Introduction

Well, my original plan was to finish reviews of the individual CORSAIR Hydro X watercooling parts to then put it all together in a build article, but the best laid plans don't necessarily work out. The build got delayed because of reasons beyond my control, and CORSAIR complicated it further by putting out a second pump/reservoir combo after the original entry in the form of the Hydro X Series XD5 which, as the name coincidentally suggests, used a Xylem D5 pump paired to a rectangular cuboid reservoir that worked very well. No Xylem D3 pump is used in this market, so CORSAIR has gone with a smaller number to signify a smaller profile unit instead. We take a look at the all-new Hydro X Series XD3 today, and thanks again to the company for sending along a review sample!


Given it continues the trend of very long product names, I am henceforth using "Hydro XD3 pump/reservoir combo" for CORSAIR's second open loop pump and reservoir, if only to save my fingers a touch. The image above definitely shows that CORSAIR intends this to be a lower profile alternative to the Hydro XD5, and it indeed uses a more cubical form factor with a Xylem DDC pump, which was the more popular pump only a few years ago, in an age when high-restriction water blocks were the norm and people were at times looking to counter it with as many as two of these DDC pumps in series. Today, the Xylem D5 is the more popular choice owing to a better balance of noise, flow rate optimization, and active cooling with the coolant, but there are definitely situations where the pump is too large to fit. This is all the more true when paired with a taller reservoir, if you wish to stick to the CORSAIR offerings, so the new Hydro XD3 may be to your liking. We will go over this and more in the review beginning with a look at the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

CORSAIR has adopted a black and yellow color scheme for most of their new products, DIY or otherwise, and the Hydro XD3 pump/reservoir combo unit is no exception. The packaging gets a plastic cover, and a matte cardboard wrap helps with aesthetics and information alike, especially for the retail channels these will be stocked in. On the front is the company and product name and a printed render of the product with RGB LEDs in action, no doubt integrated within as with other Hydro X series products. Indeed, the product name here lists RGB, which adds to the whole idea of CORSAIR wanting to provide a comprehensive lighting ecosystem across their product portfolio. More renders, marketing features, and specifications in multiple languages greet us on the back and sides.


A flap on the side opens up to reveal layered packaging inside, with the top layer containing some of the accessories paired with the XD3 pump/reservoir combo. First up is a set of two metal installation brackets for 120 or 140 mm fan-hole spacings. As we saw on the previous page, the XD5 pump/reservoir combo unit can be installed alongside fans of both sizes, or essentially anywhere with such fan-hole spacings in your case, in addition to the standalone installation. These brackets have been given a glossy black nickel finish, which looks clean and understated in most cases. The rest of the contents come in a plastic blister clamshell, which opens up to reveal a mounting bracket and a handy quick-start guide in multiple languages. Do go through the guide if this is your first time with a custom watercooling loop since CORSAIR has done a good job of keeping it user friendly. There is also a warranty guide you will hopefully not need but is always good to have just in case.


The metal mounting bracket has a similar finish as the other two brackets we saw above. There are also three acetal BSP G1/4" threaded stop plugs, installation hardware involving eight metal thumb screws, four metal self-tapping screws, four metal mounting screws, four metal locking nuts and washers, a plastic plug tool to install the stop plugs, and a bridge plug tool to use with the 24-pin ATX PSU cable for pump power without the rest of your system on and running. The low-profile nature of the stop plugs means there is not a lot of grip, but you may still want to try finger-tightening them before resorting to the plug tool. CORSAIR also includes a stop plug temperature sensor fitting, which is nice to see, and it has the CORSAIR branding on it combined with the Bitspower manufacturing behind it.