For some time Alpenföhn fans had to wait for an AiO water cooling series, until Alpenföhn finally presented his new “Gletscherwasser”-Series on YouTube in cooperation with the overclocking legend Roman “der8auer”. The AiO water cooling system appeared on the market in two versions, the 240-mm and 360-mm version. It should not only offer very good cooling, but also appeal to the creativity of the buyer. In this test we tested the 360-mm version for you – does the Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360 wake up the Alps, or does it let us enjoy the silence of the Gletscherwasser completely? You can find out how this is done in the following test.
Specifications
| Socket compatibility | AMD: TR4, sTRX4, AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM1 Intel® LGA: 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2066, 2011-v3, 2011 |
| Pump | 86 x 75 x 26 mm (l x w x h), max. 1200 – 2550 rpm |
| Tube length | 46.5 cm |
| Noise development | pump: 17.8 dB(A), fan: 23.5 dB(A) |
| Power consumption | pump: 2.4 W, fan: 1.56 W |
| Radiator | 402 x 120 x 27 mm (L x W x H), aluminium |
| Heat conducting paste | Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut |
| Fan | 120 x 120 x 25 mm, 4-pin PWM, 500 – 1600 rpm, 3-pin ARGB (5V) |
| Water block | RGB lighting, copper base plate |
| Price | € 169.99 * |
Packing and scope of delivery
The Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360 comes with an optically very chic looking package. The primary color of the packaging is exactly the same color as the water block, which has been painted with piano lacquer. On the outside of the package you will find all the basic information as well as all the basic specifications of the water cooling system that you need to know. Also “der8auer” has found its own little place on the front of the packaging.
When opening the package, it goes on so well. The individual parts are all neatly packed in cardboard and also individually labeled. Also the pump and the radiator are packed with a foil and a piece of white foam. So you have an overview of what you need and what is in the package when you open it for the first time. In addition, no damage should occur during transport.
Apart from the water cooling system, the package contains some assembly material for the different bases, individually packed. These are three Wing Boost ARGB fans, thermal paste from Thermal Grizzly, exchangeable logo plates, assembly instructions, screws, cables for RGB lighting, backplate, spacers, brackets and two silver alpine hairdryer stickers.
Workmanship
If you take a closer look at the radiator, you will not find any visual defects or processing faults on the individual lamellas. The tubes are stable and well workmanship. An intelligent cooling circuit in a two-chamber design inside the pump housing is designed to reduce noise levels and increase cooling capacity and service life compared to conventional designs. However, only time will tell how durable the water cooling system is. The fact is, Alpenföhn strives to make the system safe and thus protect the components of the PC. The radiator has a “leak-free” design that automatically balances the pressure in the cooling system in the event of a leak, preventing coolant from escaping. According to the manufacturer, this ensures the safety of the PC components.
At first glance, the water block is the biggest eye-catcher of the entire water cooling system. This is because the part has not only been painted with piano lacquer, but also has a creative function. The logo, which is located on the pump, can be changed. Five logo plates have been included (Alpenföhn logo, AMD logo, Thermal Grizzly logo, black in the middle and transparent in the middle). The one with the Alpenföhn logo is mounted from the beginning. Here we would have liked to have one or two more transparent customizable logo plates, because this way you are not bound to the one possibility to print your own logo for the system. However, this feature is very promising, let’s see what ideas the community will come up with to make your system more individual, with its own look. The logos can be aligned freely in a 90° rhythm by screwing on the bracket at the head of the water block and changing the logo plate there.
The copper plate is screwed very stable to the bottom with ten screws and looks high quality. The arms can be moved easily by two swivelling connections and also sit firmly on the water block. In addition, the pump can be easily connected to the mainboard with a 3-pin cable.
With the three Wing Boost ARGB fans nothing can be determined either. The fans are stable and have a thick black frame with black rotor blades, which are airflow optimized. According to the manufacturer, this greatly reduces air turbulence at the impeller to ensure even quieter operation at maximum speed. The RGB lighting is located in a ring around the outside of the rotor blades. In addition, the fans are equipped with anti-vibration pads to further prevent disturbing noises. In the middle, the Alpenföhn logo is printed on a metallic silver plate and enhances the appearance of the fans, as it makes them look more elegant.
Mounting
After the first detailed inspection of the AiO water cooling system, the assembly of the system is now continuing. For you we tested the water cooling together with a Ryzen 5 3600 on a MSI X570-A PRO mainboard. So here we have the latest socket from AMD: AM4. Alpenföhn has also included the appropriate mounting materials and installation instructions for all other types of sockets.
The installation on an AM4 socket is very easy. You remove the original mounting rails on the mainboard, then screw on the four AM4 thread bolts included. The AM4 socket backplate is screwed to the water block with four screws, then finally the water block is placed on the CPU with heat conductive paste and fastened with another four screws – done! The whole process is very easy and without any problems. The attached parts have no clearance, fit tight and fit well. The screws have a high-quality feel and can be easily attached to the mainboard and water block with backplate. With the other sockets the mounting is as easy as with the AM4 socket and therefore the effort for mounting is always the same.
