Swiftech H20-220 APEX Ultra+

[Rockwild]

I was wondering if anyone has any exp with this kit? I am going to be buying a new computer very shortly and I been searching for a really nice case and a water cooling kit.

I'd personally like to put everything together myself then rather buy some case+ water cooling system already put together.

The CPU I am looking at right is the

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz.

 

[rubix_1011]

I first bought a Swiftech kit when I started, and have since replaced every piece with Danger Den blocks, pump and res. They seem to have much better quality blocks. If you are a first timer, they are pretty decent to get you aquainted with watercooling, so don't let me scare you. Once you figure out what you want to do, you can always expand and change out to what you want for your set up. I have:

DD LGA775 TDX 1/2" CPU
DD Maze4 Northbridge 1/2"
DD Acetal Maze4 GPU on 7800gtx
DD 12v pump
DD 2x120mm radiator
DD 5 1/2 bay resevior

I started with a 3/8" Swiftech kit with 80mm radiator/fan and the little bitty Swiftech 2" pump. It ran fine, but the older models had issues of not starting up on system power. They apparently fixed this with newer models. Good luck!

 

[Rockwild]

I never really bothered with water cooling before, yet if I plan on doing the serious overclocking I am thinking about I'd like to water cool my CPU+ GPU. Post like this about replacing the whole kit with better parts etc is what I wanted. Thanks for the help. I'm going to check out the parts + pricing for everything you listed.

 

[rubix_1011]

You might also consider the northbridge in your decision as it gets pretty hot with the increased bus speeds generated by OC'ing. If you don't use water for it, at least make sure it has a heatsink/fan combo, if it doesn't already...your board will thank you for it.

Another tip: don't always choose a pump because it pushes more l/h than another. Most are pretty decent at moving water quite well, so the ability to move more water per hour isn't always a lot better because of it. Any pump that is 3/8" or more native tubing is going to provide enough volume to take care of business. The kits that have smaller tubing generally need to push water faster to make up for the lack of volume the tubing carries.

 

[tool_462]

I wouldn't put the resistance of a NB block in my loop, but that is up to you.

Instead drop $20-25 on a Jing Ting/Thermaltake Extreme Spirit II/Thermalright HR-05 or HR-05 SLI/Noctua just came out with a good looking NB cooler too.

 

[StigHelmer]

[/u]To answer your question, yes, it's a very good quality kit, I'm using the non-plus version myself, with a mcw60 on my x850xt.

Some bad pics of my rig

most mobo's today come with adequate NB-cooling, so I'd reccomend buying the non-plus version and pair it with gpu-block(s) of your choosing.

 

[rubix_1011]

I have had both with and without northbridge cooling, and it doesn't make any difference in the flow. You have to remember, with watercooling loops, there is as much force applied to push the water through the tubing as there is pulling it.

 

[rubix_1011]

I haven't got to the point that I am personally ready for phase change yet. I am ambitious and like to tinker with things, but I haven't reached the point where I am ready to silicone my board to prevent condensation.