Larkooler iSkyWater 300 DIY 240mm Kit

Welcome to the third in my series of 2x120mm under $150 value series kit reviews, the Larkooler iSkyWater 300. Larkooler is a fairly new brand to me as I haven’t had a chance to review any of their parts or pieces individually. Unlike the XSPC kit which left me running to the grocery store to get distilled water, this kit is complete with fluid and everything you need to put your system together. Also unlike the sealed AIO units such as the Corsair H100i which are sealed and not intended for expansion, the Larkooler iSkyWater 300 is DIY and there are VGA block and Ram block accessories intend to go with this kit for expansion possibilities. Also unlike the sealed kits where tubing is already connected and sealed, the Larkooler kit comes with external radiator mounting brackets and designed to be mounted internally or externally depending on your case needs. At $129.95, that makes this kit extremely low-cost, compatible with most cases if external mounting is desired, and expandable which we all like. We’ll put it to the test in this next review and see how it stacks up to similarly prices 2x120mm radiator sub $150 water cooling kits.

Before going to far, I would like to give special thanks to Mark from FrozenCPU for sponsoring this kit, they are your one-stop-shop for all PC modification supplies!

FrozenCPU Product Information

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/15141/ex-wat-155/Larkooler_Universal_High_Performance_Complete_CPU_Liquid_Cooling_Kit_BA2-241_-_LGA_2011_Ready.html

Product Description

Larkooler is a new generation cooling system for desktop computers. It is designed with the best cooling solution for the most important component of your PC, the CPU. This kit includes everything you need to get started. A pure copper block for maximum heat absorption. One 24cm radiator with two 120x25mm fans. Last is the tubing and cooling fluid. The VGA, Chipset and Mosfet blocks can be added to upgrade performance. The iSkyWater 300 provides a reliable low noise, high performance liquid cooling system. Literally every EVERYTHING you need is here in this kit!

Instructions Manual (.pdf)

Specification Sheet (.pdf)

Note: Radiator color is now black.

Features

• Most Cost-Effective CPU Liquid Cooling
• Very High C/P
• Supports INTEL LGA775/LGA1156/LGA1366/LGA2011
• Supports AMD Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3
• 3D Micro-Structure Thermal solution adapted, outstanding heat dispersion under very low water flow.
• Supports most CPU like Intel i7& AMD Phenom II processors.
• The universal type strengthened backplate not only prevents MB distortion but also has high compatibility for all kinds of MBs.
• Easy installation due to 2-way tubing design which also enables upgrade to series connection of more water blocks.
• Highly polished base to ensure excellent surface contact with heat source.
• Fitting with refrigeration-and- air-conditioning-class structures provides high performance heat dispersing at low noise.
• Easy installation design and back mounting bracket let DIYers enjoy DIY.
• Specially designed bolts and nuts to prevent tube’s looseness and coolant leakage.
• Pump with refrigeration-and- air-conditioning-class structures provides low-water warning.
• Steady and silent working.
• Easy installation design brings more fun to DIYers.
• Specially designed bolts and nuts to prevent tube’s looseness and coolant leakage.
• Thread upgradable to be compatible with G1/4″ water cooling system

Specifications

CPU Water Block
Dimension:	D45xH29mm
Weight:	180g
Material:	Pure Copper
Pump
Dimension:	100x70x82mm
Rated Voltage & Current:	DC12V/0.41A
Weight:	330g
Flow Rate:	72L/Hour
Max. Water Lift:	200cm
Radiator
Dimension:	35x124x302mm
Material:	Copper tubes with aluminum fins
Fan Speed:	MAX 1800 RPM
Fan Connector:	3 pin
Fan Max. Air Flow:	62.7CFM
Noise:	31.1dBA
Life Expectancy:	50000 hrs at 25°C
Tank
Capacity:	150ml
Coolant
Main Composition:	water & propylene glycol
Volume:	250 ml
Anti-freezing:	-5°C
Tube
Dimension:	OD8mm / ID 6mm
Length:	200cm
Material:	PU
Max Operation Temperature:	50°C
Supports
Intel:	LGA775/LGA1366/LGA1156/LGA2011
AMD Socket:	754/939/940

Description/Spec Thoughts

One of my initial worries was seeing the aluminum fins thinking the radiator was aluminum, but it is NOT. The radiator uses round copper tubes with aluminum fins pressed over the round tubes, but the critical part contacting water is all copper. The block is also copper, so no worries about mixed metals, the kit is all good copper/brass metals.

