Disassembly and Installation

Disassembly

As always, full disassembly was done post testing. There are four long screws that go through the acetal pump body and the acrylic pump top before they thread into the glass reservoir's body. Removing these allows for the pump body, top, and pump itself to be taken off the reservoir. Here, we can better see how Swiftech has integrated addressable RGB LEDs into the recess of the acetal pump body with a set of two LEDs at each corner powered and controlled via the sole cable coming out the back of the acetal body. The LEDs face upward through the recess such that you can't see their individual bright spots, which has them spread a diffused glow throughout from the bottom.


The pump we see here is Swiftech's MCP655-PWM, which is the tried and trusted Laing D5 with an updated PWM motor as we saw in the review of the pump last year. As far as the rest of the pump goes, it is no different than any other Laing D5 sold under many names with a stainless steel cavity, closed impeller, ceramic ball bearing and fluid-cooled power circuitry that enables a cooler, quieter pump than the Laing DDC family, though it takes up more space and has a bias towards higher nominal flow (discharge) vs. head pressure. With most loops today not as restrictive to liquid flow as before, the Laing D5 continues to be an excellent option for most DIY watercoolers.


With the long screws removed, we can better see the glass reservoir body next to the acrylic pump top. If you use a clear coolant, the color difference between the two will still be visible, but with even a mild color, it is very hard to distinguish between the two. The pump top has a rubber O-ring on the underside in contact with the pump to prevent coolant leaks, and another O-ring on top, between the reservoir body, and it does the same. There is also a baffle to direct flow of the coolant such that if you plan to use the two ports on the pump body as the unit's inlet and outlet ports, the two will not immediately mix, and there is some travel for air bubbles to move upward rather than being sucked right back into the loop. Four shorter screws hold the reservoir top in place with yet another O-ring to ensure no leak. We can also see here just how thick the glass is, and this is why Swiftech is able to confidently use screws through this axis, but could not take the chance to allow screws that bear the weight of the reservoir through this section.

When re-assembling, just remember to put the O-rings back into place if they got dislodged before reversing these steps accordingly. As always, TechPowerUp is not liable for any issues that arise from your disassembly of the product.

Installation

Since Swiftech provides the reservoir and pump pre-installed together, things are quite simple when it comes to the installation provided you have a drill on hand. The installation manual has a template on where to drill holes to accommodate where the mounting brackets will eventually be affixed, but begin with installing each of the two provided brackets in place on the reservoir by using the set of four threaded holes per side on the acrylic section as seen above. Once done, the brackets help lift the unit upward, and have holes on the L-shaped end to secure via the provided screws, nuts, and washers alike. The brackets can also be oriented at an angle if you prefer it that way, with Swiftech's intention being to secure the reservoir to the bottom or side of a case. The Maelstrom D5 X200 and X300 also come with a securing clamp and more screws to provide another point of contact with the case, with the goal being that these larger reservoirs may perhaps benefit from the added security.


I would have liked to see the installation brackets accommodate direct mounting to a 120/140 mm radiator, and told Swiftech. With more and more cases going without 5.25" bays in the front of a case, vertically mounted radiators are becoming more of an option now than ever before, thus also allowing for a means to install a reservoir right behind the radiator with fans in push on the front. Swiftech clearly were on the same train of thought with plans to introduce an optional powder-coated metal mounting bracket for purchase that allows exactly for that, as seen in a render image provided by them I have included above. It will be made available for purchase shortly, if it isn't out already by the time of this review, but now, I contemplate on what would have been if it had been ready at launch.


In order to make use of the integrated lighting, you will need an LED controller. Swiftech's own Iris controller enables lighting and pump control (via a PWM header on your motherboard) and is an optional purchase. Given the nature of the product and asking price, I really think this should have been included in the box. As it is, I have included above some of the static lighting effects you can get by simply toggling through the LED button on the Iris controller. These include a multi-color mode as well as individual colors across different brightness steps. I do not have a motherboard with an LED header and thus can't test for compatibility across the various motherboard lighting solutions.