Verdict and Conclusion
This isn’t the first self contained water cooling system I’ve tested based on this platform, it probably won’t be the last either. Compared to the Antec Kuhler 620 the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Performer fixes some issues, raises other issues, has a better mounting system and has more fans.
The mounting system is complicated, but fits all current sockets on both AMD and Intel platforms and works quite well.
The pump makes some noise on startup sometimes, but is very quiet after that, I have no complaints.
Cooling performance wise the Water 2.0 Performer is good, it looses to the more expensive and much larger Frio Extreme, but not by a large amount.
The Water 2.0 Performer will fit into some very cramped cases, unlike tower coolers. This is probably its number one plus. You can have Big Tower type performance in an ITX type case!
The MSRP is a painful $80, but it is widely available for a palatable $60 or so. There are other coolers in the $60 range that match or beat it, but they’re big. At $80 I feel it should have better performance.
The fans are a mixed bag. They look great, and if you have a PWM fan controller or motherboard that uses a high frequency (25kHz) signal they’re great across the board. If your fan controller or motherboard uses a lower frequency, be prepared for squeeling noises.
The hoses are nice and soft and don’t kink easily, no issues there at all.
To summarize, there are pros:
- Good performance that fits very small spaces.
- Very secure mounting.
- Comes with two fans for push/pull operation.
- Looks cool.
- Fans very nice at high PWM frequencies.
There are cons to think about too:
- Fans very noisy at low PWM frequencies.
- MSRP is high for its performance.
- Doesn’t cool as well as Big Tower Heatsinks.
Final words
All told, I feel that the Water 2.0 Performer is a good choice for small form factor cases where a tower heatsink won’t fit, as well as for people who want the bragging rights of water cooling without actually having to set up a loop. I give it a 8.3/10.
SCORE
8.3/10
