When ‘Extreme’ Isn’t Enough, Thermaltake’s WATER3.0 ‘Ultimate’ Should Do The Trick

When I took a look at Thermaltake’s WATER3.0 Extreme CPU cooler last August, I was left quite impressed overall. So impressed, in fact, that the very same cooler has been used in our GPU test bench since. With its dual-rad design and efficient fans, I deemed the Extreme to be suitable for overclockers and those who simply appreciate efficient cooling with low noise. I fall into the latter category when it comes to personal rigs, but the Extreme has been handling a 4.5GHz static clock on our six-core Intel Core i7-4960X since it was installed.

Despite the Extreme’s efficient design, it still might not be enough for some – specifically those who take overclocking a little more seriously, or those who want to run their CPU as cool and quiet as possible at all times. For that, one might turn to Ultimate, the fourth entrant in Tt’s WATER3.0 series.

Yup – that’s one massive cooler, and one that’s going to require a special chassis to fit inside of. With this triple-rad design, the length of the unit measures 393mm long, and retains the 27mm depth of the Performer and Extreme. Outside of its dimensions, weight, and of course, the extra fan, the Ultimate is almost identical to the Extreme, as the below table highlights. Because of the extra length, though, Thermaltake’s equipped the Ultimate with a more powerful pump.

One difference that might stand out is that Ultimate doesn’t include a software package like the Extreme did. This is because this larger cooler uses a 3-way splitter that plugs straight into the motherboard, allowing the motherboard’s PWM to take over fan control duties.

As of the time of publishing, no pricing information was available. We were told that Ultimate should pop-up at etail in a month or two, however.