Introduction

From the Swiftech website:

Swiftech was founded in 1994 by Gabriel Rouchon, and incorporated in 2001 under the legal entity name of Rouchon Industries Inc., dba Swiftech. Its sales skyrocketed in early 2001 following the release of the famed MC370 line of heatsinks. Reviews of the heatsink in the Internet Press propelled Swiftech into the limelight as the number one source for high-performance heatsinks in the aftermarket computer parts Industry.
Over the course of the last decade, Swiftech has emerged as one of the leading forces driving the high-end thermal management scene in the personal computer industry. Pioneering work, innovation, and an uncompromising dedication to high performance and quality have resulted in award winning products setting standards for others to follow. Swiftech has consistently demonstrated leadership by thinking outside the box, and remains to this day driven by an intense competitive spirit. As a result, Swiftech is considered by many as one of the founding fathers of the liquid cooling industry for personal computers. This has been accomplished despite intense pressure from heavyweight industry players with powerful sales and marketing acumen. Swiftech's name is recognized worldwide, and synonymous with Performance, Innovation, Quality and Value.

Swiftech is a company known to every PC enthusiast the world over. If you ever thought about water-cooling your CPU, Swiftech was there. If you were looking to cool down that hot and power hungry GPU, Swiftech was there. You were looking for awesome fittings, fans, or reservoirs to make your custom loop the best it can be? Swiftech was there. When it comes to liquid-cooling a PC, Swiftech has the parts to get the job done. Formed in 1994, the company has now been around for nearly two decades and rose to prominence in 2001 with the release of the MC370 line of heatsinks.

However, not only the MC370 made them into the house-hold name they are today. Their constant release and refinement of products over the last decade is the real cause. The single-minded determination to offer innovative high-performance parts of high quality has kept them in the lime light and the good graces of their customers. From the Storm Flagship water block to the Apogee drive-integrated pump and water block, Swiftech's continued innovation has kept them on top of their game. It also helps that they offer a solid pump, which is where a lot of the love enthusiasts hold for Swiftech comes from. You don't know which pump I am referring to? I am talking about their MCP 355 series of pumps which have been a mainstay of enthusiast water-cooling loops for over seven years now. That proven track record is testament to Swiftech's ability to deliver high quality products.

Speaking of unique, today's review will take a look at the Swiftech H220-X which overcomes the issues Swiftech ran into with the H220 in the States. Featuring nothing but high-end components, including the Apogee XL water block, MCP 30 pump, and MCR-X20 radiator, the new H220-X comes with some seriously nice hardware at an insanely low price, but the question of whether its performance compares to all other all-in-one liquid coolers available today yet remains.

Packaging and Contents

Measuring roughly 33.65 cm in length, 24.1 cm in width, and 15.25 cm in height, Swiftech used a nicely sized box to protect the H220-X. The top lists its supported sockets and shows the cooler in all its glory, with the different color options for the CPU block. The warranty's length is also clearly displayed, which is nice to see as it is often buried in some fine print inside a manual. The small info box makes sure to tell users that the flagship Apogee XL block is included, along with a coolant-level indicator. This and its fully customizable plug and play design make it a complete solution. The front includes a little bit of info on who Swiftech is and what the box contains, while the left only holds the H220-X product name and company logo, although plainly visible.


The back shows the Swiftech H220-X's performance versus a couple of competing coolers, along with a list of features in various languages. The right side mirrors the left to again show the H220-X product name and Swiftech logo.

Contents

Opening the box reveals the cooler, seated in a cardboard tray with all the accessories sealed inside small plastic bags. While not the best design for protecting a product, it is more than adequate. As such, there is little reason to worry about damage during shipping.


The radiator, pump, and reservoir are all one unit, and the fans have been pre-installed to the radiator for you.


Swiftech has made sure to support all modern sockets, including socket LGA775 and LGA1366, with a separate backplate that is not included. This kit is essentially ready to go for socket LGA115x users as there is little in the way of necessary preparation. As such, most of the additional hardware shown is for AMD sockets and Intel's LGA2011. The kit is fully assembled from the get-go, so there are no fans or small screws to mess with; that is, for the most part. A great job by Swiftech here as they have really made it as easy as possible for the end user.

Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 8x Radiator screws
• 8x Fan screws
• 8x Case fan screws
• 4x Backplate screws
• 4x Backplate screw springs
• 4x Backplate locking washers
• 4x LGA2011 backplate screws
• 4x LGA2011 screw springs
• 4x LGA2011 screw washers
• 4x Radiator brackets
• 4x AMD mounting clip screws
• 4x AMD mounting clip washers
• 4x CPU block colored inserts
• 2x 120 mm fans
• 2x AMD mounting clip
• 2x PWM splitter screws
• 2x PWM splitter screw nuts
• 2x PWM splitter screw washers
• 1x Backplate
• 1x Pre filled liquid cooler
• 1x User's manual
• 1x PWM splitter
• 1x Tube thermal paste