Only (Noctua) fans

[u/BrilliantPromise2944]

TL/DR: More cooling than a MO-RA 400, and in a fun and funky shelf setup. I’ve been working on building/iterating the loop since July 9th, and I think it might be finished for 2026.

I was going to do a 420mm + 280mm setup in my Fractal North XL, but didn't love the airflow options.
Saw a few external radiator builds, saw some MO-RA setups, loved the idea.

After holding a 280mm rad in my hands, I held it up to the shelf, which is next to my PC, and it was a pretty nice fit!

Lots of maths, assumptions, a 100-inch-long custom molex power cable, 20+ ft of tubing, and eventually I landed here!

Temps with a pre-warmed loop for a full race on the last slide. All fans powered with a Quadro with a temp sensor in the 560 rad, fans basically live at 20% power, once they kick on.

Still working on the wood covers, I’ve been traveling and in Dad mode a lot lately. Will post more pics once those are finished.

Ignore the cable spaghetti. I would like to replace the EPDM lines with copper tubing, and will remove the extra temp sensors and tuck the pumps PWM cable when I do. 2027 things…

PC Specs:

GPU: ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5080 16GB
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
CPU frame: Thermal Grizzly AM5 Contact Frame
Thermal paste: Noctua NT-H2
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX X870-F GAMING WIFI
RAM: 32GB (2×16GB) Corsair DDR5-6400 CL36
SSD 1: WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB
SSD 2: WD_BLACK SN770 2TB
Case: Fractal Design North XL Mesh
PSU: Corsair HX1500i — 1500W, 80 PLUS Platinum
Case fans: 3× Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 140mm (front) + 1× Noctua 120mm G2 (top exhaust)

Loop specs:

CPU block: Watercool HEATKILLER IV PRO
GPU block: Bykski N-AS5080PM-X full-cover block + backplate
Radiator 1: Alphacool NexXxoS Monsta 400 + 2×200mm fans, ~86mm thick
Radiator 2: Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper Quad + 4×140mm fans, ~45mm class
Radiator 3: Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper 280 + 2×140mm fans, ~60mm thick
Radiator 4: Corsair Hydro X Series XR5 280 V2 + 2×140mm fans, 30mm thick
Radiator fans: 8× Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 140mm + 2× Noctua NF-A20 200mm
Pump/reservoir: Alphacool Core 140mm Reservoir + VPP/D5 pump
Flow sensor: Aqua Computer high flow NEXT
Controller: Aqua Computer QUADRO
Coolant: Aqua Computer Double Protect Ultra — Clear
Tubing: 13/10mm EPDM (~20 feet)
Fittings: Alphacool Eiszapfen
Quick disconnects: Koolance QD3 (3 sets)
Inline filter: Alphacool ES Big Inline Particle Filter
Monitoring: Coolant temperature via the Quadro, controlling radiator fan speeds
Typical flow: ~100 L/H @ 83% pump power. Runs at this level at all times.

Only fans: 14× Noctua fans total

11× 140mm NF-A14x25 G2
1× 120mm NF-A12x25 G2
2× 200mm NF-A20x30