Swiftech’s H220 Liquid CPU cooler costs £106.99 in the United Kingdom and currently SpecialTech is the only place where you can buy it at a competitive price. At this price the Swiftech H220 is about 10-15% more expensive than the Corsair H100i and Corsair H110 and similarly priced to the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme and NZXT Kraken X60. For me this pricing is excellent because the quality and potential of the Swiftech H220 is second-to-none.
The performance of the Swiftech H220 doesn’t really get its justice on our test system. You can see the results were good but there is much more potential than we can show. Simply put the i5 3570K doesn’t produce enough heat for us to really strain the Swiftech H220 and show you how much difference the 6W pump makes versus the 1.2W pump on the Corsair H100i and 2.4W on the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme. Given a more demanding platform we would of seen the Swiftech H220 open up a bigger gap between some other competing products. However, the Swiftech H220 did still post impressive results clearly demonstrating the ability to beat the Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme and Corsair H100i once you start pushing those fan speeds up a bit.
The overall level of build quality of the Swiftech H220 is just exceptional. As soon as you pick the product up you see just how heavy it is versus the competition. The combination of a bigger reservoir, bigger and better tubing, copper instead of aluminium fins and a proper heavy duty pump all set this product apart from other AIO offerings. Add to that other little details like fully sleeved fan cables, included high quality thermal paste and an eight channel PWM fan controller/splitter means that you won’t get a more flexible AIO system from anywhere else.
Expandibility isn’t something we were really able to test, but I think the excellent results with low RPM fans just go to show that the pump is more than capable of dealing with a high performance graphics card or two. I have seen other reviews that criticise the Swiftech H220 for not quite being a full watercooling loop. However, many other reviewers have missed the point which is that Swiftech H220 is a hybrid of the AIO and the custom loop. It bridges the gap between the two and gives you the possibility to upgrade in the future should you wish, and even if you do not choose to do that you still have one of the best 240mm AIO systems on the market without paying that much extra.
It is really hard to find fault with the Swiftech H220 because for the price it really is a beast of an AIO system. You’ve got best-in-class build quality, best-in-class components, expandability, silence, a deluxe accessory package, a 3 year warranty and it really is as simple as plug and play from the moment you open the box.
This is the first Swiftech product we have taken a look and we are truly impressed. Whether you are considering an AIO system, want to make your first water cooling build or just want a top-of-the-line cooling solution then you cannot possibly go wrong with the Swiftech H220. Swiftech may not have the reputation and advertising power of some other companies on the market but they sure know how to make a superb product. We have absolutely no hesitation in awarding the Swiftech H220 the eTeknix Editor’s Choice award.
Pros
- Amazing value for money considering the quality of components
- Expandability
- Powerful 6W pump
- Quiet 120mm fans
- 8 channel fan controller/splitter
- High quality thermal grease
- Excellent performance
- 3 year warranty
Cons
- Loud pump at 12 volts
- Currently limited availability
Thank you to Swiftech for providing this review sample.
Great review Ryan, I’ve been reading all of your all in one watercooling reviews making a wishlist for a PC build I’m dreaming up for when I get settled in with my new job and hopefully can save for a build. This looks like one of the best ones you’ve reviewed and the H100 looks pretty sweet as well. Probably by the reviews I’m leaning more towards adding this one to my wishlist.
I’m not a novice to computer building and have build all my old builds and builds for friends but I am absolutely clueless with watercooling, sounds like this one is perfect as you say the installation is extremely simple in the review, so do you think this would make a good first delve into watercooling?
Thanks,
JB
Yes I would highly recommend this one as probably the best. It has got to be between this and the Corsair H100i. It isn’t really watercooling per se because you don’t actually have to do anything above and beyond what you would do for the installation of a normal air cpu cooler. The h100i is cheaper and gives you a better warranty duration, while the swiftech h220 is more expensive and has a shorter warranty but uses better quality components, is marginally quieter and is expandable. I’d personally rather pay more for the Swiftech H220 because it is has a much better pump, better radiator and a really nice fan controller. The H100i has advantages in having better fans and LED customisations. It is a tough one
Surely the H110 is the best compromise between performance and noise output?
Sure, if you have the space for it.