Zalman Reserator XT Liquid Cooling System

Once considered the ultimate in geekdom, liquid cooling (also known as water cooling) has become almost mainstream.  For those pushing the envelope, there's high performance (and high cost) kits from retailers such as Danger Den, DTek, or Swiftech. However, those kits usually require either a great deal of patience, or experience, during installation. For those less schooled in the art of exotic cooling, your choices are fairly limited. While there are no shortage of pre-fabbed kits, both internal and external, marketed at the novice, these kits usually forego quality to make themselves as easy to install and user friendly as possible.

Zalman is a name well known in the DIY community. While their products will never be found in the budget realm, Zalman has made a name for themselves with their products marketed toward those looking for the quietest possible computing solution. With products like the CNPS9500 and 9700 proving to be excellent after market air cooled solutions, Zalman also offers enclosures that emphasize silence without sacrificing performance, and even passive liquid cooling solutions. Zalman's latest cooling solution is the third evolution of the venerable Reserator liquid cooling system. While Zalman's Reserator and Reserator 1 V2 were both passively cooled, Zalman's third entry into the liquid cooling market, the reserator XT is a completely different animal.

Featuring an assortment of interesting features, possibly the easiest installation we've seen for a liquid cooling system, and the quality we've come to expect from Zalman, the Reserator XT promises to be one of the most intriguing products to hit the HL test bench in some time. If you have deep pockets and are looking to get your feet wet (not literally), read on as we put the Zalman Reserator XT through its paces.