CoolIT ECO A.L.C. and Corsair H50 Comparison / Review

so looking at those results and others from a custom loop it seems there is only a few c difference between them, in which case it makes me wonder whats the point of getting a much more expensive custom watercooled setup :confused: other than the fact you can add a gpu block etc.

But even so, i thought these coolers were just as good as top end air coolers, so it makes it even more confusing.
 
Posted on the Clunk review:

Update 10/02/2010: Barry Reicker from CoolIT got in touch with us to find out more about our ill fated ECO and he came to the conclusion that the sample may be faulty as our test results do not reflect what they were seeing in their labs. CoolIT have identified a problem with the plastic clips that adjust the water block bracket to fit to different sockets - On the first models, this plastic clip can twist round as you tighten the water block down and potentially cause an eneven mounting, they say that on "production models" this issue is now resolved. We have agreed to test another sample of the ECO, however, there is no ETA when the new samples will be available just yet, so watch this space.
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Disappointed in the lack of update :/

On another note, this copy of the review specifically on OCUK has been linked to from the front page of CoolIt (the company making it) with the headline "ECO A.L.C. outperforms Corsair H50 in all Areas".
 
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Hilarious, good spot Hotwired. It rather suggests that this thread is the best evidence they can find suggesting that it's a better buy then the H50, and we've hardly been enthusiastic. Reviewer is yet to respond to some fairly glaring holes in the test methodology so currently looks unreliable.

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Screenshot on the offchance that they realise linking to this thread is going to put people off buying their product and change their website accordingly.

Suppose I should list my main objections to the review.

1/ Unusual definition of idle temperature
2/ No measurement of ambient temperature
3/ He tested them with fans blowing in opposite directions, see post 11, so in completely different airflow conditions
4/ Same temperature difference between coolers at idle as at load suggests that the numbers were fiddled. Wouldn't like to guess if this is deliberate or a combination of points 1, 2 and 3.
5/ Used different fans too, though as both were the respective stock fans this is almost understandable.

Couple of links.
"Official" OcUK introduction to the coolit
Anticipatory thread, predictions for coolis vs H50
H50 thread on here

At present it looks like you'd have to be frothing at the mouth to think the Coolit is a remotely sensible buy over the H50.
 
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Oh I don't know, it's cheaper, has 2 years warranty instead of 1, OCUK is doing the CoolIt for £59 while the H50 is for £67.

CoolIt have had long enough to look at the H50 knobbling their Dominos, now they're having a go at the H50 with their version.

The question is: is the performance affected by it being sold cheaper? My money is on the box marked "not a lot". It's a single rad loop/pump/block using identical knobbly tubing.

However this review was not carried out under the same conditions for both which means the results are not comparable, does both a disservice to say it's a definitive result.
 
However the H50 is a proven success, whereas this review is the only thing currently in favour of the coolit.

I doubt you'll be surprised to hear that I don't like either cooler. At present though the coolit has zero reliable, positive reviews and at least one reliable and very negative review (Clunk) which is currently considered to be a faulty sample.

So at present the choice is between the known-good H50, and saving 8 gbp to try an unknown which has a suspicious lack of reviews. It's not a good sign that this thread is linked on coolit's front page.

That's unfair of me. I can't find a positive review of it, that doesn't mean there isn't one.
 
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JonJ678 said:
However the H50 is a proven success, whereas this review is the only thing currently in favour of the coolit.

I doubt you'll be surprised to hear that I don't like either cooler. At present though the coolit has zero reliable, positive reviews and at least one reliable and very negative review (Clunk) which is currently considered to be a faulty sample.

So at present the choice is between the known-good H50, and saving 8 gbp to try an unknown which has a suspicious lack of reviews. It's not a good sign that this thread is linked on coolit's front page.

That's unfair of me. I can't find a positive review of it, that doesn't mean there isn't one.
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From what I read on vr-zone, it turned out that clunk didn't install it properly. I have a sample myself so I'll see how it fares and post back.
 
Hi Folks,

Barry here w/ CoolIT - want to clear the air regarding ECO a bit, specifically regarding this review.

First of all, happy to see that vast majority of posters here understand thermals and are interested in truly understanding what makes a good cooler and what doesn't. We've designed and priced ECO to be better than the H50 and high end air, which it is. Not in all aspects but when looked at as whole, the overall package is a more well-rounded solution. I could go on specifically as to why but wont - there are LOTS of reviews that will be released imminently that will do that for us.

As for the review - lets not blow this out of proportion guys. It's one review and as any manufacturer will tell you, some variance from one review to another is to be expected. Its the nature of business, especially when it comes to testing thermals - there is no universal test plan and no standard stick by which coolers are measured. There are commonly accepted best practices but even those aren't universal.

- Some reviewers feel that using their favorite TIM on all coolers
demonstrates consistency, others feel they should use what is delivered on the product to reflect what the customer is actually buying. Which is right though? Honestly - they both are.

- Some reviewers load the chip w/ prime 95 because it is a commonly used program and reflects the max real word load most people (except folders) are likely to generate. Others use linpack or burn in software because its capabable of stressing the chip further, faster or more consistently. Again - one way isn't better than another.

- Some do testing on an open bench, others in a closed case...

- Some maintain a consistent ambient temp, others account for it in the results (add or subtract the diff in ambient from the final temp)

- Some believe idle temps should be measured 15 mins after the PC has been turned on with only the OS running, others believe it should be measured 15 mins after a stress test. (The diff here is that in the second case, air inside the chassis will be warmer which will lead to higher temps)

- Some use stock fans, others use aftermarket

- Some will overclock to 4.0Ghz using 1.35v, others using 1.45v – the difference between those two is likely will over 50W.

