With heatsinks getting overly large and watercooling becoming a viable option for many, we see the rise of a new watercooling company, Criticool. Criticool manufactures the Criticool “Waterplant” reservoir, and Criticool “Powerplant” PCI relay card. What I have here today is the Criticool Waterplant. How does the “new guy” fare in a tough market?
You may already have seen the Waterplant or Powerplant in other stores, and so have I. Criticool’s main office is located in Calgary, Alberta (Canada), yet their homebrew products have already spread across the globe. There are online stores based in the United States, Australia and the UK selling Criticool products. Thanks to Criticool for sending me this review sample. Go Canada! : )
The Criticool Waterplant comes in a cardboard box, labelled “Criticool Powerplant PCI relay card”. o_O
Well, this certainly doesn’t look like a card, and I doubt it conforms to PCI specifications either. ; ) Hopefully Criticool will fix the printing mistake, although it isn’t really much of a big deal. The actual Powerplant box looks a lot different from that of the Waterplant, so there’s not much chance of you getting a mixed up order.
The Waterplant itself is covered by protective bubblewrap...
...and comes with all the necessary fittings, a roll of teflon tape, and an extra stub of tubing.
The brass fittings can be screwed into any of the Waterplant’s four threaded holes, creating a variety of combinations and making this reservoir incredibly versatile.
Side shot:
Top shot:
The teflon tape is provided for you to wrap around the fittings (three times around ought to do it, or so Criticool tells me) for a guaranteed watertight seal (leaking = bad). A 14mm wrench will be necessary, unless you have the physical composition of a bear, in which case you can use your paws…which wouldn’t work either…so I guess it’s the wrench either way.
As Criticool have provided three barbs instead of the minimum necessary of two needed for a reservoir to function, the Waterplant can also double as a crude bleed/fill kit. Install two barbs directly opposite each other, then install one nub and the last barb across in the same manner. There will now be three barbs and one nub. The flow of water should be in the direction of the nub, NOT the extra barb. Otherwise, water spills out the extra barb. Attach a piece of tubing (such as the one included) to it and add water from there. Since there is only that tube where water goes in and air escapes, you’ll want to do it slowly, so that the tube does not get clogged with water (yes, that’s possible).
So what does it look like when it’s done? Read on to find out!
