Packaging

The block comes in a blister pack, which can be easily opened and closed. You can see the block, plus the compartment holding the accessories.
Swiftech provides a nice set of accessories with the block – of course, the mounting screws and bolts for just about any socket are provided. Additionally, Swiftech gives you a set of barbs (pairs of ½”, 3/8” and ¼”). Also, an Allen wrench is included, should you wish to take apart the block and bow it by replacing the original o-ring by a thicker one, also included in the package. To be on the safe side, there is also a piece of paper that shows the user how he should assemble the block in order to achieve maximum performance. The installation manual is also top notch, covering installation for every socket. Interestingly, I would like to note that the packaging is identical to that of the original Apogee – that means even pressure drop and flow graphs printed on the back side of the cardboard insert show values for the original Apogee.

Note by W1zzard: I also would like to mention the excellent support Swiftech provides. The mounting screws of my Swiftech Storm wore out after dozens and dozens of mountings. After firing off an email to their support (from my private non-TPU account) I got a new set of screws shipped free of charge after a few days.

Below is a list of everything you get when you purchase the Apogee GT:

• Apogee GT block
• Mounting kit (including separate AM2 bracket)
• Barbs
• Thermal paste
• Manual
• O-ring, Allen wrench

The block

The block is beautiful to look at – it has no bells and whistles, but more of that “here to do the job”, utilitarian look. The top is out of Delrin, the base is made of copper. The block utilizes Swiftech’s patented Diamond Pin Matrix for high cooling performance. Interestingly, unlike most Swiftech water blocks, this one is made in China.


The base of the block is polished to a mirror-like finish. Minor milling marks can be seen. The base of the original block is flat, once bowed, it slopes downwards from the centre.


The base of the block uses pins – or, in this case, they are more like diamonds – to take away the heat from the processor. This provides a large cooling area, and is low restriction. The block should therefore be ideally suited for quad core CPUs, as well as TEC applications.
When looking at the top of the block, the only thing that concerns me is the wall thickness, notably at the point where the two vertices meet (the part with the barbs and that which goes over the base). Here, it looks like the top is quite thin, and could be prone to cracking.


The block is also provided with a thicker o-ring that allows you to bow the block. By bowing the block, you alter the shape of the base, so that it is no longer flat, but convex. This should make it “fit” Intel’s CPUs better, which usually have a concave IHS.