[cTx]SGT.Viper
08-04-2008, 10:39 PM
Koolance Liquid Cooling System
Koolance has been pioneering water cooling products for the enthusiasts for the last eight years. Koolance may very well be one of the first corporations to offer production water cooling components to the world. Before that, modders had to make their own custom blocks and search far and wide for any parts that would complete a water cooled system. Koolance took a lot of the guess work out, making it easier for the average user to get into water cooling. Koolance's quality and innovations have come a long way since their first release of products. For this review, we take Koolance's top performing components and try to bring the system to a crawl.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic1.jpg
We will see if Koolance has raised the bar for other industry leaders to follow. Is Koolance still a contender in this niche world of liquid cooling?
The System
This is not a kit; we tried to grab Koolance's top of the line products. We built the system using only Koolance components. Included below is what we used in this review.
CPU block: CPU-340
GPU block: VID-282(GeForce 8800GTX)
Flow Meter: INS-FM16
Flow Meter Frequency adapter:ADT-FM002K
Radiator: HX-1320 Quad 120mm
Reservoir: Inline 200mm (7.9”) High
Reservoir Bracket: 120mm
Liquid Coolant: Bottle, 700 mL Fluorescent Yellow
Tubing Wrap: Blue [13mm, 1/2”]
Tubing: Clear PVC 13mm (1/2”) ID
Drain Valve: VLV-XTSPL
Nozzle: Single, G1/4 Barb [13mm, 1/2”] x 10
Nozzle: Single, G1/4 Swivel Angled [13mm, 1/2”] x 2
Pump: 450 Pump
Fans: 120mm, 2-Wire x4
Fan Wiring Harness: 3 pin
The Packaging
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic2.jpg
Koolance packaged everything in one monstrous box. It was just a plain cardboard box with some nice Koolance branded tape. Since most manufacturers use your typical clear tape, I thought this was a nice touch. The box was as tall as a full tower case when stood up from end to end.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic3.jpg
Opening the box, one sees the typical peanut packaging including the shipping list of all the components that should be in the box. Everything was well placed in the box, allowing only minimal movement and lessening the chance of something being damaged.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic4.jpg
Here is everything that was in the box. After unpacking that big box, it was hard to believe all of those components fit into that one box. Everything was nicely labeled and individually boxed. Koolance also included a very stylish T shirt with the company's logo and also included some nice soft foamy vinyl stickers. I am not sure if Koolance always includes these fine freebies. So if you plan on ordering a complete system like this and want the freebies, you should ask before you place your order.
The barbs used for connecting all of your tubing to your blocks were individually shrink wrapped. This is something that is not normally seen. Barbs are usually wrapped in pairs. I would like to add that we forgot to order some 120mm fans to aid in keeping the radiator cooled, but Koolance was kind enough to express (two day) ship us some of their fans. They also included a 3 pin wiring harness that allowed us to have the fans wired together using only one power connection.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic5.jpg
On that note, here is a picture of that massive radiator, including the four fans and the 3 pin extension. Koolance made that extension, and it had some nice heat shrink tubing going from one to four sets of wires.
The CPU block
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic6.jpg
Koolance has made all of their blocks out of copper. Copper does a better job of removing heat from components. Koolance has kept with that standard of excellence. Both the top and bottom of the CPU block are indeed made out of solid copper. Even better, they plated it with an anti-corrosive nickel allowing the block to last for many years.
The block is designed to work with multiple core processor configurations, including dual, quad, and single cores. The hold down plate is intended to be universal, allowing it to bolt down to pretty much any type of socket, and it also has a very nice chrome like finish to it. Koolance also included a motherboard backplate. The back plate mounts on the bottom of the motherboard providing better support, not allowing the board to flex as you screw down the hold down plate. This will allow you to apply more bolt down pressure, usually yielding better temperatures. I would like to add that the hardware pictured is what we will be using to mount the block on an Intel socket LGA775.
