Swiftech H2O-120 Compact and Corsair Nautilus 500: Is Water Better?
by Wesley Fink on September 17, 2007 6:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Swiftech H2O-120 Compact Specifications
Our test system is Intel Socket 775, but the H2O-120 Compact will also mount on socket AM2 as well as socket 754/939/940 and socket F. All accessories for mounting are included, but mounting on AMD/AM2 sockets requires adapting the Apogee drive block by replacing the bottom half of the Apogee with an AMD specific mounting block. The CPU cage is then removed from the motherboard for the two or four screw direct mount of the drive block
The included fan is specified at a high 81.3 CFM at 12V, but it is rated at a bit higher noise than we normally see at this output. The 12V rated noise is 36 dB(A). Lowering the fan voltage to 7V with the included electrical adapter drops the noise to 26 dB(A) with the trade-off of much lower airflow. Sleeve bearings are not noted for a long service life, but Swiftech does not specify an average MTBF for this fan.
The Reservoir/Heat Exchanger utilizes louvered copper fins for best performance. Swiftech claims the system is optimized for high performance at low fan speed where low noise is required.
The Apogee Drive Block is extremely small compared to the size and weight of most of today's better air coolers. This makes the Apogee drive block an easy fit on virtually any motherboard. The only potential issue is the side-mounted 3/8" barbs on the combo block. On some motherboards with tall heatsinks for the power MOSFETs the barbs are potentially not tall enough to clear the tall MOSFET sinks However, we did not encounter this issue with any of the boards we looked at for potential mounting problems.
There are no mounting issues with the EVGA 680i board. Installation was also an easy task on the ASUS Striker and ASUS Commando, and on the two new P35 boards - the ASUS P5K Deluxe and P5K3 Deluxe. The P5K3 Deluxe will likely become a fit test for any motherboard, since the heatpipes completely circle the CPU socket and connect various cooling heatsinks around the CPU socket.
Corsair Nautilus 500 Specifications
The Nautilus 500 was tested on Intel Socket 775. The kit also includes retention brackets for Intel socket 478 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2 sockets. The vinyl tubing for the circulating water is attached to the water block at the factory. The water block remains the same in all possible installations and only the retention mechanism for mounting varies among the different installations. This is an important consideration since this approach ensures that the critical internal water connection is assembled at the factory and already tested for leaks.
The supporting components and self-contained design makes some small differences in the pump specifications between the Corsair and Swiftech designs. Corsair has also selected a different fan to be integrated in the external cooler. The 1800 RPM Nautilus 500 fan has a maximum air flow of 74.4 CFM, which is slightly less than the 81.3 CFM of the Swiftech. However, static pressure is higher on the Corsair fan.
The CPU clock looks very similar to the water block used in the Swiftech H2O-120 Compact. The Corsair design uses a stand-alone water block and does not integrate the block and pump as we saw in the Swiftech. This moves the pump noise from inside the case, as in the Swiftech, to outside the case in the cooling box on the Corsair. Which is the better design is a matter for debate, but as you'll see shortly we consider both designs noisier than the best air cooler designs.
There was no problem with fitting the Nautilus 500 waterblock to any motherboard we tested, and in fact we doubt you can find a motherboard that cannot mount the Corsair water block. Since the water block is standalone in the Corsair design there is no potential issue with side barbs as we saw on the Swiftech
Our test system is Intel Socket 775, but the H2O-120 Compact will also mount on socket AM2 as well as socket 754/939/940 and socket F. All accessories for mounting are included, but mounting on AMD/AM2 sockets requires adapting the Apogee drive block by replacing the bottom half of the Apogee with an AMD specific mounting block. The CPU cage is then removed from the motherboard for the two or four screw direct mount of the drive block
| Apogee Drive Block Specifications | |
| Motor | Electronically commutated, brushless 12V DC, spherical motor |
| Nominal Current | 0.69A |
| Weight | 286g (10.1 ounces) |
| Material | Diamond Pin Matrix copper base plate |
| Fittings | 3/8" barbs fittings for input and output |
| Normal Discharge | 300 LPH |
| Nominal Head | 10 ft |
| MTBF | 50,000 hours |
The included fan is specified at a high 81.3 CFM at 12V, but it is rated at a bit higher noise than we normally see at this output. The 12V rated noise is 36 dB(A). Lowering the fan voltage to 7V with the included electrical adapter drops the noise to 26 dB(A) with the trade-off of much lower airflow. Sleeve bearings are not noted for a long service life, but Swiftech does not specify an average MTBF for this fan.
