Introduction

So here I was having just finished reviewing five CPU blocks—a round of three from Corsair, Bykski, and Granzon followed by two more higher-end integrated display versions from Corsair and Bykski. My grand plan was to finish this roundup with a second entry from Granzon, also with an integrated display, to wrap up the theme. But before I could do that, Alphacool decided it wanted to jump aboard the encore train. If you needed a refresher, Alphacool had a very impressive showing last year with the Core 1 CPU block that bested everything else tested thermally. I mentioned then how there is likely to be a higher end Apex version coming out eventually, and we did see it displayed at Computex too. However, today we actually go the other way and examine an even more budget-friendly offering from Alphacool that is sure to interest anyone looking to water cool their PC.


Alphacool and previously used "LT" in the product name to suggest something is lighter version of an existing product. In this case, the Core 1 LT would thus clearly be based off the Core 1 series, which had five different versions at the time. Here we end up with two options—the Core 1 LT Black with an opaque acetal top and the Core 1 LT Aurora Acrylic with a clear top and integrated RGB lighting. The two continue to use Alphacool's new 3D jetplate and cross-slot technology that worked so well in the Core 1, and I am eager to see if we end up with a high performance block that is priced under $100 too. Thanks to Alphacool for providing review samples to TechPowerUp as we begin our coverage of the Core 1 LT Aurora Acrylic block with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications