Impactics C3LH & K.I.S.S.S. passive HTPC Review 10

Impactics C3LH & K.I.S.S.S. passive HTPC Review

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Value and Conclusion

  • The Impactics C3LH-B goes for €99.90, the K.I.S.S.S Coolset ZO-2 will set you back €84.90, the power subsystem costs €79.90. This means that you will have to spend 264.70€ and then still fork over some money for the mainboard, CPU and memory. Running passive costs a lot of money.
  • Completely passive
  • Very affordable when compared to other, similar offerings like HPX.
  • Can handle even an i3-530 and H55 nicely
  • Very efficient heat transportation to side fins of case
  • Long list of compatibility (currently supports 22 ITX boards)
  • Excellent build quality of all the parts
  • No bending of heatpipes required - all parts are ready to go
  • Good quality DC-DC converter available
  • Available in black or silver
  • No openings means complete silence - not even the hard drive can be heard
  • Well packaged
  • All the parts together are not that cheap
  • Loss of warranty of any installed mainboard
  • Not as customizable as pre-assembled solutions from other manufacturers
  • New board means all new cooling system
  • Be prepared to use loads of thermal paste and that it may get messy
  • No thermal paste included
  • Side fins can get rather hot
  • Not completely sealed - dust and the likes can still enter the case through space between parts
  • Our PSU brick made funny noises
The Impactics has taken an OEM case and stripped it of its shortcomings, by modifying it and supplying their own cooling solution and power delivery system. The biggest aspect of these K.I.S.S.S Coolsets is performance. It works and works well, even managing to cool an Intel Core i3-530 desktop CPU and H55 without the need for any active cooling. That said, this attribute comes with a hefty price tag. Those who want to have a completely passive system have to spend around 250 €, depending on the cooling solution required and have to bring along a lot of patience and good assembly skills. So if you have trouble putting together IKEA furniture, then I suggest finding a professional to assemble the system for you. While there is a definite price premium over a traditional air cooling solution, it is still noticeably cheaper than the pre-assembled systems from other companies that offer passive systems like HPX.
So, while it may not look as "cool" still having that distinct OEM look to it, as there is no Impactics logo on the chassis for example, the entire K.I.S.S.S system delivers the same attributes and possibilities as other much more expensive pre-built options if you are willing to invest some time and effort into assembling the entire PC yourself. Just keep certain warranty issues in mind and make sure you do not break anything while putting everything together. But the savings of almost 50% compared to existing pre-assembled systems make the Impactics system more than just an alternative, but a very appealing choice.
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Dec 1st, 2024 14:52 EST change timezone

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