Fastening the fans to the radiator and case is quite okay. You just grab the screws and screw them to the radiator through the case. Here everything fits as it should – as expected. However, the screws could be a bit longer, because it was quite tight in our tests and a lot of force was needed to fix them. But if you remove the anti-vibration pads on one side, the whole thing is much easier.
Connecting to the mainboard is also very easy thanks to the assembly instructions, because you can see everything important there, how to connect the fans together with the mainboard. You can also decide if you want to control the RGB control via the mainboard or if you want to use a remote control.
The most important thing comes last – changing the logo plate on the water block. Simply unscrew the movable top part, take out the old logo plate and replace it with another one, then screw it back together – done! The whole thing can be done without any problems in the case, even if it is a little bit tighter. The individual parts are also very tight, so that there’s nothing to complain about here.
Logo plate and lighting
The highlight of the AiO water cooling system is clearly the water block with its exchangeable logo plate. The logos included in the scope of delivery: Alpenföhn, AMD and Thermal Grizzly look high quality workmanship and can not be bent too much – they are therefore stable. The transparent plate can be customized. If you have a plotter for foils at home, you can be happy. Simply print out a logo of your choice and stick it onto the logo plate – and your own CPU cooling system has a new look. A small thing that can be a great joy to tinker with. If you don’t have your own plotter at home, you can also get different logos in the right size from the Internet for little money. In the example you see here an individual variant with our logo.
The entire RGB lighting of the AiO water cooling system looks very successful. It is simple and not completely glowing, which is not only convincing but also looks noble. Those who don’t want to have their PC completely on the light like a disco ball, feel quite comfortable with this.
Cooling and volume
The hardware used in the test was already mentioned once in the chapter assembly, but here is a small overview:
- AMD Ryzen 5 3600, 6x 3.60Ghz
- MSI X570-A PRO
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x 8GB DDR4 2400MHz C14 XMP
- MSI MPG SEKIRA 100R Tower case
- be quiet! STRAIGHT POWER11 CM 650 W
During the test, we loaded the CPU for 15 minutes using Prime95 and measured with CPUID Hardware Monitor. In the table below, you can see the water cooling compared to the AMD Boxed cooler and other water cooling systems tested with the Ryzen 5 3600. First of all you should know that the 3000 series can get very hot. During normal gaming operation, the 3000 series stays significantly cooler.
| Product | Temperature at 50% PWM | Temperature at 100% PWM |
| Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360 | 67.2 °C | 60.1 °C |
| AMD Ryzen 3600 Boxed Cooler | 87.6 °C | 74, 5 °C |
In comparison, you can also see the ALSEYE H240 and the MSI MAG CoreLiquid 240R AiO water cooling, which of course have a small cooling disadvantage compared to a 360 mm radiator.
| Product | Temperature at 50% PWM | Temperature at 100% PWM |
| Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360 | 67.2 °C | 60.1 °C |
| NZXT Octopus X73 | 65.1 °C | 57.1 °C |
| MSI MAG CoreLiquid 240R | 68.7 °C | 61.7 °C |
| ALSEYE H240 | 72.1 °C | 65.9 °C |
As expected, the water cooling is basically very good. It ranks below that of the NZXT Kraken X73 and ahead of the MSI MAG CoreLiquid 240R. Compared to a normal boxed cooler, the difference is very noticeable. The volume is audibly lowered and the own setup becomes much quieter and gets a more chic look. At 100% PWM the fans are listening, but a lot quieter than with an AMD boxed cooler. They sound a bit louder, but they are not annoying by crunching noises. In Silent Mode the PC is completely silent – very good! The cooling is thus neat and tidy and more than sufficient for normal gaming. From our side there is no criticism at this point
Conclusion
Does the Alpenföhn now wake up the Alps with its cooling? It can be said that Alpenföhn has succeeded in bringing an AiO water cooling system onto the market, which not only provides very good cooling performance, but is also a great eye-catcher in the case. By individualizing the logo plate, doors are opened to an even wider range of exciting PC builds that we will be able to admire in the future. However, it is a pity that only a customizable logo plate was included. But if you only want to keep one logo on it, this one is of course completely adequate.
The material is of high quality and therefore fits very well into the price range, as well as the package content is to be expected for the price range. Everything important for the assembly was enclosed, even with a good heat conducting paste. The most important is the cooling capacity. And here it should be noted that it is very neat. So the AiO water cooling “Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360” is a successful product!
The Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360 is a very good AiO water cooling system. The cooling performance is very good and convinces just as the optics of the water block. Alpenföhn Gletscherwasser 360
Design
Workmanship
Mounting
Cooling
Volume
Value for money
95/100
