CoolIT Domino ALC CPU Cooler Review
5 stars based on
44 reviews
Liquid cooling is one of the facets of high-end computing that sets the hardcore apart from the casuals. Those that use it swear by it and know that there is no alternative that comes close. Despite the different viewpoints, one thing is clear: CoolIT, a company known for its wide range coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump cooling solutions with a strong focus on liquid coolers, understands this gap between PC enthusiasts.
The ECO is a liquid cooling solution that stresses simplicity in design, expedience with installation and longevity in operation. It comes entirely pre-assembled and sealed. So, we decided to have CoolIT put their money where their sockets are and let me, an enthusiast whom has never had any experiences with liquid cooling systems, attempt to install the ECO and put it to the heat.
It can be quite surprising pulling the ECO out of its box for the first time. The system is compact and all-in-one. No assembly is required for the actual cooling unit.
From the radiator are two flexible tubes which lead the coolant to the socket retention and pump. The pump actually sits on top of the CPU retention module and has a very low profile. The retention system can easily change to the necessary socket size without the use of tools. You simply pull up on the thumb screws, slide them to the labeled socket size lines, and drop the thumb screws in.
The ECO also ships with motherboard backplates for all socket sizes for additional rigidity. Despite the unit being pre-assembled and pre-sealed, it feels like it was constructed well. You can handle the unit from any point without fear of the liquid loop breaking apart, or the radiator falling free from the fan. As you can see from the video, installation of the fan and radiator was a bit tricky for me. Despite claims of the ECO being able to fit into any chassis, the unit actually required me to make some modifications to my chassis, the Gigabyte 3D Aurora.
The design of the radiator also left me unable to use the tool-less chassis fan clamps. All minor complaints, really, but it should be noted that compatibility with all computer cases may require some tweaking. Once the ECO A. All coolers were evaluated on an Intel Core 2 Duo E at 2. The ECO was installed using the pre-applied thermal compound, while the Freezer 7 Pro and the stock cooler both used Arctic Silver coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump compound.
Is the ECO A. It really coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump on who you are. The hardcore overclocking enthusiast will not be interested.
The ECO's pump is attached to the retention bracket and has a very low profile. Despite ease of installation, the pre-sealed nature of the ECO does nothing to actually teach users about liquid cooling.
From setup to maintenance, there are many important lessons to be learned in the realm of liquid cooling, lessons that cannot be taught through the installation and use of the ECO. On the flip side, the ECO is a very attractive cooling solution with an equally attractive price. CoolIT set out to create a product that delivers the best liquid cooling bang for the buck, and in the case of the ECO, they were successful. The ECO is also completely maintenance free, negating the need for regular coolant refills and monitoring.
Such ease of use is certainly going to be compelling to users. The ECO is also a quiet system. The pump is quiet enough that no audible noise can be heard from it above the chassis fans.
The mm fan attached to the radiator is actually quieter than the mm Gigabyte fan that sits directly above it. Pre-applied thermal paste and multiple sized backplates ensure ease of installation.
Finally, the ECO A. The unit can fit plenty of old processors, and is future-proofed with support for AM3 and socket support. Changing socket type on the retention bracket is unbelievably easy. This is a cooling solution that you can purchase and take coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump you as you upgrade components.
In short, you need to know what you want out of cooling before buying the ECO. Icrontic — Home of the Big Beef Burrito sincefool. Sign In Become an Icrontian. The retention bracket can be adjusted for all modern CPU sockets. A couple things I noticed that you didn't mention in your review: Those hoses are stiff.
The curvature seen in your installation video is literally the most you can get them to bend. I've worked with laboratory hose similar to what other water cooling systems use and it is far more flexible. In my case, my CPU socket is closer to the back panel than yours and I ended up with some extra hose that stuck out the side of the case. I ended up pulling the CPU block out and rotating it a coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump times to take up the slack.
Getting it to seat properly after that was a neat trick. The manual that came with my ECO stated which motherboard fan headers to use for the radiator fan and pump in really small print that I missed the first time through.
To be honest, their installation documentation sucks in general. The ECO also doesn't impede free access to my memory, graphics card, or power supply which is great for when I want coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump clean the inside of my PC or help a friend diagnose problems with their PC. Installation wasn't as easy as advertised but it's still easier than trying to secure a 2 kg copper brick to my motherboard and wondering if Coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump going to crack something.
To say anything useful about its actual performance for comparison with other coolers would require laboratory testing. First of all - nice review. Well spoken guy and good editing, it was nice to read and watch. I've been with CoolIT over 3 years now and have watched the popularity, acceptance and understand of our products go up continually but still they are a bit misunderstood.
It's easy to have a tendancy to compare our sealed systems to full blown DIY water but thats not really where Coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump lives It happens to use water to tranfer the heat from point a to b. To that end we don't position or price ECO to compete with DIY water loops so you shouldn't be disapointed if you don't get that kind of performance. Little bit of homework in case selection never hurts no matter what cooler you are using.
We are ok with that coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump as the compatibilty for ECO is really high. Icrontic, I really appreciate your work and hope you don't take my feedback the wrong way. I think I coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump over your Domino review too last year. You should not regulate the pump 12v only in the manual but can regulate the fan if you wish or let it blow at 12v for better performance, its still not loud as its throttled to rpm.
I was a little dissapointed by the performance 's so just kinda trying to figure ut why. Thanks for taking the time to come chat with us on Icrontic.
We're always happy to talk with industry folk, and even happier when they stop by for open dialogue. I've poked Bobby to make sure he sees your post, and Coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump sure he can answer your question s. It is not giving sufficient challenge to the coolers to differentiate the better one. Additionally, the video still shows one of the cores idle, see below. Heatsinks can only get sooo big before we'll be putting the case inside the heatsink Now there is an idea!
Even a mild variation in thermal compound, or installation pressure, room temps, case airflow, BIOS controls for the fans, anything can impact the performance. I just reinstalled it, and suddenly it cools better, probably just a small variation in how it got coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump the 2nd time that improved contact with the CPU, but honestly, who knows? Point being, cooler reviews are a tricky business loaded with variation from install to install.
If you compare sites for various coolers you will notice major differences despite similar testing methods on certain models, its just the nature of the beast. Coolers are extremely hard to evaluate consistently. I did have the ECO pump and fan installed into the correct headers.
I did double check that to be sure. That being said, my motherboard sucks. And my powersupply sucks. It's a situation that's being remedied as I type this.
The last two weeks have presented me with very interesting challenges regarding my motherboard and powersupply. There is a chance that the ECO wasn't getting the appropriate voltage to some degree on account of the motherboard or PSU. It wouldn't be the first time that my system has given me trouble in such a way.
And Mirage, Thrax is correct. I was unable to re-shoot the video after I fixed the testing issues. Loved the video you made - while long, it felt like it went quickly. That was likely due coolit domino alc liquid cooler pump the tight editing to remove any slow parts like screwing things in, etc.
Every second was important. Though I do have to wonder what the cooling potential would be if you did another test with some nice thermal paste, like Arctic Silver. Finally, regarding Cliff's comments, I agree that there is a lot of variance that can go into a cooler's review.
But there still is a lot of truth in this review as it still shows the hardware and any headaches that may arise during the install phase. Plus the numbers, while they should not be taken as gospel, reflect his "real world" results - they still have some value. That's for the review, Bobby!