Zalman CNPS7000-Cu CPU Cooler Review
By: Steve "BrewMeister" Arsenault

Well I got my Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink and I must say WOW is this thing freakin' huge!! The total package as shipped weighs in at 32.5 oz (921.375 grams or just over 2 pounds). The heatsink alone weighs 773 grams (27.055 oz, 1.7 pounds) according to the instructions!

The Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink measures 4.25 inches across (109 mm), 2.5 inches high (62 mm), and has a total dissipation area of 3170 Cm2. Basically, there's a lot of 'meat' there to draw heat away from your processor. There are plenty of great web sites out there that explain how to install it so I won't bore you with that detail. Here is a link to Zalman's flash animation showing the installation process.

The package contains a CPU heatsink/fan unit, (2) P4 mounting clips, (4) screws and (1) tube of thermal grease, an instruction manual, Athlon 64 mounting "nipples", adjustable fan speed controller (Fan Mate 1), and a bag of silica-gel to control moisture (not very tasty).

The manual notes on the first page that: "The specified maximum weight is 450g for an Intel Pentium 4 cooler. The weight of the CNPS7000-Cu is 773g, so special care should be taken when moving a computer equipped with CNPS7000-Cu. Zalman Tech is not responsible for any damage that occurs when moving a computer."

With a case as big as mine (25.5" tall x 9.5" wide x 18.5" deep and 54 pounds) I won't be moving this thing around too much, so this is of little concern to me. If you decide to use this in your LAN party box, be very careful!

Now this review is just basically a direct comparison between my current processor cooling device, the AVC Mega-Cool, and the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu. My methods might be a bit different from the big web sites that use real high tech testing equipment, sound proof labs, clean rooms and trained chimps. I use the limited tools I have or can download for free, and compare the two items based on my real world needs and perception.

My test system

With my AVC heatsink at rest the processor runs at +42°C/107°F. After one 15 minute match of Unreal Tournament 2003 solo mission the temp jumps to around 52°C/125°F. It takes around 3 minutes for the temp to return to the +42°C/107°F range after closing out all applications.

The resting temperature of the CPU with the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink is +40°C/104°F, or 2°C/3°F lower than the AVC which isn't all that significant. After one 15 minute match of Unreal Tournament 2003 solo mission the temp rises to only +47°C/116°F. That's 5°C/8°F lower than the AVC - not too shabby - and it only took 2 minutes to return to the normal +40°C/104°F.

When I ran the SiSoft Sandra Burn-In-Wizard continuously, the results showed that after 2 executions (about 10 minutes), the AVC resulted in CPU temperatures up to a max of 55°C (130°oF, the temp of a perfectly cooked roast beef or glazed ham) and the system aborted the test due to extreme heat.

Run 2 executing...
Board Temperature: 34.0°C (Min 33.0°C; Avg 33.5°C; Max 34.0°C)
CPU Temperature: 55.0°C (Min 45.5°C; Avg 50.3°C; Max 55.0°C)
CPU Fan Speed: 3924rpm (Min 3924rpm; Avg 3935rpm; Max 3947rpm)
CPU Voltage: 1.54V (Min 1.52V; Avg 1.53V; Max 1.54V)
CPU Core Power: 62W (Min 61W; Avg 62W; Max 62W)
CPU Cooling System Thermal Resistance : 0.34°C/W (Min 0.20°C/W; Avg 0.27°C/W; Max 0.34°C/W)

With the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink installed, the same SiSoft Sandra Burn-In test ran for 2 full hours (before I just got tired of running it and went to bed). The temperatures were between 41.0°C (105°F) and a maximum of 48.0°C (118oF, just enough to melt chocolate). The average temperature was 47.2°C (116° F).

Run 36 executing...
Board Temperature: 31.0°C (Min 31.0°C; Avg 32.1°C; Max 33.0°C)
CPU Temperature: 47.5°C (Min 41.0°C; Avg 47.2°C; Max 48.0°C)
CPU Fan Speed: 2411rpm (Min 2411rpm; Avg 2427rpm; Max 2464rpm)
CPU Voltage: 1.52V (Min 1.50V; Avg 1.53V; Max 1.58V)
CPU Core Power: 61W (Min 60W; Avg 62W; Max 66W)
CPU Cooling System Thermal Resistance : 0.27°C/W (Min 0.14°C/W; Avg 0.24°C/W; Max 0.27°C/W)

Now for the real test...

I was able to overclock my Pentium 4 - 2.53 GHz processor to 2.85 GHz while the idle temperature held at +42°C/107°F. Under full load of running the SiSoft Sandra Burn-In test for approximately 2 hours, the processor reached a maximum temperature of +52°C/125° F.

Run 36 executing...
Board Temperature: 33.0°C (Min 33.0°C; Avg 33.0°C; Max 33.0°C)
CPU Temperature: 52.0°C (Min 43.0°C; Avg 50.0°C; Max 52.0°C)
CPU Fan Speed: 2481rpm (Min 2464rpm; Avg 2473rpm; Max 2482rpm)
CPU Voltage: 1.68V (Min 1.62V; Avg 1.65V; Max 1.68V)
CPU Core Power: 84W (Min 77W; Avg 81W; Max 84W)
CPU Cooling System Thermal Resistance : 0.21°C/W (Min 0.14°C/W; Avg 0.18°C/W; Max 0.21°C/W)

That's pretty darn good, especially since I went from 2.53 GHz to 2.85 GHz. I could probably increase the FSB and the CPU Core voltage a little bit more, but for now this is a very good test.

Now I know the main purpose of the contest on FrostyTech was to review how the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink makes your PC quieter. I honestly don't know how much quieter it is since I can't hear it over the other fans in my PC case.

I just ordered and received a Zalman ZM-F2 - 92mm fan to replace my loudest fan which is on my PSU. It's rated at only 20dB (1600 RPM) on silent mode and 36 dB (2800 RPM) on normal mode so maybe I will be able to hear the difference.

ONE HOUR LATER . . .

OK, since I can't hear any difference over my other loud ass fan (the front 120mm Nidec fan), I hooked each of them up to a test PC with only a CPU, PSU, MOBO and memory and stuck one cooler in each ear. I don't have any sophisticated testing equipment or sound level meter so 'alls I gots is me ears.'

In this test I can definitely tell that the Zalman is at least half as loud, if not a third as loud as the AVS cooler. By the way, the Zalman ZM-F2 fan is barely a whisper so it was a worthwhile upgrade as well.

Well this concludes my review of the Zalman CNPS7000-Cu heatsink. It is a great cooler for the casual over-clocker, and a wonderful addition to the quest for the quiet computer. There really wasn't anything I could find about the Zalman cooler that I didn't like. It was packaged well, it had a good manual with adequate instructions, and came with good thermal goo.

I guess the only thing I can gripe about was the fan speed controller knob was very small and difficult to turn. It would have been nicer to have a larger knob on there. It would have also been good if there was something so that the fan controller could be mounted on the case, or added to a rear PCI slot cover for ease of use/access.

In my application I just had to adjust the speed to where I wanted it, then tie the wire around something inside my case to keep it out of view of the case window. To adjust the fan controller I have to take my case cover off... which on this case is a royal pain since it is one large cover.

I want to thank FrostyTech and Max Page for the fabulous freebie, and the opportunity to put in my $0.02 in this review. I would also like to thank Zalman for making one kick-ass cooler. It was a fun experience and I hope to be able to do more in the future.

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Time stamped: 4:19PM, 09.02.2010