Project Hive

[TheShrink]

Hi everyone,

For this project I had a hard time to figure out which 40mm radiator would do the job : they were made to fit into a 1U case, and therefore tested with industrial fans; I love silence, these fans were never an option.
I was tempted by the hexa, but I finally chose the hepta because it is the HPE version : fins density is increased, so performances are better, I figured it would be better if I upgrade for some more power-hungry hardware.

I am very happy because Alphacool sponsored my project : I bought some stuff, but it would not have been possible if they didn't send some fittings, so here is a big thank you to the Alphacool team !

My project is a mini PC, I started from something pretty big and I kept shrinking it, lately I switched my DDC to a DC-LT, and I switched my radiator to a smaller one; I was not sure the DC-LT would do the job, because my DDC-PWM was optimized to pump 1150L/H max, compared to a 100L/H DC-LT, it seems like David vs Goliath.

I had to be cautious about how and where to put my DC-LT pumps, because of my GPU waterblock's design.

I switched my SFX power supply to a flex ATX as well.

Performance-wise the components do not heat over 60c, I have a 1080ti with a slight overclock and a 8700k optimized in there, I would say the hepta HPE 40mm radiator would dissipate around 400w without any problem with a push-pull 40x10mm fan configuration, the whole thing is pretty silent.

Here are some pictures of my build at the moment, it is a hive because there are a lot of little wings in there and the color of my build makes me think about bees, I will update soon for the rest of the enclosure.

As one can see I like quick disconnect fittings, they provide easier maintenance.

 

[Marc-eting]

Very cool Feel free to keep us updated. If you need help with anything, just ask

 

[TheShrink]

I must mention these EDPM soft tubes are way nicer than the PVC pipes I used to work with.

I replaced the eisbauer's stock dc-lt (75lh) with the ceramic version (100lh), so there are two of them in my loop right now for reliability, and it avoids having one holding back the other one.


I made this little plate to hold the pump in place, and I realized a PCB pillar would be perfect to mount it on my frame; I put some silicone between the pump and the plate to avoid vibrations.

 

[TheShrink]

When I built this system, I kept in mind upgrade options, and I pleed guilty of temptation since it's sale season.
My plan is to keep the same power supply, and replace the motherboard for something that will allow me to put a nice graphics card inside later; I am not very interrested by latest nvidia graphics cards, since they are a fire hazard and consume 600w; Flex atx power supply over 600w are really not the most common thing.
I found some nice components that would fit, my little problem here is the motherboard has a lot of connectivity, and I really didn't want to use only one RAM stick on a dual channel CPU, so I had to be a little creative to make my eisbauer fit I did cut a few fittings.



I applied some silicone to joint the whole thing and I used a leak tester to make sure it was safe to put this on my motherboard; It works very well, althrough it is still taking too much room on this other motherboard, this is the reason why the eisbauer will stay on the motherboard I showed first.

 

[TheShrink]

While I am waiting for hardware delivery, I got my carbon plate to build a shell; I put some alphacool radiator mounting screws, it felt right. I still plan to polish this a little bit, this is why I have not peeled off any plastic more than needed; I made a hole for the power supply.
Since I am writing about upgrade, I figured it out : I put a xp3 acetal because it has a very low profile, this should fit with the new motherboard, I chose a low power consumption CPU and I decided to undervolt it, so it must not be a problem to put a more powerful GPU in there later; I put my second pump next to the other one.

Edit : I thought I had the right tool to drill the holes I need on my carbon shell, I don't have them right now.

 

[TheShrink]

I added 2 case fans, I am currently testing, I could add another case fan if necessary; It performs pretty well, temps are similar than the ones I monitored previously.

I am still polishing it a little bit, but I am close. I may add some air filters for my case fans; for the other fans I don't think it is mandatory, I'll just blow some compressed air to dust it off for maintenance and enjoy the airflow.

Here it is ! I peeled it off, additional holes are not needed, so I left it as it is; The last screw I used is not an Alphacool mounting screw, I put there some screws only from my personnal collection, I didn't ask Alphacool to send any. It is better with some air filters, since I don't really want to remove burned dust from my power supply for obvious reasons.
There is a sharpie in the shot, so one may understand how tiny it is; I achieved my goal, it was to make it fit in a backpack with a portable screen, my mouse and keyboard + all cables.