| Cooler Master Aquagate Viva |
|
|
This unit was a mixed bag. I was really excited, until the installation. This is where I ran into so many problems. One of the major reasons stem from the inverted motherboard layout of my case. That's forgivable. Some slight modifications and everything was fine. Traditional cases should have no problem with the install.
The majority of video cards need memory cooling. It seems like a big oversight to forget one of the most essential parts - ram heat sinks. Good thing the Zalman V700-AlCu came with heat sinks, but some of you may not be so lucky. Now I know why there are clearance issues if installed as directed - Cooler Master didn't factor in ram heat sinks! Although I did get it to work, it's a minor faux pas on Cooler Master's part. It's not an issue if your video card doesn't have any cooling for the memory.
As stated previously, I'm a bit picky when it comes to noise and the water block buzzing was a tad on the noisy side. Again, I'm very critical of noise, so it may not bother others as much. If you have a stock cooler, chances are the AQUAGATE Viva is much quieter.
With that said, the performance of this product cannot be ignored. I wasn't expecting much, given the price of the unit, the track record of "all-in-one solutions" and the installation problems. However, the AQUAGATE Viva performance is astounding when used on a video card. The Arctic Silver 5 hasn't had any time to cure yet, so you can expect another 1-2c drop in temperatures once it's fully cured. For the hardcore enthusiasts out there, you can also expect more drops in temperature by lapping the water block, which it can definitely use.
Using the AQUAGATE Viva as a CPU cooler tells a different story. A high end air cooling solution will perform a bit better without the added noise. Adding a 80mm fan to the water block did not change the temperatures at all. To be fair, the purpose of the 80mm fan is to cool the surrounding components, not the CPU.
Is this going to replace individual water cooling components? Definitely not. Products like this can simply co-exist. For the price, the performance is good. However, the short comings of the AQUAGATE Viva is preventing it from being a great product. The installation issues I can live with, but the buzzing water block is a major pitfall in my opinion. It's really a shame, as this could have been an unbeatable product. I do have to give kudos to Cooler Master for bringing this one of a kind product to market. Hopefully other manufacturers will follow in Cooler Master's footsteps. In the end, I would recommend this over your stock cooling.
Pros
- Excellent performance for video card
- Price
- Compatibility
- Multiple mounting options
Cons
- Buzzing water block/pump
- Loud fans at full load
- Installation issues with inverted cases (Lian-Li)
- Clearance issue with ram sinks
- Ram sinks not included
If Cooler Master is listening, here are some improvements I would recommend:
Resolve buzzing noise from water block.
Include small rheostat to control the fans.
Resolve the clearance issue with ram heat sinks.
Include ram heat sinks.
*Include another water block to cool the GPU and CPU simultaneously.
*This could already been in the works, as I saw a version of the AQUAGATE Viva with two water blocks on Cooler Master's website, but it mysteriously disappeared.
We'd like to give a big thanks to Cooler Master for allowing us to evaluate this unit.
| « Noise and Power Consumption | More Reviews » |