Anyone ever deal with Zalman?

[TechHead87]

I'm thinking about getting a Zalman CNPS7700-CU 120mm fan/heatsink for my P4 3ghz. Temps are running OK as is (48c idle, 60 load), but I may be o.c'ing in the near future. Does this company make a decent product? If you've dealt with this heatsink/fan combo before, any tips are greatly appreciated. This will be the first time I've installed an aftermarket cpu cooler. From the Newegg reviews, people are saying this thing is huge and was somewhat difficult to install.

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Thanks in advance folks!

 

[potato28]

Dont get that... get a SI-120. Easy to install, and u can install any fan u want on it.I recommend the Coolermaster or Zalman fans, because theyre actually quiet.

 

[Gamingphreek]

The 7700's are very nice. If you undervolt it can be even better.

However, if budget isn't a top priority then give the Scythe Ninja and XP-120 a good hard look. All of the aforementioned coolers are enormous.

If you want something a little smaller and less pricey, then SVC (while it is out of stock right now) has the XP-90 for $27, which is an EXCELLENT cooler.

I would stay away from Thermaltake. Arctic Cooling is OK, but you can do better.

If you need fans for those HS's here is what i recommend:

80mm: Panaflo 12L/L1A, Nexus
92mm: Nexus
120mm: Nexus, Yate Loon, Antec Tri Cool

I have also heard good things about one of Deltas new fans, so you may want to look at that as well. Stay away from SilenX (HORRIBLE), Thermaltake, Sunon (Generic). Zalman fans aren't bad, but once again you can do better.

-Kevin

 

[Operandi]

Everything Zalman makes has feel of very high quality; they don't cut corners anywhere and performance is always respectable if not the very best.

 

[vanvock]

I've got 1 of their chipset H/S kits & am impressed. Top shelf stuff. Always hear good of their products.

 

[AnnoyedGrunt]

I have a Zalman 7700 now, and had a 7000 before. I also have a V700 on my video card.

I like their products because you get everything you need at once, and because they work very well.

I've not had any problems installing, and always thought the directions were clear. Just read them through a couple times to check for any critical steps and you should be fine.

-D'oh!

 

[JEDIYoda]

I have been very impressed with all there products.

I personally use the Zalman 9500 heatsink as well as there VF700cu VGA heatsink.

I also use there slim fan with the bracket!!

All the Zalman Products smack of QUALITY!!

You cannot go wrong!!

Let me tell you there will always be people who say you can do better.
Then they will post what the believe is better.
The only problem with that word better is everybody has there own idea of what is actually better.

Good Luck!

ZalmanBoy!

 

[Fallen Kell]

I have a 7000 AlCu on my P4C 3.0 GHz CPU in my server rig. I also have a 7700Cu in my AMD 4400+ HTPC. I have never had issues with either (well, my P4 rig did hit my audible heat alarm once but then again, the temp in the room was 98 F, so its hard to dissapate heat when the room is that hot). I personally love both of these heat sinks and wouldn't think twice about buying others.

I was origionally going to go with the XP-120 in my HTPC, but it wouldn't fit (the power supply would have been too close for it, luckily I figured this out before purchase (I took image files of both the motherboard and XP-120 and scaled them to appropriate size, the XP-120 would have needed to be about 1cm smaller to fit)).

Anyway, if you are going to overclock, well, I would probably say the XP-120 will work better, simply because you can put your own high speed fan on it. The Zalmans have the fan built into them, and are not easily replaceible. But I want to warn you, you will be very hard pressed to find a solution that cools as well for the amount of db's sound. Typically if you want to really overclock, you will need to look at a 120mm Panaflo FBA12G12U or the slightly slower FBA12G12H fans. It is very hard to beat unless you switch to water cooling or phased-vapor cooling (refrigerient).

 

[almach1]

i got a 7000balcu and it idles my OC'd athlon to 29-32 average. real cool. I think people use their video card heatsinks more than anything.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Typically if you want to really overclock, you will need to look at a 120mm Panaflo FBA12G12U or the slightly slower FBA12G12H fans.

When overclocking there are so many variables that truthfully fans have didly to do with over clocking....unless the fan you have doesn`t work at all.

Once you get so many rpms going and your airflow is stable and nice it really doesn`t matter that your fan can push 80 or 90 cfms.....there is a point around 40-50 cfms where you start to see a balancing act take place where you get no more cooling capacity by increasing the rpms and thus the cfm`s!

 

[bigpow]

if you do a search, then you'll find that some users (including myself) are getting intermittent rattle with 7700 Fan at 5V (supposed to be the silent mode)
Could be just a bad luck since my Vf700 works exceptionally well.
I sent an email to Zalman, and surprise surprise, nobody replied!

 

[PCFetish]

Originally posted by: potato28
Dont get that... get a SI-120. Easy to install, and u can install any fan u want on it.I recommend the Coolermaster or Zalman fans, because theyre actually quiet.

my worst ever install/remove heatsink disaster came from Xp-120/IS-120(same mounthing style)....

 

[TechHead87]

Thanks a bunch for the replies guys! I haven't made a final decision yet, so ya'll can keep em coming if you'd like!

