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Zalman Reserator XT $175 CAD - Worth it?

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Aardvark Spleen

New Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2011
Location
Victoria BC
There's a 2 year old Zalman Reserator XT for sale locally for $175 CAD. No water block. Wondering what your thoughts are. What should I offer the guy?

After 2 years of service you'd think the pump would be in need of replacing at some point soon... :shrug:

I'm kinda new to this stuff, you know.

Unit in question
 
I really dig external units, and I particularly like the basic concept of the Reserator XT, BUT I wouldn't buy one for one main reason.

Materials: Anodized Pure Aluminum This is a big one. If you're starting a water cooling setup from scratch, there's no reason for there to be aluminum anywhere in your rig. Zalman made a really bad choice when it chose materials for this unit.

It's a handsome unit, but they made some big mistakes in execution. I wouldn't buy one at any price. There are far better options these days.
 
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^^^ Good call. The my existing gear is all copper. Didn't even think of the dissimilar metals thing. Thanks for helping me avoid a catastrophe.
 
The other thing is the reserator was designed as a passive cooler. All reviews I read back in the day regarding the original reserator said that unless the computer is in an airconditioned room or oyu have a floor fan blowing on it the thing doesn't work well, that kind of defeats the purpose of getting the kit.

Likewise, there was a knwn issue with all of the reserator units where the pumps would develop a rattle after a few months use which meant it wasn't silent anymore.

Regarding the reserator XT, well, a high end air cooler will outperform it. You'd be better off looking at a closed loop cooler like the H80 or H100, or even a high end air cooler. All of the early water kits were fairly rubbish from both Zalman and ThermalTake.

Frankly, I think it'd be a good cooler to avoid.
 
Lol, you're a rare breed then JeremyCt. Are you feeling like an endangered species? ;oP

Anyways, personally I lean towards the Corsair H80 and H100 closed loops or straight out air coolers. I find the H100 keeps my rig extremely cool. Heat isn't even the limiting factor in my overclock. Bigger fans lower temps a little more though to be honest, the stock fans were adequate anyway. I just wanted tougher/beefier fans.
 
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