by Rory Buszka on January 22, 2008 in Cooling
If you thought about liquid-cooling your PC, but were put off by the complexity of a typical installation, Thermaltake’s BigWater 760i may be the solution for you. The drive-bay mounting system is a novel solution, but can it provide enough of an advantage over air-cooling to make it worthwhile?
With the Thermaltake BigWater 760i, simplicity is the goal. Everything you need to get started, ostensibly, comes in the box, so it’s a big one. It’s glossy and colorful, depicting the system’s features and specifications in detail. I’m glad Thermaltake chose to put all that extra space on the box to good use, instead of wasting it with a cartoon character…or something. The cardboard is sturdy, and the packaging has the feel of quality.
Upon opening the box, we’re greeted with a large yellow piece of paper, admonishing us to fill and run-test the system outside of a case, in order to check for leaks before assembling it in the case and potentially destroying components with leakage. We wouldn’t want that.
Here’s what you get with the BigWater 760i kit: The radiator module, a copper water-block, plenty of UV-reactive yellow tubing, mounting hardware for the water block, the instruction manual and maintenance schedule guides, and a 500-milliliter bottle of UV-reactive ethylene glycol-based coolant with a squeezable filler bottle. It’s everything you need to build a complete loop with a single water-block, but according to Thermaltake, you can even set the loop up to include other water-cooled components, like a GPU or northbridge water-block, which are sold separately.
Here’s a look at the specifications of the BigWater 760i system.
Specification
|
Value
|
Model |
BigWater 760i |
Thermaltake Part No. |
CL-W0121 |
Exterior Dimensions (L x W x H, Radiator Unit) |
232mm X 148.6mm X 85mm |
Package Weight |
1.3(kg) |
Water Block Dimensions (L x W x H) |
58mm X 58mm X 35mm |
Water Block Weight |
311g |
Water Block Material |
Copper |
CPUs supported |
AMD Socket 939, AM2; Intel Socket 478, LGA 775 |
Water Block Material |
Copper |
Pump Flow |
500L/hr |
Pump Motor |
12V, Ceramic Bearing |
Pump Life |
80,000hr |
Pump Noise |
16 dBa |
Radiator Material |
Aluminum |
Fan Dimensions (L x W x H) |
120mm x 120mm x 25mm |
Fan Motor |
12V, Sleeve Bearing, 1200~2400 RPM, adjustable speed |
Fan Noise |
16~20dBa |
Fan Life |
40,000 Hr |
Liquid Tank Capacity |
130mL |
Tubing Size |
3/8″ (9.5mm ID) |
With that, we will move onto our features overview.