Six Steps To A Real Cool System

For systems builders working to create the ultimate gaming PCs for customers, speed is king. But what do you do when the fastest equipment money can buy is still not fast enough? Move beyond the typical air-cooled system and install a water-cooling unit, which is essentially a closed system that moves cool water through tubing into the system. The cool water draws heat from the CPU and GPU (video cards). The hot water then moves out of the case, where it is cooled, then is rerouted back into the case for a new cooling journey.

A water-cooling system takes some two hours to install, after which you'll have an ultra-cool PC that's fast enough to please any serious gaming customer.

Getting Started

Here's what to do:

• Unpack all the components (see "Product Recommendations," center) and inspect every part. Once you're done, unscrew the retaining nut from the back of the case, and remove the case's side panel.
• Install the CPU on your motherboard, then the water block onto the motherboard. The water block is the heat sink with the in-and-out water connections. Clean the heat spreader on the CPU (and the bottom of the water block) with a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol.
• Next, apply a tiny bit of the Arctic Silver 5 heat-sink compound over the top of the metal heat spreader and on the CPU: Wipe off most of it, making sure you can read the numbering on the top of the processor. What's left behind will still be enough to fill any microscopic pits in the heat-spreader surface, thus improving the heat exchange between the water block and the CPU.
• Next, put another tiny dab of the Arctic Silver over the CPU heat spreader, and apply a thin film over the bottom of the water block where it contacts the heat spreader. Then, snap the RAM into the DIMM sockets. Finally, flip the case on its side and install the motherboard.
• With the case still open, pop in the audio card. The audio card should fit firmly in the PCI slot, and should easily screw into the slot cover area of the case.
• Install the power supply into its compartment on the bottom of the case. Then connect the 24-pin ATX and four-pin AUX cables to the motherboard.
• Install the hard drives into their slots on the bottom of the case. Next, connect the power supply's SATA cables (included with the motherboard) to the drives, and the two SATA data cables from the drives to the motherboard.
• After the hard drives are installed, install the DVD-RW drive and plug in its power and data cables. The installation process is similar to installing the hard disk, except that the DVD-RW drive should be installed right-side up.
• Install the Koolance Exos-2 water-cooling system. Begin by installing a slot adapter on an open PCI slot cover. The slot adapter is the interface port between the water hoses inside the system and the water-cooling unit on top of the machine. Next, connect and secure the tubing to the CPU water block. Connect and secure tubing to the two water blocks for the video cards (one on each). Then connect and secure tubing to the slot adapter. Plug the two video cards into their respective PCIE slots. Then connect the included PCIE-SLI circuit card between the two cards. Last, connect the slot adapter tubes to the Exos-2 unit.
• Finally, fill the reservoir with the included cooling fluid, and make sure your cables are tightly connected and your cards firmly plugged in.
• But don't close the case just yet. Check for any possible leaks (you'll see blue liquid). If you do notice any leaks, check the connections and make sure the tubing is installed snugly to the fittings.