Methodology
A Ryzen 5 3600 has to be cooled at factory settings, joined by 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport (2x8GB) DDR4 memory on an MSI B550 Tomahawk (BIOS 7C91vA3). The Asus ROG Strix GTX 1060 6GB runs in zero-fan mode for the CPU stress tests only and a Fractal Design Ion Gold 750W serves as the power source. The whole thing is housed in the Thermaltake Core P3 as an open benchtable.
All records are logged with HWInfo64 v6.30-4240 – 2000ms logging, the specified temperature is derived from the sensor CPU Die (Average). The load of Prime95 produces an average of 88 watts of CPU package power. Since I don’t have air conditioning, the values in the graphs are the delta between room temperature and CPU temperature. This allows all cooling systems to be compared fairly, even if the ambient temperature is different. The thermal paste included with the cooler or pre-applied is used in each case.
I determine the sound level with a Voltcraft SL-200 meter at a distance of 40cm, which operates in 125ms cycles in Lo mode. The room was measured at 33.2 dB(A), an external sample table helps for the breakdown.
Benchmarks
First, we’ll test how well the new radiator scales with different fan speeds. With the dense fins, it can be assumed that more pressure is needed than in normal radiators:
|
Fan |
30% PWM |
60% PWM |
100% PWM |
|
Fan speed |
1108 RPM |
1892 RPM |
2565 RPM |
|
Pump speed |
2558 RPM |
2542 RPM |
2542 RPM |
|
Sound level / characteristic |
38.9 dB(A) |
41.8 dB(A) |
59.8 dB(A) |
|
Ambient temperature |
23,0 – 23,1°C |
23,3 – 23,7°C |
23,7 – 23,0°C |
And even if the pump remains pleasantly quiet at high speed, we still look at the scaling at several voltages:
|
Pump |
6V |
9V |
12V |
|
Fan speed |
1904 RPM |
1906 RPM |
1892 RPM |
|
Pump speed |
1682 RPM |
2210 RPM |
2542 RPM |
|
Sound level / characteristic |
38.9 dB(A) |
41.8 dB(A) |
59.8 dB(A) |
|
Ambient temperature |
23,2 – 24,5°C |
23,4 – 24,7°C |
23,3 – 23,7°C |
This is how the cooler compares to other 360mm water coolers:
=> Review Corsair H150i ELITE LCD
=> Review Sapphire Nitro+ S360-A
=> Review Bykski Ice Dragon Kit
Since I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be like this because of the tough thermal paste, I did another control test run with Arctic MX-4 paste. The almost identical result proves that the paste seems to work exactly as it should.
Summary
Before I go into the results of the tests, something general about this complete water cooling system and its design. Depending on the case, it might be a bit difficult to install the AiO in an attractive way. A rather high pump block and especially the hoses attached to the top need a lot of space in the width, which not every housing offers.
Visually, I also find it a bit unattractive that the cables for the pump and lighting also come out of the lid and have to be routed sideways somehow. For cable management, it would be better to lead both cables out to the side just above the socket. The possibility to forward the RGB signal from fan to fan via daisy-chain saves quite a bit of cables, but in the end you have to convert from the proprietary connector to 3-pin ARGB again via the included adapter.
Performance-wise, I expected a bit more of a lead over the standard complete water cooling systems with aluminum radiators, but the processor used here and its mid-range waste heat don’t allow for a particularly large delta. However, I can definitely attest to Alphacool’s technical edge. Thanks to the QDC connections, it can be expanded independently and the freely accessible port on the pump block also allows coolant to be topped up. Sensible, because a few drops of liquid are lost when the quick release is opened.
The turbulence that occurs at higher fan speeds on the restrictive radiator is sometimes more, sometimes less audible depending on the angle to the computer. The installation height must also be mentioned here again, the hoses starting on top of the pump block simply need more space than one is used to from an AiO. Those who don’t have it, however, can already look forward to my review of the LT version of this water cooler, which is more of the usual form factor.
Conclusion
Overall, Alphacool can deliver a good AiO in terms of performance (which offers a lot of reserves), which is also attractively positioned in terms of price, if you look at the current insanity of the price spirals. So it doesn’t always have to be the usual Asetek or Apaltek clones, especially since together with a pure copper solution of coldplate and radiator you’re always on the safe side of corrosive power. The bottom line is that three arguments remain in favor of this all-in-one: material safety, price and, of course, expandability. Only the catching of the bulky tubes should be taken into account if you have a rather narrow case.
Speaking of price. Unfortunately, we cannot yet compare the reasonable MSRP of 179 Euros for this variant with a real street price, since the launch is only today. However, you always have to take into account that real water cooling components are installed here, which are hardly cheaper to buy individually and you don’t buy a pure throwaway product with an aluminum radiator in the end, where nothing can be replaced in case of emergency. If that still seems too expensive, you should take a look at the much cheaper LT version, which we will review soon.
The test sample was provided by Alphacool without obligation. There was and is no influence on the tests and results. There was also no compensation for expenses and no obligation to publish.
Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora Solo, Digital RGB (12960)
 | Zentrallager: bestellt, wird am nächsten Werktag erwartetFiliale Wilhelmshaven: bestellt, wird am nächsten Werktag erwartetStand: 24.04.24 06:12 | 74,27 €*Stand: 24.04.24 06:16 |
 | lagernd: 25+ | 74,28 €*Stand: 24.04.24 06:17 |
 | Nicht lagernd, ab Bestellung versandfertig in 10 Tagen | 74,90 €*Stand: 24.04.24 06:16 |
Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora HPE Edition 360 (11997 / 11999)
| Zentrallager: verfügbar, Lieferung 3-5 WerktageFiliale Wilhelmshaven: nicht lagerndStand: 24.04.24 06:12 | 178,17 €*Stand: 24.04.24 06:16 |
| lagernd: 50+ | 178,18 €*Stand: 24.04.24 06:17 |
 | Auf Lager | 179,99 €*Stand: 24.04.24 06:16 |
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