The ALX Files: Area-51 R1 240mm Liquid AIO Cooler Upgrade How-to

When the old AlienOwners Forum sank into the big drink one night without warning or so much as a distress signal, years-worth of Area-51 & Aurora help & how-to went down with it, like my ALX Files: 240mil cooler swap how-to w/ numerous reference pics + full write-up. Gone. I'm back at the drawing board to fill in the gap, so thnx for climbing aboard > now let's go do your upgrade swap

Bill Owen of @Mnpctech fame joined, & then posted the ALX Case Mod Project here in the original forum (now-locked / read-only):  Page 1 | Page 2 (includes 360 Rad posts)

I pm'd Mr Owen that 1st night & on chatting it up he encouraged me to nuke his thread w/ Dellware forum swap & modding knowledge, kitchen-sink style (if we had any! ... we did, oh we did) & there I documented the so-very-few 360mm radiator upgrade-mods for R1 I'd seen & honestly I haven't seen any since. None. The 360 rad is discussed again in a follow-up later, but the easier path to better cooling was always the 240x27mm & 240x38mm rads because they're drop-in no-fuss upgrades ... in fact it takes longer to learn & prep for the install than to actually do the swap, so a learning-curve there for a 240, such as:

⦁ rad thickness: 27mm or 38mm?, & whose brand to buy? (note: I don't make recommendations but can do an appraisal on candidate coolers)
⦁ how many top cooling caddy fans do I want up there, x2 or x3?, & where to plug them in at?
⦁ what's best: to mount fans on top or bottom of rad & then orient as intakes or exhausts (or a mix, as I do here)
⦁ which size & type screws-bolts? Which pre-drilled mounting holes to use in the top caddy?
⦁ where does the 3pin cooling pump motor connector plug-in at: the motherboard fan header, or can it plug back into the top left power & cooling board like the original 5pin does, monitored by CmndCntr like the good old days?

One doesn't simply waltz into Mordor ...

Lotsa scenarios up there to consider but 1st consider the (removable toolless) top cooling caddy that originally held your W550R 120x27mm whimpy alien-cooler: it can hold up to x3 120mil cooling fans = 360mm of fans & thus you'd THINK a 360 RAD as a no-brainer up there ... sadly a typical 360 rad is actually ~390-400mm long, so no bueno on a 360, not w/ out a mod that even I havent done nor fully understand how (yet ... I'll get there someday as my last great un-done project)

It's a shame too: Area-51 R1 is an ultra-tower yet a 360 can't just slide right in, bolt & fit, due to what? Roof 'stuff' in the way? Really? The roof was where the 360mm of fans could go yet the roof itself is in the way of a 360 rad? Say what? Unreal. The literal creative geniuses who designed the R1 were THIS CLOSE to making the finest desktop case but failed to leave room for a 360 rad?, ugh. Poor Thing: an Achilles Heal. But 360s have been done b4, so ... if you're adventurous: where there's a will apparently there's a way

Back to 240 RADs

I'd eventually purchased x5 older but brand new Asetek 570LX (x3 for use, x2 spares) at a ridiculously good price on the lot; Corsair H105 was its sibling & w/a 272mm length. If u install a 240 = 270mil rad into your top 360mm caddy an overlap occurs between the pre-spaced pre-drilled x3 sets of 120mm fan-mount caddy holes relative TO the radiator's mounting holes & so u coarse-correct for it

Abv Top Cntr Btm: what's occured is ez-ily xplained
1) Top: drop 240 rad into caddy
2) Cntr: RAD's x4 mounting holes aligned to caddy
3) Btm: Compare caddy holes to rad etc
4) x4 holes align 2A 3A + 2C 3C: USED TO MOUNT RAD
5) FAN1 (1A-1D holes) can't mount rad, while x4 red holes can't be used either

