Introduction

The Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer is a sealed liquid cooling system with a 120 mm radiator and two 120 mm fans. Let’s test it.

The WATER2.0 Performer is a less expensive version of the WATER2.0 Pro, which we reviewed recently. It uses the same block and fans, but the radiator of the Performer is half as deep as the Pro’s.

Figure 1 shows the box of the WATER2.0 Performer.

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Figure 1: Package

Figure 2 shows the contents of the box: the radiator-block set, fans, manuals, a Y-harness for connecting both of the fans to a single motherboard fan connector, and installation hardware.

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Figure 2: Accessories

This watercooler is discussed in detail in the following pages.

The Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer

The sealed radiator-block system is shown in Figure 3. At the left is the radiator; at the right you can see the block. There is a cable on the block, which brings power to the integrated pump.

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Figure 3: Sealed system

Figures 4 and 5 reveal the radiator of the WATER2.0 Performer.

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Figure 4: Radiator

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Figure 5: Radiator

The Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer (Cont’d)

In Figure 6, you can see the top of the block, where the pump that makes the liquid flow is integrated.

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Figure 6: Block

The base of the block, which is made of copper, is revealed in Figure 7. The thermal compound comes pre-applied.

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Figure 7: Base

Figure 8 illustrates the twin 120 mm fans that come with the WATER2.0 Performer. The fans have four pin connectors, which means they are compatible with PWM speed control. Both fans must be installed in exhaust mode.

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Figure 8: Fans

Installation

In Figure 9, you can see the backplate for use on Intel CPUs. You must insert the four nuts into the backplate before attaching it to the solder side of the motherboard.

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Figure 9: Backplate

The second step of the installation is a little complicated. You must mount the frame on the block, as shown in Figure 10.

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Figure 10: Frame installed

The last step is to install the system inside the computer, attaching the block on the CPU and the radiator on the rear panel, on the space originally designed for the rear fan. You must remove the rear fan of the case, if your case has one. Both fans must be installed as exhaust.

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Figure 11: Installation finished

How We Tested

We tested the cooler with a Core i5-2500K CPU (quad-core, 3.3 GHz), which is a socket LGA1155 processor with a 95 W TDP (Thermal Design Power). In order to get higher thermal dissipation, we overclocked it to 4.0 GHz (100 MHz base clock and x40 multiplier), with 1.3 V core voltage (Vcore). This CPU was able to reach 4.8 GHz with its default core voltage, but at this setting, the processor enters thermal throttling when using mainstream coolers, reducing the clock and thus the thermal dissipation. This could interfere with the temperature readings, so we chose to maintain a moderate overclocking.

We measured noise and temperature with the CPU under full load. In order to get 100% CPU usage in all cores, we ran Prime 95 25.11 with the “In-place Large FFTs” option. (In this version, the software uses all available threads.)

We compared the tested cooler to other coolers we already tested, and to the stock cooler that comes with the Core i5-2500K CPU. Note that the results cannot be compared to measures taken on a different hardware configuration, so we retested some “old” coolers with this new methodology. This means you can find different values in older reviews than the values you will read on the next page. Every cooler was tested with the thermal compound that comes with it.

Room temperature measurements were taken with a digital thermometer. The core temperature was read with the SpeedFan program (available from the CPU thermal sensors), using an arithmetic average of the core temperature readings.

During the tests, the panels of the computer case were closed. The front and rear case fans were spinning at minimum speed in order to simulate the “normal” cooler use on a well-ventilated case. We assume that is the common setup used by a cooling enthusiast or overclocker.

The sound pressure level (SPL) was measured with a digital noise meter, with its sensor placed near the top opening of the case. This measurement is only for comparison purposes, because a precise SPL measurement needs to be made inside an acoustically insulated room with no other noise sources, which is not the case here.

Hardware Configuration

• Processor: Core i5-2500K
• Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Extreme-Z
• Memory: 6 GB OCZ (DDR3-1600/PC3-12800), configured at 1,600 MHz and 8-8-8-18 timings
• Hard disk: Seagate Barracuda XT 2 TB
• Video card: Point of View GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
• Video resolution: 1920x1080
• Video monitor: Samsung SyncMaster P2470HN
• Power supply: Seventeam ST-550P-AM
• Case:  Cooler Master HAF 922

Operating System Configuration

• Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit SP1

Software Used

• Prime95
• SpeedFan

Error Margin

We adopted a 2°C error margin, meaning temperature differences below 2°C are considered irrelevant.

Our Tests

The table below presents the results of our measurements. We repeated the same test on all coolers listed below. Each measurement was taken with the CPU at full load. In the models with a fan supporting PWM, the motherboard controlled the fan speed according to core load and temperature. On coolers with an integrated fan controller, the fan was set at the full speed.

