Swiftech's New H220-X is Patent Troll Proof
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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Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.
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xcaninox 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.Reply -
outlw6669 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. -
IQ11110002 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.Reply -
virtualban No mater how patent troll proof you make something, they will just build a better patent troll.Reply -
oxxfatelostxxo 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.
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Lutfij 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.Reply