New King Of Cool (watercooling)

[Flewis]

XSPC have released their new Edge acrylic waterblock and it looks like its the new waterblock of choice. Low pressure drops with excellent performance. In depth review here:

XSPC Edge Acrylic CPU Waterblock Preview

Starting to become available at the likes of WCUK and specialtech.

[Rosaline]

Thanks for the link
I found it rather neat that they did flow rate testing, I've not seen that done before despite how important it seems to be

[Flewis]

Martin (Of his liquid lab fame) seems to do a very good job analysing components in detail. Just wish he could analyse more components!

[Bugbait]

Nice, although admittedly I was more interested the inclusion of the Aqua Computers Double Impact. I think that's the only English "review" of that particular block on the Net. Aqua Computers gets canned a lot on the "enthusiast" water cooling forums but some do mention the Double Impact is their only decent product. Based on this test it's more than decent in my opinions and holds it's own against the best. Although, I have noticed the core differential as well. Two of my quad cores run about 3-4C hotter under Orthos load and about 1-2C on idle. Will investigate the orientation to see if that explains it.

[sjbuck]

Good review, nice to see a review that's all on one page with decent accurate measuring.
cheers

[Bugbait]

It has been toppled by the D-Tek Fuzion V2 CPU Waterblock Review. Seems to be a major supply issue just like the previous D-Tek though .

[Flewis]

Not surprised D-tek have replied with another great block. It is a little more resrictive though, might be a consideration when running a multi block system.

[Bugbait]

Not surprised D-tek have replied with another great block. It is a little more resrictive though, might be a consideration when running a multi block system.

True, but you could always go with a D5 or dual DDC Ultra's to rectify that . I have a single DDC Ultra powering a Cuplex Di, dual 120.2 radiators, an inline temperature sensor and a (gasp) restrictive flow meter but I still had to change my reservoir top becuase there was so much turbulance from the strong flow.

[Flewis]

What top were you using givng all the turbulence? Ive heard the EK res tops often have this problem as they are round. The XSPC ones seem better as they are square.

[Agent]

Thanks for the link
I found it rather neat that they did flow rate testing, I've not seen that done before despite how important it seems to be

Really?
When I was doing research for WC'ing gear last year, all the major guides on forums were saying it doesn't matter this much these days. In the same way that there is very little difference between 1/2" and 10mm tubing now.

I'm no expert on the subject and are only reiterating what I've read here though

I’m confused by all this talk of high flow and low flow! What’s the difference?

Now this is the most contentious issue in water-cooling and has been the cause of many a flame war on various forums but I will do my best to explain the differences in as open a manner as possible. High flow, (also known as large bore) is traditionally associated with American water-cooling companies and is typified by the use of ½” (internal) diameter tubing and powerful pumps.

Low flow (also known as small bore) is favoured by the European (mostly German) water-cooling companies and refers to their preference for 6-8mm (internal) diameter tubing and less powerful pumps.

So which is better? This is the contentious issue. To all intents and purposes they are the same. They both cool your components well and to within a few degrees of each other. High flow systems do have the performance edge but you have to match components carefully and make sure there are no restrictions, which will hamper performance. It is also unsuitable for multi-block systems where lots of components are being cooled. Low flow systems are more forgiving to the beginner and are extremely flexible allowing lots of components to be cooled within one loop.

Water Cooling FAQs - WizD Forums

To a certain extent there is now a convergence between the high and low flow philosophies with the general consensus that 3/8” or 10mm diameter tubing gives the optimal performance. The development of pumps designed specifically to meet the needs of water-cooling has also changed water block design and lessened the difference between the two.

A post by Cathar, a person who has been one of the main driving forces of PC water-cooling, discussing the merits of different diameter tubing can be found here.

[Bugbait]

What top were you using givng all the turbulence? Ive heard the EK res tops often have this problem as they are round. The XSPC ones seem better as they are square.

The Alphacool reservoir top with upper (still beats the lower one) inlet. The flow was so strong from the side it would slam against the other side and introduce bubbles. After 20-30 minutes the PC sounded like it had been invaded by frogs. I changed to the XSPC reservoir + top which has been the best £18 I've ever spent on my water cooling setup. Zero turbulence, high flow, and bleeds like a champion. Although the build quality of the Alphacool is far superior (the XSPC looks really cheap and flimsy) the XSPC kills it in performance.