Many AIOs are not ready for Intel Alder Lake

A few weeks ago, we reported that some current heatsinks for Intel processors based on LGA1200 socket, tested by colleagues at Wccftech, would not be perfectly compatible with Alder Lake CPUs. In fact, it seems that the problem derives from a different height, which would lead the older heatsinks not to distribute the thermal paste evenly on the processor, thus offering worse performance than expected.

Photo Credit: Igor's Lab Several manufacturers have offered special kits for mounting their AIO heatsinks on the LGA1700 socket as well. However, as also recalled by a recent article by Wccftech and a rather clarifying image by Igor's Lab, not only has the mounting system changed but also the dimensions of the chip itself, now with an asymmetrical design and with a different height. This means that it is also necessary to adequately adjust the pressure in order to have complete contact with the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader) of the processor.

As you can see from the image below, many AIOs already on the market they are not able to best dissipate the heat produced by the CPU for this very reason (this can be seen from the trace left by the thermal paste), although some, such as the MSI P360 / C360, perform better than others (Gigabyte AORUS Waterforce X360 ).

Credit Photo: Wccftech Obviously, the cooling system is quite important when it comes to powerful, high-TDP processors, so you have to carefully choose which one to use to keep your new Alder Lake cool.

In addition to the AIO heatsink, if you are intending to switch to the new Intel platform you should also pay attention to the RAM to match. Earlier this month, the Santa Clara-based company published a QVL document listing which RAMs are compatible with various motherboards on the market. For more details, we recommend that you read our previous article.