The Koolance PC3-720SL - The Cooling

Koolance upgraded their cooling in their latest PC3-700, and the new kit can dissipate heat loads of up to 700W, which is 200W up from their EXOS cooling system. The main unit is located at the top of the chassis, bolted into place by a total of 8 screws.

Above we can see the dual 120mm aluminum radiator that cools the water as it passes through. The size of the radiator is on par with most dual fan aluminum radiator setups and should match their performance. On the other side of the radiator are a couple of 120mm fans that draw the air through it. Both fans are speed controlled, and run fairly quiet at the low settings but are quite audible at higher settings.

The reservoir is not too big, able to contain about 200ml of fluid. The total system capacity, including hoses and a single CPU block is about 700ml. For those interested in eye-candy, the reservoir is LED-lit and adds a bit of flare to the overall look. Unfortunately, our sample was an early production unit, but retail kits will have the LED-lit reservoir in place. Inside the reservoir are the dual pumps that draws 2W of power and is capable of 2634mL/min.

Like the previous PC and EXOS kits, the control panel allows you to adjust fan speeds and monitor the temperatures. For those of you who like to set it and forget it, the control panel can be set to Auto where the fan speeds are adjusted according to pre-defined temperatures. If you'd rather do this yourself, there are 10 manual modes to choose from allowing flexibility on the users part for performance and noise.

Unlike the Koolance EXOS-Al we've reviewed previously, the PC3-720SL features 3/8" ID (1/2" OD) hoses. This size of hose allows a good amount of water flow through the system, and is the recommended size for the pump that is used. A larger hose would in fact be detrimental as the flow rate will slow down unless you find a way to upgrade the included pump.

The PC3-700 series of kits do not come with any water blocks by default. The purpose of this is to allow some flexibility on the user's part where they can stick with their preferred brand or current block. Our review unit came with a CPU-300-V10 3/8" ID water block, which we have found to be quite good and on par with the best blocks we've tested this year. The CPU-300 is capable of dissipating up to 300W of heat (hence the "300" in the name). The base itself is made up of a near-transparent orange shell, and a 21 karat plated copper base. There are a number of "maze pins" inside the water blocks which will create turbulence and improve the performance.

Basic Installation

We'll cover specific installation for the Pentium 4 LGA775 shortly, but first we'll go over a few things that you'll need to know regardless of platform. The first thing you'll need to do is to measure the length of tubing needed for your setup. Ideally, you'll want to leave a bit of slack in case you swap CPUs or botched the trimming of your tubes.

The next steps will vary depending on the block you are using. In our case, the CPU-300 uses twist-on metal fittings, which will make installation much easier than using crimps. On top of the CPU block, there is a metal bar with three indents. These indents are for the retention screw for the block, and depending on the CPU, you'll need to align the appropriate screw with the indents. Pentium 4 and Athlon 64 owners will use the center one, whereas Athlon XP users will use either of the other two.

To allow the PC3-720SL to automatically adjust the fan speed depending on the temperature, you'll need to attach the thermal probe (there are three) to the water block with some metallic tape. I attached the remaining thermal probes to the video card and hard drive but you can choose to skip those if you don't care to monitor those temperatures.

Once the tubes have been cut, thread the twist-on metal fittings over the tubes, and push the ends of the tubes into the water block.

With the system powered off, you'll need to fill the system with coolant. You'll need to remove the cap from the top of the reservoir, and place a small funnel into the hole. Slowly pour the liquid until the reservoir is close to full (basically to the point where no more liquid goes in). We used Koolance's mixture and a funnel we received with our EXOS-Al, which should be included with the final kit.

Seal the reservoir, plug a molex connection from the PSU into the PC3-720SL's power connection and jump start the PSU. To do this, you'll need to jump the ATX power connections #4 (green) and #6 (black - ground) with the wire Koolance includes (a paper clip will also suffice). This will start the pump in the system, and you'll see that the water should begin flowing through the hoses and into the blocks.

At this point, repeat the previous steps and pour some more liquid in, while the system is running. Once it tops off, seal it, and gently tilt the PC3-720SL back to front, left to right to make sure the system is properly fed. Double check the water levels, and pour more in if necessary.

It is generally a good idea to let the system run for a few hours (overnight is better) to check for leaks. If all is well, turn off the PSU, remove the jumper cable, and connect the ATX connection to the mainboard. That's it.

We've covered Athlon XP and Pentium 4 (Socket 478) installation in our earlier EXOS review so feel free to refer to that for the CPU-300 installation. For the Athlon 64, you'll need to remove the AMD retention bracket and simply place the block on top of the processor. Secure it using the Athlon 64 kit (not included but available for $6.99), which screws in directly into the motherboard support which most Athlon 64 boards include.

NEXT