X-bit labs

Water-Cooling Systems Roundup: 16 Systems Reviewed! (page 20)

Category: Coolers

by Kirill "ALT-F13" Balalin

[ 03/30/2006 | 08:48 AM ]

Of course, we couldn’t resist the temptation to take a peep at the internals of the system. It’s strange, but there is the same low-performance pump here that they use in their other systems.

You can spot a second such pump in the background. One pump is driving the coolant into the radiator and the other, into the water-block. There are springs inside the pipes to prevent them from bending in the cramped compartment.

The springs slow down the speed of the water flow somewhat. Coupled with the weak pumps, we’ve got a low coolant circulation speed here.

As we said above, the water-block differs from what is supplied with other water-cooling kits from this manufacturer. It is all-copper here and has fittings on the sides. The engineers must have tried to reduce its resistance to water flow.

There’s a thickening on the bottom of the water-block opposite to the CPU core; the sole is polished well.

The performance showings of this system are among the best. It is a little inferior to the highest-performing system in this review, but the radiator is not to be blamed for that. The fans are quiet, but we wish there was a switch to turn them off altogether. We guess the system will do its job right even without the help of the fans, i.e. in fully passive mode.

Summary: This is an excellent product for aesthetes and audiophiles. The system will make a fine addition to a HT PC system and will match perfectly a hi-tech-styled room interior. The price of $370 won’t stop a true lover of the beautiful!