Cooler Master Mini Aquagate R80 Water-Cooling Kit Review

The Install:

     I installed the R80 into the new NZXT Lexa case.  The build consists of two Radeon 7800 GT cards running in SLI and 2 x 512 Crucial Tracer DDR2 modules mounted on a Foxconn  NF4SLI7AA-8EKRS2.  The drives included two Western Digital 74 gig Raptors in a RAID array and a Lite-on DVD burner.  The NZXT Lexa case features 3 x 120 mm fans and an 80 mm fan in the top we will replace with the R80 Radiator.

     Mounting the Socket 775 bracket is accomplished with the 4 screws shown here.  The screws fit fairly flush with the bracket and do not interfere with the cooling surface.

     Four screws are then mounted to hold the board in place.  With the Pentium 4 installation, removing the motherboard is required.

     The fan is installed directly to the radiator as shown here.  The knob is a simple fan controller and can be mounted in an empty card slot with the enclosed hardware for manual control.

     Four rubber washers are placed on the motherboard to reduce fan vibration.  These are sticky on one side to aid in placement.  A similar set will go on the back.  Don't forget to add the goop!  The picture above shows the imprint of the cooler from testing coverage.

     On the Foxconn used here, two capacitors just interfere with the placement.  After a couple of nervous moments, I was able to bend them slightly and continue.  Breaking your motherboard is never a good plan so be sure to check for taller components before purchasing an after market cooling solution.

     With the cooler installed I returned the motherboard to the case and mounted the radiator in the top 80 mm space.  The result is shown here.  Not much to look at is it?

Here is another view with the system running.  I can't help but run it overnight to leak test out of habit.

     Testing was performed using Passmark's Burnin Test 4.0 for about an hour to get a load temperature.  The Idle temps were taken after running the system overnight.  During testing the internal temperature remained stable at about 30 degrees C ( 86 F) and the room temperature remained at about 21 degrees Celsius C (70 F).  Not bad for a self contained unit.  All tests were done with the radiator fan on the high setting.

Conclusion:

     The Mini Aquagate is without a doubt easy to install.  With the system arriving already filled and primed, most of the headaches associated with water cooling have been taken care of by Cooler Master.  The compact size will also benefit users with space limitations such as HTPC installations.  First time water-cooling users will find the installation very simple and head ache free.  The lack of upgradeability and maintenance options should cause experienced users to pass this one by.  Cooler Master markets this kit for beginners only.  If you are intimidated by the thought of moving to water-cooling, this is the kit for you.  It just doesn't get any easier than the R80.

Lowest Price: $84.99 at ZipZoomFly