- And so on and so forth.... No one way is right which is why the best representation of a product is a combination of several reviews.

Since so many variables exist, its really important to document your exact methodology which I'll admit, this reviewer didn't do a very good job of. Is this a perfect review? Certainly not... there is no such thing. Come on, we are enthusiasts... there is no pleasing us ;)

Long story short - take it for what it is, a review. It's one man’s experience with our products. There are plenty of other reviews to come including the Tweaktown one released today.

Thanks for taking the time to read... discussions like this are healthy, they are exactly what we at CoolIT want to encourage because we believe that the better people understand this industry, the more they will like our products. Later this year we'll be releasing

VANTAGE - ECO's big brother with RGB LCD and reporting / control system
OMNI - Universal GPU Cooling System
MAESTRO - Wireless Software Control System for lights and fans.

Google them. The point is, we know thermals very very well and are designing products that really address real world issues. The better we all understand this space, the more we can all get out of our hardware.

Your computer has two outputs - video and heat.

- Barry
 
Hello Barry,

Firstly thank you for your post. It's both coherent and reasonable, and the target audience always appreciates a personal touch. I hope you don't take offense if I offer my thoughts on the points raised. If you're willing to accept more direct communication, please enable your "trust account", this forums equivalent to private messages.

1/ On using the same tim, I fully agree. Repeated measurements to estimate error is always a welcome addition.

2/ On load. Again I agree. Personally I'd like to see maximum load, but then I spend time rendering/folding.

3&4/ Open bench in controlled ambient temperature is crucial to repeatable measurements, if everyone uses a different case then it is not possible for a third party to verify their results.

5/ Some believe idle temps don't mean anything :p

6/ Using stock fans makes comparisons between heatsinks irrelevant for anyone who upgrades the fan. To this end I wish more people would follow Thermalright's lead and not supply fans.

7/ If it's not the same processor at the same settings for each heatsink, there's no way to draw comparisons. Degrees C per Watt (as function of fan rpm if required) is how all heatsinks should be rated, but this is more difficult to do so most people don't bother.

I will say that I'm looking forward to further reviews of this product. It's always interesting to see how companies tackle the problem of keeping processors cool, indeed I'm tempted to buy one purely to take it apart :)

Jon
 
Hi Jon,

Thanks for the heads up on the trust thing... didn't know such an option existed. I'm now open to PM's from anyone who feels so inclined.

You raise excellent points and obviously know your coolers :) Are you a reviewer yourself?

My point though is that we as a community still haven't figured out a standard way of testing so all reviews are still subject too all the different variables which is why we get different results from one review to the next. The aspects you've chosen are just the one that you personally feel are important - they aren't necessarily the best or the worst because its all subject to what you are really interested in.

For example, some would argue that open bench testing - although it eliminates the chassis variable (some are better than others) gives an unfair advantage to air coolers over liquid coolers because air coolers benefit from the larger amount of cool air surrounding them more. Regarding the TIM and fans replacement, that can provide interesting data but doesn't necessarily reflect the out of box user experience which of I'm sure a lot of people are still interested in. I think testing 3rd party TIM and fans are a great idea only if the out of box delivered product is tested first to provide a baseline but still.. thats just my opinion :/

So again, not trying to argue your points at all just want to be clear that thermal measurement is far from a perfect science. Let's not even get started on measuring acoustic ;)

You hit a couple out of the park though. Idle temps dont matter and Degree's C / W should be the ONLY metric by which a cooler is measured. Thats thermal resistance and thats what matters - we can and will encourage reviewers to adopt this metric more often.

There is a lot of education work that still needs to be done in this space and as CoolIT we are happy to with experts like yourself share some of our expertise to help users make a more educated buying decision.

Cheers!!

Barry
 
Hi Guys,

Sorry I haven't updated the review with testing yet - been really busy with work and forgot about it :S! I am about to start tests now and may have results up tonight - if not tomorrow!
 
Hi Barry,

I'm a mechanical engineering student, but not a reviewer. Bought a desktop (and overclocked it) to let me do cad work faster than a laptop is capable of, then started watercooling to gain practical experience for my thermofluid dynamics course. You can find a log of my current efforts here, it's in need of an update now but may prove interesting.

You're quite right. Overclocking in general and cooling in particular are done by rule of thumb and guesswork rather than by careful reasoning. Mostly because it's incredibly difficult to rationalise it. The gold standard of reviews is skinnee labs, whose site I have spend endless hours reading as their testing methodology is beyond reproach. They're very much "custom" watercooling though there is some good data on fans available as well.

Manufacturers acoustic ratings are generally works of fiction, best ignored completely. It's a shame really :(

I imagine the reason your coolers (and the H50) use a single 120mm fan is to increase compatibility with cases, but the first group to get a double 120mm radiator version out the door is going to walk all over air cooling. Surface area is all that really matters for convective air cooling; heatsinks are restricted to the keep out areas in the atx spec. Water cooling isn't. Corsairs OEM produce just such a thing, but it doesn't seem to have made it to the shelves yet.

Cheers for setting up your trust.

Jon
 
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Jon - your log is awesome! Strong effort there I have to say! All in the name of science right ;)

I read Skinnee too but dont ever talk to the guys - should probably change that.

Thanks again for your comments and if there is ever anything CoolIT or I can do for you, don't be shy.
 
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