Initial Look
Asetek has launched its new 12V pumps with some fanfare, introducing them into its complete WaterChill products and as upgrade/starter kits. There are two versions of the pump, standard and 'xtreme' and there are also various different kits available.
Firstly, let's take a look at what was in the kit received by HEXUS.
- 12V DC Xtreme Pump & Reservoir Unit
- Print Circuit Board (Control Panel)
- 2 x Temperature Sensors & attachment pads
- 2 x 1/2' fittings
- Manual
- WaterChill Software (Control Panel)
- USB Cable (pump to motherboard)
- Pump mounting platform
- 4 x Rubber pump feet
- Power-On wire
There are various pump kits providing several different configurations to suit your watercooling setup. You can have 1/2' or 10mm fittings, or opt for no fittings at all. There is a base pump kit which doesn't include a reservoir and there are 5 alternative colours of reservoir, should you wish to show off your new pump to everyone. Top it all off with the option for an LCD, like what we've seen on the likes of VapoChill units and it becomes clear that we're not just dealing with a circulating pump. We are dealing with the heart of the watercooling system, in both mechanical and electronic terms.
With the base installed, the WaterChill Xtreme 12V Pump is approximately 16cm long, 7cm wide and 9cm high. You need a reasonable space in which to install it, the bottom of the case being the best place for it, given that with the reservoir fitted both of the fittings are atop the pump/res combo. Unfortunately my particular configuration prevents that (a radiator sits at the bottom of my case.) It will fit in a space at the top of my particular case (Beantech Igloo 1) but for this review I left it outside of the case so that I could get easy access to it.
At the back of the pump we have the control board, which is where all the action is. First of all we have the vital statistics. The pump will use between 7 and 12 watts of power, so not a huge strain on your PSU. Just remember that any fans you run through the unit will also draw further power... still nothing significant. The max flow rate of the pump is 1020l/h with a max head of 240cm. In comparison, my trust old Hydor Seltz L20 II 230V pump can manage 700l/h and has a stated max head of 135cm. So, this WaterChill pump should be up to the task of dealing with fairly restrictive circuits at a decent flow rate.
