This is an expert review of the ALPHACOOL Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 AIO. In this review, we will walk you through the unboxing experience, installation, and testing of the cooler along with everything related to it.

If budget is not an issue and you are looking for a cooling solution for a wide variety of sockets, modularity with easy expansion, vivid and dynamic digital RGB lighting ALPHACOOL Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 CPU AIO stands out.

ALPHACOOL is among the top DIY or custom loop product manufacturers. We have already mentioned their portfolio in our content of ALPHACOOL CORE OCEAN T38 CPU AIO 360mm. ALPHACOOL is also manufacturing liquid coolers not only for CPUs but also for graphics cards. Their graphics cards AIOs are called Eiswolf, whereas CPU AIOs come under the famous Eisbaer naming convention.

Certain design elements of Eisbaer liquid coolers distinguish these products from other liquid coolers in the market. Some of these elements are:

I think I have made a long list already and should move on. So, we got an opportunity to test ALPHACOOL’s premium liquid cooler for CPU, aka ALPHACOOL Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 CPU AIO. This is an expensive product, but there is a reason why. There is also an Eisbaer PRO non-HPE cooler which uses previous-generation radiators. Make sure to pay attention to the naming convention when buying.

This cooler has a 360mm copper-made radiator and comes with 3x AURORA 120mm fans. These fans have digital RGB lighting.

Why is this PRO? Simple, ALPHACOOL has provided extensive socket support here beyond the regular consumer sockets. This cooler is compatible with Intel 3647 and 4189 sockets and AMD TR4 / sTRX4 / sWRX8 / SP3 sockets. Besides, this cooler is also compatible with Intel: 115X / 1200 / 1700 / 2011 / 2011-3 / 2066 and AMD: AM4 / AM5 sockets.

In order to make this happen, they have incorporated a large copper plate on the base of this cooler measuring around 78x60mm. Guess what? This is identical to the copper base plate on ALPHACOOL Eisblock XPX PRO coolers. This cooler still features the same DCLT 2 pump, which is on non-Pro series Eisbaer coolers, as per our checking on their website.

This cooler comes in a cardboard box finished in white and black colors. In case you are wondering what is αcool, it is a branding of ALPHACOOL where the symbol α represents Alpha in a literal meaning. ALPHACOOL has listed salient features of this cooler on the packing box. We can see that the fans and block pack some vivid digital RGB lighting.

ALPHACOOL has listed the salient specifications of this cooler on the back of the main packing box. There is a picture of the pump’s housing printed as well. ALPAHCOOL has clearly focused on socket compatibility information by mentioning the sockets that we listed above.

AURORA 5V digital RGB says it all. This cooler packs digital RGB lighting on the fans and pumps housing. AURORA is ALPHACOOL’s naming convention for this digital light show.

Much like what we saw on CORE OCEAN T38 CPU AIO 360mm, the mounting hardware and other components of this cooler are also placed in an egged carton. This will ensure the safety of the components during shipping. A user manual is placed over the top.

Let’s start with what ALPHACOOL is saying about this cooler. “The Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 CPU AIO water cooling features the extremely powerful NexXxos HPE Performance all-copper radiator equipped with the high-throughput Aurora Rise 120mm fans. All of the components used come from the classic DIY water cooling range and are also used for the most part in enterprise products for servers.

The Eisbaer Aurora can be expanded with additional components thanks to the quick-release fastener. Alphacool’s Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 CPU AIO is a high-performance all-in-one water cooling system that is as easy to install as an AIO but offers the performance of a pre-assembled and pre-filled custom loop.”

Let’s start with the radiator of this cooler.

Unlike the CORE OCEAN T38 CPU AIO 360mm, which comes with a thick aluminum-made radiator, ALPHACOOL Eisbaer PRO HPE AURORA 360 CPU AIO comes with a 30mm thick copper-made radiator. This radiator has a dimension of 391.5x124x30mm (±3%). This is interesting as we have never seen a radiator measure with approximation.

30mm refers to the height or thickness of the radiator’s housing. The majority of regular liquid coolers have 27mm or 30mm thickness, so this cooler checks in that category fine. With 25mm thick fans, the overall height of this unit would come to 56mm, including bulkheads of screws.

