Welcome to my second value ($100-$150) 2 x 120mm water cooling kit review, the XSPC Raystorm 750 RS240 DIY Water Cooling Kit w/ Free Dead-Water. These XSPC kits have been very popular among the forum users due to their extreme value and good Do-It-Yourself parts. This kit is very much DIY-custom regarding installation and does not come pre-filled like the AIO units such as the Corsair H100 or Swiftech H220. It does however come packed full of value and the performance level we expect from a DIY-custom water cooling parts. Unlike the sealed AIO kits with their tiny little 1-2watt pumps intended for CPU only needs, this kit affords you flexibility and enough pumping power (6W) to expand later to include a GPU and extra radiator. It also provides your usual DIY flexibility in allowing custom barbs/compression fittings and any flavor tubing you want to suit your custom build needs. Last but not least, it comes in a mostly individual component package (Except for pump/reservoir combo) that makes future upgrading things like the CPU block less costly. XSPC wraps all that up with some additional visual bonuses such as blue LED modules for both CPU block and reservoir that does add some nice visual flare to your custom water build. The kit also comes at the ready with extra hardware to mount external radiators which is something those AIO kit’s just can’t do because you need to route tubes through case walls, etc. In the end it provides you with a big box of water cooling goodness intended to start you in the journey of water cooling without breaking the bank and retaining as much flexibility in installation as possible.
This review is a “LIVING” review as I’m still in the process of testing and writing up the results. If you have testing or review request, please post in the comments.
A very special thanks to Mark from FCPU for sponsoring this XSPC Raystorm 750 kit, your one-stop-shop for all your PC modification supplies.
A quick photo of the Kit’s Raystorm block in darkness action!
Product Description
The XSPC Raystorm RS240 Extreme Universal CPU Water Cooling Kit comes complete with everything you will need to cool your CPU. This kit is designed to handle your CPU and can be expanded to handle more blocks as well.
The kit uses the newest XSPC CPU block, the Raystorm as the core cooling component. This block has a pure copper base and is a top of the line in performance and looks. XSPC coupled this with their RS240 radiator which is a thin profile radiator giving more flexibility with compatibility.
The reservoir is a combination of the XSPC dual bay reservoir along with a XSPC X20 750 pump. This pump has been revised and is much more reliable than previous revisions. It is now injection molded for seamless joints and this new revision 4 model is a black color.
This kit comes compete with all fittings, clamps, fans, mounting hardware and hose.
Note: Kit does NOT come with fluid or additive.
Features
- Designed for Multi-core CPUs
- Complete Kit
- Top End Performance
- Full Copper Base Water Block
Specifications
CPU Block Compatibility: AMD Sockets 939, 754, 940, AM2, AM3
Intel Sockets LGA2011, LGA1366, LGA1156, 603, 604
*Requires mounting holesBlock: XSPC Raystorm – AMD and Intel Sockets: AMD Sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+
Intel Sockets LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155Base Dimensions: 56mmx56mmx3mm LED Support: 4x 3mm LED Holes Radiator Radiator: XSPC RS240 Dimensions: 121x35x277mm (WxDxH) Ports: G1/4 Screws: 6-32 UNC Fans: 2 x 120mm (4x with push/pull) Reservoir Reservoir: XSPC X20 750 Dual 5.25″ Pump / Reservoir Combo Fitting Ports: 2 x G1/4″ Dimensions: 149 x 100 x 85mm (WxDxH) Tubing and Fittings Tubing: 2 Meters – 7/16″ x 5/8″ Clear Fittings: 1/2″ Barb (Hose Clamps Included) Pump Pump: XSPC X20 750 (Black Revision 4) Pump Performance: 750 lph Delivery head: 1.8m Voltage: 12V (4pin) Fan Fan: 2 x XSPC 120mm x 25mm Radiator / Chassis Fan – 1650 RPM Size: 120mm x 25mm Airflow: 65.2CFM Noise: ~29dBA Static Pressure: 1.8mmAq Operating Voltage: 5.5 – 13.8V. Connector: 3-Pin Wire Length: 45cm Included: RayStorm CPU Waterblock
X2O 750 Pump/Reservoir
RS240 Dual Radiator
G1/4″ to 1/2″ Barb (Black Chrome) x6
Plastic Hose Clip x6
XSPC 1650rpm 120mm Fan x2
120mm Fan Grill (Black) x2
Intel and AMD RayStorm Brackets
Socket 1366 and 1155/1154 Backplates
Socket AM2 and AM3 mounting kit
80mm to 120mm Radiator brackets
3mm Twin Blue LED with 4Pin Molex
5mm Blue LED with 4Pin Molex
2 Meters of Clear 7/16″ Hose
24pin ATX Bridge Tool
K2 Thermal Paste
One particular to take extra note of is that this kit does not come with fluid. It does however come with a bottle of IandH Dead Water (Biocide), so you will need to buy a gallon of distilled water or a liter of water cooling fluid. In spirit of “Value” I chose the first because a gallon of distilled at Wal-mart is only 88 cents which fits this value theme nicely. Also noteworthy is the 1.8m head pump and low restriction Raystorm CPU block that should leave you with some extra pumping capacity to handle adding more to the loop later. There are also several other nice features not expected in a value kit such as the LED modules for pump and block, the 24pin ATX bridge tool to make bleeding easy, and the external radiator mount brackets so you can install the kit on back or on top of cases with limited space. There is quite a lot in just one box..
