Introduction
The H20-120 series liquid cooling kits are configured for performance oriented users and overclockers who wish to
maintain a quiet working/playing environment. This series of kits received more industry awards than any other
Swiftech product. It is therefore with great pride that we are now introducing the H20-120 PREMIUM edition.
The H20-120 "Premium" CPU Liquid Cooling kit takes the H20-120 convenience and performance features to yet
another level thanks to the inclusion of our new flagship, the APOGEE water-block, as well as our now classic
MCB120 "Radbox". Performance improvement from the Apogee water-block alone ranges from 2.4 to 3°C as
demonstrated HERE.
Features & benefits
EXTREME PERFORMANCE
Features SILENT COMPUTING
Features
Capturing the heat
Our new flagship APOGEE water-block features a quantum leap in performance compared to the MCW6000 series of
water-blocks, as shown HERE. Its low flow restriction characteristics also allow daisy-chaining of multiple water-
blocks, while retaining rock-solid performance.
Adjustable fan speed: fan speed can be adjusted thanks to the included 12v to 7v and 12v to 5v fan connector
adapters, allowing users to reduce acoustic noise as follows: at 7v, whisper quiet operations of 24 dBA, and at 5v a
barely audible 19 dBA rating.
Moving the Heat around
High-pressure MCP350
12 Volts DC industrial pump provides ample headroom to daisy-chain additional water-blocks.
For instance, the H20-120 Premium will easily support a dual core CPU (AMD® Athlon X2 for example) as well as (2)
high-end VGA cards such as nVidia® GeForce 7800 series.
3/8" (ID) tubing offers low restriction with reasonable outside bulk (1/2" OD)
Quiet pump operations: 24 to 26 dbA thanks to the brushless motor
Dissipating the heat into the atmosphere
High thermal dissipation is achieved with a single MCR120-QP 120 mm copper fins radiator featuring a 120x25mm fan
selected for low to moderate noise (34dBA) and high back pressure.
The MCB120 "Radbox" optimizes cooling by using fresh air from outside the computer, without adding any thermal
load to other components.
The MCR120-QP radiator fin density has been optimized to reduce air noise and operate at high efficiency with low-
flow fans
At the lowest fan speed settings, the H20-120 Premium kit delivers low temperatures while allowing substantial
overclocks.
Convenience & reliability features
The 12 Volt DC pump plugs directly into computer power supply, features an RPM sensor, and is fully integrated with
the MCRES-1000 reservoir in a 5 1/4" CD-ROM tray.
High-reliability, no-maintenance MCP350 industrial pump is rated at 50,000 hour MTBF(Mean Time Between Failures)
equivalent to 5 year lifetime.
120mm slim form factor radiator fits into most chassis equipped with at least one 120mm opening for fan intake or
exhaust, and can also be installed externally to the back of any chassis featuring at least one 60, 80 or 92mm exhaust
fan, by using our patent pending MCB120 "Radbox" included with the kit.
The MCB-120 "Radbox" provides a bolt-on mechanism to "hang" the radiator at the back of the case with no case
modifications
Coolsleeves completely eliminate flattening of the tubes over time, and enable users to bend soft vinyl tubing at
extremely sharp radii without kinking.
Performance and comparative data
Water-cooling Kit performance testing was conducted in an environmental chamber where the radiator fan inlet air
temperature was held at 25°C ±0.1. An industry standard heat die was used as a heat source.
Kit Model Radiator/Fan configuration * Heat load Watts**
Earlier release
Rev 3a
°C/W***
New release
Premium edition
°C/W***
Fan Noise, dBA
(per specs, and est.****)
H20-120™ Radiator/fan
at 12V
100 Watts .160 .134 34
H20-120™ Radiator/fan
at 7v 100 Watts .181 .157 24
H20-120™ Radiator/fan
at 5v 100 Watts .209 .179 19
It can be seen above that the H20-120 Premium benefits from a 2.4 to 3.0°C drop in CPU temperature at 100 Watts
compared to the Rev 3a release. It should also be noted that such difference will further increase (better performance
of the new vs. the old) with higher heat loads resulting from extreme overclocking.
* Testing performed with the fan(s) shipped with the kit
** actual Watts measured at the heater of die simulator
*** Noting that "C/W"s are specific to an individual test bench (due to the lack of standard test methods); the system
C/Ws described are those actually determined with a specific water-cooling kit under the conditions described above.
**** Fan noise estimate based on: "If the speed of a fan is reduced by 20%, the decibel level will reduce by 5 dB.", and
"addition of a second equal source increases the sound level by ~3dBA".
FAQ: What CPU temperature can I expect in my own system ?
In order to project what your CPU temperature will be, you need to know the following:
Power rating in Watts of your CPU.
Ambient Temperature inside the computer.
For example, if your CPU is rated by the manufacturer at 100 Watts, and the temperature measured inside your
computer (close to the fans inlet), is 25°C, then you multiply 100 Watts by our C/W rating of 0.134 (at 12 Volt) = 13.4°
C, to which you add the temperature inside the computer of 25°C, = a CPU temperature of 38.4°C at full load.
Processor and Motherboard compatibility
The H20-120 Premium kit is is essentially meant as a universal product. It ships with all the necessary hardware for
the following processor (classified by the type of sockets that they use):
Socket 478 (Intel® Pentium® 4),
Socket 775 (Pentium® 4 "Prescott", Pentium® D),
Socket 603/604 (Intel® Xeon™ - 400 and 533 FSB)
Socket 604 Intel® Xeon™ "Nocona" 800 Mhz FSB - see note 1 below
Socket 462 (AMD® Athlon®, Duron®, MP, XP) - see note 2 below
Socket 754, 939, 940 (AMD® 64 bit processors).
Note 1: Dual processor users: Since the H20-120 Premium kit is provided with one water-block only, you will need to
procure another Apogee water-block for your second processor. The "Nocona" hardware is not included with the
Apogee water-block when sold separately, and it should also be procured separately under part number: AP-NC604
($3.00)
Note 2: AMD® socket 462 (socket A). The Apogee can be used exclusively with motherboards featuring the 4
mounting holes around the socket.
Removal of the motherboard is necessary to install the mounting posts in all cases, except with AMD® Athlon™ 64
and Opteron™ (socket 754, 939 and 940).
Example Of instalation With RAD Box
Individual component specifications
APOGEE CPU water-block
MCRES-1000 Integrated pump and reservoir
MCR120-QP 120mm Radiator
MCB120 "Radbox"
H20-120-PREMIUM Complete CPU liquid kit for Intel socket 478 (Intel® Pentium® 4), socket 775
(Pentium® 4 "Prescott", Pentium D), socket 603-604 (Intel® Xeon™ including"Nocona" class
processors), socket 462 (AMD® Athlon®, Duron®, XP, MP) with motherboard mounting holes,
socket 754, 939, 940 (AMD® 64 bit Athlon 64, X2, Sempron, Opteron processors)