Introduction
Alphacool is a well-known german company specialized in PC water-cooling products and components, its headquarters are in Braunschweig. The founders of the company have a 9-year history in the IT cooling marketing, this being obvious in the products offered bu AlphaCool.
Official product link:
https://www.alphacool.com/shop/-new-products-/20227/alphacool-eisbaer-280-cpu-black
Packaging and accessories
The cooler is packaged in a dark cardboard box.
The front side of the box presents the cooler using an artistic image of the CPU block, on the upper part there are the name of the product and the compatible sockets.
The backside of the packaging offers the same information as the front and rest of the box, here there is printed a general image of the Alphacool Eiswind fans.
Accessories
The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual
– 1x Intel Backplate
– 1x PWM adapter
– 1x Thermal compound
– 1x Intel Bracket
– 4x Intel 2011-3 Screws
– 4x AMD Screws
– 1x AMD Bracket
– 4x Intel Screws LGA 775/1156/1155/1150/1151/1366
– 9x Radiator screws long
– 9x Radiator screws short
– 4x Springs
– 4x Nuts
– 5x Washers
Specifications
Model: Eisbaer 280
Colors Available: Black with Blue
Supported sockets:
Intel: Intel 1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/Intel 775
AMD: 604/771/G34, AMD 939/AM2/AM2 /AM3/AM3 /FM1/FM2
Pump:
Model: Alphacool DC-LT 2600 Ultra low noise Ceramic
– Speed: 2600 RPM
– Voltage: 7-13.5V DC
– Power consumption: 4W
– Maximum flow rate: 70L/h
– Maximum head: 0.85m
Tubing Measurements: 11mm outer and 8mm inner diameter
Fans included:
Model: Eiswind 14
Bearing: sleeve bearing
Dimensions: 140mm x 25mm
Voltage: 12V
Power connection: 3-Pin
Fan Speed: 1100 (+/- 10%)
Fan Airflow: 62.31 cfm
Static pressure: 1.55 mmH20
Fan Noise: 29.4 dB
Visual inspection
The Eisbaer 280 model has a completely modular design, each component being available individually. The cooler uses a 280mm radiator made out of copper and based on the well-known Alphacool NexXxoS radiator.
The cooler uses two 140mm fans, model: Alphacool Eiswind, these have a maximum speed of 1100RPM and a static pressure of 1.55 mmH20 while generating 29.4 dB.
The CPU block is also the reservoir for the cooling system. The pump used by the cooler is made by Alphacool, model: DC-LT 2600 with a maximum speed of 2600RPM and a maximum flow rate of 70L/h.
On the top part of the CPU Block a fill port is installed. In addition, the block itself is transparent on the sides and thus the ceramic pump is visible.
The base of the cooler is mounted on the pump assembly with the help of 4 metallic screws, the base itself is made out of copper and evenly polished.
The pump uses a 3-pin Molex connector, the cable of the connector is covered by black sleeving.
The cooler uses two rubberized tubes, each having a length of 320mm and an outer diameter of 11mm and inner diameter of 8mm. The tubes are covered by metallic springs to prevent kinks and maintain their integrity.
One of the tubes features two quick-disconnect fittings, these use the standard G1/4 size. The red-blue colored strips are used to differentiate the inlet-outlet fittings.
The cooler uses Alphacool made fittings with the standard size of G1/4”. In addition, components of the cooler use the same size for the threads. The usage of these fittings and a one standard thread size, makes the Eisbaer 280 cooler a truly modular system.
The radiator used in the case of the Eisbaer 280 cooler is based on the well-known Alphacool NexXxoS. It is made out of copper, in comparison with other AIO type systems that use aluminum made radiators.
Included in the accessories bundle there are two 140mm fans, Eiswind model, they have a maximum speed of 1100 RPM. The cable of the fan is covered in black sleeving.
Testing
The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i5 4690K @ 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz
– Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 9 ACK
– RAM: Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB DDR3 @ 2133MHz
– GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 Founder’s Edition
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 500GB
– PSU: Antec Edge 550W Gold
– Display: AOC i2769VM
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe White
– Thermal compound: Arctic Cooling MX-4
Software used for testing the cooler:
– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 5.92.4300 (06/19/2017)
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 29.1
The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.187 V.
Also, the included fans have been used at their maximum speed.
The room temperature was approximately 26°C (78°F), with 2°C margin of error.
The idle test consists of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 30 minutes, the temperature was measured at the end of the test.
The settings of the software used are the following:
Intel Burn Test v2.54 – Stress level: Maximum
Prime95 29.1- small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.
Idle
Full Load
The noise level was measured at three different distances from the fans (10cm, 20cm, 30cm.) the noise was measured with a margin of error of ± 5 db.
Final thoughts
The Alphacool Eisbaer 280 is a cooling system featuring a completely modular design, all components are connected through standard G1/4” fittings, thus, the cooling system can be expanded and maintained in the future.
One feature of the Eisbaer 280 is the quick-disconnect fittings mounted on one of the tubes, this means that the cooler can be expanded without being drained and refilled. This way, an additional radiator or block can be added with ease.
The performance of the cooler is very good, being at a small temperature difference from a custom watercooling loop. The pump used is silent even at its maximum speed and the fill port mounted at the top of the reservoir is a welcomed feature, especially in the case of air trapped in the system.
The size of the assembly composed of the CPU block and the pump & reservoir is an inconvenient in the case of smaller cases, the tubes being close to the side panel.
