ARCTIC
Swiss-founded cooling brand that expanded into consumer electronics.
Arctic GmbH, originally called Arctic Cooling, is a German company with Swiss roots that makes computer cooling hardware, such as coolers for CPUs and graphics cards, case fans, and thermal paste. In 2010, the company broadened its focus to include other consumer goods, moving beyond cooling into audio gear, home entertainment systems, and computer accessories like keyboards and mice.
Founded in 2001, Arctic has offices in Germany, Hong Kong, and the United States, and works with manufacturing facilities in China. Its products are sold worldwide through distributors, dealers, and retailers, with major markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The company has also partnered with graphics card brands such as HIS, Inno3D, PowerColor, VTX3D, and Sapphire to develop OEM cooling solutions.
The company was originally named Arctic Cooling after its founding in Switzerland by Magnus Huber in 2001, focusing solely on computer cooling. To branch into consumer electronics, it began developing a wider product range around 2010, leading to the name change to Arctic that same year. As of November 17, 2015, Arctic Switzerland AG has been in liquidation.
Arctic’s core cooling products include the Freezer line of CPU coolers, which covers both air coolers using heatpipe designs and water cooling systems. The Alpine series uses aluminum extrusion heatsinks and includes both active and passive coolers. The Accelero line, originally for graphics cards, targets high-end Nvidia and AMD GPUs and offers air, passive, and hybrid cooling options. The Accelero X1 and X2, introduced in 2006, were the first VGA coolers in the series. Arctic was the first graphics card cooler maker to use a copper base for heatsinks. In May 2012, the Accelero Hybrid was released as the first graphics card cooler to combine air and liquid cooling in one unit. These coolers serve as upgrades or replacements for stock coolers to reduce noise, lower temperatures, and improve overclocking.
The company also produces thermal compounds, with the MX-4 receiving a Top Product Award from the German magazine PC Games Hardware. Other compounds include MX-6 and MX-2. Arctic’s PC case offerings include the Silentium T11 and Silentium T Eco 80. The Fusion brand covers power supplies and storage devices, such as the Fusion 550-EU, 550RF, 550R, 550F, and the Fusion 1TB external hard drive.
Quick Facts
- Area Served
- Worldwide
- Key People
- Magnus Huber / (Managing director)
- Industry
- Computer cooling · Computer peripherals · Consumer electronics
- Products
- Computer cooling · Computer case · Headsets · Home theater PC
- Hq Location
- Bevenroder Straße 149, Braunschweig, Germany
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Arctic was founded in 2001 in Switzerland by Magnus Huber, originally focusing entirely on computer cooling solutions. In 2010, the company changed its name from Arctic Cooling to Arctic to reflect its expansion into consumer electronics, including audio products, home entertainment PCs, and computer peripherals. Since 17 November 2015, Arctic Switzerland AG has been in liquidation.
The company holds several patents for fan and cooler designs, including PWM Sharing Technology (PST), low-noise impeller, cross-blow, and anti-vibration technologies. Its product lines include Freezer (CPU coolers), Alpine (aluminum extrusion heatsinks), Accelero (graphics card coolers), and Fusion (power supplies and storage). The Accelero Hybrid, released in May 2012, was claimed to be the world's first graphics card cooler with integrated air and liquid cooling.
Arctic has collaborated with graphics card brands such as HIS, Inno3D, PowerColor, VTX3D, and Sapphire on OEM cooling equipment. In 2012, the company was nominated as a finalist in the annual PCR Awards. A trademark dispute with AMD over the "Fusion" name was settled in January 2013, with AMD agreeing to drop its Fusion branding.
Reader's Guide
Arctic's significance lies in its evolution from a dedicated cooling component manufacturer to a broader consumer electronics brand, while maintaining a strong patent portfolio in cooling technology. The company's Accelero series became one of the most popular graphics card cooler lines, and its MX-4 thermal compound received a Top Product Award from PC Games Hardware. Arctic's PWM Sharing Technology and vibration-dampening designs influenced aftermarket cooling standards. The company's brief foray into HTPCs with the MC001 and MC101 series, though commercially unsuccessful and later discontinued, demonstrated its ambition to diversify. The partnership with OpenELEC in 2013 aimed to revive the MC001 but was abandoned shortly after. Arctic's legacy includes its role in providing OEM cooling solutions for major graphics card manufacturers and its trademark dispute with AMD, which led to AMD phasing out the Fusion branding. The company continues to distribute worldwide through distributors, dealers, and retailers.
Did You Know?
- Arctic was originally named Arctic Cooling and changed its name in 2010.
- Arctic's MX-4 thermal compound received the Top Product Award from German magazine PC Games Hardware.
- Arctic and AMD settled a trademark dispute over the 'Fusion' name in January 2013.
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