martinsliquidlab.wordpress.com 
How’s it compare to the Swiftech one you reviewed recently, which one is the better performer IYO?
I don’t care about value as much as; performance potential, usability, durability/maintenance. TY!
N.B.
I.m signed in to my twitter acct to post in this wordpress blog, but I never get emails when there’s new posts in articles/threads I’m subscribed to. Any idea what that’s about?
N.B.
I’m no stranger to custom loops, so it’s less “done out of the box” nature* doesn’t concern me all that much.
*compared to the swiftech
Not sure why on the email/subscription thing. I will look into the settings. Performance is very close to the H220 and within possible testing margins only having done a couple of mounts at full speed with each kit the difference was less than a degree. The h220 did do a little better on noise using the kit fans and has a lower minimum noise level by a bit. PWM control on the h220 is better speed control as well. XSPC kit is a little more flexible with external rad mount brackets but also require a double drive bay for pump/res space. 3 year swiftech warranty vs 1 year XSPC. LED lighting on XSPC vs none on H220. Better black tubing quality on H220 vs slightly yellow clear tube on XSPC. Better metal screw down clamps on h220 vs plastic clamps XSPC. XSPC kit is G1/4 threaded fitting compatible for compression fitting or any size fitting/tube where the H220 is locked in at 3/8″ ID tube size. Swivel fitting included on H220, fixed on XSPC. Better radiator paint on XSPC (true black and better quality) vs H220 which was brown and not quite as smooth. H220 pump is rated to 60,000 hours mean time before failure, no rating on the XSPC. Upgrading the CPU block later will be cheaper on the XSPC kit since it is just a block. H220 block upgrade will require pump replacement at the same time. Lots to think about, sort of depends on what is most important to you.
Great review Martin! Was wondering if you would do a XSPC RS kit review, glad FCPU let you have one, good for them. I bet ya a nickel you are the first one to compare the H220 and 750 together, thanks very much for doing so as they are both value DIY starter kits in the same class, just doing it from a bit different direction. Just a word on FCUP, I ordered some stuff from them a couple weeks ago and they shipped the same day, very good place to do business with.
I think you hit just about every comparison point between them in your reply to James above. It would be nice to see PWM fans with the 750, if the pump runs as quiet as you say then @ a constant 100% should not be much of a problem. And would be nice if the CPU mount pressure set up was a no brainer like you say the 220 is. Can you remove the pump and change it on the 750 if it burns out? You make a good point about the reservoir if you ever wanted to add a better pump in the loop, a bay res alone runs $40~50. I wonder why their aren’t more res with LED temperature readouts, would be nice.
One thing I think about between the 2 are the fittings, don’t much like plastic but they seems durable I guess as all the AIO’s are using them. What if one of the H220 fittings started leaking? Are they fixed onto the radiator and block so you can’t tighten or change them? It looks like they use aluminum clamps from the pictures, do they? You say it is really a push between the 3/8 and ½ tube restriction wise, right? I guess one could give the MCR a custom shroud paint job to spiff it up and add an LED under the honey cone if they add spacers to lift it up a bit to make it pretty :).
