Water Coolers: Four Power Kits Starting at 200 Dollars

Other Testing Instruments

From right to left - contactless electronic tachometer, laser thermometer and a digital noise-meter.

The image shows the measuring equipment we used in this comparison.

Optimal Coolant: Distilled Water

Different coolants for a water-cooling system.

The coolant that you use greatly determines how much maintenance a system requires. By no means should you use pure tap water, since this can quickly lead to lime deposits in the system. What's worse, if the cooler springs a leak, you run the danger of shorting your system. The best coolant is distilled water, since it won't leave lime deposits that will reduce the flow through the system, nor will leaks short out your system.