The GPU block
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic7.jpg
The GPU block is also made out of solid copper just like the processor block; it is, however plated in gold. The finish on this block is just amazing, and this picture does not do it justice. You would have to see it for yourself to enjoy the full beauty in all of its glory. It is that nice. Next to it, you can see one of Koolance's original GPU blocks. The new GPU block is bigger because it is a full coverage block, allowing the memory of the video card to be liquid cooled at the same time. You can see how far Koolance's research and development has gone in its years of designing water cooling components. This video card block is a huge improvement in craftsmanship.
The Reservoir
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic8.jpg
The reservoir acts as a fill port and also keeps any air in the system from escaping to any other parts of the system: as air in your radiator or CPU block would cause your temperatures to increase. The reservoir is made out of acrylic and it has nice smooth edges. The reservoir can be mounted vertically or horizontally with its four barb sockets and a plug on the opposite end.
In the following picture I am trying to align the reservoir onto a 120mm case fan mount. This was difficult in this particular case because it had a protruding fan grill. While many case manufacturers design their fan grills to actually stick out from the back of the case, I have run into this problem before with another case manufacturer. I ultimately had to cut and fabricate my own way of mounting to resolve the problem. Hardcore gamers do not want to be bothered with that. They want to just hook it up and go. Fabricating your own way to mount this reservoir would cause a little more down time.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic9-1.jpg
The Pump
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic9.jpg
This is a very popular water pump that is used by many water cooling manufacturers. It is an industrial grade water pump that has been widely adapted by many liquid cooling enthusiasts. It comes with a four pin molex connector that can be hooked up directly to the computer's power supply. It also has a built in flow control knob allowing you to speed up or slow down the amount of liquid that is passed along in the pump. Some users prefer high or low flow rates. You can fine tune the pump to the flow rate that gives the best temperatures. It has solid mounted barbs that are 13mm (1/2”) in diameter. This pump also has a good track record for impressive flow rates and a maximum head pressure of about 5.8m (19ft). It has proven for many years to be a solid, reliable pump, and it is Koolance's best pump.
The Flow Meter
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic10.jpg
This flow meter is used to monitor the flow of the liquid in the system and can be connected to an on board fan header like the CPU fan; However, you will need to purchase the required Flow Meter Adapter (http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=502) to have that flow rate displayed in revolutions per minute. You can then monitor the speed of your coolant. It can also be used as a safety device. If the flow stops and you have your BIOS set up correctly, your computer will shut down: keeping your components safe from overheating in the event of the water pump dying. The Flow Meter has two built in LEDs that can be set to either flash to indicate flow, or remain lit ,but you will still need the required Flow Meter Adapter (http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=502) for them to function.
The Liquid Coolant
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic11.jpg
This is the actual liquid that we used in the system. It is fluorescent yellow and is supposed to be UV reactive so it will glow even more under UV cold cathode lights. Not pictured is a flexible hose that can be used in getting the coolant into tight spots like a funnel, keeping spillage to a minimum.
The Tubing Wrap
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic12.jpg
The tubing wrap actually goes over the tubing allowing the hose to be aggressively curved while making directional changes in the loop. This particular wrap has a 13mm (1/2”) internal diameter for sliding over Koolance's 13mm (1/2”) PVC tubing. The coils actually slid on without too much trouble. We picked the color blue to contrast better with the yellow coolant. Koolance offers many colors, enabling a custom look to any system.
The Drain Valve
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic13.jpg
The drain valve acts as a drain. There will come a time when one will need to drain the coolant, either to add another block to the loop or take out an existing one, or even put fresh coolant into the loop. One might become bored with the current color of liquid and want to add a different color. The drain will allow you to do just that. This component can actually be used in multiple configurations. It is supplied with two caps, and you can cap it off and connect the tubing in any direction.
I would also like to point out the tubing clamps in the above picture. They are pinch style clamps that can provide a perfect water tight seal. Just squeeze the two sides together and it will slide over your tubing and barbs easily.
