Swiftech MCR320-QP
Quiet Power Series Radiator
by skinnee - February 22, 2009




Intro


The Swiftech MCR320-QP has been on the market for quite some time now. The MCR series has been known for being a solid performer available at a very good price point. The MCR line has gone through a few changes, specifically in the barb threading. Originally, the barb threading was 1/4" NPSM which was not compatibile with the normal G1/4" or 1/4" BSPP that we all use on every other component in your loops. Eventually, Swiftech came around and changed the MCR over to 1/4" BSPP. The unit I purchased for testing is 1/4" BSPP - G1/4".




In case you have been hiding under a rock for the last couple years, the above photo is the MCR320 in all its glory. The extra dust you see on the fins is me giving up trying to make the MCR look brand new out of the box. I have logged quite a few hours of use on this radiator.



Radiator Characteristics


The MCR series is a slim line of radiators, measureing only 34mm thick. This allows for a single row of tubes using a 2-pass design. As you can see in the picture below, Swiftech uses a somewhat standard 15mm fan spacing. 15mm fan spacing means the fan bodies will be touching. Nothing new for those of you experienced with other radiators. The FPI for the MCR series is 14 FPI, which is slightly higher than a radiator truely optimized for low speed fans and lower than a high speed optimized radiator. What this truely means is the MCR320 will perform well regardless of the fans used.


I know the feature list points at threaded M3.5 fan and case mounting holes, but I used 6-32 screws for mounting fans, the 6-32 screws worked wonderfully. As for screw length, 1.25" screws on the 25mm fans and 3/8" screws for the 38mm fans since they are open corner. One additional item I add to the fan screws are a fiber washer just to add a little space between the screw and the radiator tubes. There is nothing worse than puncturing a tube with a screw since that voids your warranty.


  • 2-pass, single row construction
  • Brass body and tubes, louvered copper fins
  • Optimized fin-density for maximum heat dissipation at low noise
  • Patent-pending self-purging brass plenum chamber
  • M3.5 threaded fan and case-mounting holes
  • Slim form factor 16 x 5 x 1.3" (410 x 128 x 34mm)
  • 1/4" BSPP / G1/4" threaded barb ports
  • High-durability acrylic paint finish
  • ROHS compliant


    • Fan Spacing




    Fins Per Inch




    [  Page Two - Pressure Drop/Restriction  |  Page Three - Test Specification/Methodology  ]

    [  Page Four - Thermal Test Results  |  Page Five - Conclusion  ]
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