INTRODUCTION

   Many years ago a CoolIT Systems released one of the first 120mm AIO liquid CPU coolers to hit the market and although they were not really the only ones to do so (Asetek did too) i still recall the somewhat "special" design their model had largely thanks to the external temperature screen (something which we haven't seen ever since). Since then the AIO market has expanded quite a bit so CoolIT, Asetek and a few others have released numerous models over the years for the majority of the leading companies in the world (for example CoolIT only offers products through Corsair now) and for virtually all segments of the market from entry-level 120/140mm ones and up to high-end 240/360mm ones. Today on our test bench we have the latest 360mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler by our good friends over at Thermaltake, the Water 3.0 Ultimate.

   The beginning of every myth and legend is about dreams and desire: the challenging, creative and combative features of Thermaltake Group create an exciting and fascinating user experience to share with everyone, while allowing users to enter a selfless state in terms of function and potential. Thermaltake Group's 3 main brands: Thermaltake, Tt eSPORTS and LUXA2 have been merchandising throughout the world, and have successfully established 6 business footholds in areas such as Europe, America, Oceania, Japan and China, with 95 regional distributors and over 4000 premium retailers. All product planning is orientated by observation of global PC peripheral market and understanding of consumer demands. Thermaltake creates direct contact opportunities with resellers and consumers by participating major global ICT exhibitions and trade shows every year, and develop innovative marketing strategies for the promotions of new products. Meanwhile, Thermaltake incorporates the composite marketing system by making branch offices and regional distributors both the distribution channel and technical support or service center to provide instant support; by maintaining close contact with end users, we manage to strengthen corporate competitiveness and create the momentum for the growth of accomplishments. With its outstanding wisdom and strength Thermaltake Group is recruiting creative talents to build a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle!

   Just like every other AIO liquid CPU cooler out in the market the Water 3.0 Ultimate by Thermaltake is 4 pieces brought together. So this time over we're talking about an 360mm long, 27mm thick aluminum radiator capable of holding up to six 120mm fans (3 on each side) connected with a high-speed 3600RPM (+-150RPM) pump and a copper waterblock via two 326mm long rubber tubes. Unfortunately the radiators used in AIO systems are not very thick and that tends to reduce performance especially when comparing them to some custom water cooling kits but at for the majority of users out there (including serious gamers and overclockers) an 360mm long radiator even just 27mm thick should do the trick. Asetek is of course once again behind the Water 3.0 Ultimate (just like the rest of the Water 3.0 line) and to be more specific it's based on their 4th generation cooling technology. The real question now is how good 360mm solutions are and how do they compare against 240mm ones something which we're about to find out.