Date: September 6th, 2006
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: APACK
<--SHOP FOR A ZEROTHERM BTF80 PROCESSOR HEATSINK HERE
CORPORATE PROFILE
Apack, a relative newcomer to the consumer retail PC cooling market, is a Korean company and has been in business since 1999 serving the OEM market. Apack is a heatpipe technology based thermal solution innovator, providing customized design and engineering solutions and, ultimately, best-of-breed thermal solutions (i.e. PC cooling , Telecom System Cooling, Heating Roller, and Solar collector) to and for its clients. It has business relationships with several major manufacturers including Intel, Samsung, and LG. Unfortunately, distribution in North America seems to be extremely limited, but I'm sure that Apack won't ignore this huge market much longer.
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION
CPU coolers have got to be one of the largest subsets of the PC aftermarket, in terms of units sold. There are a few manufacturers that always seem to lead the pack when it comes to cooling performance, and users seem to have less brand loyalty than in most other segments of the market. These customers, wanting the best cooling they can get, have also proven to be willing to shell out premium money for the latest coolers. This time out, we'll be testing a cooler from a relative newcomer, Apack. Their ZEROtherm BTF-80 cooler promises “Killer Performance” and “Silence Innovations”. We've previously looked at the ZEROtherm BTF-90 copper cooler from Apack. This time we have their BTF-80, and it's very similar to the BTF-90 with the exception of its aluminum fins. (Stay tuned, as we'll be looking at a few more of Apack's offerings in upcoming reviews here at TweakNews!) Let's see what Apack has brought to this highly competitive market.
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
While not gargantuan, the BTF-90 is pretty large. Listed at 420 grams, it's relatively lightweight. Four looped heatpipes and 102 aluminum fins (totaling almost .5 square meters or 5.4 square feet) coupled with a 92mm fan should provide good cooling. The fan has red LEDs and PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) speed control, should the motherboard support it. Wide compatibility is always a plus, and the BTF-80 supports the latest sockets, as well as some older AMD offerings. Intel P4 users with older sockets will have to look elsewhere. The manual promises compatibility information at the Apack website ( http://www.apack.net/ ) but this has not materialized as of this writing.
