Testing

To test the unit, I used the supplied heat paste, with a SilverStone Temjin TJ06 case and an Asus M2N-E mobo with an AMD AM2 3800+ processor running @ stock (2ghz each core).

I started up my PC and let it run idle (absolutely nothing running), and recorded the average temperature after 30 minutes. I then used Orthos Stress Prime to run calculations that fully stress both cores, and I ran Folding@Home to make sure no processor time was wasted. This was done for 30 minutes then the end temperature was taken. The ambient stayed the same.

I then ran Orthos for 2 hours straight, as the Tundra was getting warm after the 30 minute mark, and most watercooling setups (especially passively cooled) they take a lot longer to reach their maximum temperature where lost heat is equal to incoming heat and then they stay at the same temperature. After two hours, the Tundra stabilised at 45C and wouldn’t go any higher.

These temperatures aren’t fantastic; especially when you consider the 19C ambient (most rooms are 21-25C). However, an idle temperature of 34C and a load of 43C is nothing to be ashamed of considering the Tundra is essentially completely silent. Overclocking was possible but the temperatures started to get a little high after long periods (into the 50C range). That said, AM2’s run hotter than Core 2 Duo’s which are the more obvious choice in a HTPC.

The initial setup was relatively painfree, but more technically involved than an air based cooling solution. Silverstone have done a good job with the manual which includes pictures along with a short descriptive paragraph about what to do.

The unit would look great as a set-top box on top of your PC or underneath a monitor; this product is meant to be seen. This is more of a sculpture than a watercooling system.

The front analogue gauge measures the temperature of the water inside the reservoir and reports temperatures often 10 degrees lower than the CPU. The gauge itself is pretty useless in my opinion due to its wildly inaccurate reading, but it does add aesthetic qualities which I believe are its aim.

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