Details
The Alphacool NexXxoS HPE-45 Full Copper 480mm Radiator is a 480 mm radiator for four 120 mm fans, 45 mm thick, with the cooling fins and every water-carrying part made of pure copper. The thinner radiator in the same fan size is the HPE-30 480mm radiator.
Properties
- Fans
- 4x 120 mm one-sided / 8x both-sided
- Size (L x W x H)
- 511.5 x 124 x 45 mm (+/- 3%)
- Thickness
- 45 mm
- Ports
- 4x G1/4 IN/OUT, 1x fill/drain port G1/4
- Material
- copper fins, pre-chambers and channels, brass threads, stainless steel outer housing
The NexXxoS Full Copper series
For more than a decade, Alphacool says, it has dominated the market with the NexXxoS Full Copper radiator series. It calls its extensive portfolio of radiator variants unique in the world. "Just like our manufacturing process," it goes on, "which allows us to produce" all parts that carry water, and the fins, out of copper. Alphacool claims that as a result the series offers the highest thermal conductivity of any radiator on the market. Thanks to their exceptional performance, in its words, the radiators can easily dissipate even extremely high waste heat and have become essential in many areas of the cooling industry.
The next step in evolution: HPE
The HPE radiator uses the same materials as previous NexXxoS models but takes it a step further technically. Due to the condensed internal structure, the number of water channels and copper fins could be increased: this one has 28 cooling channels and a fin density of 16 FPI. Thus a larger volume of water is in direct contact with the fins, and Alphacool says the heat transfer is enormously improved. According to Alphacool, the higher number of fin rows and their shortening also makes much more efficient use of the cooling surface. The data sheet puts it at 1.2x increased water throughput and 20% more efficient heat transfer compared to the NexXxoS standard, with 100% of the internal structure made of copper.
Alphacool's comparison tests
Alphacool's comparison tests against the conventional NexXxoS radiator have shown a possible performance increase of 4.5K when using the HPE radiator. At higher ambient temperatures and higher fan speeds the performance gap with the normal radiators even increases progressively, Alphacool says, reaching a possible increase of up to 6K. Test setup: a NexXxoS ST30 360mm radiator vs. a NexXxoS HPE-30 360mm radiator, each with an Eisbaer cooler and 3x 120mm Rise Aurora fans. Both ran on an Asus Prime x299 motherboard with an Intel i9 10900x CPU with 350W waste heat. The tested radiator is the thinner HPE-30 in the 360 mm size, not this HPE-45.
Connection options & mounting
Alphacool's text describes two IN or OUT connections with G1/4 threads in the pre-chamber area, while its technical data lists 4x G1/4 IN/OUT. A fill or drain port sits on the opposite side and can be used for filling and draining the water circuit.
What the loop needs
A loop runs in through one IN/OUT port and out through another, so the radiator takes two G1/4 fittings, with a thread length of 5 mm at most. It holds four 120 mm fans on one side or eight with both sides fitted, on M3 threads. All screws for mounting in the case and for mounting the fans are included with the radiator: 16x M3x5 for the case and 16x M3x30 for the fans. Additional screws are not usually required.
Safety first
Special protective plates are placed under all mounting holes to prevent the screws from being screwed in too deeply. This protects the fins and the water channels underneath them from damage.
Patented screw plugs
All NexXxoS HPE radiators use Alphacool's patented screw plugs. Protruding screw plugs often mean that a radiator cannot be laid flush. These are fully recessed into the radiator, flush with its surface, and allow easy installation in the case.
Technical data radiator
| L x W x H | 511.5 x 124 x 45 mm (+/- 3%) |
| Quantity of cooling channels | 28 |
| Material cooling fins, pre-chambers & channels | copper |
| Material threads | brass |
| Material outer housing | stainless steel |
| Threads | 4x G1/4 IN/OUT & 1x Fill-/Drainport G1/4 (max. 5 mm thread length) |
| Possible fan size | 120 mm |
| Possible fan assembly | 4x one-sided / 8x both-sided |
| Thread size fan mounting | M3 |
| Pressure tested | 0.8 Bar |
| Maximum working temperature | 60 °C |
| Fin density | 16 FPI |
| Weight | 1535 g |
| Color | black |
Notes
- Use only clear, transparent water cooling fluids. Alphacool warns that the particles and additives in pastel liquids can clog and permanently damage water cooling products such as radiators, pumps, coolers and hoses, which can result in voiding the manufacturer's warranty as well.
In the box
- 1x Alphacool NexXxoS HPE-45 Full Copper 480mm Radiator, black
- 16x M3x5 case mounting screws
- 16x M3x30 fan screws
- 1x Allen key
- 1x Plug tool
Downloads: Alphacool's datasheet (EN) is a PDF. Its 3D model of the radiator is an STP file, and the 3D viewer shows it from every side.
