Posted May 24, 2016 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 24, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 24, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 24, 2016 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. Updated Modding FAQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 24, 2016 Author 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 24, 2016 This poll is what happens when a brand focuses almost entirely on how their products look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 25, 2016 Author 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 29, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 29, 2016 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. Intel i7 12700K | Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X DDR4 | Pure Loop 240mm | G.Skill 3200MHz 32GB CL14 | CM V850 G2 | RTX 3070 Phoenix | Lian Li O11 Air mini Samsung EVO 960 M.2 250GB | Samsung EVO 860 PRO 512GB | 4x Be Quiet! Silent Wings 140mm fans WD My Cloud 4TB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted May 29, 2016 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. Main RIg Corsair Air 540, I7 9900k, ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero, G.Skill Ripjaws 3600 32GB, 3090FE, EVGA 1000G5, Acer Nitro XZ3 2560 x 1440@240hz Spare RIg Lian Li O11 AIR MINI, I7 4790K, Asus Maximus VI Extreme, G.Skill Ares 2400 32Gb, EVGA 1080ti, 1080sc 1070sc & 1060 SSC, EVGA 850GA, Acer KG251Q 1920x1080@240hz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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