Every true overclocking enthusiast thrives on pushing his hardware to the limit and on the way to record-breaking clocks and maximum scores, every little bit of performance gain counts. Tweaking the voltage is essential if you are to reach those performance heights while maintaining system stability. The CPU, northbrigde and memory need to be fed that perfect amout of voltage that is just enough for stable operation but not so much as to waste a lot of power or even fry your hardware. One of the consequences of increased voltage is always increased heat output and higher temperatures can lead to system instability. While stock heatsinks with the assistance of a fan or two are usually more than adequate cooling for components at stock speeds, extreme overclocking demands more powerful cooling. One of the best ways to keep temperatures low is water cooling.

When it comes to water cooling, Swiftech is one of the most popular brands out there. Swiftech is known for their high performance and high quality water blocks among liquid cooling enthusiasts everywhere. The people at Swiftech were generous enough to send us their new MCW-NBMAX, a northbridge chipset block for the ASUS Maximus II Formula and Rampage Extreme boards for today’s review. 

Thanks to Gabe Rouchon and the rest of the crew at Swiftech for providing us with the sample.

Founded in 1994, Swiftech™ has emerged in the last seven years as one of the leading forces driving the high-end thermal management scene in the personal computer industry. Pioneering work, innovation, and an uncompromising dedication to high performance and quality have resulted in award winning products setting standards for others to follow.