Installation

Before we get into installation, let's have a look at our test system specs for this review.

As with a majority, I'm not a fan of Intel Prescott processors or next generation PCI-E motherboards.  In my honest opinion, a select few 875P/865PE motherboards paired with a 2.8GHz Pentium processor are an overclocker's dream.  There's just no better setup, and is why both are extremely hard to come by, not to mention overpriced.  I decided on this particular setup in order to test maximum overclock.

Now, although it is capable of supporting multiple coolers, this is a unit I personally would not run with more than one or two blocks.  With that said, the unit was tested as shipped with only the CPU water block installed.  The manual, although quite thorough, is a bit misleading and not what I consider is the best method of installing this particular unit.  With that said, I will guide you through what I think is the most proper way of installing this kit.  I recommend this method after running into a slight, but serious issue after installation.

The most critical and time consuming part of installing any water cooling kit is to first determine the appropriate length of all tubing.  You do not want to cut them to short, but also want to avoid too much slack, which may restrict water flow. 

First, mount the motherboard on your case using at least two screws to keep it in place.

The next step I recommend is to grab the included tubing and connect it to the water block.  Disconnect the temp probe from the Aquian unit and use the included metal tape to properly mount the temp sensor.  It is very important to place the probe in the right place in order to get the most accurate temp readings.  As with most Koolance waterblocks, there are grooves located on either side of the block specifically to accommodate the temperature probe.

**click to enlarge**

Without actually installing the CPU or applying thermal compound, mount the water block on your motherboards retention bracket using the included hardware.  You just want to secure the block in place in order to measure the distance between the block and the in/out fittings on the Aquian.  If you plan on installing additional blocks, do the same with all hardware.

**click to enlarge**

Once you have the block and motherboard somewhat secure, remove the rear 120mm fan that may be on your case and proceed with mounting the Aquian.  For those wondering, it does include fan screws as well.  The unit is designed well, as it has a hinge that will allow you to pull the cooling unit out once the fan is mounted.  For those wondering, this is how you would maintain/fill the unit in such a tight space.  Now, it is important to measure your tubing with the unit fully expanded as shown in the picture above.  Grab the other end of the tubing attached to the water block and measure accordingly.  This will not only prevent you from cutting them too short, but also avoid too much slack which may cut water flow when the unit is latched back into place.  I found this out the hard way, actually putting its alarm feature to the test as well.  For example, after everything was installed and running, I stepped out for a bite to eat.  When I came back, I was greeted with a rather unpleasant high pitched noise emanating from my home office.  I walked in only to find that the front LED display was blinking and the temp reading was a very high 57ºC.  At first, I was quite puzzled, considering everything was left running well below normal temps.  After pulling the Aquian out for inspection, I found that one of the hoses was caught between the unit and the video card, completely restricting waterflow from the radiator back to the block.  Unfortunately, this crease on the tubing was permanent and resulted in me having to replace that particular hose and refill the system.  Fortunately, the Aquian doesn't even take a 1/2 a bag of coolant so this was not an issue.  Anyways, I'm sort of glad this did happen because it is quite easy to find yourself in this situation.  Therefore, caution should be taken when you pull the unit in and out for inspection or maintenance.  Your working with very limited space and anything can go wrong with the hoses you do attach to the unit.

After you have measured all your tubing, remove the motherboard and all components and attach the tubing to the Aquian and water block to fill and test for leaks, if any.  Use the included PSU jumper during filling to fill the system to the proper level.  For those not familiar with "jumping" your PSU, you may refer to one of our Tech Tips found here.  Do not overfill the system!  This is very easy to do if your not careful or unaware of where the coolant level should be.  Coolant should be about a 1/2" from the reservoir's top.  Unlike their water-cooled cases, this kit requires much less coolant.  In fact, you should end up with about half a bag of coolant left after filling.  As an example, the PC3-720BK we reviewed required a whole bag of coolant to fill.  Run the system for about 5-10 minutes before installing all your hardware. 

**click to enlarge**

In order to power the Aquian, you need to attach your case power switch cable to the power lead on the Aquian.  Next, simply plug the power lead to your motherboards power switch pins.  Attach the front display unit and power the Aquian via a spare 4-pin molex connector from your Power Supply.

Perfect fit...almost!

Unfortunately, those with cases that feature a side window fan will have to part with it.  While the Aquian fit perfectly in a small case such as the Trinity, there were clearance issues with the side window panel that did feature an 80mm fan.  Again, while its design does focus mainly on interior components, they apparently neglected to take side case fans into consideration.  This may or may not be an issue for many.  However, it is important to keep it in mind if you do consider purchasing this product. 

**click to enlarge**

To satisfy those case modders out there, the Aquian reservoir and windows are lighted with blue LEDs.  You may not be able to show off that motherboard or video card, but at least the Aquian itself will be a sight to behold. 

The 3.5" bay insert blended in perfectly with the shiny black front panel of the Trinity.  The display has three buttons, one to alternate between ºC and ºF and two to adjust the fan speed up or down.

Cooling Performance & Overclocking

Once the unforeseen issues where resolved regarding water flow, it was time to put it through some serious testing.  Performance testing was based on its temp readings both idle and under load.  This also included readings at its maximum stable overclock.  To load the system, SANDRA 2005's burn-in wizard was used. 

Also, while the front display will allow you to adjust the fan speed between 1-10, all testing was done with a setting of 6.  Anything above that was honestly too loud and most will probably avoid running any higher.

There is no doubt why many consider the Abit IS7 one of the very best P4 motherboards ever released.  While the overclocking results were nothing short of impressive, it was the temps that I had to somewhat keep in line.  Maximum stable overclock was recorded using both a 1:1 and 5:4 CPU/DRAM ratio.  I was able to easily run my trusty 2.8GHz Northwood at 3.5GHz at 1:1 and just under 3.8GHz using a 5:4 ratio.  Yes, these results are indeed impressive, however, the temps were significantly higher due to the increased voltage.

Finally, let's take a look at its cooling performance...

Temps were fairly good after at least 30 minutes of operation.  However, when loading the system, the temps easily hit the low 50's.  On a Northwood, these were a bit too high for my liking.  Its cooling performance is certainly not as impressive as their excellent PC3-720BK we reviewed a while back.  However, given its rather compact design, this was expected.  With the right motherboard/cpu combo like the one used here for testing, you'll achieve some rather impressive overclocking.  However, judging by the temp readings on a Northwood, I can't help but wonder how effective this unit will be on hot running Prescott processors.  Regardless, the overall results here were exactly what I was expecting.

Next: Conclusions