Zalman CNPS5700D-Cu Quiet CPU Cooler Review

Introduction

As our computer components become more powerful, they will generate more heat. To combat this, we have resorted to several cooling techniques, from having the biggest fans to water cooling. Or, if you are one of the "beyond hardcore" enthusiasts: liquid nitrogen. However, not everyone knows how to setup, or is willing to setup, a water cooling solution or a liquid nitrogen solution, so for them they are stuck to using the tried-and-true method of cooling: fans.

Using fans for cooling has never been a problem as yet, and in terms of getting the job done, it does that very well. However, everything has a price, and for fans, the price is noise pollution. This fan noise can be caused by the fan motor itself, or by the amount of air that the fan pulls through. The more air you put through a tight space, the more noise it is going to make. For some users, this noise is very annoying, and if you have a computer in your room, sometimes this noise is loud enough that you have trouble sleeping without turning the computer off. So how can you maintain a quiet system and yet provide sufficient airflow into your components? This is where Zalman steps in.

The packaged CNPS5700D-Cu

Zalman has developed a concept called Computer Noise Prevention System (CNPS). Without going to numbers, it simply means that their products have been designed so that in their respective "silent modes" the noise that they emit is much quieter than any other equivalent product. I have here the CNPS5700D-Cu Quiet CPU Cooler, and today we shall see if what Zalman says is true for this CPU heatsink and fan.

Specifications

Taken from Zalman's website:

1 ) FHS

FHS	Specifications
Dimensions (with Air Duct)	125(L) x 125(W) x 150(H) mm
Dimensions (without Air Duct)	125(L) x 125(W) x 67(H) mm
Dissipation Area	1270 cm2
Base Material	Pure Copper
Weight (with Air Duct)	500 g*
Weight (without Air Duct)	430 g
Thermal Resistance	Silent Mode	0.37 Deg.C/W
	Normal Mode	0.27 Deg.C/W

* The maximum weight for a heatsink is specified as 450g by Intel for a Pentium 4. Should a heatsink, which exceeds the relevant weight limit, be installed in a computer, special care should be taken when moving the computer. Zalman Tech. Co., Ltd. is not responsible for any damage to a system or a CPU that occurs when moving a computer with an overweight heatsink.

2)FAN

Fan(PS92252H)	Silent Mode	Normal Mode
Dimensions	80L) X 80(H) X 25(W) mm
Weight	76 g
Rot. Speed	1700 RPM +- 10%	3100 RPM +- 10%
Noise Level	20.0 dB	34.0 dB
Bearing Type	2-Ball

3) FAN RPM Controller

FAN MATE 1	Specifications
Dimensions	200(L) X 21(H) X 23(W) mm
Weight	20 g
Output Voltage	5 ~ 10.7 V +-2%
Allowable Wattage	6W or lower

A 150mm (~5.9inch) unit height!? This thing's gonna have trouble fitting in just about all but the widest of server cases! Fortunately, if you cannot use the unit with the fan duct installed, you have the option of removing it, turning it into an "inverted" cooling unit. By inverted, I mean that the air is blown outward, towards the side panel, than on to the CPU, as most HSFs do.

The package contents -- That bubble looks interesting!

The package includes an odd looking heatsink and fan unit, a manual, and a speed adjustment device which can be plugged into any other fan that uses the 3-pin motherboard connector.

A fan duct on a cooler... not everyday do you see one of those around!

As you can see, this unit has a fan duct installed that helps direct the flow of the air towards the exhaust fans. This immediately suggests that the air is not blown on to the CPU from above, but rather, from the sides of the heatsink. This already presents two possible problems: 1) Large capacitors surrounding the heatsink bracket can disrupt the air from going through the sides of the heatsink, and, 2) your exhaust fan must be powerful enough to exhaust the air coming out of the fan duct, otherwise the warm air will only get recycled internally.

If you have 2 exhaust fans and they do not seem to remove the air out of the fan duct fast enough, you can consider removing one of the fans and dedicating that exhaust space strictly for the fan duct to push the air through the exhaust grilles. This may end up being more effective than to force a fan to push the air out instead.

On the nice side, though, the direction of the fan duct can be adjusted so that it points directly toward an exhaust fan, not above or below. This helps to get the very large airflow out of the system as fast as possible.

Bottom of the heatsink

While the unit uses aluminum to attach the heatsink to the unit, the heatsink itself is composed of copper. The dense area is small, but its got fins surrounding the entire perimeter of itself, allowing the air to flow through the fins, cooling it as they do so.

Fan Mate 1 - Zalman's fan RPM controller

Zalman has also included a fan controller, which they dubbed "Fan Mate 1". Unlike fan controllers from other manufactuers that have fixed "high", "medium", and "low" settings, Zalman opted for a rheobus method, where you can turn a small dial to fully control the speed of the fan, and ultimately the noise that you want coming from it. If you have no need for such a device, you can always use it on another fan that plugs into your motherboard, but make sure that the other fan can operate with only 5 volts at the lowest setting.