Date: September 26th, 2005
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Thermaltake
<--SHOP FOR A THERMALTAKE BIGWATER SE WATER COOLING KIT HERE
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS & COMPOSITION
We here at Tweaknews.net reviewed the original Bigwater kit back in August. For this review, in the interest of brevity, we'll be concentrating on the changes that Thermaltake has made with the introduction of the Bigwater SE. For reference, or for those who haven't read the previous review, it is available
HERE .
Thermaltake's packaging is always top-notch. Complete specifications and pictorial representations are printed on the outside of the sturdy cardboard box and a carry handle is included for lugging it home from the store (or down the basement stairs, in my case).
The pump included with the Bigwater SE kit is not only dimensionally smaller, it puts out even less flow than its older sibling. It's also more quiet, if that's possible. The pump will circulate up to 90 liters (20 US gallons) of fluid per hour at an almost silent 18 decibels. This appears to be a step backward, but we'll see how it performs a little later. No head or pressure data is provided. A blue LED illuminates the pump housing, as we'll see after installation.
Totally new for the Bigwater SE is the reservoir (or “bay tank”) that fits in an open 5.25-inch drive bay. The tank holds a shade over a pint of liquid. Since it has no moving parts and does nothing but hold liquid, I find it hard to believe that the listed noise rating is accurate!
The rest of the components and accessories are unchanged from the original Bigwater kit. With the addition of the bay tank, the refill tank becomes redundant and is omitted in the Bigwater SE.
Waterblock fitment options remain unchanged as well, supporting Intel P4 LGA 775, P4 Socket 478, AMD K8, AMD K7.
