Thermaltake ProWater 850i

Mike D. 2 Oct, 2008 at 3:58pm ET Article published in Tech

A Closer Look

Below are the specifications taken from the ProWater 850i product page.

Water Block :

Dimensions: 58mm(L) X 58mm(W) X 35mm(H)
Material: All copper designed
Tubing & Hose Clip: For 9.5mm ID (3/8”) tubing
Weight: 336(g)

Pump:

Dimensions: 75(L) x 70(W) x 75(H) mm
Bearing: Ceramic bearing
Maximum Capacity: 500 L/ hr
Rated Voltage: DC 12V
Input current: 600 mA
Connector: 4 pin
Noise: 16 dBA
Life time: 80000 hr (MTBF)

TMG Radiator :

Dimensions: 153(L) x 120(W) x 28(H) mm
Material: Aluminum
Tube Design: Aluminum, Dimple
Fin Design: Aluminum, Louvered
Tubing & Hose Clip: For 9.5mm ID (3/8”) tubing

Fan :

Fan Dimension: 120(L) x 120(W) x 25(H) mm
Fan Speed: 1300 ~ 2400 RPM
Noise: 16 ~ 30 dB
Fan Connector: 4 pin

Liquid Tank :

Dimensions: 86(L) x 66(W) x 110(H) mm
Capacity: 350 c.c
Tubing & Hose Clip: For 9.5mm ID(3/8”) tube

iStripe :

Length: 300 mm x2 pcs
Material: TPU

Flow TX :

Dimensions: 60mm(H) x 35 mm (W) x 25 mm (D)
Tubing & Hose Clip: For 9.5mm ID(3/8”) tube

Tube :

Dimensions: 9.5mm ID(3/8”) tube
Material: Green UV

Coolant :

Capacity: 500 c.c
Major Material Ingredient: Propylene Glycol

Application :

CPU: AMD AM2 series, AMD K8 series, Intel LGA775, Intel P4.

As you can see, there is quite a bit included in the kit. The ProWater 850i is a full watercooling kit that ships with absolutely everything needed in the box. Unlike DIY systems, buyers don’t need to worry about forgetting connectors or other components. The entire kit utilizes 3/8” ID tubing and fittings. This is pretty standard for a low to mid-range watecooling setup. It is definitely better than the 1/4” ID tubing that is found in some lower end kits. Thicker tubing, although more difficult to work with, is less restrictive.

The ProWater 850i comes pacakged in a fairly large cardboard box. The radiator, fan, pump and reservoir are clearly visible.

There are many accessories included with the ProWater 850i, including a very generous length of 3/8” tubing and socket hardware for LGA775, AM2, 939 and even 478. Thermaltake includes a 500ml bottle of coolant and a length of anti-kink plastic to wrap around the tubing as well. Everything you need to get the system is up and running—and then some.

The radiator is a thin, single 120mm model. Made out of 100% aluminum, it feels very light. It employs a dimpled tube design, which increases turbulance within for improved thermal transfer.

There is a small universal bracket attached to the rear of the radiator. It should allow it to be mounted internally in a wide variety of cases with single 120mm exhaust fans.

The mated fan is a 120x25mm model that can easily be swapped out if desired. The fan has a built in variable resistor and its speed can vary between 1300 and 2400RPM. Drawing about 0.5A at full speed, this is a pretty powerful model. As such, it does not have a regular three-pin fan header but rather a 4-pin molex and a 3-pin for RPM sensing only. The fan is marked TT-1225A with an extended model number reading A1225C12S. If I remember my Everflow fan model decoding correctly, the ‘S’ at the end denotes a sleeve bearing. The dial for the variable resistor hangs about three or four inches off of the fan.

The block used is a heavy copper model with a universal socket mounting bracket. The barbs are located at opposite corners of the heatsink. Either can be used as intake/outlet.

The base quality of the block is fantastic. It is completely flat as proved by our straight edge testing and polished to a mirror shine. I wish I saw this level of base quality in all CPU coolers I review.

Thermaltake includes a small flow-meter to visually show that the coolant is flowing. In very quiet watercooling systems, this is a nice feature as it is sometimes difficult to determine if the pump is running. Enthusiasts concerned most about performance will not install the meter as it will add unnecessary restriction to the loop. Thermaltake leaves it up to the buyer whether or not they’d like to install it.

The pump and reservoir are a one-piece item. The reservoir holds about 350mL of coolant (500mL is provided by Thermaltake). The high and low indicators show where coolant level should be maintained. The pump is a DC12V model rated by Thermaltake for about 500LPH and about 1.8m of lift (head). The pump is rated for about 600mA at 12V for a power rating of about 7.2W. The pump gets its power from a 4-pin molex connector. Like the fan, it also has a 3-pin fan connector with only an RPM sensing lead. This is useful to keep an eye on pump operation. Monitoring software can also be configured to throw an alarm if the pump fails. During operation, I observed RPM readings of approximately 2500RPM from the pump.

