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CoolWave Stormcool III
We sure have been getting a lot of new items for cooling that use water
instead of air. The best thing about it is that the overclockers get to reap the
benefits of these affordable and user friendly systems. There is a dilemma
however... Some of these systems are barely better than air cooling, with the
exception of the Poseidon WCL-03, most of the
complete systems we've reviewed deserve some worthy praise. Ever since the debut
of the Koolance system I have personally seen water cooling be so much of the
mainstream PC cooling market which is very impressive. Sure we have our Danger
Den, PolarFLO, and Swiftech fans out there, but what about the new guy that just
wants an alternative to air-cooling. Besides one of the key benefits to cooling
with water other than the overclocking aspect is the reduced amount of noise.
Well a new addition to the number of water cooling kit reviews comes the
Stormcool III from Coolwave, which from the looks of it seems like a pretty good
product, so lets dive in and see what it can offer you...
Features
"Big Radiator---------Exhausts large volume heat"
"Universal -----------------------DC 12V fan & Pump"
"12CM Fan ---------- Big and silent for good performance"
Copper Block Intercooler
The Copper Block Intercooler covers the CPU and exchanges heat between the CPU
and the AnyCool system.
High Capability Clips (Socket 478/370/462)
Different clips for different sockets.
VGA Copper Block
Water heated by the CPU passes through the Copper fins of the radiator, allowing
heat to exit the case and cool water to flow back to the water tank.
North bridge Copper Block
Water heated by the CPU passes through the Copper fins of the radiator, allowing
heat to exit the case and cool water to flow back to the water tank.
Radiator(12CM FAN)
Water heated by the CPU passes through the Copper fins of the radiator, allowing
heat to exit the case and cool water to flow back to the water tank.
As you can see the Stormcool III is a very complete kit that
meets all your cooling needs for approx $100!! You even get some paste!
The hardware included consists of all the mounting brackets,
some double sided tape bracketry for mounting the pump and organizing the hoses,
and some double sided tape to mount the pump. Did I mention instructions? Yup
they're in there too...
Ack!! Kind of a shoddy radiator but it exhibited no leaks and
has lots of surface area which is a good thing for us overclockers... The
radiator mounts into any 120mm slot (usually in the front of a case)...
A total of three waterblocks are included with the Stormcool
III which makes it a real bargain considering there is no other complete system
out there under $100 with three blocks.. The Kingwin kit we tested awhile back
has a VGA block but nothing for the northbridge. Notice that the Stormcool also
comes pre-charged with coolant, and has the traditional style of hose clamps
which make me feel more comfortable with since its a inside case system.
The northbridge block is pretty straightforward in design but
its a proven design that even though it is very basic it has proven to work.
This design dates back to around 1999 when water cooling with blocks consisted of
a block with three holes drilled into it. Of course water block design has
improved a lot, but the elaborate designs also add to the expense which this kit
is not...
Mush like the northbridge block, the VGA block is basically
the same but a tad bit bigger. All three of the blocks could use a good
lapping... The solid one piece design also has its merits in that it won't leak
through the block...
The CPU block is just like the others, but once again its
bigger. The only question is, "will it cool our 3.0Ghz Prescott?"
The pump is also fairly basic, but its simple and small design
allows for a very compact water cooling arrangement... It is powered and
circuited with your power supply...
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