Zalman Waterblocks
The Reserator XT comes with Zalman’s latest CPU waterblock, the ZM-WB5. They also sent along one of their new VGA waterblocks that supports the NVIDIA 8800 GTX/Ultra series of video cards (ZM-GWB8800 Ultra/GTX). While not the highest performing waterblocks on the market, they are very good and should work well in a low-flow system like the Reserator XT. Both waterblocks come in retail packaging and include universal mounting hardware.
ZM-WB5 CPU Waterblock
The WB5 is Zalman’s newest CPU waterblock and incorporates a removable, anodized aluminum top and a pure copper base for optimum heat transfer. The WB5 uses a 12×12 array of square pins to increase the wetted surface area. The basic design is very similar to the ZM-WB4 Gold/Plus but the copper base is no longer gold plated. With previous Reserator models the waterblock base was the only copper component so gold plating it virtually eliminated the potential for galvanic corrosion. The Reserator XT now has copper tubes in the main radiators so gold plating the waterblock base wouldn’t help much. It will be very important to use a good corrosion inhibitor in the coolant (like Zalman’s ZM-G300) to prevent corrosion. Water flows in thru the center fitting and exits thru the outer one.
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The ZM-WB5 CPU waterblock is compatible with Intel P4 LGA775 and AMD socket AM2/754/939/940.
ZM-GWB8800 Ultra/GTX VGA Waterblock
The ZM-GWB800 Ultra/GTX waterblock incorporates a large, one-piece aluminum base that is anodized inside and out to help prevent corrosion. The low profile design is compatible with dual video card setups and features two barbed fittings.
One of the big advantages of using waterblocks to cool the CPU and video card(s) is that all of the waste heat is transported outside the PC enclosure and dissipated by the Reserator external cooling unit, which can help lower internal case temperatures significantly.
