Final Thoughts

For those who know me, they know that I have had minimal luck with all-in-one water cooling solutions. While this one impressed me a good deal more than others I've tested in the past, it still isn't up to par with a high quality air unit or full blown water. With 3/8" tuning and only 350 LPH flow rates, there is only so much a water solution can do.

So what it comes down to is simple; what are you going to use your system for? If you are a diehard enthusiast looking to get the most out of your system, then you would be well served to bypass this product. But if you're looking to experiment with water or are running a more standard computer and want something that will perform well with little noise, then the Nautilus 500 may be just what the doctor ordered.

As far as price is concerned, you can expect to shell out about $150US for this product. While it may seem expensive for the numbers, keep in mind that is about $100-150 cheaper than parting out a full water cooling system. It is certainly better than stock, but it won't do nearly as well as a high performance air setup.

For those who want a very easy and quick means of attaching a cooling setup to their system, the Nautilus unit tested is exceptional in both of these categories. In less than 10 minutes I had the entire hardware system set up and ready to go. Bleeding isn't the fastest process, but this is a one time task so isn't that big a deal. Just make sure that you take the time to get all the air out before sealing off the reservoir.

Bottom line... If you have been considering breaking into water but are not ready to build your own cooling system just yet, then you would do well to take a look at the Corsair Nautilus 500 system. While it isn't capable of handling the load of a highly overclocked machine, it is more than ready to handle a moderate rig with very little noise and a good deal less cash than you would need for a component based water cooling solution.

- Pros

Decent cooling on non-performance systems

Cheaper than full component based water setup

Excellent instruction manual

Very fast setup

Quiet

- Cons

Mediocre performance on power rig

Metal on plastic where tubing exits case

3/8" tubing

Small 350 LPH pump

Price -vs- performance

- Latest Pricing

Rating - 7.5 out of 10