In many ways, the success of CORSAIR's 5000-series cases and the entire Hydro X business unit happened simultaneously, which I still think led to the Hydro XD7 in the first place. I was pleased to see CORSAIR's take on the distro plate being universal rather than case-specific, as is usually the case. Distro plates were always a modder-first item companies then turned into a commercial products, and the Hydro XD7 follows up on CORSAIR's Hydro X motto of lowering the entry barrier to custom DIY watercooling. This has generally been with pricing, and CORSAIR's water blocks, radiators, pumps, and fittings have all been competitively priced, with the installation process at the forefront of things; the likes of GPU blocks come with pre-installed thermal paste and pads, as well as bundled backplates to complete the set.

I also had a strong inkling of what to expect from the reservoir and pump courtesy my previous review of the Hydro X Series XD5 pump/reservoir combo unit. That particular unit is a more traditional Xylem D5-based pump/reservoir combo that is installed to fan-hole spacings, too. However, the newer Hydro XD7 kicks things up a few notches with the integrated distro plate, which also kicks up pricing. Similarly, installation is not as user-friendly owing to the nature of the beast. There is no one way to get this plumbed with your loop, which makes the Hydro XD7 a more specialized item I can't recommend to beginners with no prior DIY cooling experience. However, if you have the right components and a case that will allow you to install the Hydro XD7 vertically in the front, things do get easier. CORSAIR's custom cooling configurator comes in handy here, and I appreciate the sleeved pump cables and inclusion of an adapter for easier LED control.

The design is ultimately what swayed me towards giving the Hydro XD7 a recommendation, with the Hydro XD7 taking off where CORSAIR's design language for CPU and GPU blocks started and going further by looking like three of CORSAIR's RGB fans installed in a case. Circular channels, rubberized corners, logo stickers in the middle of the three segments, and plenty of other things help with aesthetics even before any coolant, clear or colored, and the 36 individually addressable RGB LEDs enter the picture. The reservoir also works well installed vertically as it has enough headroom for air bubbles to escape with enough spare coolant to easily fill an empty loop. The ports are also well laid out to include multiple blocks and a radiator, and there are drain, fill, and sensor ports, too. Filling the reservoir is easier with a wash bottle or funnel than a standard cylindrical reservoir, but flat reservoirs always have this limitation unless you purposely route channels from the very top. Ultimately, this combination of aesthetics, excellent functionality with the pump, a working pump top, and proven reliability gets it the nod from me. I now want to see CORSAIR bring pricing and retail inventory parity to other major markets outside of the US.