EK VS ALPHACOOL

[Superguy4ever]

Guys i just have always wondered which is better, ek waterblocks or alphacool products. I really like ek kits and might get one but alphacool are also a very strong name and have advantages over ek. so which one would u rec for a cpu block, rad, res and pump. also does res size matter or not. I know it sounds stupid but if i need a large loop will i need a bigger res. if yes, what size do i need.

[Oshino Shinobu]

For blocks, definitely EK. 

 

For rads, Alphacool

 

For res, it doesn't really matter. Just go for one you like the look of.

 

For pump, a Laing D5 Vario is the only one I'd recommend, and they're all the same internally, so it doesn't really matter which brand's top you go for. 

[brandishwar]

Guys i just have always wondered which is better, ek waterblocks or alphacool products. I really like ek kits and might get one but alphacool are also a very strong name and have advantages over ek. so which one would u rec for a cpu block, rad, res and pump. also does res size matter or not. I know it sounds stupid but if i need a large loop will i need a bigger res. if yes, what size do i need.

If you're going for a kit, it's not really going to matter much either direction. AlphaCool's radiators are consistently top performers, but the difference isn't hugely significant over EK. EK's blocks are consistently top performers, but there also isn't a huge difference over AlphaCool. Since you're considering a kit, the radiator size and thickness will matter more. AlphaCool distributes their 45mm radiator with their kits, while EK I think distributes their 60mm radiators. Check the specifications before ordering. Thinner radiators will have greater case compatibility, and won't impact cooling significantly.

Reservoir size matters really only when you're trying to fill the loop and for looks. A larger reservoir on a larger loop will be much, much easier to fill and bleed -- you won't have to do nearly as many on/off iterations trying to get full circulation.

For pumps, both distribute D5 pumps, and all D5s are rebranded from the OEM. And I think on the reservoir both will include a bay reservoir in their kits.

[Necrodead]

I might be the odd one out but I don't like EK products on the whole. Their CPU blocks cannot be denied as being very, very good, and for the most part rads are rads, but I just don't have the best experience with EK stuff. I really didn't like any of their fittings, overpriced and kinda ugly, and then there is the problem of everything being 'original CSQ', or in normal terms: a bunch of weird circles on everything.

 

On the other hand, Alphacool rads are probably my favorite rads of any company. They have low FPI, which allows for lower RPM fans without any real cooling loss, and they have so many ports so you can make any routing you need for your loop. I've even seen pumps and resivoirs mounted directly on top of alphacool rads due to their extra ports on the ends. Not denying EK is good, but I think they are over-hyped.

[brandishwar]

I might be the odd one out but I don't like EK products on the whole. Their CPU blocks cannot be denied as being very, very good, and for the most part rads are rads, but I just don't have the best experience with EK stuff. I really didn't like any of their fittings, overpriced and kinda ugly, and then there is the problem of everything being 'original CSQ', or in normal terms: a bunch of weird circles on everything.

 

On the other hand, Alphacool rads are probably my favorite rads of any company. They have low FPI, which allows for lower RPM fans without any real cooling loss, and they have so many ports so you can make any routing you need for your loop. I've even seen pumps and resivoirs mounted directly on top of alphacool rads due to their extra ports on the ends. Not denying EK is good, but I think they are over-hyped.

Agreed. I actually tried using their fittings with a couple Koolance water blocks and they wouldn't work. I think the threads on them are too long. And yeah they're a little over-priced. Swiftech and Koolance fittings are some of the least expensive ones on the market and they work perfectly fine. I've used them in several builds.

