EK Supreme and Koolance CPU-340 Compared to The Competition
Water Cooling by KeithSuppe @ 2008-04-16
Today we add two new blocks to our previous roundup, newcomer EK Supreme out of Slovenia and Koolance replacement to their CPU-330 the CPU-340.
Review
Introduction
The Original Round-Up:
In the beginning there were just five waterblocks to be included in our Round-Up. That number grew to six when we added the D-Tek Fuzion. It also made for some un-happy competitors since the Fuzion dominated the Round-up. Today we offer some competition to the Fuzion a la the EK Supreme Plexi and introduce Koolance replacement for their CPU-330 the CPU-340. To deepen the bench so to speak, I've also decided to introduce a water-block many H20-Enthusiats have held in high esteem.
Swiftech purchased the rights to manufacture the venerable Storm waterblock almost 3-years ago CIRCA July 2005. When it hit the E-Shelves it had been long anticipated, so long in fact by the time the 2nd revision arrived the block was seeing some close competition ironically from the company whom had been manufacturing it. The Storm was replaced by the Apogee last year. Although discontinued I thought it still deserved a spot if anything as a frame of reference for the Round-Up. Despite its age the block is still a great performer. Below we see the Storm disassembled.
What made the Storm a success were its mini-jets / mini-cup impingement design. Seen below, the Storm is a multistage affair with the center section dividing the 1/2" inlet steam via 35-miniature nozzles into individual jets.
As the 1/2" stream is divided via the nozzles water pressure increases substantially into 35-individual jets where they impinge into a corresponding "cup" in the copper base. These 35-cups are grouped above the processor core and machined into the copper base leaving just a few mm of copper between the water and processor IHS. The nozzle length places each nozzle tip about a tenth of an mm into the cup. Counter-sinking the nozzles eliminates back pressure from disrupting the flow hence impingement is unimpeded.
As a result of the multiple mini-jets design, the Storm places more back pressure on an H20 system compared to most other water-blocks. For this reason the Storm not only benefits from a high pressure (high Head Feet) pump, it's dependent upon high pressure to function optimally. The Laing D5-38 Vario I've been using throughout these tests (also sold as the Swiftech MCP655) is an ideal match for the Swiftech Storm. Below we see the individual streams created by the mini-jets.
Onto the new additions ->
In the beginning there were just five waterblocks to be included in our Round-Up. That number grew to six when we added the D-Tek Fuzion. It also made for some un-happy competitors since the Fuzion dominated the Round-up. Today we offer some competition to the Fuzion a la the EK Supreme Plexi and introduce Koolance replacement for their CPU-330 the CPU-340. To deepen the bench so to speak, I've also decided to introduce a water-block many H20-Enthusiats have held in high esteem.
Swiftech purchased the rights to manufacture the venerable Storm waterblock almost 3-years ago CIRCA July 2005. When it hit the E-Shelves it had been long anticipated, so long in fact by the time the 2nd revision arrived the block was seeing some close competition ironically from the company whom had been manufacturing it. The Storm was replaced by the Apogee last year. Although discontinued I thought it still deserved a spot if anything as a frame of reference for the Round-Up. Despite its age the block is still a great performer. Below we see the Storm disassembled.
What made the Storm a success were its mini-jets / mini-cup impingement design. Seen below, the Storm is a multistage affair with the center section dividing the 1/2" inlet steam via 35-miniature nozzles into individual jets.
As the 1/2" stream is divided via the nozzles water pressure increases substantially into 35-individual jets where they impinge into a corresponding "cup" in the copper base. These 35-cups are grouped above the processor core and machined into the copper base leaving just a few mm of copper between the water and processor IHS. The nozzle length places each nozzle tip about a tenth of an mm into the cup. Counter-sinking the nozzles eliminates back pressure from disrupting the flow hence impingement is unimpeded.
As a result of the multiple mini-jets design, the Storm places more back pressure on an H20 system compared to most other water-blocks. For this reason the Storm not only benefits from a high pressure (high Head Feet) pump, it's dependent upon high pressure to function optimally. The Laing D5-38 Vario I've been using throughout these tests (also sold as the Swiftech MCP655) is an ideal match for the Swiftech Storm. Below we see the individual streams created by the mini-jets.
