Preliminary review – Joe
SUMMARY: An excellent system if marketed as a kit – the waterblock could be a top performer.
Another new face on the watercooling scene, AquaJoe, sent me their system to check out. As this is not yet marketed as a kit, I am calling this a preliminary review (no kit pricing available yet). However, if the critical components (waterblock, radiator and waterpump) do not change and are incorporated into a kit, final results should not vary significantly from what you see here.
AquaJoe sent along a Black Ice Xtreme Rev.2 radiator to test with the waterblock and a Hydor L30 waterpump.
The waterblock features a pin fin base:
The base is milled from a copper block and is bolted to the aluminum top with four allen screws:
The base is well finished and appeared polished smooth; when I ran my nail over it, I could not feel or hear any ridges. Included in the base is a hole into which you can insert a temperature probe. Also note the four holes – these are drilled and tapped for an accessory copper coldplate for use with a TEC (no insulation gear included – just the coldplate).
AquaJoe sent three different fittings, but I opted for the largest, which are made of nylon:
I had minor difficulty in using these fittings as they are so large that, with one in place, screwing in the second rubbed against the first one’s hexagonal base:
The anchors for the waterblock mount to the holes in the motherboard:
As you screw down the small bolts into the rails, it expands the split collar in the holes for a secure fit. The mounts are made of aluminum with steel bolts – the springs press the waterblock to the CPU core.
The AquaJoe was tested on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences. I tested the AquaJoe using a 120 mm Delta fan model# WFB1212M (120 x 25mm, 72.4 cfm 34 dBA) on the radiator. As no reservoir was included at this time, I use a simple “T” connector to fill and bleed the system (a method I much prefer anyway).
| Heatsink | Die Temp | Ambient Temp | Delta | C/W |
| Aqua Joe | 35.4 C | 21.9 C | 13.5 C | 0.19 |
C/W = Delta / CPU Watts
Interpreting C/W: For every watt (CPUw) that the CPU
consumes, the HSF will limit the CPU’s temperature rise to (C/W x CPUw)
plus the temperature at the HSF’s fan inlet. For example, at an ambient temp of 25 C, a C/W of 0.25 with a CPU radiating 50 watts means that CPU temp will increase 50 x 0.25 = 12.5 C over ambient temp, or 37.5 C. The lower the C/W, the better.
Die Simulator results place the AquaJoe in the top rank of watercooling kits tested to date (Heatsink Ranking).
AquaJoe’s Watercooling Kit, when marketed, could be an excellent choice for CPU cooling. The pin-fin base does its job, combining moderate system resistance with high surface area – a winning combination. However, until such time as a kit is available, we’ll withhold judgement until we see how all the components work together.
I’m working on assembling a test suite for component testing, and until such time, I’ll reserve judgement on individual components.
Thanks again to AquaJoe for sending this our way.
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