Installing the Nautilus 500 water block.

The water block itself sports an exceptional finish. When out-sourcing a specialized component such as a CPU water block, there are varying degrees of base-plate finish a manufacturer can choose from. All manufactures seek flatness this cannot be compromised (relatively speaking); however, finish is a result which can be specified based on cost. When ordering many thousands of parts (water blocks) a manufacturer may want to keep costs low so as not to pass them onto the consumer. Ordering thousands of water block base-plates with a mirror fish would be a costly endeavor and in this respect Corsair did not compromise or pass the cost onto the consumer, quite a feat.



In our next photo below the block was mounted and tested over a short period using an Arctic Silver rapid setting thermal paste. When applying thermal paste I use the same process for every heatsink install, centering a small dollop of paste on the processor IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) then mount the water block allowing that pressure to ingrain and disperse the paste. To reiterate, this is preferable to "spreading" paste with a credit card etc. which incorporates air into the paste as it drags the material over striations and micro-pores in the base. Removing the block to examine the "TIM-spread pattern" reveals how effectively included mounting hardware distributes pressure across the water block. We're not simply looking at the diameter of the pattern, it's also important to look closely at build up, for example has the paste been "forced" into the micro-pores and or striations. From the photo below is it evident what began as a droplet sized amount of thermal paste has been dispersed about as well as I've seen.



Installation isn't exactly an appropriate term for the Nautilus 500, for the simple reason you?re not spending any length of time inside your case. With many kits you must remove your motherboard to gain access to the reverse side of the board to secure the mounting hardware. While this was once he preferred method many manufacturers use the mounting bracket which is just as secure since they use back plates themselves. Preparing to install the water block for Socket-939 requires items seen below outlined in AMD orange. I must stress even with the LGA-775 hardware, you do not have to remove your motherboard to install the Nautilus 500's CPU-water block.



Following Corsair's directions one would mount the water block and then fill the system. More experienced users tend to err on the side of caution, preferring to leak-test any system which introduces water into their aluminum box filled with expensive electronics. I chose to go this route and delay mounting the water block to the DFI board.



Insofar as Leak-testing this simply entails filling, bleeding and running the system for a extended period of time on a towel or other absorbent material outside of the case. I chose to leak-test the Nautilus for about 45-minutes. Corsair certainly isn't taking risks with their customer's hardware which is why hoses attached to the waterblock are clamped securely at the factory. They have been repeating this method since the introduction of Corsair COOL. If a leak were to occur which would damage costly components that leak would most likely occur at the water block connectors.

Mounting the Water block



Mounting the block involves a few simple steps; placing the foam cut-out over the block, placing an adhesive backed metal plate on that foam, and slipping the brace over the tab.



The next step consists of slipping the shorter brace with screw thread over the opposite tab, placing pressure on the elongated brace and aligning the screw holes. Adding more pressure to bring the braces together and threading the down the mounting screw.



The most difficult aspect installing the water block involved laying the retention brace over the foam, slipping the second brace over the tab and under the elongated brace. This wasn't very easy since the foam had never been compressed before. My only concerns would be in time would the foam loose its elasticity.



Onto testing ->