Included in the kit we were sent, is an all-aluminum
water reservoir, 90GPH in-line pump, aluminum water block, 6 feet of clear
3/8th inch PVC hose, a 2.5"x9"x.75" in-line radiator w/2-60mm fans and magnets
to mount it inside your case, and a one page instruction manual. Also included
was their optional peltier kit, including 72w peltier, aluminum cold plate, and
pre-cut block of closed cell foam. Several things I like about the
above components.
The aluminum tank for one, as many kits you see use
"Tupperware" which instills little confidence here. The in-line pump does as
well. Many kits in the past used submersible garden-pond type pumps, which
aren't as efficient, and heat up the water unnecessarily.
The waterblock is also all aluminum. Some may see this
as inferior to copper, but check out some of the water cooling reviews on the
net. Dealing with a much superior heat transfer mechanism here (water) makes the
seeming advantages of copper in air-cooling, nonexistent in this application.
Comparing the thermal properties of copper and aluminum isn't a straightforward
affair. Without going into a long drawn out explanation, copper baseplates on
aluminum heatsinks help to maximize the efficiency of the aluminum components
capability to transfer heat. It has to do with thermal inertia. In high
performance liquid cooling applications that I do have some experience with
(automotive) aluminum is much preferred over copper. Nuff said. Email me if you
want to continue the rant. Besides, aluminum is MUCH cheaper than copper, and in
this application it's just not worth the trouble.
The radiator, although being rather tall and skinny, is
actually similar in fin area to some of the bulkier looking square ones I've
seen with other kits. This one is more convenient to mount. The included magnets
allow you to stick it wherever it's easiest to do so (in my case, just in front
of the 2-80mm outlets in the rear of the test case).
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