# Fully water cooled Fractal Node 202, custom loop with Ryzen 2600X and RTX 2080



## terroralpha (Feb 12, 2019)

i know there were "water cooled" Node 202 PCs before, but they usually had small, low powered GPUs or no GPU water cooling at all. well, i one upped everyone and built a fully water cooled build with some real horse power. the CPU is a place holder until AMD releases gen 3 ryzen

pick attached. short video showing the build: 








a build like this would not have been possible a few months ago. 3 new products recently released made it work:
1. alphacool's GPX waterblock that comes with an optional straight, low profile 2 port terminal (instead of the typical 4 port terminal that sticks out 1-2 inches)
2. XPC PC's TX240 21mm radiator. as crazy as it sounds, it performs just as good as 30mm and even some 45mm radiators, assuming typical fans at low to mid range RPM. a high density rad with powerful fans will obviously outperform it, but that's not something i would use.
3. Noctua NF-A12x15, 15mm fans. these things are pretty amazing considering their low profile. at 1200 RPM they are very quiet and move a suprising amount of air. i generally dislike noctua fans, but these _blew me away _(sorry for the horrible pun)

other notable mentions:
-this tiny Tecnofront res. http://www.performance-pcs.com/tecnofront-itrap-mountable-delrin-reservoir.html i was so impressed by it that i bought a second in case i want to buiuld something like this in the future. i had to saw off the mounting ears and use 3M sticky tape to mount it, and it worked out perfectly.
-Phobya DC12-220, small, quieter than the DDC pumps i tried, runs off a regular fan header and packs enough power to keep water moving smoothly regardless in what orientation I keep the case. doesn't matter how i put the case. on the side, on the back, on the front, this pump doesn't care, just keeps chugging along.


my first choice for CPU was a 9700K, but it was pretty much impossible to keep the temps under control.
i also thought about vega VII, but that's impossible for at least 10 reasons. the most obvious reasons are the crazy power draw/heat output and its' size. vega VII is more than 1" taller than a typical RTX/GTX card or any of the older vegas or furys. it's not going to fit in this box with any water block. 


benches to follow. feedback and improvement suggestions welcomed.


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## chindizz (Feb 17, 2019)

I made an account just to say fantastic work mate.
I've been looking all over to see if someone has already done this for an RTX build!

Are you able to list out your full PC specs, including all the parts you used for the water cooling?


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## terroralpha (Feb 17, 2019)

chindizz said:


> I made an account just to say fantastic work mate.
> I've been looking all over to see if someone has already done this for an RTX build!
> 
> Are you able to list out your full PC specs, including all the parts you used for the water cooling?


I went away for the long weekend. I’ll list everything when it get home tuesday.


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## terroralpha (Feb 19, 2019)

chindizz said:


> I made an account just to say fantastic work mate.
> I've been looking all over to see if someone has already done this for an RTX build!
> 
> Are you able to list out your full PC specs, including all the parts you used for the water cooling?



Important parts
-CPU block: EK supremacy EVO (only small, low profile block will do)
-GPU block: Alphacool Eisblock GPX-N Plexi Light Nvidia Geforce RTX 2080 M01 - http://www.performance-pcs.com/alphacool-eisblock-gpx-n-plexi-light-nvidia-geforce-rtx-2080-m01.html
-Reservoir: Tecnofront "iTRAP" Mountable Delrin Reservoir - http://www.performance-pcs.com/tecnofront-itrap-mountable-delrin-reservoir.html
-Radiator: XSPC-TX240 - http://www.performance-pcs.com/xspc-tx240-ultrathin-radiator.html
-fans: Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071W6HJP6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-Pump: Phobya DC12-220 12V Pump - http://www.performance-pcs.com/phobya-dc12-220-12volt-pump.html
-2x 4-way adapter fittings. 1 mounted to GPU to bleed air while filling, the other to the reservoirs output port - www.performance-pcs.com/phobya-universal-g1-4-connector-piece-4-way-nickel-coated.html
-1x 5 way adapter fitting connected to the reservoir input port and fill port: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0764XB4DN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-barrow/bitspower 45* adapters (will need 4 or more depending on how neat you want your tubes) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06VV3LK61/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-monsoon o-rings for fittings (they are thicker then others) https://www.performance-pcs.com/monsoon-g1-4-premium-silicone-o-ring-10-pack-uv-white.html

the GPU block and radiator CAN NOT be substituted or this will not work. you can use other fans, like the scythe 12mm low profile fans, but these noctuas are way better.

