Aquagate MAX Retro Mini: Cooler Master launches compact cooling unit with 2,500W of power

A Cooler Master took advantage of CES 2026 to reveal a cooling solution that completely deviates from the standard of traditional gaming desktops. This is the Aquagate MAX Retro Minian external Refrigerant Distribution Unit (CDU) designed to handle extreme thermal loadsranging from 900W to impressive 2.500W.

The equipment aims to meet the demands of workstations focused on artificial intelligence and systems with multiple video cards.

Although the name contains the term “Mini”, the dimensions of the product tell another story. THE Aquagate MAX Retro Mini measures approximately 255 x 255 x 497 mm, totaling a volume of around 32 liters. Its weight varies between 12 kg and 18 kg, depending on the configuration.

The characteristics make it unfeasible to install it inside conventional cases, positioning it as a robust external unit for those who need performance well above the average of common AIO (All-in-One) water coolers.

Industrial-grade specifications

The manufacturer’s proposal is to bridge the gap between the ease of use of AIO systems and the maximum performance of customized loops.

According to Cooler Master, the Aquagate MAX Retro Mini was developed to cool CPUs, GPUs and ASICs (specific chips for applications such as mining or AI).

The ability to dissipate up to 2,500W of heat puts it in a class far superior to domestic coolers, being able to manage the heat generated by extremely dense hardware arrangements.

In addition to the main unit, the company presented the Mini-Charge Toola tool designed to facilitate rapid system liquid replenishment, reinforcing the focus on practical maintenance for development environments and computing labs.

Modularity and expansion

One of the project’s strengths is its flexibility. The system supports radiators of 240 mm, 280 mm ou 360 mmallowing adjustments according to the available space on the bench or the need for dissipation. THE modularity extends to expansion capacity: it is possible to connect multiple units in series or parallel.

This means engineers or enthusiasts can scale the cooling infrastructure as they add more components to the system, without losing thermal efficiency.

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Focus on Workstations and AI

It is unlikely that we will see the Aquagate MAX Retro Mini in massive Data Centers, as the company has specific lines for server rackssuch as the LTL In Rack CDU.

The focus of this release is on workstations high-performance, where engineers work on training LLMs (Large Language Models) or on heavy computing tasks.

While overclockers may be interested in raw cooling capacity, the primary target audience appears to be the professional sector that relies on thermal stability for long workloads on high-end hardware.

So far, Cooler Master has not released the official price or the exact date of availability on the global market.

Source(s): Tom’s Hardware