Are you going to do any flow and pressure testing between them? Then perhaps add a 240 radiator and cpu block with some sort of heat applied (substitute for a GPU) and see what you come up with?
Thanks again for you excellent work Martin!
A bit off topic, have you done any 280 radiator testing? XSPC has an RX kit and ST will be coming out with an H220 280 kit pretty soon. Just wondering how they would compare. I did a lot of math on cubic core area between thin 240’s and 280’s compared to the RX. I plan on adding a radiator and trying to figure out if a thin 280 or a thick 240 would be better. I’ll post the math if you want to look at it. Read some forms about it and your name came up a lot (one person said if you have not tested it then it does not exist 🙂 ). No resolution as it turned into a fan issue of CFM and pressure.
Thanks!
I think you might be able to remove the pump, but I didn’t want to break something trying. It appears the back exit port is removable and I started to turn this with an adjustable wrench. It was just a little tighter than I like so I quite and left it alone. Obviously the pump is installed that way, I am just not sure what sort of seal there is between pump and reservoir.
I do like the look of the reservoir, it add a nice touch to the front of the case and the little window does serve a function in displaying fluid levels so you’ll know when it’s time to top off the loop.
The swivel fittings on the H220 do seem pretty tough. They are removable from the block and pump via two small screws, but I’m not sure if/how they come out of the radiator. If they are like most swivel fittings there is a retaining clip that expands and snap into an internal groove and oring that seals everything. Perhaps there is some sort of trick to taking them apart, but I’m not sure.
Flow/Pressure testing is still in the work plan after I finish phase 1&2 testing for all kits.
I have not done any 280 or 140x related radiator testing yet although my radiator test bench was designed to allow up to 420 rad testing to happen. I am just kind of admiring this in case testing myself and may elect to do all future rad testing inside a case.
Pretty sure a slim 280 radiator would outperform a thick 240, that is quite a bit more frontal surface area which has much more benefit than the extra thickness.
XSPC does offer an EX280 kit:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16551/ex-wat-217/XSPC_Raystorm_EX280_Universal_CPU_Water_Cooling_Kit_w_Free_Dead-Water.html?tl=g30c321s1310
But only in the more premium D5 pump flavor. With cases becoming more and more compatible with 280 rads, they should consider a 750 EX280 option too.
It is probably more work to test in a case but it would reflect real world conditions as apposed to bench. I will ask what the story is on the 220 fittings at ST about removal. I also like the idea of easily seeing your water level.
What seems important to me anyway is seeing your water temperature and flow rate easily all the time. You could see trouble coming that way and not wait for the system going into an emergency shut down because your CPU is starting to smoke a bit, may be too late by then. Temperature looks easy to monitor but flow perhaps not so much. Read of problems with the little spinning thing locking up and causing big problems, it looks expensive also compared to temperature. But neither offer this so it does matter here.
The discussion groups also think surface area trumps thickness, I would think it would be cubic area of the core. But I am wrong on this it seems.
240 thin (3.5cm, 1008 cubic cm)
280 thin (3.6cm, 1411 cubic cm), 29.6%>
360 thin (3.5cm, 1512 cubic cm), 6.1%>
240 thick (5.8cm, 1670 cubic cm), 10.3%>
Biggest jump is between 240 thin and 280 thin, smallest between 280 thin and 360. But the 240 thick has the most cubic area. Numbers are a bit off because of rounding and converted to inches for me to understand better, but this is back to cm. So that proves surface has more effect than simply area
The cool thing about both of these kits is you can add any radiator you can fit when you add the GPU block. The new cases from Nanoxia, Fractal Design and BitFenix are all geared toward 140mm setups with radiator support. Both seem very close stock out of the box in performance, well identical when you put the AP15’s on both of them. If they are still identical with another radiator and GPU block it would be great.
Yeah, I just like the case test, seen too many examples now where open air testing doesn’t translate well to real world conditions. My rad test enclosure should simulate that to some degree with the internal effects, but it’s not perfect either and not as accepted as an actual case test.
Yes, many newer case accepting 140mm factor rads. My Switch 810 handles I believe 280 or 420 sizes.
Forgot to answer your earlier question on the H220 clamps, yes they are metal and I believe aluminum. They are designed to tighten down all the way to fit the 5/8″ tubing nice and snug and work really well. Not as fast to install as the plastic clamps, but easier to remove, more durable, and better looking.
