Entry posted by Tt Ariel
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15 September, 2014 - by George Cella
There are always constraints in product development and what is actually possible. While many times, an idea may be profound, it may not be physically possible in the real world. First and foremost, the actual materials to make the idea work need to exist. The idea of a floating transportation board that is non-powered since it is made of a gravity defying element that can bear weight and will not float away may sound great. This idea falls apart when you take into account that an element doesn’t exist. Other times, your idea may step on a patent and may not be legally viable as a result, or at least not financially viable after paying royalties to the patent holder.
Over the last year, we have seen the legalese stunting of development in the CLC market. Since one manufacturer now owns the rights to the “pump on the block†concept, and vaguely on the concept of closed loop in general, we have been watching a one-horse race. Companies marketing these CLCs have had to work within the scope of what the patent holder (and OEM) is producing. With the same basic set of parts to work with, differentiation in the marketplace is becoming more difficult, and differentiation in performance even more difficult. There is only so much difference you can make by changing one 100 cfm fan to another 100 cfm fan, and the RGB LEDs may be a nice touch, but they aren’t helping cool anything.
All in all, I am very impressed with the Water 3.0 Ultimate as a complete package, far more so than I expected to be. I appreciate Thermaltake’s approach and wish that more vendors would start using it. Balance and taking advantage of a component’s strengths are key, and Thermaltake gets that. While I still feel that an open loop solution, like the H220-X or XSPC Raystorm kit, is a much better choice at this price point for obvious reasons, when it comes to closed loop, there is no disputing that the Water 3.0 Ultimate is the current top choice. This is not only for its overall performance capabilities, but the fact that it will be a nice quiet everyday solution, as well. For this, the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate takes home a Hi Tech Legion Gold Award.
Likes
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Top Performing CLC We Have Tested To Date
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Excellent Noise/Performance For CLC Cooler
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Outstanding Noise/Performance With Fans at 1450 rpm and 40 dBA
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Fans Controlled By Motherboard Header Directly
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No Need For Extra Software
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Push/Pull Ready With Threads Pre-Tapped In Radiator
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52mm Thick Including Fans Aids Compatibility
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Simple Installation on AMD or Intel
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Fully Filled and Assembled Right Out of The Box
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No Maintenance Required (or Possible, Which Is The Downside)
Dislikes
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360mm Radiator Has Limited Case Compatibility
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Price High For Performance Capabilities When Compared to High End Air or Basic Open Loop
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Uses Basic Asetek Mounting Kit Including Plastic Backplate Which Is Known To Require Care In Usage
For more information: http://hitechlegion.com/reviews/cooling/liquid/41520-thermaltake-water-3-0-ultimate-360mm-liquid-cpu-cooler-review?showall=&limitstart=
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