The Aquagate S1 certainly performs well enough as a cooler. Compared to its competition in the Big Water, it certainly outshines and outlasts the field. Its definitely built better. With two plus months of straight usage, not a leak, not a squeak, absolutely perfect. It's well built and will last for quite a while.
The problem is that its just not good enough. For that high price of $80 US, you get a water cooler that performs basically the same as an air cooler. That isn't acceptable from a price to performance standpoint, and frankly, isn't too different from what I was already expecting. Another thing that I took a bit of fault with was the location of the pump. Yes, the location allows for a smaller pump that consumes less, but take a look at good water blocks like the SwiftTech Apogee. Notice the location of the inlet and outlet tubes. Directly on top of the CPU. I've found blocks designed like this to perform better than blocks that have a lateral flow.
Is it good? Yes, it works beautifully and silently, but it isn't good enough to be recommendable. Its a great foray into pre-assembled water cooling and good for novices that don't want to go through the hassle of assembling their own loop, but not for those expecting sub-ambient or extreme performance.