What did Alphacool do here? Water Block Roundup 2023 

I always find EK to be the SnapOn of the watercooling industry. Big money for identical or comparable performance to lower priced products. you are mostly paying for the name just like SnapOn or Matco tools. (old mechanic here, thats the closest analogy i can relate to)

It would be interesting to test older water block generations to see the progress. I still use my ek supremacy evo

Why this dude doesn't have a million subscribers in beyond me. IMHO the best tech channel on YT.

EKs answer totally confirmed what I believe what EK does with every product. EK doesn‘t aspire to be the best, their business model is to be the first. Because they know enthusiasts who are the early adopters buy the first available water cooler!

Thank you so much for doing a round up like this. I remember the radiator round up about 10 years ago and that was super helpful for the community. Hope to see more coverage like this and hopefully every few years or so. Thank you again!

Awesome video. Really appreciate the time that went into it.

Great video! I would love to see the same type of video about radiators.

Great information. I wished I had this information two weeks ago. My loop is complete. Thanks for taking the time to create this content.

Im always amazed by the quality of your testing videos. Very informative and educational. You are great teacher. Thanks for posting.

Great work! Love it!!!!

Wow! Good stuff, brother! You really know your work. I'm glad I found your channel. Keep up the excellent work!

Roman, thank you for the testing information. This really helped me understand more about these types of coolers. I know what to look for and what to do because of your hard work. Thanks again for all that you do. Ronnie.

Thank you so much for including the EK Velocity2 in your roundup as I bought one of those a couple of months ago but have yet to mount it! 😊👍

Great video, Love the details

Great content as ever mate! Would be awesome if you could do a direct die comparison at some stage too

Awesome as always!

Awesome review - very systematic.

Great technical insight and content

This was very good, thank you.

Thank you for the roundup! Interesting results. I'm using the full nickel Heatkiller in my AM5 build, love the look and build quality.

You didn't mention the killer feature of the Alphacool Core line - the G1/4" threads are **metal**!

Thanks for the wonderful testing. I have two projects going on and I actually have both the barrow AND alphacool block that was in this video and it's kinda cool being able to see how both compare.

Finally some news from water cooling perspective. Nice vid as always man🤙

Very good point, always good to look at multiple test results, from multiple sources. Especially if you are going to be purchasing that item.

thanks you ! awesome video

Awesome work and detail on it and thank you for your time , I'm definitely Add alphacool core 1 and watercool Heatkiller IV to my next upgrade blocks :😀

derbauer on the velocity2 mounting: "really simple". Jayztwocents: *immediately breaks it* :D

Very good Video! Thank you

thanks for sharing

Well done, explained ser gut. Very useful data for interested costumers.

This was fantastic! I'd love to see me testing like this that gives super accurate, comparative results for us to know not only what to buy, but how what we've bought should be performing.

Great video

Amazing video. Finally someone made the test. And thanks for confirming to me that the Heatkiller is basically the best block and only at 80 euro. Im done with EKWB and this video confirms it. Also can you mind telling me what quick connect fittings you use? thanks.

Quite interesting. Good to know that the performance of high end blocks is so close

Fantastic job, man 👍

I love getting all the extra manufacturing infos on the various blocks.

this and techpowerup convinced me to buy the core 1, perfect timing. Thanks.

Billet Labs definitely should have contacted you instead

Such a great round up. That Alphacool block is… surprisingly great & basic.

I like how you explained how people should watch multiple points of view before making a decision! Watched and respected your thoughts for a long time. I know very little German and I honestly started watching you because it was in German. And you tell the truth as you see it.

Great video, that Alphacool block did perform well.

Thank you roman!!

Cool vid

The Barrow blocks have an add on RGB controller that plugs onto that 3 pin rgb header , there also a converter cable that changes it to a normal RGB header.

Damn, i wish this was available when i was building my AM5 rig...i bought the EK Velocity 2. Im using the very good Alphacool Eisblock for my 4090 which has performed much better than i expected.

Great and informative vid as usual! Was the retail Core 1 also suffering from the same plating issues as your engineering part? Ty

Refreshing to see some proper testing again.

