Installation

In order to test a memory water block, I needed a set of accessible memory sticks. It just so happened that both my current test systems used RAM heatsinks that used some very good glue to where I was not confident about being able to reversibly remove them without damaging something. I was in the middle of setting up a new test system to replace the one based on my dead Core i7-4770K, however, and Patriot Memory sent me a kit to use here, knowing it could very well go bad. Thanks again to them, and we have here a set of two 8 GB DDR4 modules rated at 3400 MHz out of their Viper series. The two sticks came packaged in a plastic clamshell and use a black PCB with memory modules on only a side, which is what I was looking for. In addition, they look nice as well, so when I am done testing the memory block on them, I can just use them as-is to test other components.


Taking these apart is fairly simple. Begin with the two precision Phillips head screws at the top that hold the metal fin bar in place. We can see now that there is no thermal pad or paste between this and the rest of the heatsink, which makes it more of an aesthetic item with some possible heat transfer due to conduction. Now is the time to take out a heatgun, preferably a variable temperature one, to slowly work the glue loose to where you can pry out the two pieces on either side of the PCB itself. There will be thermal pads in nearly every memory stick used, so expect resistance, but also make sure not to force anything when more applied heat will do the trick.


As seen here, one side of the PCB is bare, and the heatsink connected to it uses a thicker pad to even out the mounting pressure. On the other side is a different thermal pad, thinner and darker in color, that touches the eight Samsung Electronics Corp 1 GB modules.


Assuming you have read the previous page or manual, you will know to have the side plates unscrewed such that you can now put a strip of the provided thermal pad on each side. In this case, since all the thermal pads are identical, feel free to position the PCB such that you can see the XSPC logo on the outside of each side plate when installed in the motherboard if you want. Make sure to remove the plastic covers on both sides of each thermal pad, and finish by screwing the side plates back together while holding the memory PCB in place. There is no indicator to tell you where the midpoint to properly align the stick is, so you will have to measure out the parts extending past the side plate or just go with your best estimate here.


Once both (or more depending on how many RAM sticks you have) are installed in the side plates, the easiest way is to first install them in the motherboard to then place thermal pads (these you will have to cut to size) on top, right where the cold plate of the memory block will make contact. Once done, simply place the block on top such that the slotted hole aligns with the two holes per side-plate set, and use the provided hex head M3X6 screws to finish things off. The slotted hole here allows the block to be used with differently configured memory slots, say two consecutive ones on a mITX board or even all four in a standard slot configuration. You will need spare side plates if you have to cool more than two sticks, however.

Lighting

Remember to use the provided LEDs, and hook them up to the LED controller and it, in turn, to the PSU if you want the block to light up. Make sure to align the arrows on the LED cables with those on the controller cable when connecting the male-male pin adapter or they will not light up, and feel free to try out the various options available through the in-line controller. The images above, taken at different angles, show the color white at its maximum brightness.

There are multiple lighting options here; a breathing mode (multi-color or single color), speed control, static color changes, and some brightness steps are included. There is no software control to the lighting here out of the box, but the LEDs use standard wiring, and XSPC tells me they have verified that the LEDs will work with onboard lighting control from ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte. Managing the wires and controller is not the easiest, so set up a lighting effect you would like to keep first to then go about organizing the cables after you have, just in case.