Aqua PCs XSPC Thor

Conclusions

Obviously, the cooling performance of the Thor is going to depend on a number of things. Dedicating an entire setup to just cooling the CPU is obviously going to give pretty good results in terms of performance over air cooling, and we found that our CPU temperature was, indeed, lower - although your exact mileage will vary depending on the CPU that you use. Our Prescott Pentium D benefited quite a lot, although our Core 2 system rather less so, due to the fact it is so much cooler to start with.

The noise level of the system was definitely within acceptable limits although, again, this will depend on how you configure it. If you want to populate all the fan mounts with 120mm fans, you're going to start getting a bit of a racket. We found that we were able to run the radiator fans at just over half speed each and manage without any additional cooling, leaving the near-silent (fully silent with the case side on) hum of the watercooling system as the only other noise, bar our quiet 7950 GX2.

Coming pre-installed, the system was ridiculously easy to set up and bleed, with a quick run of the pump all that was required to bleed the air out to an acceptable level.

The Lian Li 343 is certainly a fantastic case. It's big, it's beautiful, and its stunningly made. This really is a hark back to the days of the PC60 and PC70 where Lian Li made minimalist, high quality cases with all the extras and an internal layout and build quality to die for. Compared to much of the lower-priced dross we see in the labs every day, this case is simply breathtaking.

Aqua PCs has done a great job with the pre-installed watercooling system. Whilst the documentation could be a bit better - despite telling you how to install the CPU block, it doesn't tell you how to bleed the system - anyone with even a remote knowledge of how to watercool (or, even better, a connection to the net to gather a quick couple of tips) will be able to get started with this no worries. There were no leaks, the case was shipped to us packed with airbags to stop anything from moving, and the inclusion of a one-size-fits-all CPU block makes things ridiculously easy.

Let's talk about the pricing. The 343 is available on its own for £187 ex VAT. The various bits of WC kit come to around £90 ex VAT. This means that you are basically paying about £30 for Aqua PC to install and set it up for you - a bargain if you are inexperienced enough, or sufficiently lacking in time, to require it. The only downside is the fact that you have to pay a little extra to get the case specced up the way you will want it - £15 for the side panel, £10 for the HDD cage etc - but, ultimately, that is the price to pay for having one of the nicest cases on the planet pre-configured to your spec. If you're prepared to splash out, you could always just order all the modular bits and play around afterwards at your leisure.

The XSPC kit is very nice, and expanding to include a GPU block is going to be pretty cost effective, as well as being well within the capabilities of the chunky 1/2" flow.

Overall, this is a well-thought out WC system, pre-installed immaculately in a case which is one of the finest on the planet. Sure, the price is pretty chunky, but this is not cheap kit - so what's not to like?

The Thor is available from Aqua PCs here.