Corsair H100 in Zalman Z11 Plus? HELP!!!
- Thread starter onetel_comms
- Start date
onetel_comms
New member
Hi all,
Sorry for not posting for a while, been busy in the workshop. After a maze of delays I finally got round to starting my build. I decided to keep the components I had and make all the adjustments myself. Granted it would have been easier just to buy another case but I figured it would be a lot more fun putting together mis-matched parts and making it work.
The build specs I was aiming for were:
i7 3930k CPU
Corsair Dominator 16GB DDR3 1866MHz RAM
ASUS Sabertooth X79 Mobo
Corsair H100 CPU Cooler
EVGA GTX 680 GPU
Corsair AX850W PSU
Pioneer Blu-ray Writer
All this had to fit into a Zalman Z11 Plus Midi Tower Case which unfortunately was the first thing I purchased.
The first problem I had was after much research and advice, the Corsair H100 did not fit in the Zalman Z11 Plus case I had. There was no room at the top of the case where the cooler would normally sit so I had to get a little creative and I decided to mod the case.
I decided since I was going to mod the case anyway it's probably a good idea to take full advantage and setup the H100 in a push/pull configuration. The only way I could do this was to place the H100 at the bottom of the case where they hard drive bays were sitting. I’m only going to be using the SSD drive which uses the 5.25" bay so i drilled out the rivets and removed the 3.5" bays which gave me a whole lot more room.
Next thing I did was to cut out two ventilation wholes at the bottom of the case so the 120mm fans could have a clear intake. See the pics below:
Once these were cut, I screwed in two 120mm fan filters and was ready to fit the H100 in a push/pull configuration. See below:
With the H100 securely in place, I fit the other fans in:
One issue I had was with the H100 in place I could not put the front 120mm fan back in as the space was taken by the rad. I got around this by buying a 120mmx12mm 2000rpm fan to the outside of the front case. Because the thickness was only 12mm the front case closed comfortably. See below:
Next I fit in the mobo and it all started to come together. See below:
One of the main things that concerned me was cooling. At some point I am going to overclock this rig and I needed to keep the ventilation as free flow as possible. I thought since I was modding the case anyway I would make it a little more breathable.
What I decided to do was install 2 additional 80mm on the side panel of the case, which would sit right on top of the GPU and CPU. This would provide cold air blowing directly on to the components I need to stay cool. See below:
I still have the PSU and GPU to install yet and not to mention cable management is going to be fun. Also have to fit the SSD, Blu-ray drive and update the BIOS to the latest image. I plan on finishing it over this weekend. Will let you know how it all turns out.
Sorry for not posting for a while, been busy in the workshop. After a maze of delays I finally got round to starting my build. I decided to keep the components I had and make all the adjustments myself. Granted it would have been easier just to buy another case but I figured it would be a lot more fun putting together mis-matched parts and making it work.
The build specs I was aiming for were:
i7 3930k CPU
Corsair Dominator 16GB DDR3 1866MHz RAM
ASUS Sabertooth X79 Mobo
Corsair H100 CPU Cooler
EVGA GTX 680 GPU
Corsair AX850W PSU
Pioneer Blu-ray Writer
All this had to fit into a Zalman Z11 Plus Midi Tower Case which unfortunately was the first thing I purchased.
The first problem I had was after much research and advice, the Corsair H100 did not fit in the Zalman Z11 Plus case I had. There was no room at the top of the case where the cooler would normally sit so I had to get a little creative and I decided to mod the case.
I decided since I was going to mod the case anyway it's probably a good idea to take full advantage and setup the H100 in a push/pull configuration. The only way I could do this was to place the H100 at the bottom of the case where they hard drive bays were sitting. I’m only going to be using the SSD drive which uses the 5.25" bay so i drilled out the rivets and removed the 3.5" bays which gave me a whole lot more room.
Next thing I did was to cut out two ventilation wholes at the bottom of the case so the 120mm fans could have a clear intake. See the pics below:
Once these were cut, I screwed in two 120mm fan filters and was ready to fit the H100 in a push/pull configuration. See below:
With the H100 securely in place, I fit the other fans in:
One issue I had was with the H100 in place I could not put the front 120mm fan back in as the space was taken by the rad. I got around this by buying a 120mmx12mm 2000rpm fan to the outside of the front case. Because the thickness was only 12mm the front case closed comfortably. See below:
Next I fit in the mobo and it all started to come together. See below:
One of the main things that concerned me was cooling. At some point I am going to overclock this rig and I needed to keep the ventilation as free flow as possible. I thought since I was modding the case anyway I would make it a little more breathable.
What I decided to do was install 2 additional 80mm on the side panel of the case, which would sit right on top of the GPU and CPU. This would provide cold air blowing directly on to the components I need to stay cool. See below:
I still have the PSU and GPU to install yet and not to mention cable management is going to be fun. Also have to fit the SSD, Blu-ray drive and update the BIOS to the latest image. I plan on finishing it over this weekend. Will let you know how it all turns out.
