Today we will be looking at the new CPU cooler from CoolIT systems the Domino A.L.C. This is a liquid cooling solution for under 80USD. Before we officially start this review let us hear a few words from the man that knows more about the CoolIT Domino ALC than we do. As sent to the reviewers a note from CEO of CoolIT Systems Mr. Geoff Lyon!

By now I hope you have received your Domino ALC.  As you are forming your opinion of the product and planning your review method I though it might be useful to reach out and give you a bit of the back story on this little gem and how we came to the conclusion that it was the right time for a product like this.  In addition I’ve received a few questions about some specs that didn’t make it onto the collateral so this should cover it.

When we looked at the drawing board over 1 year ago, we became obsessed with creating the a product that was high performance, feature rich, universally compatible, indestructible, simple-to-install, fail-safe, long lasting and last but not least, extremely affordable.  I can honestly say that after drawing this product on every whiteboard on in our Calgary office and applying a healthy dose of feature creep that started simple water cooler that has a PCB for regulating the fan and ended with Pump Tach, Fan Tach, Coolant Temp, Alarms, push button access to 3 thermal programs and a nice LCD Display and so on…you get the idea.  The new category of Advanced Liquid Cooling was defined

 After all the effort the CoolIT Team has dedicated to the product I thought some additional info might put the product in perspective.
 The design life is over 7 years at 50C. 
       

• To achieve this we had to start from scratch on the pump and incorporate a ceramic bearing pump that could withstand high temperatures.  After a tremendous amount of effort, the goal was achieved with our new CFF1 Pump. (Compact Form Factor Version
  
• Water Vapor Transmission Loss is the reason why most liquid systems require refilling.  All plastic or rubber is porous on one level or another. The liquid loss through that material increases dramatically (depending on the material, more than double with a 10 degree rise in temperature) Although the material is slightly more expensive (and a little harder to work with) the corrugated tubing you se on the Domino ensures the most durable and lowest permeability available.  The only thing better would be hard plumbed metal tubes.
   

Best Damn Thermal Interface Material ever!

• The Thermal interface material consists of only the highest quality and most reliable formulation.  When the CoolIT Pro ATC is used with the new retention mechanism the interface would be hard to beat.  In fact when we tested the Pro ATC vs our previous TIM, we experienced a 0.04 °C/W improvement.  (which translates to 8°C at a 200W load)
  
• In case it matters to anyone the Pro ATC is warranted against pump out and dry out for over 5 years.

• The retainer incorporates a number of subtle features including tool run-off protection. (the little cups on the screws) this prevents the accidental screwdriver slip from creating havoc on the expensive motherboard components
  
• The calibrated springs, when bottomed out, provide balanced pressure down onto the CPU to minimize the bond line thickness of the TIM without violating the maximum pressure spec’s provided by Intel and AMD.
  
• All bits and pieces are captured (held together as one piece) for ease of installation.
  

Radiator

• This is a ground up custom designed aluminum radiator that gives us excellent performance while keeping the size small and the cost reasonable.  When comparing the performance of the Domino to some of the giant heat pipe solutions it becomes a simple surface area trade off.  We consciously chose to keep the size of the Rad minimal and increase the compatibility with many chassis models and of course minimize the mass that is being mounted on the CPU.  We have gone through some shock and vibe testing with the assembly hitting 40G’s and passed (with screws – not the vibration isolators that also ship with the Domino kit).  I can assure you that would not be the case for some of the large Heatpipe solutions out there.  This may not matter to the after market enthusiast, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Reliability

• Every single unit is leak tested using mass spectroscopy at a high differential pressure so that we don’t have a risk of leaking.  Every joint, connection and fill port is thoroughly inspected prior to being filled.
  
• Coolant is a 25% propylene Glycol Mixture with a very comprehensive anti-corrosion package to ensure there will never be any performance reduction due to build-up or inter-metallic reaction
  
• Factory warranty is double what you’ll find with any competing products – 2 years.

Performance

• The entire system was designed to deliver on the promise of liquid cooling which is not only performance but also flexibility.  When the fan runs slowly and quietly the performance is excellent. When the fan runs faster and louder, the performance is even more excellent.  The bottom line is that we wanted to provide a product that can be tuned easily to suit the taste of the individual that in using it.

Safety

• It’s not ok to fail but when you are talking about an electro-mechanical system, one day it will.  That being the case, we wanted to provide the functionality that will let the user know when something goes wrong both on the LCD and also with an auditory alert. Give it a try – stick a pencil in the fan – watch what happens

Liquid cooling is ready for the masses.  The technology now exists and can offer more than air cooling in many ways.  We at CoolIT have learned a great deal through working with large OEM’s (and their grueling requirements) and feel an obligation to our after-market customers to put the same advancements in reliability and functionality into our retail product.

Liquid cooling is now about more than just Gaming – the Gaming category has long been the connoisseur of new technology and therefore expected to pay more…a lot more for their preference for performance.  We’d like to change that starting now.  The Liquid Cooled PC is now about to become available for everyday computing as well as gaming.  After all, lots of people game but they also send email, surf the web and maybe even do some work.  With the price point of the Domino, I think we’ll see it as an integral part of the “Under $1000” PC and like most technology advancements, this just makes the combined system better… for less.
 

Geoff Lyon
Chief Executive Officer