As CPUs run hotter, enthusiasts are trying to find ways to keep things running cool. The cheapest method is to simply buy a good heatsink, and slap a powerful fan on top of it. Though this will do the job, in many cases noise is the side effect, as a powerful air solution will make enough noise to wake the neighbours. Phase change cooling is another method of keeping things cool (almost subzero cool in some cases), but it is one of the more expensive methods of cooling your CPU.
This brings us to water cooling, which falls in the middle in terms of pricing. A good water cooling setup will give you the same performance, and in some cases better, as a top end air cooler. It does this without the noise associated with performance HSFs, though for extreme water cooling performance, there will still be a fair amount of noise.
There are many parts that make up for a good water cooling setup, and today, we're going to look at one piece of the puzzle, the CPU water-block, specifically, the MCW5000 CPU Water-Block. I am not going to go to deeply into the theories of water cooling, as we covered this earlier, and instead, focus more on the CPU block today.
MCW5000 CPU Water-Block
The housing is constructed with CNC machined aluminum, measuring L2.5"xW2.5"xH1.5". It has been blue anodized, to prevent any corrosion, and has two built-in quick-connect fittings for 1/2" OD tubing. Although the kit can accomadate 3/8" OD tubes (with optional fittings), you will lose a bit of cooling performance by going with smaller tubes. The base is lapped flat to 3/10 of 1/1000", and mirror polished. I was very impressed with the quality of it, and I don't think any additional lapping will need to be done.
Swiftech chose plastic tube fittings, rather than clamps. The good thing about this is that it is relatively painless installing and removing the tubes. Also, the tubes are less likely to get cut, which means your chances of water leaks are lessened. I do think that it is possible to crack them though if you're careless, so make sure you follow their instructions and lubricate the tube's ends before installation.
Inside the CPU block is not just one big empty space, and some turbulance is required to get the most cooling out of it. The face of the block (what is inside, and is under the water) is CNC machined from billet to form a Patent Pending Diamond-Pin Matrix. Naturally, with the pins, this design will increase the heat dissipation surface, and the resulting flow turbulence enhances the heat transfer to the cooling fluid.
It's important to note that the MCW5000 we had received is the Athlon 462 (MCW5000-A), as well as Pentium 4 attachments. This is not a standard feature (receiving both parts), as retail kits will ship in either AMD or Intel configurations. You'll have a choice to pick either installation kit, and/or purchase both if you plan to migrate to either platform later.
Installation was a breeze. For the AMD setup, simply put the water-block on the socket, and attach the clips. You then turn the screws until it's finger tight, and you're done.
Putting together the Pentium 4 setup is even easier. No tools are required, and the water-block install just needs a couple of clips to snap into place and you're done.
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