Installation:

   Mounting the radiator followed suit requiring a mere four standoffs and screws. First, the 12cm internal case fan had to be removed which is just fine since the goal is for a more silent operation. After the system was finished testing with the single 12cm fan, in order to use two 12cm fans, two longer screws were pushed through the screw holes in the back of the case, through the 12cm fan, and screwed in to the radiator housing screw holes.

Mounted Radiator

Angle View

Ready for Tubing

Second Fan Setup

   The Pump and Reservoir Assembly was easy to mount as it was just set on top of the case. Attaching the tubing once it was cut, went on easily with a little lubrication. Just make sure if you mount the blocks first that you keep the blocks stable while attaching the tubing. This time around the GPU block was removed and then the tubing was attached as a precaution against damage. Then the block was reattached being careful not to kink the tubing when installing. The ring nuts were only hand tightened throughout the system.

Set and Done

Connecting Tubing

Careful Not to Kink

   Finally, the PCI access plate was attached so I would have a clean slot for my fan and pump wiring, and also any tubing going in and out of the case. At this point, the reservoir was filled and kept filled while the pump was turned on. The system primed in no time thanks to the strong Hydor Pump. The kit was left on for about 2 hours which revealed no leaks or problems. Finally, all the power was reconnected for powering on and testing.

Testing:
 

Test Notes: Room and distilled water temperatures were kept to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Additives were not added due to the short use of the water cooling system and to eliminate any possible performance hindrances.

   The chipset block brought a bit of a surprise for the SLI Chipset it sits on. The copper block construction of the chipset is constructed well enough that it easily does the job being cooled only by the single 12cm radiator. The GPU block is constructed the very same way, but is smaller in comparison to some of the other VGA blocks. The GPU processors tend to get much hotter than any chipset block, especially in an overclocked system. If this block had a larger copper base and more height to allow more turbulent water in and out, it would easily remove another couple degrees. Aside from this, the size of the block still does very well.

Very Neat

Clean Compact Fit

   The CPU block could basically benefit from the same exact improvements: a little more depth to allow more water to flow through and it would be a vast improvement. Couple these small changes with a dual 12cm fan radiator and this kit, dare I say, would easily become an extreme user's pride and joy.

   If you've read this far and understand the physics of the water cooling system, then you already know what particular component is keeping this system from really performing the way it can. The radiator has only a single 12cm stock, but with two 12cm fans it improves performance just a bit. Switching out to a faster fan performed the same as having two silent 12cm fans. Basically, if this system were given an extra 12cm radiator, or switched to a dual 12cm radiator, temperatures would undoubtedly be much lower. Unfortunately, the water can't be thoroughly cooled quick enough, so the temperatures increase.

Red Only	Blue Mixes In	Purple Glow
Red Fades	Red Almost Gone	Fully Blue

   At first the pump platform looked as though you were stuck with it. In fact, you can remove the platform base from the pump and reservoir in the event you wanted to configure the system differently. This would also allow you to leave the LEDs that come mounted in the platform.

   For the purpose of the review, I opted to leave the system completely intact to keep the testing official. The LEDs do add a cool affect that gives the appearance of a computer mod. You can also add UV dyes if you really want to show it off.


Summary:

   The Vantec Stingray does surprisingly well for a single 12cm radiator water cooled system. It is also what keeps the Stingray from really performing as it easily could do much better with a dual 12cm radiator. While it's a shame it doesn't currently come with one, you can bet Vantec is improving their product. At it's current price, it would still be quite affordable to pick up a dual radiator for around $40 to $60 depending on its properties and features.

   We'd like to thank FrozenCPU for sending the Vantec Stingray. It would have been a shame to leave out this little gem of a water cooling Kit. The four well constructed water blocks, quality of the components, and cost factor, make the Vantec Stingray a very attractive thermal solution for keeping your system cool, quiet, and neat.