Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme 280mm AIO Liquid Cooler Review

Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme

When it comes to CPU cooler makes and brands, there are few we have encountered that have managed to look quite as imposing (or impressive) as the Eisbaer range from Alphacool. Specifically designed to give a customisable AIO liquid cooling solution, Alphacool has seemingly gone ‘all-in’ with this design in recent years and, to their credit, have been doing a pretty good job so far!

With the release of the Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme, however, this 280mm AIO liquid cooler represents one of the biggest major ‘updates’ to the Eisbaer model for quite some time. As such, with improvements to the design and even the inclusion of be quiet! branded fans, we expect big things from this!

Features

• Powerful VPP755 V.3 D5 pump
• Solid copper radiator
• “Eisbaer Ready” quick-release fittings
• Large resevior
• Patented screw plugs
• Pump and fan controllable via PWM

What Does Alphacool Have To Say?

Powerful and extremely quiet. The Eisbaer Extreme is not just another CPU AiO cooler, it offers much more. So, what exactly makes the Eisbaer Extreme so special? There are several factors. The first is the outstanding CPU cooler EIsblock XPX. This CPU cooler is currently one of the most powerful CPU water coolers on the market and instead of a cheaper alternative, we wanted to ensure you had the extreme performance. The quick-release fasteners come from the EIsbaer-Ready series and are therefore compatible with all Eisbaer-Ready products. 

The radiator is 45 mm thick and made of copper ensuring high quality and performance. The two 140 mm fans come from the be quiet! Silent Wing 3 series and both fans can be controlled via a PWM connection. The pump is inside the reservoir which can hold up to 138 ml of water. Alphacool is using the brand new Eispump VPP755 V.3 for this system. It is more powerful than a classic Laing D5 pump and can also be controlled via a PWM connection. Together with the quick-release fasteners, a large custom loop can be easily created. 

If you want to use this system in a custom loop right away, you can simply go for the Core Edition of the Eisbaer Extreme. The Core Edition comes without CPU cooler, hoses and quick fasteners. And of course, it is not prefilled like the AiO edition. – Official Product Page

Technical Information

For more in-depth specifications, please visit the official product page via the link here!

Exterior Packaging

The Eisbaer coolers have always had a distinctive style of packaging. Going for white on dark black, the product is practically instantly recognisable for those familiar with the range.

With this particular model being the ‘Black Edition’, however, it does seem more apt than usual.

In terms of actual details, the packaging is surprisingly sparse. I can only assume that Alphacool already knows that if you’re looking at this product you perhaps already know all about it.

Despite the main key product features, however, the only other item of true information is the socket description which, as you can see below, covers the vast majority of processors including the AMD Threadripper TR4.

Accessories!

Unlike many AIO liquid coolers, the Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme is practically ready to go out of the box. With the fans coming as part of the ‘contained unit’ the only parts and accessories are those required to help you actually install it to your system.

All of the key components to fit this to your motherboard are all included in separate bags which really makes things easy. You are also provided with more enough thermal paste and, within the specific AMD or Intel packaging, further installation details.

The manual is, without a doubt, one of the best I have ever seen. The information provided is clear, detailed and nearly always with an associated diagram.

One of the main key aspects of interest to note, and it’s a point we’ll raise early in this review, is that Alphacool makes a very strong recommendation within the manual as to how to locate your radiator. This is essentially to ensure that the pump is never at risk of any damage which, again in a mildly unusual manner, a secondary pump is actually located within the radiator itself rather than just the main CPU block.