Monsoon MMRS Reservoir/D5 Pump Top Combo Review

1. Introduction & Unboxing2. Step by Step Assembly3. Performance Testing4. Summary5. View All

Welcome to another Extreme Rigs review. Today we’ll be checking out another item from Monsoon’s MMRS range. When we say item, what we mean is that we will be focusing on the MMRS-TRP.  However the TRP must be used in conjunction with other MMRS components to design/build your own custom reservoir so we’ll be including photos and information for many other MMRS parts that make up a “simple” MMRS reservoir/pump combo.

What is MMRS ? Launched earlier this year the Monsoon Modular Reservoir System is a range of interchangeable components that are able to be mixed and matched to assemble your own personally customized reservoir to suit your specific build requirements and preferences. I like to break the main component categories into 5 groups, and you may find this handy as a checklist to ensure you have everything you need when planning/ordering your own MMRS reservoir:

• Reservoir Tube/s
• End Caps / Couplers
• Tension Rods
• Mounts
• Lighting

Each of the components are available in a range of colors and lengths, so the chances are that the components you choose will end up making a truly unique, one of a kind reservoir.

The MMRS-TRP being highlighted today we thought deserved it’s own review because it is one of the D5 pump mounts for the system and we can therefore do some performance testing on it. Our best guess is that TRP is the abbreviation for Tube Res Pump-Top. Earlier this year we published our review on the MMRS-SAP (Stand Alone Pump-Top) so in this review we’ll likely compare the TRP’s performance results against the SAP’s.

We are currently working on a soon to be published article featuring stand alone reservoirs from the MMRS range. In that article we’ll try to cover as many parts in the MMRS range as possible from the 5 categories listed above, so keep an eye out for that one.

What seems like an eternity ago Monsoon were kind enough to send us a huge pile of MMRS components, some of which were pre-production samples and others from the first production run which had been used for promotional photos/videos. Therefore we do not have photos of any packaging available and some components have a few scuffs here and there. So bear that in mind when looking at the photos.

The support offered by Monsoon is greatly appreciated and we truly wish we could have published this information sooner.  A big thanks to Monsoon. 

Let’s begin by taking a look at the components required to construct the res/pump combo pictured above and featured in our step by step assembly on the next page. The goal was to have each component in a different color for easy identification, but with the parts we had on hand that didn’t exactly work out as planned.

Reservoir Tube

We chose this category to discuss first because it is the component that everything else is assembled around (kind of). It is important to understand for planning and ordering that the acrylic tube length measurement is the length of exposed acrylic tube once fully assembled, not the overall length including end caps such as you might be used to with a “traditional style” tube reservoir. This exposed length is the same for tension rod lengths.

For the overall length of an MMRS assembly the thickness of all molded parts ( end caps and couplers) and the acrylic tube sections must be added together. It is essential you remember to factor in the end caps (and coupler/s if used) to get your overall length correct. It would be a tragedy to assemble your components only to find that it did not fit in your intended location.

Reservoir tubes are available in 6 colors, 3 of which are currently available in “Frosted” and “Frosted Reactor” finishes making a total of 12 options for the tube section/s color/finish.

• Clear
• Black
• Blue
• Blood Red
• UV Green
• UV Blue
• Frosted Clear – Solid Frost or Reactor Frost
• Frosted UV Blue – Solid Frost or Reactor Frost
• Frosted UV Green – Solid Frost or Reactor Frost

The following images are courtesy of PPCs, as are many others in the review, as we just don’t have every part on hand to photograph ourselves. At the time of writing Performance PCs is the only re-seller to stock the entire MMRS range, however, at least one European re-seller (UK based) has committed to stocking the extensive MMRS inventory and they are expected to be shipping MMRS parts by late June.

     Below are the “Frosted” and “Frosted Reactor” tube sections.

There are 6 lengthwise frosted sections on the Reactor tubes, which are spaced perfectly to match the tension rods. The following shots ripped from Insolent Mods Gigantea Build Log shows a Frosted Reactor Tube in all it’s glory.  Gigantea is quite an amazing build log and well worth a read through – fantastic attention to detail on a truly unique scratch build.

Each acrylic tube color / finish is available in 6 nominal lengths.

• 50mm
• 100mm
• 150mm
• 200mm
• 250mm
• 300mm

That is 72 possible reservoir tubes to select from and given they can be joined together using couplers (MMRS-BH) then the sky is the limit – literally.

For our assembly we are using a 150mm Blue acrylic tube, MMRS-AT-150-BL.

All tube lengths have a 60mm OD and a wall thickness of ~3mm.

