How cold can you get your PC? It seems like enthusiasts and overclockers constantly find new and creative ways to cool down the heat producing parts of their computer. We’ve already brought you coverage of liquid helium and liquid nitrogen being used to achieve sub-zero temperatures in order to achieve huge overclocking results. But using these methods doesn’t provide a 24/7 solution that people can use without having to fill a pot every few minutes. Phase change, thermoelectric cooling, and watercooling attract a larger audience since they require little maintenance after initial setup, but they carry a hefty price tag. Still, exotic cooling enthusiasts want more variety with new designs and better performance in order to keep up with the constant flux of new technology.
If there’s a demand, you better believe that companies will find a way to supply consumers with highly sought after products. And as the PC enthusiast sector grows, we see more parts being released that focus on cooling high end components. While it seems like every company makes a RAM cooling fan these days, Corsair has decided to take it up a notch. The Ice T30 sub-ambient cooling system is the first of its kind and made specifically for Corsair’s enthusiast grade memory. Is it all just hype or does cooling your memory provide measurable benefits? Read on to find out what this cooler has to offer.
Installing Corsair’s Ice T30 is a tedious process that requires time, patience, and attentiveness. As is the case with most watercooled components, installation is much more involved than their air cooler counterparts. Within the manual, there are 15 pages worth of instructions and diagrams to help explain the procedure. Rather than go through each step, we will just give notice that this is not a plug and play solution.
This product is made for enthusiasts already familiar with liquid cooling who can integrate the cooler to an existing loop. During installation, we realized the hose barbs located on top of the cooler were not removeable and did not allow us to replace them with different barbs. This becomes an issue if the cooler is being added to a loop that uses a tubing size with an inner diameter other than 3/8″, like 1/4″ or 1/2″ for example.
Currently, the Corsair Ice T30 is the most expensive memory cooling system on the market. Memory fan kits can be found for less than $20 and a handful of memory waterblocks are being sold for about $100. But considering the components used and the relative complexity of the device, it is not a surprise that the T30 demands a high price tag. At $200 though, you should definitely weigh the benefits of adding this product to your system. If you have a 1333MHz or 1600MHz memory kit that doesn’t overclock as well as you’d like, it may be advisable to purchase a faster kit instead of relying on better cooling to gain additional performance. On the other hand, Dominator GT owners with 1866MHz or 2000MHz kits could make use of the T30’s capabilities to hit high speeds that air cooling simply can’t support.