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Gurus only: Are Koolance systems any good?

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D

Daemach

New Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2006
*duck*

I've read the faqs and stickies, and I'm comfortable with the concepts and such. I am, however, looking for a really clean integrated solution. I did a couple large jobs in the past couple of months and I decided I want to build a serious rig so I can use it as a write-off for tax purposes.

I'm looking at Koolance fully integrated systems now, as the radiators, pumps and controls seem to be nicely laid out in good quality cases. I don't have as much time as I would like to fully mod a case from scratch, unless that is the only way to get good results.

This is the one that looks best for my situation at the moment, though I'm a little concerned that it is a single-pump setup: http://www.koolance.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=28_43&products_id=330

I'm planning on the following gear:

Quad-core QX6700
ASUS Striker Extreme 680i
2 BFG/DangerDen water cooled G8800GTX in SLI
2GB Corsair RAM (any opinions?)
5 250GB Barracuda 3gb SATA in RAID5

I'm hoping to OC to at least 3.5GHz - higher if possible.

Thanks in advance to the experts out there...
 
From what I've seen if you want to get some serious watercooling results you are better off doing a DIY setup. The Koolance choices are nice but very pricey and you can often cool just as well with a high end air cooler.
 
thats quite a lot of gear. it might be able to pull it off, but to cool an overclocked quad and sli g80's... even a triple rad might have some problems (if your running a quiet system)


but yea, DIY is cheaper, and probably will perform just as well.
 
If you're just gonna use it for a tax write-off, go for it!

However I'd like to not that while it's nice that it comes in a handy case, you could save a bit of money by just putting together your own kit, since you will have to put together the CPU and GPU blocks and run the tubing yourself anyhow. I don't see why you couldn't get a large case like a Lian Li and put a couple double 120mm radiators in there yourself.
 
$499 is a lot of dough to throw at a mediocre system (at best). You won't get the results you want out of the koolance, trust me. Not even close. If this is something you dont want to attempt yourself, there are shops out there that will custom make you a system in a case you want. I would highly recommend www.petrastechshop.com - call them and speak to Alex. You will likely spend a bit more money, but what you will get will be top of the line. If you do get the koolance, in 2 months time you will want to throw it out the window as it just won't keep up with what you listed you wanted to cool.
 
OK so I'm getting the picture.

I really like the looks of the coolermaster case rig mentioned, but it looks like there would be some substantial work involved in mounting a radiator/fan assembly cleanly. I don't want to mount it to the back of the case because of the location in which the machine will reside. Top mount should be a better option for heat egress.

BTW, these are the video cards I'm looking at: http://www.bfgtech.com/8800GTX_768_PCIe_wc.html (because of the free T-shirt obviously...)

The most important thing to me is reliability/speed, though integration and class are right near the top as well. I do 3DS Max work (yeah DirectX isn't the best option here, so go for overkill...) in addition to a serious gaming itch so I want to build something that will last a few years.
 
For such an uber system I have to say that a Koolance setup won't keep you happy, as others have said you're better off getting the Swiftech kit and maximizing your cooling potential. You can pull off a dual radiator in a Stacker or a Thermaltake Armor by mounting it in the front of the case. No cutting required, but for a project of this magnitude I'd get a Silverstone TJ07 with a triple fan radiator and stick it at the bottom of the case.
 
I may not be a guru, but I do have a Koolance Exos-2 in which all-in-all is the same thing. I'm happy with it but I'm positive as it isn't as good as a DIY. I have a friend who has pretty much the same specs but different mobo and different WC setup. His cools (not by much but about 2C - 4C in the same room but to an OC'er that could be a lot). With 2 g80s alone I would say that a lot for a Koolance to handle.And its also limited to 3/8" tubing (you can try to push to 1/2" but that would require 3/8s to 1/2 connectors. cheap but whats the point?).

Cost-wise its more better to go DIY also. I calculated with a full system (not inclluding DD blocks for g80s, NB block and a case) about 210 w/ shipping for an more-than-above average DIY kit. As Nik said a lot of money for a MEDIOCORE system.

I plan on getting a g80 (just one :-/ ) but I'm still sure that my exos could cool that let alone a Storm block (what I'm cooling my CPU). But as you delv deeper into watercooling and if you are like me, you'll see that it just isn't as good as you want it. I thought it would be what i wanted but I was wrong....
 
Last edited:
Not Guru But experienced in your question.. I was a Koolance owner for 2+ years, loved it.. Didn't really perform much if any better than some of my friends with high end air.. but it looked cool :bday:

I made a post last week asking for advice on some parts.. http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=482102 and if you take the time to read that, I was made aware of the downfalls and everything else your being told now.. I took nikhsub1's advice and dove in and gave it a try.. I put pictures in the end of that thread too.. I'm VERY VERY PLEASED with what I ended up with, it was easy and cost half what I would have paid on the newer PC4 series of Koolance cases (trust me I love to do excel charts :) ) That was assuming finished product, case and all water blocks.