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Comments

2 Oct 2008 ~ 4:42pm BuddyJ Sweet article lemonlime! Well done!
2 Oct 2008 ~ 9:38pm lemonlime Thanks, Buddy J

Here is a shot of the backplate after I took apart the system. Manufacturers really need to steer clear of this area on LGA775 boards. As I mentioned, the padding was thick enough to protect the board.
5 Oct 2008 ~ 2:50pm jared Great review Mike!

Looks like an awesome kit. I wouldn't mind picking one of these up, but I think you might as well add a GPU cooler in there too...
5 Oct 2008 ~ 6:51pm BuddyJ They say it's expandable. The pump pushes quite a bit of water; enough for a GPU cooler and 2x120mm radiator.

I'd like to see how the new OCZ waterblock stacks up when added to this system. It's only $40.
5 Oct 2008 ~ 8:18pm jared Which one of their kits is the "step up" from this one.

Didn't they have one that included some of that stuff mentioned above^^

(specifically the 2x120mm radiator i thought)
5 Oct 2008 ~ 8:40pm BuddyJ Right now, the ProWater 850i is their top kit. They sell upgrades individually:
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Products.aspx?C=1162

I can't find it, but there's a review online somewhere I read last week where they added a Thermaltake GPU block and the 2x120mm radiator to the mix and got better results. I guess the ProWater's pump is strong enough to take mild upgrades. The only real downside I see to the kit (aside from lemonlime's remarks) is the small reservoir. I'm not sure if it can be replaced or not.
20 Oct 2008 ~ 5:50pm muddocktor I see a few things that I find not too desirable with this kit (besides that mounting bracket that Mike noted). First, the radiator is all aluminum and you have to run some kind of antifreeze mix (which I'm sure that the included coolant that Thermaltake provided contains) or you will have corrosion due to ionic transfer between dissimilar metals. And the pump, while adequate, is not a real powerhouse. Finally, I find a single fan radiator, while easier for mounting purposes, is a bit small for overclocking a quad based system. For the price this is selling for ($135 at the Egg), I would rather spend another $5 more and get the Swiftech H20-220 Compact CPU Water Cooling Kit. With the Swiftech kit you get a double fan brass tank and tube radiator, radbox for mounting the radiator externally and a waterpump/waterblock combo based off of the Apogee GT block and MCP350 pump. There's nothing really bad with this Thermaltake kit but it's competing against a superior Swiftech kit in it's price range.
20 Oct 2008 ~ 5:54pm BuddyJ The downside of the Swiftech kit is its upgradability, right? You can change the pump top but you're stuck with their block...
20 Oct 2008 ~ 6:37pm muddocktor Yeah, that is a minor downside, but if you think about it you probably would be changing the block in the future anyways. And the MCP350 pump side of the combo is fully upgradable with an aftermarket top and there is also a very simple solder mod you can do to the MCP350 to convert it to a MCP355 motor (from 10 watt to 18 watt motor) as they are the same motor on the pump. Martin's Liquid Labs has some good pics of the mod area in their review of the Apogee Drive (the pump/waterblock combo that comes with this kit). This mod could also be done on the present setup to get you a little better flowrate and pressure also.
20 Oct 2008 ~ 7:15pm BuddyJ Yeah, I read about the mods etc. on Martin's site. The MCP350 sounds like a great pump. I'd like to get one myself. Are you saying you can detach the pump from the block on the Swifty kit so you can upgrade to a better block like the GTZ? I was under the impression that if you wanted to move to a better waterblock, you also had to get a new pump.
21 Oct 2008 ~ 12:16am muddocktor No, the pump body comes off just like pulling the shipping top of the MCP350 and 355. If you install an XSPC top on the pump body and impeller, the only difference between it and a pump you buy as a pump is the lack of the 2 mounting brackets on the sides of the pump body. The waterblock part of the pump comes off just like the top of the regular pump with 4 screws. Here's a link to Martin's review of the Apogee Drive, which shows him mounting an aftermarket top to the pump body of the Drive. It has a pic of the pump body with an aftermarket top mounted on it. Plus, he shows the solder mod clearly too in the article. That is what is so nice about this kit; your pump isn't obsolete when you decide to upgrade to a better waterblock.:thumbup
21 Oct 2008 ~ 12:26am BuddyJ Thanks for clarifying it mudd. The Swiftech kit just became much more appealing.