Originally Posted by
Utnorris
Ok, so since we are all still waiting for Skinnee to release his official review I thought I would share my observations now that I have it setup and running with my system up and running also. Now, first this is by no means scientific and may or may not reflect your results or even Skinnee's. That being said, here is a list of my components:
Hardware:
Rampage Extreme II
I7 920 @ 4.2Ghz with 1.28v Vcore
6Gb Dominator GT 2000Mhz @ 8-8-8-24 2t Timings
3 x GTX280 Asus Top
Intel X25-M 80Gb SSD
Cooling:
CPU Sub-loop
Heat Killer Cu 3.0
Thermochill PA120.3 with 3 x San Ace Fans at 5v
GPU Sub-loop
3 x EVGA Hydro Copper Full Cover water blocks in parrallel
Thermochill PA120.3 with 3 x San Ace Fans at 5v
RES/Pump:
Typhoon III with D5 Vario
3/8" ID, 1/2" OD Masterkleer tubing with Koolance QD's and BP Compression fittings.
Ok, so now we have the hardware listed, here is what I have observed so far and again this is in no way scientific.
The Good:
1 - Much better flow than my two MCP355's with XSPC tops, specifically on the CPU loop.
2 - Cleaner setup due to one res/pump combo.
3 - Temps on my GPU loop have gone down by a couple degrees.
4 - Looks sweet even with the stripe across the res.
5 - Less expensive than running two separate loops with separate res' and pumps.
The not so good:
1 - CPU temps didn't go down. This is probably due to the limitations of water cooling. I think I have hit my max without either doing a push/pull configuration or shrouds, both of which would be a tight fit.
2 - It's a B**ch to bleed. This is mainly due to me having such a large case and a lot of heavy equipment in the case that makes it hard to turn on it's back. Also, I think the remaining air bubbles are having baby bubbles since I can't seem to bleed it completely, close, but I still have a couple of bubbles.
3 - Fat base fittings require a new o-ring to make a proper seal.
So in conclusion, while my CPU temps did not improve my GPU temps did. This is probably due to the I7 being a very hot processor, however my GPU temps did improve probably due to the increase in Rad space being shared by the CPU loop that the CPU was not using. While there were a few things that I was disappointed in such as the white stripe, after I got it setup those things were easily forgotten by the overall performance of the unit. Remember, I am getting at least the same results and in the case of my GPU's, better results than I did with to separate loops. Up until now I would have called BS on this, but seeing is believing. I think the Typhoon III sets new standards in what we can expect from water cooling especially from a single loop divided into to two loops. Before doing this I would have stated that a dual loop would be the best option where isolating the CPU by itself would be ideal. After setting this up I am now convinced that is not the case and this single pump/res combo is equal too, if not slightly better than two individual loops. If I had to put a rating on the Typhoon III it would be:
Performance: 10 out of 10
Cosmetics: 7 out of 10 due to the white stripe and it not having LED holes.
Ease of setup: This is one is complicated since it cleans up the loop, but I found it a PITA to bleed compared to other pump/res combos I have used such as the XSPC res top, however I would still give it a 8.5 out of 10 in this category.
Overall: 9 out of 10 in my book because I value performance more than anything else and it definitely lives up to the performance expectation considering it is a single loop at heart and easily keeps up with a separate dual loop configuration.
So there you have it. Again, this is not scientific, nor will it necessarily reflect results from anyone else. I hope that this helps those that were sitting on the fence decide as I am very happy with my setup.