Introduction

I would like to thank Thermaltake for providing the review sample.

Thermaltake has added a new member to the Aquabay series. For readers not familiar with the Aquabay add ons, Thermaltake makes the M1, M2, M3 and now the M4 for its Big Water cooling kits. Even though this is made for the Aquabay Series, any member of the series can be added to a none Thermaltake loop. Generally speaking the hard drive is some what new to water cooling. For sometime now it's been mostly the CPU and GPU that enthusiast have chosen water cooling for. With the popularity of water cooling spreading it wasn't long before tubing found its way to the hard drive. Lets match the Aquabay M4 up with a drive and see what it can do.

Features

• Aluminum cover dissipates heat more instantly than other HDD waterblock with acrylic cover
• For 5.25” drive bay : The HDD waterblock can fit into 5.25" drive bay in the chassis
• Excellent heat dissipation through copper tubes and copper base
• Support all 3.5 inch disk driver
• Can be applied to ID 6.4mm (1/4") and 9.5mm (3/8") liquid cooling systems
• HDDs mount quickly and easily onto the cooler
• Provides the most stable system possible while silent

Specifications

• Model: CL-W0082/HDD Waterblock
• Installation: Fit into 5.25” driver bay
• Cover material: All aluminum designed
• Base and tube material: All copper designed
• Dimension of Copper base: 105mm(W) x 85mm(D) x2 mm (H)
• Dimension of main body: 145mm(W)x146mm(D) x 41.5mm(H)
• Inner diameter for included tubing: ID 6.4mm (1/4") and ID 9.5mm (3/8")
• Inner diameter for included quick install connectors: ID 6.4mm (1/4") and ID 9.5mm (3/8")
• Weight: 610 g
• Applications: All 3.5 inch HDD

Packaging & Contents

The box Thermaltake ships the Aquabay M4 in is simple but effective. The cooler stands proudly on the front of the package. With details and pictures of the cooler on the back, including a diagram of the cooler in a water loop.


The M4 is packaged snug in a Styrofoam pad and accessories on top. This includes tubing for both 1/4" and 3/8" connections, along with the appropriate quick connect for each size. Thermaltake does a good job on packaging its products, including the M4.



Contents

• HDD Waterblock
• Quick install connectors (ID 6.4 mm (1/4") x 2 / ID 9.5 mm (3/8") x 2)
• Gaskets x 2 (90 x 70 x 2 mm)
• Tubing (ID 6.4 mm (1/4") UV x 150 cm & ID 9.5 mm (3/8") UV x 200 cm)
• Screws x 8

Thermaltake provides more than enough tubing for either 1/4" or 3/8" tubing loops. They supply two gaskets which are actually thermal pads but, depending on your HD you may only need one gasket. Time to take a look at the cooler itself.

Aquabay M4 Cooler

Here we have the Thermaltake Aquabay M4 HDD water cooler. The cooler itself is a simple design and in some cases that can be good thing. The cooler is made in two parts, the aluminum chassis and the copper water block, which is nothing more than a thin copper plate attached to 1/4"(6.5mm) copper tubing. There are four screw holes in the top to provide access to screw the HDD down.


From the pictures above you can see that the copper water block is attached to the chassis by four screws and fits flush with the aluminum chassis. The copper plate is machined finished and smooth but is not at all what we would expect a water block to look like, it's not polished and looks rather dull.


The M4 has its threaded connections soldered on, with clips that hold the tubing in place. In the front the tubing protrudes outside the chassis and should not be an issue in a 5 1/4" bay.


The copper plate with its attached tubing is removed easily and from the above picture we can see what I mean by simple design. With five loops and four tubing runs across the top of the plate this is the heart of the cooler. Nothing like the chunks of copper we're used to seeing a water block made of. The Thermaltake Aquabay M4 is machined well and from its simple design isn't going to win any "Best in Show" awards. Having good looks and complex design doesn't necessarily equate to performance and from my point of view is what I'm looking for. So why use a water cooler for a HDD? Let’s install the M4 and see what benefits are to be gained.