I'm Buying a Storm

I currently have what's in my sig. I jumped the gun and bought an apogee knowing that the data from Swiftech was probably skewed. It turns out that I bought a major pos. The top is thin on the corners and prone to breaking, it performs worse than the block that I currently have (6002), and on top of all that, there are lots of concerns of base plate warpage occuring because it is so thin. There's no point in me putting that block in my system if what I have now is better than it.

I used to have a lot of respect for Swiftech. From the beginning, they have made really quality stuff. It's ridiculous that they chose to discontinue the production of the Storm block which is a proven performer for something that is cheap to make and full of flaws. Oh well I guess sometimes that's why capitalism can be a well...you know.

So I've decided to get the Storm block. I'm revamping my entire system for my new build and I want something that peforms amazingly. I really want a top-of-the-line block for the CPU. I also was thinking that it would be a good idea to snatch one up before they can't be found anymore.

My question is this: is there anything else I should consider as far as water blocks? Is there anything else on the high-end that is worth considering for the price? Thanks in advance for any input.

Personally I would've just stayed with the 6002. It's been stated here several times that the performance between the two is almost identical.

5|*42 said:

Personally I would've just stayed with the 6002. It's been stated here several times that the performance between the two is almost identical.

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agreed. there is no difference between the storm and the 6002... i dont understand why you bought a new block in the first place.

if anything upgrade that pump

5|*42 said:

Personally I would've just stayed with the 6002. It's been stated here several times that the performance between the two is almost identical.

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Between the 6002 and the Storm? So you're saying even with a high-pressure/high-flow the gains really aren't worth selling the 6002 and buying a Storm? I personally love the way it look and the design is just such a cool idea, but I was under the inpression that it would make at least a small difference in pefromance, especially if I pull the IHS.

Aidenswarrior said:

agreed. there is no difference between the storm and the 6002... i dont understand why you bought a new block in the first place.

if anything upgrade that pump

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The 1800 is pretty powerful. It's rated at ~420GPH and so far has done great in my system. What would you personally reccomend?

The storm would be an upgrade for sure, but from the 6002 to the apogee you will see almost nothing. But also you should upgrade your pump.

5|*42 said:

The storm would be an upgrade for sure, but from the 6002 to the apogee you will see almost nothing. But also you should upgrade your pump.

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Yeah I think I was high or something when I bought that apogee. I ordered a bunch of other stuff from Jab-tech, and the $10 off coupon is what go me I think. Swiftech's business practices were very very deceptive when they put out the performance graphs. It's getting returned tomorrow.

What's flawed about the Apogee? You talk about warpage and breakage...show me.

Seven7Thirty30 said:

What's flawed about the Apogee? You talk about warpage and breakage...show me.

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Did you read the threads about it? Here's a link:

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=428430

Look at the inside corners of the block. They are so thin. Plus the baseplate is ~3mm I believe. Copper is a soft metal and the springs that Swiftech includes as the hold-downs are very strong. I guess it's a matter of time for that one. The 6002 beats the apogee in just about every test on that review.

Personally, I had no problems. But some people have.
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=426899

I'll read it later. If you're still interested in a Storm you can get one at www.crazypc.com for $59

It's more looking the pics than reading. But for 59 bucks you might as well get the storm, if you wanna have a nice high end setup.

CWynn said:

The 1800 is pretty powerful. It's rated at ~420GPH and so far has done great in my system. What would you personally reccomend?

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AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG.......

I have a Via Aqua, as a back up. I tried using it on a "Cascade Type"
WB (similar to a WW) & it barely dribbled water out.

I repaired my Ehiem 1048 & quickly put it back in.

If you use that pump with a Storm block, I can almost guarentee you
will have worse temps.

Using a Via, stay with open/ high flow blocks.
If you go to a restrictive type block, get something with really good pressure.

Good Luck.
WII

Hehe, I got the last Storm they had at Heatsink Factory for 55 a few days ago with a pair of D5s. Yes, I'm crazy.

WarriorII said:

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG.......

I have a Via Aqua, as a back up. I tried using it on a "Cascade Type"
WB (similar to a WW) & it barely dribbled water out.

I repaired my Ehiem 1048 & quickly put it back in.

If you use that pump with a Storm block, I can almost guarentee you
will have worse temps.

Using a Via, stay with open/ high flow blocks.
If you go to a restrictive type block, get something with really good pressure.

Good Luck.
WII

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Did you have the 1300 or the 1800? The 1800 isn't as popular but it is more powerful. I'm very suprised at this, it seems to be a pretty strong pump . I guess I'll have to look into a better pump is I go with the storm which I probably will.

http://www.overclockers.com/articles723/

Honestly I'd replace my pump if I thought it were any problem at all. I was always under the assumption that the pumps that are aimed at watercoolers are pretty weak. They're small, meant to be quiet, and a lot of them run on 12v. I know that a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but I've used pond/aquairum pumps for a while and for the most part they look a lot beefier than the swiftech ones. Maybe yours was defective?

This review indicates that, yes, the Storm is the better block, it makes virtually no difference in actual processor temperatures.
http://www.systemcooling.com/swiftech_apogee-01.html

I would be willing to bet that the quality of the TIM application will make more difference than actually changing blocks if you choose to switch. However, the storm is indeed a better block, so if you want to spend the money, feel free. But, if you expect a higher overclock or even a difference in temperatures, I warn that you may be dissappointed.

seamadan000 said:

This review indicates that, yes, the Storm is the better block, it makes virtually no difference in actual processor temperatures.
http://www.systemcooling.com/swiftech_apogee-01.html

I would be willing to bet that the quality of the TIM application will make more difference than actually changing blocks if you choose to switch. However, the storm is indeed a better block, so if you want to spend the money, feel free. But, if you expect a higher overclock or even a difference in temperatures, I warn that you may be dissappointed.

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Yeah maybe I shouldn't get it. I dunno I know that it won't make much of a difference but I'm revamping my system and I guess maybe I should just re-use my 6002. I was just really upset when I saw the reviews for the Apogee that I bought came out.

CWynn said:

Yeah maybe I shouldn't get it. I dunno I know that it won't make much of a difference but I'm revamping my system and I guess maybe I should just re-use my 6002. I was just really upset when I saw the reviews for the Apogee that I bought came out.

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I wouldn't get upset about a review. You bought the Apogee, why don't you see how it performs for yourself? Reviews may look clean, but they're still opinions.

Seven7Thirty30 said:

I wouldn't get upset about a review. You bought the Apogee, why don't you see how it performs for yourself? Reviews may look clean, but they're still opinions.

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Yeah last night I decided that I'm going to give it a try just to find out for myself how well it performs. I think that it might work out really well in the setup I'm building. I have a mcw55, which is pretty much the same design, and I'm probably going to go Sli and watercool both cards, so the low-restriction is definetly going to help me there.

One of the main reasons that I bought the block is that the 6002 is UGLY. I really wanted the black on to match my color scheme (silver/black) but I bought them when they were first coming out and they were OOS at the time. I like the look of the Apogee, and I'll probably end up using it anyway and sell the 6002 for now. My guess is that temps won't be much different at all, but I'll still probably get a performance hit of some kind from it.