The actual length of the tube is ~8mm longer than the listed length which is a nominal length, so the 150mm tube we are using measured in with a length of 158mm. As mentioned previously the length is measured from the visible acrylic tube seen when fully assembled. This means ~4mm at each end of the tube is unseen when inserted into the end caps or couplers.

End Caps & Couplers

At the time of writing there are 8 different end caps to select from and 2 different couplers, with the promise of more options to become available stemming from input and demand from the growing user base via Monsoon’s awesome community interaction, particularly in this OCN forum: New products from Monsoon Cooling.

All End Caps and Couplers are molded parts made from a super tough black nylon. We’ve been advised to think of ice hockey pucks in terms of hardness, so yeah, they seem pretty darned tough. All molded items are soon to be available in a white nylon finish, another addition from community input in the forum link above.

Today we will be using the MMRS-EC-3P and MMRS-TRP end caps.

On the top of our assembly we will have the MMRS-EC-3P which is a 3 Port End Cap (with no side ports). The EC-3P thickness (or length) we measured at just under 29mm and it measures ~77mm wide.

The EC-3P is sporting 3 x G1/4 ports on the face of the end cap. In other assembly scenarios the EC-3P could just as easily be used at the bottom of a tube res with one of the ports being used as an outlet to a Stand Alone Pump Top – aka – MMRS-SAP.

On the rear facing curve of all molded parts (including the EC-3P) are three sets of holes for attaching the numerous available mounting brackets at different angles. The mounts also double as CCFL mounts for integrated lighting.

On the inside we see a recessed groove where the sealing o’ring is placed. The o’ring is what the res tube is pressed against at each end to form a water tight seal.

The base of our assembly will feature the MMRS-TRP which handily features is a D5 pump mount. While it seems we are getting side-tracked with other MMRS parts, the TRP was intended to be the focus of this review.

The TRP thickness (or length) we measured at just under 32mm and it measures ~77mm wide.

The MMRS-TRP package includes several essential items.

• TRP End Cap with integrated D5 pump mount with Anti-Vortex Trident.
• 1 x o’ring for sealing the acrylic tube side.
• 1 x o’ring for sealing the pump side.
• 6 x Tension Rod screws.
• Allen key for the Tension Rod screws.

A pump cover is another essential component required in the assembly process. It will add ~43mm to the overall length of the res/pump combo and totally covers up the D5 motor.

The pump cover is purchased as a separate item and is available in seven colors to match the Monsoon fitting range. MMRS users switching from a SAP to TRP can re-use their pump cover (it’s essential to make the seal at the pump end, it’s not just a cover) so for that reason we are glad the TRP is a separate item, but on the other hand we don’t understand why the TRP end cap is not sold as a kit with the pump cover and bracket like the SAP is. In all honesty, it might even be advisable to purchase the SAP along with the TRP so you have different pump mount options on hand in the future. Things change with new builds or design layout changes when new components are installed into your loop, so having the Stand Alone Pump Top might come in handy in the future. In the mean time a pump cover is required now anyway, plus you get a 12mm mounting bracket.

The molded parts are a deep charcoal grey color, not black exactly. but not too far from it. In some of the photos extra lighting was required to get “out of the shadows” and make the parts look a lighter grey than they really are. On my monitors this first photo appears a very good representation of the actual charcoal grey color of the TRP and other molded parts. I can’t wait to see the white parts start to appear.

We assume the MMRS-TRP comes with the anti-vortex trident pre-installed (many of our sample parts were pre-assembled and had no packaging), but we have removed it for photographing:

There is plenty of room around the inlet to the pump top under the anti-vortex trident, so coolant restriction as seen on some other brand’s anti-vortex inserts is definitely not an issue with the Monsoon solution.

On the acrylic tube side we see a recessed groove for the o’ring and where the tube is seated.

On the pump side of the TRP there seems to be a lot going on at first glance. You may notice some indents from the inject molding pins in these photos. This was a sample from a pre-production run and Monsoon have assured us that the process was tweaked so none of these injection markings are evident in the final production units.

The fine thread around the inner edge is for the tightening the pump cover onto the pump.

The notched cut-outs in the fine threads and the holes below are for the screws which secure the tension rods onto the TRP end of the reservoir assembly.

The volute is flat in style and rather simple in design. It is in fact identical the the MMRS-SAP which we reviewed earlier in the year, so we can expect very similar if not identical performance from this D5 top.

Two o’rings are supplied with the MMRS-TRP kit, the smaller is for the acrylic tube side and the larger is for seating and sealing the pump.

