X-bit labs

Water-Cooling Systems Roundup: 16 Systems Reviewed! (page 5)

Category: Coolers

by Kirill "ALT-F13" Balalin

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

Testing Participants

Asetek WaterChill KT03-L20 Entry

This is the most Spartan-looking water-cooling kit in this review, but it comes from Asetek, the renowned manufacturer of very advanced water-based cooling solutions as well as phase-change systems of the VapoChill series. We have already reviewed it in detail in our article called Two Brothers from Asetek WaterChill Family: Maximum Performance against Minimal Cost, so now we woul like to repeat the most essential things about this cooling solution.

The KT03-L20 Entry is packed into a plain cardboard box with only a simple white label on the side that reports the name of the model to you.

The components of the system reflect its status as of an entry-level product; the kit lacks a fan and a reservoir. On the other hand, they included a powerful Hydor L20-2 pump with a declared performance of 800 liters per hour. This is an ordinary aquarium pump and it is powered from a wall socket.

The Black Ice radiator is made of copper and is painted black. This is a high-quality component indeed; it is compact and looks quite stylish.

The water-block is made of copper and an acrylic compound. It is designed very simplistically with only a crescent-like groove between the fittings. This solution can hardly be very efficient, but we will check it out shortly in action.