Introduction

ap·o·gee: The farthest or highest point; the apex; a final climactic stage

Following in the footsteps of the award winning Apogee™ CPU water-block, the Apogee™ GT model takes the cooling performance to yet another level.

The GT's primary difference with the Apogee™ is an optimized internal structure. The improvement in thermal performance scales from a minimum of 1 °C and up to 3 °C (at 100W) depending on the CPU's, with Intel® 's latest QX6700 quad Core™ processors benefiting the most from the revised structure.

During the course of our test and validation procedures, we also uncovered additional means to further improve overall thermal performance as described in the tweaking guide

Performance data

The Apogee™ GT was tested in our labs, using our standard equipment and testing methodology and is compared to the Apogee™ and -for reference the Storm water-blocks below. Test equipment and methodology closely follow Intel® recommended procedures. Actual CPU testing was also conducted, and the data is reported.

It can be seen that the pressure drop of the "GT" is only slightly higher than that of the Apogee™ at equal flow rates, but remains substantially lower than that of a jet impingement type of water-block such as the Storm. In the real world where the range of flow rates is limited by the power of the pump, the "GT" remains perfectly adapted to multi-waterblock loops.

The next graphs show the thermal resistance (°C/W) of the three water-blocks at various flow rates. Data sets are separated into single-die and dual-die processors in order to better reflect product performance depending on the current market offerings.

The Apogee™ GT averages 0.01 °C/W better than the Apogee™ on single-die processors.

In dual-die processors, the performance gap between Apogee™ and Apogee™ GT increases to an average 0.03 °C/W in favor of the "GT".

"Live" CPU Testing

In order to further validate our data and provide users with points of reference, we also tested the Apogee™ GT water-block with popular CPU platforms below:

 

 

During the course of our live CPU testing, we have uncovered the fact that the overall performance of the water-block can greatly benefit (by up to 0.03 °C/W) by artificially inducing a bow -or a convex shape, in the water-block base plate. Further explanations and test results are provided HERE.

Motherboard and CPU Compatibility

The Apogee™ is essentially designed as a universal water-block. It supports the following CPU sockets:

CPU socket	Included Hardware	Optional hardware part #
Socket 1366 (Corei7)		AP-GT-CI7
Socket 775 (Pentium® 4, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo )	X
Socket 754, 939, 940 (AMD® 64 bit processors)	X
Socket AM2 (AMD® 64 bit processors)	X
Socket F (AMD®)	X
Socket 478 (Intel® Pentium® 4)		AP-CH
Socket 462 (AMD® Athlon®, Duron®, MP, XP) - See Notes 1 & 2		AP-CH
Socket 603/604 (Intel® Xeon™ - 400 and 533 FSB)		AP-CH
Socket 604 (Intel Xeon 800Mhz FSB & above)		AP-CH
Socket 771 (Intel® Xeon™)		AP-NC604

 

Note 1 : AMD® socket 462 (socket A). The Apogee™ can be used exclusively with motherboards featuring the 4 mounting holes around the socket.
Note 2: A Hold-down plate raising kit is also available to clear tall capacitors in some socket 462 motherboards under part #AP-S462-R

Removal of the motherboard is necessary to install the mounting posts in all cases, except with AMD® Athlon 64, Opteron (socket 754, 939 and 940), and socket AM2.

The Apogee™ GT includes a separate hold-down plate for AMD® processors using the AM2 socket (installation required).

Apogee™ gt ci7

 

The Apogee™ GT requires the optional AP-GT-CI7 hold-down plate and back-plate kit for installation with Corei7 processors.

Fittings & tubing compatibility

Three sets of Nylon hose barbs are included with the device: 1/4" (6mm), 3/8" (10mm) and 1/2" (12mm).

The Apogee™ uses NPSM threads. Please refer to "Connector Thread Compatibility" HERE for further information about this US standard.

An optional hold-down plate raising kit is available for socket 462 motherboards featuring tall capacitors in the neighborhood of the socket. This kit raises the hold-down plate and allows up to 0.900" clearance (measured from motherboard to hold-down plate. The part # is AP-S462-R. This kit is available free of charge to users for all Apogee™ water-blocks purchased prior to 2-20-06. Qualifying users in the US are directed to call Swiftech customer service to procure the kit. Qualifying users outside of the US, please contact your Swiftech distributor in the area.

Raising kit - Part # AP-S462-R

    * Internal structure: the CNC machined C110 copper base plate is at the heart of Apogee™ GT cooling efficiency. Designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics, the Patent Pending Diamond Pin Matrix was further optimized in the "GT" version resulting in increased surface area and coolant velocity. The thickness remains at 3mm to promote a high compliance factor with its mating surface (i.e. the CPU heat spreader) thanks to the base plate flexing ability. This particular feature allows additional "tweaks" to the Apogee™ generation of water-blocks and may yield substantial performance gains as described in the tweaking guide HERE.

Diamond Pin Matrix Copper base plate
of the Apogee™ GT

The Diamond Pin Matrix requires proper base-plate orientation in relation to the inlet and outlet ports as shown below:

    * The housing is injection molded out of Black Acetal. This process is key to allow mass production of the water-block, and thus economies of scale.



    * The universal hold-down plate features mounting holes for all current Desktop and midrange server processors (Xeon , Opteron). Optional hardware is available for high-end server processors (Itanium).



    * Nylon Fittings: 1/4" NPSM to 3/8" and/or 1/2" barbs
    * Fitting O-ring: (2) EPDM O-ring AS568A Dash Number 112
    * Base plate dimensions: 2" x 2" (50.5 x 50.5 mm)
    * Assembly weight: : 6.7 oz (190 g)