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.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Water 3.0 Ultimate gets shipped inside a long box with a large product image at the front along with the main product features and the company logo.

At the bottom of the box we see the specifications table and the main features of the product in 11 languages.

The features list is printed at the rear of the box right next to a graph used to compare the performance of the Water 3.0 Ultimate to that of the stock Intel cooler.

Everything inside the box is placed inside a long piece of cardboard.

Inside this piece of cardboard you will find the radiator/pump combo, three 120mm fans, 12 fan mounting screws, single to tri-fan adapter, installation guide, warranty information and all the necessary mounting hardware for Intel LGA1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 mainboards.

THE WATER 3.0 ULTIMATE

We've seen the same pump (design) quite a few times in the past but the 360mm long radiator (393mm total) is a first for an AIO solution.

To get a better idea on the thickness of this radiator (27mm) we placed it right next to the XSPC RX360 V3 which is over twice as thick (56mm).

The fins (24fpi design) were all in perfect shape once we received the Water 3.0 Ultimate.

As usual the two flexible rubber tubes are easy to work with during installation.

The 12V pump can reach speeds of up to 3600RPM (+-150RPM) but unfortunately Thermaltake doesn't list how many liters it can move per hour.

The tubes can rotate up to 100+ degrees at their base to further simplify installation.

Thermaltake has bundled three fans with the Water 3.0 Ultimate capable of spinning up to 2000RPM to produce airflow of up to 99CFM with just 20dBA.

The all-copper base comes ready with a thin layer of thermal conductive material.

With all three fans installed the Water 3.0 Ultimate gets 52mm thick so you shouldn't have a problem fitting it in your case (if it was top room for a radiator).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   Thermaltake has once again released a product that is the best of its class and by that i mean that it's easily the best out of the box CPU Cooler we've tested to date (it can even match some custom liquid cooling kits). Of course it's not that much better compared to for example the Tundra TD02 by Silverstone (largely because of the thicker radiator and faster fans) but in the end it is better without being noisier and that's what really counts. The Water 3.0 Ultimate however has two somewhat serious problems, the lack of control software (which pretty much means that in order to control the fans you need an external fan controller or extra software) and the rather long length since 393mm from one end to the other is obviously way too much for most PC cases out there. Of course if you've already set your eyes on the Water 3.0 Ultimate and you're reading these lines chances are that you already have the required space but that's something we really need to point out.

   AIO Liquid CPU Coolers are getting more and more affordable each day that goes by so it didn't surprise us to see that the Water 3.0 Ultimate by Thermaltake currently retails for USD139.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 133.39Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Now for some this may seem as quite high but on one hand we're talking about a 360mm AIO liquid CPU Cooler and on the other although less powerful solutions like for example the SilverStone Tundra TD02 cost even more. Of course looking at the Tundra TD02 which we mentioned quite a bit in this review is enough for us to wonder when and if Asetek will ever launch a 360mm AIO model with a much thicker radiator for the even more demanding users. It may never happen sure but it's not really hard to do and it would improve cooling efficiency quite bit so we sure hope it happens eventually. In any case you simply can't go wrong with the Water 3.0 Ultimate by Thermaltake and that's why we give it our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Top Of The Charts Performance
- Thin Radiator (27mm)
- Up To Six 120mm Fans In Push & Pull
- Easy Installation
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No Control Software
- Long Radiator