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Product:
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Corsair HydroCool 200 External Liquid Cooling System |
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Price:
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$315 (CAN) / $241 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Frogtuning
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Author:
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Mantis
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Date:
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November 21st, 2003
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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In order to gain access to the interior of the Corsair HydroCool 200, a set of four screws must be
removed and the exterior shell slipped off. As previously stated, the exterior shell is constructed from
a single folded piece of smoked acrylic complete with rubber trim on the front and rear edges. The interior
portion of the Corsair HydroCool 200 unit is constructed from thin black steel. All the necessary components
are neatly laid out and secured inside. Included inside the Corsair HydroCool 200 is an aluminum reservoir
tank, Bosch centrifugal pump, aluminum radiator with 120mm fan, flow meter and the front PCB. The path
of the water is as follows:
Pump -> Radiator -> Water block -> Reservoir -> Pump
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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A small flow meter manufactured by Burkle resides at the top of the chassis. This flow meter does not
measure or report the current water flow and simply acts as a visual indication that the water is flowing
and the unit is working properly. A small white LED is positioned directly below the flow meter which
illuminates the unit for easy viewing. Given the built in safety features of the Corsair HydroCool 200,
this flow meter serves more of an aesthetic purpose rather than function. With the exception of the pump,
the majority of the internal tubing used in the Corsair HydroCool 200 is a clear 3/8" ID Polyurethane
Ether grade. The inlet and outlet quick release valves can be found at the rear of the unit. One minor
flaw I encountered during my evaluation was that the tubing connected to the inlet was kinked due to a
steep curve and inadequate length. By simply loosening the hose clamp and re-positing the tubing further
out on the barb solved this issue. If I did not bother with this adjustment overall performance of flow
rates would have been effected.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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An aluminum reservoir tank is positioned at the very rear of the unit and holds the coolant supply. One
of the clear benefits of reservoirs is the ease of maintenance for filling and bleeding liquid. A small
sensor has been inserted into the reservoir, which monitors the water level and will sound an alarm should
the water reach below a safe operating level. The use of 90" L fittings seem to be a common theme inside
the Corsair HydroCool 200, these fittings are known to decrease overall water flow. There are several
locations in the unit where the use of these fittings could have been easily avoided.
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