Before we move on, let’s see what the main differences between HPE and non-HPE radiators from ALPHACOOL are. ALPHACOOL’s standard NexXxos series radiators have a channel thickness of 1.8mm, whereas these radiators have a fin width of 8mm. With HPE, ALPHACOOL has increased the channel’s thickness to 2mm while reducing the fin’s width to 6mm. Going this route, ALPHACOOL has managed to employ more fins in HPE series radiators while having a wide area for coolant flow. This double blow would give these radiators more cooling potential.

Coming back to the radiator, this unit has a dense fin stacking. The FPI count is 18. This would mean we would need high-static pressure fans for better performance. This radiator is made of copper, and there is a copper sheen, as can be seen in the above picture.

The complete assembly is black color coated, and the near head and far head have rectangular designs in an angular manner. We can also see that the side housing on this radiator protrudes these blocks or heads. We can count 14 coolant channels between fins. This cooler has standard 105mm spacing between any two consecutive mounting holes.

The housing of this radiator is also made of aluminum material and is a black color coating. There is an ALPHACOOL branding on the right side in blue color.

Blue color seems the official brand color for ALPHACOOL. Please take note that the 30mm thickness above refers to the total thickness of the unit. The actual thickness of fin stacking is less than 30mm, which is an industry-standard design.

ALPHACOOL has used HF screw-on sleeve TPV metal fittings with a size of 12.7/7.6mm to match TPV tubing (brass material). These fittings are also available in nylon finish on their online shop. We can see that ALPHACOOL is not missing any element in its premium cooling solution. There is a serial number sticker printed here as well.

Another salient feature is quick-release coupling. This mechanism allows an easy expansion of the current loop by breaking it without a spillover. This coupling is also in matte black finish having a dimension of 95x27mm. It is made of Nylon material and supports 12.7/7.6mm tube size. Keep that in mind when buying an expansion unit.

The above picture shows the function of quick-release coupling. We have broken the loop by simply disconnecting the two ends of this coupling. A few drops of coolant may come out, which is nothing to worry about. Now, we can expand the loop by adding more components with only one requirement, that is, tubes and fittings on that unit must have a 12.7/7.6mm size.

We are trying to show two design aspects in the above picture. First is the provision of protective plating under the mounting sides of the radiator. This plating protects fins from damage coming from excessive screwing.

Second, we can see a copper sheen reflection despite the fact that this assembly is in the black color coating. ALPHACOOL has done a good job in fin stacking.

ALPHACOOL has used its industry-level TPV tubing in this cooler. This tube is made of EPDM/PP material. This tube has a length of 400mm. This tube has a dimension of 12.7/7.6mm. Their tolerance range is -50°C to +155°C, and their hardness grading is 35 Shore-A to 50 Shore-D. This tube is in matte black color. These tubes don’t kink, which is a good design aspect.

It is time to take a look at the block and pump of this unit.

The design of the pump housing is different on this cooler than on non-pro Eisbaer series liquid coolers. This unit has a dimension of 64x79x54.3mm. The main pump housing is made of nylon material and finished in a matt black color. 54.3mm is the overall height of this unit. This is not a low-profile design from a height and length perspective.

We have quite a stylish and bold design all around. The central portion of the top cover is raised, and it has ALPHACOOL branding on it. Eisbaer Pro is embossed towards the lower right corner. Speaking of corners, we can see an angular design on corners to add a subtle touch to the overall layout.

Tubes are installed on top of this unit using straight fittings. This is unlike a standard or traditional 90°orientation on a majority of liquid coolers in the market. There is a G1/4” port cover labeled Fill behind the tubes.

This is a dedicated refill port which makes maintenance of this unit easier in the longer run. If the coolant level gets low, then one can fill the reservoir using this port. We can see crossed lines on top and side, and these are digital RGB backlit. Eisbaer Pro text is also digital RGB backlit.

This unit has a built-in reservoir which is made of acrylic material. We can see the coolant level and pump inside this reservoir from three sides, as ALPHACOOL has provided an exposed view on these sides, which looks cool.

