The Alphacool Apex 1 is an excellent CPU block, yet it may not be for everyone. This is partially owing to the cost, with the €170 (inc. VAT) price usually translating to a $170 cost in the USA from authorized retailers. The Apex 1 is thus Alphacool's most expensive CPU block of this generation, with the Core 1 and Core 1 LT costing less. As such, if you are purely looking for best value for your money, then I have to recommend the Alphacool Core 1 LT or one of those ~$40 Bykski blocks if you are okay going the Aliexpress route and hoping everything works out thereafter. The Core 1, which released earliest of the three, is arguably the sweet spot for anyone who wants a metal top block with excellent performance and flow restriction. The Apex 1 looks and performs like it ate the Core 1 for lunch, taking up more physical room and weighing significantly more. Indeed, this may be one of the most complex CPU blocks in terms of several different materials and layers coming together to make up the top here—aluminium, nickel-plated brass, acrylic, and more nickel-plated brass. Add to this a design language that is more aggressive than the Core 1 line, the reduced CPU compatibility, and installation involving more action on the back of the motherboard, and you can see why I stand by my first sentence here.

The cooling engine is an updated take on a successful formula we've seen Alphacool develop over the years, with the Eisblock series starting it and then getting improved further with the Core 1 before coming to its current state here. I'd argue that the Core 1 actually has the more efficient cooling engine, yet it's not as scalable as what we have with the Apex 1 blocks. Going for the individually set pieces allows Alphacool to make socket-specific CPU blocks, with thankfully both Intel and AMD having multiple generations of CPU cooler compatibility to allow for the same block to work for years as long as you stick with one side. This, combined with the more complex design, makes the Apex 1 more of an enthusiast product. Well, more than the average enthusiast who goes for custom PC cooling anyway. I will also note that flagship CPU blocks have been priced to silly amounts in this decade and, noting that you will always pay more for incremental updates to the feature set and performance past a certain point, the Alphacool Apex 1 at ~$170 isn't that far-fetched. This is a block for someone who really likes the design or wants the absolute best, so I am happy to conditionally recommend it accordingly.