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Watercooling Man on the street review: XSPC Rasa 750 RS240 watercooling kit

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by G-Dubs, 22 Mar 2011.

  1. G-Dubs

    G-Dubs What's a Dremel?

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    Item description
    XSPC Rasa 750 RS240 watercooling kit

    Manufacturer and code
    XSPC
    RASAKIT-RS240

    Cost
    £129.97 (inc VAT at 20%)

    Supplier
    SpecialTech
    http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/XSPC-Rasa-750-RS240-WaterCooling-Kit-pid-12137.html

    Description and overview
    A "one box" watercooling kit from XSPC. Aimed squarely at the enthusiast builder who is considering moving from aircooling to watercooling but who perhaps feels a bit caught in the headlights with regards to the plethora of choice, let alone compatibles involved in putting together a loop. The kit contains everything you need apart from the cooling fluid itself, and the large selection of brackets and fixings permit it to be used with most if not all CPUs and socket types.
    The 750 RS240 kit forms part of the greater range of XSPC watercooling kits and Products. For details of the full range and compatibility of XSPC kits visit Specialtech at
    http://specialtech.co.uk/spshop/customer/search.php?substring=XSPC&in_category=1196


    First impressions and quality.
    The brown cardboard box provides no fanfare the delights inside. XSPC have not wasted money on fancy packaging, rather choosing to invest the money where it matter, in the quality of their products. Inside we find practically everything we need to build our very own semi bespoke watercooling loop. I say practically everything as XSPC have chosen not to bundle a coolant with the kit. I can see the logic in this decision as it leaves the builder the choice of which coolant they prefer to use, and of course, as it comes bundled with clear tubing, more importantly what colour coolant they want to use to best compliment the colour scheme of their rig. (aren't we a vain lot)

    In total the Kit comprises....are you ready for this...deep breath now

    1 x XSPC Rasa Black CPU Waterblock
    1 x XSPC RS240 Radiator
    2 x Low Noise 1700rpm 120mm Fan
    1 x XSPC X20 750 Pump & Reservoir combo
    2x interchangeable reservoir front plates (silver and black)
    2 x 7/16" Clear Tubing
    6 x 1/2" Barb Fittings
    1 x 5mm Blue LED
    1 x Velcro Mounting Pad for Pump
    6 x Hose Clips
    1 x 80 - 120mm Radiator Mounting Kit
    1 x Thermal Paste
    1 x CPU Mounting Kit
    2 x 120mm Fan Grill.

    Even bigger breath now for the pictures...

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    I think it fair to say that's quite a lot of kit for your cash. You may be thinking "yeah but I bet it's all really crappy quality and bargain basement stuff" and I have to say it was with this thought in mind that I apprehensively I examined the contents of the box. Well I'm pleased to report that there's no crap to be found. it's all good stuff in there.

    I'm not going to go into great detail with regards to every little item, however a few bits and pieces deserve a special mention.

    Reservoir.

    [​IMG]

    A dual bay design measuring 277 x 121 x 35mm (shorter than the early model of this drive bay res to allow greater flexibility of mounting on smaller cases). It is made from clear crisp acrylic. The acrylic is either 6mm or 13mm where extra strength is needed. All mounting holes have Brass inserts to reinforce and strengthen them and so reduce the risk of cracking the acrylic with over enthusiastic tightening of fittings. In addition to containing the coolant the reservoir also houses the system's pump. The pump is an 12Volt unit, with a head pressure of 2.1 metres and a flow rate of 750 Litres per hour (Ah that's where the 750 in the name comes from). it does seem to occupy quite a large amount of the internal capacity of the res, but that's not to say there isn't sufficient volume remaining for the coolant.
    XSPC have very thoughtfully included a choice of 2 face plates for the pump, Both are brushed Aluminium, one in black, the other is silver.

    Water block.