The front view of this unit is a solid finish without any branding. There are cables coming out from this side. This is rather a strange implementation since this block can only be installed in one orientation with cables side facing the PCIe slot. This would make cable management a bit challenging job, particularly when these cables have a relatively short length.

ALPHACOOL has provided a 3-pin connector to power the pump. I was hoping for a PWM control here, given it is their premium liquid cooler.

This unit has JST 3-pin digital RGB connectors. One is the socket, and the other is the connector. This allows an easy daisy-chaining of digital RGB elements within the ALPHACOOL Ecosystem. ALPHACOOL has provided an adapter cable that allows users to connect this proprietary connector to a 5V, 3-pin digital RGB header on the motherboard.

We have tested GIGABYTE RGB Fusion 2.0 app to control lighting on this unit, and the system was responding flawlessly to a change in light mode from the app. There are 20 digital RGB LEDs inside the housing.

The backside of this unit shows the reservoir and coolant level in that reservoir. ALPHACOOL has used a clear coolant comprising distilled water and Glysantin. The working temperature for this coolant is 15°C/+90°C.

We can also spot the pump’s ceramic shaft. Sorry for the blurry picture. This is ALPHACOOL’s DC-LT2 pump. It is rated for 2600 RPM (±10%). It can move coolant over 1m in length with a maximum flow rate of 72 L/H.

The voltage range is 6 ~ 13.5V DC, and the power consumption is rated at 3.2W. Similarly, the tested pressure rating is 0.8 Bar, and the maximum working temperature is 60°C (coolant temperature).

This cooler has a large size nickel-plated copper base. There is a protective cover over the base, cautioning the user to remove it before installation. This cover is there to protect the base from any damage. The size of this plate is 78x60mm. This is there to support those large-size sockets from both camps. The cold plate has a 0.4×0.4mm fin structure.

ALPHACOOL has provided 3x 120mm fans with this cooler. These are from the AURORA RISE series of products. These fans not only pack good performance metrics but have beautiful digital RG B lighting as well. These fans have a circular frame which is thicker than standard 120mm fans.

This is due to the fact that ALPHACOOL has put a digital RGB ring in this frame. There are two such rings. One is on the top, and the other is in the center of the frame. The frame itself is black in color.

Each fan has 9x blades. These are translucent blades to produce some vivid and even light output. The tips of these blades have a raised surface, and the forward edges have insets. I think this design is there to improve airflow while reducing lag at the same time, which would be helpful in lowering vibration. Each mounting corner has an anti-vibration pad to reduce vibrational noise.

The backside of the fan shows a 4-arms assembly with one arm being wider and having an inset on which the wires are routed from the center toward the frame. RISE AURORA is printed on a sticker.

There is a black color flat cable with a 4-pin PWM header coming out of the fan to power the motor of this fan.

Each fan has a 3-pin JST connector and a 3-pin JST socket. This allows to daisy-chain fans and pump’s housing and then control digital RGB lighting from a single source creating a synced output.

The salient specifications of the fans are:

These fans feature Auto Stop and Auto Restart functions, for which you would need to have a motherboard supporting these features. These fans report tachometer as well. Each fan packs 20 digital RGB LEDs.

Now that we have taken a look at the core components of this cooling unit, it is time to check out the mounting hardware.

ALPHACOOL has provided a comprehensive, multi-lingual user guide covering all sockets installation instructions.

The main hardware is supplied inside a black color bag with a transparent front.

There are 4x thumb nuts.

The above picture shows the hardware for AMD brackets. These include:

Taking a look at the Intel platform, we got:

There are a few zip ties as well in the accessory bag.

We have tested this cooler on an AMD AM5 socket using a GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX motherboard and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X. We will also show the installation of the Intel LGA1700 socket.

The above picture shows you how to install this cooler on AM4 and AM5 sockets. This cooler is compatible with an AM5 socket because it uses an AMD stock backplate. You would need to remove the stock mounting brackets from the motherboard. Install AM4/AM5 brackets on the block.