Check out www.petrastechshop.com like nikhsub1 said. I even called Alex too, very helpful..

My only problem now is the sub par HW i'm trying to overclock now :) my new rig dumps whatever amount of head I throw at it now.. I can even kill the fans let the temp climb up and turn them back on and it will bring the temps back down, that was what impressed me.. My koolance case would have just gave up.
 
cop.gif

NO!

the long answer? :

EVERY KOOLANCE PRODUCT I HAVE OWNED has leaked

yep.
very expensive, very dangerous, and very poor design.

performance? so-so. acceptable.

speaking specifically about the hydra-pak material, it seems to break at the seams. it does NOT handle a negative pressure series system. it does NOT have large enough plumbing. it will eventually wear out and seep or explode (i had both...)
its allso easier to pee up a rope than to bleed the air out.

Koolance has some great ideas, but when they turn them into products, its just a bad thing.
*i dont claim to be a guru- but its not my first rodeo.
EDIT: look into Phase.
 
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I tend to agree. The probability of a mass produced kit to either
  • be designed not for performance but for looks
  • have quality issues
  • be a pain to fit
  • and most importantly: LEAK
are very high. Not to mention, a well planed, well researched and well built custom watercooling rig will bring a much higher level of satisfaction along with a much longer period before something must be changed. However, there are two main things no matter what choice you make
  • avoid aluminum at all costs
  • chose a proven effective long term biocide to use in the water, growth is the most common problem.
 
used to have one (a PC-2), and although they'll never perform close to a selfbuild system they aren't halfbad. had no problems wiht leaks, just a dying pump. but at the time the big chieftech case was roomy, the system worked but was let down by the noise the 80 mm fans produced, esspecially compared to what i have now :)

anyways, why not have a look at a modified Stacker case from Alphacool
http://www.alphacool.de/product_inf...or/alphacool-ready2go-stacker-silver-un:.html
 
Rolls said:
used to have one (a PC-2), and although they'll never perform close to a selfbuild system they aren't halfbad. had no problems wiht leaks, just a dying pump. but at the time the big chieftech case was roomy, the system worked but was let down by the noise the 80 mm fans produced, esspecially compared to what i have now :)

anyways, why not have a look at a modified Stacker case from Alphacool
http://www.alphacool.de/product_inf...or/alphacool-ready2go-stacker-silver-un:.html
Click to expand...
Or if your in the US: http://www.svc.com/svc-stc-t01-ubk.html
 
Or if you want something with that sort of look but don't want to spend the big bucks, go to your local IKEA and see what they have. i just picked up a mechanics tool chest that II may be using for my "Little Boy" project which I keep neglecting to update. You may be able to find something to make a nice self contained water cooling system and then mount it to the top of your rig.
 
Watercooling RAM is pretty poinless considering you could replace the waterblocks with a ridiculously slow fan and end up with the same stability.

And mixing aluminum and copper in a loop should be avoided. To keep the corrosion between the two at bay you would have to make half of your mixture antifreeze, which would hinder your performance a bit. Just stay away from it.
 
its not necessarily aluminum. its mixing aluminum with coper.


water cooling ram is pretty much near pointless. i would get some high end G.Skill over that stuff.


i would easily get a triple rad and put it on top of the case. its just a few wholes. just get a case with a PSU that fits at the bottom. cut 3 holes at the top of your case. and throw your rad up there. if theres not enough room. move one of your CD-drives down a notch or 2 and get a T-Line over a res. (if you do get a resivior don't get one that fits in your CD-drives. i just hate those)
 
Captain Slug said:
...mixing aluminum and copper in a loop should be avoided. To keep the corrosion between the two at bay you would have to make half of your mixture antifreeze, which would hinder your performance a bit....
Click to expand...
A 50/50 mixture wouldn't just "hinder performance a bit"-it'd cripple it.
I've been running a mixed metal loop (alloy reservoir) 24/7 for nearly nine months with a 95/5 mixture and there are no signs of corrosion.

If corrosion was the horrible boogeyman that forums typically claim then AquaComputer would long ago have gone out of business.
 
RIG RIDER said:
Or if your in the US: http://www.svc.com/svc-stc-t01-ubk.html
Click to expand...

Agreed on that buy.

However, you're going to need a MASSIVE pump to get all that flowing... MCP655 is the best option in my opinion

If you were going custom I'd get

Storm CPU block
MCP655
TWO dual 120MM rads with low CFM, or a single triple with high CFM fans
(GPU blocks come with the cards)
 
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