EKWB Fits Pump and Reservoir into Single Optical Drive Bay

By Niels Broekhuijsen
published

EKWB has built a new reservoir and water pump combo unit that fits in a single 5.25" bay.

EKWB has announced a new product – the EK-SBAY DDC 3.2. This product is a combination of two: a water pump and a reservoir.

The reservoir can reside in just a single 5.25" optical drive bay, even while holding the pump. The pump included is an EK-DDC 3.2 PWM pump, which is a 12 V water pump that is PWM controllable. This allows you to run the pump at lower speeds for reduced noise and vibration, though there's more. The pump is also mounted to the reservoir using an anti-vibration rubber mounting system, making it possible to achieve some very low noise and vibration levels.

The reservoir is made from POM acetal and comes with a clear acrylic front plate for easy visibility of the water level.

Included in the packaging is the reservoir/pump combo, mounting accessories, as well as a small beaker that can be used for filling up the reservoir.

Pricing is set at $192.73, and the unit is immediately available directly from EKWB.

Niels Broekhuijsen
Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

18 Comments Comment from the forums
  • gadgety
    Nice packaging."The pump is also mounted to the reservoir using an anti-vibration rubber mounting system, making it possible to achieve some very low noise and vibration levels." Noise is still a concern. Would be good with some real numbers.
    Reply
  • firefoxx04
    now we are talking. EVERY case I find has either 2 or 3 drive bay slots. Right now with my Dual Bay XSPC res I need at least 3 slots. DVD drive, Res, Fan controller (If I buy a fan controller)

    The real wide corsair case (forget its name) only has 2 5.25 bays and thats the reason I dont buy it. If I got this res I could make due with just 2 bays. Sucks its $200. I guess thats the cost of good parts. $200 plus a new case = at least $300 that I dont have :(
    Reply
  • BranFlake5
    At $200, why wouldn't you get a regular pump and reservoir? It would be quieter and better bang for the buck. Even this doesn't make sense for M-Itx form factor. Most M-itx cases don't have room for an ODD, and if they do, they also have room for a pump and reservoir anyway.
    Reply
  • DarkSable
    ^ Exactly what I was thinking.

    I ended up going from mini-itx to a larger form factor because even though the Apogee Drive II was a great pump, it was hardmounted to the motherboard. Having a decoupled pump makes a huge difference.
    Reply
  • Bondfc11
    Nothing new here - Koolance has had the same thing in single and dual pump models (still in a single drive bay size) for years.
    Reply
  • DRosencraft
    Not only do I agree w/ Bondfc11, I actually have run the setup he's talking about. The Koolance RP-401x2 costs $100-110, and a a Koolance PMP-400 to put in it cost another $60, or you could go with a Swiftech/Danger-Den/whoever else for around $70-$80. I love EKWB, but if you're going the open-loop route, you might as well save yourself the premium they're charging for this and just go with the Koolance res. and your choice of DDC pump, and still have the option to add a second pump later if you need or want to.
    Reply
  • kalogagatya
    Nothing new here - Koolance has had the same thing in single and dual pump models (still in a single drive bay size) for years.
    Very true..
    What i don't get is why a lot of watercooling equipment builders insist in turning these pumps upside down when the DDC models were definitely not meant to be installed like that.. (please if someone knows why or can explain why it is not problem in this product i would really like to learn..)
    Reply
  • palladin9479
    This is nice because mounting a pump inside a tight case is a PITA. Everything else has some sort of standardized mounts but pumps either use a crappy velcro pad or require some creativity in their placement. Pump Bay combo's are popular precisely because people don't want to have to make their own mounting holes.
    Reply
  • rdc85
    ... Pump Bay combo's are popular precisely because people don't want to have to make their own mounting holes.

    Agreed, I got mine exactly because of that,
    (not confident enough to mod the case)
    Reply
  • ultameca
    crazy expensive
    Reply