Navigate: Advice Beginners BIOS Guide CPUs Links Mainboards Memory Network Storage Video/Sound Cards Contact Forum SiteMap Sponsors Home PC Hardware from Made-in-China.com Search: Enter your search terms   Web www.lostcircuits.com Submit search form	.
Prices:

Once the system was set up we proceeded to torture our Prescott by pushing the setup to it’s limits. As a baseline for comparison sake, we will give some numbers and data of the same CPU and motherboard on air.

Core temperatures as shown by ASUS Temp Probe. Keep in mind that the absolute scale of values may not be caligrated correctly but that, on a relative basis, the comparative data are valid. Ambient RT is given in the dark blue bars, idle temperature in light blue and full load temperatures in red.

      

Looking at the data, it’s clear the Alphacool XP kit did an excellent job of keeping a “by default” hot processor below thermal runaway temperatures. What I would also like to point out is that the AlphaCool kit allows us to push the CPU frequency another 260MHz over the top stable* air result, with lower overall temps, and without ANY throttle.

I would like to state that I believe the Asus temp probe to be a bit skewed, and that my own personal feeling is that he CPU temps are not quite this high in reality. I think a bios update might be in order for the 600 series CPU line, as I have heard other people having similar temp reading with otherwise stable and relatively cool systems.

Conclusion

I had originally intended to put this article out over one month ago. However due to other reviews I had pending, this write-up got pushed back. There is one positive that has arisen out of this delay, and that would be the day to day functionality and dependability that this kit has displayed with trudging through the monotony of hours long benchmarking sessions, and the anxiety of motherboard upgrades. As you will notice, the original setup pics include pictures of the Asus P5AD2-E Premium motherboard that has since been swapped out for the newer P5WD2 Premium board. I was able to swap boards without breaking down the water circuit or any leaks developing. Previously, at least for me, this was an impossible chore with ½” diameter hoses and hose over barb connections.

Through all of my testing the Alhphacool XP kit has excelled and produced excellent cooling without any problems experienced. Furthermore, this setup produces very little noise, and at one point I hit the power button thinking the PC was off because it had gone into standby, and I didn’t see the power light on the case until after striking the button.

Certainly, low noise is a major benefit of water-cooling over air-cooling. Keep in mind that the argument about decreased noise of water-cooling is to be taken with a grain of salt, often I see posts of user setups that use high output 120 or two high output 120mm fans, which would increase noise in most cases over that of air-cooling. I don’t believe this kit to need much more fan in order to work well. I would say that a slightly higher cfm fan might lower the temps as I would see the heat rise from about 48C at load in about a 30min period up to 50-51C after that time, indicating to me some heat soak. However, as this kit sits, it is neary silent, with my X700pro making more noise than the radiator fan or the pump.

What really amazes me is that the Alhpacool XP was able to remain relatively cool despite the excessive heat output of our Prescott P4, a low output (almost barely perceptible) 120mm fan, and what most users of traditional water-cooling would consider to be a weaker pump. Temperatures were vastly improved over OEM cooling, which is not surprising. Overclocking improved by over 200MHz, making the CPU equivalent to a P4 660, which by itself more than offsets the price of the cooler

Without reservation, I can say that anyone who seeks excellent cooling, little noise, and excellent craftsmanship, should look no further than Alphacool for his or her watercooling needs.

Editor's Note

I have used a Swiftech QPower as a Dual CPU setup running two notoriously hot Palomino-based Athlon MPs for over two years now straight without running into any problem whatsoever. Watercooling has come a long way since we started playing with it in ca. 1998 and it has matured into a viable alternative to air cooling to the point where many case manufacturers already optionally outfit their cases with radiators.

next page:    => Performance =>

All advice and educational articles on LostCircuits are free, but if you feel you can, please make a small donation to us!
Thank you!