The package contains everything you could hope to need to install Volcano into your system. Other than
the Heat Exchanger, I used 2 screws and 2 connectors out of the package contents.
Package Contents
INSTALLATION
Thermaltake got a lot of things right when they designed their installation manual. For the BigWater system, they were
blasted for having a small, hard-to-read manual. For the Volcano Heat Exchanger, they have a manual 3 times the size,
with color photographs and easy to follow flowcharts.
The Hole
I was running a different cooling system, but reinstall of the BigWater was a snap. I essentially followed the same
pattern as my previous review
to install all other parts of the BigWater. I even set it up and let it run for 24 hours
before installing, to make sure there were no leaks. This is actually recommended by Thermaltake now, right on the
first page of the manual. With the original BigWater, they said nothing about testing for leaks before installing
into your system.
Installed
I was in luck because my current air-cooled system was using the original backplate for the motherboard. The Volcano
doesn't force the user to replace the original backplate with the special ones provided by Thermaltake. I was overjoyed
that I didn't have to pull my motherboard again. I used Arctic Silver 5 as my thermal paste.
Still Installed
When I filled the system with the BigWater coolant, I noticed that it took approximately twice the amount of liquid as before.
That's a lot of additional liquid that flows through the Heat Exchanger.
With Fan
The Volcano documentation states that you can expand the Heat Exchanger's performance by adding an optional cooling fan. I
eventually did this by adding a Thermaltake A2017 Smart Case Fan Blue LED. Instructions on install are in the manual. The
Heat Exchanger is also a rather large unit, weighing in at 874g. Once the fan is installed, it weighs in at 956g. That's
one hefty unit! Information on the performance expansion is in the Operation section of this review.