Onto the new additions ->
Koolance CPU-340
Koolance Nickel Plated CPU-340
Koolance has been around for over 8-years and recently they have been improving their product line to compete with other high-performance water-blocks and systems on the market. In the original round-up I tested their CPU-330 which is similar to the CPU-340, with the exception of applied materials to the metal surfaces. The CPU-330 was and is an impressive block featuring a hefty amount of copper in its base. Mass in any cooler can be used to good effect, although in a water-block it is sometimes a delicate balance. At the very least the CPU-330 out-weighed the other contenders at 198g in our 6-way Round-Up. Below we see the Gold coated copper base on CPU-330.
The CPU-340 is intended as an improvement over the CPU-330. Changes are primarily the application of materials used to coat the critical areas of the block such as the copper base-plate. As a comparison the photo below also shows a dollop of the preferred thermal paste for this addendum, Tuniq TX-2.
Looking at the blocks from a top view you can just make out Koolance utilized the Nickel coating on the innards of the CPU-340 as well. Although difficult to see from this view the CPU-340 is slightly smaller then the CPU-330. Why Koolance chose to replace Gold with Nickel perplexed me. Considering Nickel is pretty far down the Fourier based thermal conductivity scale. Perhaps their decision was based on an attempt to prevent dissimilar corrosive effects. However when looking at this anodic index Gold is about the best material out there?
As we peer into the blocks the extruded Pyramid pin design has been left in tact. The only difference is the Nickel plating or coating over the gold coated innards in the CPU-330.
In the original Round-Up I found Koolance mounting back-plate a bit strange in its absence of any material behind the socket? Just about all motherboards will flex provided enough tension is excreted and the reason these back-plates were introduced was to ensure tightening the mounting nuts increased mounting pressure. It almost looks as if Koolance back-plate might have the opposite effect?
My other criticism was the thickness of both the rear plate and rubber insulation? The back-plate is very thick at 3mm as is the rubber insulation at 2.5mm. It's intended to insulate the board from the hefty back-plate, however; it may also trap heat which would normally dissipate from the back of the socket. Seen below with the CPU-330 mounted note the gold coating on the base.
At first I found Koolance mounting hardware to be quite impressive, as time passes, testing with these blocks has shown their mounting hardware may actually sabotage their ability to perform optimally. Also included are several squares of thin copper "tape" for mounting thermistor, or thermo-probes.
I measure flatness using a metal drafting ruler/slide which has a very flat edge. The CPU-340 just like the CPU-330 passed this test and from the photo below the finish is excellent.
Onto the EK Supreme ->
The CPU-340 is intended as an improvement over the CPU-330. Changes are primarily the application of materials used to coat the critical areas of the block such as the copper base-plate. As a comparison the photo below also shows a dollop of the preferred thermal paste for this addendum, Tuniq TX-2.
Looking at the blocks from a top view you can just make out Koolance utilized the Nickel coating on the innards of the CPU-340 as well. Although difficult to see from this view the CPU-340 is slightly smaller then the CPU-330. Why Koolance chose to replace Gold with Nickel perplexed me. Considering Nickel is pretty far down the Fourier based thermal conductivity scale. Perhaps their decision was based on an attempt to prevent dissimilar corrosive effects. However when looking at this anodic index Gold is about the best material out there?
As we peer into the blocks the extruded Pyramid pin design has been left in tact. The only difference is the Nickel plating or coating over the gold coated innards in the CPU-330.
In the original Round-Up I found Koolance mounting back-plate a bit strange in its absence of any material behind the socket? Just about all motherboards will flex provided enough tension is excreted and the reason these back-plates were introduced was to ensure tightening the mounting nuts increased mounting pressure. It almost looks as if Koolance back-plate might have the opposite effect?
My other criticism was the thickness of both the rear plate and rubber insulation? The back-plate is very thick at 3mm as is the rubber insulation at 2.5mm. It's intended to insulate the board from the hefty back-plate, however; it may also trap heat which would normally dissipate from the back of the socket. Seen below with the CPU-330 mounted note the gold coating on the base.
At first I found Koolance mounting hardware to be quite impressive, as time passes, testing with these blocks has shown their mounting hardware may actually sabotage their ability to perform optimally. Also included are several squares of thin copper "tape" for mounting thermistor, or thermo-probes.