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: bigpow
if you do a search, then you'll find that some users (including myself) are getting intermittent rattle with 7700 Fan at 5V (supposed to be the silent mode)
Could be just a bad luck since my Vf700 works exceptionally well.
I sent an email to Zalman, and surprise surprise, nobody replied!

Axtually I called them and got to speak to a very alive and knowledgeable person also had all my questioned answered immediately.

 

[Zap]

The Zalman 7000/7700 series are really easy to install and remove, and can be done with motherboard in the case. The XP-120 isn't too bad to install, but removing it can be difficult and forget about it if it is in the case.

That being said, I used to have an XP-120 and sold it because after a case swap it no longer fit (it overlapped the top of the motherboard, hitting the PSU). I also have a 7700AlCu... wasn't able to use it because it would hit something on my boards. Had it since early this year, but may finally be able to use it on the new socket 939 boards with PCIe... video card is farther from CPU (I use heatpipe coolers on video card).

None of these are a bad choice, you just want to make sure they fit in your case plus you'll want to shop around because there can be quite a few dollars difference between e-tailers.

 

[klocwerk]

I just built my new system with a scythe ninja.
That thing cools ridiculously well! The CPU is right next to the 120mm case exhaust fan, and I strapped on a nice quiet hexus 120mm fan to the heatsink blowing towards the exhaust vent. They're both on fan controllers, so between the two of them you can't hear it running, and temps are really low! Load temps only go up about 10 degrees, it's just silly.

My vote goes for the Ninja. If you install it right (blowing towards an exhaust fan) you get insane cooling for the case as well as the cpu, and it's dead quiet.

 

[orion23]

Zalman user here. 5 different builds and I always use Zalman. Great products, quiet and efficient.
I have a 7700-cu with a P4 3.4ghz LGA 775 and it runs very cool. Never had any problems with Zalman before!

 

[wkwong]

Zalman is a very reputable brand. They are designed to provide very quiet solutions for performance cooling. From the reviews that I've read, the Zalman coolers generally do not perform as well as coolers from Thermalright, Scythe, or Thermaltake (Big Typhoon). They are a good all in one solution for people who are working towards a silent PC, but do want the headache of too much customization.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Originally posted by: wkwong
Zalman is a very reputable brand. They are designed to provide very quiet solutions for performance cooling. From the reviews that I've read, the Zalman coolers generally do not perform as well as coolers from Thermalright, Scythe, or Thermaltake (Big Typhoon). They are a good all in one solution for people who are working towards a silent PC, but do want the headache of too much customization.

Not true....I have read just the opposte...

Also technically the Big Typhoon as well as the xp and Si 120 and the XP90 copper as well as the Scythe Ninja and the Zalman 9500 all are within 1-3 celcius of each other and given differeing circumstances each may out perform the other in a given computer.

 

[Munky]

I'm using a zalman vf700cu on my video card and a zalman 7000alcu on my cpu. They're both high quality products, cool well, and pretty quiet too. Zalman customer service is good too - I once accidentlly broke a fan blade on the fv700 shortly after buying it, and they sent me a replacement fan for free.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: wkwong
Zalman is a very reputable brand... They are a good all in one solution for people who are working towards a silent PC, but do want the headache of too much customization.

That's it in a nutshell. Some people care about being the most quiet and claim Zalman fans click at low speeds - those people belong on the SPCR forums and not here, LOL. Some people obsess over the last degree of temperature and would consider spending $30 more to achieve that last degree to be worth it.

For everyone else, there's the Zalman units. Well constructed, feature filled and prices starting around $30, plus they are really easy to install (talking about 7XXX series, not familiar with 9500). With a socket 478 setup you can easily install or remove it while the motherboard is in the case. Removing an XP-120 while the motherboard is in the case is not too easy!!!

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: wkwong
Zalman is a very reputable brand. They are designed to provide very quiet solutions for performance cooling. From the reviews that I've read, the Zalman coolers generally do not perform as well as coolers from Thermalright, Scythe, or Thermaltake (Big Typhoon). They are a good all in one solution for people who are working towards a silent PC, but do want the headache of too much customization.

Take Thermaltake out of there and you are pretty accurate!

-Kevin

 

[TechHead87]

I'm gonna go ahead a grab this CNPS7000B. Thanks for all the input guys!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118112

 

[MoD TaRkIn]

I've got the 7700 on a 3.6 prescot, and it's brilliant, so a 7000 for a 3.0 is a good choice, you wont regret it. althogh I will say fitting them is a pain in the behind! I get idle temps of ~25 degrees and 100% load temps of 35 -40 at the very most most, although I do have a lian-li V2000, which helps a bit ;-)

 

[TechHead87]

Just an update folks....Let's just say that the next time I remove an old heatsink to replace it with a new one, I'm gonna make sure I put the CPU BACK where it belongs. (and yes, it was my first time replacing a heatsink).

My system never would post. I kept getting "NO SIGNAL" in the monitor, and my onboard audio kept telling me: "NO CPU INSTALLED. SYSTEM FAILED CPU TEST".

I finally got it right after a closer 4th inspection. Whew! I think my skin grew a little thicker today.