Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro Review

[sandals100]

Hi guys this is a review of the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro. I have had this AIO for about 3 months and am very impressed by the results. My previous cooler was a crappy Zalman CNPS90F. 

Before I go into the actual results/review I will list some of the features/specifications: 

 

- 2 x Thermaltake 1225 pwm fans 99 CFM

- 49 mm 120 mm radiator

- High performance copper waterblock with pre-applied thermal interface material 

 

Not much I know but I can't think of what else to list here, post in the comments if you want me to add anything to the list above.

 

Test Computer

 

CPU Intel Core i5 4670k overclocked to 4.1GHz @ 1.26V

Motherboard Asus Z87m-Plus

Graphics Asus GTX 760 overclocked to 1122 mhz

Memory 2x8gb G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 CL9 overclocked to 1800 mhz

Drives Samsung 840 Evo 120GB, WD 1TB Green

Power Supply Cougar RS750

Enclosure Zalman Z11-Plus

 

For this test I plugged the pump directly into the power supply to insure it is running at full speed during the testing, the fans however were plugged into the motherboard and set to full speed.

 

Note: For the area where is says CPU Fan please ignore the speed, currently I have a random case fan plugged into the slot.

 

For stress testing I used AIDA 64 Extreme Version: 4.20.2800 [boxes ticked: Stress CPU, Stress FPU, Stress Cache].

For monitoring I used Real Temp Version: 3.70

 

Testing: All tests were run for 30 minutes, with ambient temps at about 27 degrees celcius. I also decided to do the testing at stock clocks and voltages.

 

Edit: I re-installed the old cooler just so I could make some comparison between the two. The testing was also done at 27 degrees celcius.

 

Results:

ZALMAN CNPS90F

 

Ambient Temps: 27^o C

Stock Temperature/s: [3.4 ghz voltage: 1.118 volts]

Core 1: 64 ^o C

Core 2: 67 ^o C

Core 3: 67 ^o C

Core 4: 62  ^o C

 

Overclocked Temperature/s: [4.1 ghz voltage: 1.26 volts]

Core 1: 75 ^o C

Core 2: 79 ^o C

Core 3: 79 ^o C

Core 4: 71 ^o C

 

 

THERMALTAKE WATER 3.0 PRO

Ambient Temps: 27^o C

Stock Temperature/s: [3.4 ghz voltage: 1.118 volts]

Core 1: 55 ^o C

Core 2: 56 ^o C

Core 3: 56 ^o C

Core 4: 51  ^o C

 

Overclocked Temperature/s: [4.1 ghz voltage: 1.26 volts]

Core 1: 67 ^o C

Core 2: 69 ^o C

Core 3: 69 ^o C

Core 4: 61 ^o C

 

Conclusion:

 

I was very impressed about the overall product. The build quality was fantastic in regards to the 'pipes' that carried the water from the block to the radiator and back. However I found that the plastic mounting mechanism used to hold the pump down the the board was VERY weak. Due to it being plastic the small metal heads that were screwed into it were constantly spinning which made it very hard to install without the need of a second pair of hands  THey were easily manipulated without the need to worry about damage. The installation of the cooler INTO the case was very simple however setting up the initial mounting brackets on the pump was a pain in the ass. Even though there were instructions enclosed with the product I found it quite difficult to follow which eventually lead me to have to follow a video on youtube showing someone installing the cooler. Another aspect of the cooler that did not overly impress me were the fans. Yes they moved air however they were no where close to quite. Even at low rpm (about 613 rpm) I found them to be very loud but the biggest problem was when they ramped up. It began to sound like a turbine in my room due the sheer noise generated from the fans.

 

[2chriswy]

good review nice write up wish you could of measured the temps on your old zalman cooler to compare btw how did you like the stock fans on it i found them way to loud

[sandals100]

good review nice write up wish you could of measured the temps on your old zalman cooler to compare btw how did you like the stock fans on it i found them way to loud

Ahh 2 important points I missed. Good thing I noted the old temps. Will be updating THANKS!