Alpenföhn Black Ridge CPU cooler - 120mm

When enthusiasts talk about elite level cooling, no discussion would be complete without mentioning Alpenföhn as one of the well-established greats. As such the company has proven themselves up to the challenge time and again with their enviable range of premium CPU coolers, developed in Germany and produced in Asia, and it's not for nothing that they are renowned for their remarkable ability to dissipate heat. With the Black Ridge, Alpenföhn has not just created yet another compact low-profile cooler. The original design of the Black Ridge emerged from the hands of Daniel Hansen, who originally needed the most compact CPU cooler possible for use in his range of DAN cases.

The Features of the Alpenföhn Black Ridge at a Glance

• Special design with fan installed on the underside of the heatsink
• 92 mm PWM fan with exceptionally low noise levels
• 6 x 6 mm copper heatpipes
• Slim heatsink with aluminium fins
• Designed to be compatible with almost all current AMD- and Intel CPUs

Special Cooler Design for Low Noise and Efficient Cooling

If the case happens to offer masses of space, there's nothing wrong with installing a massive cooler and heatsink combo, indeed doing so may even be considered a necessity when it comes to achieving the maximum overclock from your quad- or hexa core CPUs on the hottest day of the year. Yet in a scenario where space is at a premium, such as in an efficient and compact Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX case e.g. a DAN case or the Kolink Rocket, other qualities are often desirable - namely achieving the greatest possible cooling while producing a minimum of noise.

The base construction of the cooler is a top-blower style design, due to the fact that this enables maximum compatibility thanks to the lower total height. Alpenföhn has managed, in this instance, to squeeze in the 92 mm fan not on top - but instead to the underside of the cooler. Obviously this reduces the total height by a significant margin, that is to say but some 47 mm. The extraordinary design also helps reduce the total noise produced as well.

Premium Materials, Premium Fan

A total of six copper heatpipes, each six millimetres thick transfer heat away from the copper baseplate which maintains direct contact with the CPU. This heat is then guided into the aluminium fins of the heatsink, which offer a massive amount of surface area for their size. The other benefit of this design is that RAM modules up to 33 mm in height are compatible with the cooler. Those whom prefer low profile VLP-RAM (Very Low Profile) can even exchange the 92 mm fan for a 120 mm version instead, which then covers the entire surface of the heatsink. This can also be installed on the top of the cooler, which also has the added bonus of allowing the installation of taller RAM modules and increasing cooling efficiency even further.

The 92 mm fan is capable of providing exceptionally efficient cooling considering its size. Spinning at up to 2.800 RPM it achieves an airflow of more than 80 m³h, more than enough to meet the performance needs of a 95 Watt TDP CPU and all the while doing so at a surprisingly quiet 37,6 dB(A) as well. Moreover Alpenföhn has even made the Black Ridge compatible with all current Intel and AMD sockets. Manufactured entirely in a sleek black colour, this CPU cooler also goes the extra mile in the aesthetic department and leaves a lasting impression of uncompromising quality.