X-bit labs

Water-Cooling Systems Roundup: 16 Systems Reviewed! (page 18)

Category: Coolers

by Kirill "ALT-F13" Balalin

[ 03/30/2006 | 08:48 AM ]

The water-block with a zigzagging internal design is employed in most water-cooling systems from Thermaltake. It features a blue LED implanted into the Plexiglas cap:

The water-block’s bottom is finished well, but without polishing:

The components of the Bigwater SE look very much alike to the Tribe’s components. We can even regard them as one and the same system, except that the Tribe is external and the Bigwater SE is internal. We don’t think the test results of the two will differ greatly.

The Bigwater SE really has roughly the same performance as the Tribe, with a minor advantage that varies from 1 to 4°C. It can also dissipate 300 watts of heat whereas the internal version of the system couldn’t. The difference is probably due to the different fans installed. The noise of the Thermaltake Bigwater SE is on an average level. The system is not comfortably quiet even at the minimum fan speed.

Summary: The Thermaltake Bigwater SE is assembled out of unified components and is less interesting than the Tribe kit which has a slightly lower performance, but is quieter and features a steel case. The price difference is a mere $26, so the Bigwater SE has no chance unless you only need an internal system. Well, there are better options to be found among the available internal water-based coolers, too.