Evercool Water Cooler Kit WC-201 Review

SUMMARY: One of the better entry level kits.

The kind folks at Evercool sent a sample of their Water Cooler Kit WC-201 to try out. One of the primary features of this kit is that part of it mounts within a CD ROM slot. The kit includes:

• CPU and GPU waterblocks with P4, AMD K7/K8 mounts
• External radiator and fan
• Tubing (¼” ID) with screw-on mounts
• Thermistor cable
• Assorted screws, washers, thermal grease, tubing tool
• Anti-freeze

Note that in addition to the CD ROM size unit, there is a second radiator which mounts in an 80mm fan cutout. This adds significantly to the kit’s performance, as will be seen in the test data.

The base unit includes a radiator, waterpump, reservoir and LCD control panel. There is a radiator fan in the top…

…which exits through the bottom of the unit:

When installing this unit, there MUST BE sufficient clearance at both the top and bottom for sufficient cooling of this radiator. Therefore, the CD ROM slot in which this is placed must have clearance top and bottom. Installing the unit at the topmost CD ROM slot may give sufficient top clearance, but the slot below must be empty.

A look at the back

shows the inlet/outlet ports, pins for the thermistor, external radiator fan and four pin power plug. The front

features the radiator fill port, LCD screen, temperature adjustment buttons and fan speed knob. I found the base unit’s 80mm fan speeds to vary from 1825 to 3735 rpm. When powered

the LCD displays the thermistor temp, external fan condition, temperature alarm points (50, 60 and 80ºC) and pump condition. The dial of the fan speed dial lights up, varying depending on fan speed selected (blue low, purple high). When thermistor temps hit 50ºC, the 50ºC flashes; same for 60 and 80ºC.

When the external fan kicks into high gear, the fan symbol activates. Finally, if the pump fails, the pump symbol flashes. There is a beeper which beeps once when powered up, and will beep if the pump fails.
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A look inside

shows the radiator, reservoir with waterpump inside and the PCB control circuit. The waterpump

is on the small side – I did not measure waterflow, but judging from the speed at which I saw bubbles moving through the tubes, it’s a low-flow system (I would guess less than 15 gph).

One feature of this kit it the inclusion of a second radiator:

This features an 80mm fan and will fit in a case’s 80mm exhaust port. This is the first kit entry level I have seen which uses a second radiator to boost performance – an interesting addition.

The kit features two waterblocks – CPU and GPU. The CPU waterblock

is nicely finished with a chrome outer shell. The square plug at the top is for the mounting hardware – a nice feature, as forces are centered over the CPU core. The fittings are ¼” – definitely on the small side. The copper waterblock base

is polished. Included are mounts for P4 and AMD K7/8:

Note that the mounting gear features a square hole – this fits over the square peg on the waterblock.

The GPU waterblock

is also attractively finished, with mounts for a variety of situations. The copper base

is polished.

Included are all the necessary parts, including screws, tubing, spare washers, thermistor cable, anti-freeze fluid, thermal grease and a tool for securing the tubing to the fittings. I found it very easy to screw the tubing to all the fittings. There is an instruction manual which is adequate and shows how to configure the kit, purge air through the lines and mount it.

Overall, nice build quality and everything you need to install the kit into a case. I would estimate it would take no more than an hour to get up and running, including reading the manual.
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I tested the Evercool kit using the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences, with the Socket A clip. I tested the unit with the CPU waterblock and included the GPU waterblock in one test series to assess its impact on performance.

The unit was tested in the open air – installed in a case with restricted airflow will compromise performance; consider these results as the best the unit will do under optimum conditions.