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Asetek WaterChill KT03A-L30


Date
: 02/26/05 – 11:57:51 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cooling

Page 1 : Introduction

The world of computer enthusiasts can be divided into two large groups: those who use their computer on a regular base without more and those that want the best, the fastest, the sweetest and the coolest setup. If you feel you are part of the second group, the name Asetek needs no introduction to you. In case you're part of the first group, but have a deep interest in becoming a member of the second one, let me introduce Asetek by quoting their proper mission statement:

"We will develop and provide for the global computer market the best and most effective cooling technologies. And we will continuously improve our technologies to reach this goal."

Asetek is based in Denmark, Europe and is better known as the company behind the VapoChill, one of the best CPU coolers in the world at cooling your processor at subzero temperatures. Since having the best cooling out there also comes with a pricetag that is not affordable for everyone, Asetek has designed an alternative to their famous VapoChill system called the WaterChill. Instead of using phasecooling to bring down the temperatures of your overclocked beast, the WaterChill, as the name implies, uses one of nature's strongest elements: water. Although its cooling power won't come near that of the phasecooling setup, water is still a very effective way to remove heat from a component, in this case a heat-emitting overclocked processor.

Asetek provided Overclockers Online with a WaterChill CPU Power Kit KT03A-L30 setup, which is the most powerful counterpart of the entire WaterChill series. Today, we'll take a good look at the entire kit, the process of installing it into our rig and of course, the performance of the entire configuration. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Page 2 : Packaging & Manuals

Sometimes, manufacturers tend to overlook the importance of packaging their product which most of the time means the end-user ends up with parts missing from their kit, or even worse, stuff arriving broken. Asetek can be excluded from those manufacturers because our WaterChill KT03A-L30 arrived in a firm box, all in one piece.

Upon opening the box, the first thing I found surrounding all the components, was think foam to create a soft wall of protection. This ensures that your parts stay in topnotch shape and won't be leaking water or malfunctioning when fired up. Once the top layer of foam is removed from the box, the content is displayed in a tight but organized way, in which each component has its place: it all fits together like a giant puzzle.

After spending like fifteen minutes unpacking everything (each component is again packed with plastic so it stays in perfect condition) I made it through the entire content of the WaterChill kit and I was ready to read through the manuals.

Not reading or the lack of a good manual is often the main reason why people end up killing valuable hardware. When you are about to introduce water inside your computer, which is worth several hundreds of dollars (or euro's depending on who's reading), you most certainly do not want to go the "let's give it a try and see what happens" way. Instead, you want to walk the "I've read the manual and installed everything the way the engineers who designed it want me to hook it up" path and make sure everything is well. I'm sure there's no need for me to explain what would happen when water hits your computer's guts while being up and running …

As I said in the previous paragraph, some manufacturers include a single sheet of paper with some quickly drawn pictures on it, and if you're lucky the instructions are written in a language you can actually read. Asetek on the other hand, is no such company and includes several manuals (yes that's right, I wrote manuals as in the plural form of manual) explaining every step of the way. There's a manual for each component of the kit giving you all the information you can possible ask for. All the manuals are very detailed and come with lots of pictures and drawings to show you how to hook it all up the right way. Also note that Asetek provides all their manuals online as well, in case you lose yours or the dog gets a hold of it ;-).

Page 3 : In The Box

We've covered the package of the kit, we've discussed the manuals that go with the kit so that leaves us to actually talking about the WaterChill components that can be found in the box:

- WaterChill CPU Cooler Antarctica supporting Intel P4 S478, AMD Socket A, AMD S754/S940/S393
- Black Ice Pro TRIPLE Radiator with push on fittings
- 3 X 120 mm Low Noise Adda Fans with push on fittings
- 1200 l/hr Hydor Pump with push on fittings
- WaterChill Control Unit with SafeStartTM, NoiseControlTM and LED connection
- WaterChill Plexiglas Reservoir
- WaterChill Tube Set (2,5 mtr.)
- All fittings and mounting accessories are included
- WaterChill Anti Alga Fluid – WaterWetter [10mm bottle]
- Heat Conduction Compound – 2 ml tube
- Installation Manuals
- Harddrive Cooler

Asetek offers several combinations of the WaterChill (and also allows you to buy components separately if you want to) with different radiators (1x120mm, 2x120mm, 3x120mm), add-on's like a chipset cooler, VGA-cooler or even harddrive cooler like included in our test kit.

