Alphacool Cape Cora Bullseye PRO POM Reservior
by Dark Mantis
I have always like the look of this neat little reservoir from Alphacool but until now not had the chance to actually get to
grips with one. Well close up I certainly wasn't dissappointed.
I was sent the Cape Cora Bullseye reservoir and the Dual Bay fitting kit to enable the reservoir to be mounted on the front of
the case. It is of course possible to mount this on the top of the case as well depending on your free space and general design
that you are trying to achieve.
It is well built and has a nice solid feel, it is also no lightweight. The main body is fabricated out of a single block of POM
polyoxymethylene more usually known as Delrin or acetal. This is very strong and easilly lends itself to machining much like a
block of metal. It also has no problems with galvanic corrosion unlike various metals.
The main body is a cylinder made of POM and with three holes at the bottom and three holes on the side. These are all tapped to
take the industry standard 1/4" BSPP port connectors. The centre port at the rear lends itself to being used as a LED illuminated
feature and it is supplied with a single 5 mm plexiglas blank for just this task.
The front of the unit is very nicely crafted out of clear plexiglas with a bow front which gives it it's name. This gives a
magnifying effect which with the LED lighting produces a special look. Spares are available in case of damage at a price of
3.95€. This bullseye front is held in place through the mount and into the body with four M4 x 10 mm allen headed bolts. I did
find these to be a little on the short side and were prone to stripping the thread in the Delrin so I exchanged them for M4 x 12
mm which were much more successful. I think this is something that the manufacturer should look into.
Depending on where the mounting is going to be located decides on the surround facia. It is supplied with a square faceplate made
of 2 mm thick stainless steel plate drilled for four M4 fixings. If however it is decided to mount in a dual front drive bay
then the optional mounting kit will be required. This is solidy built using 2 mm mild steel plate and very easy to fit to both
the reservoir and the case. All screws and nuts are supplied with both the mounting kit and the reservoir. The latter even comes
with the necessary allen keys.
There are many options as far as connecting up the pipework as any of the six ports can be utilised. The other four come with
fitted blanks. Generally it is easier to fit the connectors before installing the unit itself, so a bit of forethought about the
favourite way would pay dividends.
Once installed the reservoir can be filled and the LED tested. I used a coloured liquid coolant but just a clear could be used
instead and a coloured LED fitted to give the same appearance. If it is not filled to the top the liquid makes a lively display
against the front of the "glass".
It is fairly small and compact and as such doesn't take up a lot of space in the case, however it holds enough volume to work
successfully. If space is at a premium in your system then this is the reservoir for you. I award it 9/10.Supplier: Alphacool price: 24.95€ for the reservioir and 15.95€ for the mounting kit.
Thanks to Gigabyte for supplying the motherboard GA-P67A-UD5 for this review.
