![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Monday , August 02, 2004
- Author:
- Steve Lynch
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Koolance EXOS Al
Koolance arguably makes the best external watercooling solution on the market. See what Koolance has done to make their EXOS line of watercooling units even better.
Again, the specifications of the fan controller, fans and rubber fan shrouds are identical to the standard EXOS. The three 80mm fans draw air through the vented sides of the EXOS housing, pulling up through the radiator and out the top.
The control unit PCB is situated next to the reservoir in the rear of the EXOS. Though the control unit remains unchanged I did notice newer low profile heatsinks are used on the board making it much easier to remove and install the radiator during maintenance.
The slot interface unit, is the same as the previous unit with the small exception of the new interface socket which will be covered later in this review.
The installation manual is the same manual that was used for the previous EXOS. Overall the manual is professional, helpful and very well thought out.
The CPU hold down device has been expanded to work with not only the Pentium 4 and Socket A CPUs but also the Athlon64 platform. The appropriate "arms" are slid into place depending on the CPU it is used with and the center tension screw is tightened to secure the block in place. The old (chrome) tension screw has been replaced by two color coded tension screws. The blue tension screw is used in low pressure situations (exposed core CPUs) and the black screw is used in high pressure situations like the Athlon64, Pentium 4 and Xeon.
The CPU-300-H06 waterblock is the latest in waterblock design from Koolance. The new block is very similar to the previous version (the CPU-200G) but has some very important differences. The open end barb design has been replaced with a much better screw on compression fitting. The overall size of the block is smaller allow it to fit on both Pentium 4 platform as well as new AMD64 systems.
The hardened plastic top has increased in size, most notably the area directly under the water block inlet / outlet. The added capacity, although it may be hard to tell from the pictures, is significant. The CPU 300-H06 has roughly 40% more coolant capacity than the older CPU-200G block.
The center of the new waterblock has now been reinforced with a strip of steel down the middle that acts as the contact pad for the holddown mechanism. The threaded bolt of the hold down mechanism now fits neatly into one of three designated holes (depending on CPU) on the steel plate. This plate also helps distribute the hold down pressure across a wider area which helps lessen the strain put on the center of the hardened plastic cover.
The base has also been improved inside and out. The CPU contact area of the base is now much larger than its predecessor covering almost the entire face of the baseplate. This side by side comparison gives you a feel of just how much larger the CPU contact area is.
The other side of the baseplate is where the most drastic changes have taken place. Look at the difference in the size and pattern of the "spikes" covering the old CPU-200 baseplate compared to the new CPU-300-H06. The larger spikes on the newer water block greatly increase the surface area of the baseplate which adds to the overall cooling characteristics of this block. Take the larger CPU contact area, throw in a much greater surface area (larger spikes) which adds more turbulence and you have a water block with greater coolant capacity. Overall this makes for a winning combination.
Installation:
We will briefly cover the installation procedure in this review but since the EXOS Al is nearly identical to the last EXOS, please see our previous review for a more detailed look at the installation process.
The EXOS is by far one of the easiest watercooling kits to assemble on the market today. Simply set the unit on top of your computer system. Next install the slot interface unit. Make the appropriate wire connections to the motherboard and switch. Next, measure the lengths of hose needed to connect the system blocks which will depend on your system configuration (number of blocks). Attach the hose to the blocks after passing the hose through the slot interface panel, then fasten the hose to each waterblock. Install the water blocks using the corresponding hold down mechanism for your system making sure to attach the temperature sensor to the base of the CPU block. Fill the reservoir with the provided coolant and power up the Koolance unit by jumpering the system power supply (see photo) with the included jumper wire.
After running the system for at least 4 - 6 hours to check for leaks, reattach the ATX PSU to the system motherboard and you are ready to go.
Installation on the Pentium 4 test system was straight forward, Both the CPU-300-H06 and the older CPU-200G use the same retention mechanism and fit without any clearance issues. The orientation of the inlet/outlet barbs could pose potential clearance issues with some northbridge coolers or, depending on socket orientation, RAM.