Koolance Water Blocks

Introduction:

   Once again, we have a familiar name in our water cooling arena who has had some extremely cool revisions hitting the market, everything from VID-400-L06 VGA Coolers, revisions that work with Geforce 7950 GTX, and new Quick Disconnect Valves. Koolance is very wise in taking their very successful products and improving upon them. Quick Disconnect Valves are among the easiest and best components to use since they don't leak when you disconnect a hose.

   Before we could revel in the opportunity to review a brand new product that extreme users will appreciate, Koolance was in the midst of releasing yet another water cooling system, the ERM-3K4U5, which breaks in to a whole world of possibilities. Today, we will be installing and getting a closer look at their infamous 1KW cooling system mounted externally as the EHX 1050SL with the very much improved RP-1000SL Reservoir and Pump that has so many features, it almost belongs some place other than a computer, such as the space shuttle.

EHX 1050SK Water Cooling Kit

Impressions:

   The EHX 1050SL Water Cooling Kit is a beautiful brushed aluminum kit which also comes in black. The kit is primarily intended for mounting by hinges on the back of the computer case or chassis. On hinges, you say? Yes, nice quality chrome finished hinges that are fully adjustable and ensure there is enough space between the case and triple radiator to attach wires and such. If hinges don't provide the look you want, the EHX can also be mounted on top of the case similar to the Exos 2 with a little modifying.

EHX 1050

Liquid Coolant

RP-1000SL

Quick Connectors

The differences between the Exos 2 and the EHX are mainly 1KW dissipation, improved pump, and an enclosed triple fan radiator that can be modified. The EHX radiator is actually enclosed in a finished aluminum chassis which makes it ideal for external or partial internal mounting. The Exos 2 is limited to top mounting mainly and can't be taken apart or separated or you would have an uncased unit, not to mention a voided warranty. The EHX however, can be mounted externally on top as well without significantly having to cut in to or modify your case. Simply put, the EHX can be integrated in most any fashion you see fit.

Brushed Aluminum	Triple 12cm Fan	Radiator Back
Single Fan Wire	Barbs	Barb Bolts

Another great feature with the EHX is Quick-Connect tubing connectors integrated in to a PCI mountable coupler. Quick Connectors are some of the latest water cooling attachments being used by Koolance and Zalman. These are by far the nicest methods of connections for very simple reasons. The first reason is if you want or have to service the radiator or system for whatever reason, water will NOT come out of the tubing when you disconnect the Quick Connectors, aside from a couple drops outside the case. So, integrating or changing system configurations will be a snap. No more having to drain the system to service it.
 

Hinge Pole	Hinge Hardware	IO Quick Connector
Splitters	Plenty of Tubing	Non-Kink Tubing

The EHX kit uses very simple parts to mount to the case side that doesn't open. The hinge hardware consists of seven main pieces that provide more than sufficient strength to secure the radiator: one hinge pole, two case mounted hinges, two EHX hinge plates, and two extension arms. These components are all fully adjustable which allows the EHX to be centered and mounted evenly for the best appearance and function. Each mounting hardware is made from very strong chrome components which is a nice touch in finishing off the final product.

RP-1000SL Box	The Unit	Reservoir
3 Temp Sensors	Barb Bolts	Brushed Aluminum

The RP-1000SL Reservoir and Pump unit is the silver unit in this test, but comes in a great looking black as well. The RP-1000 is configurable and capable of reporting temperatures from the three main water blocks used in most systems: CPU, Chipset, and VGA. The unit's pump speed can be manually adjusted on the back. There are also 2 fan power connectors on the back intended for the EHX tripe 12cm fan connector. If you look, you can see the ATX pass through power lead which if connected can auto power down the computer in the event sensor #1 (usually CPU block) reaches 3 degrees Celsius above the alarm stage. This can be very handy for users doing some extreme overclocking.