Zalman is a Korean company that is well known in the computer enthusiast community for producing silent and effective cooling devices. They have concentrated on reducing computer noise levels, and recently have been developing products to deal with the extra strain of overclocking. A large surface area is required to achieve this and still maintain low noise levels. Today we are looking at two Zalman products, the all copper 7000Cu and its lower-end brother, the 7000AlCu; which is an aluminum cooler with copper insert.
Previous Zalman products have shown decent cooling efficiency and innovative designs, and the new batch of series 7000 coolers continues this trend. The design reflects ThermalTake’s Orb series, but with much thinner fins and more of them. The copper cooler also weighs in very heavy at 773 grams: 72% heavier than Intel’s recommended 450 grams. In comparison, the AlCu model weighs in under Intel’s recommendation at a safe 445 grams. The core of P4s are protected from crushing by a copper plating (doubling as a heat spreader), but still one should take care when moving a computer fixed with such a beast. Zalman even warns in their manual that they bear no responsibility for any damage to your CPU, especially when overclocking. Those concerned about the weight issue should look at the much lighter CNPS7000AlCu.
The positive side of such a large cooler is its surface area, which reaches 3170 square centimeters. For comparison, the surface area of the still huge CNPS5700D-Cu radiator is 1270 sq cm. Both coolers have 130 fins (92 on each side). The AlCu has 23 aluminum fins, followed by 19 copper fins, and followed again by 23 more aluminum fins. The copper on both heatsinks is not plated in any way, so oxidation may occur in time. The heatsinks are designed for both Pentium 4s and the upcoming Athlon Hammer processors. The surface is super-smooth, and each fin has been embossed with the Zalman logo.
Standard fans have a “wind shadow” under their hub, and Zalman takes advantage of their fin design to maximize cooling. Since the fan is not surrounded by a square of plastic, air is pulled in from the sides and above, so the emphasis on air circulation is on the fins instead of the hub, which receives less air because of the “wind shield”.
The 7000Cu and 7000AlCu are both contained in a sealed plastic package, which is difficult to open without destroying it. It must be opened with scissors or a knife, and a good amount of force is required to break its seal.
Included within the package are the following:
- 1 x heatsink (with mounted 92mm fan)
- 1 x Zalman FanMate (fan silencer)
- 1 x instruction booklet
- 2 x aluminum mounting brackets
- 2 x mounting screws
- 2 x thumb screws (used for mounting to Athlon 64 motherboards)
- 1 x tube of standard thermal compound
The FanMate is basically a rheostat fixed with a heatsink and enclosed in an attractive plastic casing. A small knob can be turned to reduce the voltage sent to the fan, thereby reducing its rotation speed and noise. This device is installed between your power source and fan, and does not interfere with your motherboard’s fan monitoring ability.
The thermal compound is a standard issue tube. It will do the job, but a high performance compound is recommended, such as Arctic Silver III. The enclosed aluminum brackets are intended to fasten to the mounting clips of a standard Pentium 4 enclosure. The heatsink can then be secured to these brackets with the enclosed screws.
The heatsink itself is very shiny. The processor contact point is machined very well, and does not require any lapping at all to achieve a completely flat surface. This flat surface will maximize contact by eliminating any microscopic peaks and valleys between the processor core and the cooler. Still, no matter how flat it looks to the eye, there is still space when using a dry joint, and thermal compound is used to fill these gaps.
The manufacturing design is very simple. Copper plates are shaved from a solid block of copper, and are strongly pressed together in the center. They are linked with pins and fixed with two aluminum side plates to maintain stability. The pressed center now takes on the appearance of a solid block of copper, and serves as the base for installing a fan.
Before installing a heatsink, you must apply a thin amount of thermal paste to the processor core. Just add a small drop to the center of the core, and use a spreader to coat a thin layer over the processor. I used Arctic Silver III to achieve the highest possible thermal transfer between the processor and heatsink, as it has a higher thermal transfer than copper, and therefore no possibility of additional resistance.
The Pentium 4 mounting frame was designed to allow tool-less installation, but this cooler requires a screwdriver to install properly. You also have to fit the screwdriver between the fan blades when tightening, as they are in the direct path of the mounting holes. The heatsink is built like an inverted cone, and the end diameter extends beyond the area intended for a Pentium 4 heatsink. The dimensions are 109x109x62 mm. Some motherboard components may interfere with the installation, or the cooler may block some memory slots, depending on your motherboard layout.
The installation feels very secure, but the aluminum brackets give a slightly springy movement. You can view a flash animation on this installation here. If you require a step by step description, read on.
- Install the aluminum brackets into the P4 frame by inserting into the clip holes.
- Place a screw into one of the heatsink’s mounting hole.
- Place the heatsink onto the processor core while aligning the screw with the mounting hole
- Tighten the screw, which will see-saw the other end of the mounting bracket up.
- Now you must use a little force to push the other mounting bracket down onto the aluminum clip. While holding this down with your thumb, place and tighten the next screw. The cooler will probably glide around on the processor surface, so it may take a minute to align properly.
- Plug the fan lead to the FanMate, and the FanMate to your motherboard.
To compare the Zalman’s performance, we compared them to a Vantec AeroCool, a copper-aluminum hybrid. Temperatures were monitored using an onboard Winbond chip through Motherboard Monitor 5. The idle temperature reading was taken after the system sat for 5 minutes. Load was simulated using 3dMark2001 in an endless loop for at least 10 minutes. Any minor temporary peaks were ignored and instead used the highest average temperature.
Since Zalman intends their products to run in silent mode, we tested all heatsink fans running at full rotation, and then throttled down using the included FanMate silencer. It must be noted that the Zalman’s high speed is around 2400rpm, compared to the AeroCool’s high of 5600rpm. The Zalman is almost silent even running at full speed, and the AeroCool still gives off some noise when throttled down to the minimum of 3500rpm.
Test platform
- Intel Pentium 4 2.53GHz
- AOpen AX4PE Max motherboard
- AOpen GeForce4 Ti4200
- 1024MB DDR333 memory
- Chenming Aluminum case (with side panel open)
Conclusion
The Zalmans are able to disperse more heat than the AeroCool, and still be quieter than a whisper, even when running at full speed. The monstrous surface area does it’s job well. Even the Aluminum-Copper hybrid outperforms other AlCus with only a fraction of the noise. As mentioned previously, users concerned about the weight of the cooler should consider the AlCu model. Others who want best of class cooling without the windtunnel should pick of the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu. This Copper cooler is the real hero here, being able to achieve the lowest temperatures while maintaining good airflow and low noise. Both of these heatsinks receive a well-deserved 9 out of 10, and the OCmodshop seal of approval!
Pros
- Looks very cool when installed
- Excellent cooling efficiency
- Very quiet operation in all modes
- Excellent machining quality
- Included FanMate
Cons
- May not fit on your motherboard
- High price ($39 for the AlCu, and $45 for the copper)