TECH ONE REVIEW: Watercooling Kit

Custom water cooling setup is the next level of cooling solution for PC enthusiasts who wants more performance from their overclocked system, where the amount of heat started to become something that even the best air cooling solution couldn't handle. There are pros and cons diving into the world of custom water cooling setup which involves a lot of money and also the risk of damaging your system due to leakage, but it's all worth the trouble when performance matters the most.

XSPC is one of the company that offers some pretty decent custom water cooling kits, especially for its RX series, AX series and EX series. Mega thanks to XSPC for the provision of its RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 water cooling kit for today's review, and also to those of you who has been requesting for this to happen. Let's proceed with the review and see what kind of performance can we expect from the RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 water cooling kit!

(The XSPC RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 Water Cooling Kit retails at RM899)

Unboxing

Kit Contents

RayStorm Pro CPU Waterblock (Intel only)

Ion Pump/Reservoir

AX240 240mm Radiator

G1/4″ to 7/16″ Compression Fittings (Black Chrome) x6

XSPC 1650rpm 120mm Fan x2

120mm Fan Grill (Black) x2

Socket 1366 and 115X Backplates

80mm to 120mm Radiator Bracket

Twin 3mm White LED

5mm White LED

2 Meters of Clear 7/16″ Hose

24pin ATX Bridge Tool

K3 Thermal Paste

The G1/4″ to 7/16″ compression fittings in black chrome included.

The included radiator fans from XINRUILIAN packs a total RPM of 1650, airflow of 65.2 CFM and static air pressure of 1.8 mmAq.

The Radiator - AX240

As the name of the kit suggests, the XSPC RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 water cooling kit comes with an AX240 dual fan radiator for 120mm fans.

Unlike most AIO radiator we've seen, the AX240 radiator comes in a split array design consists of 16 fins per inch on each sides, totaling it up to 32 fins per inch.

While the actual thickness of the radiator isn't actually 40mm, you'll have to cater for that extra space required when installing it to your system.

The extra spaces between the frame of the radiator give extra clearance for the radiator fan screws so that it wouldn't damage the fins as what we've seen on some AIO units.

G1/4" ports for G1/4" fittings on the radiator, compatible with not only the ones from XSPC itself but pretty much all G1/4" fittings available in the market. Thumbs up for that.

The RayStorm Pro CPU Block

The RayStorm Pro CPU waterblock kit comes with comes with XSPC's K3 thermal paste, a pack of mounting screws for the included bracket for 115x socket and 1366 socket, mounting screws for 2011 socket, LED for the CPU waterblock and the RayStorm Pro itself.

The RayStorm Pro waterblock as depicted., with markings on the bracket to indicate the inlet.

The RayStorm Pro uses a pure copper block top that gives you that little extra performance gain over the entry level RayStorm V3 with its CNC cut Acetal top.

The base of the CPU block has a mirrored finish for a better contact point between the IHS of the CPU.

The Ion Pump Reservoir

A custom water cooling kit isn't complete without its reservoir and pump, and the final piece to the XSPC RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 water cooling kit is the Ion Pump Reservoir. It's a compact pump & reservoir combo with a head delivery of 2 meters inside, made to fit into even the tiniest water cooling compatible mainstream chassis we can find.

You'll find 2 x G1/4" ports at the side of the Ion pump reservoir with the bottom port labelled to indicate that water flows out from this specific port so that first time user will not install the loop in the wrong direction.

At the top you'll find the fill cap to make the job of filling your loop much easier, but do remember to use a piece of coin to secure / loosen the cap.

Installing The Kit

Like most CPU coolers nowadays, the RayStorm Pro has to be mounted with the included backplate if you're using a mainstream motherboard with 115x socket. We will first align the backplate according to the cutout as shown above.

Once the bracket is ready, place the spacers on top of each mounting holes to create an insulating later to prevent the mounting screws from touching against any circuit lines on the motherboard.

Now, secure the mounting screws to keep the backplate intact.

Apply a generous amount of thermal paste and place the CPU block onto of your CPU, followed by placing the spaces and springs through the mounting screws as shown above.

Secure the CPU block with the screw caps to tighten the contact between the CPU block and the IHS of the CPU. Do remember not to over tighten it as it will cause your system unable to POST and worse, damaging the CPU.

The LEDs is optional, but you may install it to the CPU block if you're into the fancy lighting stuff for your system.

Once you got the CPU block installed, it's time to prepare for the fittings and some tube cutting work.

As the installation will vary by the type of chassis used, you will have to plan well for your loop, such as where to install the radiator and reservoir/pump, how will the flow will be and is there anything that gets in the way of your planned loop.

Once you're done with that, you can start cutting the tubes and fit them tightly onto the fittings. Before giving your system a full blast of water cooling goodness, it is recommended to perform a leak test overnight using the included PSU jumper to check for any potential leakage that could kill your components. Should everything be fine and dandy, feel free to hook up the system and boot it up!

Performance Test

Test Bench Configuration
CPU Cooler	XSPC RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 Water Cooling Kit
CPU	Intel Core i7 4790k
Graphics Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
Memory	HyperX Savage DDR4 16GB
Primary Hard Drive	Intel 520 Series 240GB
Power Supply	be quiet! Straight Power 10 600W
Chassis	SilverStone Primera Series PM01

We fired up a CPU stress test with Prime95 with the option 'In-place large FFTs' for maximum heat output, under the room temperature of about 31ºC. We've also included results of some CPU liquid coolers that we've tested with the same configuration as a comparison with the RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 kit.

Some of you might think it's unfair to compare a custom water cooling kit to a closed-loop AIO liquid cooler, but the harsh reality cannot be left unknown. There are custom water cooling kits that couldn't even perform as good as an AIO, but that isn't quite the result you will get if you invest in a proper kit like the XSPC RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 we have here that blew away the competition with ease.

