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RBMODS REVIEWS |
Date 2007-12-29
Provider: Acousticpc
Author: Michael Chiu
Editor: Amber Lupala
Zalman CNPS9700 NT CPU Cooler Review
Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures
The heat sink is made of a machined copper base that interfaces with the CPU and a set of fins connected by copper heat-pipes in an intricate figure-8 configuration. The copper base appeared to be machined-smooth and free of imperfections, however it did not come with a protective plastic sleeve that we’ve come to expect with most coolers. Why they left this step out I don’t know.
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Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures
As mentioned, the CPU cooler also comes with Zalman’s own thermal grease. The grease comes in a small bottle with an application brush (reminds me of bottle that enamel paints used for models comes in). As we’ll see in the review, this grease seems to help the cooler’s performance.
Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures
Prior to installing the cooler, the CPU surface must be prepped. AcousticPC.com also provided for this review a sample of ArcticClean’s thermal grease removal system, which comes in two parts- a thermal material remover and a thermal surface purifier. These are excellent products that do a great job; there was a noticeable difference in how clean the surface of the CPU was before and after applying the remover and purifier. I’d recommend picking up a bottle of each if you plan on changing any cooler that uses thermal grease.
Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures
Going into the Zalman CNPS9700 NT CPU cooler installation on an AMD system, I thought that this installation would be a breeze. For one thing, the CPU cooler is big and has a simple retaining clip system. Also, the motherboard does not have to be removed, and the cooler uses the stock cooler retention bracket that comes with most motherboards. However, in reality I had to wrestle with the cooler for about 15 minutes to finally force the clip to latch onto the retention bracket. Note that I also sustained minor cuts on both hands as they rubbed against the sharp copper fins!
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Please click on thumbnails to get bigger pictures
Since this cooler sits pretty high above the motherboard, as expected I had no clearance issues. No concern with this cooler hitting any of the capacitors, RAM, the Northbridge cooler, etc. After turning it on, I was greeted with a nice green LEDs emanating from the fan, which provides a little stylish touch.
Testing:
AMD 64+ 4000+ S939 Winchester
Biostar T-Force Motherboard
Corsair 1GB ValueSelect PC3200 DDR RAM
GeForce 7600GS
Western Digital 250 GB 7200 rpm harddrive
Sony DVD Burner
Idle temperatures were taken running Windows and full loads were taken while running SiSandra’s Burn-in Module. Temperatures (in degrees Celsius) were recorded and the results compared with two recently reviewed air coolers: the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme and the Coolink Silentator. Ambient temp was about 20C.
Current Real Time Pricing
Results and Conclusion >>>>> Page 3
Related Articles:
Noctua 120mm Fans Review
Thermaltake Extreme Spirit II Northbridge Chipset Cooler Review
Nexus Frisbee Hard Drive Cooler Review
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