Exos 2 review

R

revival

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 4, 2003
Messages
233
Beware Pics are large!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alright I got my Exos 2 today with a 300g v10 block

Upon opening I noticed they included 1/4 tubing and the correct adapters incase you wanted to hook up a video block or something

Here a pic of box contents


Being the curious person I am I decided to open it up right away

Inside pic

The radiator is almost 8 inches wide and 11 inches long.
An interesting thing to note is one of the outside nozzles connect directly to the radiator
As seen here


Up and running
FYI the water res has 4 leds in it to light it up and it looks sweet

Now comes the test...

Test config
Cpu is AMD mobile 2500XP @ 2400 mhz 1.7 volts
NF7 rev 2 mb
Arctic silver 5 was used
MBM was used for CPU temps
Radio thermometer was placed outside of the case for ambient temps


Cooling unit one:
DIY water cooling system
TDX block nozzle 4 brass top
MCP 600 pump
Danger den round res
1/2 tubing
Bonneville rad
2x Delta fans WFB1212M 72 cfm each 144 cfm total
Swiftech Coolent

Cooling system 2
Exos2
300g v10 wb
Koolance fluid
Max fan cfm 188
3/8 tubing

Ambient temp was kept at 21c

DIY Fans half speed idle= 39c Load= 43c Over ambient=22c
DIY Fans full speed 144cfm ilde= 39c Load= 42c Over ambient=21c

Exos Fans set #5 94cfm idle=40c Load=44c Over ambient=23c
Exos Fans set #7 150 cfm idle 38c Load=43c Over ambient=22c
Exos Fans set#10 188cfm idle=37c Load=42c Over ambient=21c

Well there you have it Exos 2 is a great system.

If you have any question post away and Ill do my best to answer them

Special note*************

DIY system used arctic silver that had time to set.
The exos 2 system also used Arctic silver but did not have time to set. So i would expect the exos temps to drop slightly over the next few days
 
Are those 3/8 to 1/4 connectors plastic? They look a lot different than the ones they have been selling lately that are made out of aluminum blocks.

Now I wonder what all those DIY's are doing rolling around in their graves on the results :eek:
 
I agree with you, I have mine cooling my two 6800Ultra's. Tonight it will be on my core X850xt-pe.

By the way, its 3/8 tubing.
 
They are plastic.
With metal fittings



I was shocked it beat my DIY too..

It cost more than DIY but it looks like performance is even or hair better
 
revival said:
They are plastic.
With metal fittings



I was shocked it beat my DIY too..

It cost more than DIY but it looks like performance is even or hair better
Click to expand...

I couldnt believe it worked so well. Check these out. The cards never got over 34c.

3DMark 05 - 11201

3DMark 03 - 24840

AM3 - 108125
 
those temps seem awfully high for the diy system. im using a dtek whitewater and the rest of the parts the same and i only get those temps when using 2.0 volts and running about 2.7ghz. at 200x12 i get about 33-35 idle. also im wondering how much heat it will actually take. obviously no one would be content with 2.4 when they could hit 2.8 with more voltage.
 
MY AMD pretty much tops out at 2.4

So i cant go higher.

James did I read that right that you load temps never went over 34c?
Did you also have a CPU in the loop?
 
revival said:
MY AMD pretty much tops out at 2.4

So i cant go higher.

James did I read that right that you load temps never went over 34c?
Did you also have a CPU in the loop?
Click to expand...

Just the cards, my FX-55 is on my Vapo.
 
James Earl Ray said:
Just the cards, my FX-55 is on my Vapo.
Click to expand...

are you using just core blocks or ones that cool the mem too? either way you had a pretty mild overclock, i was thinking about cooling my vid card with an old aquarius 2. performance would prolly be pretty close on vid cards.
 
BobSassafrass said:
are you using just core blocks or ones that cool the mem too? either way you had a pretty mild overclock, i was thinking about cooling my vid card with an old aquarius 2. performance would prolly be pretty close on vid cards.
Click to expand...

Well I'll have to hook up my X850 for you then. I'll have it goin tonite. I clock that at 690/650 @ 1.9v. As far as a "mild' overclock on the Nvidias, they pretty much suck even with the Vmods.
 
James Earl Ray said:
Well I'll have to hook up my X850 for you then. I'll have it goin tonite. I clock that at 690/650 @ 1.9v. As far as a "mild' overclock on the Nvidias, they pretty much suck even with the Vmods.
Click to expand...

hehe, there we go! ill be waiting for that.
 
i think at stock with the stock cooler its around 50 degrees but i could be off. thats pretty impressive do you have an estimate of how much wattage each cards core is putting out at that voltage? it may be hard to make an estimate i know but none the less thats good performance and good for all the ppl who want max overclocks without putting a mach II on there cards.
 
My x800 pro non-vivo volt modded with an Artic Silencer 4 runs in the high 70,s. To get 34C load temp on a XT PE is awesome.

