XSPC Raystorm Pro CPU Waterblock Review

Features and Water Block Design

Features

Courtesy of XSPC

• Solid aluminium bracket with acrylic inserts
• New, high performance copper base
• CNC cut, pure copper top
• 2 x 3mm LED holes
• G1/4″ threads
• Compatible with most compression fittings
• Supports Intel sockets 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011 and 2011-3

Cooler Design

The XSPC Raystorm Pro CPU water block is a multi-layered design consisting of an aluminum mounting bracket with acrylic center inserts and a full copper block assembly. The Intel top plate shown consists of the black-colored brushed aluminum mounting bracket, giving the block a sleek appearance as well as protecting the copper top plate from scratches and damage from the mounting components. 3mm LEDs can be mounted to both sides of the block's liquid ports for illuminating the acrylic channels along the outer edge of the mounting bracket. The channels sit over the block's copper top, directing the light upwards for a nice edge-lit effect framing the block. The copper based inlet and outlet ports sit flush with the mounting bracket surface. Note that the inlet port is the port on the right side of the block marked with an inverted "V" symbol.

The Raystorm Pro block bottom is a cleanly machined copper plate, polished to a mirror-like sheen. There was no evidence of machining marks in the surface of the review sample, making for a better mating surface with the CPU. The copper block mates with the copper top via the four steel hex screws in the corners of the base plate. The mount screws fit flush into surface indentions so they do not hamper the block to CPU surface mating.

The block's dual layer design makes for easy disassembly and cleaning of the block if desired. The mounting bracket sits directly on top of the top to the block with the block's copper liquid ports fitting through holes in the surface of the bracket. The acrylic light channels embedded in the bracket frame the block top. The upper portion of the block sits under the metal top of the bracket, ensuring that light is directed through the bracket's illumination channels only, making for a great lighting effect.

Cooler Motherboard Mounting

When mounted to a Z170-style motherboard, the Raystorm Pro block fits well into the allocated space. You should have absolutely no problem mounting this block on any LGA115X-style board. Further, the mounting bracket itself sits well above the motherboard surface, giving it more then enough clearance for any close-in components.

The block mounts to the CPU though uprights screwed into the underside baseplate. The mounting bracket fits over the uprights, held fast with washers and springs capped with threaded thumbscrews. This mounting mechanism is very easy to use and provides more than sufficient downward force for proper mating between the block surface and the CPU.

Unsurprisingly, the Raystorm Pro block fits on the X99 test board without any space-related issues. The mounting bracket was designed to fits in between the upper and lower DIMM sets easily, making mounting a snap. The block mounts to the board in a similar fashion to that seen on the Z170 board with the only difference being the upright mounting method. The uprights thread directly into the X99 CPU socket, instead of requiring a separate underside baseplate.