GlobalWin Silent Stream

Review by Jason Jacobs on 4/13/04
Water Cooling Kit Provided by Global Win

Silent Stream Installation:

Installation is made convenient in three ways:

1. Global Win provides an excellent instruction manual complete with leak testing.
2. All parts needed are present, including extras. (Extra thermal grease, screws, clips, and connectors)
3. Parts are machined correctly and fit tight and cleanly.

Most users will pick up the waterblock first. It is at the waterblock that the difference between the first and second revisions of this kit are to be found. The initial release of Silent Stream included a hard plastic fill tube and a green LED. While this produced an appealing light to the waterblock it also make filling the system difficult. The system would have to be placed on its side to be filled as the tube did not flex.

The second revision of Silent Stream includes a soft silicone fill tube and a retention clip that allows the tube to be mounted vertically or nearly anywhere the user wants it. This adds flexibility to the system in terms of filling and customizing installation. Mounting the tube vertically also allows the pump to self prime when the tube is filled and eliminate trapped air as it rises up the tube.

Unfortunately it must be mentioned that the waterblock surface leaves much to be desired. Beyond simple machine marks on the bottom, the cpu mating surface was rough. This will affect the overall effeciency with which the waterblock is able to absorb heat. It was surprising to find that the waterblock has been left this way in light of the attention to detail that has been given to the system overall. In the end it would take a piece of wet or dry 1000 grit sandpaper and five minutes of time to lap the bottom to a much finer finishand produce better temperatures. Techwarelabs chose not to lap the bottom of the waterblock to demonstrate the temperatures produced by the system as it arrives to your doorstep with no modification. The waterblock does come with a preinstalled thermal pad that the lable on the block seems to suggest is equivilant to Arctic Silver. Most enthusiasts will inform you that there is no substitute for the real thing. Check out our findings on AS5 here. It is a nice addition and leaves the average user with the option of using a thermal pad that will probably far exceed using regular silicone. For the DIY's out there Global Win has included a small packet of silicone grease for you as well.

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