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Product:
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Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 |
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Price:
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$110 (CAN) / $99 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Cooler Master
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Author:
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Hi-TEK
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Date:
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May 18th, 2005
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Rating:
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MODTHEBOX would like to thank Lucy from Cooler Master
for providing the Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 for review.
Introduction:
Water cooling has had a huge impact on the computer industry by directly influencing the way consumers
approach system cooling. While air cooling is still utilized a majority of computer users, many are
slowing transitioning to more advanced alternatives such thermoelectric and phase change cooling. For
the consumer who is intimidated, there are a few reputable companies such as Alphacool, Asetek, Danger Den,
D-TEK, Innovatek, and Swiftech who have gained excellent reputations for providing reliable water cooling
kits. The kits offered by these companies is considered high-end, but recently there has been an
increase in economical based water cooling where price is more of a factor instead of performance.
Today in the MTB Labs, we will be evaluating the new Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80, a self contained
water cooling system designed for the PC platform.
Specifications:
The Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 consists of various components that can be assembled together to form a
complete water cooling system. Consumers have the option of purchasing the R80 which uses an 80mm based
radiator or the R120 which uses a 120mm based radiator. The kit requires some mild assembly and includes
all the necessary components for installation. Here are some of the specifications taken directly from
the Cooler Master website:
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Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 - Key Specifications:
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| Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80: Manufactured by Cooler Master |
| Material of Base: Cu. Stacked Fin + Cu. Base |
| Dimension of Base: 70mm x 85mm x 23 mm |
| Bearing of Pump: NCB (Nano-millimeter Ceramic Bearing) |
| Fan Dimension R80: 80 x 80 x 25 mm |
| Fan Speed R80: 1,800 ~ 3,800 R.P.M |
| Air flow R80: 53.499 CFM |
| Air pressure R80: 8.658 mm-H2O |
| Fan Noise R80: 24.4 ~37.9 dBA |
| Fan Bearing Type: Long life sleeve bearing |
| Radiator Material: Aluminum Alloy |
| Radiator Dimension R80: 80mm x 120mm x 45 mm |
| Pipe Dimension: 300 mm x 2 |
| Application: Intel® Pentium® 4 (Socket 478/LGA 775) processors, Intel®
Pentium® Xeon® (Socket 603/604) processors, Intel® Celeron® (Socket 478) processors, Intel® Celeron® D Socket 478/LGA775) processors,
AMD Sempron™ (Socket A/754) processors, AMD Athlon™ XP (Socket A) processors and AMD Athlon™ 64 (Socket 754/939/940) processors |
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 was shipped in a standard double-walled corrugated box with the manufacturer's
logos printed on various areas of the package. The back portion of the package details product specifications and
a summarized feature list. Packaging inside the box was good, with each portion of the kit enclosed by protective foam
and cardboard. It was nice to see that even for an economical based water cooling solution; attention was placed on
packaging materials to ensure that this kit arrives in perfect condition.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80 is truly an all-inclusive kit that has been pre-assembled and contains all the
components required to transition from air based cooling to water cooling. The kit is comprised of the following
components:
- 1 x Cooler Master AquaGate Mini R80
- 1 x LGA775 retention plate
- 1 x K8 retention plate
- 1 x K7 retention plate
- 1 x Xeon retention plate
- 1 x P4 Socket 478 retention plate
- 1 x Backplate
- 1 x Small package of Cooler Master generic Thermal grease
- 1 x Cooler Master 80mm cooling fan
- 1 x Package of assorted screws, plastic washers and anti-vibration pads
- 1 x 3-pin to 4-pin fan adapter
- 1 x 80mm chrome wire grill
- 1 x PCI shield w/silver knob
- 1 x 9mm Hexagon wrench
After removing the contents of the package out of the box, I was pretty skeptical in terms of whether or not this kit would
be to perform as equally as or better than an air cooled system. During my initial inspection, I noted the kit was already
primed and filled with coolant. The included 20 page instruction manual is adequate and provides some insight in terms of
the product feature set, troubleshooting tips, and installation for both AMD and Intel based platforms. While the manual
is helpful it pales in comparison to some of the first rate documentation I had read in rival kits from Alphacool, Asetek,
Innovatek and Swiftech. The AquaGate Mini R80 is a second generation product that follows a more traditional approach to
water cooling than the original Aquagate that was released last year.
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