First Impressions

The Specs (from Swiftech's website)

Peltier thermo electric pump, 40mm square, 72 watts
Dual "Military Specs" 60x60mm fans, 33 CFM each, 6850 RPM - Noise level: 43 DB
5" x 2.5" aluminum heat sink, 350 3/4" needles, 1/2" base, volumetric efficiency: 0.17 C/W
Dimensions: 5" x 2.5" x 2 3/4" (incl. fans)
Operating Temperature Range: -5 Celsius to +12 Celsius, depending on CPU load and ambient temperature
Price $119

Top view

Sweet!

We have to comment on the aesthetics first. The MC1000 is one badass™ mofo. The machined aluminum heatsink has an industrial, raw performance look. It's shiny, but not polished to the point where it looks like some sissy commercial product. Everyone at the office felt the need to pick up the MC1000 and examine it whenever I left it lying on a desk.

The first thing we noticed about the MC1000 was the size of the heatsink. You can't help but gawk at the huge heatsink base and the 350 cylindrical vanes. The Swiftech unit has a nice hefty feel to it. The weight of the heatsink is definitely beyond Intel specs, and the MC1000 includes a couple plastic zip-ties for CPU/heatsink retention. We examined the fans next.

The fans

The Fans

The Swiftech unit has two "Military Specs" 60x60mm fans that spin at 6850RPM and each can push 33CFM (cubic feet per minute) for a combined total of 66CFM. These fans are the best we've ever seen. Most good single fan setups only move 10-15 CFM. One fan from the Swiftech unit is more powerful than many of the dual fan setups out there. Of course, the Swiftech fans are also very loud, clocking in at 43dB, the same as an average refrigerator or a hushed conversation.

The MC1000 is an incredibly solid unit. We were impressed by the quality of the heatsink and the fans, but the neoprene foam gaskets on our evaluation unit were a bit lacking.