Test Build: Water-cooling Setup
There is no doubt that the Urban T81 was designed with water-cooling in mind. Integrating my radiators, pumps, and waterblocks into this massive case was a breeze, especially with all the available mounting options. The test system is as follows:
System
- Intel I5 – 3570k
- MSI Z77 Mpower
- Avexir Mpower Memory
- R9-290
- Corsair RM-850
Cooling
- Koolance PMP-400
- Alphacool Nexxos UT60 280mm Radiator
- Swiftech 240mm Radiator
- EK Supreme Waterblock
- EK R9 290x Waterblock
- XSPC High Flex Hose 3/8, 5/8
Placing all the components inside the Urban T81 was a smooth process. The only occasional hindrance was the non-windowed sliding door getting in the way. All the radiators fit perfectly within Thermaltake’s screw holes and there was more than enough clearance to fit a 60mm thick radiator on the front panel holder. I have nothing but good things to say in regards to placing a full custom loop inside the Urban T81. Do not expect to have everything needed, however, the included screws and mounting hardware that come with the Urban T81 are very straightforwards. Moving on, I did some basic temperature testing utilizing the same pump, fan speed, and room temperature as my previous build and concluded that the fluid temperature was 2C higher than on my mid tower. All air bubbles were sorted out and the fluid was completely filtered, I found out that the cause of the higher temperatures were the Urban T81’s fan filters limiting air flow to my radiators since removing the front panel returned my temperatures back to normal.
The most frustrating part of the Urban T81 has been cable management. I spent over two hours tying up cables and moving them around to be able to close the back panel. I eventually gave up on trying to keep it neat and spread everything out as much as I could to allow the panel to close. At the end of the day, cable management was not pretty. The RM 850’s stiff power cables and the Urban T81’s lack of cables ties was a recipe for disaster. I would also like to point out that the exact components and water-cooling setup have been tested on a MID TOWER and all cables were properly and neatly tied up in that case. Regardless, whether you are water-cooling or air-cooling, I cannot recommend the Urban T81 if you are hoping to have clean cable management.
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