Basically, the main parts of a watercooler setup are the CPU cooler which removes the heat from the CPU, the radiator that cools the water down after it has removed the heat from the CPU, a reservoir that hold a certain amount of water (not all manufacturers use reservoirs, a kit without one is also called an inline kit, IMHO they are harder to fill and maintain afterwards so I prefer kits with a water reservoir) and last but certainly not least, the pump which is what the heart is to the human body – the engine of the entire concept. The pump pushes the water through the tubes, which is vital for a working watercooler.

Having covered the basics of a watercooling setup, let's take a more in depth look at our WaterChill parts:

CPU Cooler Antarctica

Asetek's Antarctica waterblock is one of the best looking and performing waterblocks currently available and therefore it's also Asetek's top of the bill waterblock. Make no mistake, this baby is really targeted towards the hardcore overclockers out there who only want the best for their "precious". Here's what Asetek says about the Antarctica:

"The CPU Cooler Antarctica block is the ultimate block for high performance and overclocking. Based on pure Copper and equipped with STREAM CHANNELS which facilitates a very fast distribution of heat from the inlet point this is the ultimate tool for the extreme enthusiast. The intense flow speed (little internal friction) and a great heat spreading gives the WaterChill CPU cooler Antarctica Maximum cooling capacity. The WaterChill CPU cooling Antarctica block offers the best cooling performance on the market. No more no less."

Specifications:

- Reduction of CPU core temperatures at max load by 40-70%.
- Significantly improved CPU stability.
- Broadest application versatility on the market.
- Two water outlets for more aggressive water flow.
- Extreme overclocking potential.
- 10 times more effective than air cooling.
- Can be fully integrated with both WaterChill and other third party water cooling solutions
- TOP Performance (on par or better than the competition) and capable of removing at least 200W of CPU-heat.
- NEW Push on fittings for tool-less and easy assembly of tubes on the CPU block.
- SUPPORTS INTEL S478, AMD SOCKET A (S462), AMD ATHLON FX (S939/S940) & AMD ATHLON64 (S754).
- Easy mount of the block on motherboard with finger screws.
- A machined finish that ensures a high and uniform quality and perfect CPU contact.
- An extremely good plainness and surface smoothness.
- Pure copper base plate – providing best possible heat removal ratio.
- Optimized fittings (/tubes) for maximum flow.
- ALL fittings and mounting accessories included in standard package.

Just like all other WaterChill components, the Antarctica uses an easy to use push on fitting system that allows you to connect the hoses to the components without the need for clamps, tools or any other way to tighten the hose on the fittings. Instead, you just push the tube firmly into the fitting and you're good. To remove them afterwards, hold down the fitting with one hand while pulling the tube with the other and it will come right off.

The bottom of the Antarctica block is made entirely out of copper, ensuring an optimal heat transfer from the die of your processor to the water inside the block. The top part of the waterblock is made out of Plexiglas, giving it a kickass look and opening up gates for case modders. Imagine what it would look like with some UV reactive fluid added to the water and some UV lights in your case!
Another feature that I noticed on the Antarctica, is the dual-outlet which allows the hot water to be removed away from the CPU as fast as possible, enhancing the cooling experience even further. Also note that the block is mounted onto the CPU with fingerscrews – no more screwdrivers sliding of the bolt and hitting the motherboard with an unpleasing bump.

The Antarctica will also fit all the current CPU's (so it will be easy to transplant your cooling setup from one PC to another. In case a new CPU arises in the future on which this block won't fit, you can buy a new top cover for the block and your good.

Harddrive Cooler

Apart from the CPU block, Asetek provided us with their latest cooling innovation: the WaterChill HDD Cooler. Bolted onto your harddisk, this baby makes sure your data is safe and at a cool temperature, even when the going gets though!

Specifications

- Reduction of HDD temperatures up to 42 % (20 – 30 degrees Celsius).
- Improved system stability.
- Reduction of read errors.
- Extended hard drive life.
- Minimizes the possibilities of damaged data.
- Can be fully integrated with both WaterChill and other third party water cooling solutions.
- Maximum stability.
- Push on fittings for tool-less and easy assembly of tubes on the HDD Cooler.
- Support for all internal hard drives.
- Easy mount of the Hard Drive Cooler on the hard disk.
- A machined finish that ensures a high and unique quality and perfect hard disk contact.
- An extremely good plainness and surface smoothness.
- Pure copper base plate – providing best possible heat removal ratio.
- Fittings (/tubes) for maximum flow.
- ALL fittings and mounting accessories included in standard package.

