Swiftech H220-X CPU Liquid Cooling Kit AIO Review @ [H]

Zarathustra[H];1041344799 said:
Hmm..

So, if one opens the loop to add more stuff to it, should one discard and replace the coolant, or can one just add to it.

And how does one open an existing loop without getting coolant all over ones computer? :p Does one have to drain the entire system first?
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The article here doesn't go into adding more components.
By looking at the photos you can disconnect the tubing at the pump.
Yes, you'd have to add more coolant if you added more tubing and more blocks, or you'd have massive air bubble problems.

This system has a built in reservoir and fill port so you could drain and fill easily, either simply adding more HyrdX or your own coolant choices.
The system should be bleed-able via the fill port.
 
Why don't the comparison charts start with the axes at 0? It makes it appear that the best and worst products are degrees of magnitude different. If the axes were instead set to start at 0, a more realistic comparison could be inferred visually.

This is just a pet peeve of mine and something that I find common in articles that try to be "sensational" or fall under the "yellow journalism" category.
 
Talyrius said:
This blows the H100i away with higher RPM fans...
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you need to read better:
There is one other important point to remember. The fans on the H220-X are rated for quiet operation so we also tested the Swiftech radiator using high speed fans acquired from the H100i. These 120mm fans push a lot of air and make a lot of noise which should give us some insight into how much performance the H220-X's radiator has left. It is NOT our usual process to do this, but we fully expected to be asked about this since this is a very upgradeable unit in terms of tubing and attached cooling blocks.
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they are using H100i Fans at full speed. and still the H220-X perform with stock fans at full speed perform 2 degrees worse than a h100i with fans at low speed which produce the same amount of noise.. the H220X with the H100i fans at max speed was only 1C better than the h100i at max speed. so no, it will not destroy it.. I really hope to see a much better performance with the H240-X as i'll be buying that unit to replace my h100i with Noctua NF-F12 push/pull.. if not I no see a good improvement in cooling performance, then i'll buy the new Corsair H110i.

titan97 said:
Why don't the comparison charts start with the axes at 0? It makes it appear that the best and worst products are degrees of magnitude different. If the axes were instead set to start at 0, a more realistic comparison could be inferred visually.

This is just a pet peeve of mine and something that I find common in articles that try to be "sensational" or fall under the "yellow journalism" category.
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Please note we start our charts at 25C which is the ambient temperature at the time of testing. Since we are not testing an active cooling system such as a chiller or Peltier cooler, it is impossible for the temps to be less than ambient. This is why we start our charts at 25C.
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results will be exactly the same but with larger bars? that means something different?.
 
Araxie said:
you need to read better:

they are using H100i Fans at full speed. and still the H220-X perform with stock fans at full speed perform 2 degrees worse than a h100i with fans at low speed which produce the same amount of noise.. the H220X with the H100i fans at max speed was only 1C better than the h100i at max speed. so no, it will not destroy it.. I really hope to see a much better performance with the H240-X as i'll be buying that unit to replace my h100i with Noctua NF-F12 push/pull.. if not I no see a good improvement in cooling performance, then i'll buy the new Corsair H110i.
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Often in these battles, the deltas are in fractions of degrees.

1C is nothing to be dismissive of. It can mean the difference between a stable OC and a bluescreen in some cases.
 
The H220-X is a bit perplexing to me. It really comes equipped with great hardware and based on specs would appear that it would perform at least more than a smidge better than my Glacer 240L, but alas it really does not.

The pump appears to be in the process of failing on my 240L, so I am maybe looking for a replacement. I can hope that the pump issues are resolved with a new Revision 2 240L RMA replacement or I can find an alternative AIO. Was looking at the H220-X, but not so sure now.
 
jhatfie said:
The H220-X is a bit perplexing to me. It really comes equipped with great hardware and based on specs would appear that it would perform at least more than a smidge better than my Glacer 240L, but alas it really does not.

The pump appears to be in the process of failing on my 240L, so I am maybe looking for a replacement. I can hope that the pump issues are resolved with a new Revision 2 240L RMA replacement or I can find an alternative AIO. Was looking at the H220-X, but not so sure now.
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I'd imagine it has to do with being optimized for silence.

I'm a total n00b when it comes to water cooling, but from my reading and my understanding, there are two extremes in radiator design. High density, provides the best performance, but requires more powerful and noisier fans. Low density, provides little air resistance, and can be equipped with slow silent fans. Actual designs exist everywhere across that spectrum.

The H220-x appears to be using Swiftechs low density radiator design, and is thus optimized for low flow silent fans, at the expense of top end performance.

So, it's aiming to be good enough cooling, very quietly.

If instead Swiftech had used their high density radiators in this comparison, it would likely have yielded different results.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041345442 said:
I'd imagine it has to do with being optimized for silence.

I'm a total n00b when it comes to water cooling, but from my reading and my understanding, there are two extremes in radiator design. High density, provides the best performance, but requires more powerful and noisier fans. Low density, provides little air resistance, and can be equipped with slow silent fans. Actual designs exist everywhere across that spectrum.

The H220-x appears to be using Swiftechs low density radiator design, and is thus optimized for low flow silent fans, at the expense of top end performance.

So, it's aiming to be good enough cooling, very quietly.

If instead Swiftech had used their high density radiators in this comparison, it would likely have yielded different results.
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This chart explains it:

triples-v2_heatdiss-2dT.jpg


Note how radiators that perform the best at high RPM's tend to perform the worst at low RPM's and vice versa.
 
Quietest fans ever tested with an AIO unit according to the chart data? I think not:
www.hardocp.com/article/2015/01/06/swiftech_h220x_cpu_liquid_cooling_kit_aio_review/3#.VLIo7idEiTV

The chart clearly shows fans on other models being quieter. One could correct the article by adding "at full speed" to the sentence.


Also, an error for Kraken X60 in the chart:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015..._liquid_cooling_kit_aio_review/4#.VLIqkydEiTV


I'd really like to see a noise to cooling ratio chart in these cooling roundups. Personally, I think performance per decibel is more interesting than performance per dollar.
 
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I am in the market for either the H220-X or the H240-X but both are in stock nowhere.
It seems that Swiftech is unable to meet up the demand for these babies.
 
RadXge said:
I am in the market for either the H220-X or the H240-X but both are in stock nowhere.
It seems that Swiftech is unable to meet up the demand for these babies.
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Keep an eye on it, they update their stock rather frequently but sell out fast as well.

Definitely worth it, 240 keeps my i7 930 @ 4.0 operating at stock temperatures (idle 35, load 55) at minimum fan speed. My H80i is not even from the same planet, let alone same ballpark. As far as all-in-one's go, you can't go wrong here.
 
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w00t69 said:
my 220 comes in today. can't wait cuz it's gonna blow my h80 away lol.
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Let us know how that goes. I've been pushing my i7 930 clocks with the H-240X and I'll just say it can do a lot with very little noise, the 220 should be no different. Right now I'm at 4.2 GHz (from 2.8) and idling at 40 and 0% on fans.
 
I finally ordered a H240-X from Sohodiffusion.
This should nicely keep cool my new shiny 5930K... ;)
 
The h80 with SP120 fans i had on it screaming at max speed would keep my 4690k @ 4.4 ghz @ 85c

This thing keeps it at 79 with the fans inaudible. Tempting to take it back off and put the sp120 fans on it hehe.

FYI i have one of the first generation corsair cases and this thing does not fit properly with the fan mounting holes on the top. The radiator hits the motherboard 8 + 4 pin power plug. Luckily all the other holes in the top i was able to just move it around til it lined up with some of those and screwed a few screws in to hold it nice and tight and it looks fine tbh. Doesnt look ghetto at all.

I was in a bit of a hurry so i didn't clean the cpu and put thermal paste on it again i just used what was on there. It'll probably improve some if i do that.

Now to be fair about my results, my cpu takes 1.2875 volts to be stable at 4.4 ghz so... temps are going to be higher regardless than this review.

I will say, i really really love the fan jumper block that came with it.
 
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I had a 500R for awhile and had my fans setup in the sandwich fashion (ie. fan/case/rad)but I was getting terrible performance out of my H100i at the time. I upgraded to Gentle Typhoon AP-29 for a better fan, still not great performance (This was after multiple block remounts). I then got looking at the gap made around the rad and the fans where the fan/case/rad wasnt sealing properly (its got big cut-outs and a rubber washer making the gap). I ended up installing foam tape to take up the space and it brought temps down considerably. I had a quick look back at the H100i review vs the H220X, the setups are indeed different. See the H100i and the H220X screens. This would lead to a 4-5 Degree difference I can attest to having run the H100i in a 500R...I think it deserves a re-run But dont think they will. Too bad the testing wasn't more consistent, ah well...
 
sealing around the fan netted you better performance? I'll try gluing some foam around the edge of the fan ring to see how that helps.
 
w00t69 said:
sealing around the fan netted you better performance? I'll try gluing some foam around the edge of the fan ring to see how that helps.
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I always duct tape around square fans on my radiators. With no leakage you aren't wasting any of your static pressure.
 
w00t69 said:
The h80 with SP120 fans i had on it screaming at max speed would keep my 4690k @ 4.4 ghz @ 85c

This thing keeps it at 79 with the fans inaudible. Tempting to take it back off and put the sp120 fans on it hehe.

FYI i have one of the first generation corsair cases and this thing does not fit properly with the fan mounting holes on the top. The radiator hits the motherboard 8 + 4 pin power plug. Luckily all the other holes in the top i was able to just move it around til it lined up with some of those and screwed a few screws in to hold it nice and tight and it looks fine tbh. Doesnt look ghetto at all.

I was in a bit of a hurry so i didn't clean the cpu and put thermal paste on it again i just used what was on there. It'll probably improve some if i do that.

Now to be fair about my results, my cpu takes 1.2875 volts to be stable at 4.4 ghz so... temps are going to be higher regardless than this review.

I will say, i really really love the fan jumper block that came with it.
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Sounds like you experienced a similar jump in performance that I did coming from my H80i. I had problems fitting mine in my 450D case as well. It was so snug that I was convinced it wasn't even going to screw in properly. My pumps are squeezed in between the radiator and optical bays.

