Zalman CNPS6500B-AlCu Pentium 4 Heatsink Review

---

The recipe card for the CNPS6500B-AlCu reads like this; take 8 copper fins and 44 aluminum ones, place them all in a machine that squeezes everything together with a tremendous amount of pressure, and finally bolt in place with stainless steel screws.

To ice off this thermal cake, mill the base razor smooth, and perfectly flat. The B series of the CNPS65000-AlCu model differs from the original only in how they are mounted to socket 478 motherboards.

In the past mounting was accomplished by means of nuts and bolts. It was an effective method to be sure, but one that took a long time to complete, and was somewhat inconvenient too. Well, since we first tested a Zalman heatsink we have seen a steady stream of minor improvements and additions, and the CNPS6500B-AlCu is no different.

With a weight of 400 grams to contend with, the CNPS650BAlCu straps itself into the standard socket 478 heatsink retention mechanism with two blue springy pieces of plastic.

The new system is incredibly quick and easy and it would actually be really cool to see companies like Alpha or Swiftech use the same methods for their large heatsinks. But anyway, getting back the Zalman cooler at hand, we tested out the installation in a standard computer and it went forward without any glitches.

	Heatsink Specsheet: Model: CNPS6500B AlCu Fan: 92mm case-mounted Fan Dim: Power Cooler 25x92x92mm, 2500RPM, 12V, 3.36W FHS Dimensions: 115x83x65mm Weight: 400 grams Surface area: 3400cm2 Thermal resistance: 0.30C/W Machine milled base, aluminum and copper fan construction Made & Sold by: Zalman Tech Co. Cost: ~ $40USD Sold By: www.zalmanusa.com

The two sets of tabs which now come out the side of the heats are flat, and without any holes. The blue plastic clip rests on each of these tabs and that all it takes to keep the CNPS6500B-Alcu in the socket firmly. I'd play it safe and remove the heatsink if the computer is being moved any great distances however.

Basics on the Noise Reduction System

The easiest way to improve the performance of a heatsink is to increase the amount of air moving through its fins. This is not the best way to improve a heatsink, but it is the easiest, and most common method.

To this effect, computers have been increasingly getter louder and louder. In most situations we are apt to grin and bear it - tucking the computer under a table or putting headphones on and turning up the music. This is where Zalman steps in with their "CNPS" acronym for "Computer Noise Prevention System." In addition to the large 92mm fan that comes with the CNPS6500B-AlCu, they also include the FanMate 1. The FanMate 1 allows you to further decrease the degree of noise generated by the fan, by lowering the amount of voltage it receives, and in turn how fast it rotates.

The Fan Mate 1 is rated to handle fans drawing 6W or less (via a three-pin power connector), and will output from between 12V to 5V depending on where the dial is set. The flower heatsinks comes with a 92mm fan on a adjustable armature. The mounting arm attaches to the case by using the first three slot card screw positions and a 25cm long fan wire plugs directly into the motherboard to offer RPM monitoring.