Part I: EZ Drop-in For the 240

When using x2 Cooling FANS, look at the finished install pic below where the cooling fans are installed onto the rad 'bottom', so ok, if u like that look then 1st bolt your x2 fans to your rad through its x8 pre-drilled fan-holes > now drop the rad into your top caddy, align it to caddy holes 2A 3A 2C 3C, bolt it down & install the caddy back into your roof top & your rad-swap's all-but done

Your AIO cooler will come w/a hardware mounting kit made up of various screws, bolts in various lengths, washers etc that u ez-ily figure out there on your own

Note1: the fans above are exhausting UP through the rad & OUT the vented top

⦁ ProTip: in that scenario, ALSO install a rear 92mm case fan to blow INTO the case so those rad-fans grab cooler air they can send up through rad, yes? Also? Consider buying x2 simple 120 fan grilles (= safety)

Note2: You have the option to mount those fans the otherway around & if u do they will PULL cooler outside air down through the top vents & DOWN through the RAD & dump the now-warmer-air into the case & if so, install a 92mm rear case fan that exhausts that warmer air OUT the back of the case

However, I've just xplained the EASIEST way to get a 240 installed, which is when cooling fans mount to the underneath of the rad as in the pic above
⦁ doing so means u can NOT get a 3rd cooling fan up top in FAN3's optional spot

Thus concludes Part I: qwik & painless

I'll try my best to keep things simple going forward w/ Part II Triple Fans Install & beyond, where the instructions can sound & read as complicated subjects (I know because I already typed this up for AlienOwners Forum wayback when & even I confused me in places), just follow along as I do my best to provide help, a basic guide & pics for reference

C u ming Up: she's hot n bothered? Strip her down & pull her top off ... but be kool

Part II: Triple Top Fans

Xplore 'other' cooling options provided by 360mm of potential x3 120mm fan-space up there which is how I run my Aliens here, locked & loaded & a still-simple matter of eventually using the same green x4 top caddy holes to mount the RAD from prior, & also see companion reference pic below, esp. top pics
⦁ 1st drop your x3 fans into caddy (face up as intake, face down exhaust, a 'mix', your choice) & 2nd, drop, align & mount the rad under those fans & 3rd bolt rad + fans to caddy (lol) after figuring out what best in your hardware kit worked
Note1: 240 RAD ONLY HAS x4 mount holes that align to top caddy -while- top caddy's unrestricted to mount -what?- x3 FANS = x12 perfect holes to mount them with

Time Out: what?

Caddy has x12 mount holes, x3 FANS have x12 mount holes ... RAD ONLY HAS x4 holes that align, &, your hardware pak provides (short or long) bolts + classic coarse fan screws which ALLOW u to adjust to what u need so it all bolts down ... oh my

Focus: below, top, is an idealized way to lay triple fans in the caddy > drop, align, then bolt your rad according to the green alignment holes (your mileage may vary) > it worx, after u figure out the hardware mounting kit it needs (screws, bolts, washers etc) & whether u wish for intake fans exhaust fans or a 2:3 'mix' (see later below)

It can be that simple: drop fans, align RAD, bolt it down

Abv, that bottom pic? Caught it ...? It's An alternate way to start the mount, where the simplest thingy to xplain is the WHT fan which just gets x4 classic coarse fan screws to hold it to caddy

⦁ we saw earlier that FAN1 sqware box (where WHT fan sits now in pic, holes 1A-1D), well, that spot is useless to help HOLD the rad in place but it is GOLD to help cool ~45% of the RAD after in place, yeah? All FAN1 needs IS x4 coarse fan screws to mount to caddy & u can start there

NEXT, I bolt x2 fans DIRECTLY TO THE RAD ITSELF using x4 .25" mini-bolts (the same x4 grey 'machine screws' that now hold your Delta Rad-Fan to your whimpy alien-cooler, those) ... where? ... in what I labeled prior as Rad Holes 2A 3A 2C 3C (yes from the Cntr 'Rad Top' pic above)

