The Apack
Zerotherm CF900 heatsink is a stubby little copper heatsink,
and a good candidate for any socket 775 Intel Pentium
D/Core 2 Duo based computer system. It has been designed to operate
as quietly as possible, so the clear fan scales automatically to tackle heat
loads as high as 130W. The thermally responsive fan adjusts its speed
between 800-2300RPM, blowing upwards of 42CFM over 2300mm2
of
cooling surface area. The CF900 heatsink is identical to the companies Zerotherm CF800
model, except that the
Zerotherm CF900 uses of copper where the latter is all aluminum. Given
identical geometries, it will be interesting to note what, if any, changes there are to thermal performance with the Zerotherm CF900
model.
The Apack Zerotherm CF900 heatsink has four
copper heatpipes which connect the copper base plate to the copper cooling fins
above; consequently this little heatsink weighs a hefty 562 grams. The
CF900 operates fairly quietly under power, which is always a good
attribute in any heatsink. The CF900 installs with a set of its own spring tensioned
screws, onto a supplied metal backplate. Unfortunately this necessitates removing the motherboard from the case
first, to install the plate the CF900
attaches to. Like the CF800 model, Apack's Zerotherm CF900 ships with a pre-applied patch
of Shin-etsu thermal compound.
Apack Zerotherm CF900
Heatsink
|
 | |
 |
| HEATSINK
SPECSHEET |
| Manufacturer: Apack |
| Model No.: Zerotherm CF900 |
| Materials: copper fins, heat pipes
and base |
| Fan Mfg: Protechnic MGT9212HS-S25 |
| Fan Spec: 800-2300RPM, 12V, 0.25A |
| Fan Dim: 25x95x95mm |
| Heatsink & Fan Dim: 79x106x95mm |
| Weight: 562 grams |
| Includes: pre-applied thermal compound |
Compatible with Sockets: LGA775 |
| Est. Pricing: $40USD
($45CDN) | |
The
Zerotherm CF900's Protechnic MGT9212HS-S25 fan has a thermistor attached to a
short length of wire coming out of the motor hub, and this plays a crucial role
in how the heatsink performs. 
The thermistor is cleverly located inside a well formed within in the array of
copper cooling fins, so it accurately responds to the temperature of the metal, not the internal case
air temperature. This enables the Zerotherm CF900 fan to scale its impeller speed as necessary, and cuts down on unnecessary
noise.
At its
slowest speed (800RPM), the 95mm diameter Protechnic fan barely produces 35 dBA noise. At its
full speed of 2300RPM, the fan rumbles away with a moderately audible 48.3 dBA. A 3-pin power connector means
this heatsink is not PWM compatible, but that doesn't really matter. The thermistor placement does a good job
of allowing the fan to respond to the temperature load at any given
moment.
A set of four
copper heatpipes connect
the copper fins to the base of the heatsink, which is made up
of a large die cast aluminum mounting frame and a small 32x32mm small copper plate. The copper base plate makes direct contact with the processor's integrated
heat spreader for optimal heat transfer.
The joints between the copper cooling fins and copper
heatpipes appear to be soldered (or otherwise bonded), and similarly so for
the joints between the copper base and heat pipes.
The die cast aluminum mounting base is a bit of a
puzzle though... It's big for starters, and it's also directly in contact
with the copper heatpipes and copper base. The upper half of the aluminum
mounting base is completely flat, and given that it is absorbing as much
heat at the processor is putting out, it's hard to understand why Apack chose
not to integrate some sort of low profile cooling fins here. The large aluminum
die cast mounting plate sits directly under the copper fins, so it gets a full
blast of air already... some fins would have only enhanced the heatsinks'
thermal performance.
The Apack Zerotherm CF900 heatsink will be tested
on FrostyTech's Intel LGA775 version of the Mk.II synthetic
thermal temperature test platform, and compared against several reference LGA775
heatsinks. The whole test methodology is outlined in detail
here if you care to know what equipment is used, and the parameters under
which the tests are conducted. Now let's move forward and take a closer look at
this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics, and of course it performance in the
thermal tests!
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