CoolIT Epic 180 info

darkstarcow said:
Couple questions, sorry if you answered already and I missed, also thanks for all the updates, awesome that you are keeping us in the loop.
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No problem. I'll try to tackle these one by one.

darkstarcow said:
1) Temps using the AP181 in pull by itself?
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AP181 pull only mode produced results ~3C below the H50 accross the board. I didn't post these as I didn't think anyone would be interested.

darkstarcow said:
2) Temps using AP181 in push by itself? what happens to case airflow in this configuration?
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I didn't collect this data. I was interested in getting as much out of the unit as possible, so I went for the push-pull right off the bat. Only reason I got pull only data was because of my mistake.

If you are really curious, I can test this at some point though.

Airflow is not messed up at all. The radiator does not restrict flow noticably (at least not to me) so I don't think flow has been obstructed much in the case.


darkstarcow said:
3) If temps with question 1 or 2 are decent, would I have to mod my case to fit the cooler?
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Unfortunately yes. If you look at the picture below, if you add any thickness at all to the fan, you need to cut into the motherboard tray, unfortunately.

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darkstarcow said:
4) Do you live near Vegas or Southern Ca. so I can have you mod my case some day? :)
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Unfortunately I'm in Massachusetts.

It's really not that difficult though. Takes a little elbow grease, but all you are doing is sawing :p If you can saw through wood, you can saw through sheet metal.

All I did to cover up the ugly cut marks was cover them up in black electric tape :p
 
Thanks for the info! I don't know how I forgot that the MB tray extends that for down considering my case is 2ft away lol.
 
Looking at your setup, it looks like the cooler will fit in the FT02 after removing the bracket from the cooler. Anyone else think differently?
 
PnkPwrRngr said:
Looking at your setup, it looks like the cooler will fit in the FT02 after removing the bracket from the cooler. Anyone else think differently?
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It looks to me like it should.

You would likely have to install it so that the reservoirs are front to back in the case, not side to side as in my install.

From pictures of the FT02, I think it will mostly hinge on how much space there is between the rearmost fan and the rear wall of the case. If you'd like I can measure the distance from the fan screw hole on the EPIC180 to the end of the reservoir, then you can measure and see if that would fit in the FT02.
 
Thanks for posting this Zarathustra[H] :). I'm in for the Temps using AP181 in push by itself results. Do you think Epic 180's flexible fluid tubes will reach the top of an Antec Mini P180 case? Also, how loud is the fluid pump in this unit?
 
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Zarathustra[H];1037575441 said:
It looks to me like it should.

You would likely have to install it so that the reservoirs are front to back in the case, not side to side as in my install.

From pictures of the FT02, I think it will mostly hinge on how much space there is between the rearmost fan and the rear wall of the case. If you'd like I can measure the distance from the fan screw hole on the EPIC180 to the end of the reservoir, then you can measure and see if that would fit in the FT02.
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I would love some measurements. Thanks, Zara.
 
PnkPwrRngr said:
Looking at your setup, it looks like the cooler will fit in the FT02 after removing the bracket from the cooler. Anyone else think differently?
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I'm not sure. In my FT02 theres a few things that look like they could interfere. First theres a wire tie off that sticks out right above the back 180 fan, also all 3 of the fans are slightly recessed. I think if you want the rad to fit exactly lined up with one of the 180's and screw into it you are going to either have to remove the plastic tray the 180 sits on or mod the case slightly.

I definitely dont think it will require nearly the amount of modding Zarathustra[H] had to do with his RV03 but I think it will be a perfect fit without at least a little bit of modding.
 
Parja said:
Ditto! I'm going to poke around inside my RV02B tonight and see what kind of clearances I'd have for something like that.
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Well, it wouldn't be perfect, but I think it would fit. The fans do tuck under the mobo tray by probably about 3/8", so without some case modifications, it wouldn't be a perfect fit. That little bit of offset on the bottom fan probably wouldn't affect performance all that much, though. Some little offset brackets would probably do the trick.

