Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme S AIO CPU Cooler Review

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme S Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Thermaltake’s goal behind the Water 3.0 Extreme S (CLW0224-B) was to bring back a kit that they had good success with, and modify it slightly. The introduction of the 4-pin header splitter is definitely a nice added touch, because I too would rather not install extra software if I can avoid it. That’s just another element in the cooling loop that can go wrong.

This cooler is an Asetek build, and like other Asetek builds, I’ve had good luck with them. Assembly and installation went without a hitch and can be nice to work with. The noise from the fans was a touch noisy, however it is bearable compared to some others that I’ve reviewed in the past. I’d venture to guess that most gamers will use a headset, which should be plenty sufficient to drown out the little noise this cooler makes. If headsets aren’t your thing, you absolutely won’t have to crank your speakers much further.

One thing that I feel is incorrect on their listed specifications is the noise level of the fans. They’re clearly not very quiet when there is a load on the system, and they’re only listed at 20 dBA. The last cooler that we reviewed, was the Cooler Master Nepton 240M, and those rans are rated at 27 dBA. The Nepton 240M was significantly quieter than the Water 3.0 Extreme S, so take some of the statistics with a grain of salt.

On the performance end, I was overall rather pleased. I had hoped for it to work fairly similar to the Corsair H105 that runs $114.99 shipped, and for the most part it did. The results tell me that it was slightly worse, which is likely due to the thicker radiator of the H105 and the included fans with the cooler we reviewed today could perhaps have been more efficient. One thing to keep in mind is price versus performance. The Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme S runs $20 less than the Corsair H105, which makes it 17% less money. When playing Metro Last Light the Corsair H105 was 3.7C or 10% cooler than the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme S. You get better performance from the Corsair H105 liquid CPU cooler, but Thermaltake is certainly more aggressive when it comes to the performance per dollar. The NZXT Kraken coolers are also Asetek built coolers, though the x60 is a 280mm radiator vs. the 240mm on the TT Water 3.0 Extreme S (Make sure you know if your case will fit either before ordering). It did perform pretty similar to this cooler as well, which is great. Nonetheless, the performance you get out of a kit under $95 is still very good.

Should you want to pick-up your own Water 3.0 Extreme S (CLW0224-B) today, you can find it for $94.99 shipped on Amazon, or even the former Water 3.0 Extreme (CLW0224) is currently the same price on Amazon.

This unit is priced out quite competitively and comes backed by a 3-year warranty. Every cooler does have its pros and cons, and it is tough to come up with and cons for the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme S.

Legit Bottom Line: The Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme S is certainly a nice performing AIO Liquid cooler and comes in at a fantastic price point!