28 - 03 - 2024
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INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bigwater 760 plusa

   Testing CPU Coolers may not really be a hard thing to do but as many of you know it does take time to remove the old one, clean old thermal paste remains, place new on the CPU and install the cooler you want to test. Because of that i always like to have as many CPU Coolers as possible for testing so i can avoid having to go through the same lengthy procedure every few days. Yesterday i uploaded a review about the best CPU Air Cooler currently, the Silver Arrow Extreme by Thermalright and as you can imagine it was one out of many units lined up for testing. Usually i don't really like to upload two reviews about the same hardware type one after the other but since i consider this review as a bit special a made an exception. So today we will be covering one of the latest liquid CPU Coolers by Thermaltake, the BigWater 760 Plus.

 

   Since the beginning of Thermaltake in 1999, they have been at the forefront of creating new and exciting products at a time where most computer users were provided little to no choices for components that may seem irrelevant, but in reality crucial to the performance of a PC. Thermaltake Server Series solutions, with years of thermal experience and industry leadership, sets its goal on reforming total thermal management in server segment by formulating the perfect mixture of versatility, efficiency and thermal management with each respective server product category: Rackmount Chassis, Server Fixed & Redundant Power Supply and Server CPU Cooling Management Solutions. With its comprehensive line of products available, it enables Thermaltake's core customers to enjoy a one-stop-shop experience, reduce product design-in evaluation period and most important of all, flawless integration process. Each of Thermaltake's strengths enables its customer to focus on their core business while taking advantage of the skills and efficiency of a single thermal management solution partner.

 

   If you've been watching news related to CPU Coolers and more specifically liquid CPU Coolers then the name BigWater should ring a bell since Thermaltake has been using that trademark for their liquid CPU Coolers for quite a few years now. However their past attempts to enter the liquid CPU Cooler market with a bang were not what most people would call successful since their solutions simply lacked the performance levels required to achieve that goal. During the past 2 years however Thermaltake has released quite a few powerful CPU Air Coolers and because of that i really had high hopes for the latest BigWater 760 Plus but did it deliver in the end?

 


 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I was surprised to see the BigWater 760 Plus arrive inside a very large box with two large product images at the front, the CPU Compatibility list, main features and cooling efficiency (280W).

 

 

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A table with the specifications of the BigWater 760 Plus and a small graph showcasing the performance differences with the stock Intel Cooler are present at the right side.

 

 

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The features of the unit are also present at the left side in 12 different languages.

 

 

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At the rear of the box Thermaltake gets deeper into the main features of the unit and showcases them with a total of 8 pictures.

 

 

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The box seems a bit overkill but the single piece of Styrofoam used to store the entire bundle is certain to keep it safe regardless of what may happen on its way to you.

 

 

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After taking every single component out of the box you realize that its size is well justified. So inside the box you will find the main dual 5.25" unit, 3/8" (9.5mm) water tube, coolant bottle, filling bottle, 4 hose clamps, water block, user's manual, installation manual, warranty information paper, read before installing paper and a box filled with all the necessary hardware needed for Intel LGA2011/1366/1155/1156/775 and AMD AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2 mainboards along with a small thermal paste tube.

 


 

THE BIGWATER 760 PLUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The 9.5mm water tubings are UV sensitive/reactive and so is the provided Coolant so if your tower has a side window it will certainly look great.

 

 

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Hard plastic is not what I’d use to cover a waterblock but we can't have it all i guess.

 

 

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The nickel plated copper base features a mirror like finish and is even from side to side as you can see from the above picture.

 

 

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The dual 5.25" bay BigWater 760 Plus measures 232mm in length, 148.6mm in width and 85mm in height while weighing a total of 1.25kg (coolant not included).

 

 

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As you can see the fascia of the BigWater 760 Plus is black in color and without many bells and whistles.

 

 

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Taking a closer look we see the perforated section from which cool air gets to the inside fan, the normal/refill coolant status LEDs, the fan speed control knob (manual) and the product name.

 

 

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The BigWater 760 Plus comes with the same mounting holes as would two optical drives.

 

 

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The 120mm 2400RPM fan features blue LEDs which will partially illuminate the UV reactive water coolant and the tubings.

 

 

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The 12v ceramic bearing pump used by Thermaltake features a life cycle of 80.000 hours and is capable of pushing up to 500L per hour with just 16dBA of noise. Both the pump and the 120mm fan are powered from a single 3pin mainboard connector (at first even i didn't think it would be enough).

 

 

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Moving at the far end of the unit we see the 130cc liquid tank which also has two tags on it for low and high coolant levels.

 

 

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The aluminum radiator of the BigWater 760 Plus measures 153mm in length, 120mm in width and 28mm in height.

 

 

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The density of the fins is medium-high which explains why Thermaltake is using a high RPM fan.

 

 

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Even if you cut the provided water cooling tubing in two it's still too long so you need to carefully measure how much it is you want from the unit to the CPU and back.

 


 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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TESTING METHODOLOGY

 

     I always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels so we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that i plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end users who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database will be tested with its bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan we will not be measuring their dBA levels. For the dBA test every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting. PWM fans do that or their own without our intervention. Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig CPU, the Intel Core i7-3930k that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

 

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

 


 

TEST RESULTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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   During the course of this review i was glad to see that Thermaltake has taken the quality and performance of their BigWater series of liquid CPU Coolers a step further than what they used to be. Still this effort although good was not enough and so if you are after the best possible bang for your buck then the BigWater 760 Plus will simply not give it to you and i suspect that the largest reason behind this is the medium-performance water block (i had nothing here to replace it with in order to verify my suspicion). The noise levels coming from both the 120mm fan and the pump are also something i didn't expect and although you can control the fan speed still there will be times when you will need to switch it at full speed and that's something only enthusiasts and overclockers may ignore. Still the BigWater 760 Plus has a set of interesting features including a small dual 5.25" size which allows it to fit in pretty much every PC Case out there (unlike dual/triple 120mm radiators), UV reactive tubings, manual fan speed control knob and an pre-assembled all-in-one design that includes a high performance 500L/Hr. pump, an 130cc reservoir and a 120mm radiator. Ontop of that much like with every liquid cooler out there you will also have zero clearance issues with the rest of the system something that counts a lot for some users.

 

   Price may become the Achilles heel of the BigWater 760 Plus by Thermaltake since it currently retails for around USD120 inside the USA and 100Euros inside the EU. Overall i can't say that the price tag is placed high since you are getting a complete all-in-one water cooling system with very good build quality, however the performance and noise levels are just not what they should be for that price tag and in the end that's what really matters for most people. If the price of the BigWater 760 Plus was even just USD20/20Euros less it would easily get our Platinum award based on a very good price/performance ratio combined with all the benefits of having a liquid cooling solution, however that's not the case and so it walks away with our Golden award.

 

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PROS

- Build Quality
- Size (2x5.25")
- Good Performance (Could Be Better)
- Manual Fan Speed Control
- All-In-One System
- Front Coolant Level Indicators
- Single 3Pin Power Connector
- UV Reactive Tubings And Coolant

 

CONS

- Water Block Quality
- Price (For Some)
- Noise Levels (For Some)