Next I drop the x2 Noctua rad-fans down in there & then align & tighten everything up through the remaining x8 coarse fan screw caddy holes ... (WHT fan is already installed = x4 screws) ... pow

... ah but there's a catch or two, right? ... yes, & stay w/ me here ... don't let the bodies of text above or below lose you in the moment ... there are TWO types of fan frames: a solid-body whose 4 corners each have a thick 1" 25mm molded-corner 'single-hole only' & then there's a 'see-through' body fan frame (I'll call it), with x4 open corners = the option of TWO skinny accessible mount hole spots (top/btm) ~5mm wide etc ... u know it when u see it? ...mmmhmmm

⦁ Noctua fans above have see-through corners which allow the use of the grey .25" mini-bolts to RAD + top coarse fan screws secure the top four corners of the frames (to the caddy, yes)

⦁ If they were solid-body fan frames I'd need to use x4 longer 1.25" bolts to pass-through the solid 25mm 1" thick fan frame corners, yes? Yes

⦁ And. x4 of those RAD bolts (of whichever length, small v long relative to fan-frame-type) will be twisted by me or by u or by her by hand into the radiator's machined mounting holes in 2A 3A 2C 3C as your x4 RAD MOUNTS >& the fans?< how to secure them last?, well, depending on type (solid v see-through) take x4 - x8 coarse fan screws to them & everything will be solid up there ... (remember, my WHT fan is already bolted down w/ x4 simple coarse fan screws, the other two fans are just as ez)

YOUR Hardware pak may have as much variety in fastener stuff as mine did, but mine only required a small mix of a little each of the above ... no two Aliens here have the same fan or mounting setup, just jump in & do what worx best

Scroll to pic below then bounce back up for notes

Note1: yes, below pic is a bit different from prior pic above where I did move the WHT fan over (right) to best use the Noctua pair as the main cooling fans AND to show u when needed I can use the .25" screw-bolts OR the longer 1.25" bolts which I used below

Note2: this pic inevitably shows x3 fans oriented such that x3 act in concert as EXHAUST fans, pushing air UP through the rad & the vents & out of the case (whereby my rear 92mm case fan may want to act as an intake, dump cool outside air into the case for the rad-fans to immediately grab etc)

Note1: abv, the green circles show x4 black-headed 1.25" bolts going into RAD's MOUNT (GRN) holes 2A 3A 2C 3C, while the (WHT) FAN holes simply get classic coarse fan screws ... no mystery here

⦁ Bolt RAD down w/ x4 'bolts' of some size in holes shown > bolt fans down w/ some size in holes shown

Note2: However, HERE, after this pic was taken?, I've settled on a fan-scheme where the main Noctuas orient 'up' & act as INTAKE fans drawing IN cool outside air & pushing it DOWN through the rad, while that WHT fan acts as EXHAUST, pulling warm case air up & tossing it out of the top vents & out of the case etc. YOUR fan scheme can be matched x3 exhaust, matched x3 intake, or a mix of both like mine (either x2 intake x1 ehaust, or, x2 exhaust x1 intake)

What matters is that the 3RD FAN up top, HELPS overcome the over or under lap that occurs when just x2 fans are used ie 240mm worth of FANS on a 270mm RAD, not enuff coverage, but 360mm FANS does cover that 270mm RAD, so now what? ...

When the rubber meets the road & u goto install your 240mil RAD, crack open the hardware kit, start to 'touch things' ... things here start to make sense there, they will

Now that u got that 240mil cooler installed, what next? Plug-in the fans & pump motor? Yeah coming up next

ProTip: each your x2 or x3 cooling fans will have a length of cable attached, & HOW u orient the fan for its final sitting position in the top cooling caddy will or won't help w/ cable slack, relative to where u wanna plug-in at, so SOME trial & error may be involved, as u turn a fan 1/4 or 1/2 turn in the caddy, looking to gain or lose slack to your fan power header ...

________________
Time Out & Huddle Up

27mm v 38mm wide rad ... which is better?

