Mounting kits has never been Alpenföhn’s forte, not so much a problem with the Triglav and Nordwand, but terrible for the higher-end Matterhorn. It was therefore a great sigh of relief to see that Alpenföhn have listened to our pleas and created a far better option, one that can be considered on par with Noctua’s famous SecuFirm 2 kit. As such, installation is an absolute breeze. The following steps detail installation on LGA1366 based motherboards.


1. The first step is to identify the right mounting holes on the universal motherboard back plate. LGA775 users need to place the square insulating washer on top.


2. Insert the double screw bolts and secure them with the anti-vibration buckles.


3. Install the back plate to the motherboard ensuring all the screws align with the mounting holes.


4. Place one insulation pillar on each corner.


5. Install the appropriate AMD or Intel motherboard bracket so that the semi-circular rim faces outwards and. Secure them with the 4 nuts provided.


6. Place the heatsink on top after applying a drop of thermal and secure it with the retention place. Screw each end bit by bit in an alternating fashion.

Frankly, I have no qualms with their new mounting kit and it demonstrates Alpenföhn’s careful attention to ours and their customers’ requests. The use of a proper back plate and retention plate is welcome as it provides much better support for the heavy cooler and thanks to the retention plate’s specially designed shape; the cooler is firmly secured once installed. The addition of the rubber buckles to the back plate is also very clever, not only in securing the screw in place but also as an anti-vibration insulating washer. Despite the many positives observed on the installation, the fan installation is a completely different story.