Thermalright
Thermalright ASF-RED AM5 CPU Holder
Bottom line: The Thermalright ASF-RED AM5 CPU Holder: All-aluminum anodized frame supports cooler weight to stop AM5 CPU bending; main trade-off: AM5-only; no fit for AM4 or Intel LGA1700/1851.
As an Amazon Associate, SpecPicks earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure →
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ All-aluminum anodized frame supports cooler weight to stop AM5 CPU bending
- ✓ Ships with TF7 2g thermal paste rated 12.8 W/mK
- ✓ Fully laminated non-marking fit won't wear the IHS over repeated installs
- ✓ Bundled L-shaped screwdriver for one-step mounting
Cons
- ✗ AM5-only; no fit for AM4 or Intel LGA1700/1851
- ✗ Verified only for X670 and B650 chipset boards
- ✗ Adds an install step over AMD's stock retention frame
- ✗ 6mm frame height may crowd very tight cooler clearances
SpecPicks Verdict
SpecPicks scored Thermalright ASF-RED AM5 CPU Holder using a rating × review-volume × price-fit model applied to published specs and reviews across the cooling & fans category. Thermalright's cooling & fans lineup sits within the broader category mid-tier; price and specs are the deciding factors over brand loyalty here. Judge it on the specification table and the price rather than on sentiment: check the figures that decide your use case, then put it side-by-side with two or three close alternatives in the Compare tool before clicking through.
Common buyer scenarios for cooling & fans of this kind: matching it to an existing build, replacing a failing part, or upgrading from a previous-generation equivalent. Check the spec table below against your current setup — particularly socket / form-factor / power-rating fields — and confirm compatibility on the retailer's listing before purchase. Prices and stock are set by the retailer and may have moved since this page was last updated.
Key Features
- 【Dedicated CPU Slot】Exclusive AM5 anti-bending corrector with all-aluminum anodized sandblasting process, Fully laminated, non-marking installation with even pressure edges, multiple installations will not wear out the CPU cover.
- 【Insulated Foot Pad】Precise positioning of AM5 CPU slot size with insulated protective feet can reduce the capacitance caused by thermal conductive silicone contacting the CPU.
- 【Antioxidant Effect】All aluminum alloy precision workmanship, surface oxidation treatment, rounded perimeter, not easy to scratch, carefully designed to fit the CPU perfectly, can support the weight of the cooler to prevent the CPU from being bent, red version.
- 【Easy to Installation】Suitable for AM5 CPU motherboard slots, configured with L-shaped screwdriver for easy installation. The included TF7 2g silicone grease with a thermal conductivity of 12.8W/M.K can be combined with a cooler to quickly enhance the CPU cooling effect. Follow the instructions or installation video to operate, you can install successfully in one step.
- 【Support Specifications】Product size: 70 (L) × 54 (W) × 6 (H) mm, only supports AMD: AM5 CPU, motherboard slot for AM5, chipset for X670, B650 series, weight: body: 20g, overall 55g.
Full Specifications
| Brand | Thermalright |
|---|---|
| Model | ASF Red |
| Weight | 2g |
| Material | Metal |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Part Number | ASF Red |
| Material Type | Metal |
| Cooling Method | Air |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Packs | 1 |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop |
| Included Components | AM5 CPU holder |
| Power Connector Type | 4-Pin |
| Item Dimensions L x W x H | 2.13"L x 0.24"W x 2.76"H |
| 【Support Specifications】Product size | 70 (L) × 54 (W) × 6 (H) mm, only supports AMD: AM5 CPU, motherboard slot for AM5, chipset for X670, B650 series, weight: body: 20g, overall 55g. |
| Full listing title | Thermalright ASF-RED AM5 CPU Holder, Corrective Anti-Bending Fixing Frame, Full-fit Fixed Non-Marking Mounter, AM5 Anti-Bending Contact Frame, CPU Cooler Standard |
Ready to buy?
Thermalright ASF-RED AM5 CPU Holder, Corrective Anti-Bending Fixing Frame, Full-fit Fixed Non-Marking Mounter, AM5 Anti-Bending Contact Frame, CPU Cooler Standard is listed on Amazon. Price, availability, shipping and returns are set by Amazon and its sellers — check the listing for current terms. SpecPicks earns a small commission on qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting independent review work.
Related Cooling & Fans
More guides & deep dives from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all articles & guides →- Best 1440p Gaming GPUs in 2026
- The Complete Voodoo5 5500 AGP Driver Guide (2026 Edition)
- Emulation Hardware in 2026: FPGA, Software, and Cart-Reader Ecosystems
- Best Budget Gaming PC Build 2026 — ~$1,000 ($800 on Sale)
- Best Retro Handhelds in 2026 — From $35 to $500
- RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT — Which to Buy in 2026
- How to Build a Windows 98 Retro PC in 2026
More reviews from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all reviews →- Retro Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Channels the N64 and Holds Six Game Cards
- Best CPU Cooler for Ryzen 7 9800X3D in 2026
- Hailo-10H AI Accelerator on Raspberry Pi 5: Real Tok/s for On-Device LLMs
- Build a Wall-Mounted Raspberry Pi 4 Arcade Cabinet: 3D-Printed Case, SSD Boot, Real BOM
- Self-Host Jellyfin on the Raspberry Pi 4 8GB: Transcoding Limits
- Jetson Orin Nano Super vs Coral USB: Which One Runs an LLM?
- OpenAI Names Its Biggest Data Center Yet, With NVIDIA Backing: What It Means
- North Mini Code: The New Small Coding Model and the Hardware That Runs It
- Patch-to-Exploit in Hours: Why a Local Security LLM Rig Now Makes Sense
- Best GPU for Running Ollama on 12GB VRAM in 2026: RTX 3060 12GB Deep-Dive
- How to run Qwen 3 14B on Apple M4 Max
- First PC Build Guide: Components, Budget & Aesthetics
- Best Budget PC Gaming Peripherals in 2026: 5 Picks That Punch Above Their Price
- Samsung Odyssey 4K vs KOORUI 27" 4K Mini-LED: Which Wins?
- Best Storage for a Raspberry Pi 4 Home Server: microSD vs SATA SSD vs NVMe
- Anthropic: AI Builds Working Exploits in Hours, Not Weeks
- Imaging and Restoring Vintage IDE Drives in 2026: SATA/IDE-to-USB Adapters Compared
- HyperX QuadCast 2 vs Blue Yeti for Streaming in an Untreated Room
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X for Budget Gaming in 2026: Which AM4 CPU Wins?
- Network-Wide Ad Blocking with Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi 4 8GB (2026 Setup)
- RTX 3060 12GB vs RTX 3090 for Local LLMs (2026)
- SteamDSXL Yay or Nay? Dual-Screen Steam Deck Dock Review
- OpenAI Codex Now Repeats a Task After Watching Once — Local Agentic Alternatives
- Best Microphones for Streaming and Podcasting (2026)
Earliest SpecPicks reviews
Browse full archive →- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 8B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 14B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 70B (2026)
- Best GPU for DeepSeek-R1 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 405B (2026)
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 14B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 70B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run DeepSeek-R1 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090