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Coolermaster AQUAGATE R120 - PAGE 5
Tom Karpik - Monday, April 18th, 2005

I have to say that I'm very pleased with the Coolermaster AQUAGATE R120. As I said in the post-test discussion, the AQUAGATE R120 has demonstrated exemplary levels of performance, both in terms of cooling abilities and noise. Granted, the fan on the radiator is a noisy bugger at its highest setting, but fortunately for your ears, a variable resistor is provided so that you can fine tune the speed (and hence noise) to your comfort level.

The AQUAGATE came with an extremely easy-to-follow manual, which detailed the installation procedure of the product on each and every socket type supported. The product bundle came with all of the necessary brackets, adapters, and mounting accessories required for installation on said sockets. The Coolermaster AQUAGATE, being a water-cooling solution, is no more difficult to install than your regular heatsink/fan-based cooler. The pump and waterblock are one unit which is merely mounted onto the motherboard, and then the radiator/fan are mounted over the rear exhaust port of your chassis. It really couldn't be made any simpler than that. The only outstanding issue is choosing the proper kit; not all cases can take a 120mm fan in the back nor can they all take 80mm ones so be sure to check what will fit in your particular case.

Coolermaster has made use of a very unique design with the AQUAGATE. It's unique in the respect that it is an elegant, pre-assembled, turn-key water-cooling solution which requires basically no effort to install. Installation has been made so simple that you'll wonder why typical water-cooling has been made so needlessly complex.

To put it plainly, the AQUAGATE is intensely cool (no pun intended). A water-cooled system has a certain appeal among geeks and non-geeks alike, and at an MSRP of $99, this is a very affordable solution, especially for those who've always wanted a water-cooled rig. Regular water-cooling equipment can easily run into the hundreds of dollars, and require semi-regular maintenence making it unsuitable for most people. At the lowest fan speed setting, the AQUAGATE still performs four degrees cooler than the stock Intel heatsink, but at noise levels so low that there is no chance you'll hear anything while it's operating in a closed chassis. Enthusiasts overclocking some of the hotter Intel processors may want to look at something a bit more powerful, but those running K8s should have quite a bit of overclocking headroom with the AQUAGATE. Top the package off with a claimed two years before maintenence is required on the coolant front and Coolermaster has got itself a winner.

What's Next?

Article Index

1.Introduction
2.Closer Inspection of the AQUAGATE
3.Test Setup and Methodology
4.Test Results
5.Conclusion

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