Kaby Lake 7700K 5GHz AIO Cooler Mega Test

Alphacool Eisbaer 240

Price:  £95.16

Technical Specification

 

Up Close 

Oooh, Alphacool, this should be good.  We like a bit of Alphacool here at OC3D.  Certainly the box is attractive, although Alphacool have bucked the trend slightly by not putting details of key features and specifications on the box exterior.  That said, we can’t see that it matters really, I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be buying these off the shelf in an actual shop and will want to read about the product inside is it?

  

 

Inside the packaging looks strangely familiar, and not just because it’s egg box card.  It looks familiar because it’s identical in layout to the bequiet we’ve just packed away.

  

 

So, what do we have here then?  Well, by the looks of it, that’s an Alphacool NexXxos 240 right there, which is basically a dedicated radiator for use in custom loops.  It also looks very much like Alphacool have drawn the lot together with their quick lock hoses, all of which points to being able to use this system, or at least parts thereof in the future, should you choose to move on from an AIO and want to build a custom loop.

  

 

Yup, that’s an Alphacool NexXxos 240 alright, and with 17fpi and a thickness of 30mm it should perform quite well provided it’s coupled with the right fans.

  

 

 Talking of couplings, Alphacool have used G1/4″ compression fittings for all their fittings, which again means that there are options for expansion in the future.  Theoretically you could ditch the narrow tubing for fatter tubing and barbs, or even hard line if you wanted to.

  

 

They might look a little fugly, but what we have here is a Quick-lock closure mechanism which allows for other components to be added into the loop.  The system is compatible with all Alphacool HF Quick-lock closures and also with the closures on the new GPU AIOm the GPX Pro, all of which means you can add GPU cooling to this expandable loop AIO system.

  

 

The copper contact plate is highly polished but does have more than a few ugly blemishes on it’s surface.  We doubt this will effect performance, but it’s still not nice to see.  It’s also only held on by four screws, which is a lot less than we’ve seen other manufacturers use.  Still we guess it’s ok, as if it weren’t they wouldn’t be selling it right?

  

 

The pump is based on the Alphacool DC-LT Ceramic Ultra, and can be run on either 12v or 7v, or indeed controlled through the motherboard.  With an eye to expansion, Alphacool have also included a filling port on the top of the pump, along with the Alphacool logo, which, we have a sneaking suspicion will illuminate when the pump is powered.

 

 

 

Not only is the box the same as for the bequiet, the fittings are too.  Which, if you’ve read the Silent loop review you’ll already know is not a good thing.  Having taken the Silent loop out, my heart literally sank when I realised the Eisbaer would present me with another nightmare of a fit.

 

 

On the plus side, as the tubing is a little shorter, it doesn’t rise up and interfere with the fans.  In fact, it cuts a rather nice curve on its way from the rad to the pump. 

 

 

Yup, as suspected, the Alphacool logo lights up all Blue and lovely when the system is powered up.  There’s no RGB control or anything fancy as you get with Corsair, but if you like blue then all is well.