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Arctic Cooling Alpine 64


Date
: 04/5/06 – 02:29:06 AM

Author
:

Category
: Cooling

Page 1 : Introduction

Manufacturer:
Arctic Cooling

Price:
$15.50 (USD) MSRP

Arctic Cooling, a company who has always aimed for excellence in performance cooling solutions, has won the respect of enthusiasts, overclockers, and quiet system builders alike with their widely successful Silencer and Freezer coolers. The Alpine 64, a new member of the Arctic Cooling family, is a cost-conscious low noise cooler aimed at replacing the stock AMD cooler.

Today, 'numerous' would be a vast understatement to describe the enormous amount of brands and models for both high performance and low cost aftermarket coolers. In this increasingly crowded market, where does the Alpine 64 stand?

Silence comes with a price: quiet coolers, fans, and accessories quickly add up. Arctic Cooling managed to combine both silence and value in the Alpine 64, priced extremely attractively at
approximately $15 USD
!

Page 2 : Package and Contents

A package says a lot about the product, and more often than not is the deciding factor for consumers when presented with two similar products. Arctic Cooling has done an excellent job meeting this challenge. The Alpine 64's box is not only visually attractive, but it also provides all the specifications, features, and diagrams in a very clean and professional manner.

The front of the package proudly displays Arctic Cooling's logo along with their company's website and an illustration of the Alpine 64 cooler.

On either side, more technical specifications are printed including how air enters and exits the heatsink along with an outline of key features. Printed on the bottom left in bold is "6 Years Guarantee" – that says quite a lot about Arctic Cooling's quality. After all, we are dealing with a 15 dollar product!

With the top of the cardboard box opened the contents are clearly visible. Inside is the Alpine 64 Cooler with a pre-attached 92mm fan along with the mounting hardware, a case badge, and instructions. Surprisingly, the only protection offered aside from the box itself was a piece of thin, clear plastic. Luckily, we received the contents in excellent shape; however it would not be a bad idea to toss in a few pieces of foam.

Now head on over to the specifications page where we shall further discuss features, specifications, and more.

Page 3 : Specifications

Here is what Arctic Cooling has to say:

For the most part, fluid dynamic bearing technology is a new player for cooling fans, but it has been used for quite some time inside hard disk drives motors. A significant amount of noise produced by fans comes directly from the bearings, especially when the lubricant and bearings wear down. Regardless of the bearing's inevitable wear and tear, various things can be done to prolong the life of the fan. Fluid bearing fans seal a small amount of lubricant between the bearing surfaces and the shaft to maximize the lifespan of the fan. A few months ago, I took a look at Cooler Master's Susurro which had slits cut in the shaft and bearings to help recycle and retain the oil – a good idea, but at the cost of frequent clicks produced by the fan. Fluid dynamic bearings should perform better due to the decrease in physical contact between the bearings and shaft.

Page 4 : Contents Continued

Now, let's take a closer look at the Alpine 64.

The Alpine 64 cooler is composed of two basic parts: a large heatsink and a low noise frameless 92mm fan. The heatsink itself is machined out of a single block of aluminum to ensure excellent thermal conductivity from the 0.8cm base to the 27 extruded fins.

The fan unit attaches onto the heatsink using four hook-like latches that slide into notches cut into the side of the heatsink.

On the side of the fan unit are the mounting clips which are secured to the fan's frame using long screws.

It would not be a bad idea to lap the base as machine marks and scratches are clearly visible.

Lifting the latches allows the fan to be removed from the heatsink. Arctic Cooling chose to use a fan with an open frame to increase the amount of air drawn from the top while keeping sound level to a minimum. The fan is also attached with rubber anti-vibration mounts in order to further minimize noise.

Now that we have taken a good look at the cooler, lets move onto installation!

Page 5 : Installation

Arctic Cooling boasts that the installation process should take no more than a few seconds, and they could not be more correct. Assuming that the surface of the CPU is already prepared and cleaned, the installation process could not possibly be any faster or easier.

First, loosen both sides of the mounting clips using a scredriver and place the cooler on top of the CPU. Then, hook the clips onto the retention module.

Finally, tighten the mounting clips and plug the 3-pin fan connector into a motherboard fan header or connect it directly to the power supply. Though much larger than the stock AMD cooler, the Alpine 64 is relatively small in comparison to other heatsinks on the market making compatibility issues non-existent.

Now if only all installations were this easy!

Page 6 : Testing

To ensure accurate results, idle temperatures were recorded after letting the system idle on the desktop for three hours with all unnecessary tasks ended. Load temperatures were recorded after running Prime95, OCCT, and Folding@Home for three hours. Temperatures were measured using a CompNurse temperature probe which is accurate within one degree Celsius. Sound level readings were measured 30cm away from the fan's dead spot with an Extech 407730 digital sound level meter.

First, we will begin with system specifications:

Essentially the Alpine 64 is a larger version of the stock AMD cooler with a bigger fan and as expected, the increase of size directly affected performance. With a smoother base we should expect significantly better performance.

The Alpine 64's large 92mm fan gives it an advantage over the stock AMD cooler's low profile 60mm fan not only by pushing more air but at the same time producing less noise. In terms of noise, the Alpine 64 and Susurro were almost neck to neck, but the Susurro produced a frequent clicking noise.

Page 7 : Conclusion

Well, as we approach the end of another review, what is the final verdict? The Alpine 64 presents some stiff competition, especially when its price is taken into consideration. For a price of approximately $15, the Alpine 64 is an excellent choice for those who want to replace their noisy stock cooler with a more efficient and quieter cooling solution. Overall, the Arctic Cooling Alpine 64 is an excellent heatsink and a solid choice for those looking for either a low cost replacement for their stock cooler or a quiet cooler to use with their OEM processor.

Advantages

• Did I mention
  cheap?

• Extremely quiet
• Easy installation
• Long warranty
• Simple design

  Disadvantages

• Base could use a bit of work
  

  Overclockers Online would like to thank Arctic Cooling for providing the review sample.