As our faithful readers might know we have a small history to reviewing DangerDen products (henceforth referred to as “DD”), and OCMS is proud to review yet another piece of fine craftsmanship in watercooling: the first NVIDIA-recommended watercooling kit in the world! Yes, that’s right! DD got the NVIDIA recommended seal, making it the first ever watercooling company to be honored.
As displayed on the website.
The very first watercooling kit to ever be “Recommended by NVIDIA® for use with NVIDIA nForce® motherboards.” This is an official kit of NVIDIA and their commitment to the enthusiast market. As this program matures you will see new Danger Den Kits, Technology, Options, and Performance with the nForce brand of motherboards and other NVIDIA Products!
When I got the package I immediately noticed the quality just by its cover, when opening the box that again shows in the way DD packed everything (even without protective padding) I’d recon this package could take some beating. DD used their top-of-the-line products to fill this kit, which contains the following:
- TDX Universal Block – Fits most* motherboards on the market including the NEW AMD AM2 boards. Feature a Shiny Black Powder Coat finish!
- Danger Den D5 Laing Pump
- Single 5 1/4 Bay reservoir with a smoke gray front face
- 1/2″ ID Tygon Tubing
- Black Ice Xtreme Radiator
- MCT Non-Conductive Coolant
- Sunon 120mm Fan
- Miscellaneous Hardware
As you might recall, we reviewed the TDX block itself a while back.
Basically this is the same block but with a universal top, so it’s mountable on most available motherboards, including older socket A boards. The miscellaneous hardware is the nylon washers, bolts, nuts, springs, hose clamps and some Arctic Silver Céramique.
Whilst installing I encountered a few problems… not so much the new kit; but my old one. I’ve been running my old DD system with some UV additives and the older version of the maze4 GPU also reviewed here. The problem is that it’s anodized aluminum… and through the years I noticed my water kept losing the UV color and the hoses kept on getting black. I drained the system a few times and refilled it with distilled water and some UV pigment, but within a month it went black again, so that’s when a little light bulb started to show above my head.
Galvanic corrosion, the copper and water were eating away the aluminum in such a way that if I continued to use that system for another 3months I’d have water coming out of the GPU block! Yes, it was that bad, somehow I think DD knew this too, as all the new maze4 GPU’s and Fillports are now made of another material other than anodized aluminum.
To quote some Wikipedia:
Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar metals are placed in contact with each other in the presence of an electrolyte, such as salt water, resulting in the unintentional formation of a galvanic cell and concomitant chemical reaction of the metals involved.
There are several ways of reducing and preventing this form of corrosion. One way is to electrically insulate the two metals from each other (for example by using plastic or fiber washers to separate steel water pipes from copper-based fittings) or by using a coat of grease to separate aluminum and steel parts.
Another way is to keep the metals dry and/or shielded from ionic compounds (salts, acids and bases), by encasing the protected metal in plastic or epoxy, for example. Another method, called “cathodic protection”, uses one or more sacrificial anodes made of a metal which is more active than the protected metal. Metals commonly used for sacrificial anodes include zinc, magnesium, and aluminum. Finally, an electrical power supply may be connected to oppose the corrosive galvanic current. (see Impressed-Current Cathodic Protection)
More info found here.
The damage to the GPU block was extensive and not usable in a system anymore, I cleaned the older blocks with some Hydrochloric Acid, so those where still useable, so that just goes to show that different metals inside a watercooling system = BAD news.
Installing the kit takes some planning, depending on where you want to place your pump, reservoir and radiator. In the somewhat larger cases you should be able to fit this kit with no problem, but do watch out with cases with handles at the sides to lock it: the mechanism tends to stick out and hit the radiator. I discovered this little problem on the I-Star Nitro we reviewed here.
But removing the mechanism and it fits flush. Hell, I even got an older kit with a bigger pump to fit inside an Antec Sonata 1 mini tower so it shouldn’t be a big problem.
I use watercooling not because I want to overclock but because I want silence, now a days there are great alternatives in silent aircooling like the Zalman products, but it’s like they say “once you go water-cooled you never go back” and it’s a must in the casemod world for all I care ;)
It’s always good to check your measurements and test fit some stuff just to see how it works out, cause once filled with water it’s a lot harder to move stuff around.