I agree with the window mod. that was pointless and youve ruined the look completely.
Looked good right up till that point and now it just looks tacky and that you have no idea
*hands n000b badge*
Looked good right up till that point and now it just looks tacky and that you have no idea
*hands n000b badge*
jamesriley94
New member
Are the tubes loose enough for you to get a graphics card in?
onetel_comms
New member
Yes I measured it before i fitted it and my GPU will fit comfortably under the H100 hoses.
As far as looks go, I wasn't really bothered how it will look because truthfully it will never see the outside of my office. I prefer function over fashion!
The side window fans were installed to blow cool air directly on to the CPU and GPU. I havent fitted the GPU yet but I did do a power on test and found the idle temprature of the CPU with all the panels closed was 22 degrees. I think running a 6 core CPU at 22 degrees was worth sacrificing the looks.
Will post pics once i finished the build.
As far as looks go, I wasn't really bothered how it will look because truthfully it will never see the outside of my office. I prefer function over fashion!
The side window fans were installed to blow cool air directly on to the CPU and GPU. I havent fitted the GPU yet but I did do a power on test and found the idle temprature of the CPU with all the panels closed was 22 degrees. I think running a 6 core CPU at 22 degrees was worth sacrificing the looks.
Will post pics once i finished the build.
savage
New member
I went and bought the h100, stupidly without checking if it would fit. I just assumed things were standard sizes lol (I'm new to this PC lark) so I just put my modding cap on, and went to it. I then found this forum, and thought I'd share my attempt.
The rad+ fans was just too big to fit in the top (never mind the mounting holes not lining up)
So I decided to mount it externally on the top
I cut out a window for the pump/header to pass through
And with the fins from the top panel removed, the fans/rad can be placed on top with no further modification
It runs, and needs a bit more work to tidy it all up nicely, but just for other people who might look this up, it can be done without too much bother.
The rad+ fans was just too big to fit in the top (never mind the mounting holes not lining up)
So I decided to mount it externally on the top
I cut out a window for the pump/header to pass through
And with the fins from the top panel removed, the fans/rad can be placed on top with no further modification
It runs, and needs a bit more work to tidy it all up nicely, but just for other people who might look this up, it can be done without too much bother.
onetel_comms
New member
@savage Nice job! I was thinking of doing the same thing as you but was concerned about my temps.
Do you have the air blowing in through the top of the case or have you setup to exhaust the air out of the case? What temps are you getting?
Do you have the air blowing in through the top of the case or have you setup to exhaust the air out of the case? What temps are you getting?
SavageCupcake
New member
Great work there savage 
any way you could get some mesh or soething to cover those fans? would look even better then
p.s great name ;D
any way you could get some mesh or soething to cover those fans? would look even better then p.s great name ;D
savage
New member
Yea, I have the fans pulling air from the case through the rad and blowing out the top. I'm going to get 2 more fans to pt inside the top of the case to get a push/pull going (is there anything I should know i.e. do the fans all have to have the same airflow or anything?)
Yea a bit of mesh to cover the fans would keep fingers safe and limit the risk of things dropping down to damage the fans or rad.
I'll see what mesh I can get today and then I'll post a few pics up.
This is all in aid of me overclocking, something I have never done before. I hope it goes a bit smoother than the bloody cooler went! lol
Yea a bit of mesh to cover the fans would keep fingers safe and limit the risk of things dropping down to damage the fans or rad.
I'll see what mesh I can get today and then I'll post a few pics up.
This is all in aid of me overclocking, something I have never done before. I hope it goes a bit smoother than the bloody cooler went! lol
SavageCupcake
New member
Just make sure you keep it looking tidy considering a h100 myself so i can actually see the led's on the back on my gpu rather than my d 14 
If its an 1155 cpu then its pretty easy to OC
considering a h100 myself so i can actually see the led's on the back on my gpu rather than my d 14 If its an 1155 cpu then its pretty easy to OC
savage
New member
After a wee bit of a tidy up
I have 2 grills ordered for the fans on top
A wee overclock to test the waters
And heres Prime95 for an hour, CPU temp 38C, core temps maxed at 75C, but i tealised i now had no intake fans as i used them for the push/pull. Once i took the side panel off the core temps droppedd to 60-65C. ive 2 intake fans on the way. what do these temps sound like?
I have 2 grills ordered for the fans on top
A wee overclock to test the waters
And heres Prime95 for an hour, CPU temp 38C, core temps maxed at 75C, but i tealised i now had no intake fans as i used them for the push/pull. Once i took the side panel off the core temps droppedd to 60-65C. ive 2 intake fans on the way. what do these temps sound like?
