Arctic Alpine 12 & AM4 Passive

Introduction

ARCTIC initiated the trend towards quiet cooling systems for desktop PCs in 2001 and has given distinction to it ever since. Today ARCTIC is one of the leading manufacturers in computer cooling and has acquired profound knowhow in consumer electronics.
Up until 2009, ARCTIC COOLING focused solely on cooling solutions. In 2010, we became ARCTIC with the additional aim to provide a comprehensive set of innovative consumer electronics and peripherals. ARCTIC’s long term goal is nothing less than being present in everybody’s home.

Official product link:

Alpine 12 Passive

Alpine AM4 Passive

Packaging and accessories

Both Alpine Passive coolers are packaged in the same style of cardboard box. The front side of the packaging features a black and white profile photo of the Alpine heatsink. The left side around the heatsink is covered by the name of the product and a QR code.

The back side of the packaging has diagrams presenting the main features of the fanless Alpine coolers, including the no sound operation and the pre-applied MX4 thermal compound.

The sides of the box present the main feature of the Alpine coolers in seven different languages. The other side of the packaging also lists the full specifications of the cooler inside.

Accessories

The product comes with the following accessories:
– 1x Manual QR Card
– 4x Rubber washers
– 4x Metallic Springs
– 4x Long screws

Specifications

Model: Alpine 12 Passive / Alpine AM4 Passive
Supported sockets:
Intel: Socket LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA2011 / 2011-v3, LGA2066.
AMD: Socket AM4.
Recommended for TDP up to: 47 Watts
Materials: Aluminum
Dimensions: 95 x 69mm (Alpine 12) / 99 x 70mm (Alpine AM4 Passive)
Weight: 508g (Alpine 12) / 557g (Alpine AM4 Passive)
Warranty: 6 Years

Features:

– Black Anodizing for Improved Heat-dissipation: The micro-porosity resulting from the heatsink surface treatment optimizes the heat exchange between the aluminum and the surrounding air, thus the cooling performance in passive mode is greatly improved.
– Pre-applied MX-2 Thermal Paste: Thanks to the pre-applied MX-2 thermal compound, a quick and clean installation is guaranteed.
– Easy Installation & Optimal Compatibility: Fast and easy to install and extremely reliable, the Alpine 12 Passive mounting system is compatible with the Intel’s 115X sockets. It is not only fool-proof to install, but also absolutely transport safe.
– Dust and Maintenance Free: No fan means no dust and no maintenance over time.

Visual inspection

The Alpine 12 and Alpine AM4 Passive are a pair of fully passive CPU coolers compatible with all Intel sockets as well as with the latest AMD socket, the AM4. The heatsink is machined from a solid aluminum block and anodized afterwards. Both the Intel and AM4 variants have a recommended TDP of 47W.

For heat dissipation, there are a total of 20 fins on the Alpine 12 and a total of 21 fins on the AM4 variant. Due to the heatsink being essentially one block of aluminum, the heatsink have a better contact with the CPU surface.

The differences between the Alpine 12 and the Alpine AM4 are the size and weight. The Alpine AM4 weights 49 grams more and is larger by 5mm overall. Both heatsinks share the same deign and materials used.

The base of the Alpine cooler is simple and solid; it is part of the whole aluminum block that the cooler is machined from. On the base there is also enough pre-applied MX4 thermal compound.

On the edges of the base, there are two threaded holes per side, these are part of the simple mounting system that the Alpine 12 uses. The thread quality is very good, so stripping them after a couple of installs is unlikely.

Testing

The following system was used to test the cooler:
– Processor: Intel i5 6600K @ 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz
– Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z270 Professional Gaming i7
– RAM: Ballistix Tactical Tracer 16GB DDR4 @ 2666MHz
– GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 Founder’s Edition
– SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
– HDD: WD 1 TB Blue
– PSU: SeaSonic Snow Silent 750W
– Case: Phanteks Enthoo Luxe White
– Thermal compound: Arctic Cooling MX-4

Software used for testing the cooler:

– AIDA64 Extreme Version: 5.98.4800 (9/19/2018)
– Intel Burn Test v2.54
– Prime95 29.1

The cooler was tested with the CPU at the default turbo frequency of 3.9 GHz and overclocked to 4.5 GHz with a core voltage of 1.296 V.
Also, the included fans have been used at their maximum speed.
The room temperature was approximately 26°C (78°F), with 2°C margin of error.
The idle test consists of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 30 minutes, the temperature was measured at the end of the test.
The settings of the software used are the following:

Intel Burn Test v2.54 – Stress level: Maximum
Prime95 29.1- small FFT
AIDA64 Extreme Version – Temperature monitoring.
Each test was conducted for 40 minutes.

Idle (Intel Platform)

Full Load (Intel Platform)

Idle (AMD Platform)

Full Load (AMD Platform)

Due to the overall construction and dimensions of both Alpine 12 and Alpine 12 AM4 heatsinks, there is no interference with the memory slots of the motherboard or the VRM heatsinks around the CPU area.

The mounting system is simple and easy to install, there are only 3 components in the whole assembly. The rubber washer, a metallic spring and a metallic bolt. The bolts screw into the heatsink from behind the motherboard.

Final thoughts

The Arctic Alpine 12 and Alpine AM4 Passive are available on the Arctic website for around 12.99 Euro. This makes the Alpine Passive one of the cheapest fanless CPU coolers available on the market. The build quality is very good, the heatsinks are machined from a single block of aluminum and have a brushed texture on all sides.
The performance is good, both coolers managed to cool CPUs with a TDP that exceeds the recommended value of 47W. While both an Skylake i5 and a Ryzen 1700X are running at the temperature limit with the Alpine coolers, an Intel i3, Pentium or an AMD Ryzen 5 CPUs would be a great match for these heatsinks.
A good airflow will also help these heatsinks perform better and thus, be usable with higher TDP processors or allow for more temperature headroom. I would not recommend using the Alpine 12 with overclocked i5 or Ryzen 7 models due to the temperature reaching the throttling point.
The mounting system is simple and robust, it is composed out of three components, and this makes the whole assebly solid and easy to install in any system or case. The only difficulty someone might have is aligning the bolts with the holes.
In conclusion, the Arctic Alpine 12 and Alpine AM4 Passive are a great fanless cooling solution for small systems with low TDP processors. The build quality is good, the mounting system is simple and solid and the price is great. The only concern that any user will have is what CPU will be cooled by these heatsinks.