Fits: Socket 462 /478 / 603 / 604 / 754 / 775 / 939 / 940 / AM2 / F

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

Following in the footsteps of the award winning Apogee CPU water-block, the APOGEE GT model takes the cooling performance to yet another level.

The GT's primary difference with the Apogee is an optimized internal structure. The improvement in thermal performance scales from a minimum of 1°C and up to 3°C (at 100W) depending on the CPU's, with Intel's latest QX6700 quad core processors benefiting the most from the revised structure.

During the course of Swiftech's test and validation procedures, they also uncovered additional means to further improve overall thermal performance. They have uncovered the fact that the 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.

Performance data
The Apogee GT was tested in Swiftech's labs, using our standard equipment and testing methodology and is compared to the Apogee and for reference the Storm water-blocks. Test equipment and methodology closely follow Intel® recommended procedures.

It can be seen that the pressure drop of the "GT" is only slightly higher than that of the Apogee at equal flow rates, but remains substantially lower than that of a jet impingement type of water-block such as the Storm. In the real world where the range of flow rates is limited by the power of the pump, the "GT" remains perfectly adapted to multi-waterblock loops.

The thermal resistance (C/W) of the three water-blocks at various flow rates was tested and the Apogee GT averages 0.01 °C/W better than the Apogee on single-die processors. In dual-die processors, the performance gap between Apogee and Apogee GT increases to an average 0.03°C/W in favor of the "GT".

Motherboard and CPU Compatibility
The Apogee is essentially meant as a universal water-block. It ships with all the necessary hardware for the following processors which are classified below by the type of sockets that they use:

• Socket 478 (Intel® Pentium® 4)
• Socket 775 (Pentium® 4, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo )
• Socket 603/604 (Intel® Xeon™ - 400 and 533 FSB) - see note 1
• Socket 771 (Intel® Xeon™) - Optional AP-NC604 hardware pack is required.
• Socket 462 (AMD® Athlon®, Duron®, MP, XP) - see notes 2 and 3 below
• Socket 754, 939, 940 (AMD® 64 bit processors)
• Socket AM2 (AMD® 64 bit processors) - All known motherboards but one (*) are compatible at the time of release. Please check the COMPATIBILITY LIST
• Socket F (AMD®)(Not compliant with some Tyan motherboards, those using 4"-distant mounting holes.)

Removal of the motherboard is necessary to install the mounting posts in all cases, except with AMD® Athlon™ 64, Opteron™ (socket 754, 939 and 940), and socket AM2.

The Apogee GT includes a separate hold-down plate for AMD processors using the AM2 socket (installation required).

Fittings & tubing compatibility

Three sets of Nylon hose barbs are included with the device: 1/4" (6mm), 3/8" (10mm) and 1/2" (12mm).

The apogee uses NPSM threads.

Internal structure:	The CNC machined C110 copper base plate is at the heart of Apogee GT cooling efficiency. Designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics, the Patent Pending Diamond Pin Matrix was further optimized in the "GT" version resulting in increased surface area and coolant velocity. The 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.
House:	The housing is injection molded out of Black Acetal. This process is key to allow mass production of the water-block, and thus economies of scale. The "GT" housing is not compatible with the regular Apogee as the deck height has been adjusted to match the new pin height featured by the GT base plate.
Hold-down Plate:	The universal hold-down plate features mounting holes for all current Desktop and midrange server processors (Xeon™, Opteron™). Optional hardware is available for high-end server processors (Itanium™).
Nylon Fittings:	1/4" NPSM to 3/8" and/or 1/2" barbs
Fitting O-ring:	(2) EPDM O-ring AS568A Dash Number 112
Base plate dimensions:	2" x 2" 50.5 x 50.5 mm
Assembly weight:	6.7 oz 190 g