Zalman Reserator XT Liquid Cooling review - Page 3

Let's mute please and enjoy the silence
Meet the Zalman Reserator XT  & Zalman VGA ZM-GWB8800 Ultra GTX

What we'll do is swiftly work through the components in the kit with the help of an extensive photo-shoot. We'll continue the photo shoot with a guide on how to install the components (both VGA and CPU) into a PC up to the point where we have finalized and finished everything.

It's 2007 and you've been reading Guru3D.com for a while now right ? Then you must know I originally was not a huge fan of using water inside a PC. It was scary considering you have conductive fluid inside an electrical system, but I've seen the light, have converted and am a believer, praise the water .. hallelujah !

All the primary systems in my office are equipped with a water-cooling solution, I kid you not even all our test systems. Why you ask? Oh, just the noise level and the extraordinary cooling effect it has on components. I told you... I'm a changed man.

In the previous segment we discussed the basics of cooling. Right now we'll slowly dive into a photo shoot and emerge again later with a performance overview.

As you already guessed by now, this is a complete kit, so expect a lot of components. The kit we received from Zalman comes with CPU and VGA coolers. Optionally there are many upgrades available including Southbridge water-blocks if you want it. The following specifications and features are from the Zalman website.

Reserator

Zalman Reserator XT primary features:

• High performance, ultra quiet, external water cooling system
• Hybrid cooling design (Active and Passive)
• Active cooling: 140mm fan (forced convection cooling)
• Passive cooling: Anodized aluminum heatsink chassis (natural convection cooling)
• Automatic and Manual Control modes for flexible operation
• Coolant flow and coolant level monitoring and alarms
• Visual displays: Coolant temperature, ambient air temperature, coolant low level warning
• Automatic Power On/Off in sync with the computer
• Specially formulated coolant prevents corrosion
• Support for multiple waterblocks
• Support for Intel LGA775 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2 CPUs
• Designed for easy installation
• Elegant, high tech styling

Reserator (Reservoir+Radiator+Water Pump)

• Weight:  7kg
• Dimensions:  350(L) x 210(W) x 180(H) mm
• Materials: Anodized Pure Aluminum
• Maximum Coolant Capacity: Max. 1.25l
• Integrated Water Pump: 6W, DC 12V, 300L/Hr
• Maximum Lift: 1.8m
• Color Options: Titanium / Black

CPU Water Block (ZM-WB5)

• Weight: 160g
• Dimensions: 63(W) x 63(L) x 40(H) mm
• Materials: Base Cover (Pure Aluminum), Base (Pure Copper)
• Compatibility:  Intel (Socket 775), AMD (Socket AM2/754/939/940)

Anti-Corrosion Coolant (ZM-G300)

• Material: Propylene Glycol & Anti-Corrosion Agent
• Weight:  250ml
• Freezing Point: -9°C
• Exchange Cycle:  1 year

While every attempt is made to ensure the information provided on this page is accurate, specifications change from time to time and we are not liable for any omissions or errors.

A closer look
The Zalman VGA Water Block High Performance ZM-GWB8800 Ultra GTX

The gear we'll be testing today. The Reserator XT kit and the ZM-GWB8800. Today in combination with the Reserator XT we'll be water-cooling not only the system's processor, no we'll also chill a GeForce 8800 Ultra with this kit. Pretty high-end I'd say and with it's near 700 million transistors hot gear for sure.

1. Allows silent water cooling of GeForce 8800 series graphics cards
2. Compatible with all Zalman Reserator cooling systems
3. Also cools ancillary VGA components, i.e. RAM, FET and I/O chipset
4. Anodized aluminum base for excellent heat transfer and anti-corrosion
5. Dimple-type processing technology for best cooling and minimal weight

This ZM-GWB8800 Ultra GTX cooling block is priced at $74.95, which is a pretty okay price to be honest, as this thing is just awesome.

The ZM-GWB8800 blocks (designed for nVidia 8800 series GTX/Ultra) cools not only the main GPU but also the other components around the graphics card, such as the memory, MOSFETs (field effect transistor) and I/O chipset. The blocks are very low profile (only 31mm high) and so won’t take up any further slots.

Small sidenote: Zalman launched two water blocks specifically for this job, and you can choose between them depending upon whether you have a GTS or an Ultra/GTX version of the GeForce 8800.