Thoughts on the Black Ice III Xtreme Radiator

[cheece2001]

Is this a good rad.

Black Ice III Xtreme Radiator


http://www.dangerden.com/mall2/more_1pics.asp?fmmore=247

is it better than the ThermoChill HE120.3


i am not sure what rad i should get with the new water cooling system that i am making.

[JohannM]

Hi, I dont know much about different watercooled setups but I just got a Black Ice Extreme2 and it cools my Xeon at 3.5 aswell as my FX5800 and 875 Chipset much better than I thought, CPU temp is below 30C on idle, even goes to 27 -28 at times and loads are under 40C and this is with 120mm 12v fans running at 6v that you can bearly hear.

All I say is the BIX2 Definately works well. One thing I can say is if you want to stay sane, dont buy a MCP 650 pump its damn noisy and I spent £40 on it ($75) and Im looking for a new pump cause I like silence.

[cheece2001]

is the pump really that loud, cause i am thinking of gettin that pump. I heard it was like the best or something. Do you know the sound intensity in db for the pump.

[lomend]

Get the AquaXtreme DC12-50Z (MCP600). I don't know what the MCP650 sounds like but I know this pump is quieter and performs just as well or even better in most situations since it dumps less heat into the system. Yup Yup!

[cheece2001]

What rad would you recommend out of the two?

[SavageBasher]

Bigger = better in this case. Get the one that holds 3 fans. Just have fun finding a place to mount it! :D

[cheece2001]

they both hold 3 fans. I first have to think of a way to fit it in my xaser3 case.

[thegreek]

I'd go with a thermochill becuase it does give you a 10mm shroud for it and it's better than nothing.

[Xiode]

Do you need a shroud for the Black Ice Xtreme III? I would LOVE to put x3 Senyo's on x2 of these babies. With my x2 Mag3's, I'd be ROCKIN'. :D

[Silmatharien]

You don't NEED a shroud for any radiator. They apparently only give you slightly lower temps. I'm not using one and I've got my AMD Athlon XP-M 2500+ (Barton) at 2.41 GHz and it idles at 30*C.

I'm using a Swiftech MCP650 - the noise isn't that bad. If it really bugs you that much, you could always undervolt it.

That uber rad you mentioned above, though, is supposed to be good. I mean, how could it not be when it supports 3 x 120 mm fans?

[Xiode]

Supposidly you're suppose to just mount the 120mm fans directly to the heater core, or so it says. I would make a shroud of my own, but it wouldn't be worth the work. :p

[thegreek]

You don't NEED a shroud for any radiator. They apparently only give you slightly lower temps.
Huh? Fans have a hub in the middle, this causes a dead spot. If a fan is to close to something like a radiator it causes a dead spot on the rad where it's not getting any air. If you lift the fan up about 1.5-2 inches the dead spot is eliminated. Thats what shroud are for and they are NEEDED if you care about performance.

[=ACID RAIN=]

You don't NEED a shroud for any radiator. They apparently only give you slightly lower temps. I'm not using one and I've got my AMD Athlon XP-M 2500+ (Barton) at 2.41 GHz and it idles at 30*C.
Also, your overclock is not close to extreme. Go extreme and you'll want every milimeter^3 moving as fast as possible through that rad :D

[cheece2001]

i think i will go with the thermachill, as i here it is better and comes with a shrowed i hear.

[Xiode]

i think i will go with the thermachill, as i here it is better and comes with a shrowed i hear.

Oh, they do? :clap:

[alinosa]

i've got the BIX3 and three sanyo denki's pulling air through in the top of my case. it's a tight fit but it works. got the fans running throught a nexus fan controller and it's pretty quiet. i just got it put back together and mbm says i'm idling at 21 to 24 celcius and load at 28 to 31... MUCH better than my BIX and maze 3. i idled at around 35 and at load i got to 45 and sometimes it even spiked to 48...!

check it out:

[n24tg]

how does one get good airflow with the psu being so close to the top (im wondering how you even fit it) and with the cd drives also being close. seems like it would sorta block the air. ive been wanting to fit a big radiator and never really got how to install it on the top.

[Xiode]

Wow, it sounds like that BIX 3 really does the job. I was actually considering getting one myself with x3 Sanyo Denki's, and this just further made me want to get it. :D That, with a WW and x2 Mag3's in an external configuration with my A64 should prove to have very nice temps. :p

By the way, do your fans push or pull the air, and how loud are those Denki's at full speed? I just want to get away from the whine my Tornado has running at full speed 24/7. It doesn't really bother me, but it would prefer something less irratating.

[sunrunner20]

The Sanyo's sold by Dock's hardware are no more, So people either need to find another supplier, or use their own. Just a forwarning.

[Xiode]

:cry: NOOOOOOO!!!!

Where can I find them now? :( I was a little late getting on the bandwagon.

[alinosa]

the sanyo's only leave about a half inch between the psu and fans the cd and dvd drive are in the bottom two slots with the dangerden HDPE res in the the 2nd from the top position. i need to flip my psu over so the intake fan on it helps move the air out of the way. the fans are pulling air through rad into the case. if i had it to do over again, i'd put both the fans and the radoutside the case, and have the same airflow. this will give better routing for the hoses and more room to work with. i might do that anyways, but not soon since i just spent FOREVER doing this one. it took me three weeks to get that ugly silver case looking like it does. the temps floored me when i saw them... i want to suspect them though, my luck can't be this good. when i max out the voltage to the sanyo's they don't make any noise that i can tell. the air WOOSHING through the case is pretty loud though. you can feel the air being pushed out the front of the case between the face plates. :attn: i have them at roughly 40% of what they can do (this according to how far the knob can move on the fan controller.) and i can barely hear them over the A/C. When i'm through prime testing i'll lower the voltage until i can keep the load temps at roughly 35 degrees and be quieter.