Hi Martin…been lookin’ at your reviews for awhile and this is my first post, you do a bang up job…I always learn somethin’ new everytime I visit. I’ve owned a Raystorm 360 kit for ’bout 6 months (my 1st WC attempt) to that I added 2 XSPC GTX670 blocks and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Keeps my CPU and GPUs tres cool and looks dang sweet doin’ it. I did swap out the XSPC fans for GT AP-15s in push/pull and can keep the fans at low rpm in my HAF 932. Anyway, I thought I’d just throw it out there that XSPC makes a real good kit for beginners that won’t have moths flyin’ outta your wallet. Please keep up the great reviews as I’m sure there’s a heckuva lot of us that look forward to them.
If the 750 and 220 are close together in flow and pressure when you do that testing with perhaps another radiator and GPU block then available 5.25 bays in your case may be a BIG deciding factor to many, it is to me anyway.
Going to hold off picking a case until you have the data on this as they are both great values.
Hi Martin, could you snap a pic of the reservoir in your switch to get an idea what it looks like installed? No big deal… Thanks much
Sure, will try to post one this evening. It is different than the gloss black, but actually looks pretty good I think. I do have my DVD drive behind the stealth cover so there is really only the two blacks and bush vs gloss finish.
Sorry for taking so long
Just your opinion as a person that knows WCing from front to back and sideways if you would.
Say a person has room for either a RS or RX 750 kit (in push/pull) and plan to expand the loop. Would it be worth the extra $30 for an RX kit to start off with or perhaps not a real cost per performance gain?
For some odd reason the price difference between the RS and RX radiator is $23, wonder why they charge an extra $7 for the upgrade. All prices from Frozen CPU of course.
I personally would myself, but it’s not a huge performance difference of maybe 10% or 1 degree using the RX. I just like the way the RX looks and the double row does also mean less restriction. Radiators are also one of those long term items that will likely continue to work just fine 5+ years from now where the blocks will be outdated in just a few years and pumps wear out anywhere from 1-5 years. The rad can last for much longer.
But as far as is 1degree worth 20-30 bucks, probably not…i would do it for the other reasons.
Thanks much for the snap of the res in your case, it stands out a little from the high gloss finish of everything else but it looks pretty cool, I think the silver faceplate on it might look better and let it really shine bright :).
Also thanks much for your 2 bits on the RS/RX Martin. You raise some very good points I did not really consider about the longevity of the components in a loop separately and that the radiator would most likely stay in your case longer than anything else.
I think they look pretty cool also, saw an Alphacool 120 that was 80mm thick, looks like a block! Still picking a case and want to keep the footprint as small as possible. They say it works well with 1200rpm fans so I guess it has a low fpi. Reason I bring this up is it may be an good option in a small case where I could not get another duel in when adding a GPU block (looking at the Arc Midi R2, could mount another duel but the drive cage may be a problem so a 120 would solve that in front). I assume a pair of GT-15’s would work well with a monster like this.
Read all of the testing you have done in your radiator Sandwich and Shootout articles, good stuff indeed! And all of your tests on Alphacool radiators, they look like real good product. Again thanks for all the testing you do, great reading!
Yeah this could so easily be a better kit with bit more care and attention to the small things as you suggest Martin. To be fair it would not cost that much extra either. With those minor gripes given some attention, i am sure people would pay a few bucks more … !
I hate to keep asking you questions on things, tried to get your thoughts on uber thick 120mm radiators in a round about way in case I have to end up with one to make things fit. Hope I can work out a thick 240 in front but may not be able to. Are the 60/80mm 120’s worth the cost over say a 30/45mm? And I assume you would need a capable fan to move the air through them, added cost for a real thick one. I know cost/performance is hard to nail down and I hate wasting your time explaining this stuff. Perhaps a simple yes or no would be just fine.
Thanks again for your insight!
Is it worth it purely for cost/benefit..no. You get something like 10% performance gain which for most is probably only a degree. Slim plus push pull is worth more gain. BUT.. do they do generally look nicer, are often a little better build quality and the restriction is lower. MOST importantly, radiators are the one item that if taken good care of could last 10 years so it’s a long term investment if you want to think of it that way.
Way past due but Thanks Much for your 2 bits on this.