Zalman CNPS 7700 ALCU, Zalman VF700 review - Results: CNPS vs. Stock Cooling
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Of course we expect to see lower temperatures now that we have upgraded our cooling system. But just how much lower can the CNPS reach compared to the stock cooler?
Test Setup:
- Ultra 400W PSU (quiet 120mm fan)
- Intel Pentium 4 520 2.8 GHz Processor @ 14x204 2.856 GHz, 1.3875v
- Asus AA8 Duramax
- 2x512MB PQI PC2 4200 3:4 1.9v
- 128MB Gigabyte PCX5750 (425/550 MHz)
- 80GB Samsung Spin point (with noise shield) SATA HDD
- 120GB Samsung Spin point (with noise shield) ATA133 HDD
- 24C room temperature, no chassis fans
To get full CPU load I ran SPI to 16M, and also ran Sandra burn in wizard to ensure 100 percent utilization of the CPU.
The Results
The results are a little bit better than stock cooling, especially with the fan set on normal. It’s quieter than the stock fan, and performs better than stock cooling by 2C. In silent mode, the CNPS 7700 performs as well as stock cooling. But load temps go 3C higher. There is, however, a simple upgrade for lowering the temps: Arctic Silver 5.
By replacing the normal Zalman thermal grease with Arctic Silver thermal paste, temperatures drop considerably compared to the original thermal paste. In silent mode the CNPS 7700 performs better than stock cooling, but with an extra 1C on load.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Intel’s Prescott CPU is considered one of the hottest new processors available. With the heatsink being compatible with other sockets, you may see better cooling results with other processors. Still, the results from my own test are in no way bad results with such a hot processor. Temperatures can safely go up to 70C without problems, and even in silent mode the CPU is much cooler than what Intel lists as the maximum thermal load.
Next: Upgrading Videocards Heatsinks >>
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