SilverStone Tundra Series TD03-Lite AIO CPU Cooler Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The SilverStone TD03-Lite AIO CPU cooler is available from Overclockers UK for just £54.95, which is fantastic value for money. The original TD03-E is available for £64.99, but it’s really up to you if you can justify the extra money.

Overview

This cooler really is a mixed bag, on one hand it doesn’t seem like it’s that great, but on the other it actually does. At just £10 less than its fancier brother, the TD03, the TD03-lite puts up some interesting competition. At stock temperatures, it’s actually cooler than the more expensive model and while its performance dropped further in overclocked testing, I wouldn’t count it out just yet. Not everyone needs, nor has the hardware for high-end overclocking, if you’re running a high-end CPU that has a decent boost clock ratio, then the TD03-Lite is going to be well suited to your needs. Of course, enthusiast overclockers should be looking at spending around twice the price of the TD03-Lite if they’re thinking about high-end and even extreme overclocks.

The price is also very affordable, at least for a water cooler and it puts it alongside the likes of high-end coolers from Noctua, be quiet! and more. Sure it’s going to make more noise than coolers of that caliber, but it’s also going to offer improved cooling performance, so it’s finding a balance that works best for you.

The design is a little more basic than the TD03, but the TD03-Lite isn’t exactly ugly. The fans are a really nice design and should blend in well with virtually any system build. The pump design looks nice enough and the blue LED lighting is very subtle, so it’s not going to draw too much attention to its self overall. That being said, looks are not what this cooler is about, those wanting something flashy to show off should get the more expensive model, those with a windowless, sound-proofed style chassis would do well to save the £10 and get this model instead.

Pros

• Simple, yet smart-looking design
• Nice quality fans
• Good price vs performance cooling
• Affordable price tag
• Easy to install
• Trusted brand name

Cons

• Fan noise is a little high, especially when overclocked
• Pump could be quieter

“The SilverStone TD03-Lite is great for those looking for their first CPU AIO water cooler. It’s not the best in the world, but given the respective price tag, it offers great performance and tidy aesthetics that would suit most system builds with ease. If you want even better performance, you only have to look a little higher up the SilverStone product ranges.”

Thank you SilverStone for providing us with this sample.