Was just surfing around at 5:00AM again (don't ask) and discovered Swiftech has a new block out: the MCW6000. Just from quickly glancing over the pics, it looks to have a pin-fin design. Just thought all you water pimps might be interested in knowing. I'll have to give it a looksy myself tomorrow. So....first impressions?

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Looks interesting. Just out of curiosity for you Swiftech WB users, do they attach the same as their HSFs? i.e. backing off the screw until the head of it just clears the springs?

Looks cheap IMHO.

I'll check it out later.

mmm im not so sure on that blue clamp stlye bit that holds it in place - if thats cheap AL, the could cause some problems. Also the pipe connections arent central so theres gonna be some sorta flimsy maze inside that the water has to go through.

Im agreeing with putwig - it looks cheap, its quite samll in terms of the amount of copper used. I spose there has to be a starter block for some people

Cheesy looking.

Not a big swiftech fan myself, they did however improve their lineup. They claim a near 2c improvement over the 5000 line, which btw has been discontinued

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I'll agree that it does look kinda cheap but IMO it seems to be a Swiftech version of the PolarFLO block (pins instead of holes). IMO though the copper looks fugly compared to their other blocks, the retention mechanism looks good though and that block can def. Transition from one socket to the next...

It seems to me that Swifty is releasing a waterblock for the masses here. It is a better design than thier other blocks, but I have to agree with others....it does look cheap. And those white qd fitting adapters remind me of sewer connections on the side of an RV. And to boot, the copper is not machined, but molded. Also you cannot take this block apart and clean it, hell you can't eeven inspect it to see if it correct on the inside (looking for gunk build up/missing pins) And the 2 degree improvement, that was attanable on just about anyblock they have if they would have moved the inlet to the center like they did on this model.

The bar has been raised for waterblock design. There are 2 things a company can do; 1 - spend time and money to meet or beat the current designs or 2 - find the comfort zone and mass produce a decent average performing blocks. This is what I see: Swifty is trying to become the "Dell" of the watercooling industry, and that isn't a bad thing if you want to buy something that is ok, or good enough. But how many of us "PIMPS" here own a Dell? I don't, and I wouldn't want something that is ok, I want the top dawg in my rig!!!

Yeah it doesnt look like a real WB. Looks cheap, hopefully its priced that way too

Well, I wish I had seen this sooner before so many of you guys posted your thoughts

It seems that I know something that several of you don't. or have forgotten. That Gab at Swiftech hired a new guy to come work for him. Have you ever heard of Bill Adams ?

So this block is what they have come up with then. I guess I'll have to buy one just to see what they'll do. It's unfortunate that the block isn't truely universal as assumed.

Quote: Two versions are shipped, in order to accommodate the various processor configurations:

There is one for K7 chips, and one for all the rest. They only package the retaining clip you request, so if you want to migrate this block cross-platform, you'll have to buy the proper retention gear seperately.

Maybe if a guy found some really nice looking hose clamps, it might help the looks some

Actually piper, I think a good deal of us knew Bill Adams is working for Swiftech and has for sometime now. Unfortunately, that hasn't seemed to help them much. The only major developement since his arrival has been the MCP600 pump. And while the current incarnation is doing reasonably well, the first samples had a horrible failure rate.

And it really doesn't matter if you have a good pump if you're going to pair it with a micro or a cheesy oil cooler style rad.

I agree with the above, the block looks cheap and ugly and probably wont sell well because of that. The pin fin design however is a sound one. I have a pin fin here that beats the PolarFlo and the RBX I have. Albiet marginally. And every other block I have except the Cascade. It works well with a 300 gph pump AND it works well with much lower flow pumps. Try an RBX with a 79 gph Eheim and see how well it performs. Pin fin is also ideal for TEC use. Something Swifty has always been into.

The lower back pressure also means better performance with multiple blocks. If it is on par with John Hill's pin fin, the BlueCooling block and the AquaJoe AquaGold the performance should be right on par with the WhiteWater style blocks. Probably better in multi-block configs with 300 gph pumps and lower.

So I will reserve judgement. It is butt ugly though.

Well, I'll see first hand, I just ordered one, and I ordered that new Pump from DangerDen.

Wife will be pissed I am sure, no way I can intersept two orders, one always gets spotted at the door

I think there making this alot harder then it needs to be. All this crap about having to buy seprate mounting accesories is crap. They should just have one that fits all amd's, and one that fits all pentiums (save the server procs, xenon, operton etc...).

