( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Jun 2 2009
This fan is ok. I don't get the hype. It is kind of quiet. Keeping the cpu cool is just ok-there are better fans out there.
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Posted: Jul 11 2008
I ordered the Zalman CNPS 7000 Cu for my brother's Dell Dimension 3000 Pentium 4 3.0ghz Prescott /w Hyper Threading Technology. On the stock Intel heatsink (Just a copper heatsink with a funnel attached to a 92mm fan on the rear of the case), the temperatures would easily hit the 45+°C on idle, and would march up around the high 50°C's under load practically making his computer a personal space heater. This is expected of Prescott's, they are known to run this hot. The room temperature is constantly in the low 70°F's, and my Celeron (Northwood) doesn't come close to overheating nor does it reach the 50's, and it is in an enclosed space with one opening, the rear of the cabinet. My brother's computer is on a platform, and can get air from any direction. So cooler room temperatures were not helping the CPU get any colder. We got this fan in, and immediately put it on. Installation took no more than an hour (had to clean the case and parts out while we were at it). We had to take the motherboard out because of its size, but that isn't a problem with us. This fan is big and heavy, I can't stress that enough. The motherboard is a MicroATX board in a MicroATX case so most will think the fan won't fit, luckily this does. The only thing the fan came close to touching is the RAM, but after the RAM is seated, it is clearly out of the way. It hovers over about 10-20% of the Northbridge heatsink, and the first RAM slot so you can expect some heat to be picked up by the fan making everything else cooler as well. It was a little heavy, but not heavy enough to strain the board or any critical part with its weight. If you go to Zalman's website, they have a guide on how much space you need to measure from your slot to other parts of the PC to make sure it fits, and whether or not your motherboard will have any problems with it. Zalman wanted to make sure this heatsink was on the processor, so they give you two metal brackets and a couple of screws to get this heatsink on the CPU tightly (very tightly). When you put the brackets on, do a little bit on each side at a time. Zalman states this in the booklet, and will even demonstrate it on their website. It is so they can get the tightest fit, and not break the motherboard, brackets, cooler, or screws. It includes some thermal grease which isn't that bad, but I'm waiting for some Arctic Silver 5 to come in. With the Zalman heatsink/fan and their grease, the P4 doesn't rise above 48°C on load. So an amazing 10°C lower than the stock Intel heatsink. Not only that, it is quiet, even without the fan controller. So quiet, that you can hear the A/C vents (they are quiet too) over it. If you put your hand where the airflow comes out, it is always cold which is what we have been aiming for. It used to be warm air all the time. When we get the Arctic Silver 5 in, I would expect about a 5°C temperature drop since it practically does just that over standard greases. That is reserved for another review. All in all, get this Zalman if you have a Pentium 4, and are needing a colder solution without having to buy an expensive water cooling set. It is worth every penny. If you have the extra space, don't hesitate to get the CNPS 7700. It is the same thing, just bigger and with a 120mm fan. Also the 7700's come with the Fanmate 2 controller which works much better than the Fanmate 1.
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Posted: Jul 11 2008
I ordered the Zalman CNPS 7000 Cu for my brother's Dell Dimension 3000 Pentium 4 3.0ghz Prescott /w Hyper Threading Technology. On the stock Intel heatsink (Just a copper heatsink with a funnel attached to a 92mm fan on the rear of the case), the temperatures would easily hit the 45+??C on idle, and would march up around the high 50??C's under load practically making his computer a personal space heater. This is expected of Prescott's, they are known to run this hot. The room temperature is constantly in the low 70??F's, and my Celeron (Northwood) doesn't come close to overheating nor does it reach the 50's, and it is in an enclosed space with one opening, the rear of the cabinet. My brother's computer is on a platform, and can get air from any direction. So cooler room temperatures were not helping the CPU get any colder. We got this fan in, and immediately put it on. Installation took no more than an hour (had to clean the case and parts out while we were at it). We had to take the motherboard out because of its size, but that isn't a problem with us. This fan is big and heavy, I can't stress that enough. The motherboard is a MicroATX board in a MicroATX case so most will think the fan won't fit, luckily this does. The only thing the fan came close to touching is the RAM, but after the RAM is seated, it is clearly out of the way. It hovers over about 10-20% of the Northbridge heatsink, and the first RAM slot so you can expect some heat to be picked up by the fan making everything else cooler as well. It was a little heavy, but not heavy enough to strain the board or any critical part with its weight. If you go to Zalman's website, they have a guide on how much space you need to measure from your slot to other parts of the PC to make sure it fits, and whether or not your motherboard will have any problems with it. Zalman wanted to make sure this heatsink was on the processor, so they give you two metal brackets and a couple of screws to get this heatsink on the CPU tightly (very tightly). When you put the brackets on, do a little bit on each side at a time. Zalman states this in the booklet, and will even demonstrate it on their website. It is so they can get the tightest fit, and not break the motherboard, brackets, cooler, or screws. It includes some thermal grease which isn't that bad, but I'm waiting for some Arctic Silver 5 to come in. With the Zalman heatsink/fan and their grease, the P4 doesn't rise above 48??C on load. So an amazing 10??C lower than the stock Intel heatsink. Not only that, it is quiet, even without the fan controller. So quiet, that you can hear the A/C vents (they are quiet too) over it. If you put your hand where the airflow comes out, it is always cold which is what we have been aiming for. It used to be warm air all the time. When we get the Arctic Silver 5 in, I would expect about a 5??C temperature drop since it practically does just that over standard greases. That is reserved for another review. All in all, get this Zalman if you have a Pentium 4, and are needing a colder solution without having to buy an expensive water cooling set. It is worth every penny. If you have the extra space, don't hesitate to get the CNPS 7700. It is the same thing, just bigger and with a 120mm fan. Also the 7700's come with the Fanmate 2 controller which works much better than the Fanmate 1.
