Tech Link (Cooling): Cooler Master Aquagate Viva Liquid Cooling System Review

The folks at XbitLabs put the new Coolermaster* 2-in-1 watercooling solution to test and they came out with a, well, not-so-satisfactory conclusion. Check out why.

Conclusion
Trying to kill two birds with one stone, Cooler Master hit neither. The new cooling system has two good points: universality (it supports all the modern CPUs and GPUs) and low price. The rest are all drawbacks that outweigh the mentioned advantages by a large margin.

The failure of the Aquagate Viva comes from its design that implies that its heatsink and fans must be placed inside the PC case. Abandoning an expansion tank to make the system compact, the manufacturer endowed it with one more defect, a very small amount of coolant. The heatsink is small to achieve the compactness and, probably, to provide for several variants of installation and is also made of aluminum to reduce the cost. As a result, the two roaring 70mm fans can’t cool it efficiently and provide performance that would be at least acceptable for overclocking.

So, it’s good the Christmas holidays are already behind – no one is likely to present you the Aquagate Viva as a gift!

Source:Cooler Master Aquagate Viva Liquid Cooling System Review

Tech Link (Cooler): Thermaltake Bigwater 745 Liquid Cooling System Review

I am still a fan of Thermaltake* so I can't resist to read up on this review for their watercooling system. I hated the first ever Thermaltake* water cooler (Aquarius* series) since it's not good enough even back in the days of socket478. But Thermaltake* has improved thru the years and well, they are making more and more of these watercooling systems and components so I guess they are succesful here. In any case, checkout i4u's review. They used a pretty nice set up there. Expand for more...

Thermaltake Bigwater 745 Performance
If you are a hardcore overclocker, liquid cooling systems from the likes of Danger Den and other manufacturers will likely offer higher performance for your needs. However, for casual overlclockers and those looking to make their systems quieter the Thermaltake Bigwater 745 is an excellent option. The heat/sink fan combo I was using prior to the Bigwater was a high performance unit from Zalman called the Fatal1ty for the LGA775 Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU I use in my system.

At idle with default CPU settings on the Zalman fan my system ran 35C degrees with ambient room temps at about 80F(a bit under 27C). With the same ambient temps in the room the Thermaltake Bigwater 745 kept the Core 2 Extreme at 28C idle temp. That is a bit over one degree higher than room temp. Under full load with looping 3DMark06 runs going the Zalman fan kept the CPU at 48C. Bigwater kept the CPU at 41C under full load with the same 3DMark06 loop running. Note: All temps were taken with the Abit uGuru panel via the built in temp probes on the board.

Verdict
Good performing liquid cooling system with no glaring issued during install other than not having enough coolant included. The components are of good quality and the system will work with most current CPUs. The system components are large, be prepared for creative installation and possibly having to mod your chassis to fit the system inside the case. Hardcore overclockers may want to shop elsewhere, but the majority of liquid cooling users will find the system to be great for typical needs and much better than high performance air cooling. Great performance for cost sets the Bigwater 745 apart from its peers.

Source:Thermaltake Bigwater 745 Liquid Cooling System Review

Press Release: AquaCube - Revolutionary Compact Liquid Cooling Technology for PCs

A new cooler has just been released, the EBM-Papst AquaCube. It is a pre-filled self-contained water cooling system for all processor form factors. The unit consists of a water block, tubing, fluid reservoir, and heat exchanger with cooling 92 mm fan/hermetically sealed pump.

The AquaCube is the latest addition to ebm-papst's line of cooling components. It is an exciting option for OEMs of high performance computers and servers. Maintenance free, pre-filled, and ready to install, this unit is extremely adaptable for all applications.

ebm-papst's AquaCube consists of two modules: the liquid cooling cube and the heat absorber. The liquid cooling cube, containing the heat exchanger along with a new patented pump and fan, can be mounted several ways to accomodate a wide array of application needs. The heat absorber uses a highly conductive copper heat pickup and optimized fluid mechanics for maximum heat transfer. This cutting edge design makes the AquaCube extendable to integrate more heat absorbers, cool multiple CPUs, or to cool multiple components in one chassis.

ebm-papst integrated its advanced winglet fan technology to produce the quietest operation at high air performance, such that it eliminates the need for any other housing fan in most applications. Contact ebm-papst to learn more about the innovative AquaCube: 860.674.1515, sales@us.ebmpapst.com.

Source:AquaCube - Revolutionary Compact Liquid Cooling Technology for PCs

Tech Link (Cooler): Intel invents 5GHz stock cooler

Special thanks to dulber for reminding me to post this news item. It's a bit old, a few days off news posting, but still a very nice tidbits for the fanboys. I haven't heard or seen any other official announcements about this, but if I do see anything "public", then rest assured it'll be posted here.
_{Image owned byt Bit-Tech}

Intel has created a self-contained watercooling unit that will enable the latest Pentium Extreme Edition chips to hit 5GHz with ease.

The cooler has come out of Intel's engineering department, which is staffed with a bunch of enthusiasts who have been trying to push the envelope at Intel to try and get the firm to move away from its 'overclocking is bad, mmmkay' stance.

And oh, good news about this (aside from getting a kick-ass watercooler) is that it's relatively cheap ($50 less). On a sidenote, I think I saw THG posted something about this quite some time ago (a year or two maybe)...

Source:Bit-Tech

Tech Link (Coolers): Global Win Super Conductor or 180 Watt Cooler and Thermalright HR-01-775

It's a slow news day today, and I've been quite busy at work. Any way, I appreciate you all stopping by and seeing what FanBoy has to offer. So just to tide you over during this friday night, I'd post some nice new coolers that might be coming your way.
_{Images owned by the respective sites/OEMs}

Fresh from my InBox are two great coolers. I'd really love to get one for myself, any of the two will actually work for me. So get yourself busy and read 'em all up.

Global Win is a company that has quietly developed a loyal following myself included, with their various computer accessories, water cooling kits and heatsinks. Now they have increased their already large product line to include a new VGA water cooling kit, numerous power supplies, card readers, cases and of course one of the items that got them started and the one we are reviewing a heat sink. The heatsink we are looking at today is the first unit brought into the US so you're getting your first look at it right here. The unit goes by the name of the Global Win Model GP94NPHH Super Conductor or 180 Watt Cooler. As we look closer at it you will see that it is indeed a unique design and we will explore its performance with two different fans supplied to us by Global Win.

Source:Hi-TechReviews

The arrival of a new product at Thermalright is always interesting for those which seek the best cooler for their processor.
It missed, in the current range of the products Thermalright, a passive solution of cooling for CPU. Here are which is made with the HR-01-775!
One understands by liability, a radiator able to evacuate the heat of the processor without requiring the use of a ventilator. Attention, this type of configuration counts all the same on a flow of sufficient air inside your case. For example, a ventilator in frontage which brings fresh air and a second with the back which evacuates the hot air. It is inconceivable to install a passive radiator on your processor without to have thought of that.

Source:Overclex