This Product Aged Like Fine Milk - Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II Retro Watercooling Kit
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Get $25 off with offer code LinusTechTips at vessi.com Use code LINUS and get 25% off GlassWire at lmg.gg We got our hands on a SEALED PC water cooling kit from back in 2005 dubbed the "3D Galaxy II". Today we find out if it's any good. Buy an AIO Liquid Cooler On Amazon: geni.us On Best Buy: geni.us On Newegg: geni.us Buy a Gaming Computer On Lenovo (PAID LINK): howl.me On Amazon: geni.us On Best Buy: geni.us On Newegg: geni.us Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com ►GET MERCH: lttstore.com ►SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: floatplane.com ►LTX EXPO: ltxexpo.com AFFILIATES & REFERRALS --------------------------------------------------- ►Affiliates, Sponsors & Referrals: lmg.gg ►Our WAN Show & Podcast Gear: lmg.gg ►Private Internet Access VPN: lmg.gg ►Our Official Charging Partner Anker: lmg.gg ►Secretlabs Gaming Chairs: lmg.gg ►MK Keyboards: lmg.gg ►Nerd or Die Stream Overlays: lmg.gg ►Green Man Gaming lmg.gg ►Amazon Prime: lmg.gg ►Audible Free Trial: lmg.gg ►Our Gear on Amazon: geni.us FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE --------------------------------------------------- Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: @LinusTech Instagram: @linustech Twitch: twitch.tv FOLLOW OUR OTHER CHANNELS --------------------------------------------------- Mac Address: lmg.gg Techquickie: lmg.gg TechLinked: lmg.gg ShortCircuit: lmg.gg LMG Clips: lmg.gg Channel Super Fun: lmg.gg They're Just Movies: lmg.gg MUSIC CREDIT --------------------------------------------------- Title: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High youtube.com Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa @mbarek_abdel Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0 geni.us CHAPTERS --------------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro 1:00 Even the box is hilarious 2:28 This kit is a disaster 4:20 Corrode me, daddy 4:41 Wait, nvm, we have protection 5:42 The coolest fan 6:22 Mmm... fishy 7:08 The industry used to be lazy 7:45 Linus is impressed 9:20 We forgot about science 9:39 JK, we remembered science 10:08 The note 10:43 Trying to mount the block to a modern PC 11:02 Sexy Linus montage 11:19 Trying to mount it to a modern PC part 2 12:13 Building a masterpiece 14:08 Lube straight to the bloodstream 15:50 Oh god it doesn't work 16:24 Maybe jamming a screwdriver in it will fix things 18:20 This thing is great! 19:12 You're welcome, Geoff.
This video dives into a retro PC water cooling kit from 2005, the Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II, to determine if it aged gracefully or is best kept in the museum. The hosts begin by unboxing a sealed kit and marvel at the era’s design language, from UV sensitive materials to orange and blue branding. They discuss the kit’s components, including a unique distribution manifold, a copper block, an aluminum radiator, and a fill port that hints at the era’s experimentation with custom cooling. Early on they note potential issues like galvanic corrosion between copper and aluminum and how the kit attempted to address it with a proprietary anti corrosion coolant. The narrative weaves through the product page, noting questionable photos and a fairly ambitious feature set for the time, such as a temperature sensor, a pass through for upgrading to additional blocks, and a manually bleedable loop. By the mid section, the hosts pivot to modern compatibility challenges, examining how the old mounting hardware, power connections, and case design diverged from contemporary expectations, creating a rickety but fascinating how-it-was moment. Throughout the section, you can sense the tension between nostalgia and practical limitations, culminating in a plan to mount the kit onto a modern test bench to see if it can still function at all. The segment emphasizes the era’s marketing bravado and the engineers’ optimistic approach to cooling physics, both of which collide with present-day expectations for reliability and ease of use.
Topics · technology · computers · hardware · retro computing · reviews
Questions answered
- What was the Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II cooling kit attempting to achieve with its valve design and modular blocks?
- It aimed to allow adding GPU or chipset blocks without draining the loop by flipping valves and swapping silicone plugs, enabling upgrades within the same loop.
- Why is galvanic corrosion a concern in this kit, and how did the product attempt to mitigate it?
- Galvanic corrosion occurs when copper and aluminum are in contact in the same water loop. The kit used a proprietary anti corrosion coolant with stabilizers to reduce copper-aluminum interactions and provide protection.
- Did the 2005 cooling system perform better or worse than modern air cooling in the test, and what were the temps like?
- In the test, the Noctua air cooler performed better; the retro kit showed higher temperatures under load, with the system peaking around 70C and not achieving the efficiency of modern solutions.
- What safety or practicality concerns were raised during the build and testing process?
- Concerns included potential leaks, coolant exposure, the pump’s reliability, and the possibility of thermal or electrical issues given the era’s less robust safety features.
- What was the final verdict on upgrading Geoff's workstation with this kit?
- The upgrade demonstrated the kit’s historical interest and engineering curiosity, but it did not improve performance and introduced more points of potential failure compared to modern cooling solutions.