Introduction The Apex "Ultra" model is an upgrade from the Apex initial release differentiating itself by the use of our new flagship Apogee GT water-block. The Apex Ultra liquid cooling kit is the first kit in the industry to offer truly extreme dual use: maximum performance and minimum noise in the same package. Thanks to the new Apogee GT water-block, it benefits from a superior thermal performance and very low restriction characteristics. This makes the Apex Ultra a true high-flow system, capable of cooling multiple high-end CPU's and VGA's with optimum thermal performance and low noise as demonstrated HERE . NEW! Effective 2-20-06 the H20-220 Apex Ultra is now also available in a complete system cooling solution thanks to the inclusion of the MCW60 VGA kit and the MCW30 Chipset water-block. The kit receives the part # H20-220-Apex Ultra+ - See pictures and pricing here - all other specifications remain as described below. As a result of the substantial cooling headroom afforded by the combination of our new MCR220-QP dual 120mm radiator, the APOGEE water-block, and the MCP655-B pump, the APEX Ultra kit will satisfy both extremes of the enthusiast market spectrum: Overclockers in search of the lowest CPU temperatures AND Silent computing users in search of the lowest possible operating noise. Sacrificing user convenience was not an acceptable option when we developed this kit either. Given its size, the MCR220 dual 120mm radiator will not fit in most PC's without extensive modifications. While many of our enthusiast users do not mind using the dremel tool, we are happy to report to the less mechanically-inclined users that they have not be forgotten. The H20-Apex kit is shipped standard with our MCB120 "Radbox" Revision 2 which allows the radiator to be installed at the back of practically any mid-or full tower cases with no other modifications than a couple of holes. Overall thermal performance also clearly benefits from the use of our Radbox, as explained HERE, and demonstrated in a number of FIELD TESTS . The massive MCR220 dual 120mm radiator fits nicely at the back of any mid-tower chassis thanks to the MCB120 "Radbox" Revision2 . Fan guards have been added to afford protection to the radiator's delicate fins. In this installation, which includes a VGA cooler the inside of the computer remains relatively uncluttered, and none of the CD or hard drive bays are sacrificed. Features and benefits EXTREME PERFORMANCE Features SILENT COMPUTING Features Capturing the heat The extreme performance APOGEE Universal water-block is responsible for absorbing the heat generated by today's hottest CPU's with incredible efficiency. Adjustable fan speed: the kit is delivered with 12V to 7V and 12V to 5V fan adapters, enabling users to reduce the fan speed -and noise, to whisper quiet operations (~25 dBA). Moving the Heat around The Extreme performance MCP655-B™ 12 Volts DC industrial pump pushes the coolant throughout the circuit at high velocity. Larger 7/16" ID (5/8" OD) tubing is used to maximize the coolant flow rate inside the system.  Dissipating the heat into the atmosphere Minimum toll on performance in "silent" mode The new MCR-220 copper and brass radiator doubles the surface area available for heat convection into the air compared to a single 120mm radiator, and uses two 72 CFM 120mm fans, at a reasonable* sound noise level of 37 dBA. The MCB120 "Radbox" Revision 2 optimizes cooling by using fresh air from outside the computer, without adding any thermal load to other components. The MCR-220 radiator fin density has been optimized to reduce air noise and operate at high efficiency with low-flow fans At the lowest fan speed settings, the H20-APEX kit still delivers superb performance while allowing substantial overclocking. For example, at 100 Watts, the CPU temperature is only 3°c higher than at the highest fan settings Convenience and reliability features Kit noise/performance ratio can be fine-tuned at the user leisure. 12 Volt DC MCP655-B pump plugs directly into computer power supply. High-reliability, no-maintenance industrial pump is rated at 50,000 hour MTBF(Mean Time Between Failure) equivalent to 5 year lifetime. MCRES-Micro reservoir fits in any small space available in the system without sacrificing a CD-drive bay MCRES-Micro reservoir provides approximately 18 month of continuous operations without refills. Universal APOGEE water-block is compatible with all current desktop processors, and ships with all the different mounting systems. The Patent pending MCR-220 radiator is completely self-bleeding in upright position, or when installed on it's side. SmartCoils 625 are included with the kit, to completely eliminate tube kinking for a safe and reliable installation. The 7/16" ID tubing features the same or better flexibility than 3/8" ID