Installation

I will go over installation in detail considering I encountered a few issues (all my fault) that will help those who will be setting up one of these beauties up for the first time.

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I've noticed that not all review sites are testing this product with all blocks installed.  Therefore, based on requests from our readers, I will be testing the new PC3-720BK with all blocks installed.  This includes the new V10 CPU cooler from Koolance as well as two GPU/Chipset coolers and the new Hydra-Pak HD cooler. 

Let's begin by looking at the blocks themselves in detail.

The Koolance GPU-180-L06 block is designed to support a wide variety of video cards and motherboard chipsets.  Included with the bock are some installation instructions, mounting hardware and aluminum memory chip coolers.  The coolers themselves are rather small, but I will show you a bit later how you can still work with these.  What I've always liked about these particular blocks is the mirror-like base.  They are plated in 21K gold and no lapping is obviously required.

Considering the new Koolance PC3-720 features a larger 3/8" tubing, they have designed a new CPU water block to support it.  The new CPU-300-V10 has standard 3/8" fittings and is slightly larger than its predecessor.  The block also includes install instructions and mounting hardware, including tension screws for both Intel an AMD setups.  The base is once again as smooth as can be and plated in 21K gold.

Koolance has also added a new HD cooler to their product line.  The new HD-50-L06 hard drive cooler is much more cleverly designed.  It basically eliminates the need for thermal encapsulate required by previous Koolance hard drive coolers.  It was a bit of a disappointment though to see that they still went with 1/4" fittings.  However, I would like to note that this particular cooler can be a bit more difficult to install properly.  I'll explain why as we go through the detailed install process.  The cooler itself though is feather light and very well designed.

Video Card Chipset Install

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For this particular review, I will be using a new PowerColor Radeon 9800 256MB video card.  I mostly do plenty of video editing and not really a hardcore gamer, so this card will suit me just fine.  For all blocks, I will be substituting the included Koolance thermal compound with the excellent Arctic Silver 5. 

Taking apart a standard cooler on most Radeon video cards is a rather simple process.  All you will need is a pair of needle nose pliers to do it properly.  You will need to clean the core in order to remove any of the excess thermal compound present.  The absolute best way I've found to do this is with trusty WD-40 and some alcohol to follow.  The Koolance GPU-180-L06 includes everything you need to install this block properly on Radeon or nVidia video cards that have two mounting holes.  The block does include some video memory heatsinks, however, I found that these are really too small and would recommend doubling them up as demonstrated in the pic above.   This works great and looks quite good as well.  If you plan on purchasing two of these for both your video and chipset, you can use the included sinks to install in this fashion.

CPU Cooler Install

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Like their CPU-300-H06 cooler we previously showed you in our PC2-650 review, the new V10 cooler has two gaps on either side of the block to accommodate a temperature sensor.  It includes some special tape to attach the sensor to either side of the cooler.  Considering most motherboards will show some inaccurate readings with water coolers installed, this will help provide you with the absolute best temp readings.

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Speaking of temp sensors, the new PC3-720 now has three temp sensors, all of which can be monitored by the excellent new temperature LED display.

Included with the case are two splitters required if you will be installing additional blocks in your system.  A minor but rather nice finding is that Koolance provides you with install screws that are individually labeled.  This is certainly quite helpful in order to get your system up and running quickly. 

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If you do invest in a rather expensive water-cooled system such as this, I can't stress just how important it is to use a high quality power supply.  I highly recommend you use a quality power supply rated at 450W or above.  For this review, I will be using what is probably the best power supply money can buy, the excellent fully-sleeved PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 510.

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PC Powerzone generously included a number of quality accessories to spice up this setup, all from one of our main sponsors, Logisys Computer.  This included two blue cold cathode lights and four blue LED 80mm fans.

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Unlike the previous PC2-650, the new PC3-720 features a removable motherboard tray.  This certainly does help with installation.  The tray is held in place by only two thumb screws and slides securely back into place with ease.

Pre-Install Recommendations

We all know that water and electrical components just don't mix well.  Therefore, it is highly recommend that that you dry run the system first to test for leaks, if any.  That is why Koolance provides a PSU jumper cable in the first place.  My recommendation is to lay the motherboard and video card to be used in the case to measure the tubing length.  Now, Koolance cases are designed to be very easy to install.  However, if you are installing more than one block on your system, this can be quite a project as I myself encountered.  The trick is to cut the tubes appropriately while avoided any creases in any of the tubing that may restrict water flow.  Take your time and do this properly.  It will certainly avoid any complications.  The coolant itself is also quite different than what was bundled with the PC2-650.  It is a nice deep blue in color as opposed to the less appealing greenish color.

I'm sure a majority will agree with me that the Western Digital 74GB Raptor is the best desktop hard drive on the market.  This drive is quite hot, both in terms of performance and operation.  Therefore, this will be the test subject in this particular setup.  Now, the main issue I encountered with the initial setup was with the new Hydra-Pak HD cooler.  Despite my recommendations regarding dry-running the system, I would make an exception with the hard drive cooler.  The problem that was overlooked here is that when filling the system without the hard drive installed, this particular cooler would fill to capacity, making it practically impossible to mount the drive to it.  I demonstrate this in the above pictures.  Hence its name, it is basically a special pack that fills and expands when too much coolant is added.  I had to go back and slightly drain the system in order to install the drive.  This will certainly help a majority of users who will be installing for the first time.

Now, when I went to install the 5.25" drives, I really thought the case was missing some parts...the drive rails.  I took out the front bezels and never bothered to look behind them.  Turns out the drive rails are cleverly attached to the back side of each front drive cover.  I personally love these.  Considering I'm constantly changing drives for reviews, this makes it incredibly easy to remove the drive from the chassis without having to remove both side panels.

Next: Final Install, Mods & Performance