DescentBB

Hi Guys.

I've got an Thermaltake Armour+LCS case with a busted coolant pump. I returned my computer to the store that built it to replace the pump but they tell me that the Liquid cooling system is integrated with the chassis and cannot be removed. They also say this line has been discontinued and I need to either consider air cooling or a new liquid cooled case.This all sounds like BS to me. I have looked up the Thermaltake site and they confirm the LCS unit comes pre-installed but they do not say if the pump is removable / replaceable or not, nor do they say if the case has been discontinued.

Anyone familiar with this particular case? I was thinking worst comes to worst I could install a Bigwater 760i LCS if necessary.

All thoughts welcome thank you.

From glancing at the reviews it looks like the pump can be removed. The guys at the store are just idiots.

The water cooling kit comes with compression fittings and they are probably the standard G 1/4 threaded which would be compatible with the vast majority of PC water cooling parts out there. Keep in mind you are likely going to need a new reservoir along with your new pump because the one your case uses is integrated with the pump and finding an exact replacement is sketchy. You will also need a refill of the coolant liquid/additive (distilled water and a water cooler safe additive are usually pretty inexpensive though) and quite often replacing parts like that will mean you will also be in the market for some new tubing because the existing tubing won't reach a new pump design or will kink or something.

So basically things you need to know before ordering a replacement pump:
What threading type/size your fittings are.
What size tubing do you currently have. (Thermaltake site indicates 3/8", if you need new fittings for the new pump, this would be the size you would look for.)
What type of coolant additives are you currently using.

As for which pumps to look at, Swiftech is a really popular brand: The MCP 655 is a favorite in the industry although because it is so powerful it is rather large, it is only really required when you have water blocks with internal jet designs that are more restrictive and require higher pressure/head. The MCP 350 and 355 are smaller but can generally tackle most cooling loops without issue.

In my own coolers I used the other popular brand: Eheim, I got mine before they even had 12v versions so it has to plug into 115v AC. It most closely resembles the Eheim HPPS series which are a little more powerful than mine (which is only rated for 80 GPH). However it still works despite being well over a decade old and having probably in excess of 100,000 hours of actual in operation time on it. These pumps don't have as much pressure or head as the MCP 655 from Swiftech, so they aren't as suitable for highly restrictive loops but they are very reliable and not many people have loops that are *that* restrictive.

Don't worry about the GPH/flow rate, it is generally nonsense and is the flow of the pump with no load on it. Just so you know the 300 GPH rating on the Swiftech 655 unloaded will produce a jet of water 3/8 inch thick that will reach about 15-20 feet away from the pump if you just opened the lines with the pump unloaded. Even at 90 GPH a pump will circulate the entire volume of water in most cooling loops in less than a second and that is taking in to account that even the least restrictive cooling loops will reduce the flow rate by 50% or more from the pumps maximum specification.

So now that all the infodump is done, here is a good site to shop for water cooling parts: http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l2/g30/c10 ... Pumps.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

x2 on the Swiftech MCP655 pump. It's been running in my build without any issues.

I'll also second the suggestion for getting separate pump and reservoir instead of the integrated units, if you have room in the case.