I just might have to try w/c on the ol'e card..... :)
 
plywood99 said:
My x800 pro non-vivo volt modded with an Artic Silencer 4 runs in the high 70,s. To get 34C load temp on a XT PE is awesome.

I just might have to try w/c on the ol'e card..... :)
Click to expand...

By all means yes. And mine is Volt Modded.
 
My only complaint so far is the fact that Koolance really skimped on the amount of 3/8" tubing. It's not nearly enough to make it to my cpu and back!
 
They could have put more in. I love this thing. I just broke 101K in AM3 with a single card. It cools better than my DtekProcore with dual120mm fans. At least just on my card.

AM3 - 101563
 
I agree the really isnt that much tubing. About 6 feet ( just a guess)

But it was nice of the to put in 1/4 and include adapters too..
 
So my EXOS 2 is sitting on top of my computer doing nothing because of the lack of tubing. I was going to order more from frozen cpu along with some other stuff....and then I had a revelation: I should use those F connectors that koolance supplied. So I ordered a L06 and V06 for the Vid Card and MoBo respectively. Supposedly they come with the hooks for 875P chipsets. This will be a true opportunity to see of the EXOSs pumps can keep pace with that much head. I will do my best to post pics and temps when it is all setup. I want to compare it with those who have DIY systems because part of me regrets not building the DangerDen system I have always wanted. Before my old exos blew up, I was able to run at 3.5ish (2.4 stock) and I dont think that was the limit...so my goal is 3.7....and quiet!
 
OK,
So first, the tubing was too short, then I figured i'd WC my NB and GPU. So I ordered blocks from koolance. Now...I can say that I am a koolance guy....100%. With that being said, I do have a few gripes about the koolance products.

The looks for all of these parts is 10/10 (At least for me) The blocks are all gold (matches my ocz ram) and the blue coolant looks neat inside.

The ease of use gets an 7.5/10. So what is a pain? Well simply put, installing the hosing using the 3/8" converters is cumbersome, because it is very difficult to install blocks with tubes attached, and it is difficult to attach tubes to installed blocks. Now, the NB block is especiallly difficult (again for me) because i have the 875 intel hooks. On the MAX3 board, there are some capacitors that are BARELY cleared by the mounting HW. And because the 875 chip is small, it's hard to get a flush of the bat. Also, the tubing included is too thick for the back connectors, it was very hard to get the threads from the screw-on fastener, onto the exos 2 unit on account of the tubing thickness.

The effectivness is a 8/10. I am cooling CPU, GPU and NB and they are all way below air cooling with virtually 0 noise.

The last thing I want to mention is the res problem, it seems that koolance made the output from one of the pumps pointing right at the fill cap it can be difficult to "top it off" when the sys is running. Also, in general, you will not be able to fill the res all the way, it's just the nature of it. As such, you will hear a slight 'running water' sound all the time....reminds you that the EXOS2 is there and also makes you need to pee often.



M
 
Question: Can you use any type of waterblocks with the exos 2? Like danger den or whatnot, provided they are 3/8ths?
 
The flow rates on the exos unit will not be enough for low pressure/high flow systems like DD. I would highly recommend staying with the koolanc blocks if you plan to use an exos. Conversely, you could easily use koolance blocks with a higher flow 3/8" pump.
 
I'm totally new to the [H]ard forums... seems like a very informative place to hang :)

I've been speaking with Dan @ dangerden for a while now, and he has been very patient and informative regarding the setup of a water cooling system for my PC. I've got to admit,

I guess I should list my PC, eh?
ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe
P4 2.8c (stock mhz) cooled by Thermalright xp-120 with Panaflo L1A
Gainward 6800gt Golden Sample (400/1100) (stock cooling) LOUD!
1 x WD Raptor 74gb SATA
1gb samsung DDR400 RAM (yeah, generic cheap stuff)

Okay, so! I want to water cool. For one _real_ reason:
The Gainward cooling solution is too damn loud.
Of course, I want to keep everything cooler, and have it last long... and get better performance, too!

Anyhow, what I want to know from the fella that has the Exos2 running is... can it maintain good temps cooling a 2.8c, 6800gt GS (400/1100), a 10k rpm SATA HDD, and a my 875p northbridge?

Unless i'm mistaken, it looks like it would be able to.
If James Earl Ray can have it cool 2 x 6800 Ultra's, it should be fine =o

Thanks,
Momo
 
Momo said:
I'm totally new to the [H]ard forums... seems like a very informative place to hang :)

I've been speaking with Dan @ dangerden for a while now, and he has been very patient and informative regarding the setup of a water cooling system for my PC. I've got to admit,

I guess I should list my PC, eh?
ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe
P4 2.8c (stock mhz) cooled by Thermalright xp-120 with Panaflo L1A
Gainward 6800gt Golden Sample (400/1100) (stock cooling) LOUD!
1 x WD Raptor 74gb SATA
1gb samsung DDR400 RAM (yeah, generic cheap stuff)

Okay, so! I want to water cool. For one _real_ reason:
The Gainward cooling solution is too damn loud.
Of course, I want to keep everything cooler, and have it last long... and get better performance, too!

