Fun times with the NR200P, Dual Rad (no special mods needed)

[A Computer Guy]

When I first started water cooling I told myself I'd only do one. With too many spare parts laying around I had enough and just had to do one more so this is it, the final one.

If you liked my previous builds X570 and ML09B stay tuned over the next few weeks (or months). I just finished my proof of concept that a modless NR200P supporting two rads with all slim fans is indeed possible and I will show you how you can do it with soft tubing.

Build Agenda

• Dual radiator NR200P w/ air cooled CPU, water cooled GPU
• Dual radiator NR200P w/ water cooled CPU & GPU

 

[A Computer Guy]

Total Parts List

Computer

• 1 B550 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ax
• 1 AMD Ryzen 7 5800x
• 2 Micron DDR4-3200 ECC Unbuffered Memory (2 sticks, 64GB, 18ASF4G72AZ-3G2F1)
• 1 Noctua NH-C14S, Premium CPU Cooler with NF-A14 PWM 140mm Fan (Brown)
  • AM4/AM5 offset mounting kit leftover parts from NH-L12S
• 1 MSI Radeon RX 6700 XT MECH 2X 12G OC Gaming Graphics Card
• 1 Corsair SF Series™ SF750 — 750 Watt 80 PLUS® Platinum Certified High Performance SFX PSU
  • 2 PCIe power cables from SF600 unit ( flat cable, non-sleeved )
• 1 Cooler Master NR200P SFF Small Form Factor Mini-ITX Case

Blocks & Pump/Reservoir

• 1 EK-Quantum Velocity - AMD Nickel + Plexi
• 1 Alphacool EisblockAurora Acryl GPX-A RTX 6700 Gaming X Trio with Backplate
• 1 EK-Quantum Kinetic FLT 80 Pump/Reservoir Combo, D5 PWM, D-RGB, Plexi

Radiator

• 1 XSPC TX240 Ultra Thin Radiator, 120mm x 2, Dual Fan, Black
• 1 XSPC TX240 Crossflow Ultra Thin Radiator, 120mm x 2, Dual Fan, Black
• 4 Arctic P12 Slim PWM PST
• 2 120mm Black Finger Grills

Fittings

• 4 EK Quantum Torque Micro Rotary 90° Fitting, Nickel
• 4 EK Quantum Torque Rotary 90° Fitting, Nickel
• 2 EK-Quantum Torque Rotary Offset Adapter Fitting, 14mm
• 1 EK-Quantum Torque Drain Valve - Nickel
• 2 EK-Quantum Torque STC-10/13 Compression Fitting for Soft Tubing, 10/13mm (3/8" ID, 1/2" OD), Nickel, 6-pack
• 1 EK-Quantum Torque Extender Static MF 7, Nickel
• 1 EK-Quantum Torque Extender Static MF 14, Nickel
• 1 EK-Quantum Torque Extender Static MF 28, Nickel

Fluids

• 1 gallon of Sysprep (left over from last year)
• 2 gallon of Distilled Water
• 1 bottle of concentrated Clear EK Cryofluid (makes 1 liter)

Other

• 1 EK-Loop Soft Tube 10/13mm 3m - Clear
• 1 Alphacool G1/4" Eiszapfen Temperature Sensor Plug, Chrome
• 1 iCue Commander Core XT
• 1 Pack of Small Black Zip Ties ( a lot of them )
• 8 screws for top rad ( collected from some pc many years ago )
• 8 washers

Yet to be determined

• Additional support for FLT-80 mounting

Challenges / To Do List

Custom Loop Prep

( Just a reminder of what I have to do here. )

• Recheck tube lengths before disassembly of test fitting.
  • replace 1 tube, it was 4mm too short from top to bottom rad
  • cut gpu feed tube accounting for top fan
• Prep Pump/Reservoir Combo - don't forget to install the o-ring!
• Prep Radiators - Clean and flush - 24h.
• Prep Loop - Clean and flush - 24h.
• Pressure test radiators, blocks, and reservoir individually.
• Don't forget to publish tube lengths for those who want to know.

