Apogee GTX Extreme Performance CPU Waterblock

As of June 29th 2007 all Apogee Water blocks will ship with an LGA775 backplate.

Introduction

ap·o·gee: The farthest or highest point; the apex; a final climactic stage

The Apogee™ GTX water-block is to the Apogee™ GT what Saleen is to the Ford Mustang: a good deal of added performance with some killer looks. The reference to automotive does not stop there: we designed the Apogee™ GTX to provide a racing feel, not dissimilar to that of Edelbrock's famous V8 valve covers.

While the internal structure of both blocks is the same, the longer path between the ports gives the GTX a 1°C advantage over the GT at 100 Watts, making the GTX Swiftech's new performance flagship.

Performance data

The Apogee™ GTX was tested in our labs, using our standard equipment and testing methodology and is compared below to the Apogee™ GT. Test equipment and methodology closely follow Intel® recommended procedures.

The pressure drop of the "GTX" is ever slightly higher than that of the Apogee™ GT at equal flow rates because of the longer path between the ports, but remains substantially lower than that of a jet impingement type of water-block. In the real world where the range of flow rates is limited by the power of the pump, the "GTX" remains a perfect solution for multi-waterblock loops.

The next graphs show the thermal resistance (C/W) of the two water-blocks at various flow rates. Data sets are separated into single-die and dual-die processors in order to better reflect product performance depending on the current market offerings.

In processors with a single physical die (single or dual core) the Apogee™ GTX averages 0.01 °C/W better than the Apogee™ GT.

In processors with two physical dies (for example the QX6700 quad-core) the Apogee™ GTX also averages 0.01 °C/W better than the Apogee™ GT.

Tweaking guide

During the course of our live CPU testing with the Apogee™ GT, we evidenced that overall performance of the water-block can greatly benefit (by up to 0.03°C/W) by artificially inducing a bow -or a convex shape, in the water-block base plate. Further explanations and test results are provided  and independent testing is beginning to validate our findings. The Apogee™ GTX is thus shipped with a spare oversized body o-ring for users who wish to optimize their own setup.

Compatibility

The Apogee™ GTX is shipped with an Intel® Core™ 2 (socket 775) compatible hold-down plate.

A multi-CPU/socket hold-down plate is also available in option and provides compatibility with the following processors:

• Intel® Xeon socket 603, 604, 771
• AMD® socket 754, 939, 940 processors

• Upcoming hold-down plates (ETA end of March): Socket AM2 (AMD® 64 bit processors), Socket F (AMD®)

Fittings & tubing compatibility

The Apogee™ GTX is shipped with hi-flow 1/2" chrome plated barb fittings. 3/8" chrome plated barb fittings are available in option.

Specifications

• Internal structure: the CNC machined C110 copper base plate is at the heart of Apogee™ water-block cooling efficiency. Designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics, the Patent Pending Diamond Pin Matrix was further optimized in the "GT" and "GTX" versions resulting in increased surface area and coolant velocity. The base thickness remains at 3mm to promote a high compliance factor with its mating surface (i.e. the CPU heat spreader) thanks to the base plate flexing ability. This particular feature allows additional "tweaks" to the Apogee™ generation of water-blocks and may yield substantial performance gains as described in the tweaking guide.

• The housing is CNC machined out of billet aluminum and receives two plating's for a lifetime protection against corrosion: electroless nickel plating (MIL-C-26074E grade B) and Zinc Cobalt plating (ASTM B 840-99 grade 6). A black die is applied after plating strictly for cosmetic appeal.
• The port threads are 1/4" BSPP standard.

• Base plate dimensions: 2" x 2" (50.5 x 50.5 mm)
• Total assembly weight: : 6.7 oz (190 g)

Apogee GTX Extreme Performance CPU Waterblock