Questions of the Month-February 2011

“Questions of the Month” is a new blog feature that will address some of the questions that come to us about our products and technology. Feel free to submit your own questions to [email protected].

Many of you are aware of our latest partnership with Antec and have commented on it. (If you have not heard about it, you can read the news release here.) We’ve received some questions on the announcement and I wanted to use this space to answer a few of them.

What is new about the Antec KÜHLER H2O 620?
The new Antec H2O KÜHLER 620 is much more than a repackaged version of Asetek’s original OEM products. It was built specifically to advance our previous designs to meet the unique needs of computer enthusiasts and do it yourself computer builders. I will mention just three of the new features that set it apart.

First, the most visible change is the tubing. What is great about the new tubes is that they are very flexible. Your feedback told us that the stiffness of our previous tubes made installing our product more difficult than it should be. The tubes on the KÜHLER 620 will bend easily to fit almost any chassis and make installation easy.

Secondly, the KÜHLER 620 features our third generation (Gen3) cold plate. While we can’t go into too much detail without giving away our “secret recipe”, what we can tell you is these Gen3 cold plates will lower temperatures by 1.5ºC per 100W of processor power. That makes them the best and most efficient cold plates we have ever offered.

The third new feature of the KÜHLER 620 is the liquid temperature controlled fan. It is a subtle change at first glance, but will significantly alter how our liquid coolers interact with your system. Historically, the fan attached to an Asetek radiator plugged into the motherboard. The problem was that the PWM signal from the motherboard BIOS was built on the assumption that an air cooler, with a much lower thermal mass than a liquid cooler, was being used.

By using liquid temperature to control fan speed, the KÜHLER 620 avoids sudden spikes in fan speed during short spikes in CPU. Having the fan connected directly to the pump will create a quieter overall system while preserving the ability to ramp up gradually when the CPU is stressed over a longer period of time.

How much will the Antec KÜHLER H2O 620 cost and where can I get it?
Currently, you can order the KÜHLER 620 from Antec’s web store for $69.99. In the coming weeks you should start seeing it pop up at all of the major retailers and e-tailers.

Will Asetek remain partners with Corsair?
Yes, the Corsair Hydro Series H50 and H70 are both engineered by Asetek and are still available for purchase from all of the major retailers and e-tailers.

That’s all for today. I hope these answers give you a better idea of what to expect from the Antec KÜHLER H2O 620. In case you missed it, be sure to watch the introductory video we put together on the KÜHLER 620: