Swiftech H20-8500 Series Water Cooling Kit

Company: Swiftech
Product: Swiftech H20-8500 Series Water Cooling Kit
Street Price: ~$230 USD
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004
Reviewed By: Daniel Swords aka rds0811
Rating: (4.5/5)

Conclusions:

I am really surprised with how well this kit performs. Pre-built water cooling kits have always had a bad reputation among overclockers because they are said to perform poorly over home-built systems. While I will admit that a higher performing home-built kit can be built for cheaper, the convenience and ease of using this kit is really worth the money.

When first looking at the radiator I was afraid it wasn't going to be able to handle the heat I am putting out, but it performed like a champ. The kit cools very effectively and is very quiet, and Swiftech has done a great job of including every possible accessory to make the kit complete. All of the parts have a quality look and feel to them, and there is no lack of performance.

Swiftech offers a lot of options for different parts and accessories to customize your own kit, and has recently released a new pump and Pentium 4 water block that performs even better than the ones I'm using. I really have very little in the way of negative things to say about this kit. I would like to see the radiator to use hose barbs instead of smooth posts, as the clamps are very hard to use and can be ineffective. Also, I'd like to see the PSU relay kit integrated into the fill/bleed assembly to cut down on clutter.

I give the Swiftech H20-8500 water cooling kit a 4.5 of 5 points because it's easy to use, cools well, is quiet, and looks really great. Also, it's easily upgradeable with new parts. It may not have the cooling power for the most demanding overclockers (Swiftech actually makes a high performance kit as well), but for those who want less noise and better temperatures over stock cooling it is excellent.

Rating: 4.5/5