XSPC RayStorm D5 Photon AX360 WaterCooling Kit Review – This Just May be a Work of Art!

INTRODUCTION

So you’re ready to take the dive into a full custom liquid-cooling setup – awesome. Where to start now? What radiator should I get? What reservoir? What pump? What tubing and fittings? What fans? Yes, there is a lot to learn in the world of PC water cooling and if it’s your first time getting your CPU wet it can be very intimidating. Luckily XSPC has you covered with their new RayStorm D5 Photon AX360 WaterCooling Kit. The kit comes with everything you need to setup a complete liquid system in one box. XSPC was kind enough to send us over the Raystorm/D5/Photon/AX360 kit to review so let’s get to it!

A little about XSPC:

“As gaming and overclocking enthusiasts, we started XSPC over 10 years ago with the vision of offering world-class cooling products that don’t sacrifice reliability or quiet operation in the pursuit of ultimate cooling performance. Today, our product range has expanded to include everything you need to build the ultimate liquid cooling system, from water blocks, radiators and reservoirs to fixtures and fittings. Every component we create at XSPC is engineered to the highest standards with the highest quality materials, and delivers market-leading performance without sacrificing reliability. As XSPC continues to grow, we remain totally focused on our original values and vision – creating water cooling components with superior performance and reliability” –  XSPC

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS

RayStorm D5 Photon AX360 Water cooling Kit:

• RayStorm Intel CPU Waterblock
• D5 Photon 170 Tube Reservoir
• D5 Vario Pump
• AX360 Triple Radiator
• G1/4″ to 7/16″ Compression Fittings (Black Chrome) x6
• XSPC 1650rpm 120mm Fan x3
• 120mm Fan Grill (Black) x3
• Intel and AMD RayStorm Brackets
• Socket 1366 and 1150/1155/1156 Backplates
• Socket AM2 and AM3 mounting kit
• 80mm to 120mm Radiator brackets
• 3mm Twin Blue LED with 4Pin Molex
• 5mm Blue LED with 4Pin Molex
• 2 Meters of Clear 7/16″ Hose
• 24pin ATX Bridge Tool
• K2 Thermal Paste

Supports:

•  AMD Sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2
• Intel Sockets LGA2011, LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1150

Let’s move along and unbox the XSPC kit now.

PACKAGING AND UNBOXING

The kit comes packaged in a rather large cardboard box. The part I’ll refer to as the front has the XSPC logo and “Performance CPU WaterCooling Kit.”

The bottom side shows images of the Raystorm CPU block, a dual-bay pump/res combo and an EX series 360mm radiator. I would think they’d have an image of the Photon/D5 res and the AX rad that comes with the kit.

The top side of the box lists the included contents. Note that the reservoir and pump type is not checked as the included items are not listed. More than likely this is just old stock packaging and will hopefully be updated. Someone looking at this on a store shelf wouldn’t know what they’re buying.

Along the back side of the box is a large image of a lit up Raystorm CPU block.

The box opens from either end with a large flap. The inner box seen here slides out of the outer sleeve.

Inside the first box lies a second box that contains all of the components. Both boxes are also double-thick. Talk about sturdy shipping containment.

Here we have all the items pulled form the shipping box. On the next page we’ll take a closer look at each of the individual items.