Not much need to be added to the above spec list: a cool harddrive will stay troublefree for a longer time compared to a hot running one. All 3.5" harddrives will fit this waterblock, which is crafted with the same level of quality as the Antarctica CPU block, top notch.

Page 4 : In The Box Cont’d

Radiator Black Ice Extreme

As mentioned before, Asetek provided us with their most powerful WaterChill kit, and that means it had to come with some big, bad cooling monster: may I introduce you to the Black Ice Extreme, which can hold not one, not two but three 120mm fans!

Specifications

- Copper tubing for maximum heat exchange ratio.
- Optimal price/performance ratio.
- Optimal heat removal.
- Extreme low noise construction.
- Available in Black.
- Ultimate Overclocking potential.
- 2-pass Double-row Low Pressure Drop.
- Radiator specifically developed for PC watercooling based on the new high-performance Black Ice Xtreme design.
- Triple the performance at the compact Black Ice Prime form factor: rated for 1732.5 KCal per hour (6875 BTU per hour).
- 360 mm (9.44 inch) Copper core consisting of flat tubes for maximum heat conductivity.
- High-density louvered copper fin configuration for enhanced heat dissipation.
- Built-in plenum chamber for increased performance and noise reduction.
- Self-tapping and case mounting holes for easy installation of 3 120mm fans.
- Now 12.5 mm (1/2 inch) pre-angled inlet/outlet barbed hose connectors.
- Optimal 397 x 133 x 25mm (15.63 x 5.25 x 1 inch) dimensions allows it to fit inside most mid-tower cases.
- Designed to meet the performance demands of hardcore PC watercooling enthusiasts.

The Black Ice Extreme is designed with one purpose only: offer the best possible cooling. Because of that, it features everything a good radiator needs and more. Again we find the push on fittings we've been getting used to with Asetek, offering an easy way of installation. The only problem I see with a radiator this size is where to put it. If you want to install this on the inside of your case, be prepared to have big case!! Our sample came with three 120mm Adda fans which are known to perform very quietly. They spin at 2050RPM while providing 80.5CFM each. Go with the flow is not just a manner of speaking in this case ;-). If wanted, you can of course fit high speed Sunon fans to improve performance even more, but note that those will add a good amount of noise as well.

Water Reservoir

Not much can be said about the reservoir: it holds your water and provides an easy way to bleed your system – remove the air from it. Again we find the push on fittings and a well designed concept made from Plexiglas and plastic.

Specifications

- Precision designed plexiglas reservoir -easy to fill and monitor.
- 30 second filling & air removal process.
- Easy Push on fittings for tube and pump integration.
- Tool less assembly and mounting.

Hydor L30 Waterpump

Asetek sells two different pumps: the L20 which pushes around 700 liters / hour and the L30 which pushes around 1200 liters / hour. Since our kit is aimed towards hardcore overclockers, we got the L30 pump, which performed very good and also very silent. The pump can either be screwed to the case or be installed using the included suction plugs.

Specifications

- Powerful enough to utilize the water block to its extreme potential – 1200l/hr.
- No soldering, cutting of wires or 115/230VAC work for the end-user.
- Original pump fittings [Tube size 12mm internal diameter]
- Low noise.
- Long endurance.
- Low power consumption.

Control Unit

All of the above makes a high performance watercooling kit, but what lacks is a smart way to power the entire rig without the need to use converters, cut wires, … Asetek was aware of this need and designed the WaterChill Control Unit featuring NoiseControl & SafeStart technology. The unit allows you to either run the fans at 7V for a low noise system or at 12V for a high performance setup. Thanks to the SafeStart technology, the entire watercooling configuration powers up and stops along with the rest of the computer. Note that you can hook up a LED to it which can be placed anywhere you want to improve the looks of your box

Specifications

- SafeStart – Electronically controlled device, which ensures simultaneous, shut down/start up along with the PC system.
- NoiseControl.
- LED connection – to upgrade your Power PC system or cooler blocks with impressive light effects.
- Hermaphrodite power connector to connect directly into the PSU (no cutting of 220V/115V wires).
- PCI shield allowing a tidy and organized wiring of your water cooling solution.

Page 5 : Installation

The most important thing to do when setting up a watercooling setup is to take your time and think before you do. Once you have thought everything through, make sure its good and then start all over again just to be sure. Once you start cutting the tubes and you end up with several inches short of tubing, you'll be sorry not to designed it better. Like Hannibal Smith used to say: "I love it when a plan comes together" … but you do need a plan first!