Unfortunately I was not able to get the pump and top to seal with the supplied o’ring after several attempts. I then tried with a stock Laing D5 o’ring which is thicker and had instant success. According to Monsoon no users have reported leaks from assembled reservoirs using the TRP kit which is great news, so maybe my pre-production sample was tweaked again before final production runs commenced, possibly the mold injection pin indents previously mentioned were partly the cause of not being able to get a seal.

The supplied Stainless Steel bolts in the TRP kit must be used at the pump end because the head size on these screws are different than those used on “regular” MMRS end caps. These allow for correct seating and sealing of the pump.

Tension Rods

Tension rods come in 6 packs and are available in the same nominal lengths to suit each of the reservoir tube lengths.

• 100mm
• 150mm
• 200mm
• 250mm
• 300mm

Each 6 pack of tension rods contain the rods themselves, along with 12 matching screws plus 2 x allen keys. The anodized finishes on the MMRS parts is amazing and perfectly match the Monsoon fitting range. Matte black and matte white are also available as color options.

We are using 150mm blue Tension Rods (MMRS-TR-150-BL) for our assembly. The nominal 150mm length actually measure in at ~161mm. The spanner flats at each end are each ~5mm long and if we assemble everything correctly the spanner flats should be hidden and nothing but round tension rods and acrylic tube is visible between the end caps.

For assembly with the TRP D5 end cap, only 6 of the screws supplied with the tension rod set are used, because the stainless steel ones supplied with the TRP must be used on the pump end.

 

Mounting Systems

On the back of each molded part (end caps and couplers) there are 3 sets of holes. these holes are used to attached the different mounting styles offered in the MMRS range.

Currently there are 3 mounting system designs to select from with a 4th (radiator mount) soon to be available.

The most recently added is the vertical mount: MMRS-MT-VRT, which was probably designed with the SAP D5 pump mount in mind, but can be attached to any reservoir end cap. This mounting option is fixed to the floor or mid shelf of the case (we wonder if it should not be named MMRS-MT-SAP2) and attaches only to pump end cap molded part. Another excellent addition brought about by Monsoon listening and acting upon input from the community.

For mounting onto a chassis panel or wall – vertical mounting (the reason why we wonder about the naming conflict on the MMRS-MT-VRT above) we need to be looking at few different options, any of which could also be also be used to mount the reservoir in a horizontal installation.

Again all the Monsoon colors are available to select from and the 3 options determine how far the reservoir assembly is situated away from the chassis panel or shelf.

The 12mm option (included with MMRS-SAP) is supplied with a load spreading grasshopper style mounting plate. So far as we can tell 12mm mounts are not available without the load spreading bracket, meaning 2 of this style are required if you want to stabilize the the top of the reservoir to the chassis panel, which we recommend.

In you want more space between the chassis panel and the back of the reservoir, 25mm and 50mm mounting options are available in the full range of colors. One of these is recommended for each molded part.

On each of the 25mm and 50mm mounting brackets you will notice the oval shaped recesses. These are for mounting the MMRS CCFL light kits. It’s a neat design and looks very slick when put together. Both sides of the 25mm and 50mm brackets are recessed. The 12mm “grasshopper” mount is not recessed for attaching lights as we think it was intended to be used only with the SAP.

Of course we shall be needing a pump. For our assembly we are re-using the same D5 Vario that we used toward the end of our MMRS-SAP step-by-step assembly to check for sleeved wire clearance. Since we published that review Monsoon have made the wire pass through holes on the cover end plate slightly larger and have an extension ring made specifically for the Aqua Computer D5 USB – awesome !!

Lighting

Currently available are CCFL lights in the same 5 lengths as the acrylic tubes and tension rods. So far as we can tell all the CCFL lights are white and are fixed inside colored tubes. The dual light kit picture below is designed to be installed in conjunction with the 25mm or 50mm mounting brackets. Twin packs of single tubes are also available for matching, additional lighting throughout your case. In the pipeline and soon to be released are LED stop plugs and submersible CCFL tubes for inside the reservoirs.

Fittings

We are not going to go into detail about fittings in this review, but Monsoon offer a large assortment of interesting fittings in their beautiful anodized finished + plus matte black and white. They have virtually everything covered in their range including soft tube fittings, hard-line fittings, rotary adapters, stop plugs, and so much more that you will have to check them out for yourself.

Hopefully by now everybody is not totally confused by the MMRS concept, instead are in awe at this amazing modular system and we’re ready to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Next up our Step-by-Step Assembly of a MMRS res/pump top combo.