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The £3000 Custom Loop PC – with Corsair Hydro-X and AMD 3950X!

Packaging for all these new products follows the Corsair tradition of a black and yellow theme. All outer packaging is relatively thin cardboard, inside the XC7, XD5 and XD3 box, the contents are protected with foam or plastic and the individual QL Fans are separated by additional cardboard internal packaging inside the multi-pack box.

Corsair Hydro-X XC7 RGB White CPU Block

 

Included with the XC7 RGB White CPU block is mounting hardware to install the block on either Intel 115x or AMD AM4 platforms, this consists of a universal backplate and upper mounting bracket for both platforms as well as a bag of standoffs, washers, springs and thumbscrews.

Installation of the CPU block uses a very similar method to an Asetek system, with an upper mounting bracket that is rotated into position and then locks in place with a series of hooks. Standoffs are screwed to a backplate that the CPU block upper bracket locates on and is held in position via thumbscrews with springs to provide the correct tension.

The base of the CPU block features a large circular nickel-plated copper thermal transfer plate with over 60 micro-skived fins and comes with a thermal compound coating from the factory to ease installation. From the underside, an RGB cable is visible that can connect to a Corsair Commander Pro module to control RGB lighting effects.

At the top of the XC7 CPU block is where the only change from the original is noticeable. A white plastic top cover with a Corsair logo replaces the black of the original, there is a transparent water chamber illuminated with RGB lighting and standard G1/4-inch fittings are used for the water inlet and outlet ports.

Corsair Hydro-X XD5 RGB White Pump/Reservoir

In the box with the XD5 RGB White is a two-piece bracket system for mounting the pump/reservoir on 120/140mm fan locations or on a radiator. There are various screws, washers, nuts and thumbscrews to assemble the bracket, a 24-pin power adaptor to allow the pump to be powered on without powering up the whole system, a few G1/4-inch blanking plugs and a coolant temperature sensor with a G1/4-inch thread.

There are a total of six G1/4-inch ports on the XD5, two at the top – one of these can be used as an inlet port and the other as a fill port, at the base there is a single outlet and three ports that can be used as inlets, drain or for the coolant temperature sensor.

The XD5 is equipped with a genuine Xylem D5 pump which is regarded as being reliable and offers high performance. Also, at the base of the pump are rubberised mounting feet to reduce noise caused by vibration, as well as Molex power and a 4-pin PWM speed control cable for the pump.

Just like the XC7 RGB White CPU block, the XD5 has been treated to an aesthetic update with a new white section that houses the G1/4 ports at the bottom and top of the reservoir. The top cover also includes a Corsair logo with a total of ten individually addressable RGB LEDs that illuminate the reservoir.

Integrated RGB lighting of the XD5 connects to the Corsair Commander Pro unit in the same way as the XC7 CPU block with a proprietary connector, there is also a daisy chain cable to loop in other Corsair RGB products which makes cable management a little easier.

The reservoir of the XD5 RGB White is manufactured from acrylic material and holds a maximum water capacity of 330ml. The integrated D5 pump has a maximum speed of 4800RPM, a flow rate of 800L/h at 2.1m pressure head and power is provided via Molex connector with an additional 4-pin fan connector for PWM speed control..

Corsair XD3 RGB Pump/Reservoir Combo

The XD3 RGB is an entirely new product designed to improve the compatibility of custom water cooling systems with small form factor chassis. Included with the XD3 RGB are mounting brackets for 120mm or 140mm fan locations, screws, washers nuts and thumbscrews for assembly, a 24-pin power adaptor, coolant temperature sensor and G1/4-inch blanking plugs with a plug tool.

At the rear of the XD3 RGB is a Xylem DDC PWM pump with a speed rating of 4800RPM and a maximum flow rate of 380L/h at 2.1m pressure head, as well as a Molex power cable, 4-pin PWM speed control cable, a Corsair proprietary RGB cable/RGB daisy chain cable and rubberised mountings with brass inserts.

XD3 RGB has a total of six G1/4-inch ports – two on the front and two at the sides can be used as inlet/outlet ports, one on the top could be used as a fill port and the bottom port can be used as either a drain or to install the included coolant temperature sensor.

The unit is primarily constructed from plastic with a smooth black finish. A transparent water chamber with 180ml capacity has a similar appearance to the XC7 water block and is illuminated with RGB lighting when the system is powered up, along with a corsair logo at the bottom.

Corsair QL120 RGB Fans

Corsair’s new QL series fans are possibly the best-looking fans I have ever seen. Bundled with the 120mm three packs is a Lighting Node Core RGB hub and twelve screws for mounting the fans inside a case. The Hub is powered by a SATA connector and there is a USB cable for connecting with a motherboard USB header to control RGB lighting via the Corsair iCUE software.

The QL fan frame is white with black anti-vibration rubber on all four corners, an outer ring and the nine fans blades are manufactured from an opaque white plastic which is illuminated with RGB lighting. The central fan hub is equipped with a  Corsair logo on a silver background.

QL120 RGB fans have a speed range of 525 – 1500 RPM adjustable via 4-pin PWM connectivity, a max noise level of 26 dBA and a maximum airflow of 41.8 CFM. Maximum static pressure at 12V is 1.55mm-H2O so maybe they are not best suited to the use on radiators if raw performance is required, but they are ideal for using as system fans.

 

A total of four RGB lighting zones are applied to the QL series fans. The outer ring on both the front and the back of the fan, the fan blades/hub and the rear hub ring are all illuminated with RGB lighting. The design and illumination at the rear of the means the QL series isn’t a bad looker even when the rear is showing inside the system, unlike many other fans on the market that don’t look so great in this orientation.

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