The time is here, after months of waiting, GPU waterblock availability is imminent, so we've re-launched our range of Watercooled Gaming PCs.

1 - WHAT COMPONENTS HAVE CHANGED?

Well, the Graphics Cards mainly. We have also moved the majority of our watercooled lineup from EKWB to Alphacool, EK are going through a rough patch and availability of the components is not reliable, so the switch to Alphacool was not a difficult decision to make. We'll list all of the new Alphacool parts below.

Alphacool Core 1 LT Aurora Acrylic

This is an excellent looking CPU block that uses a 60 x 60mm nickel-plated copper coldplate, with a large array of 0.4mm fins to ensure cooling is optimal. An impressively clear acrylic top is covering the coldplate, with ARGB illumination to bring fanciness up a notch. Surrounding the acrylic top is a stylish matte black aluminium ring which really ties the aesthetics of this CPU Waterblock together.

Mounting is simple and solid, using a thick steel backplate for Intel CPUs to ensure that socket-flex does not happen. The ARGB is easy to connect, with the ability to dasiy chain the ARGB with other Alphacool CORE components.

Alphacool Core GPU for RTX 50 Series with Backplate

The quality continues when it comes to the new Alphacool Core GPU blocks we're now offering, with a chrome-plated copper base and clear acrylic top, with the ARGB integration that you'd expect! Compatibility is good, with options for many of the popular AIB GPUs throughout the whole range. Good support for 5070 Ti GPUs is another upside of these GPU blocks too, meaning we can offer those watercooled in our "entry level" Aquarius and Poseidon.

Mounting is made especially easy with the inclusion of pre-cut thermal pads, gone are the days of slaving away with a blade making sure your thermal pads are perfectly cut for the components they're supposed to help cool! Alphacool also describe the thermal paste as "high-quality", so cooling should be spot on too.

Alphacool Core Flat Reservior 240 D5

We've decided that it's time to introduce a flat reservior to our range, the honours are given to the Alphacool Core Flat Reservior 240 D5. The 240 meaning it takes up the space for 2 x 120mm fans (or a 240mm radiator), and the D5 meaning that it's fitted with a genuine vario D5 pump. The main body is the clear acrylic (seriously, it's unbelievably clear, props to Alphacool's machinists) and chrome-plated copper G1/4 threads, a lovely addition which means you don't risk cracking the acrylic if you overtighten the fittings.

Mounting is simple, with pegs that fit into standard fan mounting holes meaning case compatibility is good, so far we've found nine cases that support it which you'll find as options throughout our watercooled PC range. Oh and also there's ARGB, with the daisy chainable connector so you can connect it to your Alphacool Core CPU and GPU block too.

Alphacool Core Distro Plate 360 D5

This is very similar to the 240 flat reservior, but is 360mm and is a distro-plate, which means it has more ports that line up with your CPU, GPU and Radiator ports leaving tube runs looking neat and tidy. This is the standard option is our Kraken, Triton and SKYNET builds. Materials are the same as above, with clear acrylic and chrome-plated copper threads for the fittings. A genuine D5 pump is also included, and don't forget the ARGB!

Support is limited to cases with a 360mm radiator spot on the rear-side panel, so far we've identified five cases that are compatible, which can be seen as options on the Triton, Kraken and SKYNET.

2 - SYSTEM CHANGES

Aquarius

Some big changes from when we last saw the Aquarius live on the site, instead of a Ryzen 7 7700X it's now a AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, and instead of the Nvidia RTX 4080 SUPER we're using the new Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti. This means that all round performance is up, especially when it comes to gaming. The PSU has also changed from the Corsair RM850E to the Corsair RM750E which absorbs most of the price from the CPU upgrade, of course if you want the larger PSU, upgrades are available!

Poseidon

Similar to the Aquarius, the Poseidon has seen some big changes too. The main one being the change from the Nvidai RTX 4080 SUPER to the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti. The PSU has been downgraded to the Corsair RM750E as the GPU uses less power, meaning there's a slight price drop even with the upgrades. Everything else is mostly the same, but with the new Alphacool watercooling components available as upgrades, and an ARGB Lighting Kit as standard.

Kraken

Quite a few changes on the Kraken, the big ones being the CPU change from the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X to the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the GPU from the Nvidia RTX 4080 Super to the Nvidia RTX 5080. The new Alphacool Core Waterblocks and Distro-Plate are also being utilised, so it'll look a little bit different too. We've also added an ARGB Internal Lighting Kit as standard so brighten everything up a bit. Everything else stays the same including tubing and coolant colour, with upgrades available throughout the spec sheet.

Triton

It hasn't had as many changes as the Kraken, but the Triton has still made the move from EK to Alphacool so we're now utilising the Alphacool Core 1 LT Aurora Acrylic CPU Block, Alphacool Core GPU for RTX 50 Series GPU Block & Backplate and Alphacool Core Distro Plate 360 D5. The GPU change from the Nvidia RTX 4080 SUPER to Nvidia RTX 5080 give some impressive performance upgrades too. In terms of aesthetics, we've added that same ARGB Internal Lighting Kit, but everything else remains the same.

SKYNET

Last and certainally not least, the SKYNET. Lots of changes here, mainly because the watercooling parts are more basic than the EK offerings. Currently it's specced with the same CPU, GPU and Distro-Plate as the Triton and Kraken, but with XSPC Frosted PETG Tubing to make it a bit fancier. We've of course also made the change from the Nvidia RTX 4090 to the Nvidia RTX 5090, meaning performance is even more impressive! The plan is to keep the SKYNET at the top-end of components available to us, so don't be suprised if the components and cooling system recieve frequent upgrades.

3 - IN SUMMARY

Plenty of work has gone on behind the scenes to make sure the EK replacement is the best available, our testing so far has been very good with the Alphacool parts but the real test will be when the customer orders come in. As of writing this article we're around a week out from the release of the 50-Series GPU Blocks, so you should see the *PRE ORDER* markers dissapear from the PCs very soon!