Alpenföhn Nordwand Tower CPU Cooler Review

Posted by: Sahil Mannick (Helios1234) on: 11/12/2009 07:17 AM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

Introduction
Product on Review: Alpenföhn Nordwand Tower CPU Cooler
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Alpenföhn
MSRP: Not mentioned on website
Street Price: £42.95

Alpenföhn may not be a name you have heard before and yet they have been in the cooling business for a long time under the EKL brand, focussing mostly on manufacturing OEM thermal solutions. Their products have been mostly for the European market since its establishment in 1995. With the Alpenföhn brand, they are targetting the enthusiast and consumer market. With an extensive history in thermal applications, it would be very wrong to discard them as just another "wannabe" brand.

Today, we have with us the Alpenföhn Nordwand. "Alpenföhn" refers to a cool wind that affects the Alps, and the Nordwand, translated to North Face, is commonly linked to one of the most notable mountains in the Alps, the Eiger. The name of the towering heatsink is reminiscent of its formidably cold origins and therefore, if its performance can be judged from the name alone, we will be in for a very chilly blast...in a good way. On initial looks the Nordwand sports very impressive specifications, using a direct contact heat pipe design, 5 thick heat pipes and a cool blue high performance LED fan.

Let's see what Alpenföhn say about their Nordwand Cooler (Translated from their site):

Alpenföhn have manufactured a premium cooler with the Nordwand. The heatsink is based on the proven HDC technology, allowing for very good efficient cooling. Further aiding cooling are 5 U-shaped heat pipes, responsible for quickly transferring heat from the heatsink base.

The heatsink itself, has a completely new technology. By edging the individual fins at the ends, the cooler has a closed surface. This means that all the airflow has to go one way: Over the Fins!

This is a real eye-catcher of a heatsink at every LAN party. Following the motto "Black is beautiful", the manufacturer has opted for an elegant black plated finish on all the fins.

The engineers have settled for a quiet running 120mm fan with a 4 pin PWM connector for excellent airflow and "Crystal Blue" LED lighting. The fan itself was kept transparent including the polished blades and the frame.

In a market seemingly saturated by high end heatsinks, can Alpenföhn bring something new to the table with the Nordwand? Let's find out.