It seems like only yesterday I was assembling a computer, and
there wasn't even a fan attached to the heatsink I was mounting
on the CPU. We have come a long way from those days, even though
they were just a few short years ago. The mere though of assembling
a computer today without having a fan on, at minimum, the CPU
is simply unheard of. Modern CPU's run considerably faster than
the CPU's of just a few years ago, but constant increases in heat
output have come with each and every megahertz we've squeezed
out of our CPU's. While air cooling is still sufficient for the
average user, seeing idle temperatures in the 40 and 50 degree
Celsius range is enough to send an enthusiast into shock.
To combat these increases in heat, water-cooling has come quite
a long way in the past couple years as well. Today's water-cooling
kits are easier to use than ever, and Asetek has been one of the
front-runners in water-cooling innovation. Today we're going to
be taking a look at their newest CPU water block, the Antarctica.
Asetek Antarctica Waterblock
The package that I received came with the Antarctica water block,
metal mounting hardware, wrench for removal of the top of the
block, plastic washers/spacers, a y-adaptor, and block tops to
support Intel Socket 478, Intel LGA775 (Socket T), and AMD Socket
462, 754, and 940 CPU's. The block uses a 3 hose configuration,
with the center being the inlet and the two outer connectors being
for the outlet.
The base of the block is a much simpler looking design than previous
water blocks. There is no fancy spiral pattern or "maze"
present for the water to flow through, but rather, what looks
like a small heatsink positioned below the inlet for the water
to move over. This is surrounded by a flat surface with no obstructions
between the inlet and the outlets to allow the water to quickly
enter and leave the block. This seems like a much better approach
to me, as it doesn't allow the water to get heated up excessively
by remain in the block for a long period of time, which would
in turn allow the overall temperature of the water in the system
to remain cooler and maintain lower over-all system temperatures.
The bottom of the block is not quite a mirror finish, however,
it is quite smooth. When placing the block onto the CPU and then
removing it, there was a nice spread of thermal compound on the
block. Lapping would shine up the surface of the block, but I
don't feel that it would make a noticeable difference in performance
as the block is already quite smooth.
Installation
Installation of the Antarctica block, like most other water blocks,
requires that the motherboard be removed from the case. While
this may be viewed as a hassle, mounting the block in this way
ensures that it remains secure. The included instructions detail
quite well the installation process in multiple languages, as
well as illustrations. The only problem I found with the installation
manual was that all of the illustrations showed a water block
with only two fittings on it, which has the potential to cause
some confusion as to exactly how inlets and outlets should be
configured. However, it isn't that difficult when you take into
consideration the "heatsink" looking part of the block
under the center connector, which would imply to me, that the
center is the inlet, and the two outer connectors are the outlets.
One thing that is of great importance to take into consideration
when choosing a water block is the area around your CPU socket.
You want to make sure that there are no components that are in
the way of the block. On my system, which uses the Abit AS8 motherboard,
there was a capacitor that was about a millimeter too high positioned
close to the socket, which caused the block to not sit level on
the CPU. I used my Dremel to shave off a very small portion of
the edge of the block to allow it to clear the capacitor without
contacting in. This should in no way effect the cooling capabilities
of the block in any measurable way, as it was only an extremely
small part of the edge of the block.
Aside from making sure that there is adequate clearance for the
block, installation is very straight forward. Simply take the
plastic spacers, stick one on each of the included screws, and
run them through from the backside of the motherboard. Screw them
into the four mounting posts, slide the water block down over
the mounting posts, place a spring on each of the mounting posts,
and use the included thumb screws to secure the block in place.
It is important to note that the springs only need to be slightly
compressed to make sure that they are applying pressure to the
block, and that the springs are not completely compressed as this
would be putting too much pressure on the block.
NEXT