I measure flatness using a metal drafting ruler/slide which has a very flat edge. The CPU-340 just like the CPU-330 passed this test and from the photo below the finish is excellent.
Onto the EK Supreme ->
EK Supreme
Great things from Slovenia :
EKWater blocks is relatively unknown in the USA was founded CIRCA 2003 by Edvard Konig whom chose his initials as the company name. Early CPU water-block prototypes were given the moniker EK-1 ~ EK-4 and it was the latter in the first thumbnail (from left) which became the first retail item. Moving to the next thumbnail and water-block we have the EK-6 introduced as a "serial" water-block. In 2004 straight channels became "waves" which eventually led to the EK-WWA (Wave Water Accelerator) seen in the second to last thumbnail to the right. The curved channels in the wave design then shrunk, culminating in the EK-MCW (Micro Channel Wave). Far right..
Below we find the EK supreme sans its universal mounting plate. The block itself measures approximately 50mm x 50mm and is not much larger in size then an Intel IHS itself. Of course if the block is designed appropriately it does not need to be any larger then the IHS and in some designs it may be slightly smaller.
0
Disassembled the EK Supreme has some unique parts. The mechanics of the design cannot be pigeonholed as it's not an extruded pin, nor a mini-jet with corresponding cups.
With the top-plate removed and flipped I've placed the slotted accelerator plate in place. This is to exemplify how the water stream originally enters the inlet and is immediately divided across the length of the plate. Back pressure from such a design would require a high pressure pump if you want optimal performance from the EK Supreme.
The base-plate below with its many "micro-grooves" represents a unique technology. The plate is situated in the photo to compliment the position of the slotted plate in the photo above. The high pressure streams impinging on the micro-grooves below run perpendicular for greater turbulence and heat absorption.
It's not an ontological leap to extrapolate where the designer became interested in the benefits of micro-grooves and in the EK-Supreme it's simply been taken to its extremes. Micro-grooves en-masse takes full advantage of thermal conductivity in reference to Heat Transfer between two objects. The formula represented as Heat transferred in time involves the following: Conductivity of the objects, Area, Temperature and Thickness. I found the design to be a refreshing twist on thermo-dynamic theory. .
And of course there's the base finish. Laying a metal slide ruler across the EK Supreme base proved to be just about perfectly flat. The finish was superb another mirror image.
Onto the testing ->
EKWater blocks is relatively unknown in the USA was founded CIRCA 2003 by Edvard Konig whom chose his initials as the company name. Early CPU water-block prototypes were given the moniker EK-1 ~ EK-4 and it was the latter in the first thumbnail (from left) which became the first retail item. Moving to the next thumbnail and water-block we have the EK-6 introduced as a "serial" water-block. In 2004 straight channels became "waves" which eventually led to the EK-WWA (Wave Water Accelerator) seen in the second to last thumbnail to the right. The curved channels in the wave design then shrunk, culminating in the EK-MCW (Micro Channel Wave). Far right..
Below we find the EK supreme sans its universal mounting plate. The block itself measures approximately 50mm x 50mm and is not much larger in size then an Intel IHS itself. Of course if the block is designed appropriately it does not need to be any larger then the IHS and in some designs it may be slightly smaller.
0
Disassembled the EK Supreme has some unique parts. The mechanics of the design cannot be pigeonholed as it's not an extruded pin, nor a mini-jet with corresponding cups.
With the top-plate removed and flipped I've placed the slotted accelerator plate in place. This is to exemplify how the water stream originally enters the inlet and is immediately divided across the length of the plate. Back pressure from such a design would require a high pressure pump if you want optimal performance from the EK Supreme.
The base-plate below with its many "micro-grooves" represents a unique technology. The plate is situated in the photo to compliment the position of the slotted plate in the photo above. The high pressure streams impinging on the micro-grooves below run perpendicular for greater turbulence and heat absorption.
It's not an ontological leap to extrapolate where the designer became interested in the benefits of micro-grooves and in the EK-Supreme it's simply been taken to its extremes. Micro-grooves en-masse takes full advantage of thermal conductivity in reference to Heat Transfer between two objects. The formula represented as Heat transferred in time involves the following: Conductivity of the objects, Area, Temperature and Thickness. I found the design to be a refreshing twist on thermo-dynamic theory. .
