Installation and Lighting

Installing the Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora Edge can be on the more involved side of things but mostly because it's old-school in having extensive CPU socket support. It's certainly easier than the Eisblock XPX Pro, given there is a single set of mounting brackets/hardware for all Intel and all AMD platforms at least. As with the Pro block, the main thing to be aware of is the backplate is different from what's outlined in the user manual, (online copy here), but that is why Alphacool provides a separate note in the box outlining how to use it for Intel CPU sockets such as the LGA 1700 setup being used here.

Begin by placing the backplate on the underside of the motherboard and ensuring the corner pieces are in the correct place so that the threads fit through the socket cooler mounting holes in the motherboard, and are accessible through the other side. Then remove the tape cover to glue to the backplate in place and also help prevent any electrical shorting, owing to the non-conductive tape touching the motherboard as opposed to the metal backplate itself. Now apply thermal paste on the CPU IHS and then use a combination of washers, locking nuts, and springs along with the block to tighten down and secure the Eisblock XPX Aurora Edge in place. It's not easy to push the mounting screws down enough to catch the threads in the backplate easily, so I can see some frustration coming out of this. I would also suggest removing any installed RAM sticks at this time to facilitate the process and then place the screw caps and rubber caps over the mounting hardware for a cleaner look as seen above. If you want the logo backlit on this model, or simply have the entire block lit up with the standard acrylic top version previously covered, connect the RGB cable using the provided adapter that will work natively with any standard 3-pin, 5 V addressable RGB header.


There is a grand total of two RGB LEDs in this full brass version which light up that tiny logo on the corner. The matte black finish also makes the block quite hard to photograph, so excuse the photos/GIF above showcasing the block "illuminated." Needless to say this is not a block you want to get if RGB lighting is a priority, and arguably I wouldn't even bother with the cable if you didn't have a readily available RGB LED header close by.