INTRODUCTION

   It seems that more of you join the liquid CPU Cooler ranks every day that goes by and since quite a few of you have asked for such reviews i've decided to focus on that segment of the market and try to get pretty much every LGA2011 compatible liquid CPU Cooler available currently. So just over a month ago we started by reviewing the Thermaltake BigWater 760 Plus liquid CPU Cooler which although quite impressive didn't manage to deliver the performance we were expecting from it. Three days ago we continued by testing one of the best cost-effective liquid CPU Coolers, the Antec KUHLER H2O 920 which especially when used with both its fans facing inwards delivers an great punch together with a near excellent price/performance ratio. Today however we are going to give Thermaltake another chance by being the first to test their latest Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme liquid CPU Cooler which just by taking a quick look at its specifications seems to be the most powerful cost-effective liquid CPU Cooler currently in the market.

   Since the beginning of Thermaltake in 1999, they have been at the forefront of creating new and exciting products at a time where most computer users were provided little to no choices for components that may seem irrelevant, but in reality crucial to the performance of a PC. Thermaltake Server Series solutions, with years of thermal experience and industry leadership, sets its goal on reforming total thermal management in server segment by formulating the perfect mixture of versatility, efficiency and thermal management with each respective server product category: Rackmount Chassis, Server Fixed & Redundant Power Supply and Server CPU Cooling Management Solutions. With its comprehensive line of products available, it enables Thermaltake's core customers to enjoy a one-stop-shop experience, reduce product design-in evaluation period and most important of all, flawless integration process. Each of Thermaltake's strengths enables its customer to focus on their core business while taking advantage of the skills and efficiency of a single thermal management solution partner.

   Just like the KUHLER H2O series of liquid CPU Coolers by Antec the latest Water 2.0 line by Thermaltake is also designed and manufactured by Asetek and since the radiator featured with the extreme version is the latest and thickest dual (270mm) radiator released by Asetek i was really excited to see just how good it is. Asetek also seems to have improved the low profile pump since compared to the one of the KUHLER H2O 920 it managed to go up to 3600RPM during testing (compared to the 3000RPM of the 920) although Thermaltake lists a maximum speed of 2950RPM in the specifications table. But let's take a closer look of the latest Water 2.0 Extreme by Thermaltake and see what it has to offer in detail.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Water 2.0 Extreme arrived inside a somewhat large box with a large product image at the front right next to its main features and the LGA2011 compatible logo.

At the left side we see the specifications table sitting above an performance table comparing the stock Intel cooler with the Water 2.0 Extreme.

The main features of the Water 2.0 Extreme are listed on the right side in 12 languages.

Several images placed at the rear are used to showcase the main features of the unit.

The entire bundle is placed inside a thick cardboard tray.

The bundle is quite complete and includes the dual radiator/pump unit, two 120mm fans, 8 fan mounting screws, warranty paper, user's manual, software CD and mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1 compatible mainboards.

THE WATER 2.0 EXTREME

Thermaltake bundles two medium speed (and also rather quiet) 120mm PWM fans with the Water 2.0 Extreme since they can reach speeds of 2000RPM and produce airflow of 81.32CFM at 27.36dBA of noise.

Just like with all the pre-assembled liquid CPU Coolers in the market the Water 2.0 Extreme features two large tubes attached to the dual aluminum radiator on one side and the pump/waterblock module on the other.

The radiator is the thickest/largest I’ve ever seen accompany a pre-assembled liquid CPU cooler and measures 270mm in length, 120mm in width and 38.3mm in height.

You can install two 120mm fans on each side of the radiator (unfortunately Thermaltake only bundles 8 screws and not 16).

Fin quality is almost excellent something which I’ve come to expect from Asetek lately.

The flexible rubber tubings are 326mm long so you shouldn't have any problems with the mounting of the unit.

The low profile pump is mounted ontop of the copper base.

Both tubings feature a 90 degree swivel rotation for easier mounting.

There are several machine marks visible on the units copper base which comes ready with a thin layer of thermal conductive material.

To use the Water 2.0 Extreme you need to plug both the USB cable and the 3pin fan cable onto your mainboard. Also if you want to use the bundled control software you need to plug both 120mm PWM fans to the 4pin cables.

Once you install both fans the height of the radiator will increase to 63.5mm (around 89mm if you install two more in push & pull).

THE FAN CONTROL SOFTWARE

Just like Antec Thermaltake bundles the same fan control software with the Water 2.0 Extreme. Aside informing you about the current fan/pump speeds and liquid temperature/noise levels the control software also comes ready with 3 presets, extreme for maximum performance (and RPM), silent for the lowest possible noise levels and custom which you can adjust at will.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY
 

     I 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 so 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 i plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end users who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database will be tested with its bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at 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 we will not be measuring their dBA levels. For the dBA test 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 or 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 CPU, the Intel Core i7-3930k 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

   First of all i really wanted to test the Water 2.0 Extreme with two more fans in Push & Pull just for the fun of it but unfortunately that would mean delaying this review until i could get 8 more mounting screws directly from Thermaltake something which was out of the question especially since even with the two bundled fans the Water 2.0 Extreme was more than capable of surpassing the KUHLER H2O 920. Still since you can't really mount the fans of the Water 2.0 facing inwards (hot air would still rise up) the difference in performance between these two pre-assembled liquid CPU Coolers is far from tremendous. This is also due to the 120mm PWM fans used with the Water 2.0 Extreme (2000RPM) which are not as fast as the ones bundled with the KUHLER H2O 920 (2400RPM) resulting to less airflow levels (81.32CFM vs. 110CFM). Regardless of these two slight issues however the Water 2.0 Extreme is still the better of the two and also the largest one so make sure it fits inside your tower before you actually rush out to buy it.

   The availability of the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme liquid CPU Cooler may not the best since we are talking about a brand new product but you can currently find it for USD119.99 inside the USA (Amazon) and for around 130Euros inside the EU a price tag which i personally consider to be very good for such a product. Of course even though the Water 2.0 Extreme outperforms the competition we can't ignore its size and so for most people such as gamers and casual users who want to take their first step with liquid CPU Coolers the KUHLER H2O 920 by Antec may just be the best overall choice due to its smaller size, however for enthusiasts, professionals and overclockers the Water 2.0 Extreme will most certainly be their weapon of choice and that's why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Impressive Performance
- Relatively Low Noise Levels
- Fan Control Software
- Quad Fan Solution (Dual Ready)
- Easy Installation 

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Radiator Size (For Some)