CoolIT ALC VANTAGE review

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As always, the packaging -- so tha you know what to look for in the stores. VANTAGE is in the name, VANTAGE is on the packaging. Everything is packaged and bundled safely in styrofoam. But let's open the kit up.

Once unboxed you'll spot the liquid cooling unit consisting out of the radiator, fan, tubing, pump/cooling block. All pre-fitted and ready to use of course. Next to that you'll spot some back plates that support a wide variety of Intel 775, 1156, 1366 and AMD AM2, AM2+, AM3 processors. There are also some screws to mount the radiator unit at the 120mm rear fan location of your chassis and a tiny but clear manual with color photos.

Here we have the core of it all, the Vantage consisting out of a variable PWM fan (120mm), pump and reservoir assembled in one single unit. There is a selectable fan controller embedded in the LCD configuration menu, you insert the fan header into the motherboard's CPU power connector and that one obviously is PWM controlled from the BIOS.

Make sure you give the unit full power thus set CPU FAN RPM at high in the BIOS, or have the motherboard regulate this all by itself which the Vantage will detecte and draw it's proper current from.

At the cooling block we notice that it has a voltage wire lead as well, connect it to the chassis/PWR fan connector or something. It powers the pump which is embedded at the top of the cooling block. The other one leads from the pump to the radiator fan. Please make sure that this particular fan header receives full power from the motherboard, as we want to keep that pump doing its job properly.