Introduction

Alphacool is a mainstay in the PC DIY watercooling hobby, offering something for everyone when it comes to water blocks, pumps, radiators, reservoirs, and a vast plethora of fittings. We've covered the brand extensively over the years, including with reviews of the highly impressive Core 1 and the even better value Core 1 LT CPU blocks. You might have noticed a trend with newer Alphacool products, with the more affordable ones falling in the Core series, including the Core GPU blocks, and the premium offerings in the Apex lineup, such as the Apex Stealth fans and the Apex Skeleton case. Logic dictated that we would thus see an Alphacool Apex CPU block too, and it just so happens to be the subject of today's review.


Just as I thought I had finished reviewing this generation of CPU water blocks, Alphacool pulls me back! I first saw the Apex 1 at Computex this year, with Alphacool having so many products on a large table that it was actually easy to miss if you weren't careful. Despite the nickel-plated sections looking grubby from random fingerprints at the show, it was immediately obvious this was meant to be a step up from the Core 1, let alone the Core 1 LT. The Alphacool Apex 1 is more socket-specific thus, with the brand confirming that the cooling engine is differently optimized for Intel and AMD CPUs—including an offset cold plate for AMD AM5 socket for improved cooling performance. I have plans in motion to set up a new each Intel and AMD CPU block test setup, but for now we'll continue to use my existing LGA 1700 test bench and see how the Apex 1 performs in our review today which begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below. Thanks to Alphacool for providing review samples to TechPowerUp!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging for the Alphacool Apex 1 CPU block continues the trend from the Core 1 series we saw before in being simpler than usual. There is no decorative banderole going over the base cardboard box here, instead we see a simplified render of the block with listed dimensions on the front directly on the cardboard along with the product name. On the back is contact information for the company and a sticker that helps identify the exact SKU inside. This allows Alphacool to use the same box for all the Apex 1 blocks and have a single sticker confirm the item inside, with this sample being the Intel version. Inside the box is thick foam that is shaped to snugly fit the provided items in three compartments, with the attached LED cable seen going from a small cutout in the top left joining the two compartments. The accessories are seen on the right, including a color-printed multi-language user manual that goes over the contents and the installation procedure. We also get a tube of Alphacool's Apex thermal paste and a spreader to help facilitate the process.


The installation hardware includes a zip-lock bag containing five washers, with one being spare in case you lose one of the four necessary washers. We also get a CPU socket backplate for Intel LGA 1700/1851, which we see comes with the locking screws and spacers already attached. This will make installation much simpler and quicker, and is one of the advantages of going with socket-specific CPU blocks. We also get an adapter cable going from a female JST connector to a female 3-pin, 5 V ARGB connector allowing the option to power and control the LEDs on the block via your motherboard or dedicated LED controller using a standard 3-pin header on board. Lastly, we see the block comes neatly packed inside a thin foam wrap with thicker, shaped foam pieces on the back between the pre-installed posts, for added protection of the block on its way to you.