Question Alphacool Tornado 60 280 Opinions

[MrBird]

Hey guys!

I am new here so i hope we can chat and trade notions all together and have some fun with PC.s

Ok, so......i just recently purchased the Alphacool Tornado 60 280 DYI kit because on alphacool´s forum they said the kit had similar performance to the 280 extreme(wich i find hard to believe) so my question is, is it better or worst or compared to other coolers from other brands in what "place" does this kit stays in?

I see a lot of people complaining about the brand......but i got the kit for 200euros.....and i see a lot of missmatched reviews some compares similar kits to AIOS and its way worse some compare to other aios and DYI kits and its a top of the line kit........so now i am really confused if i just gave 200euros for a rust bucket or if go a great deal and the kit is actualy very good....

Anyone has any possible comparison with perssonal experience or know people that know if DYI kit´s is actualy good or not for the money and compared to others kits and aio´s....

Thank you all in advance.

 

[rubix_1011]

"Who" is doing the complaining about Alphacool as a brand?

I'll be brutally honest - I would buy and use that Alphacool kit you mention BEFORE I would use a boxed AIO.

I've used Alphacool for years (radiators, pumps) and reviewed one of their big watercooling kits last year, the 3x140 Eissturm. https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/alphacool-eissturm-hurricane-copper-45,5843.html

I'll also be very blunt here. Nearly every AIO on the market is made by the same couple of OEMs, most notably Asetek or CoolIt. Every one. That means your Cooler Master is nearly the same as your NZXT or Corsair, other than the fans and stickers. The pumps and radiators are the same, the pumps simply have different plastic on the outside. So, before you begin reading how AIOs are better than actual watercooling loops that offer similar products (EK and Swiftech also do, among others), the watercooling companies releasing products like this do so with more QA testing and better product development on hand, which results in better products, although at a price premium.

 

[MrBird]

Ok, that is what i thought!!
So i did no mistake in buying this kit right? becouse i am a very critic person concerning what i buy compared to other offerings and for the 200euro price range for a costume loop...i was like hmmmmmmm this IS the real deal for this amount of money.......

What you said about the AIOS is true....they are all made by the same OEM.s this is why i bought this kit, but i see a lot of complains online about alphacool support and quality control but this is a german brand and a german product so quality must be the least of the costumers concern with this brand, at least this is my understanding of german production quality and this is why i bought alphacool. I know german guys are god dam freaking nuts about quality control so i find those comments a little bit hard to believe also.

One of the reasons that made me do this post is because when i asked "Alpha" about the 280 extreme and this tornado DYI kit, they said they perform the same........hmmmmmm....why is that possible? (my knowladge about WC is next to zero so bare with me and help me out)

The 280 extreme has a 30mm 280rad, the tornado has a 60mm 280mm rad....so it is TWICE the thickness....wich meens its twice the size and volume.....and it has a dedicated pump better be quiet fans etc........so.......can someone please explain this to me??
The tornado has everything to be better than the 280 extreme but according to alphacool....it is the same, why?

And comparing this Tornado DYI kit to 360mm AIOS, wich will perfome better than? I see a lot of reviews that place the ML360R with better performance than most of all the kits....is this "shit marketing" or? seriously, i am super confused....

 

[rubix_1011]

Some of this really depends, so let me try and provide some explanation.

AIOs can produce some similar cooling results as custom watercooling simply because there is a point of diminishing returns on cooling based on a combination of the following variables: radiator size and volume, airflow from fans, coolant flow rate and thermal exchange properties of the cooling blocks and radiator.

A 360 AIO can turn in relatively good load temps because it simply has a very large radiator and usually high flow fans. Coolant flow rate in AIOs is nearly always a fraction of custom watercooling primarily due to the quality and power of the pump being used. Also, most AIOs use aluminum radiators where custom watercooling will nearly always use copper or brass radiators. Aluminium absorbs and dissipates heat more poorly than copper and brass, and AL is also cheaper.

I'll have to look at the specific kits you are mentioning - it could be that they perform similarly because they use different pumps from one another (possible, but might not be) and also might use different spec fans for the radiators (also possible, again, would need to check).


Are these the ones?

https://www.aquatuning.us/water-coo...ssturm-tornado-copper-60-2x140mm-complete-kit

https://www.aquatuning.us/water-coo...r-extreme-liquid-cpu-cooler-280-black-edition

The Eisbaer is more of a high quality AIO approach (would still use this over another normal AIO) since this uses a legitimate VPP755 pump (think similar to the D5) and Nexxos radiator which would be copper and brass design. 140mm x 140mm x 30mm radiator and be quiet! fans.

The Tornado kit uses the same VPP755 pump Alphacool branded Eiswind fans. Radiator is actually 45mm thick but is also a 120mm x 120mm x 45mm.

So yeah, what they are saying is reasonable in terms of like for like performance if we look at overall radiator volume alone:

140 x 140 x 30 = 588,000 mm^3
120 x 120 X 45 = 648,000 mm^3

 

[MrBird]

The tornado is a 60 280mm thick raditor at least it says it is the U60 radiator that is why i bought it! the tornado kit has 60x140x140 it i the UT60 280mm rad
Technische Details

• Radiator
  NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper 280 mm
• CPU
  Eisblock XPX
• AGB
  Eisbecher 150
• Pumpe
  Eispumpe VPP755
• Lüfter
  2x Eiswind Silent Edition 140mm
• Zubehör
  8x Eiszapfen 13/10mm gerade
  2x Eiszapfen 13/10mm 90° Winkel
  1x HF Schnellverschluss G1/4
  1000 ml Cape Kelvin Catcher
  3 m Schlauch PVC 13/10mm clear
  1x Befüllungshilfe - Trichter
  1x ATX-Überbrückungsstecker
  1x Y-Kabel 4-Pin PWM
  1x Schlauchabschneider
  1x Montageanleitung

 

[rubix_1011]

There isn't a radiator that is 280mm thick. You are mentioning the length. Of all the L x W x H measurements, the radiator thickness is considered the smallest value. This is the cross section that fans have to move air through.

But again, if you can provide the link you are referencing, I can confirm the radiator size.

 

[MrBird]

There isn't a radiator that is 280mm thick. You are mentioning the length. Of all the L x W x H measurements, the radiator thickness is considered the smallest value. This is the cross section that fans have to move air through.

But again, if you can provide the link you are referencing, I can confirm the radiator size.

i did.....just need to read the description above! the rad is 60 by 140x140! it is a UT60 280MM rad with 60mm thickness.