The Tubing
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic14.jpg
The tubing is made out of clear PVC with a 13mm (1/2”) inner diameter and an outer diameter of 16mm (5/8”). It was unblemished and crystal clear. I have actually come across some tubing from other manufactures that was a little on the cloudy side, so this tubing being so clear was a nice addition to the system.
The Radiator
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic15.jpg
Here is the massive quad 120mm fan radiator with the 4x120mm fans mounted. Koolance claims that it has 1300 watts of heat dissipation. That is the ability to remove a boat load of heat! It is a dual pass, so the coolant will flow longer through the radiator, allowing it to cool better. It can be fitted to use either 13mm (1/2”), 10mm (3/8”), or 6mm (1/4”) barbs, so it will indeed work in any liquid cooled system.
Leak Testing
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After building the loop we leak tested the system for three hours. It is important to hook up a couple of fans to keep a balanced load on the power supply. Whenever you build a liquid cooled system it is recommended that you leak test for twenty four hours. We only tested for three due to time limitations. After we had the loop filled and the pump running, we noticed a kink in the tubing next to the pump's inlet. It is almost as if the pump had too much suction and not enough water, and I think the tubing walls were just a little on the thin side. The system, however, proved to have leak free connections all the way around the loop.
Test Bed
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic17.jpg
Motherboard: ASUS Striker II Formula
Processor: Intel QX9650 at 3.0 GHZ
Memory: Corsair XMS2 DHX 8gig (4x2gig)
Case: Cooler Master Stacker
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower 1200
Hard Drive: 250 Seagate SATA2
Video Card: Nvidia 8800 GTX
Optical Drives: 2x Liteon DVD RW, DVD ROM
Sound Card: Creative X-Fi Fatality
Testing
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For testing we are comparing the stock retail Intel QX series air cooler against the Koolance system. This heatsink is the most impressive retail heatsink I have ever seen. I think it was a wise choice for Intel to include this with their retail processors. We are going to use the World Community Grid to test the processor temperatures while it is at 100% load across all four cores. World Community Grid is a program designed to find cures for common deadly diseases. It crunches calculations to help scientist solve problems to aid in finding cures.
For testing the GPU block we will be using 3dmark06. 3DMark06 is a tool designed to test a PC's ability to render 3d graphics while mainly utilizing the video card to its full potential. We ran idle test on the system for a full 15 minutes and then ran a full load test on each component for 15 minutes allowing temperatures to stabilize. Temperatures were recorded using Core Temp 0.98.1 for the CPU and RivaTuner v2.009 for the GPU. Room temperatures were recorded at 23.5°C.
The Results
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Final Thoughts
Because the QX9650 quad is a hard CPU to cool, I was pleasantly surprised how well the Intel retail heatsink performed, keeping the QX9650 at decent temps. We are talking about 4 cores running in tandem at 100% load. The Koolance block was able to improve on that, bringing the warmest core down to a nice 50°C . That is an 8°C improvement over the Intel cooler. In the world of overclocking, that is a hard feat to accomplish. I think if the CPU had been overclocked, we would have seen a wider gap of temperatures. Due to the better thermal conductivity of water, liquid cooling will hold lower temps as you raise the clock speeds compared to air cooling.
Now on the GPU front, we see a huge improvement. Idle and load temps were basically cut in half! We were was ecstatic; it was almost unbelievable. It goes to show how well Koolance designed this block. It is both beautiful and functional.
The system as a whole proved to be greatly engineered. The blocks have an extremely nice mirror like finish, and we were happy Koolance decided to go with the solid copper construction. However I was not happy that the radiator was constructed out of aluminum as mixing metals might cause corrosion, but Koolance did coat the blocks, and that will help combat the corrosion. Both fit and finish were good, but the reservoir, unfortunately could have been better designed. It would have been nice if Koolance could offer some kind of adapter to mount the reservoir over a case's bulging fan grill. I don't think it would take much for Koolance to develop, and I am sure it could be affordable. Koolance offers many different components to complete a water cooled system, why not offer the final touch? More advanced modders will not have much trouble adapting the reservoir to anything; however most serious, non-modding gamers will.
