Review: Swiftech H20-220 Edge HD Liquid Cooling Kit Cases and Cooling   Page 1

Reviewer: Tyler Bernath Article Publish Date: 9/4/2012

 

 

 

 

Introduction

 

 

 

No doubt if you’re reading this article, you have – at some point – had water cooling or want to get into water cooling. It actually wasn’t long ago that water cooling was an enthusiast only thing, and you really had to spend the money to get a good setup, but as time passed we saw the likes of Corsair, Antec and now Thermaltake get into the water cooling markets with All in one solutions. While Thermaltake did have the Big Water kits a number of years ago – and I have owned a few of those – they always felt low-end and on the cheap side. Now with more companies getting into the market, the big custom liquid cooling companies such as EK and Swiftech have a niche to fill, and only one of those has attempted to do this.

 

Swiftech started off back in 1994 but didn’t really make a name for itself until 2000, when the release of AMDs Athlon processor proved too much for other companies, Swiftech stepped up to the plate with the MC370 and everyone instantly knew who Swiftech was. Swiftech has steadily grown into an industry leader in cooling technologies, but by far the most notable product has been the Apogee Water Block, and as fate has determined that same name has made it into the product we are reviewing today.

 

The H20-220 Edge HD is Swiftechs answer to the AIO market that has exploded recently, and of course with a name like Swiftech it teeters on the “edge” of custom. Previously you could spend an unlimited amount of money on a full custom kit with the reservoir, radiator, pump and waterblock all separate, and that gave you freedom to mix and match your parts to your liking. The downside to all of this was space, without having a full monster tower of a case you would most likely struggle to find the perfect spot to mount all of these parts, and then the hassle of getting all the tubing to fit without kinking made it so time consuming the thought of water cooling was no longer fun.

 

Within the attractive box that the H20-220 Edge comes in we have all of the fun of water cooling restored to its previous glory. The Edge incorporates the reservoir and pump into the radiator so you are left with a complete custom solution with minimal space requirements without sacrificing quality. That is to say you still get an award winning Apogee HD waterblock, a “real” low FPI radiator for high airflow, and one of my favorite space saving water pumps – the MCP35X.