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Thermalright XWB-01 Waterblock Review
Author: Dennis Garcia
Published: Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Conclusion
This waterblock was a genuine surprise to us in several ways.
The first surprise was in performance. Given that this was Thermalright's first waterblock we didn't expect the waterblock to perform that well. Thermalright is a heatsink mfg after all.
Next we expected the waterblock to have high flow characteristics; this impression was due in part to our changing things up a bit and doing the benchmarks before we took the waterblock apart for photos. Our trusty L30 gave up the ghost during this review so while we waited for a shiny new L35 to arrive we continued our tests using a smaller L20. Our surprise here was not fully realized until the L35 was installed and finding the processor temps to be exactly the same. 50C under load with a lower flowing pump is quite amazing, and unheard of (we even re-ran the tests to be sure).
Our final surprise was in comparing the XWB-01 to the DD TDX, on one side you have extreme surface area and low flow while on the other we have moderate surface area and extreme flow. Pumps and radiators were the same in each test which reaffirms that surface area is king when it comes to cooling.
On a side note it took a very long time to "bleed" the system while running the Thermalright XWB-01, the increased pressure prevented air from moving about the system and being captured in the res. This effect was compounded when a large air bubble passed thru the block and was dissected into thousands of tiny little bubbles. The bubbles just kept moving thru the system like nothing happened. After about 30-45min and several starts and stops the air was finally purged and the tests could begin.
Now for the ever popular list of Good things and Bad things.
The first surprise was in performance. Given that this was Thermalright's first waterblock we didn't expect the waterblock to perform that well. Thermalright is a heatsink mfg after all.
Next we expected the waterblock to have high flow characteristics; this impression was due in part to our changing things up a bit and doing the benchmarks before we took the waterblock apart for photos. Our trusty L30 gave up the ghost during this review so while we waited for a shiny new L35 to arrive we continued our tests using a smaller L20. Our surprise here was not fully realized until the L35 was installed and finding the processor temps to be exactly the same. 50C under load with a lower flowing pump is quite amazing, and unheard of (we even re-ran the tests to be sure).
Our final surprise was in comparing the XWB-01 to the DD TDX, on one side you have extreme surface area and low flow while on the other we have moderate surface area and extreme flow. Pumps and radiators were the same in each test which reaffirms that surface area is king when it comes to cooling.
On a side note it took a very long time to "bleed" the system while running the Thermalright XWB-01, the increased pressure prevented air from moving about the system and being captured in the res. This effect was compounded when a large air bubble passed thru the block and was dissected into thousands of tiny little bubbles. The bubbles just kept moving thru the system like nothing happened. After about 30-45min and several starts and stops the air was finally purged and the tests could begin.
Now for the ever popular list of Good things and Bad things.
Good Things
Excellent Cooling
Awesome Nickel Plated Finish
2 Barb Design
Recessed Supermicro-Channel Design
3 Part Design (for future upgrades)
Universal Installation
Easy To Use.
Awesome Nickel Plated Finish
2 Barb Design
Recessed Supermicro-Channel Design
3 Part Design (for future upgrades)
Universal Installation
Easy To Use.
Bad Things
Very restrictive
High pressure, low flow
Excessive "bleed" time
Included hose clamps don't fit 3/4" hoses
High pressure, low flow
Excessive "bleed" time
Included hose clamps don't fit 3/4" hoses
Ninjalane Rating
We would like to thank Thermalright for helping to make this review possible.