Since we had a little trouble mounting the reservoir, we decided to mount it to the side of the desk. The wood proved to be easier to screw into; we also thought it looked aesthetically better. The reservoir did perform nicely; it just didn't mount that easily.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic23.jpg
The rest of the system did install very cleanly, complete with decent wiring management, it looks very appealing. The Flow Meter was a challenge because we had to install it with 90° fittings. We wanted to keep it in line without the use of extra tubing. These fittings usually slow your flow rate down, and some modders consider this a negative.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic24.jpg
Final Score
Design-7 out of 10: The system as a whole looked and performed good at the same time. The finish on all of the components was coated very nicely. The reservoir could use revamped mounting brackets, and the aluminum radiator would perform better if it were made with a copper core.
Cooling-9 out of 10: The CPU block performed very well compared to Intel's massive air cooler. The GPU block demonstrated very impressive temperature drops. The GPU block alone is enough to make one want to switch to the Koolance system.
Performance-9 out of 10: The complete system, including the flow meter and 4x 120mm fans performed as expected. The fans were a little on the loud side, and we concluded that we would install a fan controller to tone them down. That is the great thing about water cooling, it can be much more quiet then air cooling and still perform better.
Ease of Usage-8 out of 10: The tubing was a little difficult sliding over the pump's barbs. We had to boil the tubing in water to get it to slide on better. That can be a good thing, as it provides a better seal. The hose clamps performed flawlessly, and the coolant went in nicely with the included hoses already mounted on the bottles.
Overall Rating-8 frags out of 10
Which earns Clan Team Xtreme Approved.
We'd like to extend our many thanks to Corsair Memory for providing the memory (http://www.corsairmemory.com/).
Miscellaneous Pictures
This is a close up of the CPU-340 block. You can also see the Flow Meter on the left.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic25.jpg
This is a close up of the reservoir and one of Koolance's logo stickers.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic26.jpg
This is just a picture of the rig as a whole. You can also see the Flow Meter's LEDs glowing.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic27.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic28.jpg
Senior Editor,
Chris Vienneau
Koolance has been pioneering water cooling products for the enthusiasts for the last eight years. Koolance may very well be one of the first corporations to offer production water cooling components to the world. Before that, modders had to make their own custom blocks and search far and wide for any parts that would complete a water cooled system. Koolance took a lot of the guess work out, making it easier for the average user to get into water cooling. Koolance's quality and innovations have come a long way since their first release of products. For this review, we take Koolance's top performing components and try to bring the system to a crawl.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic1.jpg
We will see if Koolance has raised the bar for other industry leaders to follow. Is Koolance still a contender in this niche world of liquid cooling?
The System
This is not a kit; we tried to grab Koolance's top of the line products. We built the system using only Koolance components. Included below is what we used in this review.
CPU block: CPU-340
GPU block: VID-282(GeForce 8800GTX)
Flow Meter: INS-FM16
Flow Meter Frequency adapter:ADT-FM002K
Radiator: HX-1320 Quad 120mm
Reservoir: Inline 200mm (7.9”) High
Reservoir Bracket: 120mm
Liquid Coolant: Bottle, 700 mL Fluorescent Yellow
Tubing Wrap: Blue [13mm, 1/2”]
Tubing: Clear PVC 13mm (1/2”) ID
Drain Valve: VLV-XTSPL
Nozzle: Single, G1/4 Barb [13mm, 1/2”] x 10
Nozzle: Single, G1/4 Swivel Angled [13mm, 1/2”] x 2
Pump: 450 Pump
Fans: 120mm, 2-Wire x4
Fan Wiring Harness: 3 pin
The Packaging
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic2.jpg
Koolance packaged everything in one monstrous box. It was just a plain cardboard box with some nice Koolance branded tape. Since most manufacturers use your typical clear tape, I thought this was a nice touch. The box was as tall as a full tower case when stood up from end to end.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic3.jpg
Opening the box, one sees the typical peanut packaging including the shipping list of all the components that should be in the box. Everything was well placed in the box, allowing only minimal movement and lessening the chance of something being damaged.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic4.jpg
Here is everything that was in the box. After unpacking that big box, it was hard to believe all of those components fit into that one box. Everything was nicely labeled and individually boxed. Koolance also included a very stylish T shirt with the company's logo and also included some nice soft foamy vinyl stickers. I am not sure if Koolance always includes these fine freebies. So if you plan on ordering a complete system like this and want the freebies, you should ask before you place your order.
