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Product:
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Corsair COOL Water Cooling Kit |
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Price:
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$234 (CAN) / $193 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Corsair
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Author:
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clsGrinder
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Date:
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August 4th, 2005
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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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I’m not a big fan of sticking things inside my case, so I opted for the screw option when securing the pump to my case.
The neoprene pad did prove useful however, as it does a nice job of dampening the vibration of the pump. By simply
neglecting to peel back and expose the adhesive film on either side of the neoprene, I had a nice sound gasket between
the pump and my case when mounting with screws
Testing:
With the system filled and leak tested, I moved on to the thermal testing portion of the review. Results of the Corsair
COOL Water Cooling Kit are pitted against the stock cooling solution of an AMD 3200+XP Barton. Note that the bundled
thermal paste supplied by the Corsair COOL Water Cooling Kit was used for both the stock cooler, and the Corsair COOL
water block. Also note that a copper shim was used in both the stock HSF and Corsair COOL water block tests.
- Idle Temps: The system was powered on from a cold state and ran for 2 hours on idle.
- Load Temps: The system was run for a minimum of 3 hours, using Folding @ Home to load the processor.
- Heat Dissipation: The 3200+ Barton is rated at 70~77 watts maximum heat dissipation.
- Measurement: Motherboard Monitor 5 (MBM5) was used to observe the CPU temperature.
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Click image for larger view
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The cooling performance of this water cooling kit is downright staggering. The testing results recorded 15 degrees cooler than
stock under load. With this much headroom, I decided to take this system one step further. The 120mm fan is a bit noisy for my
taste. While installed internally this would probably be a non-issue, but because it’s outside the case there is little in the
way to muffle it’s 60 CFM of air pushing glory so I unplugged it. While continuing to Fold @ Home, I kept a watchful eye on my
CPU temperatures. Over the course of an hour it rose to 45 degrees Celsius. After another three hours of full load it didn’t
budge. Convection cooling through the radiator beat the stock cooler by 5 degrees which is very impressive.
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Conclusion:
The Corsair COOL Water Cooling Kit can be summed up as an exceptional product. While the kit includes an assortment of high
quality components, it’s modular design yields tons of flexibility dear to the hearts of modders and enthusiasts alike.
Case in point, the RadBox can be virtually installed anywhere with the confidence that it will hold solid and true to any
surface where holes exist. I found the water pump’s flow and acoustical performance to be spectacular, and the bundled
socket clips make this kit applicable across all major CPU platforms. Truly the most striking aspect of this product was
the ability for it to handily cool the test PC under full load without the aid of the 120mm cooling fan. Speaking of fans,
my only suggestion for this kit would be the inclusion of a different fan for this caliber of water cooling kit. It
seemed a bit noisy for the amount of air it was pushing. A 120mm solution from Panaflow or SilenX would compliment this
system extremely well. Again, given the modular nature of this kit, the user is given the freedom to choose his/her
own fan, and install it with ease. Given my experiences with this kit, and the performance characteristics of this fine product,
I am awarding the Corsair COOL Water Cooling Kit a final score of 9.5 out of 10.
and MTB's Seal of Approval. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Corsair
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- High flow water pump with good acoustics
- 3/8” ID vinyl tubing
- Extremely efficient radiator
- Well designed 5.25” reservoir
- Intuitive installation
- Excellent documentation
- Competent water block
- Install anywhere “RadBox” system
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Cons:
- Expected better acoustics from bundled fan
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