Asetek WaterChill CPU/VGA/Chipset Power Kit – KT12AT-SL35

Kit Test – Joe

SUMMARY: Superb performance, quality components – an excellent performance kit from the Land of Hamlet.

Forsooth – the melancholy Prince of Cool, Lord Asetek, hath graciously sendeth unto me a sample of their WaterChill CPU/VGA/Chipset Power kit to my humble abode forthwith with the intent upon their noble minds for me to test and evaluate such as was unto me delivered – a noble endaeavor indeed.

To watercool or not to watercool – that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous noise, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by watercooling, end them.

I pray you all, season this admiration for a while with an attent ear till I may deliver upon you the witness of this marvel to you.

Key Features:

• WaterChill CPU Cooler Antarctica block supporting Intel P4 LGA 775 (Socket T)
• WaterChill Chipset cooler block NB01/P1 supporting Intel, AMD, SIS and VIA chip sets
• WaterChill VGA cooler block VGA02/P1 supporting Nvidia/Gforce ad ATI/Radeon AGP cards
• Black Ice Pro TRIPLE Radiator with push on fittings
• 3 X 120 mm Low Noise Adda Fans
• 900 liter/hr SACEM Pump with push on fittings
• WaterChill Control Unit with SafeStartTM, 7 & 12 volt connectors and LED pin
• WaterChill Plexiglas Reservoir
• WaterChill Tube Set – 3 meters
• ALL fittings and mounting accessories are included
• WaterChill Anti-Algae Fluid – WaterWetter [10ml bottle]
• Heat Conduction Compound – 2 ml tube
• Instruction Manuals

The waterpump inlcudes an acrylic reservoir

and a relay assembly which turns the pump on and off with the PC; in addition, there are 7 and 12 volt settings for the fans:

The waterblocks include CPU, GPU and chipset:

The CPU waterblock is the Antarctica:

There is a slot which directs the water over its channels. The base is quite good:

However, I could feel slight ridges as I dragged my fingernail over it.

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Both the VGA

and Chipset waterblocks feature “fences” to channel waterflow.

Finally, the parts shipped with the unit

are almost enough to open a hardware store – everything is included for setup. The instruction manuals are thorough and cover how to test run the system. Note that the hoses must be pushed all the way into the fittings – one looked OK but leaked, as it was not in all the way. As always, make sure the connections are tight; if not, this bodes some strange eruption to our state.

Asetek’s WaterChill Power Kit was tested using the CPU Die Simulator; I ran the fans at 7 and 12 volts. I tested the kit using only the CPU waterblock; adding in the GPU and Chipset blocks will marginally degrade performance.

Since brevity is the soul of wit, and tediousness the limbs and outward floursihes, I will be brief – let the world take note, Asetek’s WaterChill Power Kit is the most immediate to our throne of watercooling kits (Heatsink Ranking) tested to date.

What news, my lord? Something is not rotten in the state of Denmark. If you’re thinking of buying a performance watercooling kit, let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark – Asetek’s WaterChill Power Kit is top ranked, in the gross and scope of my opinion.

(With apologies to Bill S.)
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A number of readers asked that I do a test with the GPU and Chipset waterblocks in place and compare these results to the system with only the CPU waterblock. The following resulted:

Asetek’s WaterChill Power Kit was tested using the CPU Die Simulator; I ran the fans at 7 and 12 volts.

Adding the additional blocks marginally degrades performance, not enough to really make a substantial difference at the desktop. One reason that the difference is so slight is that the waterpump has enough “overhead” so that the added pressure drop minimally impacts performance, as well as the radiator. Systems with lesser waterpumps will show a much greater performance hit.

Email Joe