Did anyone tried HWLabs Black Ice II Radiator?

[VotTak]

Share your knowledge than.
Thnx

[VotTak]

76 views and noone responded...huh? maybe nobody is using it at all?

[Brians256]

OK, someone has to respond!

I'm not and never have, as I use a $19 heatercore from the auto store. So do many others, but they eat up space compared to the prepackaged solutions.

I'd be interested in seeing how a BI2 does compared to a large heatercore.

[Cyco-Dude]

i know that cornerjack has a chrome-plated BI2 in his rig. dunno how it performs. im using a DDen heater core lol.

[Brad]

I could never see the point of buying a BI2, they are big, expensive, etc. A BIX is smaller and cools better.

[pompoen]

the reason to buy a BI2 is to run 2 ultra silent fans

[Brad]

but then why not buy a big heater core?

[pompoen]

cause then you would need shrouds, I would get a heatercore too but a BI2 with 2 let say 1000-1200RPM 120mm is an easy, very silent premade solution

[VotTak]

I believe that pompoen is basically expressing what is in my mind while I'm trying to build this watercooling system.

In my first system I'm using so-called "Cooling Cube" and I am not really happy with it performance. To get decent results you gotta run a fan oh high speed which means a lot of noise.... and noise was actually the reason of building watercooling system on the first place.

That is why in my second system I'm trying to use more fans and use them on their low noise speeds. More fans means bigger radiator. I was thinking of Hayden transmission cooler or that BI2.
Just my 2 pennies

[Cyco-Dude]

tranny coolers suck....if you got the cash (and space), try for a BIX with 2 quiet fans.

also keep in mind the BI2 has 3/8" OD barbs.

[krp]

To make a long story short:

I purchased a Black-Ice-II (from Chip at Overclock/Watercool before he tanked)

I tested the flow rate through it with an Eheim 1250 pump, zero head, (pump and rad on same level with just a couple feet of 3/8ths tubing and nothing else to restrict flow), just timing how long it took to fill a 5 gallon pail through the Black-Ice-II.

The Black-Ice-II was so restrictive that the most an Eheim 1250 could push through it was WAY LESS THAN HALF A GALLON PER MINUTE which sucked big time, so I returned it to Chip in exchange for a Black-Ice-Extreme.

I don't know if this was typical of the Black-Ice-II or not, I only had the one unit to try, and I never even tried using it in an actual system after I discovered the flow restriction. The unit I saw may have been defective - I posted here asking if anyone else had tried flow rates for comparison, but no one responded.

Your mileage (and flow rates) may vary....etc etc.

[VotTak]

Don't really have a lot's of space... I wanted to mount it on the top on the case.

But about those BIX and BIX2... can I mount the fan on both sides or on one side only?
Thnx

[pHaestus]

The Black Ice2 was simply a double-length Black Ice. Look at this article (take the Black Ice1 numbers and just double them):

http://www.overclockers.com/articles481/index04.asp

"Fairly good cooling in a compact package, but the unit's high flow resistance (pressure drop) must be addressed during the pump selection. The new version being twice as large should be about equal to a typical heater core, but with much much higher coolant flow resistance. "

I would also try and fit a heatercore or if space is an issue then go with a Black Ice Extreme.

If your goal is 2 quiet fans and a reasonably small footprint, try Becoolings 12x5:

http://becooling.safeshopper.com/17/48.htm?525

For relatively low flow rate, low noise systems it is an excellent choice (double the 5x5 numbers at the overclockers article). In fact, it looks like the Becooling rad should outperform the BI2 with quiet fans.

[krp]

Originally posted by VotTak
Don't really have a lot's of space... I wanted to mount it on the top on the case.

But about those BIX and BIX2... can I mount the fan on both sides or on one side only?
Thnx

The Black-Ice-Extreme I have has 120mm fan mounting holes on both sides, i.e. you could "sandwich" it between two fans if you wanted, although I only use a fan on one side of my unit.

I've read that mounting a fan directly on a Black-Ice radiator is really too close, ideally one should probably have some sort of spacer/shroud that would move the fan further away to reduce the "dead spot" behind the fan motor - of course either a fan sandwich or additional shrouding adds up to taking up more space in your case.

[Brad]

or you could modify the BI2 itself. Instead of having water enter through a 3/8" barb and go down, then up then down then up and exit through another 3/8" barb you could instead put a 1/2" barb in the centre of it. So the water would enter the 1/2" barb, split up, go down then back up, and exit through the two 3/8" barbs. It'll give you much better flow rates, and more cooling capacity

[jtroutma]

Wonder what would happen to the flow rate if the unit was placed horizontally on the floor of a case? That and cut off the 3/8" barbs and put in 1/2" barbs?

How does that sound?

[Makaijin]

IMHO, I reckon that hwlabs will soon come with something like a BI2 Pro or whatever they call it.
If they can change the design on the BI prime from a 4 pass 3/8" to a 2 pass 1/2" (basically a thinner version of the BIX), they can do the same to the BI2.
Just a matter of time i think, unless the demand for the BI2 is so low that they can't be bothered with it.
Or better still, they come up with a BIX2 instead

[Brad]

i doubt they will, the BI2 didn't sell too successfully anyway, no reason to release another one