X-bit labs

Zalman Reserator 1 Plus Liquid Cooling System Review

Category: Coolers

by Anna Filatova

[ 09/29/2005 | 09:22 PM ]

We would like to introduce to you a water cooling system from Zalman – The new modification of their exclusive Reserator solution: Reserator 1 Plus. Let’s find out what the innovative peculiarities of this model are and how much more efficient the improved connecting pipes design, new CPU water unit and new GPU water block can make this system.

Table of contents:

• Zalman Reserator 1 Plus: What’s New?
  
• ZM-WB3 GOLD CPU Water Unit
  
• ZM-GWB2 GPU Water Unit
  
• Assembly
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Thermal Performance
  
• Conclusion
  

Each overclocker knows what water-cooling systems are and why they are better than standard air cooling solutions. To cut the long story short, water cooling systems help a lot during extreme overclocking experiments and allow to get rid of the annoying cooler fans noise. The quietest water cooling systems are those designed without any fans at all, and when users ask me if that is possible, I usually say yes, sometimes. Take for instance Zalman Reserator 1. This water cooling system generates no noise, it has no fans on the heatsink. Moreover, the heatsink is combined with the cooling liquid reservoir and also contains a pump inside.

We have already reviewed Zalman Reserator 1 in the article called Aesthetic Water Cooling Solutions: Zalman Reserator 1, ZM-WB2 Gold and ZM-GWB1, so you can check it out for details.

Not so long ago Zalman released a modification of their Reserator system aka Zalman Reserator 1 Plus, and we couldn’t wait to get into our lab for testing.

Zalman Reserator 1 Plus: What’s New?

The cooling system arrived in our lab in a huge box, big enough for a large reservoir-radiator:

The box is shorter than that of the older Reserator system, but much taller, because there are more components inside the package.

The standard Zalman Reserator 1 package included just a CPU water unit with the retention mechanism, radiator unit with a pump, silicone tube, flow indicator, user’s manual and a set of clamps and connecting pipes for the tubes.

The accessories included with the new Reserator 1 Plus are a way more interesting:

First, the cooling system is bundled with a water unit for the GPU and heatsinks for the graphics memory chips. All these items together with the corresponding retention components are packed into individual plastic box. Second, there is a new CPU water unit, which is also packed separately, together with all the necessary clamps and screws. Third, there is a bottle with special liquid chemical additives that you should add to the water to prevent internal corrosion of the metal parts and mold in the tubes.