Alphacool NexXxos ST30 360 Radiator Review

The Data

As all the testing in this round up was performed with the exact same equipment, using the exact same methods I have decided to keep each radiators page uncluttered by posting our testing methodology, test set-ups and equipment used in a single location. To see exactly how the tests were carried out, details of the test set ups and equipment used, please head back to the RRU’15 Test Equipment Page.

Restriction Test

It’s generally agreed that radiators are one of, if not the least restrictive components in the water cooling loop. There are some exceptions however, so this must still be verified through testing:

The above photo is for referencing the restriction test bench. The Alphacool ST30 is not loaded so please disregard the data in the picture as it does not relate to the ST30.

Here is the raw data at the tested flow rates, displaying the measured Differential Pressure across the ST30 as flow rate was increased.

The table numbers indicate that the ST30 is a medium restriction radiator. However numbers in isolation can only tell half the story. By plotting against other components it more easily shows the whole story

I have decided to use a HeatKiller 3.0 CPU block as the reference in these plots for two reasons. Firstly there is no chance of the plot being cluttered by curves overlapping and secondly it gives a reference point against a fairly common loop component of average restriction.

As with all the radiator restriction plots I have limited the maximum flow rate displayed to 2.0 GPM as I suspect there are very few systems that operate above 2.0 GPM. For more information on how to read a restriction plot check out our guide.

This plot shows us that the ST30 as a low restriction component. Let’s see how it fares against the other radiators in the test group.

The next three plots show the ST30’s restriction level relative to other slim radiators in the test group at 3 different flow rates – what we consider to be low, medium and high system flow rates.

From these tables it would be fair assessment to call the ST30 a Low Restriction Radiator when compared to the other slim 360s, but before we make that conclusion let’s take a quick look at the restriction levels of all our 360 rads at 1.0 gpm.

So in the big picture of 360 radiators the ST30 is a medium restriction rad, which shows us that sometimes it is better to look at the bigger picture rather than focus on smaller target groups before making assessments based on the data.

Onwards to Thermal Performance!