Thermaltake Pacific SR-Series 360
The third manufacturer is Thermaltake with the Pacific SR-Series 360, and I’m making an exception here because this cooler came directly from Thermaltake. However, there is a reason for this, which is also related to my work. I did a material test for Thermaltake in advance and so, together with the German marketing department, a coherent PowerPoint presentation for the specs was created. However, you also have to take into account the long internal communication channels of such companies up to the product management, although with Thermaltake it was surprisingly quick every time.
What was also noticeable, however, was that the Thermaltake homepage only advertises the thicker models with copper, similar to their US colleagues, even for the channels. Yes, there are nuances in the terminology, but it was and is not correct. That’s what I communicated. But it’s now correct for the SR series, a nice start.
Let’s let Thermaltake have their say at this point before I comment further, although the English original hardly differs. And, as with Corsair, I refer you to the first page of this article and the classification of copper and brass on the international market:
Pre-chamber, inlet and plumb bob
Let us now open this radiator again at the pre-chamber (tank). The solder joints of the cooling channels are also hardly oxidized and not scaled. The solder is sufficient, completely circumferential and well distributed. The bottom line is that this is also very good.
The solder is also without criticism here, because I only find pure tin, i.e. no lead. The surface of the tin is also very clean and I didn’t even have to scrape away any oxide or scale. That’s the way I like it.
But what is not particularly nice is that the inlets were not properly sealed when the white titanium paint was applied, so that there are a lot of small splashes of paint under the openings. The supplier has already been informed of this, which is the purpose of such preliminary checks.
There are also no complaints about the walls of the pre-chamber, because CuZn38 is proper brass. So up to this point, everything is back in the deep green range and there is nothing to criticize.
Now we come back to the newly announced weak point, namely the threaded inserts for the fittings, which were previously soldered into the chamber. The addition of around 21% antimony helps to improve the quality of the solder joints by increasing their strength, fluidity, wetting and thermal stability and reducing susceptibility to tin pest. These properties make antimony solder alloys a popular choice for a variety of applications, particularly in areas where high reliability and durability are required. As with Corsair, they have looked for something much better than Barrow as a lead replacement.
The soldered thread insert is made of brass with 37% zinc by weight. This will remain supple enough to withstand the force used when screwing in the fittings. It could also have been made a little harder
Cooling channels and cooling fins
Now we come to the cooling channels and the fins soldered to them. If you cut the whole thing open, you get the usual picture and see the slotted copper cooling fins. Here, too, the white splashes are omnipresent, but almost unavoidable. Thermally, however, this is rather counterproductive.
The cooling channels are made of common yellow brass (CuZn36). This can be left as it is.
The cooling fins are made of pure copper, but unfortunately they are also covered in microscopic splashes of paint. Annoying.
Frame and screws
The frame here is made of chrome steel, as is the removable side panel. Strong enough and torsion-resistant.
The screws, on the other hand, are only made of non-alloy steel and are therefore much softer. You will have to be careful with the force applied when screwing them into the harder frame.
Summary and interim conclusion
The quality is right, especially the soldering quality is exemplary. And where others still use hidden lead, here antimony-containing tin manages to keep the fittings well in check. Leaving aside the performance, which should certainly be good despite the paint residue, the manufacturer’s specifications are exactly right here.
Assembly | Manufacturer’s specification | Material test |
Pre-chamber / Terminal | US “Copper” | Brass CuZn38 (62% Cu, 38% Zn) |
Threaded inserts G1/4 | n.a. | Brass CuZn37 (63% Cu, 37% Zn) |
Channels/tubes | US “Copper” | Brass CuZn36 (64% Cu, 36% Zn) |
Solder used | n.a. | Channels: Tin (100% Sn) Insert: SnSb (79% Sn, 21% Sb) |
Cooling fins | Copper | Copper (100% Cu) |
Frame / side panel | – | Chrome steel (82% Fe, 18% Cr) |
Screws | – | Galvanized steel (100% Fe) |
Other accessories | – | – |
RoHS shown on box | RoHS is available |
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