Alpenfohn Matterhorn Review

Alpenfohn Matterhorn Review

Manufacturer: Alpenfohn
UK Price (as reviewed): £44.38 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed): Not Available

We should start off by saying that the Alpenfohn’s Matterhorn is an absolute beast of a cooler. Its large, dense array of aluminium fins and six 6mm heatpipes weigh in at more than 1kg, which made us raise an eyebrow even in this age of oversized CPU coolers.

This sumo-like weight is partly due to the solid base, which has a small heatsink directly above the contact plate, supposedly to aid dissipating the heat that isn't shifted by the heatpipes.


Thankfully, the Matterhorn mounting mechanism is up to the task of dealing with its significant mass as it’s reassuringly sturdy. Some very elaborate plates and backplates are included for use with various AMD and Intel CPU sockets, including Socket AM2, AM2+ and AM3, plus LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA775 and LGA1366.

The cooler is secured to all sockets in the same way, using mounts on either side of the cooler's contact plate. Each has two springs attached to it, which pass through the motherboard and screw into a backplate on the rear of the motherboard. Despite a fair amount of pressure being applied to the CPU, the thumbscrews that tighten the springs on the mounting system can be turned all the way by hand too.


Also included in the box is a single PWM-controlled 120mm fan, plus a spare set of retention clips to attach a second 120mm fan to the other side of the heatsink, should you wish to do so.

Specifications

• Compatibility Intel: LGA775, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1366. AMD: Socket AM2, AM2+, AM3
  
• Weight 1,067g
  
• Size (mm) 133 x 100 x 158 (W x D x H)
  
• Fan 2x 120mm (only one supplied), PWM control, 500 -1,500rpm
  
• Stated Noise 8dBA - 24.8dBA