Alphacool Core Ocean T38 AIO 420mm (13054)

The Alphacool Core Ocean T38 AIO 420mm is an AIO liquid cooler with a 420 mm aluminum radiator for AMD AM4 and AM5 and Intel LGA 1150, 1200, 1700, 1851 and 2066. It comes pre-filled with three 140 mm PWM fans and a PWM pump with aRGB lighting. The difference to the Eisbaer CPU AiO is that the Ocean All-in-One is not expandable.

Properties

Intel sockets

LGA 1150, 1200, 1700, 1851, 2066

AMD sockets

AM4, AM5

Radiator

420 mm, 460 x 140 x 38 mm

Fans in the box

3 x 140 mm, 0 to 2000 rpm

Pump

Built-in, PWM, 2500 to 3500 RPM

Tubes

40 cm FEP, not expandable

Fit

Compatibility: the two brackets in the box cover every socket named above. One is the AM4 / AM5 bracket. The other takes LGA 2066 and the mainstream Intel sockets, which Alphacool's manual and scope of delivery write as LGA 115x, 1200 and 1700, the manual with 1851 added. On those mainstream Intel sockets the backplate goes on the back of the mainboard and is held by its tape. LGA 2066 and AM4 / AM5 are mounted without it.

Thermal paste is included. Before mounting, the manual has you remove the protective film on the cooler bottom, clean the CPU and apply a pea-sized blob of paste. Spread it with a plastic strip into an even, thin layer under 0.5 mm. The screws go through the springs, the washers and the bracket: do not use tools, only tighten them hand-tight.

An all-in-one for a first water cooling build

With the Core Ocean AiO, Alphacool presents an all-in-one solution for entry into performance-oriented CPU water cooling. It says the cooler enables that entry thanks to its excellent price-performance ratio. Adding further components such as GPU coolers, radiators or expansion tanks is not intended here. "But also not necessary!" is Alphacool's comment on that. In its words, the choice of components and the design enable a long service life with low maintenance. It names all common mainstream sockets from AMD and Intel as the ones the cooler is compatible with.

Aluminum radiator

Compared to Alphacool's full copper models, the T38 aluminum radiator has additional cooling channels. Alphacool says this technical design allows a significant increase in cooling capacity without restricting the water flow within the radiator. The height is low at 38mm. Due to that, Alphacool says, the radiator with single-sided fan assembly fits into the tightest case and still enables high-performance water cooling of the CPU.

Core fan

Each fan can be regulated across its whole speed range via the 4-pin PWM connection. At 2000 rpm, it provides an air flow of 92.3 CFM, together with what Alphacool calls a high static pressure of 2.53mm/H2O. Alphacool's verdict: this makes the fan perfect for mounting on radiators of a water cooling system.

Cooler & Pump

The base of the cooler, which Alphacool's text calls the radiator base, is made of copper, as with all Alphacool products. It is equipped with very fine cooling fins distributed over the entire base. A nozzle plate ensures an accelerated flow over those fins, which increases the cooling performance. The water flow is optimized so that all areas of the cooler base are cooled evenly. The built-in pump can be controlled via PWM, so its speed range can be both controlled and monitored.

Hoses & Connections

The hoses are sleeved and, according to Alphacool, very flexible. The rotatable 360° connections to the cooler and to the radiator are permanently installed, so they cannot be replaced. However, the combination of hoses and connectors allows a very variable positioning of the AiO even in the tightest PC case, Alphacool says.

Illumination

Installed in the pump housing are 12 digitally addressable 5V RGB LEDs. They create what Alphacool describes as a unique, very noble-looking illumination.

Thermal compound

Alphacool gives the thermal paste included in the delivery a thermal conductivity of 7.5 W/mK. Alphacool says the thermal grease does not harden and is particularly suitable for high contact pressures. It can still be applied perfectly due to its optimally selected viscosity, in Alphacool's words.

How to connect everything

This is a pre-filled, non-expandable AIO, so it needs no fittings and has no quick release to open the loop. The pump is connected to the mainboard or to an external controller via the existing 4-pin fan connector. Each fan cable is 40cm long. This allows the fan to be connected to the mainboard or a special controller without the need for additional adapter cables or extensions.

A JST 3-pin connector is how the digital aRGB LED lighting is connected. To control the lighting, the 3-pin female connector must be connected to a digital RGB controller (not included) or a digital RGB-capable mainboard. The manual gives the Aurora Eiscontrol as an example of such a controller. The remaining 3-pin male connector takes additional digital RGB LEDs.

Technical data radiator

Technical data fans

Technical data cooler and pump

Technical data tubes

Notes

• The manual's safety note: the radiator and the CPU cooler are preassembled and the components cannot be exchanged. The AIO cannot be refilled, and Alphacool excludes damage that is your own fault from the warranty.
• The manual mounts the radiator in the top or the front of the case as the usual places, where the airflow of an ATX case runs from the front out the top and back.

In the box

• 1x Core Ocean T38 AIO 420mm
• 2x LGA 2066, LGA 115x, 1200, 1700 Bracket
• 2x AM4 / AM5 Bracket
• 1x Backplate
• 1x Thermal paste
• 4x Springs
• 4x AM4 / AM5 Screws
• 4x LGA 115x, LGA 1200, 1700 Screws
• 4x LGA 2066 Screws
• 4x 2mm Washers
• 4x 0.5mm Washers
• 12x UNC6-32x6 Screws
• 12x UNC6-32x30 Screws
• 3x 140x140x25mm Fan

Alphacool's manual and data sheet, the English "Datasheet (EN)", are both PDFs.