From my experience I knew this would fit easily, but still there were some things I wanted to find out… Personally I’ve never used tygon before because its not really available in the Netherlands and is expensive. But if I can get 4 meters of normal pvc clear tubing for the price of 1 meter tygon, guess what I’m gonna do (insert cheap Dutch bastard joke here), but tygon is the shizzle to work with for all I care. It has the flexibility of silicone hose and the clarity of pvc hose, so the best of both worlds.
They even included some coolant, “MCT-5 Non-Conductive Solution” made by Midwest Cooling Technologies especially for DangerDen, I quote:
MCT-5 is a revolutionary product designed to alleviate issues with standard water:
- *Non-Conductive – Conductivity tested at 4e10 Ohms/meter
- Freezing point is -5 Degrees Fahrenheit (-20 Degrees Celsius)
- Prevents algae growth
- Pre-mixed and ready to use
- Low cost
- Contains lubricating properties helping pump life
- Prevents galvanic corrosion
- Safe on plastic, rubber, seals copper, brass, aluminum, steel, and gaskets
- Contains enhanced visual tanzinite properties with background lighting
- Incorporates anti-foaming properties
- Will not separate due to mechanic shearing
Procedure for cleaning components after exposure:
- Allow to component(s) to dry.
- Use electronics cleaner (or alcohol) to clean the components.
- Allow component(s) to dry.
- Re-Install and get Fragging!
*MCT -40 and MCT-5 are not likely to cause damage to operating pc boards powered at 12 volts or less. It is not to be exposed to power supply input voltage or components in the power supply unit. Electrical component and computer board manufactures of high performance equipment go to great lengths to keep manufacturing processes clean and free of contaminants.
Any exposure of foreign material to your computer system pc boards is considered a potential contaminant and care should be taken to keep your system clean and free of such impurities. Examples include water, frost, condensation, dust, and coolant leaks.
So does this stuff actually work? Well yes it does, I’m afraid I have to note that I forgot one hold-down clamp on one of the hoses, and the hose fell off… You know, late night tinkering + feeling sleepy… All computer enthusiasts have been there when you make the stupid mistakes!
So anyhow I got half the reservoir spilled on the case and over my VGA card, so that was pretty painful, not to mention the smell is just want, but it sure works :P but I was too tired so I left the PC standing for me to look after in the morning, so after ripping out the card and removing the moisture from the card it was plug and pray, and no problemo my friend, the card worked perfectly, next time anyone asks me what kind of coolant to use, I’ll recommend them the MCT-5 coolant.
Included with the kit is an acrylic reservoir, with a smoked black/grey front with the DD initials engraved into the front, and for me this is exactly how a bay reservoir is supposed to be, not 100% transparent.
I like the subtitle approach instead of the “slam-in-your-face-here-is-my-reservoir-check-my-liquid” so this suits me perfectly although its still translucent enough for you to check what your fluid level is. And again here, test fit the reservoir before you fill it, cause getting it back out with liquids and hoses is a lot harder but do make sure you keep some slack in the hoses towards the reservoir since you need to be able to pull it out for refills and air bleeding.
The radiator, I don’t think I have to tell anything about the Black Ice Xtreme Radiators, these products are so well know that it would be blasphemy to even argue about them, so I’ll just provide you with the local info I quote;
- 2-pass Double-row Low Pressure Drop Radiator specifically developed for PC watercooling based on the new high-performance Black Ice Xtreme design.
- More than DOUBLE the performance at the compact Black Ice Prime form factor: rated for 790KCal per hour (3134BTU per hour).
- 120 mm x 32 mm (4.72 inch x 1.25 inch) Double-row Copper core consisting of flat tubes for maximum heat conductivity.
- High-density louvered copper fin configuration for enhanced heat dissipation.
- Built-in plenum chamber for increased performance and noise reduction.
- Self-tapping and case mounting holes for easy installation of 120mm fans.
- Now standard G 1/4″ female threaded fittings.
- Compact 153 x 133 x 45mm (5.9 x 5 x 1.69 inch) dimensions allows it to fit inside most mid-tower cases.
- Designed to meet the performance demands of hardcore PC watercooling enthusiasts.
Now the thing I didn’t like about the kit is the choice of the fan.
Now I know Sunon are superb quality fans and they move craploads of air, but also at a decibel level that I cant sleep next to (you can tone them down to 5 volts but still it’s a bit too much for my liking).
I’d rather have seen an adjustable fan like the Silverstone’s, so that’s what I did, since I’m not planning on living with that much noise! It’s a good choice for overclockers and people who don’t care about noise, but then why not just buy a Delta HP 120mm fan? I want some peace and quiet. Do note that for testing purpose I ran the Silverstone fan on full, so that’s a lot of air and noise as well.
