KANDALF LCS built in watercooling kit

[baaf]

will im buying a new rig soon and im thinking of getting the KANDALF LCS... what do u say about its wayer cooling kit? is it really good? will it be good enough for a good OC? does it perform better than any air cooler( TUNIQ tower and themalright 120)?

i saw a lot of reviews of it and they all say its very good... but i just wanna be sure.

look at this review and till me what do u say about it

http://www.hardware.info/en-UK/articles/amdnY2pqZGma/Thermaltake_Kandalf_LCS_VD4000_review/5

they did the test with an E6600

 

[Destruct0r]

I just finished installing my new build in a Kandalf LCS today, and I like it a lot, it's visually appealing and spacious. As far as oc'ing I don't really know, I haven't gotten to that point yet, and am not entirely sure if my temps are low enough (this may be my fault with too much thermal paste, but I haven't been through the break-in period yet). The only things I disliked about this installation with this case was the firewire header was irritating with all 9 pins separate (though I think that's just how it is), and overall the usb and audio headers from the top ports would have been nice a few inches longer, also mounting the pump takes creativity (I only used 2 of four screws) since the holes don't really line up. Other than that, sweet case, though heavy.

Edit: Also, toolless installation is a beautiful thing.

 

[baaf]

whats ur rig and at what temps does it stand? :roll:

 

[Destruct0r]

TAT is showing about 24 degrees on each core idle with Speedstep enabled with an e6600, and about 42 load (though I only ran it for a couple minutes).

Rest of rig:
evga 680i
evga 8800gtx
4gb mushkin xtreme
80Gb Western Digital hdd
500Gb Samsung HDD

 

[baaf]

the load temps are pretty high :?


and for the other dude, if u just take a look at the other post u'll know why i double posted it!

 

[doctorx]

I have the Kandalf LCS. I bet you did not use Artic Silver 5 or if you did, then you did not apply it correctly. Before OC, I was getting 19C idle and 24C full tilt after running an hour with prime95 on each core (i have the e6600 also).

OC'd now to 3.2Ghz without volt bump: 32C idle and 37C full tilt.

Also, if you did use AS5, it takes almost 120days to cure completely. You will notice your temps start going down.

As a side.... i love this case. I got the black one and this was my first watercooling rig i have ever built. Needless to say I was nervous, but the instructions were great. I took my time and it was a good experience.

Cheers! 8)

 

[Destruct0r]

I used the arctic silver ceramique, and I used the instructions, but I was entirely clear on how thick a lone to put on. I only went as thick as the tip of the syringe. I put my system up to 3Ghz, and saw idle of 41 and load temps between 47 and 53 after just a minute or so with TAT. At stock speeds my idle is around 28, and I just ran TAT for 30 mins with temps staying between 40 and 45.

 

[doctorx]

The instructions on how to put on artic silver (i assume the ceramique also) are on their site. But the cliff note version is this:

put a dollop on the heatsink and use a sandwich bag and rub it in to where u just see a haze. put 5 small amounts about half the size of a BB in all 4 corners and the middle. use a razorblade and spread it out to almost paperthin making sure you cover the entire heat spreader.

put the heatsink on and wiggle ever so slightly before cranking it down.

if you didnt take the time to spread it out, it actually will make it worse.

 

[kwalker]

If you really want good results you will be much happier with a custom build over thermaltake.
Look into a good swiftech kit that you can add too later if you want the guess work taken out of the equation.

 

[T8RR8R]

Those load temps seem pretty much the same as mine, and I have the same Armor LCS as you. However I did change my block to an Apogee GT. The thing that really holds this kit back is that no matter the size of tubing you use the radiators internal tubing is only 1/4 inch. Sucky I know BUT considering all you get it's not all that bad either. I'm slowly changing everything over to swiftech and dangerden.

