Alphacool Eisbaer 360 Expandable AIO Review

The Alphacool Eisbaer 360 is the bigger brother of the Eisbaer 240 that we reviewed at the end of last year. The thing with the Eisbaer AIOs is that they are not your typical closed loop liquid coolers, they are actually expandable - meaning you can add a GPU block or even another radiator to the loop with the bare minimum of hassle. Given that the Alphacool Eisbaer 360 obviously uses a 360mm copper radiator, we can expect some very decent cooling results. Before jumping to any conclusions, though, let's take a look at the included bundle, the installation process and then put the Eisbaer through its paces. Specification Pump (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 Fan (Eiswind 12): Bearing: sleeve bearing Voltage: 12V Power connection: 4-pin PWM Rated speed: 550-1700 (+/- 10%) Airflow: 63.85 cfm / 108 m3/h Static pressure: 1.66 mmH20 Volume: 29 dB(A) The Alphacool Eisbaer 360 ships in a large black box, while there is a photo of the Eisbaer's pump visible from the front. Inside, all of the installation hardware ships in labelled bags - something I love to see, so the Eisbaer 360 is off to a good start there. Included with the bundle, we get 3x Eiswind 12 fans (obviously of the 120mm size) and these are designed specifically for use with radiators, so we should be able to expect decent performance from these fans. Other than the size, it does not appear that anything has changed from the Eisbaer 240 that we reviewed last year. That means we get a full-copper radiator with corrugated tubing, while the quick-release fittings are also the same. The large pump/CPU block unit sports the Alphacool logo in blue, as well as a fill port - useful if you are adding another component to the loop and need to top-up the coolant levels. All things considered, I think the Eisbaer coolers could do with a makeover as they do look a bit dated. If you're not too bothered about the looks of the system then it won't be an issue for you, but the aesthetic appeal of liquid cooling is a factor for some and I could definitely imagine the Eisbaer's appearance being a slight drawback. Here I will walk you through the installation process. It is worth noting we test using a Z97 motherboard – socket LGA 1150. The process below reflects that. The first thing to do is to get the fans out of the way, so screw them onto the radiator. After that, our Intel bracket needs to be clipped onto the pump - it comes in two pieces, so align them up and push them together and they will lock in-place. Next, the screws. To get these ready for installation, place a spring then a washer over the screws before passing each one through the pump's bracket holes. Four nuts lock those screws to the bracket. To complete the installation, place the included backplate over the motherboard's socket holes so everything is aligned. You can now apply thermal paste and mount the pump, before screwing the pump to the backplate. That marks the end of the process - it is very quick and simple, so no complaints here.To test all CPU coolers, we devised an easily repeatable test with no variables other than the coolers themselves. This ensures that figures from every cooler we test are comparable with each other. Test rig Using an open-air test bench, we deploy an Intel Core i7-4790K plugged into a Gigabyte Z97X-SOC Force motherboard. Alongside this is 16GB of 2400MHz Corsair Vengeance DDR3, as well as a 120GB OCZ Trion 150 SSD. Powering everything is a Corsair RM750x PSU. The test process Testing coolers involves taking a total of 4 temperature readings per cooler. First, we measure the idle temperature of the i7-4790K at stock speeds (turbo boost disabled), before measuring its temperature under load at stock speeds. Next, we overclock the CPU to 4.5GHz using a 1.3 Vcore, ensuring greater heat output. In its overclocked state we then measure the idle and load temperatures of the CPU again. The figures we present are temperature deltas – meaning we take each temperature reading and minus the ambient temperature from it. This allows us to test in an environment that is not temperature-controlled. To ward off potential comments or questions, we know 4.5GHz using a 1.3 Vcore is not the ‘best’ overclock – this particular CPU could reach that frequency at closer to 1.25 on the Vcore, which is more efficient. That is not the point, however. We are trying to stress the coolers to see how they deal with excess heat … hence the higher than necessary Vcore. Where possible, each cooler’s fans are plugged directly into the motherboard using the CPU_Fan or CPU_Opt headers. Some AIOs, however, ship with their own fan controllers or PWM hubs. If we are unable to plug the fans directly into the motherboard, it is specified in the performance section of the review. An idle reading comes from leaving Windows on the desktop for 15 minutes. A load reading comes from running Prime95’s (version 26.6) Small FFTs test for 15 minutes – enough time for temperatures to plateau. Noise output Unfortunately I am unable to properly measure the sound output of CPU coolers using a digital sound meter. This is because I am based alongside a busy road (with high ambient noise levels). Using a sound meter is, as such, not possible as there are variables out of my control. However, I will try my best to subjectively describe the noise output in a helpful manner.Temperatures All temperature charts are sorted with lowest load temperatures at the top. As you can see - and as we expected - the Eisbaer 360's performance is very good. It tops the stock-clocks chart while its performance is only just behind the Liquid Freezer 240 when we overclocked the CPU. For those curious how the 240mm Liquid Freezer outperformed this 360mm unit, it would be because the Liquid Freezer has a thicker radiator and it also ships with four fans to use in push-pull, something the Eisbaer does not do. In any case, the Eisbaer 360 provides more than enough cooling power and will do the job just fine. Acoustics In terms of noise levels, there is little to complain about. When idling the Eisbaer's pump is louder than its fans, and even when those fans spin up to 100% the noise is little more than a gentle whirr. All-in-all, I have complained about much less previously so it is a definite victory for Alphacool here.Alphacool continues to impress us with its Eisbaer series, and today we looked at the Eisbaer 360. I'll start with the negative aspect of the Eisbaer - it is not the best looking piece of kit on the market. It wasn't when we first reviewed the 240mm model last October, and it still isn't now. For those who take system aesthetics very seriously, this might be a bit of a sticking point. That said, there is still a lot going for the Eisbaer 360. For one, it is very easy to install - just attach a mounting bracket and some screws and you are essentially good to go. Performance is also very strong, as the Eisbaer 360 came either 1st or 2nd place across both our tests. We didn't get to test with a GPU block hooked-up today but we are sure a 360mm radiator is enough cooling power for your processor and graphics. Noise levels are also worth talking about as the Eisbaer 360 is nice and quiet, and only becomes slightly noticeable with the fans running at full speed. I've used much louder AIOs in my time and this is definitely one of the better ones. So, all-in-all, the Alphacool Eisbaer 360 is very impressive. It may not be the best-looking cooler on the market, and users who don't want to expand their loop down the line could save some cash by going for a sealed AIO, but those looking to tinker with their cooling setup won't find much wrong with the Eisbaer 360. You can buy one for £119.99 from Aquatuning UK HERE. Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE. Pros Expandable. Very good performance. Easy to install. Acoustics are not a concern at all. Cons Not the best looking cooler on the market. More expensive than traditional, sealed AIOs KitGuru says: The Alphacool Eisbaer 360 is a great starting point for those looking to get into the world of custom watercooling. It will cool your CPU very well, and in a few months you can easily add an extra radiator or your GPU to the loop with minimum hassle.