The barbs used for connecting all of your tubing to your blocks were individually shrink wrapped. This is something that is not normally seen. Barbs are usually wrapped in pairs. I would like to add that we forgot to order some 120mm fans to aid in keeping the radiator cooled, but Koolance was kind enough to express (two day) ship us some of their fans. They also included a 3 pin wiring harness that allowed us to have the fans wired together using only one power connection.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic5.jpg
On that note, here is a picture of that massive radiator, including the four fans and the 3 pin extension. Koolance made that extension, and it had some nice heat shrink tubing going from one to four sets of wires.
The CPU block
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic6.jpg
Koolance has made all of their blocks out of copper. Copper does a better job of removing heat from components. Koolance has kept with that standard of excellence. Both the top and bottom of the CPU block are indeed made out of solid copper. Even better, they plated it with an anti-corrosive nickel allowing the block to last for many years.
The block is designed to work with multiple core processor configurations, including dual, quad, and single cores. The hold down plate is intended to be universal, allowing it to bolt down to pretty much any type of socket, and it also has a very nice chrome like finish to it. Koolance also included a motherboard backplate. The back plate mounts on the bottom of the motherboard providing better support, not allowing the board to flex as you screw down the hold down plate. This will allow you to apply more bolt down pressure, usually yielding better temperatures. I would like to add that the hardware pictured is what we will be using to mount the block on an Intel socket LGA775.
The GPU block
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic7.jpg
The GPU block is also made out of solid copper just like the processor block; it is, however plated in gold. The finish on this block is just amazing, and this picture does not do it justice. You would have to see it for yourself to enjoy the full beauty in all of its glory. It is that nice. Next to it, you can see one of Koolance's original GPU blocks. The new GPU block is bigger because it is a full coverage block, allowing the memory of the video card to be liquid cooled at the same time. You can see how far Koolance's research and development has gone in its years of designing water cooling components. This video card block is a huge improvement in craftsmanship.
The Reservoir
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic8.jpg
The reservoir acts as a fill port and also keeps any air in the system from escaping to any other parts of the system: as air in your radiator or CPU block would cause your temperatures to increase. The reservoir is made out of acrylic and it has nice smooth edges. The reservoir can be mounted vertically or horizontally with its four barb sockets and a plug on the opposite end.
In the following picture I am trying to align the reservoir onto a 120mm case fan mount. This was difficult in this particular case because it had a protruding fan grill. While many case manufacturers design their fan grills to actually stick out from the back of the case, I have run into this problem before with another case manufacturer. I ultimately had to cut and fabricate my own way of mounting to resolve the problem. Hardcore gamers do not want to be bothered with that. They want to just hook it up and go. Fabricating your own way to mount this reservoir would cause a little more down time.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic9-1.jpg
The Pump
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic9.jpg
This is a very popular water pump that is used by many water cooling manufacturers. It is an industrial grade water pump that has been widely adapted by many liquid cooling enthusiasts. It comes with a four pin molex connector that can be hooked up directly to the computer's power supply. It also has a built in flow control knob allowing you to speed up or slow down the amount of liquid that is passed along in the pump. Some users prefer high or low flow rates. You can fine tune the pump to the flow rate that gives the best temperatures. It has solid mounted barbs that are 13mm (1/2”) in diameter. This pump also has a good track record for impressive flow rates and a maximum head pressure of about 5.8m (19ft). It has proven for many years to be a solid, reliable pump, and it is Koolance's best pump.
