Zalman ZMachine LQ1000

Results Analysis

We were expecting impressive thermal results from the LQ1000 in comparison to our other recently tested cases, and why shouldn’t we, it has the significant perceived advantage of watercooling! With both the fans and the pump set to high with the front mounted control it recorded an idle delta T value of just 5°C, and at load of just 16°C – this is no mean feat considering the thermal output of our test processor.

At low fan speeds the results remained impressive, with idle and load Delta T values of just 8°C and 20°C respectively. These results are clearly superior to those provided by air-cooled systems and when set to its lowest fan speed the LQ1000 is barely audible, with the fans spinning down to 1000RPM and the pump slowing down to a very low chug.

However, when manually set to high speed the LQ1000, while not too intrusively noisy, is still fairly audible over the day to day hum of our office (and Tim mentally practising for tonight’s Rock Band session with the help of “The 500 best rock and roll tracks: EVER!”).

If we were allowed to keep the LQ1000, we’d certainly be running it manually set to low for the better compromise between noise and high quality cooling. Realistically the barely audible LQ1000 can match and exceed the performance of other air-cooled cases on high fan flow and noise - that's no mean feat to keep an overclocked, high power rig cool whilst retaining your sanity.

Value

Value is quite possibly the hardest point on which to judge the LQ1000, which, if you can’t tell yet, we're really rather fond of. We can’t really fairly compare it to the other systems we’ve reviewed because, in both build quality and the inbuilt watercooling and management features, it’s in a league of its own. While investment in CPU cooling is always going to a case of diminishing returns, don’t baulk too much at that £400 just yet, as there’s plenty to consider.

For your investment, which we'll admit is enough to buy an entire mid range gaming system, you're getting a case with the build quality of a luxury car, vibration free HDD mounting and a fully integrated water-cooling system with speed controls, fan speed readout and flow meter seamlessly integrated into the design.

While there are similar products on the market today, such as Koolance’s integrated water-cooling cases, they never include a case that's this level of quality, and will be usually be trickier to fit, as well as costing more once you’ve added in all extras you might need. Buying your own watercooling setup would also be significantly cheaper, and water cooling specialists Aqua PCs now offer a “starter” pre-built water-cooling case for as little as £125. However, with the Koolance and Aqua systems, you’re getting a case with watercooling fitted into it, whereas with the LQ1000 the entire case has been built around the water-cooling system at its heart.

That isn’t to say it performs better – we highly doubt the LQ1000 can compete with a fully pimped out Koolance system or triple 120mm radiator high end water-cooled setup, but three 120mm fans versus one 240mm fan will be noisier and however you look at it, it never looks as good. For the cumulative cost of both a superb high end case, and a fully integrated and fitted watercooling setup the ZMachine LQ1000 doesn’t look like that bad value at all for a premium product.

Final Thoughts

I’ve really enjoyed my time building and using the LQ1000, and it’s very much reaffirmed my interest in watercooling after previously unsuccessful experiences. Zalman has produced a case of simply phenomenal build quality, and the full integration of the watercooling system into the design just about justifies the monster price.

Perhaps our only beefs lie with the rather puny pump and reservoir included with the LQ1000. Rated to 300 l/h, according to the case’s own flow meter the pump isn’t pushing anywhere near this, with the display indicating a flow rate of 1.5 litres per minute at full speed and just 0.6 Litres per minute at low. The reservoir also seems rather small with a maximum capacity of just 300ml, although the meaty 240mm radiator seems more than up to the task of keeping your coolant cool, and the rest of the case is very difficult to criticise.

The LQ1000 offers an admittedly expensive, but fantastically well executed, stylish and easy route into the wonderful world of watercooling. It won’t be for everyone, but then neither is chocolate sauce and chips, but for the few who are willing to drop £400 on a new premium case and water-cooling setup, the LQ1000 is a very high quality bit of kit that's well worth considering.

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• Build Quality
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• 10/10

• Ease of Use
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• 8/10

• Performance
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• 9/10

• Value
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• 7/10

• Overall
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• 8/10

What do these scores mean?