The
MCR80-F Radiator
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Same
type of box, different product. The MCR80-F Radiator is what cools
the water down for the H20-8500 kit. It's painted blue, to match
the water blocks, and comes with two fans to cool the assembly.
You can find the specifications of the radiator here.
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The
stock fans each push 29CFM or air at 32dBA. As you'll probably
guess, this is neither very powerful, nor is it very loud. You
can easily exchange them for something beefier, but the stock
fans do alright as we'll later see when we get into testing.
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The
MCR80-F itself measures 4.1"x3.25"x3.2", which
makes it a little larger than most 80mm case fans, but smaller
than a lot of performance radiators. The point of its size is
that it's supposed to go where most cases place their rear exhaust
fan (usually an 80mm fan). No need to drill extra holes to accomadate
the radiator. The price to pay for this convenience is performance,
since its smaller size puts it somewhat of a disadvantage.
As
you can see, they pack the copper fins pretty tight, allowing
for pretty good heat dissipation, rated for 938.89 BTU per hour.
The inlet and outlet tubes are 3/8" OD. Using 3/8" ID
tubes will require clamps (included) to secure them.
The
MCP300-KE
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Other
than the upgraded water blocks, the other star of the show is
their MCP300 pump. For the H20-8500 kit, it ships installed with
the fill and bleed assembly. Here's a bit about what Swiftech
has to say about it:
The
MCP300™ pump is a magnetically powered centrifugal pump, configured
to work inline, in liquid cooling computer applications.
It's
compact design, ultra quiet, and powerful motor, make it ideally
suited for heavy duty cooling in environments where space is at
a premium.
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The
MCP300 replaces the Eheim 1048 that Swiftech used to use with
their WC kits. Whereas the Eheim had an output of up to 158 gallons
per hour, the MCP300 is capable of 330 gallons per hour (G/H),
which is an improvement of just over 50%, though the actual waterflow
will depend on the length of tubes, the bends, and the water block
resistance. You'll have to keep in mind that waterflow is the
only important factor, but also head, which is the pump's
ability to lift water. If the head is, say, three feet, and the
distance of tubing inside your case is four feet, you are going
to have a lot of cooling issues. The MCP300 is rated at about
7.16' maximum head, which is a fair amount, but don't expect 330G/H
at this limit. The 330G/H is only at zero head, so you should
expect 100-330G/H, depending on how much tubing you use.
The
MCP is fairly quiet, though if you remove it from the tray to
mount elsewhere in your case, make sure you line it with some
foam as there is some vibration. Given it's size, it can pretty
much fit anywhere, but for the purposes of the review, we've left
it on the tray to be installed CDROM style.
The
MCP300 is designed for 1/2" OD tubing, but you can use smaller
tubes with the optional attachments. The pump is pretty durable,
but you should never use your tap to test the pump out, since
city water pressure will literally shatter the chassis.
Note
to Canadians: Our review was delayed since we recieved a European
kit. Because Canada is considered International (from the US),
we received the wrong pump. The result is lower water flow because
the pump's power requirements conflict with the North American
requirements. If you're ordering from the US, it won't hurt to
double check which pump you're getting, but Swiftech assures me
that this problem has been solved since the start of this year.
The
Rest of the Kit
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As
previously mentioned, the fill and bleed kit is already setup
for you, and is configured in such a way that it will fit in a
standard 5.25" external drive bay. You also get plenty of
1/2" OD tubing (3/8" ID)... twelve feet of it to be
exact. Swiftech recommends using scissors (sharp ones) to cut
the tubes, as you'll want as straight a cut as possible. The smaller
bundle of tubes are to be used during the fill and bleed process.
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You
also get plenty of tools, such as tube fittings, zip ties, screws,
a tube remover, and suction cups for the pump (if you need it).
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To
keep bacteria and corrosion to a minimum, there's also a 2 Oz
bottle HydrX™ extreme duty coolant. This, plus one litre of distilled
water (not included) are to be mixed before starting the fill
and bleed process.
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Although
there isn't really much to do, power tool wise, you will need
to cut a hole out to install the relay switch, A/C socket, and
stainless steel cover plate. Eveything is (very) well documented
in the instructions for the H20-8500. During the fill and bleed,
the relay switch is to be configured to be turned on when pluuged
into a wall outlet, but the beauty of this switch is once you're
done, it can be setup to power on when you turn on your PC.
NEXT
