CNC machined Delrin® Acetal, with 35 mini jets
All Solid Cooper Back Plate
Made in the USA
Swiftech STORM Extreme High Performance Universal CPU Water Block.
(For Your Water Cooled PC).
SubZeroPCs : This is the Undisputited Champion Of Cpu Water Blocks.
Introduction
A few months ago, Swiftech™ acquired the manufacturing rights from well-known Australian engineer Stew Forster (AKA
Cathar) for his extraordinarily efficient Storm G4 water-block. The resulting product combines our manufacturing know-how,
attention to detail, and brings you the most advanced water-block ever produced by Swiftech™: STORM, our new flagship.
STORM has been designed by and for the die-hard pc water cooling enthusiast user. The body is high-precision machined out
of Delrin™, a rugged Acetal resin chosen for its long term mechanical stability, and the base plate is made of C110 copper
lapped to +/- 0.0003" flatness. Cosmetics have not been forgotten either, and the universal hold-down plate features a beautiful
chrome finish contrasting with the black body.
System design recommendations
The cooling "engine" of the Storm is a pure jet impingement design. It uses 35 mini jets directing high velocity coolant into
individually matching cups.
In the designer's own words:
" the Storm design implements jet disruptors to turbulate incoming jets prior to striking the cup's base ". Swiftech fine-tuned the
design to yield slightly better water cooled pc performance other than the original in terms of thermal and flow resistance.
While this design yields performance nominally equivalent to the MCW6000 series cpu water blocks in systems flowing 0.75
GPM or less, it really starts shining in the 1 GPM and above range. In other words, system designers should pay particular
attention to the overall system flow rate when integrating the Storm water-block. In this context for example, using 3/8" ID tubing
and the MCP350 pump is possible, and will yield very good results, but using 1/2" ID tubing and a high flow pump such as the
MCP655 will yield the best possible cpu cooling performance from the Storm water-block (providing other components do not
heavily restrict the overall system flow rate).
Performance data
The STORM was tested in our labs, and is compared below to the MCW6002™ series of waterblocks:
It can be seen that the pressure drop of the Storm is considerably greater that the MCW6002 at equal flow
rates. The next graph shows the thermal resistance (C/W) of the two waterblocks again at equal flow rates.
Here it is clear that the Storm has lower thermal resistance at all flow rates above ~0.4gpm. The above two
graphs can be combined to illustrate the pressure drop / thermal resistance relationship.
From this it can be seen that the MCW6002 can provide better cooling than the Storm where the pump
pressure is low. At typical pump pressures the Storm is superior. Another way to consider the relationship
between the waterblock's thermal resistance and the pump capability is to plot the hydraulic resistance,
which is literally the work that the pump must do.
As in the preceding graph, with a limited capability pump such a small aquarium pump, the MCW6002
would be preferred, and for all other applications the Storm becomes the solution of choice.
Test Equipment and procedures
Compatibility and retention mechanism
The Storm is essentially meant as a universal waterblock It ships with all the necessary hardware for the
following processor sockets:
socket 478 (Intel® Pentium® 4),
socket 775 (Pentium® 4 "Prescott"),
socket 603/604 (Intel® Xeon™ - 400 & 533 Mhz FSB),
socket 462 (AMD® Athlon®, Duron®, MP, XP),
socket 754, 939, 940 (AMD® 64 bit processors).
Two sets of Nylon hose barbs are included with the device: 3/8" and 1/2".
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).
Fittings compatibility
Connector Thread Compatibility for the Storm Waterblock
1/ NPSM and NPT Compared
NPT connectors are not recommended in the Storm waterblock for the following reasons:
Dimensionally the difference between NPT and NPSM is the lack of taper in NPSM; which means that the
seal resulting from the insertion of a NPT male into a NPSM female will make contact only at the largest
portion of the NPT thread*. Yes, a low pressure seal can be made - but it will have little strength for
bending loads from the tubing and will not be reliable.
The threads in the Storm waterblock are ¼”NPSM, the dimensions of which can be seen HERE, and those
for NPT threads HERE
A comparison of the features of tapered pipe joints and straight thread adaptors, NPSM, [by the SSP
Fittings Corp.] can be seen HERE
*“The basic pitch diameter for both the external and internal straight pipe threads is equal to the pitch
diameter of the American National Standard Taper Pipe Thread at the gaging notch, which is the same as
at the large end of the internal taper pipe thread.“ Robert James Sales, Inc.
2/ NPSM and G ¼ Compared
G ¼, or BSPP, fittings will fit, but may not seal; each must be checked prior to assuming that it will not leak
just because they fit together.
Both NPSM and G ¼ (BSPP) are parallel thread and nominally the same size, the principal difference
being 18 threads per inch for NPSM and 19 threads per inch for G ¼ (BSPP). Since most male end G ¼
fittings have a short thread length they can generally be engaged in the NPSM threads without difficulty.
The joint seal is effected with an o-ring which for the NPSM barb is in a groove on the waterblock top and
compressed by the flange nut barb.
G ¼ fittings have the o-ring captured in a groove under the fitting nut.
G ¼ fittings will seal so long as there is a straight portion under the nut flats sufficient to bring the G ¼
fitting’s o-ring into contact with the bottom of the o-ring groove, a depth of 0.080”.
Specifications
*** Upper body: CNC machined Delrin® Acetal
*** Inlet and outlet straight threaded ports to 1/4" NPSM standard.
*** Lower body: CNC machined Delrin® Acetal, with 35 mini jets
Lower body plate
*** Base plate: CNC machined C110 copper, lapped to +/- 0.0003"
base plate
Universal hold-down plate
Hold-down plate
Body O-ring: (2) 2.5 width x 50mm ID Buna
Nylon Fittings: 1/4" NPSM to 3/8" or 1/2" barbs
Fitting O-ring: (2) EPDM O-ring AS568A Dash Number 112
Base plate dimensions: 2" x 3" (50.8 x 76.2 mm)
Assembly weight: : 9.2 oz (260 g)
intel® & AMD® Solutions
Description
Storm Waterblock Assembly including waterblock, hold-down plate, retention hardware for Intel socket 478 (Intel® Pentium® 4),
socket 775 (Pentium® 4 "Prescott"), socket 603-604 (Intel® Xeon™), socket 462 (AMD® Athlon®, Duron®, XP, MP), socket
754, 939, 940 (AMD® 64 bit processors), two sets of hose barbs (3/8" & 1/2"),
