Installation and the Test PC
Since the CPU blocks are a part of the whole liquid cooling loop, then we need many more components to make it work. It’s a product designed for more advanced users, but in the last years, the installation has become much easier, and manufacturers prepare all their product lines in a way that everything is compatible.
In the Alphacool online shop, you can find everything you may need to build your dream cooling. Alphacool products are also widely available in other stores, like Amazon.
Our example build is, this time, based on the latest AMD Ryzen setup, which includes Ryzen 9 7950X processor, ASUS Crosshair X670E Gene motherboard, Kingston FURY Renegade 32GB DDR5-7200@6400 CL30 memory kit, and Colorful RTX4080 Advanced. Since there are no full-cover blocks for our graphics card, then it’s out of the water loop. The water loop itself is based on Alphacool products which include the Core Distro Plate 240/left with the APEX VPP pump (reviewed in the last few days), 360mm full-copper radiator, and chrome version of hard tubes with matching fittings.
The Alphacool XPX Pro Aurora presents fantastic, especially with the RGB illumination from other sources (like Alphacool fans) as the chrome surface of the block, tubes, and fittings is reflecting the light. The CPU block has a standard ARGB connector, and it works without issues with popular motherboard brands and other devices. All the colors match perfectly with other devices.
I assume that most users who decided on a custom liquid cooling loop already know how to install everything. If you aren’t sure, then Alphacool prepared a user’s manual which describes everything in an easy way. The installation itself is not much different than that of other CPU blocks and most other coolers.
The Eisblock XPX Pro looks amazing during work, but for most users, the performance is the most important.
On the next page of this review, we will take a closer look at the performance.