 

[baaf]

so i guiss i wont take it afterall

i'll get a 3D aurora 570 and a tuniq tower (no ULTRA 120 in israel :x )
and the 3D is one of few cases that r worth somthing here, all we got is the cheap cr@pp

 

[doctorx]

You aren't supposed to spread out as5, just put the dallop in the middle and make sure the actual die is "covered"

AS5 is actually pretty bad, did you know that? Daclan tested that and we proved how it actually performs very bad compared to other tims

I really dont care about someone else's review, I know from personal experience. I have used several kinds and AS5 is the best I have used. And if you don't know how to apply it correctly, then it will perform poorly. With AS5, I lowered my temps 15C on a 3000+. 16C on a dual coppermine. my 3000+ never goes over 42C. It idles at 32C. It has a Zalman cooler on it.

putting just one dollop in the middle, you risk not good coverage.

right now, my e6600 is at 31/30C during a backup. I have had this built for about 6 weeks. now and my temps drop an average of 1-2C a week while it cures. I dont see how you can do a review of AS5 without the curing time anyway.

 

[T8RR8R]

Under a heavy load(dual orthos)on my OC'd e6400 gets around 45c. Also another thing to think about is that alot of other parts like voltage regulators, NB, and RAM to some degree need that air blowing across them from an air cooler. When you water cool it takes that air away and other things tend to heat up.

I can only speak for myself but if I were to do things all over again I wouldn't get the Tt LCS. In fact you could spend about the same amount of money and get a case, a Swiftech kit with a 120mm rad and then add a NB block for about the as much as they want for this Tt LCS kit. The swiftech 120mm rad performs just about the same as this Tt 3x120 rad. I don't think anyone will tell you that swiftech makes poor quality products, but Tt can be sketchy at times.

If I just threw you off the H20 poney then you could go for something like a Tuniq Tower, a Zalman 9700, or you could even look into a TEC cooler from CoolIT, or UltraProducts. The Vigor monsoon isn't a bad one either but I've also heard it's not that good as well.

 

[baaf]

the only problem here is that i cant get most of the parts all of u r suggesting :?

i'll have to pay a LOT for shipping to israel and it wont pay off

 

[T8RR8R]

oh, bummer dude. Rub some sand on it.

 

[T8RR8R]

I like my rams like I like my women.... naked and tight

I about pissed my pants 10 times cuz of this......simple yes I am.

I also tried to explain this to my girlfriend and she didn't get it. lol..... lol.

 

[rammedstein]

lol, well, i have to say, the water cooling in this case is pretty damn hefty, i saw only a 4oC drop from changing the pump and cpu block and my temps are great as usual, i don't suppose you can really use my temps as an accurate benchmark because my cpu lacks an IHS, but listen to this, ambient temperature is proximately 16oC (its winter), my processor after the new block and pump sits at 19oC idle and 24oC load (non overclocked) with the stock parts it sat at 23oC idle and 27oC load. now the interesting bit, after overclocking, the new parts got 26oC idle and 30oC load, the old parts got 28oC idle and 36oC load. that goes to show when you really are stressing the system the pump makes a big difference.

 

[T8RR8R]

I have the Kandalf LCS and I will admit that it's sucky in comparison to other WC kits. The only reason I have it is because I needed a good case and a new cooler. I thought I'd give it a shot since everything is upgradable...need less to say...I'm upgrading everything 1 piece at a time. Next step for me is a 2x120 rad and then I'll get my 655, 1/2"ID pump.

 

[baaf]

thnx guys for ur replies

i will get a 3D AURORA 570 and in the future i'll get a decent WC kit and crack the hell out of my procs. 8)

 

[rammedstein]

i know, but i will sacrifice that 3-4oC margin for convenience, looks and price, lol. And also, i replaced the stock fans that were on my rad (they were riveted on) with S-Flex 120s and it performs HEAPS better now, quieter, cooler. anyway, i have no problems with my temps, (infact i think they are somewhere near perfect) so I'm not going to change it for a while.