Introduction
Alphacool is releasing new Eisbaer coolers with two significant changes which we will cover shortly. Alphacool has sent us Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 CPU AIO and Eisbaer LT360 AURORA HPE CPU AIO coolers for testing. The good thing about the new coolers is that they have retained the salient features of the previous generation of Eisbaer coolers making them a better proposition. Some of these features are:
- Modular
- Expandablev
- Full Copper Radiator
- G1/4” threaded ports
- Quick-Disconnect Fittings
- Refillable using a dedicated Refill port
- Brass Compression Fittings
The name AURORA indicates that these coolers pack digital lighting solutions. They are still using the DCLT-2 pump rated for up to 2600 RPM. These coolers are compatible with Intel LGA1200/115x/20xx sockets and AMD’s AM4 and TR4 sockets in addition to other socket support. In this content, we are taking a look at both coolers. They have an MSRP of €179.99 for the regular HPE 360 and €159.99 for the HPE 360LT.
Specifications
Since both coolers have the same radiator, fans, tubing, and fittings, we will be showing the complete specifications of the Eisbaer 360 HPE cooler. The only difference is the block size hence we will show the Cooler part of the 360 LT HPE AIO.
Contents
The cooler is shipped inside cardboard made box.
The mounting hardware is provided in a black and transparent container which is clearly labeled as Accessories.
We have:
- 3-way PWM Splitter cable
- 1x Thermal Paste Syringe
We have:
- 1x set of mounting brackets
- 4x Long Screws
We have:
- 1s set of AMD AM4 and other sockets brackets
- 4x Long Screws
- 4x washers
- AM4 Installation Instructions
We have:
- 1x Intel Backplate
- 1x set of mounting brackets
- 4x Screws for Intel LGA20xx
- 4x Screws for other Intel sockets
- Intel LGA20xx mounting instructions
- 4x Springs
- 5x 0.5mm Washers
- 5x Nuts
We have:
- 12x Long Fan Screws M3-30
- 12x Radiator Mounting Screws M3-5
Alphacool has provided a multilingual comprehensive user guide.
Alphacool has provided a dedicated A-RGB controller with the cooler. They have also provided 4x zip-ties which is a nice have as we are dealing with a total of 6x cables of the cooler. Alphacool is using a proprietary A-RGB connector. I would have loved to see the standard 3-pin 5V connector.
Alphacool has provided a cable with one end having a proprietary 3-pin connector and the other end having a standard 3-pin 5V, A-RGB connector. This cable allows the cooler’s lighting to be controlled from the supported motherboard.
The controller is SATA powered.
There is a 2-pin socket to power the pump of the unit directly. This is optional. You can also connect the 3-pin connector of the pump to the motherboard.
The controller has three buttons:
- The mode button changes the lighting mode
- The speed button changed the speed of dynamic lighting modes
- The light button change the static colors
The above picture shows the backside of the controller. The controller has a 3-pin interface. The provided A-RGB cable can be connected to the controller if the lighting control is needed from the controller.
Closer Look
It is time to take a closer look at the components. Let us first elaborate on the keynotes of the new coolers as compared to the previous generation. There are two new components or changes:
- New HPE Radiators
- New RISE AURORA Fans
HPE Radiators
The HPE is a new series of radiators being released by Alphacool. There are key differences between the HPE and the previous generation radiators from Alphacool. These are:
| Radiator | HPE NexXxos | Standard NexXxos |
| No of Channels | 14 | 12 |
| Width/Thickness of Channel | 2mm | 1.8mm |
| Width/Thickness of Fin | 6mm | 8mm |
| Material | Copper | Copper |
| Outer Dimensions | Unchanged | Unchanged |
Alphacool has increased the thickness or width of the channel from 1.8mm to 2.0mm in the HPE NexXxos series radiators which would increase the coolant throughput in the radiator. Alphacool has also reduced the span or width of the fins between any two consecutive channels. This has allowed them to feature more fins in the HPE NexXxos radiators over the standard NexXxos radiators resulting in up to 20% heat transfer efficiency.
