Alphacool OTC Flat 8800 Water Block
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Published: 2nd December 2007 | Source: Alphacool | Price: £54.99 |
So how did the Alphacool OTC Flat perform in our review today?
Well the Alphacool OTC Flat is certainly a quality made product...something that we've come to expect from Alphacool. The attention to detail and dedication to producing a well-performing product is evident from the very moment that you cast your eyes on the product. I must admit that I really love the thin profile of the water block, and the black textured top makes a nice change from clear perspex or black Acetal. When the new line of packaging is introduced by Alphacool GmbH instead of the plastic blister pack we received, it will both compliment and protect a little better. As evidenced by our broken packaging today.
Secondly we can see again that the included thermal pads don't transfer heat as efficiently as regular thermal paste. The EK FC8800GTS again wins the memory overclocking stakes, simply because the thermal paste transfers heat more effectively. Furthermore; the more efficient EK FC8800GTS was also able to take my GPU's core clock from the default of 513Mhz to 663Mhz. Whilst the Alphacool OTC Flat provided more than acceptable temperatures across the board in todays review, it has been beaten quite soundly by the well rounded EK.
The Alphacool OTC Flat can be purchased from SpecialTech for around £ 54.99, inc VAT 17.5%, whereas the EK FC8800GTS comes in at a couple of quid cheaper and it is the better performer. If you are a dedicated Alphacool fan and aren't looking for the best performing full-cover water block about, then the Alphacool OTC Flat may appeal.
Let's have a look at the breakdown:
The Good
• Gorgeous looks
• Alphacool quality
• Barb configuration can be changed (up or down)
• Acceptable cooling
• Little pressure-drop
• Wafer thin and lightweight
The Mediocre
• Thermal pads perform less effectively
• Pricing when compared to the better performing EK FC8800GTS
The Bad
• Very restrictive
In conclusion, I have decided to award the Alphacool OTC Flat water block the Overclock3D 'Reviewed Award'.
Overclock3D would like to extend a thank you to Ayd at SpecialTech for supplying the review item.
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Most Recent Comments
Great well written review Peevs. I have been wondering how these will fair and in the very least they are an attractive solution offering a bit of choice. Bit of a shame about the overall performance but looks like I'll be happy with my EK block 
I like the idea of this block tbh. Looks just so much nicer than the usual fat-topped ones. And for its size (or lack of), doesn't perform too badly.
Nice job Mr Pvs.
Nice job Mr Pvs.
Thanks guys, the feedback is appreciated. I'm glad you found the review a good read.
I can't believe how thin it is!
Kinda disappointing about the conclusion, but that doesn't bother me as I bought the EK
Kinda disappointing about the conclusion, but that doesn't bother me as I bought the EK
Got flow?
Good review Peeves
Good review Peeves
Nice review mate
Results were pretty much what one would expect from the offset
Looks like this has taken us up to 3000 live articles
Results were pretty much what one would expect from the offset
Looks like this has taken us up to 3000 live articles
Thanks guys Yes the OTC Flat certainly looks the goods, and it is a valiant step away from the traditional. But yes, it's poor flow performance certainly makes it hard to recommend over better performing blocks. As far as temp's go it performed quite admirably.
Yes the OTC Flat certainly looks the goods, and it is a valiant step away from the traditional. But yes, it's poor flow performance certainly makes it hard to recommend over better performing blocks. As far as temp's go it performed quite admirably.Oops I missed this one. Good review there mate. Certainly a block worth considering if you're tight for space (like my EK block getting in the way of my D5 pump on my old rig)
i can't believe how thin that is, its understandable how much flow is lost but the temps are reasonable at least i'm happy with my ek but if i was going for something different and wanted a sexy thin look i'd deffinately pick this, i bet it looks awesome mounted in sli although i imagine temps would suffer due the extreme loss of flow through 2 blocks?
perhaps there could be a review of this on 2 cards to see if there is any major temperature difference between the cards when used in sli?
i'm happy with my ek but if i was going for something different and wanted a sexy thin look i'd deffinately pick this, i bet it looks awesome mounted in sli although i imagine temps would suffer due the extreme loss of flow through 2 blocks?perhaps there could be a review of this on 2 cards to see if there is any major temperature difference between the cards when used in sli?
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