The system is a piece of cake to setup thanks in main to the push fittings used on the majority of parts and I can't personally see any area here that would be of issue. I would have like to have seen some included hose clamps for the radiator pipes, but I've used a couple of zip ties with no problems. First thing you will need to do is decide where each of your parts will go in your system.
W&CC advise that the best cooling will be garnered by mounting the reservoir and radiator outside of the case, which makes obvious sense but the parts shouldn't prove too much of an effort to install into a large case (see here for examples). The radiator is the only item I can see being a pain in this respect as it is quite a good deal larger than the previous design measuring 190mm in height (including the inlet/outlet pipes), 130mm in width and 110mm in depth. Certainly not designed with small cases in mind.
Once you've got a rough idea of where you want everything to go, measure up your tubing and cut yourself the correct lengths. Now take everything away from the case and begin to build your system so you can test it for a few hours safely away from your computer. Using the supplied adaptors for the push fit connections, get your tubing installed and in the case of the radiators simply push the tubing over the pipes.
The supplied water bottle should be filled with 5% antifreeze, 95% distilled water mix which will facilitate easy filling of the reservoir. Plug in the pump and begin to fill the reservoir. You'll want to fill the reservoir until the water is about 1cm from the top and so that the return pipe is submerged (unless you want the soothing sounds of quiet bubbling). After a few minutes the air in the system will be expelled and you're ready to go. Once you're sure there are no leaks to be found, you can proceed to mount the system in your case.
Testing
Testing of the W&CC parts I have done in various configurations and compared the new design radiators with the old one. All temperatures were recorded after the system had been up and running for 48 hours, and at a room temperature of 26C, case temperatures of 29C. Idle temperatures were gathered after the computer had booted into Windows XP and sat idle for 15 minutes. Load temperatures were gathered by running Folding@Home for an hour.
All temperatures were recorded by a thermal probe (provided by ) mounted next to and touching the CPU/GPU core. All results were taken 6 times and averaged out to one result over a 48 hour period. For all the tests the case was left closed with the Radiator and Reservoir mounted externally. For comparison, the Coolermaster Aero 7 was used.
Test System: AMD Barton 2500+ @ 2.24 (11.5x195, 1.75v), Corsair TWINX1024-4000, MSI K7N2 Delta ILSR, Gainward GeForce 4 Ti4600 GS (315/730), Skyhawk Midi tower with 2 front intakes at half speed, one rear exhaust at full speed, PSU with 3 fans at full speed. Thermal paste of choice was Artic Silver Ceramique.
First of all we shall check the temperatures using just the CPU Block, and then add the GPU Block to the system after.
Definite improvement to be seen here when compared to the old style radiators and a very impressive full load that tops out at only 12C above room temperature with the Evercool fan at full speed. It did surprise me however to find no difference in the performance between the copper and the aluminium radiators. The new design radiators would both seem to handle load temperatures with a low speed fan more efficiently as well, which for those wanting to get a quiet system will be good news.
Comparing the numbers to the aircooling I have chosen for comparison we find a larger gap still, and at a louder noise level then the Evercool fan. Ok let's add the GPU Cooler into the mix with the Aluminium and Copper Radiators. To ensure a good load on both the GPU and CPU Folding@Home was left running in the background and Quake 3 set to a looped Timedemo.
Idle temperatures remain unaffected by the presence of an extra heat source, and load temperatures at the CPU only increase by 1C, with a maximum load that sits only 12C above room temperature.
The next set of temperatures are those recorded on the GeForce 4 Ti4600 GPU by the thermal probe stuck next to and touching the GPU core. The aluminium radiator was used throughout these tests. I've also used the W&CC Graphics block on the ATI All In Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro without any issues.
The GPU cooler designed by W&CC performs very well, facilitating a 5C drop in idle temperatures and a 9C drop in load temperatures over the stock cooling. The higher heat source and greater difference in temperatures here is most likely what leads to the 1C climb in CPU temperatures, but temperatures for the GPU and the CPU remain very low. Temperature drops take only about 30 seconds from full load temps to idle temps regardless of system setup.
Also of note is the noise level; I never realised just how loud the standard aircooler for the GPU actually is until it wasn't there anymore. Coupled with the CPU cooler, and some form of speed control for the fan on the radiator, this can make for a very quiet system indeed.
Personally my system is running 24/7 in my bedroom so silence is something that I want, and using the W&CC has brought to light other items in my system that I would like to quieten down, the main one being the Northbridge fan (W&CC are working on a block for this too). The main test of course is the significant other test, and my wife is the kind of person who doesn't usually pick up on the changes in sound from my system, but even she commented on how quiet it is now; significant other test successful!
Final Words
W&CC are not a major company that have unlimited resources, but what they do have here is a solid product. The only real negative comments I can make is that the radiators no longer have the push fit connectors, which whilst not being a problem would certainly make the whole installation procedure quicker and easier. It does however make them more compatible with various systems that can make use of 10mm ID tubing but zip ties or worm/jubilee clips should have been provided just as a precaution. Also the new larger size of the radiator will make installation in a small case difficult but the best temperatures will be gained by mounting the radiator and reservoir externally anyway.
The kit includes everything you need to get started and even goes so far as to include a directional water bottle to fill the system with. The clamping system for the CPU cooler is simplicity itself, and W&CC cater for both AMD styles (with and without motherboard mounting holes) as well P4 systems. All of the metals are anodized to make them inert so no worries about the battery effect.
The main gripe that I had with the previous kit was the included fan which was by no stretch of the imagination quiet. Now W&CC include the Evercool fan with only 30dB of noise, users would probably be more than happy enough to run the fan at full speed and not worry about the noise levels. Couple this with the reduction in noise afforded by the GPU cooler and you will dramatically decrease the noise levels from your average air cooled rig.
Visually, the radiator will need painting as the galvanised steel isn't that great to look at, it might be nice if it was also highly polished to match the clamps for the CPU cooler. Speaking of which the polished clamps give off a nice, high quality, industrial look with a neutral colouring that should match any case easily enough. The GPU cooler is another item that looks good, and it's a real shame it isn't often seen (being below the graphics card); it's something that deserves to be shown off.
One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the companies after sales support, but I'm in the position that I have been following this company for a year now and W&CC have shown themselves to be trustworthy in that respect. They have their own forums and are quick to answer any problems, questions or requests a user may have which can often be lacking from smaller companies.
Price wise the kit is good value at under £145, but note that this price doesn't include the GPU Cooler. I'm personally very happy with the kit and believe that anyone who is looking for a great performing watercooling kit that's easy to install should give these guys a look. If you're just looking for parts of the kit, W&CC sell the items separately, and there is also a double size radiator available. Highly recommended.
Pros: Great performance, Very quiet, Easy to setup, Good looking and unique coolers, A complete kit bar the water, push fit connectors, not tied down to one case and can be moved from system to system as you upgrade.
Cons: Radiator will require painting for show cases, No push fit connectors on the radiator.
Bottom Line: If you're in the UK and looking for a watercooling system that is quiet and efficient, then the Kit should be on your short list. Don't be put off by the companies size, this is a solid product that performs. If you have any further questions or comments, be sure to hit us up in the Forums.
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