Conclusions

The Corsair Nautilus500 external water cooling unit delivers very good performance from an easy to install kit that is affordably priced.  The unit can also be expanded to include a GPU waterblock from Corsair’s COOL line of products.

 

The Nautilus500 incorporates features from both the earlier HydroCool200 and Corsair COOL water cooling systems.  The emphasis appears to be on performance at a reasonable cost with minimal bling.  My only minor disappointment is the Nautilus500 generates more noise than I was expecting, even with the cooling fan set to Low speed.

 

Strengths:

 

  • Excellent cooling performance
  • Easy to install
  • Complete kit — everything provided
  • Pre-installed tubing on waterblock (minimizes chance of a leak)
  • Easy to disconnect and transport
  • Competitively priced

Weaknesses:

 

  • Slightly noisy — even at Low speed

The Corsair Nautilus500 external water cooling unit has a MSRP of $159.99 USD and should be available from your favorite Corsair reseller by the end of February 2006.  I would like to thank our friends at Corsair for sending us the Nautilus500 and allowing us to be one of the first hardware review sites to review it — thanks, and keep up the good work!

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