| 120mm Fan Specifications | |
| Model | RDM1225S |
| Fan Size | 120mm x 120mm x 25mm |
| Fan Type | Low Noise Sleeve Bearing |
| Maximum Fan Speed | 2000 RPM |
| Maximum Noise Level | 36 dB(A) @ 12V, 26 dB(A) @ 7V |
| Maximum Airflow | 81.3 CFM |
| Current | 0.23A |
| Static Pressure | 27mm H2O |
The Reservoir/Heat Exchanger utilizes louvered copper fins for best performance. Swiftech claims the system is optimized for high performance at low fan speed where low noise is required.
| Radiator/Reservoir Specification | |
| Model | MCR120-Res Heat Exchanger |
| Description | 120mm Class Radiator with built-in reservoir. Designed for sealed system with 5 years between refilling |
| Dimensions | 7in x 5in x 1-3/8in (2" thick including barbs) |
| Material | Louvered copper fins, brass tubes & body |
| Design | Optimized for high performance at low fan speed for low noise operations |
| Fittings | Built-in 3/8 in barbs |
The Apogee Drive Block is extremely small compared to the size and weight of most of today's better air coolers. This makes the Apogee drive block an easy fit on virtually any motherboard. The only potential issue is the side-mounted 3/8" barbs on the combo block. On some motherboards with tall heatsinks for the power MOSFETs the barbs are potentially not tall enough to clear the tall MOSFET sinks However, we did not encounter this issue with any of the boards we looked at for potential mounting problems.
There are no mounting issues with the EVGA 680i board. Installation was also an easy task on the ASUS Striker and ASUS Commando, and on the two new P35 boards - the ASUS P5K Deluxe and P5K3 Deluxe. The P5K3 Deluxe will likely become a fit test for any motherboard, since the heatpipes completely circle the CPU socket and connect various cooling heatsinks around the CPU socket.
Corsair Nautilus 500 Specifications
The Nautilus 500 was tested on Intel Socket 775. The kit also includes retention brackets for Intel socket 478 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2 sockets. The vinyl tubing for the circulating water is attached to the water block at the factory. The water block remains the same in all possible installations and only the retention mechanism for mounting varies among the different installations. This is an important consideration since this approach ensures that the critical internal water connection is assembled at the factory and already tested for leaks.
| Water Pump | |
| Motor | Electronically commutated, brushless 12V DC, spherical Motor |
| Voltage Range | 8V to 13.2V |
| Max Static Pressure | 22 PSI |
| Normal Discharge | 350 LPH (@12V) |
| Nominal Head | 13.05 ft |
The supporting components and self-contained design makes some small differences in the pump specifications between the Corsair and Swiftech designs. Corsair has also selected a different fan to be integrated in the external cooler. The 1800 RPM Nautilus 500 fan has a maximum air flow of 74.4 CFM, which is slightly less than the 81.3 CFM of the Swiftech. However, static pressure is higher on the Corsair fan.
| 120mm Fan Specifications | |
| Fan Size | 120mm x 120mm x 25mm |
| Maximum Fan Speed | 1800 RPM |
| Maximum Airflow | 74.4 CFM |
| Current | 0.3A |
| Static Pressure | 32mm H2O |
| CPU Block | |
| Description | 100% solid copper supporting Delphi Micro-Channel Technology |
| Material | Solid Copper |
| Fittings | Built-in 3/8 in barbs |
The CPU clock looks very similar to the water block used in the Swiftech H2O-120 Compact. The Corsair design uses a stand-alone water block and does not integrate the block and pump as we saw in the Swiftech. This moves the pump noise from inside the case, as in the Swiftech, to outside the case in the cooling box on the Corsair. Which is the better design is a matter for debate, but as you'll see shortly we consider both designs noisier than the best air cooler designs.