replaceable parts
-PSU: corsair SF600. any SFX PSU of the same length should do.
-mix of EK, barrow and monsoon 3/8 - 5/8 compression fittings, whatever i had laying around from previous builds. you need tubes with thicker walls to prevent kinking in the extreme bends.
     3/8-1/2 WILL NOT work. 1/4-1/2 should be OK though.
-barrow 90* male to female adapter fittings for GPU and CPU. http://www.performance-pcs.com/barrow-g1-4-90-degree-rotary-adapter-fitting-shiny-silver.html
     i used monsoon 90* fittings on the CPU block because i ran out of the barrow fittings, and didn't want to spend anymore money.
-enzotech 10mm male to male rotary adapter fittings: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DWXWTM8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-3M sticky tape to glue the pump to the CPU block - http://www.performance-pcs.com/thermal-compounds/3m-double-coated-tape-9080hl-1-5mm.html
-various double/triple rotary snakes to get the line from the CPU to the GPU on the back side of the case.


notes:
*there will be a clearance problem between the upper Display Port and one of the of radiator ports.* this is where the thicker monsoon O rings come into play. use them on the barrow/bitspower 45* adapter (in place of the originals) to get them to mount into a position where they will clear that DP that sticks out and are screwed in tightly. you will also have to chop off a corner off one of the fans to get the fittings out of the way of the DP. you can use these thicker ) rings on any fitting that isn't rotary but you need to off set the angle on about 20 degrees or so

-fill/drain line terminated with a alphacool ball valve and koolance male QDC. i used both so that if one leaks the other still holds water back. i attach a female koolance QDC to fill the loop. one of the ports on the 4 way fitting attached to the GPU has to be opened to let air out while filling with water.

-you will need to take a Dremel to the portion of the case that holds the PCI E riser up and make that hole bigger so you can run a line and the PSU power cable through it. fortunately, that piece comes out with just 3 screws. you can take it out of the case to make it easier to work on. don't make the whole too big as you will need to keep as much of the cases rigidity as possible because this thing will be very heavy.

-you will only need to dremel/saw off the mounting ears from the reservoir, sand down the bottom about 3mm and glue it with the M3 tape or something else.

-the ribbon cables of the PSU have to be separated, which is very easy to do. just pull them apart.

-the screws that comes with the radiator are useless. you will need to get some 6-32 UNC screws. they must have a flat head. you will need eight 19-20mm and eight 4-5mm screws.


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## chindizz (Feb 19, 2019)

This is great, thanks for that.

How are the thermals like? I'm going to take my time doing this but want to choose the right parts for it first.


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## terroralpha (Feb 19, 2019)

If you leave everything at stock speeds, both GPU and CPU stay under 60c. I overclocked everything at far as I could take it. CPU hits 77*c max when benching and GPU goes to about 80C when benching but continues boosting to over 2000MHz. When gaming the temps are lower.

I should note that my RTX 2080 is the non A variant, it’s lower binned and comes with much lower clocks by default. But I got it from Newegg for only $550 with the free games, so I can’t complain. A better binned RTX 2080 should do better with clocks and thermals. also, I have the fans on the rad set up to spin 50%-80% to keep it quiet.


EDIT:

i upgraded my memory from the cheap 3000MHz, CL15 Team group kit i was using that wouldn't run at over 2666MHz to a GSkill kit with samsung Bdie memory. it's set to 3200MHz C14 from the factory but i was able to get it to 3400MHz without any voltage tweaks. i picked up like 5+ FPS in battlefield 5 alone. i guess the ryzen memory criticisms were true... you save money on CPU and mobo but then have to shell out 2x for the RAM. whatever, it works now so i'm ok.


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## terroralpha (Feb 22, 2019)

chindizz said:


> This is great, thanks for that.
> 
> How are the thermals like? I'm going to take my time doing this but want to choose the right parts for it first.