Final Thoughts

XSPC offers quite a range of its water cooling kits for different category of users and its EX series are some of the excellent entry level starter kits priced as low as RM599 for its RayStorm 420 EX240 WaterCooling Kit. If the barb fittings included in the EX series kit isn't that favorable to you, you can consider for the RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 water cooling kit which we've just reviewed here, an excellent choice that offers a better overall performance with a better reservoir pump, radiator, compression fittings and CPU waterblock at a price of RM899.

Having a custom water cooling kit installed to your PC can be a perk, but you'll have to get yourself prepared for the upcoming maintenance that should be done every few months, a hassle you will have to deal with as the trade off for that monstrous cooling performance it offers. Algae growth and corrosion is also a common issue with water cooling systems if not well taken care of, but that can be avoided easily with a proper use of silver coils (kill coil) and some anti-corrosion agent even though it's something optional for the pros - the XSPC RayStorm Pro Ion AX240 water cooling kit doesn't come with any of those and it'll be great if XSPC can included those in their water cooling kit.

Pros

Easy to install
Excellent cooling performance
Compression fittings used
Fan grill included
Power supply jumper included for leak test

Cons

no kill-coil or anti-corrosion agent included

Bykski, a brand that we've recently come across that offers a surprisingly good price for its water cooling kit at RM249 for its 120mm radiator kit and RM299 for its 240mm radiator kit. While these kits may be cheaper than most AIO liquid coolers out there, we're eager to find out how will the kit perform - Special thanks to Emarque for sponsoring the Bykski water cooling kit with 240mm radiator for today's review!

Packaging

The kit comes in a package consists of a black box for the reservoir, 2 cardboard boxes containing the 240mm radiator, CPU block and it's mounting kit, a pair of 120mm fans and a 2m long PVC tube.

The pair of 120mm fans for the radiator and some mounting screws.

The fan blade has some rather familiar looking patterns to help lower operational noise.

The CPU water block with its mounting kit, spacers for insulation purposes, hose clamp and Bykski compression fittings.

Bykski's CPU block looks almost identical to the EK Supermacy Evo from EKWB at first look, similar looking top and the nickel plated base with mirror finish. We're unsure if the top is made with the same quality POM Acetal used on the EK CPU block as Bykski never stated any of those on their web store.

The radiator isn't as fancy as the ones you'll be getting from other renown water cooling kit brands like XSPC, Alphacool, EK Water Blocks, Bitspower, etc, but it'll still get the job done.

The radiator has a measured thickness of 32mm, narrower fins array compared to most mainstream AIO liquid cooler with measured FPI count of 22.

The reservoir kit comes with a 65mm cylinder reservoir, a pair of holder clamps with mounting kit, 1/4" male to male fittings, 2 1/4" to 3/8" barb fittings with hose clamps, 2 fillcap, and Bykski's latest 500 L/H pump.

CPU Block Installation

We first place the backplate by orienting its T-shaped cutout with the screws at the bottom of the CPU socket.

Next, we place the spacers as insulation pieces on the motherboard to eliminate any chances of having a short circuit on your motherboard.

Once the spacers are placed, secured the screws and get the springs ready. Do note that the springs placed there are meant for display purpose and it will be on top of the bracket of the CPU block once it's on the CPU.

After a suitable amount of thermal compound applied to your CPU, the CPU block can now be secured to the CPU. Once you've got everything installed, jump the PSU to let the loop run overnight for leak test and with tissue covering the end of each fitting to check for potential leaks.

The orientation of the loop may vary, depends on the case that you're using and here's ours Bykski 240mm radiator water cooling kit installed in the Fractral Design Define Nano S.
Not the best-looking setup around but you can make it better with some colored coolant and specialized fittings like what our sponsor from Emarque did:

Performance Test

Test Bench Configuration
CPU Cooler	Bykski Water Cooling Kit with 240mm radiator
CPU	Intel Core i7 4790k
Graphics Card	ASUS R9 280X DirectCU II OC
Memory	Corsair Vengeance Pro 4GB x 2
Primary Hard Drive	Intel 520 Series 240GB
Power Supply	be quiet! Straight Power 10 600W
Chassis	Fractal Design Define Nano S

We fired up a CPU stress test with Prime95 with the option 'In-place large FFTs' for maximum heat output, under the room temperature of about 30ºC. We've also included results of some CPU liquid coolers that we've tested with the same configuration as a comparison with the Bykski kit.

Performance wise, the Bykski kit isn't doing as well and in fact, it's the one that bottoms the list. The numbers aren't looking good with its stock cooling fan as it's not going anywhere with 76°C. Though, we've managed to cut down a few more degrees with a pair of better-performing fans from Noctua and Scythe.

As we cranked up the CPU clock to 4.6GHz, our Intel i7 4790k heated up a lot, and we really meant a lot. The outcome isn't as good for the Bykski kit as well this round, with the stock cooling fan dragging down the performance. It managed to do catch up with the AIO liquid cooler that bottoms our list once we've swapped the stock cooling fans with a pair of fans from both Noctua and Scythe.

Our Verdict

Performance wise, the Bykski kit isn't really delivering an awesome performance despite having a thicker radiator with higher fpi count. The stock cooling fan is definitely hurting the performance and it needs a decent pair of cooling fans to held up against the amount of heat from our i7 4790k clocked at 4.6GHz. Still, that little bump in performance is still not enough to stand up against the competition.

While the performance isn't as impressive as we hope for, but its price is still an attraction for those who wants to prepare themselves and dive into the world of custom liquid cooling setup. If you're one of those who are ready for it, the Bykski kit is an affordable kit to build up the basics for a custom water cooling setup.

Pros