Bundle and accessories
No watercooling kit is complete without a myriad of extras. Here's Corsair's.
The Hydrocool caters for both AMD (Socket A) and Intel (Socket 478) motherboards. AMD's mounting system is perhaps the easier, as the block is simply secured on by attaching a stiff clip over the block. The clip then fastens on to the ZIFF socket lugs. Intel's mounting system, on the other hand, requires a little more dexterity. The rectangular section, to the right of the grease-filled syringe, has to slide over the block and fix into position in the P4's retention bracket. Two clips then hold it in place. It's just a little tricky with just a single pair of hands. A funnel is provided to fill the reservoir, too. We found the reservoir's hole to be large enough to use without the need for a funnel. A couple of manuals, well-written with clear, informative instructions on all aspects of the Hydrocool 200 are included.
The data cable between the controller card on the right and the Hydrocool is generous enough in length. You're also provided with a MOLEX extender for use with the card. An additive bottle, extra clamps and the wire that connects the controller card to the PC's power-on pins completes this package.
The controller card's function is to relay temperatures back to the Hydrocool. The CPU block's probe attaches the card and provides continuous measurement. Another 2-pin wire hooks up the motherboard's power pins so that the Hydrocool starts at the precise moment the system fires up. The card sits in a PCI bay but isn't inserted into the motherboard.
Speaking of the block, it's far smaller than expected, with virtually no height, although it's a copper block with a silver coating. The raised section in the middle is home to a series of microchannels that, Corsair say, provide an excellent avenue for the water to flow through. We'll see just how good it is when we benchmark it in earnest.
Our block was rather filthy on arrival. Plenty of elbow work later and we still couldn't achieve a mirror-like finish. A quick test with some Artic Silver 3 showed the block to be not as flat as others we have looked at. After removing the block away from the CPU, the centre had less AS3 residue than the corners.
The Hydrocool came bundled with around 3 metres of 3/8" plastic tubing, identified as Superthane Ether and held on the block via Oetiker clamps. The self sealing fittings were a real bonus. The CPU block's temperature measurement wire can be seen trailing in the above picture. It's connected to the controller card, mentioned above. What we do like is that no external power plugs are required to get it going. Everything you need is provided, and it's all host-powered.