Cooler	Room Temp.	Noise	Speed	Core Temp.	Temp. Diff.
Cooler Master Hyper TX3	18 °C	50 dBA	2850 rpm	69 °C	51 °C
Corsair A70	23 °C	51 dBA	2000 rpm	66 °C	43 °C
Corsair H100	26 °C	62 dBA	2000 rpm	64 °C	38 °C
EVGA Superclock	26 °C	57 dBA	2550 rpm	67 °C	41 °C
NZXT HAVIK 140	20 °C	46 dBA	1250 rpm	65 °C	45 °C
Thermalright True Spirit 120	26 °C	42 dBA	1500 rpm	82 °C	56 °C
Zalman CNPS12X	26 °C	43 dBA	1200 rpm	71 °C	45 °C
Zalman CNPS9900 Max	20 °C	51 dBA	1700 rpm	62 °C	42 °C
Titan Fenrir Siberia Edition	22 °C	50 dBA	2400 rpm	65 °C	43 °C
SilenX EFZ-120HA5	18 °C	44 dBA	1500 rpm	70 °C	52 °C
Noctua NH-L12	20 °C	44 dBA	1450 rpm	70 °C	50 °C
Zalman CNPS8900 Extreme	21 °C	53 dBA	2550 rpm	71 °C	50 °C
Gamer Storm Assassin	15 °C	48 dBA	1450 rpm	58 °C	43 °C
Deepcool Gammaxx 400	15 °C	44 dBA	1500 rpm	60 °C	45 °C
Cooler Master TPC 812	23 °C	51 dBA	2350 rpm	66 °C	43 °C
Deepcool Gammaxx 300	18 °C	43 dBA	1650 rpm	74 °C	56 °C
Intel stock cooler	18 °C	41 dBA	2000 rpm	97 °C	79 °C
Xigmatek Praeton	19 °C	52 dBA	2900 rpm	83 °C	64 °C
Noctua NH-U12P SE2	18 °C	42 dBA	1300 rpm	69 °C	51 °C
Deepcool Frostwin	24 °C	46 dBA	1650 rpm	78 °C	54 °C
Thermaltake Frio Advanced	13 °C	56 dBA	2000 rpm	62 °C	49 °C
Xigmatek Dark Knight Night Hawk Edition	9 °C	48 dBA	2100 rpm	53 °C	44 °C
Thermaltake Frio Extreme	21 °C	53 dBA	1750 rpm	59 °C	38 °C
Noctua NH-U9B SE2	12 °C	44 dBA	1700 rpm	64 °C	52 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Pro	15 °C	54 dBA	2000 rpm	52 °C	37 °C
Deepcool Fiend Shark	18 °C	45 dBA	1500 rpm	74 °C	56 °C
Arctic Freezer i30	13 °C	42 dBA	1350 rpm	63 °C	50 °C
Spire TME III	8 °C	46 dBA	1700 rpm	70 °C	62 °C
Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer	11 °C	54 dBA	2000 rpm	49 °C	38 °C

In the graph below, you can see how many degrees Celsius hotter the CPU core is than the air outside the case. The lower this difference, the better is the performance of the cooler.

 

In the graph below, you can see how many decibels of noise each cooler makes.

Main Specifications

The main specifications for the Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer liquid CPU cooler include:

• Application: Sockets 775, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, and FM1 processors
• Radiator dimensions: 5.9 x 4.7 x 1.1 inches (151 x 120 x 27 mm) (W x L x H)
• Block height: 1.1 inches (29 mm)
• Fins: Aluminum
• Base: Copper
• Heat-pipes: None
• Fan: Two, 120 mm
• Nominal fan speed: 2,000 rpm
• Fan air flow: 81.32 cfm
• Power consumption: 2 x 6.0 W
• Nominal noise level: 27.36 dBA
• Weight: 1.8 lb (815 kg)
• More information: http://www.thermaltakeusa.com
• Average Price in the U.S.*: USD 80.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

Conclusions

When we tested the WATER2.0 Pro, we were pleased by the high cooling performance it achieved. When we were installing the WATER2.0 Performer, a less expensive version with a smaller radiator, we were expecting a sensible performance difference. But the WATER2.0 Performer surprised us, delivering the same cooling performance of its bigger brother!

There’s no other way to say it: the Thermaltake WATER2.0 Performer is an incredible sealed liquid cooling system, offering high cooling performance, acceptable noise level, and an excellent price/performance ratio. It receives the Hardware Secrets Golden Award with honors.