Rise Aurora Fans
Alphacool has introduced new fans along with these AIOs. These fans are named Rise AURORA and they are rated for up to 2500 RPM. The salient features are:
- High Static Pressure Fans
- Decoupled Frame
- A-RGB Lighting in Frame and Hub
- Tear-off edges on blades for noise reduction
Here are the specifications of the fans:
These two are the main differences in the new HPE series Eisbaer AIOs over the standard Eisbaer AIOs. Let’s start taking a closer look at the key components.
Radiator
The Alphacool Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 and 360LT are 360mm CLC cooling solutions. They both have a 360mm radiator with each having 3x Rise AURORA 120mm fans.
The dimension of the radiator is 391.5x124x30mm. The thickness of the radiator is 30mm. the actual thickness of the fin stack is less than 30mm as we have noted a gap of roughly 6mm on each side from the housing of the radiator to the safe place right above the fin stack. The overall thickness would be 65mm with 25mm fans. The radiator has 18 fins per inch (FPI). There is a gap of 105mm between any two fan mounting holes on the radiator. The assembly is in the black color finish with the better build quality. The radiator is made of copper material and has two G1/4” threaded ports. It has a total of 14 channels for water flow.
The overall build quality is quite good. The fins assembly is in a nice shape and we did not observe any bend fin on the radiator.
There is a protective plating that runs on both sides in full length. This plating serves as a protective barrier in case longer screws are used which may damage the fins. I appreciate the attention to detail.
The housing of the radiator is also in black color. There is an Alphacool branding on both sides of the frame.
The far block is not a rectangular design with a rounded frame. There is no sticker pasted here.
As mentioned above the radiator features two G1/4” threaded ports. There is a sticker on this end showing the serial number of the unit. Alphacool is using HF Compression TPV fittings which are made of brass measuring 12.7/7.6mm.
This cooler has Alphacool’s premium TPV hoses. The TPV hose is extremely resistant and is also used in the Enterprise Solution series for servers and workstations. I appreciate the matte black color on the tube as compared to the previous generation of Eisbaer coolers. The tubes run to approximately 400mm with fittings. We have experienced a tight fitment with The Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 cooler when the radiator was installed on the side of the motherboard in the Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition case. The tube has the quick disconnect fitting was almost stretching. The quick disconnect fittings on both coolers are installed in opposite tubes.
Alphacool is keeping the quick-disconnect fitting on the AURORA series of the Eisbaer coolers which is a nice touch as it gives the expanding functionality to the unit. The fitting is also in the matte black color and has a dimension of 95x70mm. This quick coupling is compatible with a 12.7/7.6mm tube and is made of Nylon material. Please, note that a few drops may spill over when disconnecting the quick coupling which is normal.
Pump/Block [HPE Edition 360]
The Alphacool Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 retains the same footprint as we have seen on the previous generation of the Eisbaer coolers. The pump and reservoir are integrated into a single housing. There is a window showing the coolant level and the pump top. Please note that this window side should face upward when installing the block. This is to ensure that the pump never runs dry. The dimension of the housing is 66x66x69mm.
The above picture shows the bear face in the center followed by the Alphacool branding and EISBAER text. These all are backlit illuminated. Two wires are coming out from the top. One is the braided cable to power the pump and the other is the flat A-RGB cable.
There is a dedicated refill port on the top of the housing. It has a G1/4” threaded port and the plug is already there ensuring the seal.
The above picture shows the 3-pin connector on the pump’s power cable. This can be connected to the 2-pin socket on the provided A-RGB controller or can be connected to the motherboard directly.
Alphacool is using proprietary connectors for digital lighting. There is a flat cable on the housing. It has a 3-pin connector and a 3-pin socket. The block can be daisy-chained with the fans to ensure synchronized lighting effects on the unit.
The above picture shows a side of the block with a backlit Eisbaer picture. There is an inset near the base of the unit. This is where the mounting brackets are slid into and snapped onto each other.
The above pictures show the similar Eisbaer backlit illumination faces on the other sides of the housing.
The base of the block has nickel-plated copper measuring 55x55mm. This is another difference.
