Installation

CoolIT markets their latest CPU cooler as one that is very easy to install.  I personally think that statement is twofold, as it really does depend on the system you are installing it in.  With that said, before I cover installation, it is important to note that the Domino A.L.C. ships ready for install on the latest LGA 1366 systems.  If you plan on installing it on any of the other supported systems, installation can be quite a time-consuming task.  This review is one example, as this product is being tested on a high-end LGA 775 system.

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Unfortunately, if installing on a LGA 775 or AM2/AM2+ system, you'll have to install the corresponding backplate provided.  What does that mean?  Well, you'll need to go through all the trouble of actually removing the motherboard completely.  That's exactly what I needed to do and that's OK, because this system was taken apart several times in order to mount two other similar products for a good comparison on performance.  Frustrations aside, the backplate does have double-sided mounting tape that will aid in the install.

In this article, I will be focusing on the more popular LGA 775 socket and if you plan on using this cooler in such a setup, there's some additional steps you'll need to take.  First off, the retention bracket needs to be slightly adjusted to support this socket type.  In order to do so, you'll first need to remove the four "C" clips in order to move the mounting screws and springs into its supported position.  Second, although the install guide is actually pretty good and does have good pics to make install easy, this is one area where they could have added one or two more simple pics to help and not leave many quite puzzled and frustrated.  With that said, I'll try and make it a bit clearer with the aid of the three pictures above.  The "C" clips they are referring to are circled in red on the middle pic above.  Once you remove them, the screws and springs will fall off, allowing you to position them in the second, inner slot.  However, in order to keep them in place, you'll need to get those "C" clips back in place.  Not only do they fail to mention this, but snapping them back in is honestly a real pain in the a**.  Anyways, once you are done, all four retention screws should be held in place freely, providing a much quicker and trouble-free install.

I've personally installed many of these already and find it quite simple.  However, for the first-timer, getting that FHE mounted properly can seem quite challenging.  It really isn't though and if there is one area in the install where CoolIT has always got it right, it is certainly this one.  Regardless of which case you mount it on, your main goal is to "rest" the unit in the proper position so that you can work with the block.  As clearly emphasized on the install guide and on the pic to left above, you'll want to rest the unit on the side of your chassis as shown here and have a screwdriver handy to mount to secure it to your CPU.  I recommend you start by tightening two opposite ends and then work with all until you feel comfortable enough that it is secure.  Unlike some other similar products, this one actually is designed to prevent over-tightening, leading to possible hardware damage.  In short, you'll "know" when it is properly mounted.

The next install feature is another one of those I don't know if I love or hate.  The fan mounts are certainly quite unique and unlike any other product I have seen.  Forget screws, the Domino has rubber mounts already in place for convenience and are circled in red on the pic to the right above.  While it is fairly simple to mount using this method, I found that the unit is just not flush or tight enough.  Also, don't be afraid of pulling hard on them as instructed.  That's the only way you'll get them to "lock" in place and I personally did not encounter any issues at all with them.

Finally, some shots with the unit fully installed.  What I personally find is one of its main design features is the fact that it is light and compact enough to support just about any setup.  This includes significantly smaller enclosures than the one featured in this review.  The only somewhat tight fit is the width, and I found this is the same, regardless of whether you are installing on a spacious full-tower like the excellent Silverstone Temjin TJ10, Silverstone Kublai KL01 or SIGMA Luna Mid-Tower.  I installed this cooler on all three and did not encounter any issues at all.  As long as you have an enclosure with one or two 120mm rear exhaust fans, you should not have any issues at all installing this cooler.  Unfortunately, unlike some of their other products that somewhat "adapt" to enclosures with smaller fans, you must have a 120mm fan mount on the rear in order to get this cooler installed. 

Performance

There's lot's I want to cover in this important section and before I get to the very extensive tests regarding its performance, I would first like to appropriately start with its excellent control unit and LCD display.  As a fan of CoolIT that still owns one of their excellent coolers, I was pleasantly surprised with the addition of a built-in control module and display.  Unlike their previous products, this one is extremely easy to manage and customize.

