are no strangers to cooling and likely no strangers to a lot of enthusiasts. We’ve certainly looked at many products from them over the years here at Viperlair. They are probably best known for their watercooling kits, although of course the VapoChill systems will stand out for obvious reasons. Like many companies that provide enthusiast cooling solutions, they do have a lineup to cater for differing needs and pockets.
But let us assume you want the best performance. Let us also assume you are willing to spend some money for it. Let us assume you want a complete watercooling kit with everything included in the box. Ease of use is a must, and it can’t hurt to have little flashiness thrown in either.
So we take a look at the asetek lineup and … what is this? An Extreme kit, with three blocks, six 120mm fans, a triple radiator and USB software control for the pump and fans? Oh yes, we just had to get a closer look at the .
Components and Features
WaterChill Antarctica CPU cooler CPU01/AT supporting Intel P4 S478, AMD S754/S940/S939 (AMD 64).
WaterChill VGA cooler VGA01/P1 supporting Nvidia/Gforce and ATI/Radeon AGP cards (elbow fittings).
WaterChill Chipset cooler NB01/P1 supporting Intel, AMD, SIS and VIA etc.
Triple Black Ice Xtreme 120mm Radiator with 10mm push on fittings.
6 x 120mm Low Noise Adda Fans.
NEW WaterChill Xtreme [12V] integrated Pump/Reservoir with 10mm push on fittings (PSU powered).
USB cable.
Integrated Print Circuit Board w. fan connectors.
2 x Temperature Sensors.
2 x Fan Connectors (Up to 6 fans, 2 x 24W).
Software based Control Panel incl.:
Pump speed regulation
System and status info.
Heat monitoring.
Fan control.
WaterChill Tube Set (3,0m).
ALL fittings and mounting accessories are included.
WaterChill Anti Alga Fluid - WaterWetter (10mm bottle).
Heat Conduction Compound (2 ml tube).
Installation Manual (English/Spanish/French/Deutsch).
The kit itself is packaged neatly inside this white plastic corrugated box, with all the components either bagged or stacked inside. Since these components are all available separately, it makes sense that everything is separately brought together and placed in this box. It’s all secure enough inside, but you won’t find flashy packaging. The kit itself is quite extensive and there are plenty of components to it, along with all the extras.
You get 3 meters of hard walled 10mm tubing and a bag with all the other extras in it, such as screws, individual bags with mounting items like springs and thumbscrews, transfers with the WaterChill logo for each of the blocks, thermal paste and even a syringe of water wetter.
Cabling wise, we have a USB cable for the pump (more on that in a bit), 3 pin fan cables for each of the six 120mm Adda fans and 2 temperature probe cables. We have a few instructions booklets as well, for each of the main components, as well as an instruction booklet specific to the whole kit and lastly a CD with the software on it. And that’s all before we get to the major components themselves.
The Waterblocks
Three waterblocks are included with the kit to cool your CPU, Graphics and Chipset. Each come individually bagged, with the mounting parts and other extras in separate bags.
Starting with the CPU block, since this is asetek’s ‘Extreme’ kit it makes sense that we would find asetek’s top CPU block, the Antarctica block in the kit.
Specifications
Reduction of CPU core temperature at max load by 40-70%.
Significantly improved CPU stability.
Two water outlets for more aggressive water flow.
Extreme overclocking potential.
TOP Performance (on par or better than the competition) and capable of removing at least 200W of CPU-heat.
“Push on” fittings for tool-less and easy assembly of tubes on the CPU block.
Easy mount of the block on motherboard with finger screws.
A machined finish that ensures a high and uniform quality and perfect CPU contact.
An extremely good plainness and surface smoothness.
Pure copper base plate - providing best possible heat removal ratio.
Optimized fittings/tubes for maximum flow.
The CPU waterblock has one 10mm push-fit inlet (center) and two 10mm push-fit outlets to either side. Looking down the center push-fit we can see that the water flow is restricted first by a smaller inlet cut into the acrylic ‘lid’ of the block itself and secondly by channels cut into the copper base of the block. These channels sit directly over the area that would relate to the hottest point on a CPU; the center core.
The underside of the block feels smooth to the touch and looks flat, although there are a few machining marks. Certainly not a mirror finish as the reflection here shows. The mounting points for this particular block (Socket 775) are in the four corners and drilled directly into the acrylic. It is a very solidly built block and I do like that we can see the water moving through the block clearly when the system is up and running.
The VGA and Chipset blocks are of a ‘lesser design’ in that they are a more basic design of water into a single channel and back out again.
Specifications
Complete elimination of high pitched fan noise from your VGA card.
Dramatic increase in overall PC system stability through an effective VGA cooling.
Massive overclocking potential through a dramatic reduction of VGA processor temperatures at full load.
Can be fully integrated with both WaterChill and other third party water cooling solutions.
Supports all Nvidia/Gforce and ATI/Radeon AGP cards.
“Push on” Elbow fittings for tool-less and easy assembly of tubes on the VGA block.
Easy mount of the block on the AGP card with finger screws.
An extremely good plainness and surface smoothness.
Pure copper base plate - providing best possible heat removal ratio.
Elbow Fittings/tubes for maximum flow.
The VGA block, uses elbow push-fits to allow you to get to the tubing easily without taking up more space below the graphics card and yet another PCI slot. Mounting methods supplied are spring loaded screws and bolts or simply zip ties. Like the CPU block, the VGA block has a copper base and acrylic top that allows you to see the water flow. Again, there are a few machining marks on the base, but it looks and feels flat enough to a set square and my eyes.
The Chipset block is basically a variation on the VGA block
Specifications
Massive overclocking potential through an exceptional elimination of chip set heat dissipation.
Can be fully integrated with both WaterChill and other third party water cooling solutions.
The physical layout and mounting system offers a universal application of the cooler on all Chipsets used.
“Push on” fittings for tool-less and easy assembly of tubes on the chip set cooler.
Easy mount of the block on motherboard with finger screws.
An extremely good plainness and surface smoothness.
Pure copper base plate - providing best possible heat removal ratio.
Fittings/tubes for maximum flow.
Unlike the VGA block, the Chipset block uses straight inline push-fits. The mounting system is the same as the VGA block, zip ties with an Intel system, or if you have holes in the motherboard, springs and screws. I would like to see a better setup for Intel systems, especially as I have found the loops used on some Intel based motherboards to be a little ‘weak’.
The base for the Chipset is the same as the other two blocks; a few machining marks but overall flat enough and with a slight reflection.
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