Pump

The pump has a good 2m head static pressure rating, however the 72LPH max flow rating converts to .26GPM, so it’s more of a high pressure but very low flow pump. At the rated .41Amps that makes this about a 5W max pump which is a good amount of power compared to AIO sealed units which are down in the 1-2W range. We’ll see how it does in operation. I did find this searching the net:

Source: http://www.larkooler.tw/p2072-pump.htm

One more pretty cool feature in looking over the box, is the pump has a “Low Water Level” warning function, and of course you could easily connect multiple pumps in series as they show below:

Fitting Compatibility

The other “Mostly” good feature is the G 1/4″ threading compatibility. This is great for the block and radiator which all include the standard female G1/4″ threading so you can use your own barbs, BUT…the pump does not. The pump has male cast 6mm ID barbs with compression fitting threads which are intended to fit 6mmID x 8mmOD tubing. So you are a bit stuck with the smaller tubing size and fitting style with the pump, but the rest of the system could utilize custom fittings.

CPU Block

Digging further on the CPU block I actually found “SCIENCE”!! This does show how the block is very capable at very low flow rates:

Source: http://www.larkooler.tw/CWB-10.htm

For Reference: 1000ml/min = 0.26 GPM

Case Compatibility

Also not really advertised in the specs, but something I really like is their external radiator mounting brackets. For users who have a small case that may not support a 240 radiator, they give you nice brackets that could be used to install a radiator externally to the back or top of the case which increases case compatibility significantly.

Source: http://www.larkooler.tw/RX-240-radiator.htm

Warranty/Lifespan

The radiator has a 50,000 hour lifespan. The Warranty period at 1 year is also a bit less than the H220 3 year warranty or Corsair’s H100i 5 year warranty.

That’s not to say warranty matches actual service life, I just prefer seeing pump MTBF ratings and warranty for a few years.

Overall, quite a bit here to review and some promising specs and features for such a value priced kit. We’ll start next with the unboxing.

Distilled Water Shootout & Water Purity

I was in need of picking up another gallon of distilled water at Wal-mart today, and decided to stop by a few more stores and do a quick evaluation of water purity of a few different brands.  In addition, I wanted to better understand the importance of water quality and scale since there is no data on how water quality changes when run in a loop.  I’ve read or heard a few people say that store bought distilled water just isn’t good or reliable enough and that you really need to buy ultra pure water.  I have used regular distilled water in non-plated water cooling loops for years now and have even run tapwater in a loop for over a year now just for this nagging myth being spread about.  Since I bought my own water purity meter, I now had the tools needed to see for myself and wanted to share my findings.

This test is sponsored by martinsliquidlab.org…:)

Water Quality Meters

First, let’s look at the meters.  It doesn’t break the bank to buy these, I spent under $100 to buy them both:

I initially started testing both electrical conductivity as well as PH, but after a while realized that the PH was generally the same.  It’s hard to measure with such little conductivity, but all the samples were within 6.5-7.5 PH which is neutral.

The conductivity meter is an HM Digital COM-100

http://www.tdsmeter.com/products/com100.html

SPECIFICATIONS

EC Range: 0 – 9990 µS; 0 – 9.99 mS
TDS Range: 0 – 8560 ppm (mg/L); 0 – 8.56 ppt
Temperature Range: 0-80 °C; 32-176 °F
Resolution: 0-99: 0.1 µS/ppm/mS/ppt; 100-999: 1 µS/ppm; 1000-9990: 10 µS/ppm. Temp. resolution is 0.1 °C/F
Accuracy: +/- 2%
EC to TDS Conversion Factor: Non-linear conversions for KCl, 442^TM or NaCl solutions, selected by the user.
Calibration: Digital calibration by push button.
Probe: Detachable platinum electrodes
Housing: IP-67 Waterproof (submersible; floats)
Power source: 3 x 1.5V button cell batteries (included)  (model 357A)
Dimensions: 18.5 x 3.4 x 3.4 cm (7.3 x 1.3 x 1.3 inches)
Weight: 90.7g (3.2 oz)

The COM-100 meter is calibrated with a 1413 µS solution.

The meter comes factory calibrated with a 1413 uS solution and appeared to be reading fairly accurately, so I proceeded to test with that factory calibration.

Electrical conductivity or EC is a commonly used indicator to measure water purity.  While conductivity itself isn’t the only measurement goal, total dissolved solids (TDS) in ppm (Parts per million) are also routinely converted from this number.  To keep it simple, I’m just measuring the conductivity in this test and including a conversion table that was included with the meter to TDS if you are so inclined.  Distilled waters typically should be better than 10uS where municipal water systems could be as high as 500-800uS.  In water cooling we have had all sorts of numbers thrown out there with suggestions that grocery store distilled wasn’t good enough.  In addition there was not any data in regards to how quickly this water becomes ionized in the loop which is important when considering the relevance of purity.

So with that….let’s get on with some measurements..:)

i7-3930K CPU XSPC Raystorm Copper

Welcome to the another Raystorm test, this time the all metal premium Raystorm Copper block on my new 3930K processor.  The Raystorm turned out to be an excellent performing block in both 2600K performance and restriction, yet there was only an acetal top with acrylic hold down version until now.  The copper top is the same high performance design constructed out of more durable metal materials.  I tend to personally favor the use of metal top blocks myself too, so when XSPC asked if I would be interested in reviewing a copper top, I was happy to accept.