Prepare screws using springs, 0.5mm washer, 2.0mm washer, and nuts. Secure set screws on each mounting corner of brackets. Apply the thermal paste on the IHS of the CPU. Carefully place a block on the CPU by aligning standoff holes with the tips of screws. Rest is self-explanatory

The above picture illustrates the installation guide for the Intel LGA1700 socket. Users would need to snuggle mounting brackets on the block. Then prepare Long Screws using 2.0mm washers (from AMD packet) along with springs and secure this assembly on each mounting corner of the bracket using provided nuts.

Please take a look at the picture for a better understanding. Peel off the protective cover from the base of the block. Apply the thermal paste on the CPU IHS and place the block on the CPU with aligning tips of screws with standoffs of the back plate. Obviously, place the back plate on the back side of the motherboard as well.

The ALPHACOOL Eisbaer PRO HPE 360 CPU AIO 360mm is a liquid cooler. It does not obstruct DIMM slots because tubes are installed on top of the housing. Similarly, there is no clearance issue for the first x16 PCIe slot. The radiator has a dimension of 391.5x124x30mm size. Keep that in mind when it comes to PC Case clearance.

The ALPHACOOL Eisbaer PRO HPE 360 CPU AIO 360mm has digital RGB lighting on the RISE AURORA fans and pump’s housing. ALPHACOOL has provided a dedicated controller with this cooler.

This controller has a slim profile. It is SATA powered. One end of this controller has a 3-pin interface which follows a standard 5V interface. There is also a 2-pin socket that operates at 12V. Optionally users can connect a 3-pin cable to the pump with this socket and have it powered directly from the PSU.

The pump will run at its full speed. Users would need to daisy-chain digital RGB elements and connect them to supplied adapter cable. That cable then either be connected to this controller or directly attached to the motherboard.

There are 3 buttons on this controller. Mode changes light modes. The speed button changes the speed of the dynamic lighting mode. Light will change static colors.

ALPHACOOL has provided an adapter cable with one end having a standard 3-pin 5V interface, whereas another end has a 3-pin JST connector.

We have tested the cooler on the GIGABYTE motherboard. We are showing a few pictures from the AM5 platform. We controlled lighting using RGB FUSION 2.0 and found the lighting working flawlessly.

We have used below mentioned configuration to test the performance of this cooler: –

Here is the settings table for testing:

Disclaimer: Every silicon is different; hence no two same SKUs are likely to take some voltage to yield the same performance at the same thermals per see, but the margin would be close. Not every stress test run may yield the same result, which could be due to various reasons like thermal paste application, ambient temperature variation, the mounting pressure of the cooler, etc. This is very why we have listed our variables and their settings. Variables not mentioned are on the Auto setting.

There is no other cooler in the graph, as we could get enough time to test a few units for some comparison. The cooler has performed well, keeping the temperature under 75°C using a heavy multi-core load. This gives us a good understanding that thermals during actual gameplay would be less than this outcome.

The fans provided with ALPHACOOL Eisbaer PRO AURORA HPE 360 are loud at full speed. We measured roughly 54 dB(A) at an ambient sound level of 32~33 dB(A).

ALPHACOOL Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 CPU AIO is a high-performance liquid cooler in a 360mm size. This is ALPHACOOL’s premium cooling solution in the AIO category. ALPHACOOL is focused on high-performance, wide socket coverage, and, of course, digital RGB lighting. This cooler features ALPHACOOL’s new HPE series radiator having a dimension of 391.5x124x30mm (±3%).

HPE series radiators have wider cooling channels with less wide fin stacking but with more fins giving more surface area and improved coolant flow. 30mm is the height of this radiator. The total height of assembled unit will be 56mm, approximately including the head of the screws.

This radiator is made of copper, and the fins and channels are made of copper. This radiator features 2x G1/4” ports with HF screw-on sleeve TPV metal fittings in 12.7/7.6mm size. The FPI count is 18 on this unit.

