MODTHEBOX.COM - Canada's Premier Case Modding Source - Reviews - Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 Water Cooling Kit Review

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The PCI pass-thru kit is a great accessory for the Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 Water Cooling Kit since it simplifies the process of routing the tubing lines from outside to inside the case without the need for modification. To effectively fill the system, it is recommended that you manually power the pump and then pour in the distilled water along with some of the Hydrix specialty formulated coolant. This process must be repeated until the entire system is primed and bled of all air and bubbles. The included bottle of coolant is enough to fill the entire system.

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Prior to leak testing the system all the hose lines were interconnected and secured using metal stainless steel hose clamps. To start performance tests, I assembled the following pieces of hardware to complete the system:

ASUS PC4C800 Deluxe Motherboard

Pentium 4 2.8C CPU with a Thermalright SLK947U HSF

ATI Radeon 9700 Pro Video Card

2 x Maxtor Diamond Max Plus 8 40 GB Hard drives

2 x OCZ PC3200 DDR400 256MBx2 CAS2.5

LiteOn 52x32x52 CD-RW

LG 52x32x52 CD-RW w/ SuperLink

SB Live 5.1 sound card

Ultra X-Connect 500W ATX Power Supply

Sunbeam Transformer Mid-Tower Gaming Case

The circulation of water inside the system will work as follows:

MCP650 Pump -> MCW6000-P Water Block -> MCB-120 Radbox -> MCRES-525 Reservoir

The system was filled and tested for leaks for approximately 24-48 hours before the final computer components were installed.

Testing:

The Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 Water Cooling Kit was run through a series of benchmark applications to record system temperatures and performance. The "Burn-In Wizard" from SiSoft Sandra Pro 2004 is used to put the CPU under concentrated load for a pre-determined amount of time. The options selected in "Burn-In Wizard" run the CPU and CPU Multimedia benchmarks for approximately 30 minutes. The system is left alone for approximate 30 minutes before the burn-in test is performed. Maximum temperatures are measured in degree Celsius and recorded for idle, full load, idle overclock and full load overclock confirmed by an independent thermal probe and Motherboard Monitor 5.3.7.0. For comparison, I will be using the Thermalright SLK947U which is currently my top rated P4 cooling heatsink.

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The system was run in normal mode at 2.8 GHz and overclocked mode at 3.2 GHz. Ambient room temperature was measured at 29 degrees Celsius. The performance results are a good indication that the Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 Water Cooling Kit is an excellent performer in overclocked environments since the Thermalright SLK947U HSF was unable to provide better temperature results with a margin of 2-4 degrees in normal and overclocked modes. Overall temperatures were very impressive for a P4 platform combined with stable operation when the unit was powered. The MCP650 12VDC pump is virtually silent in its operation and as of this writing has been replaced with the new lower profile MCP350 12VDC pump in the Swiftech H20-120 Rev.3 Water Cooling Kit that was recently released.

Conclusion:
The Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 is without a doubt an excellent and well designed system that caters to both novice and experienced users looking to transition to a water based cooling platform. Swiftech should be commended on packaging some great modules which include the MCB-120 Radbox assembly, MCRES-525 Drive Bay Reservoir and PCI pass-thru kit. The overall construction of the MCW6000-P Water Block is top notch and can be used on several different platforms due to a cleverly designed clipping mechanism. The 40 page documentation is excellent and includes enough information about the system and components to complete the installation in less than an hour. Add in the included tubing, Hydrix specialty formulated coolant and Coolsleeves Coils and you have a very well rounded package. While I didn't experience any issues with the Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2, there are two areas that I would like to comment on. I didn't like the fact that a majority of the tubing lines were already connected to the components provided in this kit. I can see this method used to help out novice users but at the same time its hindrance to experienced consumers who prefer to custom fit their own tubing lines to match their case. The Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 Water Cooling Kit is priced higher than conventional cooling alternatives but consumers can be assured that you are paying for one of the best kits currently on the market. Overall, I was impressived with the Swiftech H20-120 Rev.2 Water Cooling Kit and award MTB's Seal of Approval with a final rating of 9.5 out of 10. If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the Swiftech website for more information or discuss them in our forums.

MTB Award

Pros:

Very good water flow and silent pump
Uses 1/2" OD tubing
Excellent clipping mechanism
Large 120mm black radiator
Convenient durable 5.25" reservoir
Good performance in overclocked environments
Easy installation and good documentation
Good assortment of bundled components
Cons:

Tubing comes pre-installed on all the components.
Price