Just over a year ago I was finishing up the review of Asetek's outstanding WaterChill Antarctica Power Kit and I found myself pondering, "Where do they go from here?" You see, I had just done something I almost never do, I awarded the Antarctica the much coveted Pimprig Elite Award. Now, it seems I may have an answer to my question.

Today we'll look at the Asetek WaterChill 12V DC pump system with integrated reservoir and USB/Software-based control unit. Yep, it's a mouth full, but asetek has never been shy with naming conventions or for that matter self promotion. They are however one of those rare companies that put their product where their mouth is and back up the bravado with some serious performance.

One of the most significant changes in water cooling in recent months is the steady move away from AC powered pumps designed primarily for pond and aquarium applications to DC powered pumps hopefully more suitable for water cooling. Asetek may be a bit late to the party, but they have brought a very interesting spin to the movement with a DC pump/reservoir that can be controlled via software.

Marketing and Education

From asetek's web site:

FIRST ever integrated pump, reservoir and USB/Software based control unit!
FIRST ever pump system, specifically developed and refined for high-end PC/Computer Water-Cooling applications!
FIRST ever pump system to balance flow, pressure and power consumption (heat dissipation) for MAXIMUM performance!
FIRST ever control software offering direct noise and performance optimization, customization of user profiles, and complete system surveillance!

And they go on to state:

Worlds best PRICE/PERFORMANCE value for a water cooling pump system
Worlds best PRICE/QUALITY value for a water cooling pump system
Worlds best PRICE/FUNCTIONALITY value for a water cooling pump system

I told you they weren't shy. "Them's some mighty strong words thar marshall, I hope you can back 'em up!"

Education

Anyone who has ever put a bit of effort into researching custom water cooling, has learned that pump selection can make or break your system...and your wallet. The water cooler's mantra has been, "More head, less power consumption, more flow." But the initiated know that this statement is at odds with itself. And pumps with these characteristics tend to be expensive. For the uninitiated, a short lesson in the science of water cooling:

More flow (the volume of water over a given unit of time, such as gallons per hour) through a water block ALWAYS equals better cooling in the block.

The more head (defined as the height a pump can raise water) the more effective the pump is with impingement style blocks such as the asetek Antarctica.

Both of the above require power and this power requirement roughly doubles for every 100 gph a pump can provide The more power consumed...the more heat produced by the pump.

If enough heat is dumped back into the cooling loop by the pump any gains made by increased flow and head are negated or at best minimized. This is commonly referred to as The Law of Diminishing Returns. In other words, you'll reach a point where more flow, more head and more $CASH$ simply won't buy much more performance. If you could however, seamlessly control the flow and pressure of the pump to accommodate varying heat loads, you just might be onto something worthwhile. Not only would it require less power consumption to accomplish the task, but the noise generated by the pump would be reduced as well. Providing of course you don't have to sell the farm to pay for such a pump, this would seem an ideal solution to the aforementioned law.

We'll see how the theory holds up.

Package

The packaging the new WaterChill 12V pump arrived in was somewhat the worse for trans-Atlantic wear, but inside the pump and accessories was safe and sound.

Inside the box we find:

The pump/res unit
A snap-on base and rubber suction cup feet
Two temperature probes
A USB control cable
A small piece of wire
Several feet of 3/8" pvc tubing
Some double-sided tape
A installation CD for the control software