Verdict: Expensive and very laborious to install
Swiftech specialises in producing high-end cooling products for all types of CPU, so we were very keen to see what sort of HSF the company could produce for a Xeon.
Unfortunately, all Swiftech has done is take the MCX462-V and modify it for use with a Xeon. As we pointed out in our review of the MCX462- it isn't the most effective HSF around, even though it looks very cool.
My biggest gripe with the MCX603-V is the two possible mounting mechanisms.
The first method simply involves holding it in place with the standard Intel HSF clips, but because it's so damn heavy it tends to bounce out of the socket when you're trying to fix the clips in place.
The second way to mount it is to screw it into the motherboard where it's then held in place by four nuts on the underside of the board. This provides a much more secure connection to the top of the Xeon heatspreader, but you have to take the motherboard out of the case to fit it. Bizarrely, you also have to snap 12 pins off the heatsink so that there's enough room for a screwdriver to reach down to the screws that fix the heatsink on to the motherboard.
Couple this with the rather rubbish clip mounting mechanism, and we can't help but feel that the MCX603-V was rushed into production before all the kinks had been ironed out.
Swiftech doesn't include a fan with the MCX603-V but it's compatible with any 80mm axial fan. We used an Akasa AK170CB fan when testing on a 3.04GHz Xeon and recorded an idle temperature of 38ûC, which increased to 48ûC when the CPU was working flat out.
CONCLUSION
As the fully loaded temperature is just two degrees lower than that of the Akasa AK680CU, we can't help but feel cheated by the MCX603-V. It's more than three times the price - without factoring in the cost of a fan - and very laborious to install.