Pump/Block [HPE 360LT]
The Alphacool Eisbaer LT360 AURORA HPE retains the same footprint as we have seen on the previous generation of the Eisbaer LT coolers. The pump housing has a low-profile design as compared to the standard Eisbaer series coolers. The dimension of the housing is 69x69x45mm. This is because we have a reservoir in the regular 360 version whereas the LT series is much like the regular AIOs in the market with no dedicated reservoir. The above picture shows the bear face in the center followed by the Alphacool branding and EISBAER LT text.
There are two cables coming out from the side of the pump housing. These are the pump’s power cable and A-RGB LED cable.
There is a dedicated refill port on the side of the housing. It has a G1/4” threaded port and the plug is already there ensuring the seal.
There are two G1/4” threaded ports on the side. Alphacool is using 90° TPV adapters or rotary fittings here. There is an inset near the base of the unit. This is where the mounting brackets are slid into and snapped onto each other.
Here are the specifications of the pump:
| Speed | 2600 RPM |
| Control | DC |
| Voltage | 7~13.5VDC |
| Power Consumption | 4W |
| Maximum Flow Rate | 75 L/H |
| Maximum head | 0.95m |
The reservoir holds up to 41 ml of coolant.
FAN
We have already discussed the new Rise Aurora fans above. These are powerful fans. Surely, Alphacool is not leaving any corner uncovered when it comes to providing a comprehensive, performance-rich cooling solution. Each fan has 9x blades. Each blade has a tear-off edge design to further reduce vibrational noise. The blades are in white translucent color. The hub has 8x A-RGB LEDs whereas the frame features 12x A-RGB LEDs for some brilliant lighting. The frame is thicker as it houses dual rings which run in parallel for some vivid light show. Each mounting corner has a black color cut-to-size anti-vibration rubber pad.
The side of the frame has a single diffuser showing in the center of the ring design. We could not spot the arrow symbols which give visual aid in determining the direction in which the blades spin and the direction of airflow.
The backside of the fan has a 4-arms assembly. One of the arms has an inset on which the wires are placed.
The fan has a 4-pin PWM flat cable.
The fan has a 3-pin proprietary connector along with a 3-pin socket for daisy-chaining.
Installation and Clearance
We are no longer covering the details of the installation. The user guide is there for that matter. We give our verdict if the installation is convenient or otherwise. The installation mechanism is the same as we have seen on the other Alphacool CPU coolers. We are dealing with 19 items to install the block on the motherboard.
There is no clearance issue with respect to the DIMM slots and first PCIe slot. Make sure your chassis has clearance for a 360mm radiator with 65mm clearance for the thickness of the unit.
Digital RGB Lighting
Alphacool is using proprietary 3-pin connectors on the pump housing and the fans. They have provided a sync cable allowing the daisy-chain set up to be controlled from the motherboard or using the provided dedicated controller. We have used the MSI MSYCTIC SYNC APP to control the lighting. The complete unit was synchronized and responded seamlessly to the change in the lighting modes. Here are a few pictures.
Testing
The following test configuration is used: –
- Intel i7 10700k
- MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK
- T-Force NightHawk RGB 16GB @ 3200MHz
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 FE
- addlink S70 256GB NVMe SSD
- bequiet! Straight Power 11 850W Platinum PSU
- Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition converted into an open-frame layout
Here is the settings table for testing:
| Clock (MHz) | 3800 All Cores |
| Voltage (V) | 1.034 |
| Clock (MHz) | 5000 All Cores |
| Voltage (V) | 1.320 |
| Turbo Boost | Disabled |
| C-States | Disabled |
| Speed Step | Disabled |
| Thermal Paste | Noctua NT-H1 |
| Thermal Paste Application | Dot Method in the center. |
| Test Run Time | 30 minutes |
| Idling Time | 10 minutes |
| Fan Speed | 100% PWM Duty Cycle and Auto PWM |
| Pump Speed | Connected to the AIO Pump header to run at 100% speed |
| Header | CPU_Fan header for the fans and Pump_Header for the pump |
| Software | AIDA64 6.3 Extreme [FPU] |
We are using Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste for testing. Using the same thermal paste for all coolers would ensure standardization. Delta temperatures are reported on the graphs. The testing is done on an open-air bench system. Once inside the chassis, the temperatures are expected to rise and would largely depend upon the optimal airflow inside the chassis.
