Optional Accessories

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What most should keep in mind is that despite its high price tag, Koolance cases still do not include water blocks or hard drive/memory coolers.  They are all optional and would require a substantial amount of money to get all you need to watercool your entire system.

I would have liked Koolance to at least have introduced a new GPU block in conjunction with their new chassis.  Unfortunately, no new blocks have been released and all of the products used in my previous review were removed and tested along with this new chassis.  This includes one CPU-300-V10, two GPU-180-L06 GPU/Chipset blocks and one HD-50-L06 hard drive cooler.  If you would like detailed information and pictures on each of these, as well as some install tips, I'd suggest you refer to the installation portion of our PC3-720BK review.

Also, a big thanks to both PCPowerZone and Koolance for sending out extra mounting hardware.  Unfortunately, I had lost a couple of the GPU brackets and had to have them send over two new hardware kits.

Unlike previous reviews, I will be testing the Koolance PC4-1025 on two different platforms...an older 475P system tested with the PC3 series, and a high performance socket 939 system.  Let's take a look at the full specs of both systems...

Test System 1

Test System 2

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Now, between the two platforms, there is a substantial difference when it comes to heat from the GPU.  Most are not familiar with the Asus EAX1600XT SILENT because there was really only one source to buy this card from.  However, I chose this card because it was the only card in the ATI 1600XT series (at the time) to offer VIVO support.  Unlike a majority of others, this card features a noise-less cooling design, thanks to its fairly large heatpipe cooler.  For those who run this card, you know just how hot it really does get!  After just 15min of operation, the fins on the the opposite side of the card get extremely hot and you just can't keep your fingers on them.  In fact, I had to keep all cables away from the fins after finding the rounded IDE cables started to show very slight signs of burning after running it for just two weeks.  Needless to say, I found this was the perfect card to test along with this new Koolance system, despite the lack of a better GPU cooler and also because it happens to offer a core clock rate higher than most in its class.

Even if you have installed Koolance systems or any other water-cooled systems in the past, it is still a wise choice to test run the system without all your components installed.  In fact, that's why they even bother to include a PSU jumper cable to begin with.  This will ensure there are no leaks around the fittings or even some defective tubing that may cause leaks.  However, there is one major recommendation I do suggest that Koolance has still neglected to point out.  If you are running any of their systems with the HD-50-L06 hard drive cooler, I recommend you install the drive prior to filling the system.  The reason for this is because the coolant pack on the HD cooler will expand and will eventually cause you overfill the system, causing you to remove some of the coolant in order to mount the drive.  If you look at the second picture above, you'll see a shot of the actual coolant bottle on top of the case showing exactly how much coolant should be added to to this particular system in order for it to run properly and quietly. 

Now, as far as difficultly goes, that all depends on how many coolers you plan to install.  For example, if you install a total of four coolers (used here for testing), it can take you some time because you really have to measure, cut and install them properly.  You don't want tubing too long or too short either.  They may cause a bend in it that may restrict water flow.  I've installed these a few times already so the whole 4 block setup took me about 20 minutes.  The time it takes really depends on the number of coolers you will run with this system.

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At first, I wondered why they didn't include a small funnel that is usually bundled with their cases.  This is because the new PC4-1025 ships with a bottle rather than a coolant pack that has an easy pour nozzle right under the cap that attaches to the included tubing.  This not only makes filling the system easier, but also will allow you to save leftover coolant for refill later.  Again, this is a small but very nice change.

One thing I do not like about this chassis is the very limited room you have to work with.  The amount of room is roughly only the size of the motherboard itself.  Now, one very important thing to note, and something I really do not like, is that you will lose your last PCI slot.  This is because the radiator and fittings are in the way.  Not good!  However, at least Koolance does clearly state this on their specs.  You can see just what I mean by enlarging the image to your right above.  The standoffs and screws on the upper part of the board can be a hassle to mount as well.

Next: Performance & Final Shots