CoolIT Boreas MTEC Chassis Review

When all this is done the only thing left to do is mount the water block (or as CoolIT calls it the Fluid Heat Exchanger; though technically the TEC housing units are also FHE’s) to the CPU. This is the exact same procedure as outlined in the Elite review. Since we already have the four retaining mounts in place the only things left to do is apply a small amount of TIM to the CPU, position the FHE over the CPU and then install the two proper retaining brackets (both Intel 775 and AM2 have different brackets so pick the one that fits your system). This last step is accomplished by laying the center of the brackets in a grove in the top of the FHE and then using big knurled screws which hold each one in place.

When installing the two brackets we found that if you just start threading the two large screws that hold it in place it is then much easier to install the second bracket. To further reduce stress and to help insure a good and proper seating of the water block we strongly recommend tightening them in diagonally opposing pairs one turn each before tightening the other two diagonally opposed screws one turn. This will reduce the chances of uneven pressure being applied to the CPU that could damage it and helps ensure the TIM is spread nice and evenly over the CPU. Just as with the PURE setup you can not over tighten the screws, they simply slam into the metal standoffs thus ensuring equal mounting pressure on all four screws.


When this simple and quick task is accomplished you have to wire the Boreas into the MTEC controllers. Yes there are a lot of wires to be installed but the important ones are colour coded and the ones that are not are very easy to figure out as they are all unique and keyed so that they can only fit in one place! Unlike the Elite model the wires which come with the BMC are actually very short; however, the MTEC box also comes with extensions so as to make finding the perfect place fairly easy (unless you want to mount on the top of the case or something equally strange!). I would not be surprised if this short wire length was done on purpose as the extension cable for the 4 Pin PCI also comes with the additional Molex power connector to allow the unit to get its full 150 watts of needed electricity.

Also as with the Elite review, the only annoying part of the MTEC installation has to do with the USB cable. It is still that annoying single plug style which in practical terms means it will take you just as long to properly install the USB cable as it will to install all the other cables combined! Of course, is if you do mess up the USB connector it won’t harm your system since the MTEC software will just error out and tell you no MTEC controller is attached. This setup also has the exact same down side as the one mentioned in Elite review: it costs you a USB header on you motherboard. It would have been nice if the MTEC controller had a secondary USB header where you could plug in your USB port that was originally plugged into the motherboard. Oh well, you can't have everything and this really is a minor nit to pick.


At this point you can reinstall both side panels, plug in the PSU and let her rip as you are now finished the installation process (though we did take the time to stick the MTEC controller in the last 5.25” drive bay just to keep it out of the way).