The Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 is an impressive water cooling product. While the retail package doesn't include any fancy boxing, all contents are of top quality and the test results proved that. So, what can you expect from the Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 package?

First of all, don't expect an easy installation, especially if you are an inexperienced user. While the package includes all required screws, adapters and instructions, the overall process does take a lot of time, especially to understand what must be connected to what and in which order. The printed instructions don't have enough pictures or diagrams to show this, and Swiftech could update their instructions to also reach the not so experienced user market.

Putting this to the side, we were happy to see that with the Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220, we managed to get up to 6.5° C lower temperatures for the CPU and up to 7 db less noise in the case, at least compared with the best air cooler we have tested in our labs, the Titan Amanda Tech. The performance does depend on the environmental temperature, since the radiator is placed outside the box, so we can say it's safe to disable to case fans, especially if you place water cooling blocks on the graphics card and motherboard chipset. The Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 doesn't include these, but you can buy them separately and upgrade your system configuration.

Is there anything else to mention? Yes, the price. According to a quick look over the online shops, you can buy the package at a range of US$229.95 up to $259.95, depending on your region and VAT. The Titan Amanda Tech costs around half the price, at $110. So that leaves us with the question, is the Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 considered a good buy? We would say yes, if you plan to water cool your entire system. However, we don't believe spending double the money just to get a 6.5° C reduction in CPU temperature, is in itself worth it. However, that is purely our opinion...

Concluding, we have to say that the Swiftech Apex Ultra H20-220 is a good combination of quality components and retail package. Everything is included to get things started and after a little effort, your system would be water cooled. If you case is large enough to handle the big radiator, your will see a significant drop in processor temperatures, especially when overclocking. Overall a good product, aimed for hardcore overclockers and enthusiasts, but with a corresponding price tag.