Zalman ZM80A-HP VGA Heatpipe Cooler Review

Introduction

Back in November, Zalman released a new version of the ZM80-HP VGA cooler, the ZM80A-HP. Both models come from the CNPS (Computer Noise Prevention System), which uses shorter heat conductance paths, and surface areas 3-10 times larger than traditional coolers. That's right, no fan, and no noise. So how well does the ZM80A-HP perform? Let's take a look....

Specifications

	Weight	400g or 0.88lbs
	Dissip. Material	Aluminum
	Dissip. Area	1300 cm² or 1.39 ft²
	Heatpipe	Gold Plated Copper Tube
	Compatibility	Useable with VGA cards having holes around the chipset

 

Important Notes
Two important things to note about this heat sink. First, is the weight, at 400g, the video card equipped with the ZM80A-HP should be tightly attached to the PC case. And special care should be taken when moving or transporting the case. It'd suck to drive 18 hours to a LAN party, only to arrive and find your video card snapped in two.

The next thing to note is that the ZM80A-HP will not work with the Matrox Parhelia. Looks like the Matrox owners get the shaft again.

Closer Look

The ZM80A-HP comes with everything you need to install the heat sink, and then some. Included in the package was:

• 1x Front Side Heat sink
• 1x Rear Side Heat sink
• 2x Front Side Base Assembly
• 2x Rear Side Base Assembly
• 1x Heatpipe
• 1x Bag of Assembly Parts
  • 8x Screws
  • 2x Nuts
  • 2x Rubber Rings
  • 2x Nipples
  • 1x Tube of Thermal Grease
• 1x Bag of Spare Parts
  • 4x Screws
  • 2x Bolts
  • 2x Nuts
  • 2x Rubber Rings
  • 1x Tube of Thermal Grease
• 1x Phillips Head Screwdriver
• 1x 32 page Instruction Manual (16 page English and 16 page Korean (?))