We began our coverage of CORSAIR's Hydro X series of custom watercooling products with the XC9 CPU water block in July, and last month saw the review of the Hydro X XG7 GPU block. I had brought up then that there would be more articles continuing down this path, and here we are as threatened! This time, we move away from the water blocks and on to something more universal and just as critical to a PC custom watercooling loop with the Hydro X Series XD5 pump/reservoir combo unit. A two-in-one of sorts, we thanks CORSAIR again for sending along a review sample to TechPowerUp!

Given it continues the trend of very long product names, I am henceforth using "Hydro XD5 pump/reservoir combo" for CORSAIR's first open loop pump and reservoir, if only to save my fingers a touch. That aside, the name shows that the excellent Xylem D5 pump is used, which is still the go-to recommendation for a pump with a great balance of a quiet operation, high flow performance, and reliable longevity. The reservoir itself uses the rectangular cuboid shape with more pronounced edges instead of sharp corners, a design move that has become popular recently with several manufacturers, including Watercool and Swiftech going with thick borosilicate glass. Looking to continue their attempt at providing more user and cost-friendly products, CORSAIR has gone with polished nylon instead. We will go over this and more in the review beginning with a look at the specifications below.