I was not sure how long the current discounted price on AliExpress was going to be for, so I used the $35 MSRP for my performance per dollar chart on the previous page, which in itself broke the scale. It's ridiculous to see a mass manufactured block without any defects and decent performance with ARGB lighting for a price that is less than what people spend on fittings alone for water blocks at times. Keep in mind that the reason Bykski is able to do this is labor and material costs are lower in China compared to producing in, say, Europe or North America. The CPU-XPR-C-I also employs a simpler cooling engine and does seem to be an older design given the marketing materials mention even the Intel LGA 1366 socket for compatibility. If anything, this mostly shows how the CPU water block market has matured significantly to where you really don't need the latest and greatest if you are happy with the results something like this will provide. The CPU-XPR-C-I does well enough for me to even ignore the terrible product name too!

Having said that, you should be aware of some things that may seem fairly obvious to most but necessitate mention here anyway. The non-precise installation can be a pain, especially if you are new to watercooling. The installation guide is also not the best although thankfully trivial to not be a dealbreaker in itself. If you purchase the block from Bykski's AliExpress store, you will have to deal directly with Bykski China for any customer support. There is a rated one-year warranty here, but that may be easier said than done to actually utilize. The CPU block is a passive component thankfully, so there should not be any issues you don't discover immediately upon use where AliExpress may be willing to step in if needed. Waiting times are also likely to be longer than if you purchase from a local distributor, which is one of the reasons Bykski US tries to ask a higher price—although hilariously in this case the block is on pre-order meaning they have to get it from China too. There is no real reason to pay the extra from Bykski US as a result, which is the same thing I said about the two Bykski radiators we covered a few years ago. At $35 thus, and even accounting for the added cost of a tube of thermal paste, is there any doubt of this block getting a much-deserved recommendation?