tubing, no distinguishable difference in terms of system flow rate compared to 1/2" ID tubing, but significantly reduces the bulk associated with 1/2" ID thick wall tubing. The MCB-120 "Radbox" Revision 2 provides a bolt-on mechanism to "hang" the radiator at the back of the case with minimum case modifications. *For reference, stock cooling solutions for current high-end CPU's are specified by manufacturers between 34 and 38 dBA. Performance Data Water-cooling Kit performance testing was conducted in an environmental chamber where the radiator fan inlet air temperature was held at 25°C ±0.1. Test equipment and methodology closely follow Intel® recommended procedures. Actual CPU testing was also conducted, and the data is reported HERE. Test equipment and procedures can be found HERE Radiator/Fan configuration * Heat load Watts** Apex Initial release System C/W*** Apex Ultra System °C/W*** Fan Noise, dBA (per specs, and est.****) 1 radiator x 2 120mm fans at 12 Volt 100 .125 0.110 ~37 1 radiator x 2 120mm fans at 7 Volt 100 .147 0.129 ~30 1 radiator x 2 120mm fans at 5 Volt 100 .157 0.145 ~25 * Testing performed with the fan(s) shipped with the kit, Delta WFB1212M ** actual Watts measured at the heater of die simulator *** Noting that "C/W"s are specific to an individual test bench; the system C/Ws described are those actually determined with a specific water-cooling kit under the conditions described above. **** Fan noise estimate based on: "If the speed of a fan is reduced by 20%, the decibel level will reduce by 5 dB.", and "addition of a second equal source increases the sound level by ~3dBA". FAQ: What can I expect the CPU temperature to be in my own system ? In order to project what your CPU temperature will be, you need to know the following: Power rating in Watts of your CPU. Ambient Temperature inside the computer. For example, if your CPU is rated by the manufacturer at 100 Watts, and the temperature measured inside your computer (close to the fans inlet), is 25°C, then you multiply 100 Watts by our C/W rating of 0.110 (at 12 Volt) = 11°C, to which you add the temperature inside the computer of 25°C, = a CPU temperature of 36°C at full load. Comparative performance and flow data measured vs. the earlier Apex kit To substantiate the performance benefits of a less restrictive water-block in multiprocessor multi-VGA environments, we measured the flow rate of the Apex initial release vs. the Apex "Ultra", using (1) CPU water-block, (2) CPU water-blocks, and finally (2)CPU water-blocks + (1) GPU water-block (the MCW55), and obtained the following results: SYSTEM CONFIGURATION Flow Rate GPM Apex (1) CPU water-block 1.07 Apex (2) CPU water-blocks .82 Apex (2) CPU water-blocks + (1) GPU water-block .75 Apex "Ultra" (1) CPU water-block 2.07 Apex "Ultra" (2) CPU water-blocks 1.77 Apex "Ultra" (2) CPU water-blocks + (1) GPU water-block 1.36 The Apex Ultra shows twice the flow rate of that of the Apex initial release. To calculate how this factor impacts temperatures in real life, we estimated a typical CPU heat load at 100 Watts and a high-end GPU at 60 watts, giving the total heat load per system configuration to be respectively 100 Watts for a single CPU, 200 Watts for two CPU's, and 260 Watts for 2 CPU's + 1 GPU. The chart below then summarizes the rise in temperature of the cooling fluid calculated in the various configurations and expressed in °C: Lower is better It can be seen above that a fully loaded system using (2) Apogee CPU water-blocks and (1) VGA water-block such as the MCW55, will benefit by close to 4°C compared to the initial kit configuration, which can be qualified as a substantial improvement. INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT SPECIFICATIONS APOGEE GT water-block: see complete specifications HERE MCR220 radiator see complete specifications HERE MCP655-B™ 12 Volts DC pump: see complete specifications HERE MCRES-Micro reservoir see complete specifications HERE MCB120 "Radbox" radiator mounting adapter specifications HERE MCW60 VGA cooling kit, see specifications HERE MCW30 chipset water-block, see specifications HERE MCR220-QP Radiator   Part # Thickness Height Width Fitting Size MCR220 -QP 1 3/8" 11.1" 5.1" 1/2" Black Nylon Barb fittings (3/8" NPT female thread in radiator ports) Fan specifications Manufacturer: Delta Bearing type: ball bearings Part # Voltage Current Power Speed Air flow Noise VDC Amp Watt RPM CFM dBA WFB1212M 12 0.20 2.40 2100 72.4 34.0   Add-on components Liquid Cool your high-end SLI VGA with the MCW60 water-block Cool the graphics memory with our MC14 Ramsinks Liquid Cool the Chipset with our MCW30 chipset water-block Or, cool the Chipset with our MCX159-CU chipset cooler Add a second Apogee GT water block for multiprocessor applications, such as dual AMD®, dual Xeon™, or dual Opteron™