PS i have a 1/8th in. neoprene "gasket" all the way around the rad to help seal it for the suction from the fans.

[Silmatharien]

Huh? Fans have a hub in the middle, this causes a dead spot. If a fan is to close to something like a radiator it causes a dead spot on the rad where it's not getting any air. If you lift the fan up about 1.5-2 inches the dead spot is eliminated. Thats what shroud are for and they are NEEDED if you care about performance.

Maybe so but my temps are darn good as it is. I can't OC (or so it seems) my CPU any more right now anyways so it doesn't matter for me.

[sunrunner20]

There used to be a post on in someware in the cooling section. But, I can't find it now.

Oh, and Silmatharien: is that avatar from NeverWinter Nights?

[cheece2001]

some guy told me that there is a rad thats smaller and outperforms both the BIX3 and the thermalchil 120.3

He said its this bonnevill rad or something.
I htink he is talkthink about this:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=45687
the rad on that forum.

[felinusz]

Supposidly you're suppose to just mount the 120mm fans directly to the heater core, or so it says. I would make a shroud of my own, but it wouldn't be worth the work.

A company called "Coolingworks" makes shrouds specifically for the BIX, BIX2, and BIX3 radiators. They are quite high quality, and well designed for eliminating your fan's dead-spot.

CLICK HERE (http://www.aquastealth.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=108) - I know that there are also other vendors, these also come in black, and orange. For a BIX3, you would need 3, or 6 of them, depending on how many fans you intend to use.

BIX radiators get the job done, and are great if you don't have the space for a larger heatercore with more surface area. I use two BIX radiators in series in my processor watercooling loop; they seem to be doing their job quite well, and I am very happy with them. I bought them used - if you look around you can usually find one for sale in a forums with a classifieds.

However, if space isn't an issue, you are really better off with a less expensive Caprice Heatercore, that will end up giving you very similar performance. A Caprice, or a couple of Chevette cores, will not only equal the performance of a BIX3 most of the time, they will cost you a whole lot less money. A Caprice with several blowers on it is a much more effective, and less expensive solution than a BIX3; it's also a tad smaller.

My only real gripe with the BIX radiators is that they are horribly overpriced. Try to find one used, don't waste your money buying a brand new one for $100+.


Oh, and Silmatharien: is that avatar from NeverWinter Nights?

Shame on you, it's Edwin the Red Wizard from Baldur' Gate/Baldur's Gate II, two of the greatest games of all time ;)

[cheece2001]

is this a good cheap rad:

http://www.dangerdenstore.com/product.php?productid=48&cat=14&page=1

....what are some good fans to go with rad?

[alinosa]

i've heard that the heatercores are the way to go, but i like the clean look of the BIX series radiators. they ARE overpriced, but i had the cash to spend when i got mine. i also got 10% off the list price because of the sale before christmas that dangerden had. :clap:

[cheece2001]

...why did u cose the BIX3 over the thermalchill.

[alinosa]

i read that there was minimal difference in performance and i had a BIX to take measurements from so i could start cutting on my case click (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=354976) besides i had one and it worked for me, so why try and fix it if it ain't broke. AND for once i had the cash to do it, so i did.

[Xiode]

...why did u cose the BIX3 over the thermalchill.

They both cost the same... question is, which one is better? They both look very nice and professional, but which is the better preformer, and can anyone actually verify this with data/benchies?

[alinosa]

forgot to add that i got 10% off the BIX3 at dangerden.

[JohannM]

My BIX2 is mounted on top of my Xaser3 Lanfire on a Swiftech Radbox, meaning it doesnt suck the warm air throught the rad that comes from inside the case but rather the cool outside air, worrks like a charm and Im sure makes at least a few degress difference since the outside air is much cooler than the inside air

[cheece2001]

so..you only drilled holes for the tubes to go in your case. So your rad is basically on some standoffs. Do you have any pics so i can see. I have a xaser 3 case as well so i was thinking it would be similar.

[thegreek]

They both cost the same... question is, which one is better? They both look very nice and professional, but which is the better preformer, and can anyone actually verify this with data/benchies?
Why is this still an issue. The thermochill is BETTER becuase it has a shroud and the BIX has NONE.

[ctrl_alt_del_]

Hey just wanted to let you know that I got my BIX2 at directron.com for $89

a few bucks off but every little bit counts!!

[cheece2001]

i was actually thinking of gettin the thermalchill cause it comes with a shrowed..i am pretty sure.
So these 2 rads are better than the bonyvil heater cores...right? like the rad that holdes 2 120 mm fans

[Perseus]

is the pump really that loud, cause i am thinking of gettin that pump. I heard it was like the best or something. Do you know the sound intensity in db for the pump.

It isn't that bad, but it's annoying. Imagine an electric razor on low. :bang head I don't know if it's the best, especially with the DDC out, but it's a fine pump in every measuable way. You can find the db rating and dangerden.

[cheece2001]

I made my final desiction to go with weapons rad. The '77 bonnelvill rad. Can any1 suggest me a way to put this on top of my case for mx performace. How much should i cut out? Does any1 have their rad ontop of there case?

[alinosa]

mount on top of metal fit a shroud and as many fans as you can fit/stand. take some measurements and make the call. GL