maxXxpert MXL-MIRO Watercooling Kit

Good performance, good features, good price — Joe

SUMMARY: A nice water cooling kit from a new face on the scene, maxXxpert.

Kit

ICEeComputers was nice enough to send a sample of the maxXxpert MXL-MIRO Watercooling Kit to test out. It ships boxed in a protective foam jacket with the following components:

  • MXL-MIRO copper spiral waterblock
  • EHEIM 1048 waterpump with Acrylic reservoir
  • MXL-MONO radiator with Papst 120mm fan
  • Transparent urethane tubing (8/10mm) and tube cutter
  • Quick-connect fittings
  • “Manual” – pictures are OK, directions are in Korean

I will describe each component in detail, followed by performance test results.

MXL-MIRO Copper Spiral Waterblock

Waterblock

Size: 64 x 64 x 19mm high (55mm with clips); Weight:450 gr

The waterblock features a copper base with aluminum cap. The block attaches to all three socket lugs using spring-loaded clips – very secure and easy to use. To engage the lugs, you screw down the center bolt; once the socket’s lugs mate to the clip, you unscrew the center bolt. This raise the clip up and the springs take over.

Once the center bolts clears the top of the clip, the springs are at full force and the block is secure – a nice system that allows easy mounting and unmounting in the case.

The nipples are the Quick-Connect kind – you slip the hose into the fitting and that’s it. If you look closely inside the nipple, you can see stainless steel teeth – these lock onto the tubing when you push it in. To remove it, you simple press down on the blue collar – this releases the teeth – and the tubing slips out.

This is undoubtedly the best fittings around for ease of use. However, you must use tubing that is stiff and of a size that fits – a minor drawback. I would order extra tubing to be on the safe side with any quick-connect fittings.

Inside the block you can see

Spiral

Picture courtesy of maxXpert.

its spiral design. This design is one method to increase surface area and turbulence, thereby increasing heat transfer over a simple hollow cavity. The base

Base

is polished and flat – a very nice job.

EHEIM 1048 Waterpump With Acrylic Reservoir

Pump

The pump in the kit is the EHEIM 1048 – one of the best around. It seems that the top-rank kits are all using EHEIMS.

The Eheim mates to an acrylic reservoir (you can build your own – see EHEIM Reservoir Mod).

Mounting it to the EHEIM is simple enough – it slips into a quick-connect fitting – done! However, I later found out that once mounted, I could not remove it. I think this is because the tube is solid, not soft, and the teeth are locked into it.

There is a screw plug in the top for adding water; what’s nice about this one is you can see what’s happening with the system’s fluid. The pump can orient in three directions, so if you want a side discharge, you just move the base.

The discharge tube mates to the tubing using a silicone sleeve. You work the tubing over the discharge outlet and “wiggle” the tubing into it – no hose clamps. It does hold securely enough, but I would not leave it this way longer term; the cost for some hose clamps is cheap insurance.

MXL-MONO Radiator With Papst 120mm Fan

Radiator

Size: 5½” x 4¾” wide x 3¾” deep; Weight: 610 grams with fan.

The radiator is quite compact – if you can fit a 120mm fan in the case, odds are very high you can get this radiator into that space. The fan is a PAPST4412FML 12V fan, rated 67.1CFM @ 1950rpm, 32dBA. Low rpm 120s are great choices to balance airflow and noise. Included are four mounting bolts.

The radiator ships with two silicone tubes for mating the radiator’s intake/exit tubes. It’s OK, but I would NOT do this longer term – buy hose clamps for safety’s sake.

Quick-Connect Fittings and Shims

Parts

Included are extra quick-connect fittings for tight bends. If possible, use these sparingly – sharp bends create friction and slow down waterflow. Note that all fittings are metric – the tubing is 8/10mm.

The blue thing that looks like a clothes pin is a tube cutter – works very well, and if you sterilize it, you can use it for a bris.

Last are some shims for PIII and AMD CPUs – I don’t use shims and don’t think they are necessary, but they are there if you want peace of mind.
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THE TEST

The Maxxxpert MXL-MIRO was first tested on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences. I used an EHEIM 1046 waterpump. I then tested it on an Iwill KK266+, modified to read AMD’s on-die diode, as an example of what users might see on their systems.

TEST RESULTS – CPU Simulator

Heatsink

Die Temp

Ambient Temp

Delta

C/W

Maxxxpert MXL-MIRO, 77.4w

39.2 C

18.5 C

20.7 C

0.27

TEST RESULTS – Motherboard
CPU/Motherboard

CPU Die Temp

Ambient Temp

Delta

C/W

CPU Back Temp

Palomino 1200, Iwill KK266+

26.8 C

18.7 C

8.1

0.15

30.4 C

In-socket thermistor temp per MBM: 25C

Delta = CPU temp – Ambient Temp
C/W = Delta / CPU Watts

Interpreting C/W: For every watt the CPU radiates, the heatsink will cool the core by the (C/W x watts) plus ambient temp. For example, at an ambient temp of 25 C, a C/W of 0.25 with a CPU radiating 50 watts means that the CPU core temp will be 50 x 0.25 = 12.5 C over ambient temp, or 37.5 C. The lower the C/W, the better.

Die Simulator results place the maxXxpert MXL-MIRO Kit in the top ranks of CPU cooling solutions (Heatsink Ranking). Even though there may be air cooled solutions that are close to these C/Ws, the noise/performance tradeoff definitely favors water.

CONCLUSIONS

The maxXxpert MXL-MIRO Watercooling Kit is a very good performer, easy to install and comes with everything you need to get started. It’s an “all-in-one” approach to get into watercooling with top rate components that are readily usable in a variety of cases.

Thanks again to ICEe Computers for sending the maxXxpert MXL-MIRO kit our way. They have a pre-order list if you’re interested in purchasing; also, if you put “Overclockers.com KIT” in the comments section, they will include a CPU shim at no extra charge.

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