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    The Rasa Block has already established itself a reputation in the watercooling fraternity, and it's good to see XSPC using the black finished variant in this kit as opposed to a cut down bargain block. The Block comes pre assembled for Intel mounting but can very easily be altered to for mounting onto AMD chips.. The copper heatsink is machined flat and as you would expect highly polished. Inside the block we find a 1200 diagonal cut 0.25mm pin matrix. What this means in real terms is that the copper block has been cross cut by a CNC lathe to leave 1200 0.25mm thick "pins". The purpose of these pins is to present a high surface area to the water flowing over them and as such maximise heat transfer from the block to the water. Back to the outside of the block and we see that XSPC have placed the inlet and outlet a good distance apart so that should you so desire even chunky 3/4 OD compressions can be used.

    Radiator

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    As the name of this kit suggests theRS240 Radiator forms an integral part of this assembly. Being of the slim line design and measuring only 277mm x 121mm x 35mm (LWH) the Radiator is suitable for installation into not only full size tower cases such as the large Lian Li cases, but also the smaller cases such as the CM690. The radiator has 14fins per inch dissipating heat from a single row of 19 brass water channels. As per the rest of the kit, the radiator is threaded for G1/4" fittings. The radiator supports the mounting of two 120mm Radiators with a standard fan spacing of 15mm.
    having used a few Radiators in my time I can report that the level of quality here is high. there was no evidence of bent finds or uneven paint distribution as can so often be the case with other manufacturers radiators.

    Instructions.
    Up to now it's all been pretty rosy. The Radiator is good, the pump is good and the reservoir is good. The instructions however are not good. Although there are some very nice colour copied instructions that cover how to mount the CPU block onto an Intel Chip, and for some inexplicable reason on the reverse side instructions for how to mount the XBOX 360 CPU/GPU Waterblock.
    What's missing entirely are the instructions on how to put the rest of this together. Now if you're a seasoned Watercooler and have installed a few loops in your time then you can pretty much suss it out. if however you're one of the target audience for this kit and are venturing into watercooling for the very first time then the total dearth of instructions may be something of a concern to you. Sure there is enough info out on the internet to enable you to work out what goes where and how, but you shouldn't have to chase this information around. If you bought a car you wouldn't expect to have to go on line to find out how to turn the headlights on, you'd expect it all to be there in the instructions.

    Fitting.
    Putting a watercooling loop together can never be described as simple, and it has to be said the lack of instructions do not make the process easier. But we're men right! If we had instructions we wouldn't read them anyway would we! So let's put that paltry matter aside for a moment and assume that you've done your research, you've been on line and looked at how to put a loop together, you've decided whether you want your fans to push or pull, you've worked out how and where to mount your radiator. You've also determined the optimum route for the tubing through your case. So how easy is the loop to put together? Well about as easy as any other loop save that you have the quiet confidence of knowing you have to hand everything you need.


    Performance.
    This Kit has been well tested by many review sites on the web and has been shown to perform very well indeed. This is a man on the street review, so i'm not going to be filling the next few pages with reams of graphs you're probably not going to read. I am however pleased to report that my own experience of the kit did nothing to detract from the experience of others. One thing I haven't mentioned so far in this review is the ability of the consumer to expand their set up at a later date. Perhaps by adding a GPU leg to the loop (there's certainly enough tubing available). You may need to add an extra Rad? The pump has the ability to cope with another 120.2, so no worries there. Want to upgrade your CPU block but keep the rest of the kit/ again no problem.

    Conclusion.
    This kit is like a Bacon Brie and Sundried Tomato Panini. Let me explain. Whether we're talking about the dream deli sandwich or the XSPC kit each of the ingredients here is delicious in it's own right. When brought together with the right sort of quality garnish however the combined effect is much greater than the joy that can be derived from each of the ingredients on their own.
    This is one impressive piece of kit. It's both hard and at the same time refreshing to see how XSPC have been able to bring together so much quality for such a reasonable price

    Good points.
    All good stuff, no crap in here.
    price
    expandability

    Bad points.
    Aside from the CPU block installation guide there are no instructions
     
    bulldogjeff likes this.
  2. bulldogjeff

    bulldogjeff The modding head is firmly back on.

