Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora HPE 360 LCS cooler review - Product Installation

 Product installation

The installation process of Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 360 HPE has been described in the included manual, but you can find it on the Alphacool website. We’ll show it to you on the example of the AMD AM4 platform. You must use the backplate provided with the AM4 motherboard, but the plastic brackets need to be removed. Most modern cases have a big cut-out for the CPU cooler, so there should be no need to pull the motherboard out to install the backplate (if it was removed earlier).

Slide the compression springs and two different washers onto the screws and fix them to the bracket.

Then you need to screw (with two washers, one 2 mm and one 0.5 mm, and springs) the block with the backplate and tighten it. It won’t necessarily be the most straightforward task; you may need to re-try it to align it. It’s not the best solution out there, to be honest. It would be best to ensure that the window is facing upwards (or the logo can be read from the front); this ensures the pump doesn’t run dry.

There’s no pre-applied thermal paste. Last but not least, the AIO pump needs to be secured by the thumbscrews. Position the heatsink on the CPU and begin tightening them, alternating them with applying even pressure. 

 
You need to change the pump bracket from AMD’s for the Intel. The provided backplate needs to be used. Again you need to use the screws with the springs and 2 mm washers. The exact orientation rules for the pump apply here, like for the AM4. The installation is more frustrating than for the AMD platform. The process definitely needs an improvement. Fans can be installed afterward. The last step is to screw in the radiator and install it in the chassis. You can plug the pump’s 3-pin connector into the supplied Digital Digital - RGB Controller. If you do not want to use the controller, you can connect the pump directly to your mainboard. You need to plug the fans into the motherboard using the provided y-splitter.