When I went in testing the first batch of GPU blocks that arrived, I was not expecting Alphacool to be the best value offering, but here we are testing an acetal top block with no RGB lighting and a nickel-plated cold plate. This specific combination is quite rare, but making things rarer is the use of side-mounted inlet and outlet ports for a different-looking plumbing setup in your DIY watercooling loop. Alphacool is making sure the acetal top version goes beyond just a different material compared to the plexi-top one, with just the lack of any RGB lighting and a price differential, though this variant actually costs more owing to the side-mounted I/O design, which necessitated retooling and new parts.

That side mounting, incidentally, also makes this GPU block attractive to enterprise solutions in rack-mounted cases where the lower height of the block helps tremendously in vertically challenged situations. This is potentially the main reason for the layout, but coupled with the clean looks, it will no doubt attract retail customers, too. I do think Alphacool going with black instead of the silver screws would have pleased more people still, but the boxy industrial look is sure to tickle many a person's fancy. The distro-plate-style layout with three separate cold plates is also fairly unique and results in a lower pressure drop across the block. Thermal performance is relatively lacking, though, and installation requires more effort than is usually the case.

I do like that Alphacool includes a color-printed manual as well as individually packed hardware for everything. There are also a total of eight screws, so it is more user-friendly than the EK-Quantum solution that costs more and doesn't include the backplate. CORSAIR does better with installation and thermal performance, but fares worse on coolant flow restriction, and actually costs more. There is enough going on here to recommend the Alphacool block, primarily because of the side-mounted I/O, which is a hard find even with the shorter Founders Edition PCB in mind. That said, you might want to take a look at our accompanying review of the other Alphacool block before deciding one way or the other.