Review: Alphacool Eiswolf 2 meets the Sapphire RX 6950 XT Nitro+ Pure – Is this the better Toxic?

1 - Introduction, Unboxing and Specs 2 - Mounting and Tips 3 - Temperatures and Fan Speed 4 - Thermal Imaging and Infrared Videos 5 - Clock Rate, Overclocking and Conclusion

The new Eiswolf 2 from Alphacool is actually no stranger, however it too now uses the re-design of the Aurora Acryl GPX-A ice block along with better flow and lower temperatures across the entire block. That’s exactly why, after testing the waterblock with a Sapphire RX 6950XT Nitro+ Pure, I also tested the approx. 245 euro expensive AiO version, because after all, the power dissipation has increased by quite a bit compared to the previously tested RX 6900XT Toxic with Sapphire’s own AiO.

Compact water cooling also really makes sense with power dissipations of the entire card of 400 watts, and so we also want to test out today how the whole thing works as an AiO, but without a chiller and at room temperatures. However, I can already spoil for you at this point that you can limit the speed range of the included Rise fans from Alphacool strongly upwards, because you simply don’t need it at all. Also a realization and balm for the ears.

Scope of delivery and unboxing

The manufacturer has completely redesigned the cooler of the Ice Wolf 2 series compared to the direct GPX-A predecessor, analogous to the individually available blocks, which will also be clearly noticed later in the test, but everything in its own time. The edge design of the Plexi front made of PMMA is not really new, only the rest of the substructure has been redesigned from scratch, as was the case with the new GPX-N for the Ampere RTX. What you can see at first glance is the omission of the O-ring armada from the predecessor model. But more on that in a moment. 

The Eiswolf-2-AiO is based on the aforementioned Alphacool GPX Ice Block Aurora GPX water cooler, a DC-LT 2 pump unit, and a 360mm NexXxoS ST30 HPE solid copper radiator, which is equipped with the three included Alphacool Aurora Rise Digital RGB fans. The pump is an improved and quieter version of the well-known DC-LT Low Noise Ceramic pump and, although it looks quite bulky, it is only 5 mm wider than a normal connector terminal.

The accessories are the same as before, so let’s see what else we can find in the box. The three Rise fans, which can be easily cascaded with the aRGB, still get an adapter to the motherboard’s normal 5-Volt PreciDip connector, whereby the Plexi block’s light strip can still be integrated here as well… In addition, there is the 3-way distributor for the PWM connections of the fans. All this can be neatly tied together even with (unfortunately not supplied) cable ties. A backplate is also available.

The screws for mounting the fan on the radiator are also included, as well as those for mounting the case. Unfortunately, Alphacool still relies on hexagon socket models (“Allen”), so you should have a suitable socket wrench ready. This is quite fiddly, but perhaps the manufacturer will eventually see sense and change the ordinary cross recess. With which we can now elegantly move on to the water block. Based on the specified leave-out areas of the PCB, it was finally possible to create a solid cooling block with a starting material of 11.5 mm thickness and obviously also to further reduce the residual base thickness above the relevant areas. With the changed design of the water flow, the feedback from the users, who have been asking for a less restrictive cooler for years, has finally been taken into account.

By using the quick release, the Eiswolf 2 can be connected to another Alphacool AIO unit to realize a larger circuit. Alphacool offers various pre-filled components with which the circuit can be easily expanded. For safety, the quick-release fasteners are firmly screwed together and not just plugged together. The Eiswolf 2 uses only heat-resistant TPV hoses (EPDM/PP) from the Enterprise Solution series for servers and workstations.

The backside shows the material usage very clearly. The new design again allows the GPU to determine the actual footprint without increasing, the slightly lower memory chips and also the VRM again require 1mm thick special pads that are soft enough to distribute the pressure well because the actual gaps are much smaller. Here, Alphacool’s new ultra-soft pads are used in the scope of delivery, which can adapt virtually pressure-free to almost any thickness below one millimeter and which also adhere perfectly and do not oil out.

The water block has slightly changed dimensions and is now 25.9 cm long, 14.45 cm high and 2.54 cm thick. The material used is nickel-plated (new process for more acid resistance) and 11.5 mm thick electrolytic copper. The cooling fins are again 0.6 mm thick. Unfortunately, no official data exist on the channel width and the residual bottom thickness. The lid is completely made of acrylic and the angular corners reflect the beams of the aRGB light bar back and forth nicely, resulting in a pretty colorful, large-screen image. Of course, this is purely a matter of taste, as always.

The backplate is part of the scope of delivery and is actually not needed for cooling the RAM modules on the back, because they stay really nice and cool, as we will see in a moment. That’s why I didn’t mount it in this case, because I also want to measure the board from behind. If you want, you can of course screw the part on and be happy about 1-2 Kelvin less board temperature at the relevant places. But it’s more optics than technical necessity. Thank God.

Here again for skimming the instructions also for the combination with the Polar Bear CPU cooler in the solo version, so that you get a safe (almost already) custom loop solution with a few simple steps: