In the Silent Mode comparison the Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu is inaudible over the noise of the case fans, video card, and northbridge coolers. If your system is low noise, this will fit right in. The modded V77L wasn’t especially loud when 7volted, but it could be heard. In regards to performance, the Zalman didn’t lag far behind:
During the Full Mode tests, the Vantec Tornado SCREAMED. I can’t believe I used to run my PC like this – and with two 68CFM Delta case fans as well! It was amazingly loud now that I’m accustomed to watercooling. On the other hand the 7000A was just barely audible with the rest of the case fans going, and this is with me sticking my head in the case with the door off. I was very surprised to see that while the noise amounts differed greatly, the temps were very competitive!
Conclusion
Great package, surprisingly good performance, but a potentially horrible installation. I’m an optimist, so I’m willing to say that most Zalman mounting clips will be threaded, but none the less it was surprising to see all the great craftsmanship and then find unthreaded screwholes. I also highly recommend you check your mobo for compatibility before ordering this heatsink. While it can be made to fit, nobody outside of the enthusiast market will be willing to go through all that trouble. Also, the large size of the heatsink may make it incompatible with some systems.
Installation issues aside, this heatsink kept within a few degrees of a 60+dB blaster heatsink-fan with much much much less noise! This is the first air-cooling solution I’ve seen that has successfully blended low noise and high performance. Even the Full Mode is silent by overclocker standards, and for the average Joe type of user the Silent Mode is truly quiet. I give this heatsink a 6.5/10 only because of the potential installation and compatibility issues, but for compatible mobos the install should be much smoother. Thanks to Sharka Corporation for sending this heatsink my way!
Pros
- Very low noise
- Very good performance
- Mounting hardware for all modern processors
- Fan-speed controller
Cons
- Potentially difficult install
- Will not fit in all systems
- BIG heatsink could be a problem
- Somewhat pricey at $49.99
