PrimoChill CTR (Compression Tube Reservoir) Phase II, D5 Enabled, 240mm

[Whaler_99]

So today I will be looking at a new addition to my cooling gear farm, a PrimoChill CTR (Compression Tube Reservoir) Phase II. Specifically I got the 240mm, D5 enabled one. Some extra customization included clear acrylic base and top and green tube. J

 

If you haven’t seen the into video then I highly recommend watching it, as it explains a LOT about these new reservoirs and all the options available. These are really customizable to your needs and tastes.

 

 

Packaging

 

Well, let me start off by saying my heart dropped when the main box got delivered. It was beat to hell. In fact there were large holes in it with packing tape keeping the packing peanuts in. Only recently I had received an XSPC Photon res that was cracked in shipping. Figured here we go again.

 

Upon opening it I was pleasantly surprised. Inside was the packed res as from PrimoChill and things started looking up.

 

 

Once I removed the top, you can see the extra o-ring you need for D5 model pumps and some nice thick foam. Pulling that out you can see it is fitted around the tube with another on the other end, keeping the res well secured. Great job on packaging.

 

 

Overall, quite a few parts with this.

 

 

There are all the plugs you need, three metal style plugs that are pretty common that you can use and an option acrylic one with the center setup to mount a led in it. Sweet. J They also include o-rings for all the plugs.

 

 

Also included is a mounting template to make it easier to figure out where you need to drill the holes in your case, if you need to. Some standoffs if you want to use them, to help bring the res “forward” in the case, which can make hooking it all up and filling a lot easier. Nice touch.

 

Instructions, included, kind of…

 

 

The optional items I also got were 3 diamond knurled rings, green of course. And two more acrylic plugs with LED inserts.

 

 

 

Initial Impressions

 

Pulling it out, I have to say it is pretty light. I guess with all acrylic you get that. My Aqualis res is a lot heavier, obviously as it is glass and Delrin, and even the Photon 240 res is noticeably heavier.

 

First looks, this looks really nice. I got the clear caps so I can add LED’s into them to hopefully really light up the whole res unit. Overall a solid feeling piece of gear.

 

 

Taking it apart is a breeze. Just like in the video, everything simply unscrews and it is very easy to put back together. With the compression style, it is really hard to mess up the o-rings. On the Aqualis, this was one of the main pain points, when screwing the base and end together, keeping that o-ring in the bottom positioned properly was one of the most frustrating things I have ever had to do. However with the PrimoChill unit, I am having fun simply unscrewing and screwing back up, no messed up o-rings. J

Add to this the custom colored compression rings you can get, and it is even better.

 

 

Two complaints, first is that there is none of the normal mounting brackets for tube res with can work with a lot of cases. But they do have their own unique mounting solution. Secondly was the instructions, or lack of. The one piece of paper has a part about the extra o-ring that must be used with the pump, good point. The other side has a basic layout of the res which is kind of hard to decipher and a link to the manual, online. Ok, so saving some paper and more costs by not including it… plus and minus there.

 

The one good point about this res, is it is very simple and straight forward. If you watch the whole video, well, you pretty know everything you need to know.

 

Some Background on my choice...

 

Having dealt with some bay res before, I was less than impressed; they are a pain to hook up and to fill. I have an Aqualis res which is a top quality unit, but very high end and gets expensive. I was looking for a happy medium on a tube res and stumbled across this one and after watching the video knew I had to have one. Especially with the optional bases and tops available, colors, LED options and the fact that the compression style made it so easy to work with.

 

Some Extra Pics

 

Pump mount on the base...

 

 

The always good, Vortex killer...

 

 

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So, now just need to get the installed. In my next post I will talk about mounting, filling, flow, LED effects and that kind of thing.

 

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Update - Installation process and final thoughts

[Whaler_99]

So I went to work on installing the res this weekend...

 

Taking apart the res, I went to install the vortex killer in the base unit, popped it in like in the video. Then the paddle itself just fell out of the base piece. HUH??

 

Upon closer inspection, it is cracked...

 

 

 

So I opened a ticket with primochill on Sunday night. By Monday night they agreed to ship me a replacement vortex killer. They also asked if it was loose when I got it. I said yes. They told me it should be factory installed...  Guess this one cracked at some point...

 

So on Tuesday they email again, "Oh... you have a ver 1 res..." ?? Res has only been out a month or two and you have a ver 2 now? So, they tell me the new ones are shipping so that the vortex killer is actually screwed into the base. I guess they figured out popping it into the base didn't work well. So, they let me know they will ship me the new vortex killer and a new base unit, am I ok with installing it all. Yeppers... 

 

Now, I just need to wait for the parts to come...

 

As a test, I wondered if I kept the res almost completely full, would that mitigate a vortex being created? Short answer, no. Wow, I got one wicked vortex in this thing... guess I need to wait...

 

[Jodomcfrodo]

How in gods name do you make a 40 minute video about a RESERVOIR?

[Whaler_99]

How in gods name do you make a 40 minute video about a RESERVOIR?

