CPU Block

The block used in this kit is one of the All-Copper brazing series blocks. As the name suggests, it is completely made out of copper and brazed shut. To ensure a scratch free surface, plastic wrap is used around the block and on its base. Tubing is pre-installed on 1/4" barbs. A Tt logo is embossed onto the top side, it is however completely covered once the mounting mechanism is attached. Lastly, the block has pre-drilled and threaded holes to which the whole mounting mechanism is secured.


As you can see from the pictures above, the contact surface is lapped to a mirror finish. Very faint milling marks can be seen on the base of the block.

Pump

The pump used to move the liquid around in the Orchestra setup is Thermaltake’s P400, their second most powerful pump. With 2.1m of head pressure and a flow rate of 400L/H (for comparison, the Eheim HPPS Plus also has 2.1 m, ~600L/H, the Alphacool Laing DDC Ultra has 4.7m, 500L/H), it should be strong enough to push water around the loop at a decent speed. One nice feature of the pump is a blue LED that is incorporated into the top side - this indicates if there is power to the pump or not.

Unlike the pump in the Zalman Reserator, for example, this one is separate from the radiator – a great decision in my opinion. This allows mounting versatility, as well as the use of the pump in future watercooling projects. The pump has rubber pads on the bottom to prevent vibrations from being transferred to the rest of the case. The pads are quite small, and I would recommend that you still place some vibration-absorbing material below the pump during installation.

The pump is powered via a standard Molex connector and has a 3 pin fan style connector to monitor its status.

Radiator

The radiator is the biggest component in the package. It measures 260 mm(L) x 100.5 mm(W) x 420 mm(H). I’d say that this is just the right size, it will not look too big or small next to any case. One thing that immediately came to mind as soon as I discovered that the radiator is made completely of aluminum was galvanic corrosion. Aluminum and copper are a mixture that you want to avoid at all costs in a water cooling loop, as the aluminum will slowly “eat away” the copper. I emailed Thermaltake about this issue, they told me that their coolant contains anti-corrosion additives. The radiator also doubles up as a reservoir and is used to fill and bleed the whole system. Its total capacity is three liters.



The flow indicator is hooked up to the inlet on the radiator. While the flow indicator will only give you an idea whether water is moving through the tubing or not, I am glad that Thermaltake has included it. As the tubing is all black, it is very difficult to judge if the pump is actually pushing water, or if it is jammed, or if there is some other problem. In worst cases, failure of the pump could result in destruction of the object being cooled, in our case the CPU. It is handy to look at the flow indicator during start up, so that you can switch off your PC before it is too late.