Cooling has always been a rather hot subject, since most currently sold processors and GPU cores produce a lot of heat, especially when overclocked. Air and water cooling have been the favorite solutions for many different manufacturers, with a variety of products ranging in cost and corresponding performance. Today, we will examine an advanced water cooling product from a well known and established manufacturer. The SwifTech Apex Ultra H20-220, has all the components to make your system run as cool as the air that flows around the room. With a price tag of US$250, we have high expectations, so let's get started by taking a look at the product features.

- SwifTech Apex Ultra H20-220

The SwifTech Apex Ultra model, consists of several, different components that offer maximum performance with a minimum of noise, all in the same package. The Apex "Ultra" model is an upgrade from the Apex initial release, differentiating itself through the use of the new Apogee GT water-block. According to SwifTech, the new Apogee GT water-block, lowers by up to 4° C the overall heat produced by the processor, compared with the previous water block. More-over, the combination of the MCR220-QP dual 120mm radiator and the MCP655 pump, promises to satisfy both extremes of the enthusiast market spectrum: overclockers in search of the lowest CPU temperatures and silent computing users in search of the lowest possible operating noise.

The MCR220 dual 120mm radiator, will not fit in most PC's without extensive modifications, as SwifTech suggests and were confirmed from our efforts. However, due to the mounting mechanism, you can avoid a lot of the hassle, with no modifications other than a couple of holes.

In the retail box is included the MCB120 "Radbox" Revision2, with fan guards to protect the radiator's delicate fins.

There is another, more complete product with VGA and chipset water block, the "H20-220-Apex Ultra+". The two blocks increase the overall retail price up to US$380.

- Features