The missing links

In the context of the ‘shockingly’ conflicting labels and manual, we picked up an aftermarket reservoir to help us bleed the system.  We selected the Criticool WaterPlant.  This 2 ½” wide unit sells for around $23 and is available in lengths of six and four inches.  Included with it are two brass plugs and three ½’ ID (inner diameter) nozzles.  We installed the Criticool unit by using a length of ½” ID tubing (included with unit) and a couple of small hose clamps (not included) to mate our ½” Asetek tubing with the WaterPlant.  A roll of plumbers tape is also included to ensure a leak free fit.   

A second item that should be included in any kit advertised as an all-in-one water cooling kit is a relay.  Small inline numbers are available as are relay cards.  My personal favorite is the Criticool Powerplant card.  What the relay does is; once your system has been detected as being powered up, it trips a relay switch so that the pump automatically is powered up simultaneously.  Whether you go with the small inline number or the card, you will have to cut the pump’s power cord and hard wire in the relay.

The third and last needed item not included with the Asetek KT03-L20 kit was a fan.  A 12cm fan will run you from $9 to $15.  So the price of the kit, to get it running at an absolute minimum, is actually the Asetek’s MSRP of $119 + whatever the cost of your fan is.  In my mind the kit’s final cost consisting of adding in what I see as minimum parts is really the Asetek’s MSRP of $119 + cost of reservoir + cost of relay + cost of a fan making the kit be in reality, about $180.

Putting it all together

Installation begins with the water block.  Unfortunately but not uncommonly, the motherboard needs to be removed so that the holes around the socket may be used as mounting points.  It goes without saying that if your motherboard does not have the holes on each corner of the socket you will not be able to use the WaterChill.  Four metal rods that are threaded inside each end are attached to the mainboard by screwing in a small screw and plastic washer on the opposite side of the board.  The water block is then installed by slipping these rods through the appropriate holes in the block.  Mounting is complete after a medium tension spring is slipped over each rod followed by a screw cap.  This cap keeps tension on the springs which hold the block firmly in place.

Radiator installation will differ from case to case.  Using a Lian Li PC-V1100, we mounted the radiator with attached fan on the rear 12cm exhaust vent.  In our test box, the radiator was too large to be mounted against the wall of the case.  We solved this problem by reversing the side of the radiator the fan was mounted to so the fan now draws air through the radiator instead of blowing it through.  This illustrates my point of earlier that you really need to give proper consideration to the appropriate size and placement of a radiator before purchase.

Filling the unit and powering everything up gave us a reasonably clean looking unit.  The green in the water is from an algae inhibitor and some HydrX UV dye I added in.  The reservoir we have below is the six inch version.  I’m wishing it was the four inch job as the only place I could place it was in the drive bay area at an angle.  The rightmost pic is of the water block.  The picture really does not do the see through acrylic top justice at all.  Watching the coolant flow through it was definitely noteworthy.

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