A Comparison of 34 Coolers for the AMD Athlon XP

Athlon XP Under The Rock: Falcon Rock (5F271B1M3)

With the Falcon Rock, Fanner has used an aluminum profile for its heat sink. The simply designed mounting clip is identical to the Copper King II and, likewise, is also rather stiff. The most striking feature of the Falcon Rock is the aluminium-cast fan casing. While it does not improve the cooling effect in the long run, it does give the model a particularly nice finish.

The center of the highly polished base is dominated by a copper inlay. Instead of a thermal pad, Fanner has applied thermal paste. This can be wiped off without any problems and, if necessary, replaced by a suitable high-performance paste. While the fan wheel only rotates at 2900rpm, the cooler is capable of a surprisingly low thermal resistance of 0.48°C/W (die temperature = 57°C).

In addition, at only 50.1 dB(A), Falcon Rock is significantly quieter. All in all, it is a good and efficient cooler that appears to be capable of coping with the higher power output required by an Athlon XP 2400+.