Three liquid cooling solutions tested

Earlier this week ExtremeTech tested three liquid cooling kits to see if they are worth your money: thhe CoolIt Eliminator, Kingwin Gladiator and Gigabyte Galaxy 3D II.

Liquid cooling used to frighten the more timid enthusiasts, and for good reason. If you looked into it casually, the sheer range of parts and methods was frightening. You'd need water blocks. You'd need radiators. You'd need reservoirs. You'd need hoses that fit properly. You'd need a pump with the proper pressure for your water cooling system. There wasn't much help out there, the parts were ala carte, and the entire task was a massive project.

Today, liquid cooling is almost as easy to install as a standard heatsink and fan air cooler, thanks to companies like CoolIt Systems and Kingwin. Both offer products included in this roundup that are compact, pre-filled, and ready to install. Even the third product, Gigabyte's you-assemble-it hose/valve/pump system comes in a kit with everything you need to liquid cool your system's CPU. There's no guesswork, no worries about pump pressure or hose thickness.

Check it out over here. The first two coolers seemed to perform pretty well but the reviewer says the Gigabyte 3D Galaxy II isn't worth it - that cooler was difficult to install, noisy and didn't cool that well either.