X-bit labs

Four Liquid-Cooling Systems for the Masses (page 26)

Category: Coolers

by Vasily Melnik

[ 10/14/2005 | 03:30 PM ]

The system looks rather plain when installed:

The Aquagate is evidently supposed to be put inside the system case – there’s no opportunity to install the radiator somewhere outside. This limits its compatibility with system cases greatly as there are not so many cases that would allow installing a 120mm radiator on the inside of the rear panel. Despite the unusual design, the system proved to be quite efficient in practice:

There’s not much to comment upon. The performance of this water-cooling kit is at least on the same level with the other tested systems. The only difference is the medium fan speed. It is 1500rpm against 1250-1300 with the other systems. I decided to test at 1500rpm because there was no noise at that speed, while with the other participating kits the fan was already audible at 1300rpm. At 900rpm any noise is inaudible altogether. The maximum speed shouldn’t be used as it leads to a very small decrease of the temperature at the expense of a noticeable increase in noise.

So, this water-cooling kit seems to have no drawbacks whatsoever. It comes preassembled; it is easy to install; it consists of a minimum of components and doesn’t require any servicing almost. There’s only one downside – you have to find a system case this kit will fit into. Well, if you are not against doing some manual work, you can cut out a 120mm hole in the side panel of your ordinary system case opposite to the CPU socket and put the radiator on the top panel. This approach solves two problems at once: the radiator is properly placed and the mainboard gets an additional source of cool air. On the other hand, if you compare the system from Cooler Master with the other tested kits, it would look rather humble, despite its costing almost the same money as Gigabyte’s 3D Galaxy. Moreover, it is not the best option for a system case with a side window – it doesn’t look very impressive, I should confess. So, this system is purely utilitarian and I think its price should be lower than it is.

Our Verdict: Cooler Master Aquagate

Highs : Good cooling; good fastening; Xeon fasteners; quiet operation at a rather high speed of the fan, compact design

Lows : Doesn’t suit for all system cases; maintenance-free design; unassuming appearance

Conclusion : A good water-cooling system for people who care about efficiency alone. Yet its price is rather too high.

Average retail price - $115