Spacing within the FT02B is as follows (quick measurements with a tape measure, so don't take this as gospel):

Inside back of the case to edge of first 180mm fan: ~1-9/16"
Inside back of the case to closest mounting holes of first 180mm fan: ~1-13/16"
Back of case to edge of video card in 3rd peripheral slot: ~12-1/2"
Back of case to edge of (theoretical) video card in 2nd peripheral slot: ~11-11/16" (20mm between slots)
Back of case to edge of (theoretical) video card in 1st peripheral slot: ~10-15/16" (20mm between slots)

Actually, the more I look at it, the more I'm thinking a Corsair H100 might be the more elegant solution. Fab up some brackets to mount it to the top of one and a half of the 180mm fans with the stock Corsair fans in a pull config. With the rad of the H100 being 10-13/16" long, it would clear a video card even if it was installed in the first peripheral slot...which very few mobos would allow for anyway. Guess the big question is how well it would cool.
 
Parja said:
Ditto! I'm going to poke around inside my RV02B tonight and see what kind of clearances I'd have for something like that.
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Sorry for the delay guys I will do this ASAP.

I have been working a lot lately and haven't gotten to it yet.

I'm going to shoot for tomorrow, as I am wiped now.

--Matt
 
Zara,

how can we buy this? It's not offered for sale on their web page anymore? :confused:
 
dejacky said:
Zara,

how can we buy this? It's not offered for sale on their web page anymore? :confused:
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I would call maingear. They got back to me the next day when I first started this thread. They were going to sell me one right then. I wasn't ready to make a $200 commitment without benches and know whether or not it would fit my case.
 
Hi everyone, first time poster here!

I contacted maingear today via email regarding release date and asked if the epic 180 would be available within two months, as I'm building a rig by then.

They've got a pretty fast support service as they answered withing just five minutes:

"Yes, we will be releasing this EPIC 180! It should be within the time frame you need"

That means the cooler will probably be released somewhere between today and the 16th of October! Yay!
 
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achim said:
Hi everyone, first time poster here!

I contacted maingear today via email regarding release date and asked if the epic 180 would be available within two months, as I'm building a rig by then.

They've got a pretty fast support service as they answered withing just five minutes:

"Yes, we will be releasing this EPIC 180! It should be within the time frame you need"

That means the cooler will probably be released somewhere between today and the 16th of October! Yay!
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Well at least tha is something but I am ready to roll now lol. Oh well picked up an H80 at good price, will see what that can do will see how loud those fans get I will most likely swap them for my noctua's. Might also try real build with 200mm rad. Who knows, only time will tell.
 
Ricey said:
Have you had a high end air cooler before? How's the noise compared to it?

Right now I'm waiting for Asetek's new one.
http://www.asetek.com/blog/272-waterchill-2011c-to-be-widely-available-via-partner.html
Guessing it's going to be Antec that we're waiting on.
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The 180mm fans are very quiet. At full blast they are audible but unobtrusive, and since I have the fans running off of the PWM on the motherboard smart fan control, most of the time they are completely silent (12.5%) and only spin up when under heavy load.
 
An I apologize to everyone I promised more tests.. It has been crazy at work and I haven't had time to get to it.

Either way it may be a moot point, as I understand MainGear still hasn't released the retail version for sale...
 
is it worth it to put on a different TIM on the block? I'm still deciding if I should use the one that came with the H100 or go aftermarket.
 
RMXO said:
is it worth it to put on a different TIM on the block? I'm still deciding if I should use the one that came with the H100 or go aftermarket.
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I have found with these units that the stock TIM is much better than AS5. It's some sort of Shin Etsu blend.
 
Zarathustra[H];1037819813 said:
An I apologize to everyone I promised more tests.. It has been crazy at work and I haven't had time to get to it.

Either way it may be a moot point, as I understand MainGear still hasn't released the retail version for sale...
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I'm still quite interested in the cooler's performance. I'm sitting on some cash (finally) that this might be an interesting investment. I'm sure it will out perform my megahalems, but by how much...
 
