As a seasoned watercooling veteran, I went into this review expecting mediocre performance. I must say, while not up to par with waterbongs and giant heatercore systems, the Waterchill does hold it’s own in the watercooling arena. For a complete, all in one package, this is definitely a good bet.
Everything is finely constructed and good looking, the pump is solid, the res looks like it would need to be hit with a hammer to leak, and the heatercore-style radiator is a big plus over old pipes’n’fins style rads.
But alas, nothing is without faults. The hard tubing is a pain to work with. After working with Clearflex-60 for years, I was amazed at how rigid this tubing was. It takes some effort to get it to run properly.
The good news is if you buy the latest version of their kit you won’t have this problem. Asetek’s newer, softer tubing is the icing on the Waterchill cake. It is as workable as the expensive Tygon and Clearflex-60 tubing and far, far superior to the old hard tubing.
Other issues I have are with the GPU block. It is not machined to fit the 9700pro shim, and one of the
screws had to be slightly bent to fit properly. The bent screws did not affect mounting at all, but removing the shim is a choice you will have to make on your own.
A final note – the Anti-Algae fluid didn’t work too well for me, as a few days into testing I started to see some growth. Asetek has been very responsive to the problem however, and I’m willing to believe that this is a unique case seeing how rare my problem is when looking at other reviews. If you ordered the kit today I doubt you’d have any problems, and considering Asetek’s responsiveness I’m sure they’d fix it if you did.
Overall, this is a great kit. It has wonderful craftsmanship across the board, from the quick-connect fittings, the blocks, the pump, and the radiator, all pieces are clean, functional, and good looking. Performance was quite good, though not what you’d get from the best-of-the-best. In 7v mode the kit runs near-silent, and in 12v mode it is by no means loud – but you’ll notice it.
The negative points I brought up are by no means show-stoppers, but it’s my job as a reviewer to pick these things apart. Also, whenever something went wrong Asetek was there to make it right. Changing over to new tubing as well as sending me a sample to play with shows that they are a quality company.
The last thing to think about is the price. At around $250 and up for the complete kit as I have, it is not a budget kit. Compared to similar performing kits this one is very competitively priced, but $250 isn’t chump change.
Taking everything into consideration, I give this kit an 9.25/10, and I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a one-stop watercooling solution. Further, I think this kit should get the OC Mod Shop seal of approval. Asetek has thought about everything, even when some reviewers don’t (which is why I have a filed down block now).
Pros
- Good Performance
- Great Craftsmanship
- Very Complete Kit
- Silent 7v Operation
- Good Looking!
- New tubing is much better
Cons
- Difficult Tubing
- Potential Install Difficulty
