![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Wednesday, October 02, 2002
- Author:
- Steve Lynch
- Editor:
- Sean Quinn
- Google +1
Water Block Round-Up
19 of the biggest baddest water blocks rounded up and tested, just for you guys out there that like your action wet and heavily overclocked.
The Contenders:
Today we have water blocks from:
Danger Den, both old and new blocks were used for the review. We have both the Maze2 and Maze3 blocks.
The original Maze2 block was, and is, a formidable water block with great cooling characteristics. The block itself was made of all copper using a solder process that bonds the cap to the base of the water block. This makes for an extremely leakproof, incredibly durable seal. This design is still widely used throughout the water cooling community.
The new Maze3 design incorporates the use of a clear Lexan cap with a rubber “O” ring seal for durability and easy removal. The high point of the Lexan cap used in conjunction with the rubber “O” ring is the fact that the cap can be removed to service the block as well as interchangeable lids, allowing the same block to be used on either a Pentium4 CPU or a Socket A. These blocks are pressure tested to 85lbs PSI before shipping and lapped with 600 grit sandpaper for a very nice finish.
We have SilverProp's first generation of blocks facing off with their newer Cyclone coolers.
A person need only to feel the weight and see the craftsmanship in SilverProp water blocks to know that these blocks use a high quality manufacturing process. Using an adapter plate fashioned from Lexan, the first generation of Silverprop blocks have served me well for two years.
The latest design from the SilverProp gang is a radical change from their previous line of blocks. The anodized caps with 1/2" integrated hose barbs stand out, but it's the solid copper base that makes the latest Cyclone coolers perform so well. The top of the cooler may be removed for servicing. SilverProp includes spare gaskets and mounting hardware for both AMD and Socket 478 platforms.
BTMS from Blue Cooling, a single block from Blue Cooling.
BlueCooling is an interesting unit that was apparently designed to rely on a TEC for cooling performance, but the block has several issues that keep it from ever being recommended by [H]ardOCP in its current form. I encourage everyone to take the time to read the full review here.
Overclockers Hideout. The OCH gang has four separate blocks making an appearance here ranging from the smaller square all copper cooler to the new "Z4" coolers.
This was one of the original all copper blocks that came out of OCH, even though it is now over 2 years old (maybe more). To this day it provides remarkably good performance.
This second block was a hybrid block that included two cooling fans bolted to the sides. Although this may have seemed like a good idea, the fans were basically ineffectual to overall cooling performance.
The Z4 range of blocks are silver plated copper bases coupled with aluminum tops. The original block with the unplated copper base has 3/8" fittings, while the newest Z4 is plated and sports 1/2" fittings. These blocks provide very good cooling as well as fantastic looks and are specially coated inside to prevent corrosion.