And of course there's the base finish. Laying a metal slide ruler across the EK Supreme base proved to be just about perfectly flat. The finish was superb another mirror image.
Onto the testing ->
Test System / Results
Test Methodology and Results:
In my experience the component having the greatest impact on temperature in almost every H20 system is the radiator. A more semantically astute description is the heat-exchanger. This is where the rubber meets the road.... How and where your radiator/fan compliment is mounted on the H20 loop will have the largest effect on the item to be cooled. To keep temperatures as close to ambient as possible I have done two things. I keep the system "open" to eliminate heat build-up which occurs in sealed cases and I've chosen a triple radiator and high CFM fan combination. Removed the side panels from the already "breathable" Mozart Tx to eliminate temp variables. Ultimately in a typical H20 system temps cannot be lower then the air-temp at the radiator inlet.
Testing Methodology
In the original Round-Up I found some blocks included a "back-plate" with their hardware while others did not. And, as I mentioned on the Koolance page, their mounting hardware seemed quite strange to me. Once that proverbial can of worms was open I chose to run an additional test in which I used Swiftech's back-plate design and applied it to all blocks. The results showed an improvement in performance across the board and also showed CPU-330 to perform better with a back-plate which places pressure on the area directly behind the socket, compared to their own back-plate which encircles it. In the first two charts each water-block was tested with the hardware supplied, in all fairness most people would not be modifying nor installing a modified "back-plate." In the third chart I employed a modified Swiftech style back-plate which exerts pressure behind the Socket. At the time of writing about all the blocks tested now offer back-plate kits. Therefore the first two charts below represent CPU temps with water-blocks running on number #3 and #5 settings on the D5-38 Vario pump, or the difference between pressure/flow rate.
Each water-block was mounted tested and re-mounted at least three times to ensure thermal paste was distributed evenly and the contact between surfaces was consistent. Out of three (or more) installations the lowest consistent temp was chosen for the final result (chart). Thermal paste remains unchanged from the last review; Tuniq TX2 which sets-up quite rapidly. I used Arctic Silver's AS5 Intel Quad Core application method which basically involves laying down two lines perpendicularly across the cores forming an "X" and distributing the paste to each core.
Ambient temp for all tests remained between 18°C ~ 19°C measured at the radiator inlet.
As mentioned above the chart below tests the blocks running on the # 5 setting and including a back-plate exerting pressure behind the Socket. Not only did this improve performance across the board it improved performance on the Koolance water blocks even compared to their own back-plate design.
Conclusion
First let's address the Koolance CPU-340. How a Nickel plated copper base out-performs a Gold plated copper base which are "almost" identical perplexed me, until I realized the CPU-340 simply has more mass. While the CPU-330 is "larger" it weighs less. Without an accurate scale it's difficult to tell, Koolance states the CPU-330 weighs in at 198g, in my estimation the CPU-340 weighs in at 250g.
Second, the EK Supreme, this block bested all the others including the D-Tek by a few degrees, at the highest pump setting. Although on the Laing D5-38 Vario's #3 Settings the Fuzion reigned (over the) Supreme. I attribute this to the EK Supreme's reliance on a high pressure pump for ultimate performance.
Koolance CPU-340: at $54.95 MSRP is just $10 more then it's sibling the CPU-330 and worth the price increase there. The back-plate hardware should be re-designed.
PRO
decent performance
all metal design
nickel plated
CON
mounting hardware may be defeatist
price
EK Supreme Plexi: retails for $69.95 USA (45.95 EUR). The sample I received didn't include a back-plate however; these are now available.
PRO
best performer!
CON
should include back-plate for the price
price
We thank Koolance and EK for allowing us to test their product, and also Swiftech for sending us the Storm water block!
In my experience the component having the greatest impact on temperature in almost every H20 system is the radiator. A more semantically astute description is the heat-exchanger. This is where the rubber meets the road.... How and where your radiator/fan compliment is mounted on the H20 loop will have the largest effect on the item to be cooled. To keep temperatures as close to ambient as possible I have done two things. I keep the system "open" to eliminate heat build-up which occurs in sealed cases and I've chosen a triple radiator and high CFM fan combination. Removed the side panels from the already "breathable" Mozart Tx to eliminate temp variables. Ultimately in a typical H20 system temps cannot be lower then the air-temp at the radiator inlet.
