Koolance EXT-440CU Liquid Cooling System with CPU-380I Water Block Review

Features and Kit Hardware

Features

Courtesy of Koolance

• EXT-440CU Liquid Cooling System
• CPU-380I Water Block
• Clear PVC Tubing, 10mm x 16mm (3/8in x 5/8in)
• 10mm x 13mm (3/8in x 5/8in) Compression Barb (Black Chrome) x 4
• Plastic Hose Clip x 4
• LIQ-702 UV Blue Liquid Coolant, 700mL

Included Hardware

EXT-440CU Liquid Cooling System

The Koolance EXT-440CU Liquid Cooling System unit combines the cooling system pump, reservoir, and radiator into a single entity, requiring the addition of external power, coolant, and connected cooling blocks to make a functional liquid cooling loop. The enclosure is constructed of aluminum, treated with a scatch resistant flat-black coating. The radiator air-intake and coolant fill port are integrated into the top of the enclosure with a coolant view-port and LED display at the front of the unit.

The front panel of the EXT-440CU enclosure contains an LED display and a reservoir coolant-level view-port with an acrylic panel overlay to protect the delicate display components. The LED display can be used to monitor system statistics such as fan and pump speeds, as well as temperature for up to three monitored connected thermistors. Additionally, fan and pump speed can be individually configured from the LED display on a speed scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being the slowest RPM speed for both. Below the LED display are four buttons used to configure the display readout and system functioning. The left-most button allows to you manually scroll through the measured components, including the fan and pump speeds. The button immediately to the right sets the device's temperature display mode for either Fahrenheit or Celsius. The two right-most buttons are used to raise or lower the device fan and pump speeds. The fan speed is configured by setting the display to the F screen using the left-most button, while the pump speed can be configured via the P screen.

The back of the EXT-440CU contains inlet and outlet ports with threaded port covers, port cover holders, and a power/data cable port. Both the inlet and outlet ports are threaded to accommodate G1/4" barbs. When the ports are in use, the port covers can be screwed into the holder holes – to the right of the inlet port and below the outlet port. The inlet port feeds directly into the enclosures reservior while the outlet port connects to the outlet of the radiator. The power/data cable port feeds power, fan speed, and temperature data from the rear panel riser card. Fan speed and temperature data come from devices attached to the riser card.

The top panel of the EXT-440CU houses the radiator's 120mm fan and the fill-port for the reservoir. The fan is positioned to exhaust air from the top panel and is covered by a wire fan guard. The fill-port of the reservoir can be removed using a coin or a flat-head screwdriver using the metal-slotted plug.

EXT-440CU Schematic
Courtesy of Koolance

The unit itself measures 12 inches long by 6 inches wide by 3.5 inches high.

CPU-380I CPU Water Block

CPU-380I CPU Water Block Schematic
Courtesy of Koolance

The Koolance CPU-380I CPU water block consists of the block body with an integrated aluminum hold down plate. The hold down plate fixes to the block with 4 hex screws. The CPU-380I's Acetal top contains two G1/4" ports with the inlet and outlet ports designated by down and up arrows. The water inlet is located close to the block center with the outlet along the top left of the block's top.

The bottom of the CPU-380I is a nickel-plated, machined copper plate with a highly polished surface. The surface is defect free, making for a perfect mating surface for the CPU. The nickel-plating gives the copper added corrosion and scratch resistance as well. The block assembly screws can be seen at the four corners of the bottom plate in slightly recessed sections to eliminate surface mating issues. Koolance ships the block with a plastic adhesive cover to prevent damage to its bottom surface.

The CPU-380I water block is securely fixed to the CPU socket with spring-loaded thumb nuts. The thumb nuts fix to threaded posts attached to a plate underneath the socket. The block fits well into the socket area, sized to fit on boards that follow the recommended Intel sized specifications. Notice how the top plate sits high enough from the board's surface to prevent space issues with components located around the CPU socket.

THe block uprights are fixed in place with steel nuts. The board's surface is protected by plastic washers, which also act to electrically isolate the threaded poles and surface nuts. This is a significant change to Koolance's previous generation hold down mechanism where the threaded posted were screwed in to the bottom plate directly. Using nuts on the board's top prevents issues with the threaded uprights coming unscrewed from the bottom plate, adding a level of security to the hold down mechanism not present in the previous generation design.

The bottom plate of the hold down mechanism consists of the steel plate and a white silicon gasket. The gasket is thick enough to protect any components in close proximity to the underside of the socket from being crushed. It also acts as an electrical isolation layer between the board and the metal hold down plate and block.