Aqua Computer’s D5 NEXT bakes in a ton of handy water cooling features

The D5 pump has long been the standard for custom water cooling enthusiasts but this year, Aqua Computer is hoping to improve on the traditional design with the D5 NEXT, offering a wider range of functions.

The D5 NEXT is based on the tried and true Laing D5 pump, but Aqua Computer has divided it into two parts, a motor unit and an electronics unit, which can be plugged together. This will simplify assembly and help with maintenance in the long term. A special decoupling system has been put into place too, which will make installation easier and help dampen any vibration noise. You can see a breakdown of the D5 NEXT and its features in the video below:

As you can see, there is a temperature sensor built in, and the included display will show you liquid temperature and pump speed. The maximum pressure for the D5 NEXT is measured at approximatively 370 mbar, performance can be adjusted and regulated to the user's liking via a controller.

Controls are handled via USB and the Aquasuite software, which carries over from other Aqua Computer products.  The D5 NEXT comes with its own fan controller capable of providing up to 25W of power, pump fans can be set up to automatically ramp up and down based on water temperature readings. The pump itself is able to determine flow rate using Aqua Computer's own ‘virtual flow' algorithm, which runs calculations based on motor data. An additional sensor can be connected for more accurate measurements, but virtual flow should get the job done.

Now it wouldn't be a modern piece of hardware without the inclusion of RGB lighting. The D5 NEXT comes with an RGB LED strip on the bottom but up to 64 individually controllable LEDs can be connected, which can then be used to visualise CPU load, speeds, temperatures, flow rate or other important stats. Alternatively, the pump's connected LEDs can be used to mimic whatever is currently displayed on the monitor, offering ambient lighting based on the content on screen.

The D5 Next will be hitting the market this month, with a suggested retail price of €119.00.

KitGuru Says: Suddenly, my standard D5 pump doesn't seem quite as nice! Are any of you currently planning a custom watercooling upgrade? What do you think of the D5 NEXT? 

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