As previously mentioned, the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler has been designed to be cross platform compatible
thanks for the inclusion of the universal clipping mechanism. The 8-page documentation has some excellent
reference diagrams which demonstrate the installation procedure for AMD Socket 462, Intel P4 Socket
478 and the new AMD64 Socket 754.
Click image for larger view
Click image for larger view
In this installation example, I am mounting the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler on an Intel D580EMV2 Reference
Board using an Intel P4 2.4 MHz CPU. The installation process begins with the placement of two clip support
brackets that are inserted into the stock CPU mounting bracket. Once the clip support brackets
are installed the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler is lowered onto the CPU itself and secured using two mounting
screws. Like of installation of most water blocks on the market, consumers have to alternate from left
to right tightening the screws in order to secure the CNPS7000A-Cu in place. The last step is to connect
the 3-pin fan header from the 92mm fan to one end of the Fan Mate 1 Controller and the other end to a
3-pin header on the motherboard. Prior to completing the assembly of the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler, Artic
Silver Cermaque was spread thinly across the surface of the CPU.
Click image for larger view
Click image for larger view
Due to the size restrictions of the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler, Zalman has created an official
interference list.
The inteference list contains several well known motherboards which have installation issues
with the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler. It is strongly recommended that consumers consult this list
prior to making a purchasing decision regarding this product. I was lucky when mounting this
unit on the Intel D580EMV2 Reference Board, since the outer copper fins of the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF
Cooler almost interfere with the installation of one my RDRAM modules. In order to run a few tests,
I assembled the following components:
Intel Desktop Reference Board D580EMV2
Intel P4 2.4 MHz CPU
2 x Samsung 256M PC800 RDRAM modules
Visiontek Xtasy Geforce 4 MX 420 Video Card
Maxtor D740X-GL 60 GB Hard drive
D-Link DFE-530TX NIC card
Generic 48x CDROM
The Intel Desktop Reference Board D580EMV2 does not offer overclocking features or capabilities in BIOS.
In order to complete this testing of the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler, temperatures will be recorded in
Silent and Normal operation. The "Burn-In Wizard" from SiSoft Sandra 2003 is used to put the CPU under
concentrated load for a pre-determined amount of time. The options selected in "Burn-In Wizard" run the
CPU and CPU Multimedia benchmarks for approximately 15 minutes. The system is left alone for approximately
15 minutes before the burn-in test is performed. Maximum temperatures are measured in degree Celsius and
recorded for idle and full load in both Silent and Normal modes using an independent thermal probe and
Motherboard Monitor 5.3.4.0.
Conclusion:
The Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler despite its size and weight managed to produce some respectable
temperatures in a non-overclocked environment. After a series of burn-in tests there was only a 2-3
degree marginal difference in both Normal and Silent Modes. Higher temperature differences were noted
between idle and load modes which re-affirms my position that there is a trade off in terms of cooling
performance for silent operation. The CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler operating at a mere 1380 RPM's with 20 dBA
noise level in Silent Mode is barely audible. Even when the Fan Mate 1 is adjusted to full speed at
2363 RPM's with a 25 dBA, the noise level is tolerable. The overall construction of the CNPS7000A-Cu
HSF Cooler is top rate and to date is one of the best heatsink designs that Zalman has delivered to the
consumer market. The universal mounting mechanisms make this product ideal for a wide variety of computing
platforms. The add-on Fan Mate 1 controller simplifies the process of controlling noise levels to suit
any working environment. The only negative aspects of the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler are the size and weight
which isolate a few consumers from considering this product. As previously mentioned, I almost ran into mounting
issues since the external copper fins of the CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler overlap the location where the RDRAM modules
are to be installed. Zalman's motherboard interference list should definitely be consulted for existing
known motherboard issues prior to considering a purchase of this product. Overall, I'm rating the Zalman
CNPS7000A-Cu HSF Cooler an 8.5 out of 10,
and would recommend it to those individuals a balance between silent operation and cooling performance.
If you have any questions regarding this review be sure to visit the
Zalman website for more information or discuss
them in our forums.
Pros:
Visually stunning heatsink
Easy installation
Supports virtually all modern CPUs
Voltage regulator for adjustable noise levels
Silent operation
Cons:
Extremely heavy
Extra large footprint
Trade off in cooling performance for silent operation
Pros:
Cons:
