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Today for installation, we are highlighting images showing the installation on a Gigabyte X58 Assassin motherboard and Asus Rampage III Black Edition.
The Assassin motherboard is one of the finest products we have reviewed this year, and is a worthy partner for a liquid cooling system, especially as the overclocking options are so comprehensive and detailed.
The adhesive backplate is attached without problem and four metal bolts are passed through to the front of the board. There are a possible twelve positions as can be seen in the images above. This is to cater for various slot sizes.
As we are using an Intel 1366 motherboard, the blue offset clips are used with the retaining mount system, as seen above. This retaining ring should be left in a loose position so the main cooling head can be inserted under it and then rotated into a locking position. This is a very similar method to the Corsair H50 and H70 coolers of yesteryear. It is a little fiddly, but doesn't really cause any issues.
This fan is then attached into the 120mm location. Antec recommend the fan is locked into an exhaust position so warm air is expelled from within, keeping the traditional air flow mechanic in place. As some of you may remember, Corsair wanted the H50 and H70 fans to be mounted in an intake position, therefore pulling in cool air over the radiator. The idea was fine in theory, but we didn't think it worked well within the typical airflow of a normal chassis design.
When the radiator is fixed then the cooling head can be twisted into position underneath the retention block. When completed, then the four screws can be tightened to maintain good clamping pressure.
Installation took about 15 minutes the first time, but would take less on subsequent reinstalls.
very good cooler, but the 620 seems better value, its under 40 quid.
That looks like my next cooler ! The D14 is great, but its a nightmare for moving things once I system is built. Cant get access to memory with it in 🙁
Reviews ive read say this is pretty much as good as it gets. Im interested myself, as my current cooler is very loud. id like this on the quiet mode.
The only issue I have is the hoses they use can cause evaporation over a long period of time. the smaller metal style hoses stop this. I dont know why Antec have ditched them with Asetek.
What do you mean they cause evaporation?
They are using the older soft style hoses. when the water heats up and cools, there is slight evaporation. its not the best system. this is why some of the other coolers use the harder hoses, to stop this. its not just for appearance.
Read a few reviews of this last week and just ordered one today. I almost crapped myself when I saw a review here. I hate buying stuff that people say sucks, so thank god it was a good review.
@ Roger, why would Antec sell something thats worse than a previous design>? I think you must have the facts wrong.
First of all – thanks Kit Guru for a great review.
For the KG community – with regards to evaporation, Asetek did a considerable amount of testing on rubberized vs corrugated tubing and found there to be no impact on the longevity of the product when comparing the two. They address this in a recent blog post.
http://www.asetek.com/blog/243-questions-of-the-month-may-2011.html
If you’ve got any other questions, I’ll keep my eye on the thread.
Thanks jessie. Good info. I had read on forums that people were concerned about evaporation after a few years.
What is the rated life? Any ideas?
I like these, its like an evolution of the excellemt corsair designs.
I just ordered one in uk, noctua d14 is great but its too big
Is it possible to use better fans in this? Like high grade ones? How does the control system work?
My friend had a corsair unit and it was awesome, but it was a nightmare to fit. I dont like the locking system and the tight little tubes, not very flexible.
This is quite expensive compared to 620. The double sized radiator has added a lot of money. I love the software idea, coolits vantage was a stupid idea if you wanted to change settings.
Any plans for linux software?
@roger – In the same testing mentioned above, Asetek concluded that the KUHLER would last greater than 50,000 hours.
@Eric – you can use other fans if you like. Keep in mind that the thickness of the fans does matter. If you go with thicker fans, you’ll need longer screws. The control system will work the same, but the decibel data will be incrrect as it’s calculated for the included fans.
That is great looking. I might get one myself for the sandybridge system im building. I do like the D14 from Noctua, but the size has always put me off. I like getting access to the memory without having to remove the cooler.
I was using a Noctua U12P SE2 on my OC I7 930 (4ghz, 1.38v) and in hot summer days I kept hitting Max Temp (100!) under load (that’s with 3 case fans + 2 fans on the heatsink).
Replaced it by the Antec H20 920… and I am more than pleased. It does get a bit noisy under load, but CPU temp rarely goes above 80.