EK's blocks tend to be the best on the market on performance, but the difference over the other brands isn't so significant that one should look only at EK. Yet that seems to be the attitude around LTT as well: EK for blocks, Noctua for fans, with no deviation anywhere. EK is good and they make good blocks, but they're not the only ones on the market. Koolance, Watercool, Aquacomputer, XS-PC, AlphaCool. I've used products from all of these companies and they're great products. I have Watercool blocks on my GTX 770s (PNY GTX 770s built on reference GTX 680 PCBs), I have an Aquacomputer block on my wife's R9 290X, and I'm going with Aquacomputer for a full-cover block for a friend's GTX 980. I have two XS-PC radiators in a 19" rack, and they perform very, very well. I've typically turned to AlphaCool for radiators, though, and that's what I have in both mine and my wife's systems. And I have an EK Supremacy EVO on my FX-8350 and a Koolance CPU-380A on my wife's FX-8350. Both perform very well, within margin of error of each other.

On kits, however, that's where things become a little more complicated because you're stuck with one brand for everything. But you're going to get good performance regardless of which one you use. Too many people are too hyped up over getting the best performing blocks and radiators when in actuality you should really be shopping on quality, price, and looks. I'm not a huge fan of the look of the AlphaCool block and think the EK Supremacy looks better -- plus they have a huge variety of blocks available separately, so with the kit I think you're stuck with one option. Quality between both is very good from what I've read. But I love the look of the Aquacomputer, Watercool, and Koolance CPU blocks, but unfortunately none of them sell kits from what I've seen.

[Necrodead]

... I have an Aquacomputer block on my wife's R9 290X, and I'm going with Aquacomputer for a full-cover block for a friend's GTX 980. ...

I think Aquacomputer is supposed to be the best performing for GPU blocks, or at least it out-performed the EK block for the r9 295x2 in the benchmarks I looked up. They usually use thermal paste on the VRAM instead of pads because their manufacturing tolerances are really tight. Also really like the look of the clear acrylic block.

[0ld_Chicken]

I think Aquacomputer is supposed to be the best performing for GPU blocks, or at least it out-performed the EK block for the r9 295x2 in the benchmarks I looked up. They usually use thermal paste on the VRAM instead of pads because their manufacturing tolerances are really tight. Also really like the look of the clear acrylic block.

i think the aquacomputer (kryographics) is a few degrees warmer an alphacool if i remember correctly (on gtx 980, xtremerigs.com). But that active backplate makes up for the few °c by slaying all the others in vrm cooling. I just switched to the kryographics and my EK SUPREMACY VGA uniblock outperformed (max core load temps) by a whopping 1-2°c lol. Well worth the unstoppable beauty of the thing! Mine is the copper and stainless edition, i wish i had that plexi thou!

[brandishwar]

i think the aquacomputer (kryographics) is a few degrees warmer an alphacool if i remember correctly (on gtx 980, xtremerigs.com). But that active backplate makes up for the few °c by slaying all the others in vrm cooling. I just switched to the kryographics and my EK SUPREMACY VGA uniblock outperformed (max core load temps) by a whopping 1-2°c lol. Well worth the unstoppable beauty of the thing! Mine is the copper and stainless edition, i wish i had that plexi thou!

 

Even their passive backplate slays the others on VRM cooling, and when you're talking about an R9 290X, which tends to run hot, that was the deal maker for me. The fact the GPU temperature would average about 2C higher than with the EK block wasn't compelling enough to overlook the better VRM cooling. It's also why I'm going with Aquacomputer for the GTX 980, as I mentioned previously. Sacrificing a couple degrees on the GPU core to get better power delivery cooling is well worth it, in my opinion.

[0ld_Chicken]

Even their passive backplate slays the others on VRM cooling, and when you're talking about an R9 290X, which tends to run hot, that was the deal maker for me. The fact the GPU temperature would average about 2C higher than with the EK block wasn't compelling enough to overlook the better VRM cooling. It's also why I'm going with Aquacomputer for the GTX 980, as I mentioned previously. Sacrificing a couple degrees on the GPU core to get better power delivery cooling is well worth it, in my opinion.

100% agreed.  The 1-2°c that I think I've seen could be any margin of error as well, the kryographics block performs very well.  Wasn't too serious about the 1-2°C being a big deal.  I'll definitely be getting another one for SLI as it's the most beautiful block I've seen!  even my gf said it was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever held