X-bit labs

Four Liquid-Cooling Systems for the Masses (page 9)

Category: Coolers

by Vasily Melnik

[ 10/14/2005 | 03:30 PM ]

So, I removed the traces of the deluge and tested the system at last and this really took quite an amount of time. The system, however, can work in only one mode – there are no fans to adjust its performance with. It’s good news for a tester, considering that it takes almost a whole day to test only one operational mode. So, here are the results:

The numbers look average at first. An Idle temperature of 44°C is acceptable, but the Load temperature of 81°C looks too high, considering that the ambient temperature was 20°C during the test. On the other hand, the system lacked almost one fourth of the coolant and the processor worked for 4 hours under the maximum load to get that hot, so an average user is highly unlikely to get the same temperature at ordinary work. You can’t fry your CPU up with real-life applications, for example by playing Unreal Tournament 2004. Moreover, the temperature depends much on the position of the radiator. If there’s just a weak airflow around it, the temperature goes down by a good dozen degrees centigrade. So, the results are passable. The Thermaltake Rocket can successfully work in a home computer unless you use your CPU at the maximum load for several hours in a row.

It could be the end of this section of the review if another problem didn’t rise up. When I was uninstalling the system after the test I noticed a thick layer of white flaky residue. The origin of the sediment was a mystery – the enclosed coolant should have had some additives against such undesired things. Besides negatively affecting the pump’s service life, this sediment may reduce the radiator’s efficiency. There was a thick layer of it at the bottom of the radiator:

As well as on the radiator’s inner surfaces:

An extra link in the heat-transfer chain between the coolant and the radiator is unlikely to improve the cooling efficiency, I think.

I don’t know for sure why the sediment developed, but there could only be one source of it – the enclosed coolant. So I advise you to watch over the system and if you see sediment, you should wash the system and refill it with the traditional mixture of distilled water and antifreeze.

Despite some flaws, the Rocket CL-W0011 kit from Thermaltake can be recommended for use. Its advantages outweigh its minor defects. The only serious drawback of this system is its externally positioned pump, while the rest of the problems like the sediment and the leaking fittings can be solved in a few minutes (you should just solve them before installing the system into the computer). One of the main advantages of the system is its price. The Rocket costs almost two times less than its closest market alternatives.

It’s simple with the noise factor – the pump is the single system component that can produce any sounds at all. But I have no complaints about it. The noise from the pump is barely audible and you won’t hear it if you put it into your system case.

Our Verdict: Thermaltake Rocket

Highs: Good cooling; simple assembly; silent operation; high-quality water-block; rather low price for a system of that category;

Lows: External pump; the expansion tank fittings of the pump are not properly sealed;

Conclusion: Excellent choice if you want an easy-to-assemble, reasonably priced, nice-looking and fully passive water-cooling system.

Average retail price - $140