Nice video. I bought one of the Alphacool Core 1s off the back of positive reviews, and because I liked the look of it. It replaced an EK Quantum Velocity block. The RGB, although I'm not normally a fan, looks great. Performs well, too, keeping a 7800X3D below 80 degrees with a 35 degree or so water temp.

Great video Roman. Now we need a radiator roundup 😀

Amazing content once again Roman so thank you very much for your hard work on this. I know there will be a million people saying 'oh can you add this' but I would like to make it a million and one! Something I think that would be invaluable to know would be where abouts are AIO in all this, so if you used the exact test bench and threw on the best AIO cooler, how much of a delta would there be between these and the dedicated blocks. Cheers.

Great video! Would love to see Optimus waterblocks included in the next one :3

I would like to see a test with a vapor chamber between the CPU and the block. I've looked into doing it myself but the power rating on the ones that would fit seem to max out at 150W. My theory on why the Alphacool block is so good: the sideways slots offer an easier path to get rid of water that has already contacted copper and warmed up. That allows higher flow rate of fresh cool water. It also creates turbulence in the water and also creates a bit more surface area.

never been disappointed by alphacool, they're my first choice whenever I need any watercooling bits

It'd be cool to see another one of these roundups with more small name blocks, like Optimus PC. They make some bold claims about their performance.

I really wish you would test with higher pump speeds as well. I understand why you don’t, but it would be interesting to see the differences.

Lol EK, Such a company answer: "You had something NON STOCK? Well in that case it's that thing's fault, if you tested it in a normal system it wouldnt be an issue!!!"

Excellent review. Very surprised by EK's performance. I am going to have to reevaluate my cooling decisions. Thank you

The core 1 looks great and performs very well. I still use an alphacool nexxos xp that I modified to fit my 10850K but its tempting to upgrade. It would be nice to have good mounting pressure as my mounting bracket has a single bolt that presses down in the centre of the block.

i really like the Mounting type of double ended Screwing a Backplate to the Board and then Thumbscrew the Block onto that. it's easy to install/remove, the Backplate doesn't fall off when you take off the Cooler, Et Cetera. it's just the easiest to use IMO. as long as the double ended Screws are large enough to operate with your Fingers, that is.

Please compare them with EK-Supremacy EVO! You're amazing and the content is excellent. Thank you for the huge effort you're putting into these tests!

Hello, IT? Well, I actually own the Alphacool CORE 1 block, it sits on 14th Gen i9 in Z790 motherboad. And all I can say is, its awsome! It really is! It performs great, keeping the CPU around 60C when playing MSFS2020, which is the most demanding application I am currently using. To be fair, I must say that there is also an Alphacool GPU block on a 3090. And I have a very custom loop with 2 huge 40mm 360 radiators with legendary German Noiseblocker FANs and almost 4 liters of water in the whole loop, pumped with DDC 1T Plus pump. So, plenty of liquid + plenty of cooling capacity = cool and quite components. Great video as usual! Thank you!

As always, excellent video. If you plan to do more testing Optimus Signature V2 is a must.

DerBauer, when checking mirror finishes on your waterblocks, use a TV sharpness Test! Then you can see exactly how the waterblock is shaped.

I think the most important part of this video is at 10:36 when the kitty shows up just to let you know that this video was worth it.

Really nice videos to watch, I just bought an AMD 7900x3d and bought myself a Corsair Hydro X Series XC8 RGB PRO JTC Edition because it was so much cheaper than buying an EK block. and am really happy with the result. Corsair $110 vs EK $220 😃

Another excellent video!! Just a quick heads-up, Corsair CPU blocks come with the 3 pin argb connector in the box. I build liquid cooled computers for a living. I currently have 2 XC7, 1 XC9, & 1 XC8 (Jayz2cents) in my inventory. All of the boxes have the argb adaptor in the box so u don't have to use icue. as a side note, I really want to know why that EKWB block is SO expensive when it doesn't seem any better than their cheaper blocks. Thank you for everything you do for our community! God Bless from the US!

