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Alpha PIII Cooler Review

I think what we have here is the most impressive cooling device we have ever seen that does not cool the processor by any means other than simply removing heat using a heatsink and a fan.

If you are in the market for some specialized cooling units they have a couple to pick from. And they actually know what the hell is going on when it comes to hardware, unlike most of the people that sell it!

If you have not seen a RECENT PIII Alpha kit much has changed. First off it no longer requires and drilling on yours or my part to install the PIII correctly. It also comes predrilled for the PII-SECC2 also. This is what the kit looks like when you buy one with the fans included. Most retailers give you an option on the fans....

This kit contains the following: the heatsink itself, fans, fan ducting, assorted nuts and bolts. This unit also has included with it some little tabs that you can use to help stabilize the unit since it is so damn heavy. And it IS heavy. If you use the mounting brackets that come with most mainboards, mounting should not be considered a problem unless you case or mainboard will not allow the dimensions of the unit. Outside of that, it is a pretty safe unit to order. No power concerns or anything that you would find associated with a peltier device..

So what makes this damn Alpha Cooler that you keep hearing about so special?

Well first let's take a look at the fin placement here. See how it almost looks as if it is a solid block? The heatsink itself has a buttload of fins from which to dissipate heat. They are also pretty damn long too. This basically equates to what is special about the Alpha. It has a mass amount of surface area that allows it to dissipate more heat that a "regular" unit. Look at the Alpha compared to the Vantec.

Now we are not making this comparison to dog Vantec out in any way. Their P3D-5030 unit is a hell of a CPU cooler for the money. Here we are making a Mercedes 500SEL to Ford Crown Victoria comparison. While the Crown Vic is still a nice ride to get the family to church in on Sunday, wouldn't you rather show up in a new Benz? I thought so....

I was mentioning surface area above and while I do not have a calculated surface area for either heatsink, it is pretty damn obvious that the HSF with more is the Alpha. Just like the analogy above though, the Alpha is dang near twice the price of a fully loaded Vantec.

Is that all that makes it special? Nope there is more.........