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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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For testing purposes I will be installing the cool block onto a EPoX 8RDA+ nForce2 Socket A motherboard.
Prior to installing the cool block, users must clean their processor of any existing thermal compounds
and apply a new thin layer of thermal compound. I will be using Arctic Silver Ceramique for the testing
process of this review. The installation of the cool block is very straightforward and the unit can be
oriented either way on the socket. Users will be happy to know that the included clipping mechanism
attaches using all 6 lugs of the socket. Using the tool-less thumb latch, the cool block installed very
easily and securely.
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Once the water block has been installed, users can proceed to route the tubing through the slot interface
holes and cut accordingly. Using the included quick connect fittings and plastic hose clamps, simply
slide the tubing over the barb and tighten. As previously mentioned, the quick release valves allow for
the Corsair HydroCool 200 to be disconnected from the system without any leaks. Corsair strictly recommends
the use of distilled water combined with the included Corsair coolant in order to prevent any corrosion
or damage to the internal components.
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Using a funnel, the included coolant was poured into the reservoir and then topped off with distilled
water until the fill alarm stopped. The Corsair HydroCool 200 was leak tested for a period of 12 hours
after which it was examined for any possible leaks. Upon successful leak testing, the remainder of the
hardware was installed into the case. The Corsair HydroCool 200 is capable of dissipating a maximum of
200W of power with a thermal RSA rating of 0.13 C/W. The C/W value is the fluid temperature rise in
degrees Celsius for every Watt that is absorbed into the system. The front control panel clearly
displays the temperature in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit which can be easily selected via the C and F
buttons. The small red turbo button will override the auto Normal mode and power the Corsair HydroCool
200 into Turbo mode in which the fan operates at 100% speed or 2600 RPM. The Corsair HydroCool 200 is
equipped with an alarm system to notify users when there may be a problem. The default value for a
warning alarm is 40°C and once the temperature increases to 50°C, the Corsair HydroCool 200 will automatically
shutdown your computer to prevent any damage. Both these values can be defined using the Set button on
the front of the unit. It is important to note that the temperature displayed on the front of the unit
is not the actual CPU temperature and rather the water block or approximate fluid temperature which is
usually 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the CPU.
Testing:
The test system consists of an AMD 1.47 GHz 1700+ Tbred B CPU, EPoX 8RDA+ V1.1 nForce2 Motherboard and
2 x 256MB Corsair PC3500 Platinum XMS RAM in dual channel mode. The system will be tested under both
stock settings of 1.47Ghz and overclocked settings of 2.145 Ghz (10.5 x 195 FSB 1.7 VCORE) using
Normal mode. The comparison unit I will be using is the previously reviewed Thermalright SLK800 with a
Delta 80mm fan at 50% speed. SiSoft Sandra 2003's Burn-In Wizard along with the Folding@Home Client was
used to set the system under 100% load for 5 hour intervals on regular priority. A fresh evenly spread
layer of high performance Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound was used for each unit. Temperature
results for idle and load are recorded using an independant thermal probe and Motherboard Monitor
version 5.3.4.0 with a room temperature of 22°C. The results are as follows:
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Under stock conditions the Corsair HydroCool 200 managed to produce a respectable total load temperature
of 35 degrees. Overclocking with an increase of voltage to 1.7 Volts proved for a maximum temperature of
40 degrees under load conditions. Performance was slightly better than my premium air-cooling solution
with a 2-degree radius separating each. The difference in cooling from switching from Normal to Turbo
mode is not justifiable as temperatures dropped a single degree or none at all. Most users will opt to
keep the unit in Normal mode the majority of the time, which still is rather strident for a water cooling
solution. As previously mentioned, including an air filter would help reduce the overall noise and dust
intake. Replacing the quick release valves to allow for a true 3/8" ID based system would potentially
improve performance and allow for a greater compatibility with alternative water blocks.
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Conclusion:
The Corsair HydroCool 200 External Liquid Cooling System represents a slowly growing breed of liquid
cooling products that can be easily implemented without the associated knowledge or complicated installation.
The overall construction and design is very well executed along with a highly regarded thermal company
to back the components. Users will appreciate the several incorporated fail-safe features that the
Corsair HydroCool 200 brings such as the low fluid alarm, user definable temperature alarm levels and
auto shutdown. The quick connect fittings allow for the unit to be easily transported or moved with no
leaks. The oversized fill cap and aluminum reservoir promotes easy maintenance. Users will appreciate
the excellent included documentation which provides a straightforward installation process. There are
several aspects that would benefit the Corsair HydroCool 200. As previously mentioned, including an air
filter would help reduce the overall noise and dust intake. Replacing the quick release valves and 90
degree elbow fittings to allow for a true 3/8" ID based system would potentially improve performance
and allow for a greater compatibility of rival water blocks. While the temperature display is easily
viewable at a glance, most users would rather know their precise CPU temperature rather than that of
the water. Implementing a quieter fan or a greater level of fan control to allow the end user to manually
over ride the auto settings would also be beneficial. Aside from a few minor issues, I’m rating the
the Corsair HydroCool 200 External Liquid Cooling System an 8 out of 10
and would definitely recommend this product to users looking for a portable easy to install water cooling
solution. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the
Frogtuning website for more information or
discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Small size
- Portable
- Fail safe alarms
- Excellent documentation
- Great aesthetics
- Easy install and maintenance
- Quality construction
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Cons:
- Price
- 1/4" tubing on water block, 3/8" internal
- Noisy even on Normal mode, Turbo does little for performance
- Lack of air filters
- Temperature display lists water and not CPU temperatures
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