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Cathar · 08-05-2004, 12:28 AM

The Alphacool NexXxoS XP arrived.

As requested, I have not opened the block and will not open it prior to shipping to Phaestus, and it is also requested that it not be opened prior to Phaestus testing it.

Been playing with it for a while, and given it a number of mounts.

Brief summary (my opinions only):

Extremely well made. Nice and shiny all over. Made out of solid metal. Am unsure of what the middle and top plates are, but judging by the weight of the block, they would appear to be bright nickel-plated copper. Very pretty.

Cooling performance is very impressive - however the mounting mechanism is a socket tab hold down with a screw that presses onto the middle of the block above the CPU. As a result of this I have absolutely no idea how much pressure is being applied to the CPU (Athlon XP-M), but I tightened it until the block did not even wiggle against the CPU die, which means that it's very, very tight, and definitely far, far tighter than I regularly mount my blocks. I did it this tight more because I wanted to feel absolutely positive that the block was making strong contact against the CPU, and at the point where I couldn't even twist the block against the CPU, I felt safe that it wasn't going anywhere.

This is something that will probably need to be addressed prior to formal testing by Phaestus as greatly increased mounting pressure can easily result in a 1-2C difference at the sorts of heat loads I'm testing at.

I won't state my performance figures, because they are inconclusive due to the mounting pressure issue, suffice to say that I'm fairly confident that the block will compete at the highest level and give the current top-runners in Phaestus's roundup a good run for their money.

The XP comes with 1/4" BSPP threads, making it suitable to directly attach 1/2" OD barbs onto it, which is what I've gone and done, and I'll ship the block to Phaestus with the barbs attached.

Base-quality finish is MUCH better than the old HP I had. Again, a highly-reflective finish, but still some minor visual distortions present if held at an angle and viewing distant straight-edged objects. Probably not enough to present any issue other than to say that there is still a small amount of room for improvement. I hope Alphacool doesn't take offense at me saying that - it's just that after dealing with many different blocks, especially Swiftech's or Silverprop's, it is a noticable difference.

For overclocking purposes I saw what I needed to see. I'm hesitant to say more lest people think I have a conflict of interest here on this issue, and in some ways I can understand if people would think that.

I'll send the block off to Phaestus, along with an in-line strainer as well 'cos he'll need it, and let him formally review the block.

I also have a NexXxoS HP Pro here as well for AMD, and I will also be sending that to Phaestus.

08-05-2004, 12:28 AM	#1
Cathar Thermophile Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,538	NexXxoS XP is here The Alphacool NexXxoS XP arrived. As requested, I have not opened the block and will not open it prior to shipping to Phaestus, and it is also requested that it not be opened prior to Phaestus testing it. Been playing with it for a while, and given it a number of mounts. Brief summary (my opinions only): Extremely well made. Nice and shiny all over. Made out of solid metal. Am unsure of what the middle and top plates are, but judging by the weight of the block, they would appear to be bright nickel-plated copper. Very pretty. Cooling performance is very impressive - however the mounting mechanism is a socket tab hold down with a screw that presses onto the middle of the block above the CPU. As a result of this I have absolutely no idea how much pressure is being applied to the CPU (Athlon XP-M), but I tightened it until the block did not even wiggle against the CPU die, which means that it's very, very tight, and definitely far, far tighter than I regularly mount my blocks. I did it this tight more because I wanted to feel absolutely positive that the block was making strong contact against the CPU, and at the point where I couldn't even twist the block against the CPU, I felt safe that it wasn't going anywhere. This is something that will probably need to be addressed prior to formal testing by Phaestus as greatly increased mounting pressure can easily result in a 1-2C difference at the sorts of heat loads I'm testing at. I won't state my performance figures, because they are inconclusive due to the mounting pressure issue, suffice to say that I'm fairly confident that the block will compete at the highest level and give the current top-runners in Phaestus's roundup a good run for their money. The XP comes with 1/4" BSPP threads, making it suitable to directly attach 1/2" OD barbs onto it, which is what I've gone and done, and I'll ship the block to Phaestus with the barbs attached. Base-quality finish is MUCH better than the old HP I had. Again, a highly-reflective finish, but still some minor visual distortions present if held at an angle and viewing distant straight-edged objects. Probably not enough to present any issue other than to say that there is still a small amount of room for improvement. I hope Alphacool doesn't take offense at me saying that - it's just that after dealing with many different blocks, especially Swiftech's or Silverprop's, it is a noticable difference. For overclocking purposes I saw what I needed to see. I'm hesitant to say more lest people think I have a conflict of interest here on this issue, and in some ways I can understand if people would think that. I'll send the block off to Phaestus, along with an in-line strainer as well 'cos he'll need it, and let him formally review the block. I also have a NexXxoS HP Pro here as well for AMD, and I will also be sending that to Phaestus.