Zalman CNSP7000A-Cu Heat Sink Review

Admin - 2007-08-09 07:37:37 in Cooling
Category: Cooling
Reviewed by: Admin   
Reviewed on: October 21, 2003
: Zalman USA
: Zalman USA

Introduction

Last month I took a look at the CoolerMaster Aero 7+ heat sink, which brought forth a new unique design. Today, we'll be looking at a new heat sink from Zalman, who as many know also have a unique design of its own� H U G E. For those of you who complain about your computer noise, read on, as the CNSP7000A-Cu heat sink is something you are really going to like.

Zalman is, as far as I know, the only company that specializes in producing low noise cooling devices for computers. Zalman's Computer Noise Prevention System (CNSP) technology, can reduce computer noise to 20 dB(A) or lower, which is blow what most people would even notice. This is excellent for those looking to build a hi-fi system out of a PC, or even for those who sleep with the computer in the same room.

Specifications

Heat Sink
Specifications
Dimensions
109(L) x 109(W) x 62(H) mm
Dissipation Area
3170 Cm3
Base Material
Pure Copper
Weight
773g
Thermal Resistance
Silent Mode
0.27 Deg.C/W
Normal Mode
0.20 Deg.C/W

Fan
Silent Mode
Normal Mode
Rot. Speed
1350 RPM ± 10%
2400 RPM ± 10%
Noise Level
20.0 dB ± 10%
25.0 dB ± 10%
Bearing Type
2-Ball

FAN MATE 1
Specifications
Dimensions
200(L) X 21(H) X 23(W) mm
Weight
20g
Output Voltage
5V ~ 11V ± 2%
Allowable Wattage
6W or lower

Closer Look


The Package


Once you get the package open, you find all sorts of extras. The CNSP7000A-CU comes with mounting hardware for the P4, AMD Athlon/Duron/XP, and the AMD Athlon XP 64. This is unusual, as most companies tend to sell a heat sink with only one type of CPU compatibility. In addition to the mounting hardware, you also get a tube of thermal compound to throw away, a bunch of "O" rings, as well as the Zalman Fan Mate 1 fan controller.


The Extras


Another item included in the package is the ever important case badge. :P


The Zalman Case Badge


The heat sink is made of copper, and unlike traditional heat sinks where the fan sits on top of the heat sink, the fan on the 7000A-Cu is inside the fins.


The base of the heat sink...





The fan used with the 7000A-Cu is a 92mm dual ball bearing fan, and of course is part of the CNSP family.



The Fan


The fan is easily removed by unscrewing two screws that go into the side of the heat sink. Removed you can see the naked heat sink... or is it a naked fan?


Installation

As said before, the 7000A-Cu comes with mounting hardware for each CPU type. Since I only have an AMD Athlon XP, I can't show how the heat sink mounts to the other CPUs. Never fear though, Zalman provided us with a nice image that shows each of the three mounting types.

Like many heat sinks, the 7000A-Cu mounts through the motherboard... well, kinda. It actually has two clips that mount through the motherboard, and then the heat sinks mounts to the clips. This gives you the supports of mounting through the motherboard, without having to take the mother board out of the case every time you remove the heat sink.

Zalman heat sinks are very large, and because of that their heat sink may not fit on every motherboard. According to the 7000A-Cu product page, my motherboard (Abit KX7-333R) is compatible. But keep an eye on the two capacitors next to the blue mounting clip.

See the capacitor closest to the bottom of the screen? I actually had to bend it ever so slightly to install the 7000A-Cu.

Testing

So let's get going on the good parts: What type of performance will this HSF give you.

Testing Setup
Abit KX7-333R
AMD Athlon XP 1800+ (1.53Ghz)
Corsair 512MB PC2700 (DDR333) CAS2.5
Lian Li PC70 w/ 6 Case Fans
Cramique Thermal Compound

Testing Method

Testing was conducted in the usual manner. Temperatures for the testing were taken via a CompU Nurse thermal probe located next to the CPU die. C�ramique (by Arctic Silver) thermal compound was applied to the CPU and each heat sink according to the directions located on Arctic Silver's web site. The compound was given 120 hours of use before testing was done on any of the heat sinks. To achieve the "idle temperature" reading, the computer was allowed to set idle for 15 minutes, and then the reading was taken. To achieve the "load temperature" CPU Burn-In was run for 15 minutes and then a reading was taken. The overclocked temperature readings were done in the same fashion, except that the system FSB had been increase from 133 to 145 giving the system a 138Mhz overclock.

Testing Results







As you can see from the testing results, the 7000A-Cu and the Aero 7+ were neck in neck in just about every result. The Aero 7+ actually barely (0.3C) out preformed the 7000A-Cu in the final test, which was the Overclocked Load temperature. The major advantage that the 7000A-Cu held was the noise level, which with both at full speed the 7000A-Cu was 28.3dB(A) quieter than the Aero 7+. This goes back to statements from the forum, and past Zalman reviews... the Zalman products are good if you want quiet, but if you are overclocking, you want something else.

Conclusion

Overall, the Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu is a good cooler, the major advantage to it though is the quietness about the cooler. This is expected though coming from the Computer Noise Prevention System line of products. If you are looking to eliminate computer noise, or just reduce the overall noise level of your system, this heat sink, in addition to other CNSP products can help you dramatically lower the noise level. As said before though, this heat sink is not very overclocking friendly, so special care should be taken if you like to overclock. In addition, be sure to check out the list of compatible motherboards from Zalman's web site if you do decide to purchase the 7000A-Cu.

Pros * All Copper
* Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon/Duron/Athlon XP, and AMD Athlon 64 compatible
* Quiet
* Fan speed controller (FAN MATE 1) included

Cons

* Not overclocking friendly
* No fan guard
* A bit expensive @ ~ $47.00 USD
* Not compatible with all motherboards