So I got a new toy today. The CoolIT Boreas MTEC cooler. I had NO idea how big this thing was, but I’ll definitely find some room for it on my test bench over the next few weeks. I want to test it in a variety of different configurations as follows:

Bone Stock
Stock with better CPU block
Stock with better pump & bigger tubing

I borrowed a kill-a-watt thing from work today to find out if I even have room in my build for this monster (power wise) and it looks like I’m going to be pushing my system to the max. Load readings for my system while running Prime95 and playing Batman Arkham Asylum peaked at around 710W. Once I add the Boreas I’ll be sitting at 850W of power consumption under load from my system. At 85% loading, many PSUs lose their efficiency and quiet operation, so we’ll see how well the HX1000 holds up to the task. Since the HX1000 is a multi-rail PSU, I’ll also have to consider the implications of which plug I put it into.

I’m thinking i5 is probably the platform most people are interested in, but I’m also curious to see how it stacks up against my current water cooling solution, in which case I would need to throw it on the i7… I’ll decide that later. Here are some pics for scale of this thing. I can’t think of a case anywhere you could actually mount this thing in. Not even the Corsair Obsidian 800D!

IMG_1039[2] IMG_1038[1]

More to come.