Before reviewing, I’d like to give special thanks to Paul from XSPC for sponsoring this sample product!

Features/Specs

First, let’s look at the manufacturer’s specifications:

Special edition all copper waterblock with a CNC cut aluminium bracket. The best performing CPU waterblock just got better.

– Designed for Multi Core CPU’s
– High Performance Copper Base 56x56x3mm
– CNC Cut Copper Top
– CNC Cut Aluminium Bracket
– G1/4″ Threads
– Compatible with Most Compression Fittings
– Supports Sockets LGA775, 1156, 1155 and 1366

Supplied with mounting hardware, 775, 1156/1155, and 1366 backplates,
allen key, and K2 thermal paste.

Of special note is the CNC Cut “Copper” top and “Aluminum” bracket.  The original Raystorm is made from plastic acetal/delrin and acrylic for the bracket (hold down).

Aqua Computer Water High Flow Sensor / Meter

Welcome to my review of the Aqua Computer’s Flow Meter. While I have typically relied on my King Instruments analog flow meters for most of my test purposes, trying to fit a 14″ tall flow meter into your case isn’t very practical. For computers we need something smaller in size that can send an electronic signal to be processed digitally. Aqua Computers has taken a popular and high quality Digmesa sensor and fabricated a new water cooling specific housing and flow chamber for it.  We all like our G1/4 fittings and like a clean look which is the transformation that was done.

I would like to thank Shoggy from Aqua Computer for this review sample that was included for Aquaero review, thanks!

Benefits

While flow meters are not a necessary part of a water cooling loop, and they do add restriction, they also provide some information that can be used in a few different ways:

Clean Health Indicator – The tubes and blocks in your system are like veins and arteries in your body and can plug due to a variety of reasons.  Plasticizers, flux, corrosion, and sedimentation of chemicals or some dyes can all be contributing chloresteral if you will.  If you plan to keep the same loop operational for longer than 3-6 months, a precision flow meter can be a great piece of before and after information on yoru system and give you that indication that all is well without tearing everything down.  Consider it a blood pressure cuff for your water cooling system.

Emergency Shut Down – In the event that a pump fails to start, quit, or begin failing..a flow meter is one way to monitor that and shut down a system due to flow rates being too low.  I have seen at least one DDC pump loose part of it’s circuitry yet it still operated.

Complex Pump Setups & Parallel Loops – I have seen people connect up bay reservoirs incorrectly with two pumps in series such that only one was actually doing work.  Both pumps were moving and water was moving in the reservoir, but they had no idea that allowing the reservoirs to be shared essentially eliminated all work by the first pump(no pressure differential).  People are also beginning to experiment with parallel loop systems which can be an advantage but much more tricky to design properly when most parts out there don’t include basic restriction pressure drop info.  While not likely, it is possible to build a parallel system that could be a pretty bad idea if the restriction levels are too unbalance.  In parallel it is also possible to completely block one path of flow and not know it. Flow meters would again provide confirmation that things are operating as intended and continue that way.

Testing/Tinkering – This is of coarse why I like them.  While flow rate effects are generally small, I consider it taboo to test or review something thermally without also comparing restriction in some form or another.  Even if it’s not for comparison and just for information, a meter completes the package of information that is easily collected for the end user to have and think about.

I have used flow meters in the past for most of my testing work and have also used them for a couple of long term loops that I ran for over two years without cleaning, so I also see the health indicator being a value for me as I typically do like to push maintenance intervals to their maximum and generally only tear things down when upgrading.

Specification:

• Digmesa Impeller & Sensor
• Flow rate range: 0.67-10 l/min (LPM) / 0.18 – 2.64 GPM
• Tolerance ± 2.0%
• Poll value: 169 impulses per liter (Small ID Fittings)
• Supply voltage: DC 5V 5-13 mA
• Input-output threads: G 1/4 BSP nozzles
• Materials used: plastic, stainless steel
• Internals Accessible For Cleaning
• Large 3 pin connector (larger than normal fan connector)

The specifications look promising in both flow rate sensitivity as well as voltage since an ordinary PC power supply also has 5VDC.

Plug and Play Compatibility:

If you just want to plug in the unit and have speed data converted to flow values, using an AC cable and one of the following will do that for you:

• aquaero 5 XT / PRO / LT
• aquaero 4.00 USB Fan-Controller
• aquaero LT 4.00 USB Fan-Controller
• aquaero 3.07 USB Fan-Controller
• aquaero LT 3.07 USB Fan-Controller
• poweradjust USB
• poweradjust USB Version LT
• aquastream XT USB Ultra-Version
• aquaduct 240 Pro mark III
• aquaduct 360 eco+

Both specifications and compatibility are good. We’ll take a closer look at the package you get next.