I dont know who this Bill dude is but who ever he is he sure sux's if this is a block he came up with. I kind of find it hard to believe that for the most part no one has been able to beat the RBX block. Its been out for quite some time know for sure someone has something somewhere that can beat it.

'this Bill dude' is the guy who helped Cathar make the Whitewater and the Cascade, I believe the whole jet impingment thing was his work but I might be wrong...

Anyways, it looks like this block is a combo of Bill's work with a Swifty block.. only time will tell...

Also IMO Thermaltake is the Dell of the cooling industry

Quote: Originally Posted by Arkangyl Also IMO Thermaltake is the Dell of the cooling industry

ROFL

too true man, my buddy had the aquarius II in his rig...it decided to split at the seam and start spewing all over his hardware. he took pics and raised a fuss, so now thermaltake is replacing his whole system. But i've had a talk with him and hes not buying from them again. I think he'll get his next piece form DD.

I'm going to go against the popular vote on this block. While it does look like less copper than I would use, the overall design/asthetic of it is very modern. This block was designed by and maybe for designers. I think he's missing a huge market with this design, but he's trying to nail a different and younger one. There will be a ton of younger guys buying this block. it's very easily acceptible visualy speaking. Anyway, if it performs then they'll have something for sure. good find Anon!

-DC

Looks like some thing you could win in a cerial box

Quote: Originally Posted by Red02 I think there making this alot harder then it needs to be. All this crap about having to buy seprate mounting accesories is crap. They should just have one that fits all amd's, and one that fits all pentiums (save the server procs, xenon, operton etc...). I dont know who this Bill dude is but who ever he is he sure sux's if this is a block he came up with. I kind of find it hard to believe that for the most part no one has been able to beat the RBX block. Its been out for quite some time know for sure someone has something somewhere that can beat it.

Bill Adams is the man who set the standard for water block testing. As far as which block is best...that remains to be seen. The differences between the top blocks now is very slight and more than covered by a margin of error even in the most stringent testing. And testing procedures themselves have come under fire.

Joe Citranella took over Bill's testing at overclockers.com, but part way through the testing Joe replaced the pump he had been using with a much more powerful one with greater head. When he came under fire in the forums for it, the info was removed from the website. So some of the blocks were tested with one pump, the RBX and all that followed with a more powerful one. Anyway you look at it, it could skew the results.

Pheastus at overclockers has the RBX rated third in his testing behind the Cascade and the WhiteWater. Some of the European sites have blocks you've never heard of beating all three.

Then consider that testing a block with a set flow rate vs. a set pump is going to skew the results in favor of more restrictive blocks.

Then consider testing delta between die temp and water temp vs. die temp and ambient will skew the results to more restrictive blocks.

Then consider testing with a high output pump and restricting the flow will skew results when compared to a pump that is free flowing.

The consider even if you mount the block multiple times and average it, if you don't have a dead accurate way to measure mounting pressure the results can skew.

Even the amount of TIM you spread on a block can skew results greater than the entire measured difference of the top blocks.

Also consider what Cathar has tested. Lower temps may NOT be the final test. According to his testing Cascade blocks will overclock better than the WhiteWater blocks because of a more even cooling.

Anyone who tests water blocks has a hard road to follow and many wrong turns to take. It's a fools errand at best.

Waterblock testing got more
ins and outs than greyhound racing? lol nice insite AntiM...

"Pheastus at overclockers has the RBX rated third in his testing behind the Cascade and the WhiteWater. Some of the European sites have blocks you've never heard of beating all three."

Yah, origonally thought it was because Europeans use tiny fittings as the rule it seems (1/4-1/8). But they did compare the RBX/Cascade/Whitewaters against the rest of the field with many of the small blocks using like 600litre pumps and the RBXs with 1000s or so. Eh... gotta give Cape and Alphacool credit where it is due - they do a kick @$$ job.

I guess im a little outdated, becuase when I looked at Casecade it was about a $100bucks or so. And I almost fell over when I saw it. But from what I hear it supposedly dropped in price so it could compete against the RBX.

As for buying one I still have yet to find a place to get one. It might just be me but if it takes me twenty mintues just to find a place that sells them, then I find out they have to be imported from Austrillia and I find out the shipping coast, I think I would rather just get the RBX from the Den and be done with it.