Intel Test System: | |
| Processor | Intel Q6600 SLACR Socket-775 |
| Mainboard | Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R |
| Memory | Super Talent DDR3-1600 (2x1GB) GEIL DDR2-800 (2x1GB) |
| Graphics | BFG 8800Ultra |
| Storage | Seagate Barracuda 80GB SATA Perpendicular |
| Optical | Plextor PX755-SA DVD/RW |
| Power Supply | Tuniq Ensemble 1200W |
| Cooling System | Laing Vario D38, Sunon 3x120mm @ 98CFM, Black Ice Xtreme III (triple radiator), Fluid (Distilled H20, Water Wetter, Anti Algae) 1/2" Tygon tubing 1.2m L |
| Original Waterblocks Tested | D-Tek Fuzion Swiftech Apogee GTX Swiftech Apogee GT EnzoTech Sapphire SCX-1 Koolance CPU-330 Danger Den TDX (original) |
| Waterblocks Added | Swiftech Storm EK Supreme Koolance CPU-340 |
| Operating System | Windows XP |
| Chassis | Thermaltake Mozart TX (open chassis) |
Testing Methodology
In the original Round-Up I found some blocks included a "back-plate" with their hardware while others did not. And, as I mentioned on the Koolance page, their mounting hardware seemed quite strange to me. Once that proverbial can of worms was open I chose to run an additional test in which I used Swiftech's back-plate design and applied it to all blocks. The results showed an improvement in performance across the board and also showed CPU-330 to perform better with a back-plate which places pressure on the area directly behind the socket, compared to their own back-plate which encircles it. In the first two charts each water-block was tested with the hardware supplied, in all fairness most people would not be modifying nor installing a modified "back-plate." In the third chart I employed a modified Swiftech style back-plate which exerts pressure behind the Socket. At the time of writing about all the blocks tested now offer back-plate kits. Therefore the first two charts below represent CPU temps with water-blocks running on number #3 and #5 settings on the D5-38 Vario pump, or the difference between pressure/flow rate.
Each water-block was mounted tested and re-mounted at least three times to ensure thermal paste was distributed evenly and the contact between surfaces was consistent. Out of three (or more) installations the lowest consistent temp was chosen for the final result (chart). Thermal paste remains unchanged from the last review; Tuniq TX2 which sets-up quite rapidly. I used Arctic Silver's AS5 Intel Quad Core application method which basically involves laying down two lines perpendicularly across the cores forming an "X" and distributing the paste to each core.
Ambient temp for all tests remained between 18°C ~ 19°C measured at the radiator inlet.
As mentioned above the chart below tests the blocks running on the # 5 setting and including a back-plate exerting pressure behind the Socket. Not only did this improve performance across the board it improved performance on the Koolance water blocks even compared to their own back-plate design.
Conclusion
First let's address the Koolance CPU-340. How a Nickel plated copper base out-performs a Gold plated copper base which are "almost" identical perplexed me, until I realized the CPU-340 simply has more mass. While the CPU-330 is "larger" it weighs less. Without an accurate scale it's difficult to tell, Koolance states the CPU-330 weighs in at 198g, in my estimation the CPU-340 weighs in at 250g.
Second, the EK Supreme, this block bested all the others including the D-Tek by a few degrees, at the highest pump setting. Although on the Laing D5-38 Vario's #3 Settings the Fuzion reigned (over the) Supreme. I attribute this to the EK Supreme's reliance on a high pressure pump for ultimate performance.
Koolance CPU-340: at $54.95 MSRP is just $10 more then it's sibling the CPU-330 and worth the price increase there. The back-plate hardware should be re-designed.
PRO
decent performance
all metal design
nickel plated
CON
mounting hardware may be defeatist
price
EK Supreme Plexi: retails for $69.95 USA (45.95 EUR). The sample I received didn't include a back-plate however; these are now available.
PRO
best performer!
CON
should include back-plate for the price
price
We thank Koolance and EK for allowing us to test their product, and also Swiftech for sending us the Storm water block!