The Flow Meter
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic10.jpg
This flow meter is used to monitor the flow of the liquid in the system and can be connected to an on board fan header like the CPU fan; However, you will need to purchase the required Flow Meter Adapter (http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=502) to have that flow rate displayed in revolutions per minute. You can then monitor the speed of your coolant. It can also be used as a safety device. If the flow stops and you have your BIOS set up correctly, your computer will shut down: keeping your components safe from overheating in the event of the water pump dying. The Flow Meter has two built in LEDs that can be set to either flash to indicate flow, or remain lit ,but you will still need the required Flow Meter Adapter (http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=502) for them to function.
The Liquid Coolant
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic11.jpg
This is the actual liquid that we used in the system. It is fluorescent yellow and is supposed to be UV reactive so it will glow even more under UV cold cathode lights. Not pictured is a flexible hose that can be used in getting the coolant into tight spots like a funnel, keeping spillage to a minimum.
The Tubing Wrap
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic12.jpg
The tubing wrap actually goes over the tubing allowing the hose to be aggressively curved while making directional changes in the loop. This particular wrap has a 13mm (1/2”) internal diameter for sliding over Koolance's 13mm (1/2”) PVC tubing. The coils actually slid on without too much trouble. We picked the color blue to contrast better with the yellow coolant. Koolance offers many colors, enabling a custom look to any system.
The Drain Valve
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic13.jpg
The drain valve acts as a drain. There will come a time when one will need to drain the coolant, either to add another block to the loop or take out an existing one, or even put fresh coolant into the loop. One might become bored with the current color of liquid and want to add a different color. The drain will allow you to do just that. This component can actually be used in multiple configurations. It is supplied with two caps, and you can cap it off and connect the tubing in any direction.
I would also like to point out the tubing clamps in the above picture. They are pinch style clamps that can provide a perfect water tight seal. Just squeeze the two sides together and it will slide over your tubing and barbs easily.
The Tubing
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/ClanTeamXtreme/Koolance%20watermarks%20pictures/pic14.jpg
The tubing is made out of clear PVC with a 13mm (1/2”) inner diameter and an outer diameter of 16mm (5/8”). It was unblemished and crystal clear. I have actually come across some tubing from other manufactures that was a little on the cloudy side, so this tubing being so clear was a nice addition to the system.
The Radiator
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Here is the massive quad 120mm fan radiator with the 4x120mm fans mounted. Koolance claims that it has 1300 watts of heat dissipation. That is the ability to remove a boat load of heat! It is a dual pass, so the coolant will flow longer through the radiator, allowing it to cool better. It can be fitted to use either 13mm (1/2”), 10mm (3/8”), or 6mm (1/4”) barbs, so it will indeed work in any liquid cooled system.
Leak Testing
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After building the loop we leak tested the system for three hours. It is important to hook up a couple of fans to keep a balanced load on the power supply. Whenever you build a liquid cooled system it is recommended that you leak test for twenty four hours. We only tested for three due to time limitations. After we had the loop filled and the pump running, we noticed a kink in the tubing next to the pump's inlet. It is almost as if the pump had too much suction and not enough water, and I think the tubing walls were just a little on the thin side. The system, however, proved to have leak free connections all the way around the loop.
Test Bed
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Motherboard: ASUS Striker II Formula
Processor: Intel QX9650 at 3.0 GHZ
Memory: Corsair XMS2 DHX 8gig (4x2gig)
Case: Cooler Master Stacker
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower 1200
Hard Drive: 250 Seagate SATA2
Video Card: Nvidia 8800 GTX
Optical Drives: 2x Liteon DVD RW, DVD ROM
Sound Card: Creative X-Fi Fatality
Testing
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For testing we are comparing the stock retail Intel QX series air cooler against the Koolance system. This heatsink is the most impressive retail heatsink I have ever seen. I think it was a wise choice for Intel to include this with their retail processors. We are going to use the World Community Grid to test the processor temperatures while it is at 100% load across all four cores. World Community Grid is a program designed to find cures for common deadly diseases. It crunches calculations to help scientist solve problems to aid in finding cures.
