Swiftech Apogee XT Extreme CPU Waterblock Review

Looking Closer at the Copper Block

With the Apogee XT free of the packing we can get a better look at it. The top half of the block is CNC machined brass and plated with a black chrome finish. This is a change from the GTZ design that was machined out of Delrin, a durable and strong plastic.

Another change is the inlet port can be moved to allow room for compression fittings to be installed. In its stock location (shown) the inlet and outlet ports are too close for some compression fittings to be installed. More on this when we take the block apart.

The base of the Apogee GTZ i7 is also CNC machined, but out of C110 copper. The base is also lapped and polished to a mirror finish.

Like I had mentioned earlier, the top plate for the Apogee XT is able to be used across all the LGA Intel sockets. This is done with a slot that allows for the pins to adjust to fit each socket.

Inside the Apogee XT

To take the block apart you have to remove the top plate. This is done by removing the 6 allen head screws, 3 either side of the block.

With the bottom removed we can see the inside bottom of the top. The inlet port is in line with the hole you see in the center of the block. This is centered on the CPU. The coolant then flows outward from the center, through the micro pin matrix and eventually out the outlet port.

Flipping the top over, we can take another look at the inlet port.

With the inlet port cover removed we can see the seal and the small water channel that allows for the port orientation to be changed. Doing this, Swiftech says, will affect the flow of the block and ultimately the performance.

However, if you need the space for the fittings then its nice to have the option, but you, the end user, will have to decide if the performance hit is worth it.

Here we have the bottom of the Apogee XT. The heart of the Apogee XT is the pin matrix design. The 0.009 micro pin matrix is the heart of the Apogee GTZ i7. For a little scale, normal 20lb copy paper is 0.0038 thick.