Zalman CNPS8700 LED & NT Cooling fan

[Jeffrey]

Zalman is a major player in the field of cooling. For several years now that we must salute the excellent performance of their cooling systems for CPU.The CNPS9500 out there more than two years remains a safe bet while pure performance enthusiasts will love the huge CNPS9700.The side of the liquid cooling, the Reserator are no longer present, have thrilled and continue to delight many fans of silence. However, this idyllic picture is somewhat qualified in recent times.Indeed, the CNPS8000 has been rather disappointing because of its poor performance while the Reserator XT has proved unconvincing not only because of its performance but its price and change the philosophy of making assets where others were Reserator fanless.

Recently, Zalman has released two new ventirads from a common basis: the CNPS8700 LED and CNPS8700 NT. In short, it is loosely inspired by sinks in 7700 that might have added some heat.The LED has a classic 3 connector pins while the NT uses a PWM connector 4 points. Before considering their performance, one can only regret that Zalman products so inspired by what he has done in the past.CNPS9500 since there are more than two years, no innovation has been led by the Korean manufacturer in terms of cooling air. On the other hand, it is understandable that Zalman must say that their products are selling well, are efficient and there is therefore no reason to change products successful.Still hoping that the Korean company will soon ventirads innovative new as they conceive are accustomed to.


Series 8000 with Zalman radiator is initially intended for desktop-type enclosures and HTPC enclosure whose height is insufficient to accommodate ventirads type tower. As already mentioned, the 8000 was a disappointment in terms of performance, where the output of 8700 who embrace the philosophy of "bigger is better".It is indeed sinks with a 110mm fan cooling fins Copper heat pipes by two crossings. But are not limited to HTPC cases, which is rather obvious.

[Jeffrey]

Installation

Both sinks are twins and they differ only by the fan. The LED 8700 includes a connector classic 3 points 4 points against a PWM for the "NT". The 8700 LED, however, is delivered with the Fanmate 2 in order to vary its speed from 5 to 10.5 volts. Another difference is the maximum speed: 2300 rpm to 2100 against the LED for NT, with an allowance of 10%. We met this "tolerance" as our 8700 LED turned into 12 volts at 2550 rpm while the 8700 NT operating at 1985 rpm, still 12 volts. Even among the differences: the color. If the LED 8700 is copper colored, the 8700 NT is nickel silver with copper covering and thus limited to its oxidation.

Despite they are both fully Copper (base, heat pipes and fins), the weight is very reasonable since kept under 500 grams. The dimensions are obviously ... generous in width because of 110 mm placed in the wings but contained high with only 6.7 centimeters. It remains less broad than the CNPS7700, which included a reminder of the radiator in a 120 mm.

If at first appear to be the CNPS8700 of 7700 with heatpipes, a closer look at the radiators, we realize that they differ in several respects. Beyond the size of the fan, 110 mm for 8700 against 120 for 7700, the shape of the wings is also different. In short, 8700 to 7700 are based on the principle but it stops there.

The installation is more difficult than on other ventirads of the mark, at least in LGA775 socket. If Zalman has always using a plywood and a mounting bracket to screw the "leg" secured via fastening screws replaced with a lever system focusing on retention through brackets. This is much less convenient to use and can be embarrassing as our Asus Blitz Extreme where outgrowth on which we must secure the lever was banging against the sink behind the mosfets output entries. On an Intel Bad Ax, always concern because mosfets radiator and a condenser that make it difficult to stow on the hook retention system. There are way out by reversing the retention system except that you condemn the lever socket, making it more difficult than the withdrawal of the processor. