Arctic Alpine 17 CO: A classic that’s going to have a hard time

Results: Lower noise (31–39 dBA)

Alpine coolers are always cheap and are sold at prices below ten euros. Active models with fans can be seen as simple replacements for box coolers. However, while Intel has vastly improved the coolers supplied with Alder Lake CPUs between generations, the biggest change with the new Alpine 17 is the added LGA 1700 support. The difference in cooling performance over the Laminar RM1 has thus narrowed considerably.

Results: Lower noise (31–39 dBA)








Why is there a missing value in the chart? The reason was that the cooler could no longer handle the load in the specified mode. However, the box coolers cannot be regulated to the lowest noise level of 31 dBA, because the whining fan motor starts to make significant noise at such low speeds..


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In the works: Trilogy of different Arctic P14 variant tests

Slowly but surely, the Arctic P14 fan tests are coming up. In a short time sequence we will analyze all models that differ from each other more than the color design. After testing the base model, we’ll look at how the use of ball bearings (instead of fluid bearings) affects the results, culminating with the P14 Max framed impeller. That this fan must be the most efficient? Not necessarily. Read more “In the works: Trilogy of different Arctic P14 variant tests” »

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New Arctic P14 Max: Anti-vibration and high speed

Those interested in 140mm fans have reason to rejoice. After the P12 Max, Arctic is also releasing the P14 Max, which is one size larger. These stick to the already established features, such as a significant speed increase, but also probably a noise reduction even at low speeds. By all accounts, these should be universal fans that will be efficient across the entire speed spectrum, and on all types of obstacles. Read more “New Arctic P14 Max: Anti-vibration and high speed” »

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Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB – In the spirit of bold innovation

The German company Arctic celebrates 23 years of its founding this year and to mark the occasion, new Liquid Freezer III AIO coolers were recently introduced. Today also sees the launch of new Arctic Freezer 36 air coolers. These coolers come with a number of bold innovations and one of them has led to some changes to the format of today’s review. Today, we’re going to take a look at the top model in this series with the A-RGB Black moniker. Read more “Arctic Freezer 36 A-RGB – In the spirit of bold innovation” »

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Comments (2) Add comment

  1. I am searching for a budget cooler, to replace the noisy stock Intel cooler. And after the article read I found that the Alpine 15 CO won’t make difference at noise levels difference (from what it says in the review) can you tell me a budge & simple cpu cooler with a good low noise?
    I don’t use the PC hardly, and I only play soft games. No overcloking. It 12400F.

    I APPRECIATE any tips, for low budget coolers with low noise levels. I can’t stand the stock Intel fan noise anymore, and I only have this Pc at 2weeks.

    1. Do you have any height restrictions? If not, there is the Spartan 5 (EY3A001, model with two heatpipes). It’s cheap and for Ci5-12400 has sufficient cooling performance even at very low/quiet speeds. But if you need a low-profile cooler that is more effective than the Laminar RM1, it will be more complicated. Especially if it has to be cheap at the same time.

      Have you tried to adjust the PWM control curve of the Laminar RM1 with respect to quieter operation? Maybe the control is more aggressive than it could be. According to our findings, the cooling performance of Laminar RM1 on Ci5-12400 is sufficient even at lower speeds, as long as the processor is not operated at maximum performance without power supply limits (at 95 W). With power limitation according to PL/TDP limits (to 65 W) or in gaming load (where the power draw is always to 60 W), Laminar RM1 with lower speed will be sufficient even in a case with average airflow. Unless you are working in an environment with excessive ambient air temperature. 🙂

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