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Swiftech's New H220-X is Patent Troll Proof

By - Source: Tom's Hardware US | B 15 comments

Swiftech's H220-X has arrived, and it should be safe from patent trolls.

Swiftech has been through plenty of trouble with its renown H220 water cooling unit. To avoid litigation, the company decided to simply stop selling it in the U.S., and instead sold it through other companies with their branding on it. Of course, Swiftech still wants its name on an all-in-one water cooling product, so the company is releasing a new unit that is wildly different from anything we've ever seen before. Pictures of this unit did get leaked a few months back.

The new H220-X follows the same principle idea of the original H220. It is a closed loop liquid cooler that can be opened up and expanded. This cooler is built using a dual-120 mm radiator with a built-in reservoir and pump. The powerful MCP30 pump is capable of handling very long water loops. The CPU block is the new Swiftech Apogee XL block, which comes with adjustable LED lighting. The reservoir is also LED lit.

Given the way the reservoir and pump are mounted to the radiator, we do foresee some compatibility issues. In most cases, the fans will be mounted in a 'pull' configuration, and the protruding reservoir and pump might get in the way of optical drive bays or other elements in certain cases. We're also curious to see whether it can be mounted in various orientations, or if it can only be mounted in the pictured orientation.

"Our patent pending technology is the result of years of development and it clearly demonstrates Swiftech's ability to think outside the box. The H220-X CPU cooling kit embodies everything we stand for at Swiftech: innovation, performance, quality, and most importantly an unwavering dedication to our customers," said Gabe Rouchon, CEO and Founder of Swiftech. "I also want to take this opportunity to thank the entire staff at Swiftech for the passion and perseverance that have led us to this moment. Development of the H220-X has allowed us to implement several enhancements to the pump that is also at the heart of the original H220 kit, and the H220 will continue to be marketed in regions where intellectual property rights are not disputed; in the end, both H220 and H220-X have greatly benefited from these efforts, and I look forward to see them fill different market niches based on users' tastes and preferences.”

Oh, and if you're worried that this unit might also face litigation, worry no more. Chispy, from the Guru3D forum, who appears to be associated with Swiftech, wrote: "No worries this time as Asetek cannot patent troll and ban Swiftech from selling in the USA because of the patent BS in the past, as this is an exclusive patent pending design 100% made by Swiftech."

Pricing is set at $139.99, which is actually quite friendly for all the gear you get. It also comes with a three-year warranty, and the company claims that the unit is maintenance free for this entire period.

Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

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  • -3 Hide
    xcaninox , July 21, 2014 4:16 PM
    Well if there will be compatibility issues if i decide to use PUSH-AND-PULL this is definitely a deal breaker, Swiftech above all should know this, they must be desperate to release a freakenstein like this.
  • 4 Hide
    RoxasForTheWin , July 21, 2014 4:17 PM
    This looks interesting, might pick one up later
  • 6 Hide
    west7 , July 21, 2014 6:35 PM
    this is a good looking cooler i realy like it
  • Display all 15 comments.
  • 7 Hide
    ekagori , July 21, 2014 6:41 PM
    If it outperforms my h100i and looks good while doing it, I'll buy it.
  • 3 Hide
    Hupiscratch , July 21, 2014 9:20 PM
    Rambus: "Challenge Accepted!"
  • 4 Hide
    outlw6669 , July 21, 2014 9:55 PM
    Quote:
    If it outperforms my h100i and looks good while doing it, I'll buy it.

    Given Swiftech's experience and usage of copper core radiators; I would expect this to outperform the H100i at lower noise levels and to be truly expandable to cover GPU's or add additional radiators as needed.

    Definitely looking forward to seeing this in retail and reviewed.
    It looks to me that there would be no issues mounting this unit vertically so long as the reservoir stays to the bottom of the unit; any disruptive air in the system would naturally gather at the top of the radiator and should not effect the pump at all.
  • 0 Hide
    IQ11110002 , July 22, 2014 1:16 AM
    Perfect timing, I was just contemplating a new X99 build in near future. Was either going to go for H110 or Kraken X60 but I think this new H220-X will perform better, Quieter and look the part.
  • 1 Hide
    virtualban , July 22, 2014 1:53 AM
    No mater how patent troll proof you make something, they will just build a better patent troll.
  • 3 Hide
    oxxfatelostxxo , July 22, 2014 6:34 AM
    Quote:
    Well if there will be compatibility issues if i decide to use PUSH-AND-PULL this is definitely a deal breaker, Swiftech above all should know this, they must be desperate to release a freakenstein like this.


    It has been proven that using a push and pull setup barely helps cooling at all vs a pull setup. most results show only a few degrees at best which is minimal considering your doubling the fan space.

    so their product is still good regardless of whether it can or cant have a push/pull setup.
  • 5 Hide
    Lutfij , July 22, 2014 7:18 AM
    Props to Swiftech for moving past patent trolls. Nothing worse than seeing some people taking advantage of hard work and dedication put in by others.
  • 2 Hide
    Rookie_MIB , July 22, 2014 9:18 AM
    How in the world could Asetek patent something like this in the first place? Radiator, pump, hoses, block, sounds like a basic design for ANY kind of refrigeration or liquid cooling systems that you find in every day products like cars and freezers.

    Damn patent office. Grrr...
  • 0 Hide
    Lutfij , July 22, 2014 9:23 AM
    Asetek took Swiftech to court for infringement on a patent. Apparently the "pump on a block" idea was Aseteks to begin with that's what Gabe mentioned and is the reason why the res and pump are now located with the rad.
  • 0 Hide
    razor512 , July 22, 2014 9:31 AM
    For a thinner radiator, a pull only config is far better than a push-pull. While a push-pull config will have better initial performance, radiators clog very quickly, and even with a thin layer dust, you can increase your temperatures enough to negate the benefit of the additional fans.

    With a pull only config, you have far easier access to clean the radiator, and with a right angle vacuum cleaner hose attachment, you can easily clean the radiator within a few seconds. This makes it easier for you to regularly clean the radiator and thus maintain a lower long term temperatures.

    Push-pull is only needed if you are using a very thick radiator.
  • 0 Hide
    Neospiral , July 23, 2014 3:20 PM
    I am very interested in this guy. I want Swiftech to stick around so Corsair and Coolermaster and NZXT actually have a product to compete with on the AIO market. Hook this baby up with a couple of NF-F12's in pull and the red LED one will go great with my setup :) 
  • -1 Hide
    Christopher1 , July 24, 2014 4:15 AM
    Who still uses an optical drive today? Hell, I use flash drives to install everything I buy including Windows.