Great cooling, loads of ports and very low
flow-inpedance
While we’re only looking at Alphacool’s
radiator in this Labs test, it’s another water-cooling company that offers a
whole range of goodies for your liquid-cooling needs, from pumps to reservoirs.
The NexXxoS XT60 Full Copper 240mm is its top-end dual 120mm-fan radiator, and
it’s certainly a hefty beast.
Alphacool
NexXxoS XT60 Full Copper 240mm
It weights 1,484g and measures 280mm x
124mm x 60mm, qualifying it as a full-height radiator (30mm radiators are
half-height). While this reduces the number of cases into which it can be
mounted, the larger size and surface area offers improved cooling.
The radiator’s fittings are split between
two sealed sections, with no flow between them other than through the fins of
the radiator itself. Each section carries three 1/4in thread fittings facing
up, down and straight out, offering a variety of plumbing options and the
ability to mount the radiator in any orientation. What’s more, the variety of
thread directions also reduces the need for flow-limiting 90-degree fittings.
A seventh de-aeration port 1/4in fitting is
found at the opposite end of the radiator, which can be used to bleed air from
the radiator upon initial filling. It’s best not forgotten, or you might fill
your loop only to deposit coolant all over the desk. Rumours that this occurred
during our testing of the NexXxoS XT60 are unfounded lies and will be
vehemently denied. Alphacool includes five 1/4in thread screws to fill five of
the seven port, as well as full sets of matching copper-colour 30mm and 35mm
Allen fan screws to fully kit out the radiator with the cooling configuration
of your choice. Meanwhile, fin-facing is fairly open and, according to
Alphacool, optimised for fans with low and medium airflow.
A
seventh de-aeration port 1/4in fitting is found at the opposite end of the
radiator, which can be used to bleed air from the radiator upon initial
filling.
The NexXxoS XT60 produced very capable
cooling with our test system’s CPU and GPU under full load. The CPU delta T of
510C is notably higher than with a single CPU block in the loop, but
this is due to the cumulative cooling of both the GPU and CPU. The GPU delta T
of 290C is 40C higher than the GPU block in a loop on its
own, while the coolant’s delta T of 100C above ambient is 20C
cooler than the two half-height radiators we tested. Meanwhile, the NexXxoS
XT60’s impact on flow rate was minimal, with a flow rate of 4.5 litres/min
being only marginally lower than the same loop with no radiator at all.
Conclusion
The Alphacool NexXxoS XT60 Full Copper
240mm impressed us with its fitting flexibility, cooling and low flow-rate
impedance. At a few pennies below $75, it’s the most expensive radiator on
test, but it’s worth the premium. If you have the room for a full-height 60mm
radiator, this is the one to buy.
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Pros and cons
Rad
Seven 1/4in thread fittings; very low flow-impedance; good cooling
Bad
Comparatively pricey; 60mm depth limits compatible cases
How much?
Price: $75
Manufacturer: www.alphacool.com
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Scores
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Cooling
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9/10
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Design
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9/10
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Value
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9/10
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Overall
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9/10
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