Waterblock Shootout

 

I must confess that there has been a number of surprises here today during the review of the XSPC Delta V3, Swiftech Apogee GTZ and the AC Cuplex HD waterblocks. Let’s see how they faired as a whole.

 

 

 

The AC Cuplex HD is an amazingly well crafted waterblock, and one that would compliment a high-end rig perfectly. The quality and craftmanship is really evident here. Admittedly though, the AC Cuplex HD waterblock is very restrictive and would be better suited to either a CPU only loop, or with a high-flow pump. If you were to use the AC Cuplex HD in a water-cooled SLI setup, you may find the flow less than adequate. However, to the AC Cuplex HD’s credit it exhibits very little pressure drop.

 

The best price I could find for the Aqua Computer Cuplex HD waterblock was from WaterCooling UK, and it comes in at £39.99 inc. VAT

 

+ Amazing build quality and attention to detail

+ Easy to disassemble and clean

+ Looks

+ Low profile

 

* AMD users miss out due to non-compatibility

* G1/4 only

 

– Restrictive

 

 

 

 

The Swiftech Apogee GTZ was my first foray into Swiftech waterblocks since the Swiftech Storm G4. The build quality is typical Swiftech – function and form wrapped up in a smart looking package. The Swiftech Apogee performed really well today and managed to just edge out the XSPC Delta V3 to take the gold. The Swiftech Apogee facilitates very respectable flow and at the same time experiences very little pressure drop. The Apogee GTZ would be an excellent addition to any water-cooled setup and would work really well in a multi-block loop.

 

The best price I could find for the Swiftech Apogee GTZ was again at WaterCooling UK and it comes in slightly dearer than the Aqua Computer Cuplex HD at £43.99 inc. VAT

 

+ Smart looks

+ Low profile

+ Performance

+ Includes a backplate so you can screw the block right down

+ Universal compatibility

 

* Price is a little dearer than both the Aqua Computer Cuplex HD and the XSPC Delta V3

* Universal compatibility requires the purchase of additional mounting hardware.

 

– Nothing to report

 

 

 

 

The XSPC was the biggest surprise of the bunch as far as I’m concerned. The XSPC comes with so much potential cooling performance for such a cheap price – currently available from WaterCooling UK at £34.99 inc. VAT. The XSPC Delta V3, as with previous versions, provides universal compatibility for both AMD and Intel users. However, the mounting plate may cause some compatibility issues with certain chipset cooling solutions. Rob @ WaterCooling UK has told me that they have some alternative mounting plates currently being made to address this issue.

 

The Acetal top of the XSPC Delta V3 makes a nice change from the chrome finish on earlier versions of this waterblock, and the screw-apart base also makes cleaning very easy. It certainly looks like XSPC have done their homework in addressing the short comings of previous versions of the Delta waterblock range, and it’s finally paying dividends.

 

+ Price

+ Performance

+ Looks – the Acetal top increases the visual appeal

+ Universal compatibility

 

* Universal backplate may cause compatibility issues with some chipset cooling solutions

 

– Nothing to report.

 

 

 

Overclock3D would like to thank Aqua Computer, Swiftech and WaterCooling UK for supplying today’s review samples.

 

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