 

If you are into that sort of thing, like me, it is a very good video. Goes over a lot of options, setup, do's and don'ts...

[Jodomcfrodo]

If you are into that sort of thing, like me, it is a very good video. Goes over a lot of options, setup, do's and don'ts...

But I mean 40 minutes? I'm into everything watercooling but I could not watch 40 minutes about a reservoir. What is there even to talk that much about? But anyway nice review!

[Whaler_99]

Installation

 

So, a bit of an overview of actually installing this sucker.

 

First off, I put the res all together, nice and tight so I could use the include template pieces to get a proper measurement for drilling my holes. (Note to Self - Self, drill holes for res BEFORE installing any gear next time)

 

This worked out really well and was spot on. 

 

Next, threaded the screws through. I decided to use the longer ones, along with the black standoffs they include to mount the res away from the back of the case. Mounting the res in this method gives you about 2" or 50mm of clearance behind. Makes for working on the res, running tubes, running lighting and such a lot easier.

 

Ok, now my ONE gripe about this res. Those standoffs. Simply crap. They are made from cheap plastic, so the tolerance on the threading is crap. 

 

 

 

So, as you can see from these two pics above, you have to screw them down a long ways. And it is REALLY tight. I had to use a pair of pliers to hold them while using a screw driver from behind. Needless to say, the plastic standoffs are a little worse for wear. But that isn't the worst part. Obviously you don't thread them all the way down yet. Need to leave some room to screw the res on. Once all the screws are in and tight to the res itself, then you can thread the standoffs the rest of the way down, to really tighten everything up. But at this point, with the res mounted, it is almost impossible to get pliers in there and had to do by hand. Well, let me say the kids heard daddy cursing and swearing. It probably took 30-45 minutes to get the 4 of them done and I had a couple of blisters. 

 

 

 

Pics of the black standoffs all the way down and the res all mounted.

 

Again, maybe using metal standoffs, with locking nut would allow for better threading and an easier install. But, this would also probably drive up the price...

 

Overall, I love the way this res looks installed. And it is in there nice and solid. Lots of room to work.

 

 

 

Some more pics there showing clearances and such...

 

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So, final thoughts..

 

Great product. Yes, some issues with the installation that do make it a bit of a pain, but I really like that you even have this option. The ability to customize the res itself is also a great option. Actually working on the res once installed is a lot easier with the clearance, then say on my Aqualis res which mounts with only a few mm of clearance from the back of the case.

 

Finally, a few shots of the LEDs installed, along with the other blocks... Check my build log HERE for more pics of this build using the Primochill res.

 

 

[Whaler_99]

So, it has now been over three week since my initial opening of a ticket, and I still don't have a working res.

 

Some updates. Got the vortex replacements. Basically a paddle and the vortex base and some screws... but no res base itself. So, some confusion between myself and customer service where they thought I would simply drill holes in my base unit.

 

I politely told them no, this wasn't the case. First, its pmma, which means I need special bit and most like would just end up cracking the bloody thing. And second, the provided screws are machined threaded, not screw threaded (self tapping). So in order to work, I would also need to tap the hole? Really?

 

When I mention this to customer service, "Oh yes, you are correct, sorry". So, they then told me, as a permanent solution, I could crazy glue it. WHAT? That's not a solution, a temp fix at most. So, I told the rep I would do this, but obviously I want them to send me a rev 2 res base, so I can have a proper setup, since this is all brand new. The rep then tells me that if I crazy glue it, they won't replace it, as that is a "solution". Or I can send back my res base unit, wait from them to come back in stock (apparently out now) and then they ship me a replacement. So... another what, month with my system down?? Forget that.

 

So I told them I am done with support, as this is going nowhere fast and I am not going to be without a system for a month. Honestly, if you need to replace a broken component, and it and some of the underlying pieces have now changed from the original spec, as in this rev 2, I would think all the rev 2 components would be shipped to ensure a proper replacement. Not some half hazard, crazy glue solution.

 

So, to sum this up. I am impressed with the unit itself. But, I have been completely let down by their customer support and will not be dealing with Primochill for any of my future water cooling projects.

[Mnpctech]

This is a familiar story I've heard from my friends. It baffles me at times how manufacturers get away with it. I do predict some big changes at Primochill, now that Matthew "Bucky" Buckner has taken over their ecommerce store. Bucky was responsible for FrozenCPU's growth and success until the owner fell from grace.

[Whaler_99]

This is a familiar story I've heard from my friends. It baffles me at times how manufacturers get away with it. I do predict some big changes at Primochill, now that Matthew "Bucky" Buckner has taken over their ecommerce store. Bucky was responsible for FrozenCPU's growth and success until the owner fell from grace.

 

That's really great to hear. Although I love the product and has worked really well, their customer support turned a what could have been a great support experience into a just a mess. Although they may have good/superior products, I will be hesitant in the future to purchase them, simply knowing if I have a support issue, most likely won't turn out in my favor.