how is a reserator compared to a normal rad with fans

[rjolin01]

Does anyone know how a Zalman Reserator is compared to an average watercooling radiator with fans? Does it cool like a double or triple rad?

 

[soup666]

if your looking to purchase a reserator i would advice against it. because it proably has aluminum in it and in my oppinion it probably doesnt cool a cpu and vga together, probably one or the other only. i beleive it requires some modification to use it full potential duw to its construction( if that is the passive unit i think it is) so id say its more like a 120 rad maybe a 240 rad at best

 

[mavalpha]

Reserator 1 owner here, retired to go back to air. Maximum passive load is around 150-200W, meaning it will NOT handle (example) a quad and 4870 if both are loaded. Soup666 is also right- Zalman screwed the pooch in choosing some of the parts- galvanized aluminum motor mount, copper water blocks. Short of the Eheim 300 Compact pump being an absolute POS, the biggest issue with the Reserator was that on every one I've seen, the motor mount disintegrated and left shrapnel floating around the loop. Mine was modified heavily after said disintegration- I have an Apogee Drive sitting next to the Reserator in my closet, meaning the tower itself has no more pump.

It's a beautiful piece of computer glory, but its design left a lot to be desired. With some modification (including Apogee Drive and interior "spout", as mine used to have), you MIGHT be able to push the capacity to around 250W loaded. It is, however, only for show or people who crave silence over everything else, and are willing to sacrifice some performance to attain it. (I fall into that category.)