Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU CPU Cooler - quiet, effective CPU cooling solution at a reasonable price
Written: Aug 12 '05 (Updated Sep 28 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quiet, effective, inexpensive, cool looking
Cons: Not as effective as pure copper CPU coolers
The Bottom Line: For the cost, this CPU cooler is well worth the money
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| jwhitakr's Full Review: Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu CPU Cooler |
Background
I recently purchased a custom built PC, and one of the stipulations I had before ordering the PC was that I be able to choose the components used in the system. I had done quite a bit of research prior to ordering the system, and the HSF (Heat Sink Fan) I selected was the Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU. It is used on an AMD socket 939 Athlon 64 3200+ and its sole goal in life is to keep the CPU cool. A negative and oftentimes experienced side effect from the HSF component is noise. More specifically, the fan noise created in order to keep air moving to dissipate the heat created by the CPU. I wanted a component that would do a good job of keeping the CPU cool while not creating much noise. I also, of course, had an overall budget that I needed to stay within.
Enter the CNPS7000B-ALCU from Zalman. It fit the bill as an inexpensive CPU cooler that had good reviews from various PC component review sites. My motherboard was also listed on the Zalman website as a compatible motherboard, and the person building my PC had had good experience with Zalman CPU coolers in the past.
Basic information
This component is made of pure aluminum and pure copper, which are both excellent conductors of heat. Copper is more effective than aluminum, but it is also more expensive and it weighs more. To keep the cost and weight down, and to offer an alternative to purely copper based CPU coolers, Zalman has combined aluminum and copper to create this HSF. They also designed it to fit a wide variety of CPUs, and it is compatible with:
- Intel socket 478 processors (Celeron, Celeron D, P4 Willamette, Northwood and Prescott)
- AMD socket 462 processors (Duron, Athlon Thunderbird, Athlon XP Palamino and Barton, Sempron)
- AMD socket 754 processors (Sempron and Athlon 64)
- AMD socket 939 processors (Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX)
- AMD socket 940 processors (Athlon 64 FX and Opteron)
- It will also work with socket 775 processors, but you have to purchase a separate adapter in order to install it.
The weight of this unit is 438g, or about 14 ounces, and dimensions are 109 (L) x 109 (W) x 62 (H) mm, which is about 4 ¼ (L) x 4 ¼ (W) x 2 ½ (H) inches. This is a very large unit when compared to a stock HSF, so before buying make sure to check the Zalman website to verify that your motherboard is compatible with this HSF. The attached fan is a 92mm model, and is built directly into the overall HSF. So, if you really wanted to, you would be able to take out the fan to replace it with another one…but it would not be easy and probably would be more trouble than it’s worth.
Fan speed is rated at 1,350 - 2,600 RPM + or - 10%. Noise level is reported to be between 18.0 - 27.5 dB + or - 10%. So at lowest setting of 1,350 RPM the noise level would be approximately 18 dB, while at the highest setting of 2,600 RPM the noise level would be approximately 27.5 dB. This is very quiet! It is quieter than most power supply units and hard drives, so the noise generated by this HSF should not be noticeable unless you have a particularly quiet HD and power supply.
Included in the box
1) Heatsink unit
2) Bolts, clips and brackets for installation
3) Thermal grease
4) Fan speed controller
5) Double-sided tape for the fan
6) Cable for the fan
7) User's manual - in English and Korean
Features
A couple of features stand out on this HSF:
- Fan speed controller (called the Fan Mate 2) allows you to adjust the speed of the fan from its lowest setting (called “Silent Mode”, even though it is not really silent since it produces a minimal amount of noise) to its highest setting (creatively named “Normal Mode”). I personally do not use this fan speed controller, since I plan on overclocking. I set it on Normal Mode and plan to leave it on that setting. One nice feature of this fan controller is that the cord is long enough to install on the outside of your system, if you so desire. You can use the double-sided tape to stick it on the side, or even the back, of your PC case. I suppose this would be useful if you liked to adjust the speed of your fan, but since I do not plan on doing that, I have it installed on the inside of my system.
- The 92mm fan is larger than normal HSF fans, and thus allows more air to be moved at a comparatively slower RPM speed. This contributes to the quiet operation of the unit.
My Use and Results
I've gotten excellent results with this HSF. Let me first make two comments before I share my results:
1) I did not install this HSF. Another person built my PC for me, and I can only comment on how the installation looks now. When I look at the HSF now, it is very solid and has been secured tightly. It does not move around or vibrate during use.
2) I did not use the thermal grease included with the HSF, but instead used Artic Silver 5. This is a superior brand of thermal grease and is the standard for use in systems that will be overclocked. It is fairly inexpensive (I think it is about $7 for a tube which can be used for 2-3 CPUs). I highly recommend that you use Artic Silver 5 instead of the included thermal grease.
My room has an approximate ambient temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. At stock CPU speed of 2000 MHz, I have gotten the following CPU temperature results:
- 34 to 38 degrees Celcius idle (93 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 41 to 44 degrees Celcius under full load using Folding@Home (105 to 111 degrees Fahrenheit)
At a slightly overclocked CPU speed of about 2200 MHz, the temperature has barely risen at all (1 to 3 degrees Celcius at most). This astounded me and I was extremely happy to see how well it was working, especially considering how quiet it was! I am not able to hear it above the noise created by my power supply.
Conclusion
Overall, I am completely satisfied with the Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU CPU Cooler. I have not found any drawbacks or anything at all to complain about. It does a superb job of keeping the CPU cool while only making a minimal amount of noise. It allows you to get more than just the stock speed out of your processor without worrying about it overheating. To top it all off, it is inexpensive! It is well worth the money if you plan on overclocking or if you are planning to build a near-silent system.
My system specs:
- Asus A8V motherboard
- Athlon 64 3200+ CPU
- Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU CPU Cooler
- 1 GB RAM (512 x 2) OCZ PC3200 Premier Value series
- Western Digital 160GB SATA HD (7,200 RPM and 8MB cache)
- Antec Sonata case with Antec 380w TruePower PSU
- Lite-On 16x DVD+RW Dual-layer DVD burner
- Windows XP Pro SP2
- PNY 6800GT with Forceware version 77.77 driver
- Logitech MX518 Mouse
Updated 8-15-05
Regarding the installation of this HSF, I spoke with the builder of my PC and he explained the following:
- Installation was no more complicated or time consuming than any of the other aftermarket HSF units he has installed previously. He said it was average in terms of how easily and quickly it could be installed.
- Make sure to install this HSF before you mount the motherboard in the case. If you wait until after you mount the motherboard, you will have to take it back out in order to install the HSF. If your case does not have a removable motherboard tray, this will be annoying and time-consuming.
Recommended:
Yes
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jwhitakr
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Member: Justin Whitaker
Location: Lenexa, KS, USA
Reviews written: 50
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