Thermaltake Bigwater 760i Review

[One4yu2c]

By now, any longtime HardwareLogic reader should be familiar with Thermaltake. Because they're one of the shakers in the after market cooling and enclosure arena, we've had a chance to look at more than a few of their products. Most recently we put their V1 CPU cooler under the microscope, an air cooled solution sporting easy to install pushpins and a funky (yet effective) vertical design. With air coolers upping the performance ante, is there still a market for pre-assembled water cooling kits?

Thermaltake thinks so, and today we're looking at the Bigwater 760i. Thermaltake touts the 760i as an easy-to-install, high performing, high quality, and high reliability kit. To achieve those goals, it will first have to step out of the shadows cast by its predecessor, the Bigwater 745, who's performance was marred by it's propensity to spring leaks during installation. Will the 760i represent an improvement over Thermaltake's previous foray into water cooling? Can it compete with today's high performance air coolers? You'll have to read on to find out, but one thing we can say right off the bat is we were NOT sent an iPod Nano for this review. Sorry folks, but unless someone invents a functioning version of one of those remotes capable of muting wives and girlfriends, we're just not interested in bribes.
Paul Lilly

Read More and Digg It!...

[Stormcrow]

Nice write up, Paul. I was hoping for this system to be more effective, but it just doesn't seem worth it when you can get an air cooler that performs on par for about 40-50 bucks.

[_WBaS_]

Yes nice work Paul. I've often thought about going water cooling, but air cooling still provides a much bigger bang for the buck. Who knows... maybe someday not too far off we won't need huge HSF's. Processors seem like they are becoming more efficient, needing less cooling.

[Dread]

Good article.

Couple of questions though.

1. The radiator is exhausting into the case?

2. Do you suppose that the size of radiator (and Q above) = poorer than expected performance?

3. The tubing in the pump/radiator/res is smaller in diameter than the supplied 'external' 3/8" tubing?

[Quakindude]

Good review Paul. I'm disappointed Thermaltake hasn't done more to seperate their kits from the herd than this though. I would like to have seen not only the fan speed control located on the front panel, but an integrated, small LCD screen on the front with water temp would be simple to integrate while making this kit a bit more interesting.

Diggin it.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by Dread

1. The radiator is exhausting into the case?

2. Do you suppose that the size of radiator (and Q above) = poorer than expected performance?

3. The tubing in the pump/radiator/res is smaller in diameter than the supplied 'external' 3/8" tubing?

1) Yes, the fan sits on top of the radiator, which sits in your drive bays, presumably above or below your opticals.

2) Let me say first that performance wasn't bad, it just didn't out pace the high end air coolers available, nor would it hang with enthusiast level liquid cooling kits (though it did demolish the stock cooler and run away from the Scyth Katana 2). Smaller tubing going into the radiator, average pump, and a smaller radiator all were factors in why it doesn't distance itself from high end air coolers. The focus of this kit was towards ease of installation, and not balls to the wall performance. Whether that's worth the pricing premium over air cooled solutions, that's up to you.

3) Correct.

[polobunny]

I'd really like to see a 3 5.25" bay version with the fan blowing up the front of the computer. I think it would greatly enhance the cooling potential of such a self contained kit, and though it would be rather bulky most mid-towers now can fit 4 5.25" drives. It would also reduce the length to something closer to normal.
That or like certain other kits, using the 120mm fan at the back (if available).

Good review Paul, sadly still not necessarily worth it, if you can get a cheaper air cooler that generates the same amount of noise and cools better. :/
They're getting there though.

[One4yu2c]

Let me also note that Matt (Prolific_One) gets major kudos to devoting his time re-testing the Bigwater. Other sites have shown the 760i in a more favorable light (though some of the air coolers used for comparison were a notch below the high end offerings), so I sent the kit home with Matt to see if his results would be in tune with mine. Indeed they were, and as always, HL's assessment brings the straight dope to the table. On the downside, that means we'll have to buy our own iPod Nanos...

[Yellowhello]

Great write-up Paul. I definitely would go with a better air cooler than this, mostly because it looks like the air coolers did about the same (sometimes better) and are a ton cheaper.

[Quakindude]

I think for the intended market, the budding enthusiast that wants to get his/her "feet wet", this is an excellent solution that performs admirably for the application constraints given.