I recommend experimenting with a fan curve if you haven't already - you can keep temps a bit lower while keeping things quiet. I just put a fan curve on Speedfan and now I have it so that hitting 85c brings my fans to a peak speed of 75%, which is definitely audible but not noisy compared to my H80i, and 70c is where my fans hit 45%, which is the highest my fans go before I can hear them over my case fans.

I'm getting way better temps during Prime95 than just having the fans at 0% like I initially was doing. And they're completely inaudible except when Prime95 is on. Played Far Cry 4 for an hour and my temps got as high as 69 degrees @ 4.2GHz, didn't hear my fans audibly kick up once. Swiftech totally delivers on their promises with their AIO coolers. I'm mostly just happy I don't have to use Corsair Link anymore. It was giving me many problems. Speedfan is rudimentary but actually reliably works for me.
 
Argh!! The 240X was not in stock after all and is expected to be shipped within 3 to 6 weeks!
I begin to think that Swiftech's factory is located on planet Mars...
 
Ugh, I'm an idiot. I didn't notice I had my H-240X installed for the past few days with the fans as intake instead of exhaust, so I had 4x140mm intakes and 1x120mm exhaust Switched the fans around and my temps dropped a few degrees. Right now idling at 36c with my i7 930 at 4.2 GHz. Very excellent, was previously idling at 38c. Once my 4x 140mm Noctua NF-AF14 3000RPM industrial edition fans arrive, I'd imagine I can bring up OC to 4.3GHz or hopefully even 4.4GHz (57% boost over stock).
RadXge said:
Argh!! The 240X was not in stock after all and is expected to be shipped within 3 to 6 weeks!
I begin to think that Swiftech's factory is located on planet Mars...
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That's a shame, I must've gotten really lucky to find them come in stock the day after initially finding them go out of stock.
 
Expanded my 240X to include my 290X and added another 140mm rad, works awesome, and is so much quieter than my old H100i setup
 
t1337Dude said:
That's a shame, I must've gotten really lucky to find them come in stock the day after initially finding them go out of stock.
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It really doesn't surprise me though. These perform great, and compared to building an equivalent custom loop, they are an absolute steal.
 
psyclist said:
Expanded my 240X to include my 290X and added another 140mm rad, works awesome, and is so much quieter than my old H100i setup
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Is there any particular guide you followed or do you already have experience with open loops?
Zarathustra[H];1041363496 said:
It really doesn't surprise me though. These perform great, and compared to building an equivalent custom loop, they are an absolute steal.
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Indeed. It's expensive compared to the popular H100i, but you honestly get way more value for your money (in both performance and expandability). You don't know what you're missing until you realize that even at minimum fan speeds it keeps things much frostier than other AIO's at high+noisy fan speeds. Since I don't upgrade my cooling solutions often, figured it's worth spending extra if you want something that excels and lasts. An extra $50 isn't that much for how much you're getting IMO.
 
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While not my first choice, I might consider the new Corsair H110i GT if my search of a H240-X remains in vain.
 
Hmmm. Well when doing temp testing with AIDA64.... temps get nowhere near as high as with prime95.

prime95 gets scary hot in comparison. The average temps with AIDA64 is around 70C...
 
t1337Dude said:
Is there any particular guide you followed or do you already have experience with open loops?
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Just experience with mechanical things, cars, motorcycles etc...watched the swifttech video,and did lots of planning a reading prior to doing it, wasn't a quick process but the loop is awesome now. Just make sure you have enough parts to finish the job, the thread over on OC.net has some great info as well
 
I think I got a bad setup, the noise level from the pump was annoying. I figured it could have been an air-bubble but not worth dealing with overall. I think the setup is nice but the super tight fit in the 450D also was a factor in returning as well.
 
AthlonXP said:
I think I got a bad setup, the noise level from the pump was annoying. I figured it could have been an air-bubble but not worth dealing with overall. I think the setup is nice but the super tight fit in the 450D also was a factor in returning as well.
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If the pump was louder than the fans, then you had the same issue as me. It went away after putting in a drop of dish soap in the reservoir and then ran the pump at 100% overnight. It's almost silent now. And yes - fitting it into the 450D is extremely tight. It wouldn't have been possible to install if I didn't have my brother helping me. But I didn't find it impossible, nor was it tight enough to bother me, I'm used to PC setups barely fitting together. The only problem it presents is a difficult installation and uninstallation. Probably bent a few fins getting everything to where it is now, but it doesn't really bother me as now my cooling capabilities are great.

Yesterday I just switched out the Helix140 fans with Noctua AF-A14 iPCC-3000 RPM editions, as well as 2 other fans in my case. My computer is now almost dead silent, all that's left is a humming noise from the pump. With default fan setup, I was getting 35c idle with 4.2GHz on my i7 930. With the new Noctua fans, I'm getting 32c idle now. Those are pretty amazing temperatures for running my processor at 150% speeds. After I get one of my case fans plugged back in with a V-reduction cord, I'm going to try pushing the clocks. Fingers crossed for 4.4 GHz.
 
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