The Results Of The Overclocking Test, Continued

Even in these circumstances, Zalman's CNPS7000-Cu is much superior to Intel's boxed cooler.

The Hydrocool system cools a little better in turbo mode, but that little tick extra isn't worth the brouhaha you have to put up with in return. While Innovatek's water-cooling system puts up a good fight, the Corsair unit still beats the pants off of it. Zalman's air cooler turns out to be a good alternative (excellent cooling capabilities and a low noise level) to a much more expensive liquid-cooling system.

Conclusion: Impressive Water Cooling Debut From Corsair; Excellent Air Cooling From Zalman

In our opinion, Corsair's CPU water cooling debut is a complete success. The Hydrocool200 we tested is intelligently designed, easy to install, well-manufactured and extremely powerful. What's more, the system also comes standard with many features (adjustable alarm thresholds, fill level display, flow meter, LCD display) that its competitors either don't have at all or only offer as an extra. The only shortcoming of the Hydrocool200 is its rather loud operating noise level. This is an issue that the joint-venture partners Corsair and Delphi should really resolve for the benefit of their customers.

Despite this "blemish," Corsair's Hydrocool200 has definitely earned the "THG Editor's Award."

If you're looking for a perfectly quiet yet extremely powerful alternative to Intel's P4 boxed cooler, but aren't willing or able to invest $200 or more in a water cooling system, we recommend buying Zalman's CNPS7000-Cu.