The Domino has three user-selectable modes that can be switched with a simple touch of a button located on the unit itself.  Above are three custom pictures of the display taken in all three modes and after system was idle for at least one hour.  I played with all three modes for quite some time, perhaps a bit too much.  Anyways, what I was trying to confirm was the operational state of each.  The bottom line is that each mode mainly plays a role in overall fan speed.  However, I can confirm that the pump speeds are also slightly impacted.  Basically, you are looking at higher fan speeds and lower pump speeds as you set it to a higher mode.

There are quite a few extra features here as well.  The small display is quite nice and provides important information regarding its hardware performance.  There's also a built-in temp sensor, but is one I personally tend to ignore with such products.  They are unreliable and always highly inaccurate.  However, the display does have both visual and audible alerts.  I'm not a fan of audible alerts, but it is always nice to have this feature I guess.

The next important thing I'd like to cover before I show you the results is both the hardware used and the testing methodology taken to ensure the most accurate results.

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I decided to not only provide results of this product alone, but also take the time to install and test two other similar products for a pretty nice comparison.  One of these is clearly in another level in terms of performance and the other is more inline with this particular release from CoolIT.  Anyways, the first product is their very own Freezone reviewed here.  This unit is so damn impressive, that I actually still use it on my main high-end rig.  The other product is the Koolance Aquian, an excellent choice for a comparison. 

Now, there's something very important to note regarding the new CoolIT Domino A.L.C.  Those who have followed the company closely know that their self-contained coolers are unlike any other product, as they take cooling to another level by implementing TEC's and liquid to actually "chill" the water.  Upon first glance, you may think their latest offers the same features.  The answer is no.  This product was designed for a different kind of user, primarily as an inexpensive alternative to their other higher-end products.  Take away the thermoelectric coolers, and that's what the Domino is.  I just wanted to make that very clear before showing you the extensive tests and comparisons below.

Testing Methodology

When it comes to evaluating products such as the Domino, it is important to provide clear details on both hardware and testing utilities and methods.  First off, all three products were tested on a high-end Intel Quad Core system with the following detailed specs...

Important Note:  The processor featured in this test system is one of the most popular CPU's ever released from Intel, the Q6600 with G0 Stepping.  This remarkable Quad-Core processor runs significantly cooler than any other Quad processor I have personally used and/or tested.  Please keep that in mind.

Their new Domino, along with the other two products featured here, where tested both at stock and MaxOC.  The maximum OC speed was the highest possible stable overclock without voltage adjustments on the processor.  With that said, the results shown are both at 2.4GHz and 3.3GHz clock speeds. 

As far as the testing utility of choice, I like to use none other than the latest build of Core Temp.  This is an excellent and highly recommend temp monitoring utility for those who run Quad Core processors.  As far as the method used, I enabled logging capabilities and captured both the average temperature and average high temperature of all four cores.  To confirm numbers were reliable, some surface temps were captured with the excellent and highly accurate ThermoHawk 200.  Please note that the ambient temperature throughout all test was a very modest 73ºF.

To load the system, Sisoftware's SANDRA 2009 SP2 was used.  I don't like to use any other tool to "burn-in" the system, as I strongly feel they are all a bit excessive when it comes to truly testing "normal" stability.  Finally, the CoolIT Domino has three modes that can easily be set with a touch of a button.  They include:  Quiet, Performance and Full.  Upon evaluation, I quickly found that the temp readings between Quiet and Performance were practically identical.  Considering the additional products thrown into the mix, it did not make sense to provide all three and therefore, only readings in "Quiet" and "Full" were captured.  As far as the Freezone goes, it was thrown into the mix at its maximum performance adjusted via its potentiometer.

The results here made plenty of sense and I found them highly credible, considering the Domino in Quiet Mode vs. Full Mode showed the same 1º difference both from its built-in sensor and the Thermohawk 200.  It's not much difference and when you factor in just how noisy the fan is in Full Mode, may not justify a change under normal use.  As expected, their very own Freezone is clearly in a whole other level in comparison.  However, when compared to the older but similar Aquian, it did perform much better.  Keep in mind that the Aquian has a significantly larger radiator and overall footprint.

At maximum OC, the Domino did manage to very briefly hit 50ºC but in Quiet Mode.  At Full mode with this cool-running processor, it managed to easily stay below it.  It also managed to maintain higher overall performance when compared to the Koolance Aquian.  Obviously, no match once again against the Freezone.

Next: Conclusions