in push pull or putting some Yate Loon high speed 120x20mm up front....


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## Nordic (Mar 3, 2013)

It is a race now to see who implements that idea first!


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## n0tiert (Mar 3, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


> Thanks for the help.  I don't mean to be rude but I already thought about that as well and... I'm really hell bent on getting the AP15's in push pull or putting some Yate Loon high speed 120x20mm up front....



i´m looking forward how u gonna manage it


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## SonDa5 (Mar 3, 2013)

james888 said:


> It is a race now to see who implements that idea first!





No race here.  I'm just enjoying the build.  

Good idea and I hope it works out.


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## grunt_408 (Mar 3, 2013)

subbed , looking good.


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## SonDa5 (Nov 5, 2013)

james888 said:


> It is a race now to see who implements that idea first!




Update on my Monster build featuring the Asus Maximus VI Impact, 4770k and AMD R9 290x.   Look ma no reservoir in my loop! 

Main work is done.  Finish work to follow.


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## Nordic (Nov 5, 2013)

I like your taste in hardware.

I have the same motherboard, ram, cpu, a sapphire 7970 compared to your 7950.

My loop has an apogee drive II in it so less tubing. I am quite fond of it.


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## SonDa5 (Nov 6, 2013)

james888 said:


> I like your taste in hardware.
> 
> I have the same motherboard, ram, cpu, a sapphire 7970 compared to your 7950.
> 
> My loop has an apogee drive II in it so less tubing. I am quite fond of it.



Very nice.

My 4770k is bare die mount and its to delicate to put a motor vibrating on it.

Love the no reservoir loop with the Monster 240 radiator which works great as we have done it.  Thanks for the idea.


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## Nordic (Nov 6, 2013)

SonDa5 said:


> Very nice.
> 
> My 4770k is bare die mount and its to delicate to put a motor vibrating on it.
> 
> Love the no reservoir loop with the Monster 240 radiator which works great as we have done it.  Thanks for the idea.



I don't want to risk bare die mounting... I am too clumsy. So far I don't see a need whatsoever.  My 4770k hits 55c under max load. 65c if I get the cpu going too.


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