Cable Routing / Management

( I didn't include these elements in my original test fitting so some minor things to figure out here )

• PSU cable management
  • Need to add the power cables for SATA (iCue) and MOLEX (for pump)
• iCue Commander Core XT
  • Will fit under front panel but cable management TBD and how to access and plugin USB2
• Cable Routing / Management
  • EK FLT-80 & iCue Commander Core XT

Order of Assembly

( Need to document because it's complicated now because of accessibility as parts are placed inside the case )

• Top Panel: Rad, Fans, FLT-80 (PWM, RGB)
• Inside Case: FLT-80 (tubing)
• Bottom Panel: Rad, Fans, GPU, FLT-80
• iCue Commander Core XT (Power, USB2, Temp Sensor)

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-03, GPU (part 1 of 2) ***

Walking though the GPU breakdown and installing the waterblock. (images from a few weeks ago)

This water block was compatible.

So I've had this on the shelf for about a year. Wasn't sure if I was eventually going to put it in my main WC rig at the time.

Let's get started.

This iFix-It magnetic mat came in pretty handy.

Some quick photos of the front and back.

Close ups before cleaning

More cleaning...

I think it's ready

Go to make a choice...

Oops...I've reached my image posting limit...must wait a while.

To be continued...

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-03, GPU (part 2 of 2) ***

Putting old screws into the backplate so I don't loose them in storage.

Final assembly photos

Cleanup

Test fit

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-03, Miscellaneous ***

Tube was too short, going to recut it.

iCue Commander XT magnetically attaches to case and fits here.

The front panel fits just fine with the tube behind it not needing to be restrained.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Servicing this tube below isn't impossible but can be somewhat difficult if you overtighten the hose rings. I took out the tube that was too short and cut a new tube. Pretraining the tube to the barb (which is what I am doing at the bottom) for awhile is good to help put the new tube back in later. Assuming the new tube fits perfectly I'll start disassembly to prep the loop parts externally, take and publish measurements of tube lengths, and snap photos for reassembly instructions.

Edit: Success, the new tube works well. You can see a little bend in it now but that's because I don't have both ends fully on the barb yet. When getting this tube into place inserting it in from the top, then attach to the top barb first a little bit, then the bottom barb a little bit. Finally wiggle each end a bit at a time to get an even fit across both barbs. When doing the final assembly you need to put the rings (in the correct orientation) on the tube before connecting the tube to the barbs, then slide the rings into place and tighten.

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-03, Tube Sizes ***

1) 16cm
2) 58cm ( can be trimmed a bit )
3) 4.7cm
4) 3.7cm

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-03, Test fit disassembly ***

I didn't number the tubes in order of disassembly so this might look a little out of order.

Tubing #1:
1) on the bottom disconnect the tube (pinch and pop to the right)
2) on the top disconnect the tube to (pinch and pop to the left)

Tubing #2:
1) disconnect PCIe power from GPU
2) disconnect tube from GPU
3) pivot drain out of the way
4) disconnect tube from reservoir
5) pull tube out of case

Tubing #3:
1) disconnect the tubing from the reservoir fitting
2) disconnect the tubing from the top radiator fitting

Tubing #4:
1) use ek allen tool to unscrew the 90 degree microfitting from the rad
2) swing out the tube and fitting and disconnect the tube from the GPU
3) use the ek allen tool to remove the tube from the fitting

Pump/reservoir combo:

The pump/res combo was mounting with (I think were) included screws and nuts and some additional washers on the backside are used to clear the lip inside the case so the unit will be evenly mounted. I'll try to remember to get the thickness of the washers on reassembly.

( note removing the tall drain fitting helps if you do that first )
1) loosen nut on each screw providing mounting tension
2) unscrew both screws while holding unit
3) remove free unit from case

 

[A Computer Guy]

Top Removal:
With no tubes attached top removal is fairly simple. I don't know the exact part number of the screws I used for the top rad as they were procured from my scrap parts bin. The screw length is fairly short but just enough to grip the radiator. They aren't tighten down too much or they warp the plastic.

Bottom Removal:
Bottom removal is also simple. Note there is normally a screw securing the bottom rear from popping out and then it hinges outward a bit before you slide it out toward the back.

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-04, Loop Prep ***

Prepping the FLT80. I needed to install the D5 o-ring. This was actually quite the pain as the o-ring would not stay in the recess for it. I ended up holding down one part of the gasket while putting the D5 on it gradually until it got full coverage keeping the gasket in the recess.