First thing I did was mount the CPU block onto the processor. In order to make that happen, I needed to remove the motherboard from the case because Asetek requires you to install the block with easy to use fingerscrews, but you need something to screw into so hence the removal of the motherboard – you need to put the nuts on at the backside. Once the block is firmly bolted down, the hardest part is completed. Also, don't forget to add a fine layer of the included thermal paste to ensure a perfect heat transfer between the processor and the block.

Next thing I did was remove my Raptor harddrive which spins at a whopping 10,000RPM so I could mount the harddrive block onto it. It took about 5 minutes and I had it installed, easy enough!

Page 6 : Installation Cont’d

Since I will be using the Sunbeamtech Samurai case for this project, I decided to install the radiator, the pump and the reservoir on the outside of the case. The pump was installed on top of the case with the included suction plugs, keeping it firmly in place. After that I hooked up the reservoir to the pump and all was done. The Black Ice Extreme radiator will be standing next to the case, leaning onto the wall. Note that I hid the control unit in an empty 5.25" bay on the inside of the case. The powerplug that provides the control unit with juice is guide to the outside through an included PCI backpanel to keep everything nice and clean.

As soon as I had everything in place, I got the tubing, measured everything twice and cut the tubing at the needed length. Pushing it into the push on fittings was easy and in less then fifteen minutes the system was completely ready to be filled with distilled water. I topped of the reservoir and let the pump push water for a few seconds. Then I added water to the reservoir again and kept going until the waterlevel stayed stable and the system was filled with water. As soon as the system was filled, I emptied the included bottle of waterwetter which improves the cooling and also makes sure that no nasty things start to grow in your watercooling setup.

Now it was time to bleed the system – to remove all the air that's trapped in the system. Air bubbles diminish the cooling performance and the waterflow so it's important to get rid of them. Thanks to the reservoir, air bubbles are removed automatically, the only thing you need to do is let the watercooler run for like half an hour and you're set. I let the system run for another straight 24 hours to make sure there were no leaks before I powered up the computer, but all was safe – the WaterChill was ready for its mission.

Page 7 : Testing & Overclocking

The WaterChill was installed on my brand new AMD workstation, a computer setup that I use on a daily basis and which I require to be rockstable while being overclocked to the max.

System Setup

- Asus K8N-E Motherboard
- AMD Athlon64 3200+ Socket 754
- 2 x TwinMOS 512MB PC3200 SpeedPremium DDR RAM
- ATI Radeon 9600 PRO Video Card
- Western Digital Raptor 36GB / 8MB Cache / 10.000RPM Hard Drive
- Asus 16x DVD-ROM
- Sunbeamtech Samurai Case

The system hummed around 42 degrees Celsius under load and around 37 degrees Celsius at idle, pretty good readings indeed!

The system was able to be clocked at 2400MHz stable with the default AMD heatsink. With the WaterChill I was able to clock it at 2600MHz while being 100% stable at anything I threw at it. Any attempt to run the system at higher speeds failed, but this was not related to the cooling factor. My guess is that the limiting factor in this adventure is the motherboard, that only goes up to 1.75V vcore voltage. With more voltage to the CPU, I'm sure higher speeds are achievable. All in all, I was able to overclock the system another 200MHz thanks to the WaterChill, which is an achievement to be proud of. All of this while being almost completely silent! Way to go Asetek.

Page 8 : Conclusion

Asetek has managed to deliver a high quality product with their WaterChill and succeeded at filling a gap between aircooling and their top of the line VapoChill cooling solution. The WaterChill kit comes with everything you could possibly ask for in a watercooling setup and goes paired with several well-written manuals which will make the installation a breeze. Whether you are looking at watercooling because you want a quite system or because you just want more performance, both ways the WaterChill will fulfill all your demands without any doubt. The harddrive waterblock is a nice add-on which I most certainly recommend if you want to stretch the health of your hard drive(s). Also note that the WaterChill is completely customizable to your needs, so if you do not need the large radiator you can always opt for one of its smaller brothers. Same goes for the pump.

After my experience with the Asetek WaterChill, I am confident to award it with the Overclockers Online POWER Award, making it a power product for power users! Definitely recommended!

Pro's

- Quality
- Performance
- Very Complete
- Manuals

Contra's

- No fan grills for the radiator fans