5-Way Radiator Round-Up

The two remaining products we have that were contributed by Danger Den are the Black Ice Xtreme I and the Black Ice Xtreme II. Hardware Labs created both of these radiators. For those unfamiliar with Hardware Labs, they are a company based out of the Philippines that focus on providing high performance cooling systems for high-end desktop PCs; presently they produce the Black Ice Pro/Xtreme and Black Ice X-Flow series of water cooling radiators. Listed below are Hardware Labs official features for both Black Ice Xtreme products.

· 2-pass Double-row Low Pressure Drop Radiator
· 790KCal per hour (3134BTU per hour)
· 120 mm x 32 mm (4.72 inch x 1.25 inch) Double-row Copper core consisting of flat tubes for maximum heat conductivity
· High-density louvered copper fin configuration for enhanced heat dissipation
· Built-in plenum chamber for increased performance and noise reduction
· Self-tapping and case mounting holes for easy installation of 120mm fans
· Now with 12.5 mm (1/2 inch) pre-angled inlet/outlet barbed hose connectors
· Available in 9.5 mm (3/8 inch) custom female 1/4" NPT/BSPT/BSPP compatible fittings
· Compact 153 x 133 x 45mm (5.9 x 5 x 1.69 inch) dimensions allows it to fit inside most mid-tower cases
· Designed to meet the performance demands of hardcore PC watercooling enthusiasts

· 2-pass Double-row Low Pressure Drop Radiator
· Xtreme performance: rated for 1580KCal per hour (6270 BTU per hour)
· Double Row 240 mm (9.44 inch) Copper core consisting of flat tubes for maximum heat conductivity
· High-density louvered copper fin configuration for enhanced heat dissipation
· Built-in plenum chamber for increased performance and noise reduction
· Self-tapping and case mounting holes for easy installation of 120mm fans
· Now with 12.5 mm (1/2 inch) pre-angled inlet/outlet barbed hose connectors
· Available in 9.5 mm (3/8 inch) custom female 1/4" NPT/BSPT/BSPP compatible fittings
· Optimal 273.4 x 133 x 40 mm (10.75 x 5.25 x 1.77 inch) dimensions allows it to fit inside most mid-tower cases
· Designed to meet the performance demands of hardcore Xtreme PC watercooling enthusiasts

As you can see Hardware Labs focuses their products abilities from the beginning PC users to the most die-hard enthusiasts. Differing from the X-Flow Black Ice products, the radiators we are looking at today are the standard two-pass design rather than the single-pass variant that features a new low-flow restriction design that is optimized for impingement-type waterblocks. Although we are only focusing our attention on the Black Ice Xtreme I and II, Hardware Labs also produces a Black Ice Micro, Black Ice Micro II, Black Ice Pro, Black Ice Pro II, Black Ice Pro III, and Black Ice Xtreme III. Opening up both of these products from its packaging, everything had arrived in pristine condition and included with the radiators were fittings as well as mounting screws. The screws for case and 120mm fan mounting are self-tapping to allow for an easy installation process. Measuring in at 10-3/4” x 5-1/4” x 1-77/100” the Black Ice Xtreme II is marginally smaller than the Danger Den Dual Heater Core while the Xtreme I model measures in at 5-9/10” x 5” x 1-69/100”. Basically the Xtreme II comes packed with the features and performance of the original Black Ice Xtreme while doubling the surface area and accommodating two 120mm fans. Similarly, the Black Ice Xtreme III comes with support for three fans. Looking over the two Hardware Labs products we have for this radiator round-up we were much impressed by the Philippine build-quality of the Black Ice series and on the aesthetics side of things the all-black appearance is quite attractive along with its paint job. Although the Black Ice Xtreme I and II have a smaller surface area than the Danger Den Dual Heater Core, they should be able to effectively drive the heat away from nearly any water cooling setup, and for those who care a great deal about the appearance of their radiators, the Black Ice models certainly look attractive. As far as the prices go, the Black Ice Xtreme retails for $44.99 USD over at Danger Den while its market price is $65.99 while on the other hand the Xtreme II is going for $57.99 with a market price of $102.00.