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1 2 3 4 NextJanuary 30, 2008 by Devon
Cooke
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Product
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Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 Pro
Socket 775 CPU Heatsink
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Manufacturer
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MRSP
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US$15.95 |
The Alpine 7 Pro is the latest in a long line of budget heatsinks from Arctic
Cooling. Arctic Cooling built their reputation on these heatsinks, and they
remain one of the only manufacturers to bother with the low-end market. With average processor thermals dropping significantly over the last couple of years and improvements in the stock heatsinks from Intel and AMD, there's little reason to upgrade for cooling performance alone. That leaves
noise as the main reason to upgrade — and that has improved too. (Editor's Note: I beg to differ on this point — IMO, the sound quality of the stock fans on Intel heatsink remains among the nastiest at any speed.)
That said, one of the reasons for Arctic Cooling's longevity is their reputation
for low noise. Although they've had a few duds along the way, they've always
paid attention to noise in their designs, and their frameless, soft-mounted
fans are unique in the industry.
The Alpine 7 Pro is a refinement of the
Alpine 7 / 64 design that Arctic Cooling has sold for the last year and
a half. The main difference seems to be the use of Intel's pushpin mounting
system rather than a backplate + bracket system, but the heatsink itself has
also been changed to make room for the new hardware.
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| Minimal padding and clear plastic packaging is retail friendly, but
not so good for protection or the environment. |
Accessories are limited to a sticker and an installation sheet.
| Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 Pro:
Feature Highlights (from the
product web page) |
| Feature & Brief |
Our Comment |
| Optimized Heatsink Design |
"Optimized" for what? |
| 92 mm PWM Fan |
PWM makes very precise fan control possible. |
| Low Noise Impeller |
Exactly what makes these fan blades quieter
than others is unclear. |
| Patented Vibration Absorption |
Soft rubber grommets prevent fan vibration
from being transferred to the body of the heatsink. |
| Patented Fan Holder eliminates the Humming Noise |
...due mainly to the "Patented Vibration
Absorption". |
| Pre-applied High Performance Thermal Compound |
Convenient and clean. |
| Easy Installation via Intel Push Pins |
Tool-free and doesn't require removing
the motherboard from the case. |
| Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 Pro:
Specifications (from the
product spec sheet) |
| Compatibility |
LGA775 Socket Processors:
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- Intel Pentium Extreme / Pentium D / Pentium 4
- Intel Celeron D |
| Fan |
92(L) x 92(W) x 32(H) mm |
| Cooler |
99(L) x 93(W) x 86(H) mm |
| Fan Speed |
500 - 2000 RPM controlled by PWM signal |
| Air Flow |
36.7 CFM / 62.2 m³/h |
| Bearing |
Fluid Dynamic Bearing |
| Weight |
480 g |
| Service Life |
MTTF at 40°C: 400,000h |
| Acoustics |
0.4 Sone |
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