ALPHACOOL has used their industrial grade tube in this unit, namely TPV (EPDM/PP). These tubes have a length of 400mm. They are of size 12.7/7.6mm. These tubes are black in color, and their hardness rating is 35 Shore-A to 50 Shore-D. They have a high-temperature tolerance of -15°C to +150°C.

Another striking feature of this cooler is quick-release coupling. These quick disconnects allow users to easily expand this loop by adding more ALPHACOOL products like radiators or blocks using same-size tubes and fittings. This coupling is matte black in color and has a dimension of 95x27mm. It is made of Nylon material and supports 12.7/7.6mm tube size.

ALPHACOOL is using a DC-LT2 pump in this unit which is rated to spin at 2600RPM ±10%. They have a flow rate of 72 L/H with a pressure head of 1m. Housing is made of Nylon material. This housing has a reservoir as well, which is made of Acrylic. This reservoir can be seen from three sides of this housing.

We can even see the pump’s ceramic shaft as the pump and reservoir are integrated. Tubes are installed on top of the housing using the same G1/4” ports. There is also a G1/4” refill port on top with a stop plug. Both ports are clearly marked as IN and OUT. Housing has a stylish and bold design standing at 64x79x54.3mm.

It features 12 digital RGB LEDs, backlighting Eisbaer Pro text, and styling lines. The pump is rated for 3.2W power with a 6~13.5V DC operating voltage range. It is tested for 0.8 Bar pressure and 60°C coolant temperature.

There is a large-size nickel-plated copper base measuring 78x60mm with a 0.4×0.4mm fin structure. This large size is there as this unit has extensive socket coverage, including Intel 4189/3647, AMD TR4/sTRX4/xWRX8/SP3, and ALPHACOOL has provided full IHS coverage. Speaking of socket compatibility, this unit is compatible with Intel: 115X / 1200 / 1700 / 2011 / 2011-3 / 2066 / 3647 SQUARE & NARROW / 4189 and AMD: AM4 / AM5 / TR4 / sTRX4 / sWRX8 / SP3 sockets.

ALPHACOOL has provided RISE AURORA series 120mm fans with this liquid cooler. They are rated for 0~2500 RPM ±10%. The airflow rating of these fans is 118.9 m³/h, whereas the air pressure rating is 3.17mmH₂O.

The noise level rating is 31.5 dB(A). They have sleeve bearings, and their lifespan information is not provided. Additionally, their input current is 0.72A maximum at 12V DC. For power, 4-pin PWM connectors are used.

Since these fans have digital RGB Lighting from 20 digital RGB LEDs coming from dual rings and center, we have 3-pin JST connector and socket cables to power these LEDs. ALPHACOOL has provided a dedicated controller which is SATA powered.

There is an adapter cable as well. Users are required to daisy-chain fans and housing and then connect that to this adapter. Users can either connect this adapter to the bundled controller or to the motherboard. There is also a 12V 2-pin socket to which a 3-pin cable from the pump can be connected to be powered directly from PSU. This is optional.

ALPHACOOL has provided a plethora of mounting hardware for the supported sockets. They are still using their standard mounting, as we have seen with the CORE OCEAN T38 cooler. We have tested the cooler on the AMD AM5 platform on the B650 socket.

The mounting hardware for this socket comprises 22 items which are definitely on the high side. This is only for the block and does not include fan, radiator installation, and thermal paste application. This cooler is compatible with an AM5 socket as it uses an AMD stock backplate. Since we are dealing with many cables, ALPHACOOL has provided zip-ties as well.

ALPHACOOL Eisbaer Pro HPE Aurora 360 CPU AIO is listed at €217.78 and USD 228.76 at the time of this writing. This is a high price tag, but given extensive support for various sockets, this liquid cooler definitely packs what no other AIO in the market does. HPE radiator is a high-performance radiator, and the same is employed in this cooler.

Quick-release coupling allows easy expansion. Fill port provides extensive support to continue using this unit well over time. The overall features are quite rich to justify this price tag. ALPHACOOL is offering a 3-year warranty, which is somewhat less, in my opinion. The thermal performance of this cooler is good, with one obvious con of loud fans at full speed. We would suggest running Auto PWM or setting a custom fan curve for these fans.

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