There was no problem with fitting the Nautilus 500 waterblock to any motherboard we tested, and in fact we doubt you can find a motherboard that cannot mount the Corsair water block. Since the water block is standalone in the Corsair design there is no potential issue with side barbs as we saw on the Swiftech
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Gul Westfale - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
watercooling is still worth it ig=f you have th emoney; th etwo setups tested here are not exactly the best coolers available. also, the statement in teh article that watercoolers are quieter than aircoolers is ridiculous, after all a watercooler still has a fan thta blows air through the radiator, and that fan is jst as quiet (or noisy) as an aircooler... unless you go witth zalman's fanless reserator design.i'm afraid the conclusion of this article tries to tell you that all watercoolers perform like these two here, but that is simply not so. other, better systems include the aforementioned zalman reserator, the koolance exos, and several more advanced setups from swiftech. if you are interested in this, frozencpu.com is a good site to do some window sopping :0
Wesley Fink - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
We state you will likely need to spend more than $300 to possibly outperform current top air coolers. We have recently tested several systems near that price point and stand by that statement based on our tests results.We did not say water cooling is quieter, we just said many reviews over the years have stated water cooling to be the quieter solution. As we showed in our review that is no longer thacase unless you buy a much more expensive water system. If you read carefully you will also see we found the water pump to be the biggest noise maker and not the radiator fan.
Finally, water cooling will have to be eons better than air if we need to spend more tha 6 times the top air cooler price just to match performance of the best air coolers. The only compelling argument in favor of water in our opinion is the ability to add video cooling blocks and possibly chipset blcos to a water system - but that cost is also high.
You CAN buy or build a superior water system if you spend big bucks, but as one expert water cooler showed me in his tests results he had yet to find a water cooling kit that outperformed the best air coolers. His own monster water cooler was a custom built and very expensive water cooling system. If I need to go to those prices I can buy phase-change coolers that have a chance of creating sub-ambient CPU temperatures.
haelduksf - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. I'm running a $200 loop, with CPU *and* GPU blocks, and getting 34 degree load temps (folding) on my q6600. Nothing special- 240mm rad, fuzion CPU block, Silverprop GPU block... frankly, you must be doing something wrong if you can't do better on water than on air.Plus, as others mentioned, this loop will cool any computer I own for the next 10 years, which no air cooler can claim.
mpc7488 - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
Nice article Wes, and good way to phrase it - water cooling solutions under $300 cannot outperform top air coolers.Nickel020 - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
But you also need to consider that you'll use watercooling for a long time. I just recently bought my watercooling, but my 45$ waterblock was already available 3 years ago, lots of people that bought it then for a Athlon XP/754 system are still using it on a Core 2 today, and it's still very good. In the last 4 years I've had 3 different 50+$ air coolers in my main rig, that kind of adds up as well.
Watercooling is a big initial investment, but pump and radiators will last you 5+ years and waterblocks last several years as well. If you're a guy that buys one 50+$ heatsink a year, then watercooling is only marginally more expensive (if at all) then air.
strikeback03 - Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - link
The only reasons to upgrade to a newer cooler (air or water) is if either the performance is significantly better, or the cooler does not support whatever socket you move to in the future. These factors are the same for air or water, so in theory both should have a similar lifespan. If water cooling sees improvements in the next few years the way air has in the past few years, you would probably upgrade your water setup sooner than you think as well.KeypoX - Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - link
that is not true i bought the koolance case/water cooler years ago and it was no match for my current air cooler. On top of that the water block i had bought the 200 koolance was dropped and no longer supported for newer chip sets.I had a athlon 2600xp OC with the water cooler but it wasnt as good as air. And it had to much upkeep and a TON of noise.
RamIt - Monday, September 17, 2007 - link
What happened to paet two of the micro atx motherboard roundup?