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Product:
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Kingwin AquaStar AS-3000 Liquid Cooling System |
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Price:
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$163 (CAN) / $135 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Kingwin
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Author:
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clsGrinder
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Date:
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August 9th, 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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Here we see the same resilient shine on the bottom of the GPU water block. Also above is a shot of the
CPU water block with the aluminum cover removed. It looks like a machined copper core braised between
two copper plates. This method of fabrication ensures longevity with no chance of leaking or wear. The
AquaStar manual does not imply that there is a specific inlet or outlet for each water block, so
choosing the coolant path within these water blocks is completely up to the consumer.
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Click image for larger view
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The 7mm ID (3/16 inch Internal Diameter) silicone tubes are customizable in length, and feature screw on
connectors for fastening. The connectors have a solid feel and do a remarkable job when assembling the
kit. A C-Clamp is used to fasten the screw on ends to the tubing, and tube length can be adapted with
the included C-Clamp removal/installation tool. These ends give the tubing a very clean and refined
look. The user’s manual illustrates this process very well. I was disappointed with the quality of the
C-Clamp removal/installation tool. Even with careful operation the tool isn’t sturdy enough to customize
the complete set of tubing. The tips of the tool are a poor match for the strength of the C-Clamp. I
would be pleased if Kingwin addressed this issue for future revisions.
Now that we are acquainted with the Kingwin AquaStar AS-3000, let’s install the system into our test
PC. Our test computer consists of the following components:
- AMD Athlon 2600+ XP Barton (heat dissipation 68 watts max)
- MSI KT3 Ultra Motherboard
- MSI ATI Radeon 9700Pro AGP (heat dissipation ~30 watts)
- 1 Gig PC-2700 OCZ RAM
- Enermax Noisetaker 485Watt PSU
- Chieftec SOHO mid-tower case
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The beauty of this product is that installation took no longer than one hour. The well documented manual
in combination with all the available CPU and GPU fasteners made setup a snap. The CPU water block
mounting bracket was especially nice. For P3/XP/Sempron users, the installation doesn’t even require
the use of a flat head screwdriver, you just press on with your thumb, and you’re ready to rock-and-roll.
Tool-less removal is also a bonus. Very nice, and hats off to Kingwin for such a good design.
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