Review: Rampage II Extreme waterblocks: Bitspower vs. Koolance
Here's a rather unusal test report (for me at least): Instead of the usual CPU blocks or radiator, I decided to do a small comparison of the Bitspower and Koolance mainboard blocks for the Rampage II Extreme.
Externals
http://www.abload.de/img/06iqtr.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/256tev.jpg
The BP-top is made of black nickel plated brass, while the KL-top consists of two layers: One thin acrylic sheet and a polished stainless steel cover. Both surfaces are highly reflective and also very prone to getting smudged up by fingerprints.
BP
http://www.abload.de/img/054sfh.jpg
KL
http://www.abload.de/img/262qqa.jpg
The bases of the two blocks are very similar. On the one hand, they both need to have the same "topography" of course, since they need to fit the same mainboard. But they are also both made from black nickel plated copper.
These surfaces are also highly reflective and it's almost a bit of a pity that you'll never see them once the blocks are installed:
http://www.abload.de/img/046psc.jpg
Internals
Let's have a look inside these blocks:
http://www.abload.de/img/33fuwv.jpg
The BP-Block has it's channels in the top as well as the bottom part. This will probably benefit flow.
http://www.abload.de/img/31nuxn.jpg
The KL-Block has a rough pin structure above the SB and the typical red o-ring.
Here you can see the three layers (well, you can clearly see two of them, at least) the KL block consists of:
http://www.abload.de/thumb/30zrvo.jpg
More Blocks
Since the Rampage II Extreme has a so called QPI-DRAM power card that is elevated above the rest of the mainboard, the manufacturers needed to find a way to cool components on two different layers. Here are the QPI-DRAM blocks:
http://www.abload.de/img/35pt3m.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/27gol2.jpg
The Bitspower version has a POM-top while the Koolance one is made from the same materials as the main Koolance block.
koolance uses a special bridgeing fitting to connect the two blocks, Bitspower provides a D-Plug fitting. Both methods work equally well.
Here are the Bitspower Mosfet blocks:
http://www.abload.de/img/11m6lm.jpg
They also have POM-tops and are engraved with the BP-Dragon, which I think is a very nice detail.
I couldn't get a hold of Koolance Mosfet-blocks but I got some made by MIPS instead:
http://www.abload.de/img/3281cr.jpg
Being MIPS blocks, they are, naturally, f***ing gorgeous (pic doesn't do them justice).
Blemishes
Unfortunately, both main blocks were slightly blemished:
http://www.abload.de/img/37i4hv.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/38w6xo.jpg
Of course, this doesn't mean that they are all going to be blemished. But still, one would hope that something like this just doesn't happen when shelling out the cash necessary for these blocks. If you aren't a perfectionist, you may not even mind.
Installation
The installation for both sets was "easy". I write that in quotation marks because installing a complete mainboard waterblock set isn't exactly hassle-free in any case. It's a lot more work than installing a CPU-block, for example. But the installation is still easy in the sense that both blocks are well thought out and they don't have any weaknesses that would make the installation process more difficult than it already is.
For installation instructions, check out my Video.
Both sets look great once installed on the mainboard:
http://www.abload.de/img/39f3ez.jpg
http://www.abload.de/img/22s44f.jpg
(Fittings not included with either set)
Testing
I did a relatively simple test with these blocks, since in my opinion, mainboard temperatures aren't as sensitive or as important to most people as CPU temperatures. So I didn't do multiple mounts and that kind of thing. Instead, I set up a simple little loop consisting of the blocks and:
- Laing DDC with EK X-Res top
- 13/10 (3/8") Masterkleer-Tubing
- HWLabs Black Ice GTS 140 Radiator
- 1x Sharkoon System Fan Power @ 12V
- 4x analogue temperature probes measuring water temperature
- 3x digital temperature probes measuring ambient temperature
- GMR flowmeter
- T-Balancer bigNG plus Sensorhub
No other blocks except the MB-blocks were in this loop. I tested by running Prime95 small FFT for 45 minutes and then noting water, ambient and NB as well as SB temperatures. I also logged and noted the flowrates achieved.
Let's get to the results.
Flow
http://www.abload.de/img/flowgpmf42y.jpg
I tested the Koolance set with the MIPS blocks as well as the Bitspower blocks. This shows that the main block combination by Koolance is more restrictive than that by Bitspower and it also shows that the mosfet-blocks by MIPS are also more restrictive than those by Bitspower.
Temperature
To measure a waterblocks relevant performance, the temperature of the component (here the SB or NB) is substracted from the water temperature. This shows the cooling potential of each block:
http://www.abload.de/img/tempsenb603.jpg
As we can see, for both the NB and SB temperatures, the Bitspower block performs a bit better. This is partially due to the fact that the BP blocks come with Arctic Silver 5 as their thermal grease, while the KL blocks use "generic" thermal grease. I tested each block with it's respective grease, though in retrospect, I guess I should have tested them with using the same stuff.
Anyway, the differences are pretty marginal compared to what you get with the stock cooling.
At 24° C ambient temperature, on an open test-bench, NB and SB temps would reach 61° C and 60° C respectively with the stock heatsinks.
The temperatures with either the Koolance or the Bitspower set will be vastly better than this unless your water is scorching hot (> 50° C). So ultimately, both sets get the job more than done.
Conclusion
Concerning flow and cooling performance, the Bitspower block definitely wins this one, albeit by a small margin.
For me personally, looks are just as important as performance for MB blocks. I am not going to use the RIIE for myself but if I were, I mus say I'd be hard pressed to choose between the two sets. They are very different, but I like the design of either one. Both are well-made and both make the RIIE look really nice. Ultimately, if performance and flow are very important to you, I recommend the Bitspower blocks. If performance is secondary, simply follow your gut and get the blocks that appeal to you most.
I hope you enjoyed this small test-report. For some more pics, check out the original, German article on DeXgo.com.
Also, you can see my installation video in English here on DeXgo or here in my Youtube-Channel.
Cheers,
Shane
