At E3 2011, PNY and Asetek showed off a new NVIDIA GTX 580 graphics card that is cooled by an Asetek water cooler. Another variant that includes a CPU water block in the sealed-water loop will also be available. The new system promises up to 30% lower temps compared to the NVIDIA reference cooler. Further, Asetek claims that the new cooler will result in increased headroom for overclocking, and a decrease in acoustics due to using a larger 120mm fan that can spin much slower (and quieter) than the traditional graphics card fan at the same level of cooling performance.

PNY and Asetek Team Up to Deliver Sealed-Loop Water Cooling for CPUs and Graphics Cards. - Graphics Cards 3

Nicholas Mauro, the Senior Marketing Manager for PC Components at PNY stated that “with a design that outperforms current equivalent air cooled models, this simple all-in-one solution will resonate deeply with gamers looking for a powerful yet affordable option.”

PNY is currently running a pre-order promotional bundle on the PNY website, which includes “$100 worth of bonus PNY gear: a 16ft HDMI Mini to HDMI cable, a custom-built PNY 8GB ‘Liquid Cooled’ USB Flash Drive, and a ‘Liquid Cooled logo T-shirt.” The XLR8 Liquid Cooled GTX 580 has a MSRP of $579.99 while the GPU+CPU water loop, the “XLR8 Liquid Cooled GTX 580 with CPU Cooling,” carries a MSRP of $649.99. The new coolers will come with a standard 3 year warranty, which is extended to 5 years if registered on PNY’s website. They will be available for purchase at the end of June at various brick and mortar and online retailers.

PNY and Asetek Team Up to Deliver Sealed-Loop Water Cooling for CPUs and Graphics Cards. - Graphics Cards 4

The street price of these coolers will likely determine how much adoption they will receive, as they are in a narrow market between high end air cooling and a DIY water loop.