Alphacool Apex Benchtable: carbon fibre and water cooling in a €500 test bench

A test bench replaces an enclosed case with an open structure: the motherboard and other components remain accessible for assembly, diagnostics or testing. With the Apex Benchtable, Alphacool also pays particular attention to the structure itself, combining carbon-fibre composite tubes with CNC-machined aluminium joints.

The motherboard tray is also aluminium, while the radiator mounting panels use carbon-fibre composite. The entire assembly can be dismantled. The appeal is both practical and visual: this design is intended for users who regularly change components, as well as those who want to display a liquid-cooled build.

You will need to allow enough space, however. The specification sheet lists 466.86 × 460.86 × 415.43 mm, giving a footprint of almost 47 × 46 cm and a maximum height of around 42 cm. This is therefore more than a compact tray that can be tucked into a corner of a desk.

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Alphacool provides one position for a 360 mm radiator, one for a 240 mm radiator and one for a 120 mm radiator, along with six positions for 120 mm fans. The manual shows mounts that can be repositioned on the frame and explains how they attach. A mounting point is also provided for a water-cooling reservoir.

This layout keeps the cooling loop’s components close to the hardware being tested. The listed sizes do not, however, guarantee compatibility with every radiator-and-fan combination: radiator thickness, fittings and tube routing must all be considered during assembly.

The list of included items covers the bench, mounts and fasteners, but not radiators, fans or a complete cooling loop. The cost of the loop therefore comes on top of the chassis price.

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The November 2026 specification sheet adds E-ATX to the Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX and ATX form factors. However, the compatibility entry includes the wording “without Motherboard Backplate”. This point needs clarification for any motherboard fitted with a backplate: it must not be interpreted as an instruction to remove a part needed for mounting or cooling.

For expansion cards and cabling, Alphacool includes seven PCIe brackets, an additional support, three clips under the motherboard tray and three clips for the frame tubes, among other items. The front panel retains USB-A and audio sockets, along with a power button; no USB-C is announced.

The launch information supplied by Alphacool on 6 November states a recommended retail price of €499.98 including VAT and a launch date of 12 November 2026. This is a price communicated by the manufacturer, not an observed in-stock price at a French retailer.

For another example of this type of hardware, we previously covered the MSI MEG EM9, an open-access test bench. The Apex stands out here for its carbon-fibre and aluminium construction and its dedicated water-cooling mounts; hands-on testing will still be needed to assess its rigidity and everyday ease of use.