Most liquid cooling users are a very eclectic bunch. The system configurations can range from cooling just the CPU to everything in between, from GPU to even hard drives. While liquid cooling the CPU is by far the most popular, it’s GPUs like the ATI HD 59xx and NVidia GTX 4xx products that signal the need for more aggressive cooling. That’s where Coolit System’s latest Omni A.L.C. GPU cooler can help. We saw it at CES 2010 up close, and now we’re going to get personal with it.
Features and Specifications
Everyone loves the movie version of a book. So instead of cut and pasting out a bunch of specifications you could read at CoolIT Systems website, we’re going to give you our very own video walk-through of the Omni A.L.C. and highlight the important stuff.
As highlighed in the video, the two things I can’t say enough good things about are the Universal Liquid Plate and Interposer Plate. Besides the fact that the universal liquid plate’s high density micro-channels and aggressive directional flow are designed to handle the hottest GPUs on the market, it’s also “universal”. That means it can be used on future video cards. All that needs to be upgraded is the black interposer plate. Hopefully we’ll see these parts hit the pipeline soon to address the needs of enthusiasts with other video cards.
If you followed our Vantage ALC review, then you won’t be surprised to know the Omni uses the same special coolant with all the additives to prevent corrosion and fungal growth. And, the same exact tubing carries it between the radiator and FHE (fluid heat exchanger).
And, who doesn’t love a warranty? A 2 year manufacturer’s warranty is always nice to have. I don’t currently know of any aftermarket air or water cooling products that hold this kind of warranty standard. If something goes wrong, or you think something might be wrong, they’re happy to talk to you up there at Coolit Systems and make you a happy camper.
The only thing we have not been able to get for you is an EXACT price tag on the Omni A.L.C. But we hear that $225 US should be around the target price, subject to revision of course. Definitely keep an eye on NewEgg’s CoolIT Product Listing for it to pop up.
Test System Notes
A similar system assembled for the Vantage A.L.C. just recently was used to test the Omni. For this round, we’ll be using a reference designed ZOTAC Geforce GTX 480 video card. Most any reference ATI or nVidia based video card tends to be the hottest cards around due to the cost saving compromise made on the stock cooling solution.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-870 (LGA1156) Lynnfield
- Motherboard: ASUS P7H55M-D EVO
- Memory: Corsair Dominator 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
- Graphics card: ZOTAC Geforce GTX 480 (test card)
- GPU Test Cooler 1: Omni A.L.C. GPU Cooling System (as tested)
- GPU Test Cooler 2: Reference Stock Cooler
- GPU Test Cooler 3: GELID Icy Vision
- Power Supply: Antec SG-850 Watt
- Power Meter: Zalman ZM-ZFCM2 Fan Controller Built-In
- Enclosure: Thermaltake Armor A90
Our operating system of choice is Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit and as part of our regular testing process, we’ve updated the system with the latest availabled BIOS, downloaded all the Microsoft OS Patches and used the latest drivers available. The latest 258.96 nVidia drivers were used for the video card.
Since talking video card cooling performance, it’s also important to look at overall power consumption as a side effect of adding after market cooling. We’ll also be using Furmark to measure for an artificial “unrealistic” thermal threshold. Obviously, this isn’t a real world benchmark of any sort, but it’ll give us a good idea of where CoolIT’s Omni A.L.C. places compared to other coolers on the market. For more realistic testing, Battlefield Bad Company 2, Heaven Demo, and 3DMark Vantage were also added as supplemental heat generation methods. Let’s get on with installation.