Asetek Antarctica Waterblock

Waterblock Test – Joe

SUMMARY: Very good choice for CPU cooling, especially with moderate power waterpumps; note that this is an early production model – I will re-test the retail version shortly.

The good guys at Asetek were nice enough to send a Antarctica waterblock to test.

The Antarctica features:

• Push-on fittings for ½” OD tubing
• Two exit fittings
• Stream Channels ™ in copper base for increased surface area
• Mounting for Intel 478, AMD Socket A, FX and Athlon64 CPUs

The Antarctica features channels in the copper base to increase surface area over the CPU:

The center hole sits over these channels and features a slit to direct water over them:

As I examined the Antarctica, I noticed that the slit did not sit over one channel (left hand pic):

If you look closely at the top, you’ll see that the holes are offset a tad:

Apparently, this particular waterblock was shipped with the top rotated 180º off; I unscrewed the top, and rotated it to its correct orientation; users should inspect this waterblock before use to ensure its correct orientation.

The base appears well finished:

I did notice some polishing marks, but they were not apparent to the touch – very slight. Overall, Asetek’s Antarctica is well built with lots of flexibility for various CPU mounting schemes.

Parts shipped with the Antarctica for mounting on Intel 478, AMD Socket A, FX and Athlon64 CPUs:

The Antarctica was tested using the CPU Die Simulator and Waterblock Test Rig.

Test Results indicate that the Antarctica’s pressure drop (or head loss) across the waterblock is moderate; resistance such as this means that Antarctica may need a moderate to large waterpump to extract maximum performance, especially if other components in the system are restrictive.

However, I found that performance degraded by about 1.3ºC with at a flow rate of 0.5 gpm and improved by about 0.7ºC at 1.5 gpm, indicating that using at least a moderate power pump is a good move.

For a comparison of the Antarctica’s performance to other waterblocks tested to date, see Overclockers.com Waterblock Test Results.

Asetek’s Antarctica waterblock is a fine choice for CPU cooling. In addition, with moderate flow resistance, the Antarctica will perform very well with moderate/high power waterpumps, as long as other components do not unduly restrict waterflow.

Thanks again to Asetek for sending this our way.

Email Joe