XSPC Plexi Bay Reservoir (Black)
Introduction & Packaging
Published: 28th August 2006 | Source: XSPC | Price: |
One of the hardest parts of maintaining a water cooling system has to be the removal of air bubbles. When filling the system with water, air gets trapped in components and can cause reductions in the performance of your system. In addition to this, air bubbles passing through your pump often get broken down into smaller bubbles and mix with your coolant to create a thick foam.
Water cooling companies such as Danger Den came up with a simple solution to this problem and named it a 'Reservoir'. Essentially a Plexiglass box, the Reservoir also featured an internal divider which assisted in the reduction of turbulence in the water and aided the removal of bubbles. Other advantages included easier filling and draining of your water loop, as most reservoirs feature a filler cap.
Today I'll be looking at XSPC's bay reservoir which sits neatly in a 5.25" bay and has some unique features for removing those annoying bubbles.
Packaging
Having owned and reviewed XSPC products in the past, I was pretty sure of what to expect in the packaging department...
The XSPC Bay Reservoir comes in a plain, single walled cardboard box. Although this may not be aesthetically appealing, it cuts down on the cost of production hopefully some of the savings are passed on to the end user.
The reservoir is protected by a layer of bubble wrap which should prevent any light knocks from damaging the plexiglass. Larger impacts would most likely result in cracked plexiglass as the bubble wrap is only able to absorb a limited amount of shock. Luckily WaterCoolingShop normally double box these items for further protection - hopefully other resellers will do the same.
To protect the face of the reservoir from scratches, XSPC have placed a layer of sticky paper over the surface, which thankfully leaves no traces of 'sticky stuff' when removed.
Also included with the reservoir is a packet of screws for fixing the unit in place, and a blue LED to add a bit of 'bling' to your water loop.
To protect the face of the reservoir from scratches, XSPC have placed a layer of sticky paper over the surface, which thankfully leaves no traces of 'sticky stuff' when removed.
Also included with the reservoir is a packet of screws for fixing the unit in place, and a blue LED to add a bit of 'bling' to your water loop.
Most Recent Comments
Neither am I frag but this is easily one of the few bay res's I recommend. It's very well made.
looks good makes me want to get one =P
looks good makes me want to get one =P
yea, same. looks great.
Man that is sexy as :drool: I was impressed that the bubble removal feature actually worked, instead of being some sort of non-performing novelty. And 8 min is so much more acceptable than the normal time required to expel/purge air from a water loop. Great review as usual Jim :worship:
Man that is sexy as :drool: I was impressed that the bubble removal feature actually worked, instead of being some sort of non-performing novelty. And 8 min is so much more acceptable than the normal time required to expel/purge air from a water loop. Great review as usual Jim :worship:
Yes it's very effective. As the water is only ever pulled from the very bottom of the reservoir, none of the bubbles/foam at the top of the res is sucked back through.
I have the DD Res that Jim didn't like and that's pretty nice too. Setting up a loop is far easier with a res and takes a whole lot less time.
I like that Res - not too sure about the XSPC logo tho
I like that Res - not too sure about the XSPC logo tho
[quote=Kempez]
I like that Res - not too sure about the XSPC logo tho[/quote]
It would be nice to see a version of this res that comes with an interchangable front, so you could effectively insert some black/silver card into the front of the reservoir with whatever design on it you liked *thinks OC3D logo :p*
I like that Res - not too sure about the XSPC logo tho[/quote]
It would be nice to see a version of this res that comes with an interchangable front, so you could effectively insert some black/silver card into the front of the reservoir with whatever design on it you liked *thinks OC3D logo :p*
[QUOTE=Kempez]I have the DD Res that Jim didn't like and that's pretty nice too. Setting up a loop is far easier with a res and take s a whole lot less time.
I like that Res - not too sure about the XSPC logo tho[/QUOTE]Yeah the DD is a nice looking res too Kemp, for sure. Is there any volume difference between the two? The XSPC logo is a little iffy too, but I like the fluid level bar. Although I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort to remove the logo and replace it with some self made logo out of coloured contact adhesive. On a side note Kemp, the DD res that you have; is it manufactured with screws and glued perspex panels or is it just glued. I'm worried about potential splitting and leakage?
I like that Res - not too sure about the XSPC logo tho[/QUOTE]Yeah the DD is a nice looking res too Kemp, for sure. Is there any volume difference between the two? The XSPC logo is a little iffy too, but I like the fluid level bar. Although I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort to remove the logo and replace it with some self made logo out of coloured contact adhesive. On a side note Kemp, the DD res that you have; is it manufactured with screws and glued perspex panels or is it just glued. I'm worried about potential splitting and leakage?
Yeah the DD is a nice looking res too Kemp, for sure. Is there any volume difference between the two? The XSPC logo is a little iffy too, but I like the fluid level bar. Although I'm sure it wouldn't take too much effort to remove the logo and replace it with some self made logo out of coloured contact adhesive. On a side note Kemp, the DD res that you have; is it manufactured with screws and glued perspex panels or is it just glued. I'm worried about potential splitting and leakage?
The single 5.25" DD res and the XSPC res hold almost identical amounts of water (the XSPC maybe a tiny bit less as it has more internal dividers).
You can buy a clear version of the XSPC reservoir, so putting your own decals over the front is easily possible.
Both the DD res and XSPC res only use glue to seal the units together. Each of the XSPC reservoirs are individually pressure tested - not sure about DD.
Cool, thanks for the headsup Jim :)
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