Cooler Master
Aquagate Mini
Every other kit in this
roundup uses a standard
pump/reservoir/radiator/water-block
design. The Aquagate Mini eschews
this convention in favor of
an incredibly simple and
compact two-piece cooling
unit. Yes, there’s just two
pieces: There’s the typical
radiator/fan assembly, but
the water pump and reservoir
are all integrated right on top of
the water block. The Aquagate Mini
signifi cantly reduces case clutter and
tubing hassles, and it simplifi es the
process far better than any other kit in
this roundup.
The tubing is factory-clamped
and liquid is included, so you never
need to fi ll a reservoir or worry about
leakage or mishaps. It’s also the only
kit in the roundup that is meant to
be installed entirely inside the case,
which signifi cantly reduces noise
levels. Setting the speed-adjustable
fan to its lowest setting renders this
kit astonishingly quiet.
Installation was the easiest in
the roundup, partly because the
kit doesn’t require you to route
any tubing or fi ll reservoirs, but
also because Cooler Master has
streamlined the CPU-mounting
process into just four small steps. The
kit provides all the tools you need to
tighten everything down (this was the
only kit we tested that came with its
own tools). Mounting the CPU block
took about 10 minutes, and bolting
the fan to the side of the case took
another fi ve minutes—awesome
compared with the two-plus hours
required to install each of the other
kits in this roundup.
After all the fumbles we experienced
with the other kits, we were thrilled to
fi nd that at least one manufacturer has
done the water-cooling kit right. It’s the
least expensive, the easiest to install,
very quiet, and it delivers excellent
performance. The only drawback is
that there’s no way to add a VGA or
chipset cooler to this system down the
road. But as far as CPU-only kits go,
the Aquagate Mini is our hands-down
favorite.TEST RESULTS:
Cooling
performance
The Aquagate Mini posted
solid scores that were very
similar to the competitors’. The CPU
got up to 60º C with the fan turned all
the way down, but the rig was totally
silent and cooler than with the stock
HSF.Ease of installation
Installation was a snap—by far
the easiest in the roundup. Cooler
Master uses an innovative screw-
down mounting method for LGA775
formfactor processors that requires
just four bolts, which you secure with
a tool that’s provided in the kit. With
that painless task out of the way, we
installed the fan with four screws and
were fi nished.Overclocking
The Mini registered the second-
highest overclock in the test: 4.08GHz.Noise output
Because it has an adjustable fan, we
tested the kit with the fan set on low and
then on high. It’s totally silent on low,
but quite loud when turned up all the
way. It’s also the only kit that mounts
entirely inside the case, which goes a
long way toward reducing noise.MA XIMUMPC VERDICT (^9)
$100, http://www.coolerm aster.com
The Aquagate Mini uses a novel design that
integrates the water block with the pump and
reservoir. There’s no reservoir to fill, no tubing
to route, and no pumps to bleed.
The fan can be mounted on either
side of the radiator, so you can
modify the installation according to
your case’s design.
The Aquagate Mini is one of two
kits that offer an adjustable radiator
fan; when set to low, this was the
quietest kit in the group.
MA XIMUMPC MAY 2005