Alphacool NexXxoS X2 Hiflow Bold Water Block

The second water block included with the kit is Alphacool NexXxoS X2 Hiflow Bold for LGA775 mainboards. I have to say that it is not included into the standard Alphacool liquid-cooling kit. The water block is shipped in a clear plastic box with instructions sheet and retention kit inside:

Among the included accessories we also found gray no-name thermal compound:

The water block looks pretty attractive:

It consists of clear acrylic lid, brass nickel-plated middle part and copper base.

You can see the internal structure of the water block middle part through the top lid:

Two threaded holes for the fittings are marked the same way as those on Alphacool NexXxoS XP, so you won’t mix them up during assembly. The base of the water block is covered with protective plastic film that prevents oxidation and protects against accidental scratching:

The base finish quality is superb:

The surface is extremely even, there is nothing to pick on here. Although since the kit stayed in our lab for quite some time, the water block surface grew dim:

Let’s take Alphacool NexXxoS X2 Hiflow Bold apart:

The copper base is exactly like the one of the above discussed NexXxoS XP, while the middle part is different:

As you see, numerous small holes are cut out in an X-shape and there are grooves next to them. According to the developers, it has been done on purpose to ensure even better cooling of quad-core CPUs, which have larger die than dual-core ones. Moreover, this liquid flow distribution scheme allows reducing hydrodynamic resistance and increase the cooling efficiency.

As we have already said, the base is exactly the same as that of the NexXxoS XP water block:

Small particles that got caught between the pins are the result of water block usage for 50 hours with the coolant from Thermaltake system. Most likely, I wouldn’t have this issue if I had used the native Alphacool liquid or clear distilled water. Longer term use of a water block like that in a system with distilled water inevitably result to complete clogging of the pin structure after 4 months.

The water block installs onto the processor very simply and intuitively. First you have to insert long screws into the retention holes from the bottom of the board and lock them with rubber rings and screw-nuts on the front. After that you put the water block on them and tighten large screw-nuts with washers and springs over it:

You can insert the fittings before as well as after installing the water block. After that all you have to do is attach the hoses and fasten them with screw-nuts:

The most important thing in this case is not to mix up the incoming and outgoing fitting holes. And that’s all you need to know about proper installation of Alphacool NexXxoS X2 Hiflow Bold water block.