You’ll need something like this to mount the rad to the case: https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/200967859079

If you use the included screws, you won’t be able to put the rear panel on because their heads are too big. And the included screws are also way too damn long, they dig into the fins of the rad


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 23, 2019)

Do I see Pump>CPU>RAD>GPU>RES>PUMP?

Oh, and BTW, props for having a drain.


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## terroralpha (Feb 23, 2019)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Do I see Pump>CPU>RAD>GPU>RES>PUMP?
> 
> Oh, and BTW, props for having a drain.


Pump>CPU>RAD>GPU>RES>Pump
Yep, I there is a drain, it’s that penis looking think by the CPU, and air bleed ports on the GPU and the RES


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## 72spokes (May 15, 2019)

I was inspired and did my first water cooled build. Thank you!!


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## terroralpha (May 15, 2019)

That build is so clean you can eat off of it. Nice!


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## 72spokes (May 15, 2019)

Thanks. Had to make a few compromises such as one fan since I got the wrong GPU block, deleted front panel USB and audio to make cabling easier and enlarged a hole in the firewall to pass the pump to rad line. Attached are a few more views.


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## Aergor (May 15, 2019)

Very nice layout.  I've been dreaming about doing something special with my 202 also. What pump is this?   I've got to imagine that one fan has trouble keeping temperatures under control... 
My 1080ti does great air cooled (once I made some ducts to bring in fresh air). I can set that thing to 110% power target and still run under 80C. However,  I can only push my 1700 to 3.6 GHz across all cores before my temps get over 85C, so I've still got it on stock clocks since I do some rendering work fairly regularly.


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## thebluebumblebee (May 15, 2019)

Aergor said:


> What pump is this?


In the OP or @72spokes ?  Spokes' is the http://site.swiftech.com/apogee/#drive2


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## 72spokes (May 15, 2019)

One fan was not the original plan but seems to be working well. The GPU area of the case is essentially isolated. The one fan brings in cool over 1/2 the rad and then the exhaust is forced past the rest of the radiator and out the case. Here are some CPU overclocking temps. Ryzen 5 2600 4.18GHz 80c at 170W. I need to run some gaming benchmarks to see how that is handled.


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## Aergor (May 16, 2019)

The specs on that pump show it as 61.5mm tall. Does it push on the case cover when its' installed? 

I'm wondering.... I currently have the space between my GPU and the vent filled up with ducts that allow the GPU to pull air directly from outside the case. (The attached picture is someone else's, but I have the same configuration). This does a wonderful job keep it from pulling in it's own warm air and keeping it cool.  I'm thinking about leaving the air cooled GPU, shortening those ducts by 20mm and putting the radiator between the ducts and the case wall, then just putting just the CPU on the liquid loop.  I'd probably need to set the fan curves to 50% minimum to keep air flowing for the CPU, but even that's quiet enough for me to not notice. I think I have the thermal headroom on the GPU to be able to take the airflow hit of going through the radiator without too much trouble.  I guess I could test it by just installing the radiator dry. 
  That could be a well performing configuration that allows a full sized GPU and a 240mm rad just for the CPU.  It should still leave some room for a 15x140mm fan above the MB depending on what pump I use.


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## 72spokes (May 17, 2019)

With the filter removed the heat sink for the pump/cpu block combo rests against the grill without any bulge in the case.

As for how your proposed set up will perform - I do not have enough experience to know for sure. I suspect the challenges (as you know) will be clearance for the fittings in the rad and the issue of drawing warm air from across the rad into the GPUs heat sink. I don't hate the idea though.


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## Vlada011 (May 17, 2019)

This was hard to build.
But you success.


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## Vayra86 (May 17, 2019)

Pretty cool in such a small box. Well played!


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## dgianstefani (May 17, 2019)

Imagine spending hundreds of pounds to cool a sub £200 CPU that doesn't even gain OC potential from it.

The GPU I understand.


