Installation:

Distilled water	Intel/AMD clips	Intel setup
AMD setup	Intel bracket installed	CPU bracket installed
Glued	Screwed	Plumbed

    I find it best to read over the manual several times to get a thorough understanding of the components and procedure for the install. Sometimes I will vary the install procedures, finding an easier way to go about things, but in this situation the manual was spot-on. First off, the Res XT must sit on the same level or SLIGHTLY higher than the enclosure. One unit cannot be on the floor and the other on a desk; this will result in improper coolant flow.

Hose seated	Clipped	Coolant flowing
Meter spinning	Fan speed	Fahrenheit
Celsius	Flow indicator	Temps after running

    For the rest of the install, follow the instructions in the manual; they are very thorough and I would just be repeating them if I attempted to explain them here. Also, if you are installing more than just a CPU water block, the instruction manual gives detail step-by-step instructions for installing a chipset, RAM, and VGA water blocks. Told ya it was thorough!

Testing:

    Testing was done on my dual P4 E6850 rig using the SST TJ-10 enclosure. The install of the Res XT was done according to the manual, and the gear used for testing is listed below. Before I applied power to the computer, I let the Res XT run for at least 30 minutes. This does two things: one - check for leaks, and two - get as much air out of the lines as possible.

TEST GEAR:

• Abit IP35 Pro Motherboard

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 (3.0GHz)

• Crucial 2x1GB Ballistix Tracer PC2-8500 Memory

• ASUS EAX1950PRO Graphics card

• WD 80GB SATA II HDD

• LiteOn DVD-RW

• KWI Absolute Power ABT-600CW Power Supply

    For testing, BurnInTest Ver4.0 and Prime95 was used, running a total of three tests in a sequence of ON for one hour at 100% CPU load, then OFF for 30 minutes to cool. The temps are collected and an average temp is calculated.

Conclusion:

    The Zalman Reserator XT was one of the easiest water cooling rigs I have set up to date. The internal reservoir easily holds just over 1 liter of coolant, and removing air from the internal lines and pumps are key. Remember when I said I let the Res XT run for about 30 minutes before I powered up the system? Well, about 10 minutes into run, the pump changed speeds and the flow indicator slowed down. The next thing I heard was a bunch of air moving around internally, and then saw the bubbles in the flow gauge. Basically, the Res XT burped and once that happened the flow needle held steady. After another 20 minutes, I felt the system had been fully burped and was ready to test.

    Once everything was air-free and all the normal connections were made, I fired the system and it was oddly quiet - which made me nervous. Knowing that a quiet system can lead to a fried CPU, I was nervously and constantly checking the temperature by touching the water block. Thankfully, everything was working fine and kept the CPU cool. And cool it was: the water temperature passing through the CPU and back into the reservoir stayed around the same temperature as the room temperature. This is how a water cooling system is supposed to work: the temperatures of the CPU should be at ambient room or just a few degrees above it.

    The Zalman Reserator XT is a top-notch water cooling system that can be expanded to the needs of the individual user with a host of additional water blocks. If you are looking to cool with water and want a quiet computer, then drop the coin for the Reserator XT - you will not be disappointed. I would like to thank Zalman and Sharka Computers for sending this unit out for VH to review.

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