Closer Examination

The Alphacool Eiswolf 2 GPU AIO cooler is analogous to their Eisbaer Aurora CPU AIO coolers in that we have a full-cover GPU block with the pump integrated in the I/O terminal, tubing with quick disconnects, a radiator with more tubing, the paired quick disconnects, and fans to go on the radiator. The quick disconnects allow for the block and radiator to be pre-filled with coolant out of the box, making for an extremely simple installation process. The GPU blocks will all have the same design as seen above, adopting their Eisblock Aurora GPX series of standalone GPU blocks here. So there is no performance deficit compared to fully custom watercooling, although the aesthetics do change to accommodate the pump. The top is clear PMMA, and the cold plate is nickel-plated copper.

The cooling engine uses the same split central-inlet flow design, with a stainless steel jetplate over machined fins that increase surface area for heat dissipation from the GPU. The coolant cools the VRAM and VRMs as well before exiting the block. There is an Alphacool logo on the front at the bottom-right corner, and we can also see the coolant through the clear top in addition to the various O-rings holding it in place and preventing leaks. The I/O terminal is larger than usual, as discussed before, and there is thus enough room here for the product name as well as other relevant branding (AMD Radeon, in this case) that is backlit via LEDs underneath. I expect Alphacool will also consider having an OLED display here similar to competitors, to display coolant temperature, flow rate, and so on. That would be for a more premium offering, however, with the Eiswolf 2 targeting an aggressive value proposition instead. My sample already had thermal pads pre-applied from when Alphacool had first used it for internal testing. Retail samples will not, however, and you will have to use the separately provided pre-cut pads we saw before.


The tubing is attached via 90° rotary compression fittings, which allows for easier tube routing without unnecessary kinking of the soft tubing. These are brass fittings in black and can be removed should you want to expand the loop by adding products beyond this AIO and others from Alphacool using the same quick disconnects. The top extends past the cold plate on either side, making for a full-cover, full-length block that also has digital RGB LEDs integrated for lighting. Two cables protrude from the block, one a 3-pin cable for 12 V supply and voltage control over the pump and another a 5 V dRGB LED cable for the block itself. Both cables are sleeved in a heatshrink application and all black to fit with the vast majority of cases today.



Originally, Alphacool planned to have the Eiswolf 2 AIOs be sold in different options of radiators, as well as the GPU block (with pump and tubing) separately. As of now, COVID-19 has changed things given the much longer turnaround for production, and the product will launch with the NexXxos ST30 240 mm copper radiator only. This is plenty enough for a GPU, and the 30 mm thickness class dual 120 mm radiator also means increased case compatibility compared to thicker and longer radiators. The updated radiator comes with Alphacool's new low-profile stop plugs that are flush with the radiator housing itself, meaning they were able to add in extra ports on the side without worrying about whether these stop plugs will hit something.

With the ST30 240 here, we see the usual two BSP G1/4" threaded ports on one side of the end tank for inlet and outlet, making for a single-row core of tubes following the usual U-flow pattern of coolant. These ports are taken up by compression fittings going to tubing with more quick disconnects, which can pair to those on the GPU block if you are not adding a compatible CPU AIO. On the other side of the radiator is a third port, which is meant to be for filling/draining the loop should you take it apart and use it outside of the QDCs. Speaking of which, Alphacool is using the same QDCs as on their other recently released AIOs, which involve screwing the male and female connectors together rather than the push or twist connection pattern a few other companies use with their offerings. It works fairly well in practice, but does come off as less premium due to the time and potential for a few drops to come off, as well as the chosen material composition.


Alphacool works with a lot of different fan factories, which results in more fans under the Alphacool brand than most other companies. Indeed, I can hardly keep track of what fans go where anymore with them, and "Eiszyklon Aurora Lux Pro Digital RGB" does not mean much to me in itself. These fans are typical 120 x 120 x 25 mm fans and come with a rounded square frame that is already making me skeptical about performance on a radiator. There are two rings of LEDs on the frame, and thus, the impeller is smaller than average to make things potentially worse for performance. These are the same fans as on the Eisbaer Aurora CPU AIO coolers we saw before, so at the very least there is consistency here.


The fans have rubber pads on the corners for vibration dampening when mounted on the radiator or directly to a case. They are rated for 800–2000 RPM, and each fan motor is rated for 0.4 A (4.8 W) on the 12 VDC rail, which corresponds to the peak draw with startup boost included. If that does not also include the power for the RGB LEDs, this is an extremely high value. In practice, each fan here drew far less when operating (~1 W), so take that for what you will.

The fans use hydraulic bearings, which should work well in reducing bearing noise. Their higher reliability compared to a typical sleeve bearing also results in a comparatively higher lifetime. They have a 50 cm long PWM cable for power and control over the motor itself, which is well on the longer side of average, and a second LED cable that terminates in a JST 3-pin connector. The fan is predominantly in black aside from the colored Alphacool logo on the front hub, and the LEDs when turned on. Also note that the LED cable on the fans has a daisychained header for connecting other fans/blocks to the same connector.