First, thanks for all the work you've done on adapting Maingear's 180 cooler. Earlier the point was made that while using intake air would provide maximal CPU cooling it might somewhat compromise cooling of other components. I wonder if you've have any idea how large the effect might be, or if you've had a chance to measure it. I'm particularly interested in the impact on GPU temperatures and/or fan speed.

Thanks.
 
mspringer said:
First, thanks for all the work you've done on adapting Maingear's 180 cooler. Earlier the point was made that while using intake air would provide maximal CPU cooling it might somewhat compromise cooling of other components. I wonder if you've have any idea how large the effect might be, or if you've had a chance to measure it. I'm particularly interested in the impact on GPU temperatures and/or fan speed.

Thanks.
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I'm pretty sure only one guy on [H] (read planet) bought this cooler, and he ditched us soon after installing and snapping a few pics... I keep thinking about picking up one of these coolers, but the price tag is a little too steep at this point...
 
PnkPwrRngr said:
I'm pretty sure only one guy on [H] (read planet) bought this cooler, and he ditched us soon after installing and snapping a few pics... I keep thinking about picking up one of these coolers, but the price tag is a little too steep at this point...
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You could build a real water cooling loop with a dual 180mm rad for the price of one of these.

Honestly, I'm really happy with my H60. Its more than enough for my needs. It also did a better job than my Venomous X.
 
PnkPwrRngr said:
I'm pretty sure only one guy on [H] (read planet) bought this cooler, and he ditched us soon after installing and snapping a few pics... I keep thinking about picking up one of these coolers, but the price tag is a little too steep at this point...
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Yeah, I feel badly about that.

I haven't had enough time to spend on computer stuff lately :(

That being said, as I understand MainGear has still not put it on the retail market, so right now the only way to get it is with one of their systems. :( So I don't know how much value there is to me spending time further testing a product noone can buy yet :p

I'm still a little confused how I wound up with mine. I cold called them and asked if they'd consider selling one standalone, and promised to post my results online, they agreed. They said they were going to put it on the market shortly, but its been since July now. Maybe they are having legal issues with Corsair?

Anyway, my AMD system was too slow for me so I just picked up a 3930K. I will keep you guys posted on results with this cooler if anyone is interested.
 
Galvin said:
Is there a way to put this in an FT02 without modding?
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Not sure.

I cant tell from the pictures how much (or if at all) the motherboard backing plate sticks out over the 180mm fans.

If it doesn't you should be able to fit it.
 
:rolleyes:Crap, I want to try this cooler but if I switch back to my Silverstone FT02 my heatpipe video card cooler will suffer.
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Lawrence875 said:
:rolleyes:Crap, I want to try this cooler but if I switch back to my Silverstone FT02 my heatpipe video card cooler will suffer.
jh2.jpg

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Well, you'd have a tough time getting one right now anyway :( Hopefully they will start selling them soon.

Doesn't look like your image hosting is working :(
 
That WaterChill 2011C looks very promising. Is it available yet?
 
SaY said:
That WaterChill 2011C looks very promising. Is it available yet?
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Nah. They were originally supposed to start taking pre-orders in June (or was it July?) but then they announced they were working with a retail partner instead.

Ever since Corsair dropped Asetek (they used to make the H50 and H70 for Corsair) and went to CoolIT (who make the H60, H80 and H100) Asetek have worked with Antec on their Kuhler H20 line.

I wouldn't be surprised if their partner will be Antek amd we'll see a Kuhler H20 dual 120mm rad version soon.

If you like that design though, you could just get the Corsair H100 today, as it is their version (made by CoolIT) of the dual radiator cooler that is available today...
 
I'm not sure any of us will be getting the Epic 180 without buying a system from Maingear.

Zara, you must have gotten to them before all the contracts were finalized or something, because all the sales reps tell me they are not allowed to sell me an Epic 180 per contract with CoolIT.

I called CoolIT to see if could buy one off the assembly line but they are abiding by the same contract.

I've only seen 2 out in the wild now not attached to Maingear systems. Zara you have one, and PCPer has one.
 
Does anyone know if it's available for sale now? I also searched, but couldn't find it anywhere :confused:..
 
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