I recently upgraded from the Koolance PC2-650BU to the Koolance PC3-720BK. While the cooling capabilities of the 650 were a pleasant change from the world of stock cooling, I decided that I wanted to see what the big fuss was about on the 720.

The first and one of the more noticable differences between the 720 and its older brother is the change to the cooling system. The 650 had three 80mm fans that cooled the water as it flowed through a fanned radiator. Another key feature of the 650 was its consistant use of 1/4" tubing to transport the custom coolant to the various cooling blocks. The resevoir, awkwardly located on the bottom front of the case made for difficult refills. Koolance decided that these features were just not efficient enough. In the redesigned 720, the resevoir has been moved to the top of the case which allows for easier refilling and monitoring of water levels. Further changes include the implementation of two 120mm fans in place of the three 80mm fans that were on the 650. In addition to these changes, Koolance has decided to give their customers more control over the cooling in the new series. With three temperature probes, I am able to monitor temperatures of my processor, video card, and ambient case temp. The fans come with adjustable speed controls that have 11 different options. They include a new 1-10 speed fan control and an automatic fan control which comes preset to throttle the fans back when desired temperatures are reached.

Another, and quite possibly one of the best improvements was the switch to 3/8" tubing. As many current Koolance customers may be taken aback by the change in tubing size, don't freat. They have made provisions to allow the new system to be completely compatible with the cooling blocks that they already have. The 720 comes with two sets of splitters that convert the 3/8" tubing to 1/2" tubing to allow connection to the standard blocks that they offer. The change in tubing size as well as the change in fan design keeps my system approximately 15f cooler than my prior case.

In addition to the cooling changes, other less noticable changes at first glance were made. The hard drive cage is no longer available. Instead, Koolance opted to use removable and rotated HDD trays to individually mount the drive of your choice. With the side mounting of HDDs comes the challenge of hiding your cabling. This can prove quite a challenge for some and a breeze for others depending on your motherboard and HDD connection locations.

While on the subject of motherboards, one can't help but enjoy the new removable motherboard tray that Koolance has included. With this option, you can mount your motherboard with relative ease and vast amounts of space. No more scrapped knuckles from trying to screw the motherboard in to a cramped corner case!.

The new railing system for the 5.25" drives makes for an odd change. While deciding not to stick with the tried and true railing system, Koolance opted for side clips that are approximately half the size of standard clips.

The new, sleek design of the case itself is a nice change from the previous pre-mod look of the 650 series. With frameless side panels and a set of metal inlays on the front of the case, the case has nice clean lines that can be modded but can also be left as is and still look somewhat decent.

This case, however, is not without its drawbacks. While the top mounted resevoir is a pleasant change, the location of the pump within the resevoir makes for a difficult time of completely filling the system as the pump pushes water up through the funnel. The new railing system also has its flaws with drives that don't like to come out. At times, you have to use a screwdriver to push the retaining clips out of their lock from the side. While the removable mobo tray is a pleasant addition, you now are presented with a motherboard that misses its alignment with the mobo connection attachment that comes with your mobo. There are times when you have to push and shove and adjust to allow the peripheral connections to properly protrude through the pre-cut holes. My biggest and to some most important gripe is the lack of cabling room available in the PC3-720 case. There just isn't a whole lot of room to hide the cables to give you a pristene inner case look. Even with my Ultra-X connect PSU, I find it difficult to hide the power cables (and I only have the ones I need connected).

Overall Impression:

The sleek new look combined with the various new features make the case a decent buy. For those who want to enter the world of watercooling without the experience or time for a DIY project, this is an option to consider. On a scale of 1-10, I would be willing to give this case a 7.

Pros:
Removable Motherboard Tray
Rotated HDD Trays
Top mounted resevoir
Variable fan speeds for watercooling
3/8" tubing

Cons:
Misalignment of Motherboard
Lack of hiding room for cables
Pump in resevoir located directly below fill hole
"Sticky" drive trays

Well, that wraps up my first review. Please let me know what you all think and feel free to leave comments. It's been a load of fun to be able to do this and to pass along my experience with those that have considered this case as a new addition to their computing world.

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Great review , I would have to agree on all your specs, I have the Koolance PC3-720SL (Silver version) as well as an Ultra-X connect PSU, which is a bit hard to hide the cables. I chose this for my first water cooled kit, based on all the other reviews I read.