Alphacool Eiswand 360mm Water Cooling Kit Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Alphacool Eiswand 360mm External Radiator Water Cooler is available from AquaTuning for £299.99. This isn’t cheap, but the performance figures speak for themselves, and in many cases, this can still work out cheaper than buying custom loop hardware components individually.

Overview

Alphacool set out to create the ultimate cooler with their new Eiswand, and with a staggering six years of development and fine-tuning, it’s finally ready for the world. Has it been worth the wait? Oh hell yes! They’ve managed to create a cooler that is unlike anything else we’ve tested before. It’s not quite an AIO cooler, it’s not a custom loop, but it somehow manages to bridge the two worlds perfectly. You don’t have to be a custom loop loving pro-modder to put this unit together, which is by far the most appealing aspect of this kit. However, if you want to add a GPU block, another CPU, more radiators, etc, you can do that very easily with the quick interconnects. It’s this easy to use modular design that makes it appealing to beginners and pros alike.

The build quality is far superior to what we were expecting. Everything is heavy duty and beautifully finished, with a lot of love and attention going to the style, and extra touches such as the LED lighting in the base and the reservoir really add a touch of class to the whole package. The CPU block has a nice design, and the all-black fittings look and feel durable too. Bonus add-on features included in the box such as the anti-kink springs, quick-release interconnects, extra coolant, all the power cables you’ll need, etc, all add up to creating a premium package that helps justify the premium price tag.

This cooler certainly isn’t for everyone, it’s pretty huge and it is expensive, but the benefits it has to offer speak for themselves. It’s incredibly quiet for a dual-pump 6-fan configuration. Of course, the performance figures are exceptionally good too, and that is going to appeal to those building high-end gaming rigs and workstations, where the CPU is heavily overclocked and running at high loads for extended periods of time. You’re rarely going to see performance like this from an internally mounted radiator, as you’re literally taking the heat out of the system, ensuring the interior of your case is as cool as possible.

The modular nature provided by custom-loop hardware is something that appeals to many, and being able to add your own CPU blocks, additional blocks for the graphics card, colour mod kits and more is going to allow you to create the design of your dreams. If you really care about colour matching your hardware, the mod kits are a great way to achieve your goal.

Pros

• Exceptional build quality
• Extreme cooling performance
• Quiet (especially in 7v mode)
• Surprisingly easy to install
• External design takes heat away from your chassis
• Modular and expandable with ease
• Quick release fittings included
• Competitive price for custom loop
• Fans, reservoir and housing come pre-built
• Extra coolant included in the box
• LED lighting built-in

Cons

• None

Neutral

• Quite expensive for some consumers, but you do get what you pay for
• Not all chassis or workspaces can accommodate it, so plan ahead before purchase

“Tired of not being able to reach the full potential of your hardware, and eager to keep those overclocks running 24/7? The Eiswand is the ultimate custom-loop/AIO hybrid and the greatest cooler we’ve ever tested.”