Testing
ABIT IS7 Max II Advance: Pentium 4 2.4C, 2 x 256MB Corsair TWINX PC3200 Ram, ATi AiW Radeon 9700 Pro, 120GB Western Digital SE 8MB Cache, Windows XP SP1, ATi Catalyst 3.5.
ABIT NF7-S nForce2: Barton 2500+, 2 x 256MB Corsair TWINX PC3200 Ram, ATi AiW Radeon 9700 Pro, 120GB Western Digital SE 8MB Cache, Windows XP SP1, nForce 2 Unified Driver Package 2.03, ATi Catalyst 3.5.
Going up against the Swiftech MCW5000 is our top AMD air cooler, the Swiftech MCX462+, as well as our top P4 cooler, the Swiftech MCX4000, both which have been paired up with a 80mm Delta SHE 68CFM fan. I also hijacked a friend's MCW462-U block from his Q-Power system to do an apples to apples water-block test.
We'll be using the Swiftech MCP300-KE water pump from our Swiftech H20-8500, but instead of the small radiator from that kit, we'll be using Rad 676 radiator, paired with a couple 120mm fans, each rated at 55 CFM. This is the same radiator and fans found in the Q-Power kit, and can also be found in .
Arctic Silver Ceramique is the thermal compound used for all the heatsinks and water-blocks. To load up the system, we run Prime95 run for 20 minutes, with Folding @ Home running in the background. Ambient room temperature is maintained at ~23C/74F.
AMD Temperatures in °C
Try as I might, I was unable to get the system stable enough with the MCX462+ at 10.5x237. The system would get into Windows, but double-clicking the Prime95 executable wouldn't generate a response. A quick check in the BIOS showed the CPU at 56°C, but since we weren't able to run our benchmarks, I did not include it above.
Otherwise, we can see the water-blocks did quite well when paired with the large radiator. I didn't have access to more powerful fans, so you should expect better performance if you got some heavy duty 120mm fans here. In anycase, the story today is the MCW5000, and we can see the performance is better than Swiftech's older water-block.
Intel P4 Temperatures in °C
It's plainly obvious here that the MCW5000 outclasses the other coolers in this roundup. To my surprise, the MCX4000 held up under the severe OC conditions, but considering it weighs more than my car, I shouldn't be too surprised. That being said, the temperatures were a little high for my liking. The MCW462-U is showing it's age here, and can't keep up with the newer MCW5000.
Final Words
The MCW5000 proved to be quite a solid water-block today. Not only did it outperform the best air coolers we had, but it also improved on the older MCW462-U waterblock.
Obviously, performance will depend on a number of factors. The water-block will accommodate 3/8" OD tubes, but doing so will restrict more water flow than ½" OD tubes. A quality pump is a must have, as well as a good sized radiator. I didn't include the numbers earlier, but the MCR80-F Radiator is just not going to cut it if great cooling is what you're after. Our temperatures with that radiator were about 4°C to 6°C higher than the numbers presented today with the Rad 676.
Construction is typical of Swiftech, which is top notch. The base of the water-block is extremely well lapped, and being almost 100% metal based (since the quick connect fittings are plastic) will insure that the water-block will last. Installation is very easy, and will not require you to remove the motherboard for either an Intel or AMD installation.
Pros: Great construction quality, easy installation, and great performance.
Cons: Plastic fittings could crack if you're careless.
Bottom Line: For effective water cooling, there are a lot of parts you'll need. A good pump, and radiator are very important, and personally, I wouldn't go with anything less than ½" OD (3/8" ID) tubing. Finally, a good water-block is very important, and we're putting the MCW5000 on our short list.
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