Apack’s ZeroTherm BTF80 and BTF90 were hard to take seriously when they first showed up at the SPCR sound lab. A heatsink shaped like a butterfly? It’s a joke, right? They look too frivolous, they can’t possibly be any good.

No joke. Silly as they might look to some, these CPU coolers are serious efforts. Just think of the shape as a means of differentiating the heatsinks for the dozens of other high-end heatsinks out there. If ASUS can sell a heatsink that resembles a jet engine, why can’t Apack sell one that looks like a butterfly?


Viewed from the top, their profile looks distinctly like a butterfly.
There’s little question that the effect is intended.

As far as we know, this is Apack’s first foray into the the retail heatsink market. The Korean company has a background in making heatpipes and CPU heatsinks for the OEM market. It has business relationships with several major players, including Samsung, LG, and Intel, and appears to have money behind it. Unfortunately, distribution in the English speaking world seems practically nonexistent at the moment, but hopefully that should change with time.

There are two versions: An all-copper model for those who feel they need a little extra performance, and an aluminum-finned model for those worried about weight. According to Apack’s specifications, the copper version is slightly more efficient than the aluminum version, raising the cooling capacity from 140W to 150W. ...