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    As a starter kit and an intro to water cooling, like you say it's all there, makes it a no brainer. Nice little review:thumb:
     
  3. Guest-56605

    Guest-56605 Guest

    You'll end up being a staff writer before long with a nice concise review like that Dubs :thumb:
     
  4. Paul2011

    Paul2011 Minimodder

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    very nice review thank you, and you can add your gpu to the loop is impressive, i may look into purchasing one of these
     
  5. thetrashcanman

    thetrashcanman Angel headed hipsters

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    great review, I saw a review of the 360 kit, both great little performers for such a small amount of money
     
    Last edited: 22 Mar 2011
  6. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    I'll link to this in my thread, a nice piece for people looking at biginners loops :) Shame about the instructions though. I remember when I got my first all-in-one, was a nerve wracking affair.

    Just a thought, what coolant did you go for?
     
  7. G-Dubs

    G-Dubs What's a Dremel?

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    I do it for fun but hey i'm open to offers :D
     
  8. MrDomRocks

    MrDomRocks Modder

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    Great review, going to get my system when in a year or so. Once I decide whether I am going to add a second GTX 570 to my system. Got some other things I need first.
     
  9. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Some temps would have been good though!
     
  10. MrDomRocks

    MrDomRocks Modder

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    Doh get my system wet* lol and with Pet's guide its even easier to do!
     
  11. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Still don't get this. How is this a review without reviewing it's performance? Would it hurt to post some temps?? LOL

    Maybe this will catch on, and we'll start getting car reviews where no one drives the car, or restaurant reviews where no one eats the food.

    This isn't a review, it's a description. What temps are you getting? Some screen shots would be nice. You may call it a man in the street review, but the man in the street doesn't really buy water cooling gear, and even if they did, they are buying it because they need extra cooling, so a review of COOLING gear really needs some TEMPS. LOL

    Temps please.
     
    LennyRhys likes this.
  12. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Fan Fan

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    +1 on what Pookey says - this is an overview (but a good overview nonetheless).

    I have one small complaint:

    This isn't true - the Rasa block is restrictive which affects the extent to which you can "expand" the loop; there isn't enough headroom for expansion in this loop, unless you replace the pump with something considerably more robust. Head pressure is more important than flow rate because the flow rate spec is without restriction; the more things you add to a loop, the more restrictive it becomes (naturally). The Rasa's 750 pump might sound good, but the head pressure of 1.8m will turn many people away - that's why so many people get Laing pumps with >3m head which allows them to use extremely restrictive but the best performing blocks and extra rads etc.

    Not trying to undo your hard work; it's just that writing a good review means having comprehensive knowledge of your subject - that's why there are well written reviews and poorly written reviews, because some reviewers are just blaggers. As long as you make sure to put in the work and do your research beforehand, your reviews/overviews will be beneficial to prospective buyers.

    And as Pookey says, the best reviews are the ones that clearly show performance. :thumb:

    @ Pookey, you thinking about getting a quick-and-easy WC loop? I considered getting the Rasa 360 a while ago, but for the performance gain over high end air it's just not worth it for me.
     
  13. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead It's big, and it's clever.

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    Sorry if I came across blunt. Lenny is right... it's a superbly written article, but it's not a review. I was actually looking forward to reading your findings, only to realise there were none really. My H100 is only a stop gap for me, as I want a beefier water solution, but still like the appeal of an off the shelf, all in one package.

    No temps made me a sad panda. :(
     
  14. Bitemebad91

    Bitemebad91 What's a Dremel?

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    I bought the kit with the thicker 360 rad ( can't be bother looking up serial number ) about six months ago and it's still going well, no annoying pump noises yet, love it !


    ----------------------------
    Intel Core i7 930 @ 3.8ghz | GeForce gtx 460 @ 800mhz | 6 gig corsair xms3 tripplechannel ddr3 @ 1600mhz | raven rv01 case | watercooled 360 rad 40c load temps | gigabyte ga-x58-USB3 mobo | Logitech G510 gaming keyboard | Logitech G700 gaming mouse | Razer Goliathus Extended Control Edition mousepad
     

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