Let’s take a look at the results.
3.8GHz All Cores
5.0GHz All Cores
We have a comparable performance from the Alphacool Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 AIO.
Noise
The fans were operating at roughly the 2700 RPM mark. We noted 62 dB(A) at an ambient noise level of 33 dB(A). It is quite loud.
Conclusion
Meet the new Eisbaer series coolers from Alphacool! Alphacool has released Alphacool Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 CPU AIO along with the Eisbaer LT360 AURORA HPE. The overall outlook and composition are the same but with two key differences. The new generation is based on Alphacool’s new HPE series radiators and is using Alphacool’s new Rise Aurora fans.
The HPE series radiators have more water channels and fins count providing more coolant throughput and surface area compared to the previous generation. The HPE radiator has 14 channels with each channel having a width of 2mm. The standard NexXxos radiators have 12 channels with each having a width of 1.8mm. The width of the fins between any two channels is now 6mm whereas it is 8mm on the standard NexXxos radiators.
The new Rise Aurora series fans are high-static pressure optimized fans rated to provide up to 118.9 m³/h at a static pressure rating of 3.17 mmH₂O. The rated speed is up to 2500 RPM ±10%. The fans have Sleeve bearing and are rated for 50,000 hours at 25°C. These fans have 20 A-RGB LEDs with a hub having 8x A-RGB LEDs and the frame having 12x A-RGB LEDs.
Now coming back to the cooler, we have a 360mm radiator made of copper and brass. The radiator has an 18 FPI count. Alphacool is using HF Compression TPV fittings in size 12.7/7.6mm in G1/4” threading. The tube being used is their premium TPV hose which is also used in server-grade systems.
The distinctive advantages of the Eisbaer series are still retained which are:
- Modularity
- Expandability
- Full Copper Radiator including fins and channels
- G1/4” threaded ports
- Quick-Disconnect Fittings
- Refillable using a dedicated Refill port
- Brass Compression Fittings
The pump housing has a similar design as we have seen on the previous generation of the Eisbaer and Eisbaer LT coolers. Alphacool is using DCLT 2 pump which is 10% more powerful and operates at lower noise output. We have a transparent window showing the integrated reservoir and pump top. The salient highlight is the EISBAER backlit branding all around the housing which really speaks for itself when powered. The top of the housing has a refill port and an inlet and outlet ports. All these ports are using G1/4” threaded ports. The base of the pump housing is in a nickel plating and measures roughly 55x55mm.
The installation mechanism of both coolers is the same as we have seen on their previous generation coolers and CPU water blocks. We are dealing with 19 items to install the CPU block on the motherboard. The cooler is compatible with Intel LGA 115x/1200/1700/20xx sockets. It is also compatible with AMD TR4 sockets and other AMD sockets including the AM4.
Alphacool has provided a dedicated controller for the light control on the pump housing and the fans. The fans and pump housing have to be daisy-chained first and then the user can choose either to use the dedicated controller or the motherboard-based control using an adapter cable provided in the box. Alphacool is using proprietary connectors for digital lighting. I would have loved to see the use of a standard 3-pin, A-RGB, 5V connector.
The Alphacool Eisbaer AURORA HPE Edition 360 CPU AIO is listed at €179.99 and the Eisbaer LT360 AURORA HPE is listed at €159.99 at the time of the review. We have tested the coolers on Intel i7 10700k running at 5.0GHz all cores. Both coolers have performed very well and their overall performance level is very competitive comparing some of the high end AIO offerings in the market at present. This level of thermal performance is further augmented by using off-the-shelf custom loop components, modular design with expandability built right into the AIO which is something we don’t see very often from the competition. The new Eisbaer 360 HPE series coolers come highly recommended by us.
We are thankful to Alphacool for the opportunity to test these coolers.
