Originally posted by: Conjugal Visit
Posts like yours almost beg for full disclosure. You know, a caveat, a footnote, that says "hey, I own a Big Typhoon..."
Uh, okay. I own one. I've said as much before . . .
I agree with JediYoda AND Toadeater - the Zalman product isn't bad, and there's no perfect heatsink - said as a blanket staement. Each rig, given the case, mem slot orientation, Northbridge heatsinks, anticipated O/C goal etc...is going to push some solutions to one side, and some solutions to the front of the line.
It isn't bad, but it costs too much for what it does. I know there's no perfect HSF, it's just that the CNPS9700 isn't an ideal for anyone in any instance unless it somehow is the best performing HSF that can fit in a case of restricted size.
In any front-to-back windtunnel ventilation setup, the CNPS9700 will thrive on the same conditions that will also aid properly-oriented Ultra-120 eXtremes, Tuniq Tower 120s, Ultima 90s, and so forth and so on. The CNPS9700 will not come out on top against those other coolers, but it will be among the most expensive HSFs available unless you count those hybrid TEC units.
Some folks even like to window their rigs - imagine that - and would rather find a solution that works AND is nice to look at. Imagine that. Now you'd argue "looks arent important, performance is..." That's convenient.
The OP didn't ask about looks. He seemed to be asking about performance.
First, you own the Big Typhoon, and second, that's one of the most utilitarian butt-ugly coolers on the market. Period. Eye of the beholder.
Yay for my opaque side panel?
You'd argue that it's performance more than makes up for that, and then you whine about test methodology when it doesn't.
I don't whine. I state facts and point out the fact that the Enzotech unit has (or had) many proponents on this forum and on others who were flabbergasted by the results of Anandtech's tests. Heck, even the Big Typhoon VX beat the Enzotech which surprised the hell out of me.
Fact is, some very well-thought-out tests have been done in the past (in particular one on the old Abit forums here:
http://forum.uabit.com/showthread.php?t=103462 ) that show the Big Typhoon beating even the mighty Tuniq Tower 120. It's a good HSF, and it responds well to some fairly fast fans too, which is nice if you can stand the noise. Of course, the Ultra-120 and Ultra-120 eXtreme are better in my opinion. In some situations the Tuniq Tower 120 and some others - yes, even the CNPS9700 - are better as well. I personally think top-downs introduce too much turbulence in front-to-back windtunnel situations, and they really suffer when you have a weak exhaust/intake situation and no vents, ducts, or fans in the side panel. In those situations, yes, the CNPS9700 would edge out or even destroy the Big Typhoon VX.
Good point on the Tuniq, tho. It's 45 bucks, with a quiet fan, and is usually seen in the top five of any roundup. 9700 is 60 bucks, and is also seen near the top of most roundups - tier 1 I think I said? Far as I can tell, the 9700 gives up maybe 3-4 degrees to the Tuniq. But the Tuniq is 16mm taller than the Zalman, and maybe that's too much for some users? And maybe the fifteen bucks is worth it to some users 'cause they dig the copper or gun metal look, and the led fan? Maybe they run their rig windowed and want to show stuff like this off?
If the OP wanted bling I'm sure he would have mentioned that. And yes, the 9700 will fit some cases that can't take the Tuniq Tower 120 or the Ultra-120 eXtreme, as I already mentioned.
BTW - Thermalrights that lead the charts...with recommended fans added to the cost, they run 60-80 bucks. Whole lotta folks don't see that as too expensive.
That's because the Ultra-120 eXtreme is about as good as it gets unless the Zerotherm Nirvana proves to be equally powerful at a lower price. People who want the best will pay for it. The CNPS9700 isn't the best and yet people still wind up paying a premium for it. Why?
I don't own a Zalman - used to, tho...the flower, the 7000 on a Pent 4, and it worked very nicely. The 9700 has been extremely well reviewed, within a couple of degrees of the top dogs. You know that, since I think you read review sites just as I do. So if you got something against them, why not just say so.
I already said what I have against the CNPS9700, several times: It costs too much for what it does. A lot of noobs wind up with them when they could have gotten better coolers or similar coolers for less. The number of cases where the CNPS9700 is actually the best cooler available given the situation is pretty small. Yeah, they aren't going to die from a horrible disease if they buy the thing, but the bang/buck ration on the 9700 just isn't that good.
Better still, why not fanboy it up and A-B it against your Typhoon?
It's simple, really: my system utilizes the Big Typhoon VX to cool just about everything except the harddrive, as I'll mention below. The CNPS9700 and other L-shaped coolers that blow parallel to the motherboard can't do that.
Instead of just trashing it.
Your definition of trashing is rather odd.
Folks look for honest advice here. Come clean if you've got a vendetta.
Yes, I have a vendetta against products that don't live up to their price and yet somehow show up on every vendor's shelf.
On the other hand, if you haven't read a slew of reviews on the product in question, then why post at all?
I've read enough, thanks.
And this from you: "I think the cnps9700 might have been more suitable as it's fan direction is towards the rear fan as the typhoon's direction is towards the side of the case."
What orientation would you imagine most ppl are going to use with this cooler, given the chance? That's right - pointing at the rear exhaust fan so heat is extracted quickly from the case. Is that a bad thing in your world?
It's not just my world. Some people don't run a front-to-back windtunnel configuration that relies on a combined intake and exhaust system (best exemplified in cases like the Antec 900). Some of us forgo powerful (or any) intakes in favor of a top-down cooler that blows air down on the CPU and spreads that air out over the entire motherboard, providing sufficient cooling for many/all motherboard components, RAM, and so forth (basically everything except the harddrives) provided the HSF's fan is pumping more air than it needs to cool the CPU alone. In my case, the Big Typhoon VX with a 110 cfm Silverstone FM-121 (a very common combo) does the work. It's the exact same cooling system utilized by most/all stock HSFs out there. It works particularly well on cheap cases equipped with side vents, ducts, or fans that gained popularity back in the P4 days.
Overall you get better case cooling with a front-to-back windtunnel setup in combination with a heatpiped tower contibuting to the airflow. However, achieving that in a satisfactory manner often requires a case with a well-balanced intake and exhaust (some prefer underpressure or overpressure according to their needs) which is not something you typically find on el-cheapo cases with restricted/weak/nonexistent intakes and one 120mm exhaust fan mount if you're lucky (such as in the Centurion 5). Even if you do get an el-cheapo case with a lot of fans, like the CM 690 (oh how I wish that case had been $30 when I bought this system), you can still pay a pretty penny to deck it out with fans unless you shop smart (Yate Loons). Nevertheless, when saving money by going cheap on a case, you may find it difficult to provide enough airflow using the intake and exhaust alone, putting your CPU in an ugly situation unless you can draw air in effectively through the side of the case, which top-down HSFs do rather nicely. Trying to run a system with 2-3 Raptors and a Crossfire/SLI setup in a Centurion 5 cooled by nothing but a Big Typhoon and a 120mm exhaust would be pure insanity, though, so obviously there are limits to using your HSF for an intake fan.
When I put this rig together, I saved a lot of money going with a Centuion 5 cooled by the Big Typhoon VX and a Silverstone FM-121. I put the VX's fan on the exhaust mount and used the FM-121 on the HSF. It works nicely for what I have.
What I was trying to get at in all the posts where I was helping the OP is that, if he needs a top-down HSF (like I did, given my case), he should go with the Big Typhoon VX. Period. If he needs a standard tower cooler to blow to the exhaust, he should go with something like the Tuniq Tower 120, Ultima-90, Ultra-120 eXtreme, or what have you. The CNPS9700 should not have been considered.
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