Just fitted a core 1 aurora to my loop

I just switched from EK to a Heatkiller block for my x570/5900X, and it was used. I had to take it apart, and clean it but it dropped my temps by nearly 10c compared to the EK. Increased clocks on all cores, breaking the 5Ghz barrier I had before, to 5.12Ghz, and near or over 5 on every other core. It's sharing a single 240mm x 60mm rad with a 3090.

I always appreciate the cat appearance.

I haven't watched the video yet, but going to after. One of the things I've been searching for online, and others have been from my search, is a waterblock that is good for, or specifically made for the LGA 1700 socket. I know lots fit it, but they don't all do very well for the coverage. Especially since it's much bigger, as well as a rectangle. The 'best' I have been able to find is something that is good for, compatible with the LGA 2066.

love your ideas on sound quality probably why no hi end music systems use fans for cooling in them.

The fact you actually have a Heatkiller impressed me..

This is a nice test you have going and would add a few blocks you could test as well. These would be the optimus foundation and the old xspc raystorm waterblack, this the raystorm with acrylic frame and I got a metal one to use instead. I got the raystorm 280 kit with a x79 board, do to fluid in the res falling below half and barfing its fluid. I have have been using it for some year, with a d5 aalpacool eisstation instead. Im moving all that to server duty and got a x299 board to replace it, going to used use a 7th gen chip and your direct die kit. I understand this x299 will have a lot more heat to deal with overclocking, so went the optimus block as a possilbe upgrade since is cnc cut.

I was told "a while ago" by one notorious tech youtuber famous for its water cooling builds that there was no reason to review custom liquid cooler parts for their performance and a sponsored build was a perfect way to show of the parts. A medium one that used science in his handle also told me hey people build custom water for the way they look, no performance review is necessary. I guess corsair is a big sponsor and a performance review of underperforming parts is always unnecessary. BTW Thanks for the review and for actually testing the parts!

Impressive. I happen to be using a Cuplex w/NEXT Vision display, the acetal top version and raw copper. Fantastic performance, I actually liked the mounting system coming from my old Eisbaer. I'm using it on a z590 though, Maximus Hero with 11900k. Pulling 290w reported in Hwinfo, my max temp thus far is 76c. Pretty regular loop, it's my first. A Nexxos 360mm and 420mm. Kryonaut of course, but not Extreme. The price here in the states for this version was $104 USD so I am extremely happy with my purchase, considering it's also made in Germany and has an integrated coolant temp sensor and OLED display with a lot of functionality. Side note: For the next version of Wireview, please make the display rotatable. I bought one and cannot use it with my Aquacomputer block w/active backplate :c Probably should have seen that coming, but I did not start my build for long after the return period so it's 100% my fault. But, a rotatable display in the future would be awesome.

My favourite block is the Barrow CPU-pump-reservoir combo. Elegant way to fit watercooling into SFF. I’ve also asked why they use a fan cable for their LEDs. The answer, it seems, is simply “it’s a better connector”. Which is true, anything would be better than the actual LED connector, but it feels like it’s only an excuse to sell adapter cables.

Would just like to say thank you for making English videos in addition to the German ones, it really is appreciated and I hope one day to learn German.

12:20 - theoretically you could restore lost performance of coldplate created by such technology by recrystallization. You could test what difference (if any) would this make - just place it in oven with protective atmosphere at 400°C for a few hours.

I would have liked to see one of the Optimus blocks included in these comparisons due to the bold claims on their website about how much better the cooling is with one of their blocks compared to the rest (un-named) of the blocks on the market

For the Corsair unit and skiving in general, is it feasible to anneal the workpiece afterward in order to fix the heat conductivity issue? I'd definitely be interested to see a test with the same or a similar unit both before and after an annealing process of some kind. Though I imagine you'd have to be careful not to cause alloying if it's already been nickel plated.

hows the flatness on velocity 2? have always wondered that, using one for am5 delid direct die cooling 7905x3d

G'day Shiek, Makita & Roman, How my brain interpreted Shiek at 13:37 "🧑Simply because of the price...€250" "🐱What The!" 😂 Thanks for including the Science behind manufacturing the Fins (that HUGE Skiver making Fins) & Nickel Coating, understanding the difference between them & the finish they give is very interesting.

