An Introduction to supercooling

What is a peltier?

Back in our MC1000 review, we described the history of the Peltier effect and where it originates from. To sum it up quickly, in 1834 French physicist Jean Peltier discovered that if you pass a current through two dissimilar semiconductor materials, heat will transfer from the cold junction where the materials meet to the hot junction, attempting to establish an equilibrium temperature between the two.

The peltier sits between the processor and the heatsink itself, once current is applied the processor side of the peltier remains cool while the opposite side heats up.

Because of this, an efficient, powerful heatsink/fan combination is necessary to transfer heat off the hot side of the peltier. In the case of the MC370, Swiftech uses a 2.5" x 2.5" aluminum heatsink (half the size used on the MC1000) with 196 ¾" long fins and ½" base. To keep the heatsink as cool as possible one "military specs" 60mm fan operating at 6850 RPM and capable of pushing 33 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm) is used.

As a point of reference, that's just over double the performance of most 3rd party fans. Overall, it all adds up to plenty of overclocking potential for anyone interested in pushing their CPU to its limits.

Swiftech MC370 Products

Like their Slot 1 offerings, Swiftech offers multiple solutions depending on your needs and budget. For a potential customer interested in traditional air cooling, Swiftech offers their MC370-0. Featuring the same aluminum heatsink and fan present on all their MC370 models, the MC370-0 ships with no peltier element, referred to by Swiftech as thermo-electric cooling. (TEC)

Intended to compete primarily with Alpha heatsink/fan combinations, the MC370-0 is priced competetively with other high-end Socket 370 cooling solutions at $49.95 for a single unit and $94.90 for a pair. (For interested Abit BP6 owners) While the fan is a bit louder than conventional units at 43db, we're pretty sure Swiftechs target audience won't mind the added volume.

For a potential customer interested in dabbling with something a bit more extreme, Swiftech offers the MC370-1.

Adding a 30mm square 32W TEC, the MC370-1 operates at a temperature range of 6°C to 30°C. This isn't the temperature at which your processor operates at, rather it's the temperature of the TEC itself. Priced at $74.95, the MC370-1 costs a little more than your typical Socket370 cooler, but considering the extra cooling, is $25 extra well spent.

If you want something even more hardcore, Swiftech offers the MC370-2. Using the same 72W TEC present on the MC2000, the MC370-2 is priced only $10 more than the MC370-1 making it an affordable upgrade. The MC370-2 TEC operates at a temperature range from -3°C to 18°C.