Model:  PC4-1025BK

Manufacturer:  Koolance

Provider: PCPowerZone

Reviewed By:  Miguel

Review Date:  04/30/06

    Thanks to one of our best and most reliable sponsors, I've had the ultimate pleasure of taking a thorough look at a number of Koolance products over the past couple of years, including their water-cooled cases and internal kits.  What I particularly liked, was that Koolance does take note of each review in order to improve their product.  This has been the case in the past and they have managed to address almost all of what I did not particularly like.  But is this the case with their latest product?  Well, most may not be aware of yet, but Koolance has just released their next gen watercooled chassis that not only is said to boosts cooling performance, but does have some interesting changes that may or may not please a majority.  I have the pleasure of looking at one of the cases in their new product line, the PC4-1025.  Is their latest flagship product really worth the high price tag?  Let's take a thorough look and see...

Packaging & Contents

First off, it is important to note that PCPowerZone does ship the case double-boxed.  Considering all the issues I have had in the past when it comes to shipping cases, it is important to find a supplier that does indeed ship this way in order to prevent damage during transit.  Trust me, it'll save you the time and trouble.  Shipping companies, particularly UPS, are quite unreliable.

Now, I can't say I was completely shocked when finding a Lian-Li box inside.  I did notice the design and after some research prior to arrival, figured out they chose Lian-Li for their case.  What did surprise me though, was that they even ship the case in the same Lian-Li box.  They do, however, slap on a Koolance sticker on the side and include a small box with their logo that has your extra tubing, fittings/adapters, instructions, PSU jumper and a bottle of blue dye coolant.  The bottle is a small but nice change from the coolant pack bundled with previous models.  The only thing missing was the small funnel, but after further examination, I found it is not needed.  The PC4-1025 series ships with a bottle instead of a coolant pack.  The bottle itself contains the funnel and Koolance provides the small tubing that connects to it for easy filling.  A small but nice touch.

Design - A quick glance

The new Koolance PC4-1025BK is actually a slightly modified version of the Lian-Li "V Cool" series, the PC-V1000.  This is a uniquely designed case that is also quite easy on the eyes.  The Lian-Li V Cool is not your standard ATX case and components are installed differently to offer three cooling zones.  The best way to describe this unique design is to take a look at the diagram from Lian-Li as follows:

The motherboard is installed differently and the PSU is located on the bottom of the chassis.  With the Koolance model, the very top 5.25" bay does sport the LED display, reservoir tank and pump.  Overall, I like the curvy design of this case and breaks out of the norm of a boxy design typically found these days.  Because of its unique motherboard mounting, the PCI slots are located on the top rear of the chassis.

Oddly though, this case does have a side window on the right side.  I don't particularly like this, but I got used to it after playing with it for a while now. 

Specifications

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