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## Aergor (Jun 22, 2019)

Well I did it too, more or less. After adding up the cost of all the custom water cooled components, and cursing Asetek for monopolizing the patents on pump/block combos, I decided a $35 AIO could probably get me most of what I want.  I found a Corsair H55 on Newegg (with a $15 MIR), which has a very thin water block/pump combo and a 120mm rad, and figured I could get it in under my full size air cooled EVGA 1080Ti, using a 3D printed flange to force the 2nd fan of the GPU to pull air through the radiator.  I'm using a custom fan curve in Precision X to limit that fan to a min of 50% speed, and it seems to be doing great.  



Original setup with some printed ducts to allow the GPU to pull fresh air from outside the case.




Out of focus picture of the GPU fans running from outside the case, through those ducts. 




GPU removed, H55 installed to start to lay things out. 




Right side GPU duct (32mm high) removed and replaced with 27mm radiator and 5 mm plenum/flange that seals the radiator to the GPU fan.




View from the back






I did have to hack saw the frame open in the middle. Lots of cable ties. 140mm, 15 thick fan on the top of the case to cool the VRM, which was thermally trottling the OC'd CPU without it.  Some blue sleeves around the rubber tubing to protect it from the metal edges.  Back tucked neatly behind the monitor where it belongs. 

I'll update with temps after I've formatted the data.

Good news bad news on temps.   They were absolutely better than my Big Shuriken 2 was when I took it off, but I think I had forgotten how good the temps were for that cooler initially, and now that I think about it, the thermal paste on that cooler did look like it had come off the CPU.  I use my 202 vertically, and because the BS2 doesn't have an AM4 mounting kit, I had to fabricate one myself, and I think it must have sagged over time, letting part of the IHS come out of contact.  I have posted here the temperature comparison between the Cryorig C7, with a flange to help it pull cold air, the Big Shuriken 2 when it was freshly mounted, and the H55, using the GPU 2nd fan (90mm) as a radiator cooler (and using the stock thermal paste applied in the box).




The main curves for the H55 are with the GPU fan at 50% speed, which is where I would normally want it. I did do an overclocked run with the fan at 100% speed and included that as well. It shows that with sufficient airflow, the H55 does beat the BS2, but you pay for it in fan noise.  I'm going to leave it this way for now and decide if I want to try to upgrade the radiator to a 240mm one, or just revert back to the BS2 and improve my makeshift bracket. 

I think the takeaway is that the C7, or any similarly sized cooler with a 90mm fan is good enough for a stock 65W CPU, but not for any overclock.  The Big Shuriken 2 held up admirably with total package power approaching 200W, so I would recommend it for any AM4 CPU, even with a mild overclock, except that there isn't a mounting kit available for it, so you'll have to find a good way to mount it.   A 120mm AIO is also perfectly sufficient for a CPU, and is capable of a mild overclock, even when being cooled with a 90mm fan at half speed.


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## Fraggoso (Jun 25, 2019)

How did you setup the radiator and the fans @ terroralpha?
If I use your parts, I can't put the radiator at the bottom as the power plug is in the way. I could mount the fans and ontop the fans but that would mean I need to suck air into the case and out of the fins which would be a thermal catastrophe... 
I could also dremmle a whole a hole below the original power plug, that would give me enough room but at least you didn't mentioned something like that so my guess is you did something different?


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## terroralpha (Jun 26, 2019)

Fraggoso said:


> How did you setup the radiator and the fans @ terroralpha?
> If I use your parts, I can't put the radiator at the bottom as the power plug is in the way. I could mount the fans and ontop the fans but that would mean I need to suck air into the case and out of the fins which would be a thermal catastrophe...
> I could also dremmle a whole a hole below the original power plug, that would give me enough room but at least you didn't mentioned something like that so my guess is you did something different?



i let the rear power plug sticks out a little, i didn't actually screw it in. i think i mentioned that somewhere. you can buy a more compact cable on alibaba to make it fit, but it's not necessary. 

heat hasn't really been an issue for me


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## Fraggoso (Jun 26, 2019)

terroralpha said:


> i let the rear power plug sticks out a little, i didn't actually screw it in. i think i mentioned that somewhere. you can buy a more compact cable on alibaba to make it fit, but it's not necessary.
> 
> heat hasn't really been an issue for me



Thanks again! 

Do you've a link for me for Alibaba?
I can't find one as rear power plug pc doesn't really yields desired results.


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