⦁ 38mm --> more = more

⦁ MAX FAN sizes w/ 38mm RAD = standard 120 x 25mm or 120 x 32mm fan frame *(Michael Dell's beloved 38mm Delta/nidec SERVER-GRADE Fans? No)

⦁ 27mm RAD? ok, try Mr Dell's hi-amp hi-powa hi-pressure 38mm Servers, or go less w/ 32 mm 25mm FANS = ok

How many top fans, 2 or 3?

⦁ Fielder's choice: try 2 for now, upgrade to 3
⦁ more = more

What's Best? Fans on top of or underneath RAD?

• it depends: on your fan & its specs, plus your system specs & THAT HEAT RESIDENT IN THERE OR NOT so lotsa moving parts there, lotsa fluid-dynamics in your case ... do tests there, find your sweet spot
• Fans w/ a HI static-pressure rating can blow or rather PUSH air through a RAD better than a fan w/ a LOW static pressure rating can, so where Lo-static fans do best is when they PULL air through the rad instead, so KNOW YOUR FAN

But that's a related qwery to: do my new FANS act as intake or exhaust? ... if triple fans, is it all intakes, all exhausts, or a mix?

Great qwestions: ungreat answer is to test & see, based on fan, its specs, is it summer or winter, do u overclock? do u need to clean & air-dust your case out 1st? etc ... the other answer is this: the 240mm RAD is an upgrade to your whimpy cooler, so, things should already be cool & qwiet in your Alien ... the rest is, ummmm ... is it u being fussy? Ok. My middle name is fussy ...

I tried to inform that you get a Hardware PAK w/ assorted sizes & types of mounting 'stuff' ... what u use as mounts, where & why will depend on your scheme & your fan type (solid v see-through etc) ... when in doubt? ... ask

______________________________
Here We Are: Down to the Wire

Pluggin In Those Wires ... where?

A great qwestion w/ multiple potential answers

At a miminum, your boxed AIO 240mil retail cooler should come w/ a pair of cooling fans, and?, a Y-split fan cable capable of powering your two fans off one fan header (wherever that fan header is). No? Buy a y-split cable, they're cheap & even if u don't need it?, sorry I cost u $5 or less, toss it in a box, it may come in handy some day

But yes, x2 rad-fans do well when they're running off the same y-split cable thus fan header = they run at same speed (ideal)

We have, we're at, we're inside of Area-51 though. THIS IS SPARTA boys & girls ... we have the technology

But generally? If you're STILL on the original X58 Intel GEN1 Core i7? Seek help immediately from the ALX Files: & swap your mthrbrd for something good. It's time. But yes, new & old mthrbrds can re-use the top left power & cooling board (SYSFAN1 header) to grab the mthrbrd RAD-Fan speed signal as normal, now using a y-split cable to run new x2 cooling rad-fans. Hold that thought

What if I have x3 fans as Cass says he wants my Alien to have? And, what about the liqwid pump motor power connector?

Xcellent qwestions

Nothing special or too-alien about Area-51 but the AlienF/X MIO board, and maybe, MAYBE the top left power PCB board that helped u run the old cooler & RADFAN (ok, the mechanized top vents are pure alien  ... Big Dragon-back scales ... they're sick & have never been reproduced)

In a 'what we vs what they' would do moment, we have an R1, sooooooooooooooooo

'They', the general public plugs their AIO pump into a mthrbrd CPU_FAN, CPU_FAN2, or dedicated PUMP header. Hopefully the BIOS or included Fan Software Suite is setup to run that pump at 12v max (full speed) at all times

Next? General public finds same CPU_FAN or CPU_FAN2 header, plugs in their x2 RAD-FANS, normally w/ the inlcuded Y-Split cable. Rad-Fan speed will be decided by BIOS or included software suite etc

You can do that too, if so?, solved

To go back to STOCK? You plug a y-split into SYSFAN1 (top left pwr-cooling brd), use a Mild-Meld thingy I created that adapts new pump 3pin fan into a 5pin ... plug back in? ... CmndCntr monitors pump for running v failed etc

Make or buy yours today
the ALX Files / Operation: Mind-Meld

Mmmhmmm. Nice plug.

but what about that 3rd top cooling fan in the roof? Triple-Tops?

