Swiftech MCW462-UT / MCW478-UT

Company: Swiftech
Product: Intel / AMD compatible water-block w/226w TEC
Street Price: ~ $110.00 USD
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2002
Reviewed By: Joey C. aka Chong345

Condensation Proofing & Insulation (Cont):

Now it is time to actually mount the block. I applied Artic Silver III to the CPU just like normal and then used the standard Swiftech mounting gear. The MCW462-UT uses the four holes around the socket which makes sure the block is secure. The gasket on the block aligns almost perfectly with the gasket that goes around the socket creating an air tight fit. Just looking at the mounted block reassured me that there would be no condensation issues. Swiftech recommends removing the block after mounting it the first time to ensure there is good contact between the CPU and block, which as you can see, there is.

Installing the tubing was very easy because Swiftech used the quick connect style on this water block. So just put the inserts in the tubes and then just slide them into the holes on the block. At first this didn't seem very secure but I tried to slide the tubing back out to see if it would slip and it didn't so I felt much better as I get paranoid with water and electronics. Once you have it all hooked up it should look similar to the picture below.

My setup flows from: Reservoir -> Radiator -> Pump -> CPU -> VC -> Reservoir. While not completely optimal, this was due to the differences in fittings between the Swiftech unit and the radiator. Swiftech does offer the unit with other size fittings, and it would be best to match your system up before making any purchases.

Test System:

Testing & Results:

For this review the MCW40-T was not used to ensure that the MCW462-UT would be fully tested. Before powering my machine on I took temperature from the water in my reservoir. It was at 27C which was pretty close to ambient.

Now it was time to fire it up. Right upon boot up, I went straight into Windows and let the computer idle while I had Motherboard Monitor running. After the temperatures stabilized I took a reading. The 1.6A was at a chilly 4C. I was only at stock voltages but still this was a vast improvement from my old heatsink and fan. This was a good sign that the install had gone well. Next I ran Prime 95 until the temperature stopped rising and stabilized at 15C.

1.6GHz Idle:	1.6GHz Load:

I was so excited to see such good temperatures that I had to reboot and go into my bios so that I could start overclocking. The highest I could get to run stable was 2.76 GHz with 1.75V on the Vcore. The temperatures at idle was 10C and the temperatures at full load was 33C.

2.76GHz Idle:	2.76GHz Load:

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