For testing the GPU block we will be using 3dmark06. 3DMark06 is a tool designed to test a PC's ability to render 3d graphics while mainly utilizing the video card to its full potential. We ran idle test on the system for a full 15 minutes and then ran a full load test on each component for 15 minutes allowing temperatures to stabilize. Temperatures were recorded using Core Temp 0.98.1 for the CPU and RivaTuner v2.009 for the GPU. Room temperatures were recorded at 23.5°C.
The Results
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Final Thoughts
Because the QX9650 quad is a hard CPU to cool, I was pleasantly surprised how well the Intel retail heatsink performed, keeping the QX9650 at decent temps. We are talking about 4 cores running in tandem at 100% load. The Koolance block was able to improve on that, bringing the warmest core down to a nice 50°C . That is an 8°C improvement over the Intel cooler. In the world of overclocking, that is a hard feat to accomplish. I think if the CPU had been overclocked, we would have seen a wider gap of temperatures. Due to the better thermal conductivity of water, liquid cooling will hold lower temps as you raise the clock speeds compared to air cooling.
Now on the GPU front, we see a huge improvement. Idle and load temps were basically cut in half! We were was ecstatic; it was almost unbelievable. It goes to show how well Koolance designed this block. It is both beautiful and functional.
The system as a whole proved to be greatly engineered. The blocks have an extremely nice mirror like finish, and we were happy Koolance decided to go with the solid copper construction. However I was not happy that the radiator was constructed out of aluminum as mixing metals might cause corrosion, but Koolance did coat the blocks, and that will help combat the corrosion. Both fit and finish were good, but the reservoir, unfortunately could have been better designed. It would have been nice if Koolance could offer some kind of adapter to mount the reservoir over a case's bulging fan grill. I don't think it would take much for Koolance to develop, and I am sure it could be affordable. Koolance offers many different components to complete a water cooled system, why not offer the final touch? More advanced modders will not have much trouble adapting the reservoir to anything; however most serious, non-modding gamers will.
Since we had a little trouble mounting the reservoir, we decided to mount it to the side of the desk. The wood proved to be easier to screw into; we also thought it looked aesthetically better. The reservoir did perform nicely; it just didn't mount that easily.
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The rest of the system did install very cleanly, complete with decent wiring management, it looks very appealing. The Flow Meter was a challenge because we had to install it with 90° fittings. We wanted to keep it in line without the use of extra tubing. These fittings usually slow your flow rate down, and some modders consider this a negative.
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Final Score
Design-7 out of 10: The system as a whole looked and performed good at the same time. The finish on all of the components was coated very nicely. The reservoir could use revamped mounting brackets, and the aluminum radiator would perform better if it were made with a copper core.
Cooling-9 out of 10: The CPU block performed very well compared to Intel's massive air cooler. The GPU block demonstrated very impressive temperature drops. The GPU block alone is enough to make one want to switch to the Koolance system.
Performance-9 out of 10: The complete system, including the flow meter and 4x 120mm fans performed as expected. The fans were a little on the loud side, and we concluded that we would install a fan controller to tone them down. That is the great thing about water cooling, it can be much more quiet then air cooling and still perform better.
Ease of Usage-8 out of 10: The tubing was a little difficult sliding over the pump's barbs. We had to boil the tubing in water to get it to slide on better. That can be a good thing, as it provides a better seal. The hose clamps performed flawlessly, and the coolant went in nicely with the included hoses already mounted on the bottles.
Overall Rating-8 frags out of 10
Which earns Clan Team Xtreme Approved.
We'd like to extend our many thanks to Corsair Memory for providing the memory (http://www.corsairmemory.com/).
Miscellaneous Pictures
This is a close up of the CPU-340 block. You can also see the Flow Meter on the left.
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This is a close up of the reservoir and one of Koolance's logo stickers.
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This is just a picture of the rig as a whole. You can also see the Flow Meter's LEDs glowing.
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Senior Editor,
Chris Vienneau