Testing and Performance:

     Now, the true measure of any cooling system is not how easy it is to install, or how pretty it looks, but how well it actually performs  So we have to put some heat on this beast.   To test the kit, I will be using the following setup:

     Performance will be judged against my current favorite air cooler, the CoolerMaster GeminII, with two Antec TriCool fans.  The test consists of 5 minutes of idle time on the Windows Vista desktop, and then 15 minutes of stress testing using Orthos.  Orthos runs on both cores simultaneously, using the Large FFTs setting.  SpeedFan is used to log temperatures in 3 second increments, logging the CPU, PWM and chipset.  All fan speeds are set to 100%. 

First up, is the GeminII baseline:

     Here we see why the GeminII is my current favorite air cooler.  The Idle temps for CPU, PWM and chipset are: 36, 36, and 48.   Load temps go to 46, 47, and 51.  Just for the heck of it, lets throw in the results from the Gigabyte Galaxy II I reviewed a while back:

The Gigabyte peaked at 41C for the CPU, 52C for the chipset, and 52C for the PWM. 

     So finally, the results of our hard work have paid off, and we have the results to prove it.  The Idle temps came out to about 30C for the CPU, 41C for the PWM, and 41C for the chipset. The load temps are 39C for the CPU, 42C for the chipset, and 56C for the PWM.

      A sub 40C load temp for this CPU is darn impressive, considering the large overclock, and even at full bore the included fan is not terribly loud.  In fact; the best air cooler I have tested was in the mid 40s at the exact same settings. The only thing that might make the performance any better would be to install a 2x120mm radiator.

Conclusion:

     Swiftech's claims that the H20-120 Compact is the easiest water cooling kit to install are not unfounded, reducing the amount of components has resulted in the easiest water cooling install I have ever done.  Even more important, the easy install and advanced component integration do not hurt performance at all; in fact, the performance is great.  The Compact kit outperforms not only every air cooler I have tested to date, but bests both the Gigabyte Galaxy II as well as the more expensive FreeZone hybrid.  It is obvious that the component integration has not hurt performance of this unit.

   The value is a winner as well, to buy all the comparable components separately runs about $200.  So here is the bottom line:  if you are looking for more performance, a decent price, and have it all in an easy to maintain package, the H20-120 Compact is the right kit for you. 

Pros:

• Great performance

• Good Value

• Not too loud

• Easiest Install for a Water Cooling kit yet

Cons:

• Subdued aesthetics may be a drawback for some

• Still more expensive than air coolers

• Still harder to install than air coolers

Note: Club Overclocker is now using a new rating system based on a score of 1 to 5.
Please go to our rating system page for more information.

Performance:	4 out of 5
Innovation:	5 out of 5
Quality:	4 out of 5
Stability:	N/A
Aesthetics:	3 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	4 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5