It has been quite a while since Swiftech last offered a new air-cooled heatsink. Looking back through old reviews it appears the last one may have been the MCX6400-V, circa 2004. Certainly at that time Swiftech's coolers were well regarded, and they were the only ones to utilize anything like their patented Helicoid cooling pin design for base to fin heat transfer. However in more recent years Swiftech has concentrated exclusively on liquid cooling products.


You can imagine my surprise then when I received the notice that I would be reviewing a new air-cooled heatsink from Swiftech, the Polaris 120. Offering a complete departure from their previous Helicoid pin designs, the Polaris takes on a more modern look, featuring a 120mm fan and vertical cooling fin tower, with direct touch copper heatpipes. The mounting attachment is via a robust bolt-through design, and the included PWM fan flows up to 84CFM. Swiftech claims other advancements such as wind tunnel design for optimum air flow and velocity.

Join me as I take a closer look at the Swiftech Polaris 120 cooler.