Next pressure tested the unit individually to make sure it is ok. Unfortunately I ended up with a lot of blurry pictures today.

Next pressure testing the GPU individually

Next both rads after a through cleaning inside and out. The XSPC rads were very clean and almost no debris came out while cleaning them. On the outside was a different matter and a noticeable amount of black powder landed on my tablecloth so I had to clean the outside as well in a bath of water. I did the normal fill and shake with preboiled water and vinegar with two rinses of preboiled water.

Next connection everything together to run sysprep that came with my primochill tubing I used in my other rig. I still had a gallon of sysprep from last year so I figured I'd might as well use it.

I need a PSU to drive the pump so I used my HDPLEX 500 I haven't found a use for yet.

This was my original hookup but it ended up being a complete nightmare. I pressure tested it first but I didn't think through the hookup well enough to prevent problems.

Since the FLT80 is such a small res and I didn't have a good plan to bleed air from the system it caused a lot of problems filling the system. I planned to fill the system via the drain port and this mostly worked although slow going. Eventually I reached the point I couldn't vacate the air from the tiny reservoir and the D5 was just sucking air back into the loop full speed.

Since I had a D5 and tube combo around I though I could use that to bleed the air out of the FLT80 and the loop however my 4yr old had other plans for me fighting bedtime and I forgot to put in the plug on the side the D5 tube. When I got back to work and managed to pump out a good portion of sysprep onto the table when I turned the pump on. It took me a few moments to realize WTF I was getting more air into the system along with a rapid pace glugging sound.

After putting the plug in I was able to use the tube D5 to get rid of most of the air in the loop however because I hooked up the input/output in reverse I couldn't get the air pocket out of the FLT80 due to the flow direction.

After draining the system I rearranged the flow but forgot to put the GPU back into the loop. (oh well)

The D5 from the tube eliminated all the air from the loop and then I was able to switch power to the FLT80 D5 and run the system.
The FLT80's D5 impeller was making a slight knocking sound but after a few minutes must have corrected itself. I power cycled it a few times to get the air bubbles to shift and work their way out.

Yes that's a big Alphacool filter in the picture of the loop.

So while this runs overnight I need to think about how I'm going to drain and fill this thing for final assembly.

 

[A Computer Guy]

**** Replanning the Loop ****

With filling and draining being a problem (because no air venting) I need to rethink my original plan.

I still have one set of Koolance quick disconnects for my 10/13mm tubing that I can use which might be helpful. I can put it inline with tube #2 possibly on the bottom or top runs of the tube indicated with the green boxes. The QDC's are too thick to squeeze into the front panel so that option is out. Then I could use the lower portion of the QDC tube as a drain. Get rid of the current drain at point A, allowing the return at B to take that spot instead, then opening up position C to be an air vent. I want to keep the D5 output to hit the GPU first.

I could then use my Tube D5 combo to fill and bleed the loop though the QDC's from another set I have, and the spot at C could be used for small refills and air escape.

 

[A Computer Guy]

*** Update 2024-06-07, Spoiler ***

I got a lot of pictures and a lot of work done but won't be able to post it all for a few days.

In the mean time enjoy these spoilers while you wait.

Spoiler: It's alive

I found I had a flow indicator in my inventory and had to switch up plans again to incorporate it. The quick disconnect idea was pure gold in being able to rapidly fill and flush the system with an external D5. In the current setup I have to use the external pump to fill the system because I have no access to disconnect the PWM of the FLT80 pump to power it manually. Once the top tube is connected I can't remove the top to access the fan headers of the motherboard.

With some spare QDC's I made short work of filling the system but also flushing the sysprep was super easy.

The valve on the 90 degrees swivel at the top of the FLT80 works great with dual purpose for bleeding air and as a drain when flushing the system with external pump. Overall draining the system is still PITA but that's nothing new for custom loops. In this initial test I completely removed the air gap at the top of the FLT80 while filling the system.

Playing Horizon Forbidden West for about 15 min temps on the GPU peaked at 55c/75c and water temp peaked at 40c running the pump quiet at 30% because I still had a lot of bubbles racing a round the loop. I'll have to do more testing later.

 

[A Computer Guy]

Some 1hr testing with Homeworld 3.