Alpenföhn Atlas Review

November 12, 2015 | 12:07

Tags: #air-cooling #cpu-cooler #small-form-factor

Companies: #alpenfohn

Performance Analysis

We'll discuss the full speed results first. On the LGA1150 system, the Atlas matches the Gelid Antarctica with a delta T of 47°C. Gelid's cooler uses a single, thin tower, is £10 less expensive and also quieter thanks to using just one 140mm fan, so you do lose out when moving to a height-limited cooler. That said, it's a good 5°C better than that Thermalright Macho 90, which is actually 10mm taller too (though also quieter), and is a pretty good result still for a powerful, overclocked CPU like this.

The LGA2011 system was always going to be a big challenge, but the delta T of 54°C is not terrible. We don't have similar size coolers to compare to here, but it's a good 7°C better than SilverStone's Argon AR01.

*Alpenföhn Atlas Review Alpenföhn Atlas Review - Performance Analysis and Conclusion
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*Alpenföhn Atlas Review Alpenföhn Atlas Review - Performance Analysis and Conclusion
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Click to enlarge - There's enough clearance for low-profile RAM module, which you'll need if using an LGA2011 system (right)

Lastly, we have the AMD system, and while the Atlas cannot match the temperatures of any air coolers that use larger fans, it is again considerably better than the Thermalright Macho 90, though the noise from its two full speed fans is also higher.

With both fans connected to the supplied 7V adaptors, the noise of the fans is immediately reduced. They aren't loud to begin with as such, but they're certainly easy to hear, which is no longer the case when limited to 7V. Sadly, the temperatures skyrocket, increasing by between 13°C and 20°C depending on the socket, and even failing on the LGA2011 rig where our CPU was forced to downclock. Such a wide disparity between the two results suggests that the fans aren't well tuned the design of the cooler fins, and that their airflow at 7V isn't enough to cope with the density.

*Alpenföhn Atlas Review Alpenföhn Atlas Review - Performance Analysis and Conclusion
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Click to enlarge - On LGA1150, having the fan at the front means you need low-profile memory, while at the back you'd need to remove the exhaust fan

Conclusion

It's wrong to expect chart-topping performance from a cooler that's only 125mm tall, but even so we are still a little underwhelmed by the Atlas, particularly with regards to the low-speed results. After all, it's still pretty beastly with fans attached. Other little niggles like the occasionally fiddly installation process and non-braided adaptor cables are also harder to overlook in a £45 cooler. The Macho 90 is admittedly 10mm taller, but even though its maximum cooling performance isn't as good as the Atlas's, we think it strikes the better balance once noise is factored in, and it's also a bit less expensive. Still, this is a niche product by design, and if you truly need to make the most of a height-limited chassis, the Atlas could well be for you, as it is still capable of taming overclocked, high-end processors.

Intel LGA1150 Scores

*Alpenföhn Atlas Review Alpenföhn Atlas Review - Performance Analysis and Conclusion
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Intel LGA2011 Scores

*Alpenföhn Atlas Review Alpenföhn Atlas Review - Performance Analysis and Conclusion
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AMD Socket AM3+ Scores

Discuss this in the forums

Posted by SuperHans123 - Thu Nov 12 2015 18:56

Giant Air Coolers...relics.

Posted by Splooshiba - Sat Nov 14 2015 12:48

Nice review. Is there a typo on the test setup page?

"Intel Core i7-4690K overclocked to 4.4GHz (44 x 100MHz) using a vcore of 1.25V"

i5-4690K or i7-4790K?

Posted by Vault-Tec - Sat Nov 14 2015 12:58

supermuchurios
Giant Air Coolers...relics.
I looked at it and initially thought that. Then I read the first page of the review and realised it uses 92mm fans.

Posted by Flibblebot - Sat Nov 14 2015 13:51

I'm not sure about the gap with the middle fan - it's obviously not going to be drawing much fresh air in through the gap, so I don't know why it's there. Surely it means one set of fins will be getting warm air blown through them (assuming it's blowing air onto the fins, then the order is outside fan->fins->centre fan->fins. If the outside fan is sucking, then the order is reversed, but the point stands), so that one set of fins will be less effective than the other?
null
  • Cooling
    31 / 40
  • Design
    23 / 30
  • Value
    21 / 30

Score guide
Where to buy

Overall 75%
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