I know. I know ... where to pug-in ...
HERE? All this AlienTech & what I use are manual analog fan controllers, sad to say in public. Love to say in private. Love it. You see, the old MSI X58 board was nice but its chassis fan headers were, ummmm. Limited. After a mthrbrd swap?, fan header galore here. Even so, I still use fan controllers (for reasons). You there on the other side?Plug your pump & fans into mthrbrd or top pwr brd fan headers - CHECK YOUR CPU TEMPS- & report back if after your own trial & error u want or suspect a better scheme exists

That's a Wrap

___________

Before you go: Shop for, buy the AIO that struck your fancy, unbox it, admire it, kiss & revere it, then ez-ily take out your top cooling caddy, unbox your new cooling fans, compare the many mounting holes there to what u spied here, align rad-holes, strap it together CAREFULLY ... install ... power on, monitor CPU Temp, if ok?, proceed w/ further testing & monitoring, tweak FANS, SOFTWARE if deemed fit & from there tweaks go for better or worse, find your Alien's sweet spot, find eqwilibrium & see what happens ... chime in if a certain real problemo exists (not just a fussy u that exists for real)

But yeah. I wanted more for this how-to post, it felt like the AlienOwners one was way better but whatever this isn't, it is a start towards upgraded cooling ... ... ... There's 360mm of top roof space, a Penthouse roof with exclusive bespoke motorized vents? & you're still on that whimpy budget cooler & a single Delta fan? Really? Greta Thunberg-levels of How dare you! ... Be kooler than that & upgrade that kooler

Treat Your Alien Right

CCCLX / 360 RADs

If u link right now to The ALX Files: Swapping Area-51 R2 x99 Motherboard into R1

Scroll down just a tad & you'll find I'd posted a little about a 360 swap-mod w/ pics & just a few words, where my link to the full write-up died w/ AlienOwners Forum, so please link above because I won't be posting any pics in this section today, just here today to talk a bit ...

All I know about putting a 360 up there is that your basic AIO CLC 'Asetek' type rads, though yes called a 360 that holds x3 120mm fans?, it's overall length varies but 396mm long is typical, so too long to fit into our top caddy, regardless it holds x3 120mm fans

Looking my case over, it seems three trouble areas are afoot, maybe yes maybe no, but it appears:
⦁ removable cooling caddy may need both ends dremel-tooled off a bit
⦁ TOP of the case, in the chassis itself, roof area has a pair of metal caddy-guide thingys that'd need zipped off
⦁ the circular Acitivent Motor MAY still be in the way of a rad fitting ... if so? ... maybe u mount the rad the opposite direction (180 degree spin) & maybe now the top left power & cooling board needs to be relocated?

if a Dremel type-tool is needed to zip zop zoop the roof area etc, ok, to me the entire case would need stripped down so as to clean all metal-dust / shavings etc & to go that far u clearly then just send the chassis out for a full black powder-coat job, or u DIY the black inner-chassis paintjob yourself etc. & go from there

Last, I've yet-to-see a typical Asetek / Corsair-style boxed-&-ready AIO 360 rad in R1, they've been classic EKWaterBlock types that u plumb yourself w/ fittings. Yet those are harder, more expensive to do, so why hasn't someone done a basic $150 360 AIO yet? Exactly. An issue doing that install, that rad ... the 360! If u do one?, godspeed & report back w/ the how-to

Depressing, embarrassing even I didnt attempt this project yet ... but u never know ... a new ALX Files could drop one day ...

I spoke w/the gentleman above, he sent me these pics

Below, his hand-made MIO PSU swap 10pin cable ... lovely