INTRODUCTION

   Water cooling has always been the most "disputed" cooling solution for PCs and that even includes all-in-one (AIO) liquid CPU coolers especially since in some cases they can't surpass the best CPU air coolers available. Performance however is not something that interests every single consumer out there since there are many who are just looking to equip their cases with a CPU cooling solution that doesn't require much free space. Well let's face it AIO liquid CPU coolers are far more convenient than regular CPU air coolers and complete water cooling kits/loops so it doesn't really come as a surprise that the most popular AIO type among micro-ATX and mini-ATX owners is single 120/140mm ones. Antec released their brand new KUHLER H2O line roughly a year ago and finally today we have finished all tests of their H600 Pro model (H1200 Pro will follow soon).

   For 30 years, Antec, Inc. has been the global leader in high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets, being the pioneer and market leader for quiet, efficient and innovative products such as the P280 and SOLO II enclosures as well as for their award-winning PSUs having the lowest returns in the industry. Antec continues to further the industry with performance-rich enclosures, efficient power supplies, reliable cooling components, the cutting-edge Antec Advance accessories line, and the Antec Mobile Products (A.M.P). Founded in 1986, Antec is headquartered in Fremont, California, with additional offices in The Netherlands, Germany, China and Taiwan.

   Although it took Antec quite a bit of time to introduce their new KUHLER H2O line of AIO liquid CPU coolers still the end result is really not much different compared to its predecessor the quite good KUHLER H2O 650. However although once again we see a 27mm thick single radiator paired with a 120mm PWM LED fan that can go all the way up to 2400RPM the fan model used with the H600 Pro is different than that used with the KUHLER H2O 650 (i was glad to see they moved away from the intergrated fan/pump combo) and ontop of that this time over Antec decided to use 315mm long FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) tubes instead of 300mm long PA (polyamide) ones. The pump used in the H600 Pro has a activity LED attached at the top and features a 3-phase liquid engine with graphite pump bearing which always according to Antec make it more durable and whisper quiet (unfortunately no performance numbers are available). So is this the AIO liquid CPU cooler to get if you own a very compact PC case?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 The CPU compatibility list is printed at the front of the box right beneath a picture of the products pump.

The contents of the bundle are listed on the left side in 5 languages.

Moving on the right side of the box we find the specifications table (strangely enough here it states that the fan can spin up to 1800RPM and not 2400RPM as the online presentation sheet).

In-depth explanation of all product features is placed at the rear.

Pretty typical packing for such a device (a formed piece of cardboard with several plastic bags) so no problems here.

Along with the KUHLER H2O H600 Pro inside the package you will also find the 120mm PWM LED fan, thermal paste tube. two small plastic bags with 4 long and 4 short fan mounting screws, installation instructions, backplate and all the necessary bits and pieces to install the cooler onto INTEL LGA 775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2 mainboards.

THE KUHLER H2O H600 PRO

 Although the H600 Pro has a more "industrial" look compared to its predecessors the end result is one we've seen many times in the past so once again we see a radiator connected to a pump/waterblock combo via two tubes.

The radiator measures 155mm in length, 120mm in width and 27mm in height (thickness).

As you can all see fin quality is very good (each fin is 0.28mm thick).

Antec has given a high density count to the H600 Pro of roughly 16FPI (fins per inch).

The Antec logo is placed on the pump and right over a blue activity LED (the pump is powered by a SATA connector).

As usual both tubes can swivel roughly 90 degrees to simplify installation.

FEP tubes may not be as flexible as PA ones but we've experienced no real problems with either type in all these years.

The copper base doesn't feature a layer of thermal conductive material so you will need to use either your own or the one that comes in the bundle.

The 7 blade 120mm PWM blue LED fan has a reported speed of up to 2400RPM (1800RPM on the box) to produce airflow of up to 78.9CFM with just 35dBA of noise.

With the 120mm PWM LED fan mounted the thickness of the radiator increases to 52mm.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again 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 complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are 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. When testing complete water cooling kits we use the Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. Finally much like when testing CPU Coolers it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) 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 (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. 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

   There are two different types of single AIO liquid CPU coolers in the market currently the “thin” ones that feature 25-27mm thick radiators and the thicker ones that feature 49-50mm radiators. So because the new KUHLER H2O H600 Pro is one of the “thinner” models we didn’t expect much but to our surprise it managed to match the performance of the much older yet thicker H920 model. It also managed to surpass the performance of the older dual-fan KUHLER H2O H650 but that’s always something we expect and consider quite normal from a replacement model. The bundled fan was a good surprise since not only is it a LED model but it’s also very quiet even at full speed (1800RPM sounds more possible for these noise levels).

   Antec has always done a great job pricing their products and with a current price tag set at 53Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the new KUHLER H2O H600 Pro is no exception to that rule. Of course you can always go a bit higher and opt for a thicker and higher performance model like the dual-fan Arctic Freezer 120 but that’s yet another thing that comes down to personal preference. Overall we were all surprised by the H600 Pro mainly because it surpassed its dual-fan predecessor and even managed to surpass the much thicker 920 model so that along with the low noise levels and tempting price tag are more than enough for us to give it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Cooling Efficiency
- Almost Inaudible Fan
- Compatibility (120mm AIO Model)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- FEP Tubes (Flexibility)