* * * * * UPDATE * * * * *
What good is it if the pump dies within a year? I only had this thing for 11 months before it quit on me. Not only that, but this thing started dying several months ago (around the 7 month mark), and my temps were regularly climbing into the 70s and above. At the 10 month mark, I was experiencing 80s and thermal shutdown under less than full loads. When it finally gave out completely this month, I couldn't even keep it booted for longer than a few seconds before automatic trip shutdown.
Garbage.
Since this Lepa broke, I switched to a Noctua NH-D15 (an air cooled heatsink), and that has been providing the same OR BETTER cooling performance than the Lepa, plus the Noctua is much quieter. I'm happy with the Noctua. Don't buy the Lepa.
* * * * * ORIGINAL POST BELOW * * * * *
I've been running an air cooled AMD FX 8320 8-core processor on an ASUS M5A99X EVO r2.0 at its power saving settings pretty much since I bought them several years ago. I couldn't run it at a higher setting because it would overheat.
My regular temps with the fan and heatsink combo were typically 38 C at idle (power saving setting) to the mid-40s under load. At the higher settings, my temps jumped to 55 C at idle well into the high 60s. And the noise was deafening with all my fans at full throttle.
After installing this bad boy, my idle temps dropped to around 30 C at the higher stock settings (no OC yet). That's about 25 C cooler! Under load, my temps have not climbed higher than 46 C, but they're usually in the lower 40s now. This thing WORKS! Installation was not terribly difficult, but because of my case shape (a Cooler Master Centurion 5), I had to configure the installation with the fan attached to the case first in a pull orientation. Together with my NZXT 200mm case fan (modded to fit by tracing and then Dremeling the polycarbonate window on my case), the cooling on my system has never been better. I left it on high all night to check the temps in the morning, and it's holding steady at 30 C. I have not benchmarked anything yet, as I'm waiting for 2 video cards (MSI 390 8GB in CrossfireX), some extra memory, and a new PSU to arrive.
Installation was not as difficult as I was expecting from the reviews. It was actually fairly easy. The only "hard part" was having the 4 screws on the backplate stay on long enough to put the motherboard in its place in the case without them sliding out. This was solved by wrapping some tape on the threads of the inserted backplate screws to prevent them from sliding through the plastic spacers and out the back. Once mounted, they stayed put. I installed it easily without needing another's help.
The installation instructions show the radiator installed to the back wall of the case first. So with my setup, I had to screw the fan to the radiator and THEN to my case. Then, after attaching it on my case, I installed my old case fan on the other (inboard) side of the radiator in a push configuration, effectively sandwiching the radiator in between two fans blowing air out of the case.
So my steps for installation were:
• Remove motherboard from case and remove the old cooler and mount (clean the cpu of the old thermal grease)
• Unbox everything for the Lepa.
• Prepare and install the backplate according to instructions (silver screws with flat backs--without the Phillips head). Apply tape (not included) to the threads of the backplate screws to hold them in place.
• Attach the fan to the radiator--pull configuration.
• Attach fan and radiator to the case--I needed my old case fan screws for this as I was not provided any of the right size by Lepa.
• Apply thermal grease. Careful, there's only barely enough to cover the cpu. I used the bottom of the plastic bubble packaging the grease tube came in as a spreader.
• Mount the motherboard in the case.
• Remove the user-applied holding tape on the screws (my unique step--skip this if you didn't do it).
• Prepare the cooling block/pump by installing the brackets on it as shown in the instructions; there are 2 sets, 1 set for Intel and 1 set for AMD. The Intel set flares out while the AMD set bends toward itself. Be sure you have the right set AND that they are installed the correct side up.
• Remove protective film from cooling block and attach cooling block to motherboard.
• Attach the old case fan to the radiator in the same directional orientation as the Lepa one.
• You're done! Plug everything in and boot 'er up! I plugged the pump (in the cooling block) into my CPU_OPT port and the radiator fan into the CPU_FAN port. Everything else (all my other case fans) went into various case fan ports.
I'm rating 5 stars because the unit is well built, installed easily, and worked without need for adjustments from the very first boot. The tubes are flexible enough to be mounted easily, but rigid enough that I feel assured they will not leak. I kept them fairly straight and undisturbed during install, and I recommend you do the same. Plus, unlike what others have said, my cooling block has the logo right side up. Maybe they're not installing it right? Great product. Happy customer. Now I can FINALLY use my cpu as it was intended!
* * * * * * * * * *
EDIT
* * * * * * * * * *
I've had this for about a month and I'm still happy with it. After installing my two GPUs in CrossfireX and the new PSU (and considering this is a hot summer in southern California), I'm seeing temps of around 50-52 C under load while running my 3.7GHz processor overclocked at 4.0GHz. The highest temps I've seen after some intense SW Battlefront gaming at full ultra settings reached 58 C, but so far, I have not hit 60 C on my cpu with the LEPA.
At idle, my temps are around 36-38 C or less. Not bad for the middle of summer with TWO big GPUs dumping enormous amounts of heat into my mid-tower case. My next upgrade is to a full-tower case (Nanoxia Deep Silence 5). Also considering replacing each stock sink/fan combo on my GPUs to a closed-loop system. Will post again if temps drop with the larger case and improved airflow and spacing.
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 9.5 x 4.8 x 1 inches |
|---|---|
| Brand | LEPA |
| Power Connector Type | 4-Pin |
| Cooling Method | Water |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Noise Level | 35 dB |
| Material | aluminum with copper base |
| Maximum Rotational Speed | 2300 RPM |
| Manufacturer | LEPA |
| Model | AquaChanger 240MM |
| Item Weight | 1.1 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 9.5 x 4.8 x 1 inches |
| Item model number | LPWAC240-HF |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | LPWAC240-HF |
