Introduction

With well over a decade of experience and the products to back up its reputation, Bitspower is one of the most famous brands in the market of PC DIY watercooling. The company gained fame for their wide range of high-quality fittings in different options for function and form alike and built upon it with mod kits for pumps. More often than not, these kits and pumps came in at a hefty price premium relative to the market, but that did not stop them from selling out in most colors whenever batches did come out. We take a detailed look at one such offering today, and thanks to Bitspower for providing a review sample for TechPowerUp!


Readers of this website may have noticed that some of my reviews from last year took place in temporary accommodations as a result of unexpected COVID travel restrictions. What I did not expect, however, was that by the time I got back to my usual setup, this pump would pretty much be EOL. You can still find it in most shops, and it is still up for "pre-order" on the Bitspower shop where you really want to compare this version to newer ones, but I did decide to complete the review. It was sent for review, after all, but more importantly allows me to directly compare it to newer Bitspower offerings if and when I get to those. I had also previously tested the older generation of these, so this will be a good way to compare how Bitspower's pump top and body designs have changed over the years. Do expect this review to include detailed testing, but let's begin with a look at the specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Bitspower shipped this directly from their base of operations in Taiwan along with a few other items, so we begin with the product packaging. It is quite small, and one reason I knew its days were numbered. Recent Bitspower products have generally come in larger, grander packaging. I have no issues with it, however, since it does the job just fine. We see Bitspower branding plastered all over, and there is a QR code that leads you to an online guide that is lacking in details. Again, this is excusable if the product is very easy to use, which we will get to in due time. There is a double flap keeping the box closed, and opening it reveals a lot of soft foam all around the pump for further protection in transit.


There's not much to see inside beyond the pump since Bitspower actually has it pre-installed with the mounting brackets and good to go. Off to the side, we see a plastic pouch that contains a spare O-ring and a rubber mounting bracket. I have always appreciated Bitspower including spare O-rings with water blocks, and seeing that tradition held on to here is nice. The rubber bracket is a base of sorts with the unit on the bottom of your case and dampens vibrations moving in either direction.