XSPC vs Alphacool vs EK vs Swiftech (quality)

[DrJones]

I'm about to put together a loop with a 360mm and two 240mm rads. Cooling a CPU and two GPU's. I have my mind set on XSPC so far. I like their aesthetics and seem like a quality product, however I'm weary of their Photon reservoirs, I've read many good reviews on them as well as a few bad ones. I've heard great things about the other brands out there also. Though I would like to add that I'm personally not a fan of nickel plating which sort of leaves EK out of the picture. But I would still like to consider quality before I invest in something just because it looks cool. I'm also aware that performance-wise, the temperature difference between the brands is really not very big. I just want to know who to avoid and who to trust.

 

So what is your personal opinion on the build quality of each brand?

 

Who do you think does it best?

[KE2012]

XSPC support is atrocious to the point I've filed complaints with Trading Standards in the UK, so I would avoid them for that reason. 

[Oshino Shinobu]

Depends on the components. Overall, they're all reliable, but different companies excel at different things. EKWB's my go to for waterblocks and reservoirs (Bitspower is good for reservoirs too). Alphacool is excellent for radiators. XSPC is often cheaper than the other brands, but can lack a little in quality. Their radiators are pretty good, not sure on their reservoirs. Swiftech is generally good all round, but I don't really like how a lot of their products look. 

[W-L]

3 minutes ago, DrJones said:

-SNIP-

EKWB is all around one of the top ones for watercooling gear, but XSPC isn't bad more of a value oriented solution. For nickel plating XSPC has bare copper blocks that aren't nickel plated, just remember that copper does tend to oxidize readily and turn into a dark brown.

 

I've been using their photon pump/res combos with quite good results.

[DrJones]

15 minutes ago, W-L said:

EKWB is all around one of the top ones for watercooling gear, but XSPC isn't bad more of a value oriented solution. For nickel plating XSPC has bare copper blocks that aren't nickel plated, just remember that copper does tend to oxidize readily and turn into a dark brown.

 

I've been using their photon pump/res combos with quite good results.

Ok good to know with the nickel vs copper. I guess nickel would be alright for me since it's only contacting the components and not really visible.

 

As for the other replies already, thank you, they're all helpful. I'll probably stray away from XSPC then.

[BenjaminC]

This poll is what happens when a brand focuses almost entirely on how their products look

[DrJones]

1 hour ago, BenjaminC said:

This poll is what happens when a brand focuses almost entirely on how their products look

What do you mean? What's your opinion?

[BenjaminC]

On 5/25/2016 at 8:31 PM, DrJones said:

What do you mean? What's your opinion?

EK throws a lot of money at aesthetics and advertising, the rest of the brands listed hardly advertise at all. For a lot of people, EK is the only brand they know or pay attention to, so they think it's the best quality without considering any other brand.

[Simon771]

Well if you check at financing reports of EKWB, you will notice that each year they multiplie profit by factor x2.

2014 = 2M

2015= 5M

 

People are buying from EKWB because products have good quality.

If you question quality of products, you just can't go wrong with EKWB.

[Mick Naughty]

Alpha cool look the best for me. Not a fan of the matte finish of my ek and xspc. They all perform the same for me. EK give me better fitment with the one end tank always being really small. But if you have a giant case that wont be an issue. I also prefer the port options of the aphla compared to the v1, v2 xspc's. I got the mid and thin rads from ek so only 2 ports. Not a deal breaker but options always come in handy.