The last water cooling system that we tested was a huge, expensive, noisy affair that couldn't even match a copper heatsink at reducing CPU temperature. We weren't impressed.

How times have changed. CoolIT's Domino is a refined version of a system developed for Dell's XPS H2O range of gaming PCs, and that heritage shows.

It's much lighter than previous examples, and quieter too. Unless you're overclocking the CPU, the 12cm fan that pumps heat from the radiator is barely audible, even when turned up to maximum.

Fitting the fan is simple, but attaching the CPU block can be fiddly. The pipes aren't long enough to enable you to change fittings without stressing a joint, so it has to be disassembled just to remove a simple C-clip.

Once it's in place, though, the results are impressive. We reduced temperatures by 10 degrees compared to a high-quality air cooler. This improvement comes with a hefty price premium, however.

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