Great video! Any updates on the status of your der8auer-branded direct die block? Been a while with no news and am eagerly awaiting it!

Happy owner of Watercool Heatkiller :) Ordered directly from Germany all my watercooling components from them.

I went with HeatKiller IV because it has a bracket that I (as a machinist) can change out and make to fit any hole pattern on any board. Also, it doesn't need mounted offset because the inlet is toward the chiplet side on AMD so the chiplets get the cold side and the SOC gets the outlet. Very nice feature.

Question for the material science portion: Would post-scything annealing correct at least some of that 10 to 20 percent loss of conductivity?

thank you for discussing testing procedures and set ups in reference to the end result. just because i have all the exact same components does not mean i will get the exact same results as you, even if i built the system exactly the same way as you. electronics are all built within tolerances. nothing is exactly the same at this consumer level of electrical computing components.

Think. Im going to try a cpuwater Loop cooling solution. Really like the look of the heat killer block

I always wanted a Heatkiller, this video is an other nail in my ek block's coffin...

Glad to see the Heatkiller IV Pro I bought in 2017 for 60€ (B-stock) still hold up. :)

Would like to see an Optimus block. Not many channels talk about them.

I didnt know that skiving actually reduced the thermal conductivity of the metal at a molecular level. Is it possible to restore the grain size through annealing?

Thank you again of very interesting video. BTW do you already know what the 3 pin connector of the Barrow block is, which cannot be connected to anything.

Is that a keyence digital imaging system I see you are using in the flatness measurement?

Do these blocks have a specified flow rate or pump pressure given? You mentioned you tested them at 30% so I wonder if different blocks could be affected by this or if they were optimized to cool at a certain flow rate. It would have been interesting to see the comparison between 30% and 100% to see if all that extra noise is worth it or if there is a block that sees a non-proportional change in performance (ie at 30% it was 5th in performance compared to others but at 100% it was 1st.)

The Barrow also has an adapter like aquacomputer to change it to 'normal' argb connector Btw thank you for this test i have ekwb velocity atm so might go for one of the other ones in the future

The Aquacomputer RGB adapter is 3 euros from their site. At that price it should probably be included, but it's also a nominal expense.

I recognize that pink paste! Looks like the Kryonaut Extreme I put on after installing your contact frame in an attempt to make my 360mm AIO able to cool my 13900k. It helped a bit, but I'm starting to think it's impossible to actually cool that chip. Lol.

When the video started, I thought Roman was testing my block as well. Packaging had a similar picture on it. I am a bit creature of habit. When some company gets me with their good performance, I stay with them until they eventually disappoint me. Currently, I still buy EK products, and they serve me well. My cyrrent CPU block is EK Quantum Velocity2 1700 full nickel. When 12900K came out with a new 1700 socket, I had to get a new water block. This mounting system and cleanness of the install both me. There is nothing to see from the top. You see, just a beautiful water block that looks like bonded to the mainboard. Knowing that most of the top brands' blocks perform very similar and with my giid experience with the EK, I've went for it. I do not own any other 1700 socket water block to compare it with, but my CPU Temps are great. It really depends on what you configure in the bios, to be honest. If I configure full tilt and allow CPU to pull all it wants, it is pulling over 300 Watts in the Prime95 small FFT, and it reaches thermal cap off 100 and then runs on 98 to 99 degrees. Load line calibration mode 2 archives same benchmark results, but Prime95 small FFT pull 260-ish Watt. That results in 80-ies temperature. Whoever thinks that's high, get Prime95, and run it stable for an hour with a small FFT option. Cinebench pulls like 50 Watt less than even default Prime95 test. Small FFT is pure torture. In everyday gaming, my CPU is at a low 60-ies range. That with very quiet system. BTW, that's mount without the contact frame. I have one but I am waiting for 14900K and will use it when that comes in.

Another thing to consider is the wear and tear, durability of the nickel coating and also the acrylic part. These block are not cheap so the durability needs more attention