DD also supplied me with their newest pump the “Danger Den MAG II – LE”! This must be the smallest pump I ever laid my hands on, and it is super silent, so instead of using the larger DD D5 pump supplied with the kit I decided to use the new one. It is so small and lightweight I didn’t even bother to stick it on the case but it’s suspended by the tygon tubing.
And to showoff with its specs;
- Nominal voltage: 12 VDC
- Motor type: Brushless DC*
- Nominal power: 8 W
- Pump bearing type: Polished Sapphire
- Maximum head: 2.5 M (3.5 PSI, 97″ H2O)
- Size: 2.1”W x 2.1”H x 1.74”D
- Maximum flow: 567 l/hr (150 GPH)
- Weight: 241 g (8.5 oz) Connection size: G 1/4 BSPP
- Warranty: 30 Months (2-1/2 Years)
- Power connector: 3-pin (fan header style)
- 50,000 Service Hours MTBF
- Extreme Service Life : This pump is designed with extreme service life (50,000 hours*)
- Bearings : The MAG features dual in fluid bearings, using the best material available, jewels. These bearings are made of highly polished Sapphire. This is an extremely hard and long lasting material, often found in expensive watches, high precision instruments, and gyroscopes used in the aerospace and military industries.
- Leak Proof : The MAG has no shaft seal, eliminating the possibility of leaking occurring due to long term seal ware. The stator assembly has a plastic barrier between the rotor and the fluid operating on magnetic coupling. The drive and impeller housing is plastic, to reduce the chance of long term fouling.
- Brushless DC motor : The MAG features a brushless DC motor designed with an operational component life in excess of 50,000 hours. All heat generating components are thermal conductive bonded to the thermoplastic case. This provides a large heat sink area allowing the motor to run under constant high efficiency.
Additional Features:
- Small Size : The dimensions are 2.1” x 2.1” x 1.74″. This is the smallest most reliable pump available to customers.
- Direct RPM : The pump features a hall sensor that directly reads the rotation of the impeller. The impeller RPM can be monitored using your standard fan mother board utilities via the fan port.
- Power Supply : This unit requires 12V DC and is equipped with a Tx3 connector.
- Ultra low noise : The pump operates at a very low noise level due to the sealed motor compartment and improved pump housing design.
- Easy Installation : Purchase the industrial velcro to mount anywhere in case.
- Flow Direction : The MAG features a side inlet and top outlet for flow direction. The pump is now available with 3/8″ OD or 1/2″ OD High Flow or Perfect Seal straight fitting.
- Ports : The MAG features a top outlet and side. The pump is now available with G 1/4 BSPP straight fitting ports.
- Finish : The MAG features a new thermal plastic housing to ensure long term corrosion protection and motor heat transfer properties.
Just look at the pictures and you can tell the difference in size, however it moves water like no other, and for this kit all you need is a small pump so I’m somewhat surprised that DD added the big pump in the kit, then again it is a Laing pump so a superb quality product.
Enough jabbering lets do some benching !
The temperature benchmarks tested on an AMD Barton 3200+ were conducted by using a little program called toast; with a room temperature of 33 degrees Celsius yes it was during the heat wave in Holland that I tested it, so that is one of the reasons why the temperatures are a bit on the high side, noticing that my VGA card was running at 63C (145.4 F) load sooo…
Just another little side note is that I added a DD Z Chipset block in the loop, but that was also there in the first tests of the DD TDX.
Danger Den nVidia Kit Performance
| fan setting | cpu status | temp |
| Fan Low | Idle | 46 C (114.8 F) |
| Fan Highest | Idle | 42 C (107.6 F) |
| Fan Low | Load | 52 C (118.4 F) |
| Fan Highest | Load | 48 C (125.6 F) |
As you can see with the fans blazing full on the temperature only increased by 2 degrees C (now remember it was 33C in my room (91.4 F)).
So all in all with this hot weather this kit only increased with 2 degrees centigrade. No wonder this kit is recommended by NVIDIA, and if it’s good enough for nVidia, then it definately deserves the OCmodshop 5 out of 5 stars maximum score for this kit! With the only the fan choice that left me with some question marks, so for about $220 USD this is one kick-ass watercooling kit, giving you the best of the best available and even allowing you to upgrade or add blocks later on, but that’s all up to your imagination ;)
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