Eiswolf 2 AIO pre-purchase questions, and an upgrade question

[beatvjiking]

Hello,

I currently have an Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360 on my Threadripper 3970X and it's working great. I'm considering adding the Eiswolf 2 360 AIO for the 3090 FTW3. My case is a Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL, and the 151mm height listed for the cooler looks like it will just barely fit. I've got a Gigabyte TRX40 AORUS Extreme board in there, for reference. Before I buy I just have a few questions:

• Does anyone know for sure if it'll actually fit this setup?
• Am I correct in thinking I can link this to my existing Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360?
• What about potentially linking in the Eisblock Aurora GPX-N active backplate? That looks new, and intriguing.
• Is it possible to swap my existing 360 rad for an alphacool 420 rad later? My top vents can handle a 420 and I forgot about that when initially purchasing the 360.

Apologies if these questions have been answered elsewhere on the board, I didn't see anything addressing these specifically looking back. Any info is appreciated!

 

[Daniel]

Hi!

Does anyone know for sure if it'll actually fit this setup?

It should fit but i am not sure. Hopfully a member of our forum knows more.

Am I correct in thinking I can link this to my existing Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360?

Yes that works

What about potentially linking in the Eisblock Aurora GPX-N active backplate? That looks new, and intriguing.

It will work if you use the G1/4" connection on the active backplate. The 5/3mm connection needs higher flow.

Is it possible to swap my existing 360 rad for an alphacool 420 rad later? My top vents can handle a 420 and I forgot about that when initially purchasing the 360.

Yes that is possible. Our AIO's are mostly made from DIY parts. So it is quite easy to dissaemble and make it into a custom loop.

I hope i could help you, even if i could not answere all your questions.

 

[beatvjiking]

That’s very helpful, thanks @Daniel! I’m going to doublecheck the measurements to be safe, but I think I’m going to go for it. If I link the two coolers together, is there anything I should do to ensure the pumps are in sync? Does that matter at all? I just don’t want to cause any potential wear or stress from pressure differences. I’m new to the Alphacool lineup, so I’m just wondering

 

[Thomas_S]

The pumps would not have to run synchronously. Eisbaer & Eiswolf 2 are fitted with DC-LT2 pumps & it is advisable to run them at max. RPM.

 

[LocutusH]

What would be the benefit of linking the 2 loops? Isnt it better to have them separate, and not heating each others water?

 

[Eddy]

It is quite simple. In everyday life, the GPU and CPU are almost never rarely fully loaded at the same time. Therefore, the heat can be dissipated better overall. A CPU AIO with a 360mm radiator is usually underpowered to cool the CPU. Here, you can also further optimize the cooling when connecting and better utilize the cooling surface. This does not mean that you will necessarily achieve better temperatures on GPU and CPU, but on average you will always have better temperatures.

 

[beatvjiking]

The pumps would not have to run synchronously. Eisbaer & Eiswolf 2 are fitted with DC-LT2 pumps & it is advisable to run them at max. RPM.

Exactly the info I was looking for - thanks @Thomas_S ! I suspected that may be the case but wasn't sure. The pump on the Eisbaer is very quiet so I normally leave that on max and have the fans adjust according to temperature. I wasn't sure if the Eiswolf used the same pump or not. I may skip the active backplate for the moment and add it later if needed, but it sounds like the Eiswolf is exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[beatvjiking]

Here's the last question (I think!) - how much does the pump protrude from the top of the card? I found the dimensions on the spec sheet but it appears that they describe the entire pump, not just the protruding component, which would be the deciding factor as to whether it fits in my case.

 

[beatvjiking]

The specs say the width of the cooler is 151mm. If the dimensions of the cooler line up with the bottom of the GPU, and include the connection block sticking out, then I should be okay - but if the cooler mounts above the bottom edge of the GPU I don't think I'll be able to fit it. The GPU seems to be 130mm wide (not counting the PCIe connector, of course) and it seems like I have at maximum 25mm above that before it will hit the side glass. I think I'm okay here, but I've already had to sell one GPU cooler I purchased because the hoses wouldn't fit, so I just want to be sure

 

[beatvjiking]

I decided to go for it - I realized that the dimensions were fine and my previous insecurity about it came from how the hoses were fitted to the previous AIO I tried - they came out of the front edge, rather than the top as in this unit. I’ve placed an order and am excited to install it!

 

[Bullant]

I have the Eiswolf 2 in my Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL and I have the radiator mounted on the front right. It fits, just (I have my CPU radiator, a completely separate AIO loop, installed in the top of the case).

Also, no problem with getting the side panel on, although it is close due to the way the hoses come out of the block. However I currently run with the side panel off until my active backplate arrives (hopefully you got one of those as well!)

 

[beatvjiking]

Awesome, thanks @Bullant ! The side panel thing was the part I was worried about. I've had a number of issues with items that would fit, according to Lian Li, but didn't quite. I suspect the extra-beefy motherboard (it's "XL-ATX" which is not *actually* a standard...) added a couple of nonstandard mm of width to parts that would otherwise just squeeze in. I'm measuring 25mm from the top of the GPU to the side panel, and 130mm for GPU width; with the 151mm list size of the cooling block/pump, I'll have a spacious 4mm to luxuriate in

I've been able to drop temps a LOT on my FTW3 just by swapping the thermal paste, pads and putty for high-end paste and pads. I'm actually wondering what the thermal pads included with the AIO are rated for - I'm using some 12W/mK and 15W/mk and temps dropped like a rock on the standard cooler. I wonder if the pads I'm using now are actually higher rated than the AIO's...

I haven't ordered the backplate yet - I want to see what kind of temps I get with the standard AIO alone. Adding an active backplate later will be a fun project!

 

[beatvjiking]

So, bad news... I'm not sure where that 151mm number came from, but it's not this cooler It's much wider - my calipers aren't actually big enough to show, see the photo. I'm considering vertical GPU mounting, but I'd prefer not to block my other PCIe slots... For now, I might just operate my machine without the side panel.