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Case Review: MM Crystal Ship (with Supplemental Radiator Review)

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hokiealumnus

Water Cooled Moderator
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Check them both out here!

Long stories short:
Mountain Mods Crystal Ship:


An almost perfect case in every sense! The frame is well built and fits together easily. The idea that all the panels are easily replaceable is a well conceived plan. The acrylic is of very good quality and even reflects objects a little. The ‘Smokey Grey-well black’ effect has been pulled off rather well. However there are one or two minor issues. The PSU bays need to have a support mechanism in order to hold the heavier models. At this moment it warps the back plate so much the motherboard trays just out a few millimetres. Another minor issue is that a dust sheet and/or dust cloth should be provided with this case as the acrylic panels attract dust motes like a magnet. One note about the build all threads are of the American standard so if you are in Europe and you happen to lose any of the STAS screws during a build or a rebuild then you could potentially have a broken case until repalcement parts arrive from the USA.

The ability to fit up to four heavy-duty radiators is a great boon to the liquid cooling enthusiast and there is still plenty of room left over for a multitude of hard disk drives. If a user just wants to air cool, then this case is major overkill; but if you’re a water cooling enthusiast then Mountain Mods is your first stop. However, waiting for delivery on these cases is a hit and miss affair, as users have experienced a one to SIX weeks waiting time until delivery. So when ordering this case it would be best to do so before purchasing any other parts for a potential build. Lastly, the sheer room for expansion and/or improvement (customization) with these cases is something to be seen. A point to remember is that this case is 18x18x24” so plenty of space is needed on your desk/floor area.


Thermochill PA140.3:


Thermochill has come along way in recent years, being one of the best radiators money can buy. With sales into the thousands on a monthly basis, it’s hard not to be enthusiastic about their past performance results. With Thermochill sticking to the tried and tested g3/8” thread to mount the barbs does make sense. Most other companies have chosen to utilise the g1/4” thread option, however this has proven to have an impact on the over as it is rarely used and a radiator can easily be bleed of air without the need for the aforementioned valve. With the potential for leaks or accidents, due to careless use of the bleed valve then it would be prudent to remove this component.

Performance results given the fans and the CPU block used are about what can be expected with this size radiator combined with the heat from a C0 stepping Core I7 CPU. With the performance results being on a par of what anyone would expect then the next issue would be that of the paintwork. Once again the paint work is not very good. A test was carried out with a small amount of masking tape placed upon the radiator and left for a few nights. When the tape was peeled off, a certain amount of paint came away with it. Having said that, upon investigation, the paint used is the BEST available to dissipate heat, rather than insulate the radiator, leading to a loss of performance .
Hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment & discuss!
 
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