Alpenföhn Brocken 4 test

The manufacturer Alpenföhn (EKL AG) has long been a very well-known manufacturer of CPU coolers and case fans. Especially with the names of the products Alpenföhn always manages to attract attention. Many coolers bear the name of well-known European mountains such as the Brocken. The Brocken has been one of the better performing coolers in the line-up since the first revision. Meanwhile, it has been almost six years since Alpenföhn introduced the Brocken 3, whose second revision we had in review four years ago. In March 2023, the manufacturer finally introduced its successor, the Alpenföhn Brocken 4, which we will test today.

Inhaltsverzeichnis / Table of contents

In March 2023, the new Brocken was introduced in the Brocken 4 and Brocken 4 Max versions. The normal version comes in a single-tower design with one fan. The Brocken 4 Max features two heatsinks as well as two fans. Alpenföhn cites excellent cooling performance at low noise levels, simple and solid mounting, and a sleek and timeless look as its main features. As always, Alpenföhn also does without any lighting elements in the new revision of the Brocken. Price-wise, the normal variant of the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 starts at €64.90.

Alpenföhn packages the Brocken 4 in a compact and unobtrusively designed cardboard box. This is predominantly printed in black and contains lots of information about the heatsink or fan. All information is written in English only.

Unpacking the contents inside the box, the first thing you find is a foam mat and underneath that is an installation guide and a box with all the installation accessories. This includes all screws, a backplate, spacers, fan clips and a tube of thermal paste. Alpenföhn also includes a long screwdriver with a magnetized tip with the Brocken 4. This is absolutely necessary for the assembly.

Below the accessories we find the heatsink as well as the JetStream fan. Both components have been wrapped in a plastic film. The fan was also given another protective box. Alpenföhn has put a lot of thought into the design of the packaging, so all components should be very well protected from damage.

Unpacking the heatsink, it dawns on us right away that the product name has never been more appropriate. Weighing 938 grams, the heatsink consists of 42 aluminum fins, six 6-millimeter heatpipes, and a smooth bottom plate that has also been nickel-plated. All of the aluminum fins, the heatpipes, and the top of the cooler base have been powder coated matte black. If you look at the cooler from the side, you can quickly see that it has an asymmetrical design or is aligned to the left. This design is supposed to ensure high compatibility with tall heatspreaders on RAM modules despite a mounted fan. In the rear area, the fins are also somewhat shorter so that the heatsink does not come into contact with high heatspreaders of the motherboard.

The included fan type "JetStream" from our own company is completely black and has a 4-pin PWM connector with Y-switch as well as eight decouplers at the corners of the fan frame. The nine fan blades are also black and are very close to the frame. This design results in the fan being able to generate high air pressure. The fan spins at a maximum of 1600 rpm.

If you attach the fan to the heat sink with the black fan clips, the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 comes to a considerable weight of about 1.1 kilograms. If that's not enough, you can also mount a second fan with the second pair of brackets. With a height of just 155 millimeters, the CPU cooler also has a fairly compact height, which greatly increases compatibility with many smaller cases as well.

As you would expect from an Alpenföhn product, the build quality is very good. The heatsink has no bent fins, there are no sharp edges, and the powder coating on all components is clean as well.

For the review, we use a test system on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors like heat buildup in the case. The test system consists of the following components.

As with the cooler series "Dolomit", the mounting system RockMount3 is also used for the Brocken 4. Behind this is a slightly enhanced mounting solution based on the RockMount2 system. Alpenföhn still relies on a solid metal backplate (Intel) or the AMD retention module (AMD) and a bracket construction on the front for screwing the cooler.

For our AM4 system, the front plastic brackets of the AMD retention module had to be removed first. Then, four plastic sleeves were put on the backplate, the new metal mounting brackets were put on and screwed with four screws. Before the cooler can be placed on the CPU, the thermal paste should not be forgotten. In our review we use, as always, the Arctic MX-4 and spread it evenly thin on the heatspreader.

Then, place the CPU cooler on top of the CPU and screw the mounting bracket, which is already attached to the cooler, to the mounting frame. Since one of these screws is directly under the heatsink, Alpenföhn has provided it with a small hole through which the included screwdriver can be inserted. Once the bracket is screwed on both sides, the last step is to mount the fan. The fan is attached to the heat sink with two clamps. For decoupling, the fans and the cooler itself have small rubber buffers.

The assembly of the CPU cooler was very well thought out on the part of the manufacturer. It was done within a very short time and the CPU cooler is connected to the motherboard very tightly. Even with the fan installed, there is still enough space for high heatspreaders in all RAM slots. It doesn't matter if they are positioned on the left or right of the socket. Even the first PCIe slot remains free and is not overhung by the heatsink.

As pointed out in the previous chapter, we are using an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the MSI B350 PC Mate as our test hardware. The Ryzen runs at 3.8 GHz at 1.25V. To warm up the processor, it was loaded with Prime95 for 15 minutes. The CPU's temperature was then read with the CPUID hardware monitor and the room temperature was around 20 °C during the measurements.

In the stress test, the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 does very well and can easily outperform the LC-Power LC-CC-120-RGB as well as the boxed cooler. Since our overclocked Ryzen 5 1400 does not reach the temperature limit by far, the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 should still have enough buffer for stronger CPUs. Compared to the other coolers, the Brocken 4 also remains pleasantly quiet. At full speed, the fan is audible but not at all annoying or particularly intrusive. Ambient noise is present, but is only audible when the ear is a few inches in front of the fan.

Was the wait for the new revision of the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 worth it? From our point of view, definitely. Alpenföhn has put together a CPU cooler with an excellent overall package with the Brocken 4. The CPU cooler has a visually appealing and timeless design, fits into many smaller cases thanks to a height of just 155 millimeters, and achieves excellent performance for a single-tower design. These positive features are rounded out by a high-quality and quiet fan, high socket compatibility, and easy installation. Finally, the build quality leaves no room for criticism. You can't really ask for more from a CPU cooler.

Generally, we did not notice any negative points about the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 during our test. Only the price of €64.90 (RRP) is quite a bit and positions the Brocken 4 in the higher price segment. If you don't need to cool a high-end CPU, there are alternatives that perform a bit worse, but are quite a bit cheaper. Nevertheless, the Alpenföhn Brocken 4 is an excellent product and gets a buy recommendation from us.

The Alpenföhn Brocken 4 is an excellent CPU cooler and offers a sleek but chic look, a very good mounting system and excellent cooling performance as well as build quality. The price is high, but justifiable.

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