Anyhow, what I want to know from the fella that has the Exos2 running is... can it maintain good temps cooling a 2.8c, 6800gt GS (400/1100), a 10k rpm SATA HDD, and a my 875p northbridge?

Unless i'm mistaken, it looks like it would be able to.
If James Earl Ray can have it cool 2 x 6800 Ultra's, it should be fine =o

Thanks,
Momo
Click to expand...

I would probably avoid cooling HDDs with Koolance products. I think the overall benefit will be minimal. I think that you could do the rest with little problem. Now, with the koolance blocks for the 6800GT cools the GPU and ram...both which get pretty hot. This will in turn raise the temp of the CPU in the loop. You will have to run a setup similar to mine with the 'F' splitters. I would assume you will probably be around 40-45C with that setup and exos2 at 50%. Let me know if you have any more questions.
 
Well I cant say how cool it will keep a P4( P4's run very hot)

But I can say it cools my AMD as well as my DIY unit.

About topping it off.

I agree the pump is located right underneath the opening.

Here is what I did

Ran it for abit.
Turned it off
Tilted everyting so all air ran to the exos.

Topped it off.
Did this a couple of times. It's not totally full but I dont have any water noises
 
Another question, I browsed the Koolance site for decent CPU and GPU/chipset blocks. I'm under the impression that the proper CPU block will fit on any S939 proc or LGA775, but it seems the GPUs are much more specific. For instance, If I buy the current Nvidia offering it seems tailored specifically to the 6800. So when I go for the 6900 I'll have to change it? Or suppose I need to throw a 6600GT in there for some reason? Likewise, with the ATI block. However, the ATI one (which is vastly more expensive $100+) does say it works with both the X800 and X850 line.

This is in contrast to my current Swiftech GPU block that only required a $7 adapter pin kit to go from a 9800Pro to a 6800GT. Am I inferring this correctly?
 
Yes and No.

The Koolance waterblocks for GPUs (X800 and 6800 series) are designed to cool the ram and the GPU. I believe (dont quote me on this) that you can use the standard chipset/vid coolers for the GPU alone, but your ram will REALLY need some ram sinks.
 
More pictures, please! From what you say this is an amazing product, and I would love to see how it looks fully installed (with pictures of the insides).

Might I ask where you purchased it from, by the way?

Thanks a lot,
-akwok.
 
Would you guys advise against using these non Koolance waterblocks on this Exos-2?

Extra stuff I've got to use:
maze-4 chipset block. (1/2" fittings, would have to order smaller adapters and attachment plate anyhow.)
swiftec MCW-50 gpu block (3/8" fittings) linky here
generic koolance look alike CPU block (3/8" fittings link here).
 
I have and EXOS2, unit, I cant seem to get the water noise to go away, can someone please help out, If I put something under the EXOS2 and tilt it to the right, it goes aways, its cooling my Pentium 660 o/c to 4ghz very well, and my x850XT
 
techmate said:
I have and EXOS2, unit, I cant seem to get the water noise to go away, can someone please help out, If I put something under the EXOS2 and tilt it to the right, it goes aways, its cooling my Pentium 660 o/c to 4ghz very well, and my x850XT
Click to expand...

How are your temps? Very interested!

Thanks
-akwok
 
Have heard of installing a T valve for a sort of bleeding system, so you can tilt and bleed. Let me know when you figure it out.
 
yeah, I have heard of the T bleed setup, but I shouldnt have to do all that, just trying to figure out what to do with what it comes with,

On my P4 660 I geto around 44-45C thats O/C to 4ghz, and I have the ATI X850 Radion Cooler that cools the front and back of my card
 
Mysogonist said:
The flow rates on the exos unit will not be enough for low pressure/high flow systems like DD. I would highly recommend staying with the koolanc blocks if you plan to use an exos. Conversely, you could easily use koolance blocks with a higher flow 3/8" pump.
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... I think it works fine with the DangerDen Maze4. Look at the clocks I can get on ambient water. :D

AM3 - 102192
 
BobSassafrass said:
youd be much better off with the swiftech since they are made for low flow setups
Click to expand...

I am getting over 180mhz overclock on ambient water with the DD block. If you think the Swiffy will get me more, Ill buy two. :D
 
hah, i think you have a lil more experience than me, but from what ive seen the dd blocks although normally higher performing experience higher pressure drops. the swiffys have the least pressure drop and in a setup with only 90 lph of flow that is setup for 3/8id natively they would be best suited. i doubt itll get you a higher overclock but maybe drop your temps a few degrees.
 
Sounds like you know more than me. I can only go by what works, all that flow stuff is greek to me. Like I said I can only post my results. Ill leave all that technical stuff to you guys. :D
 
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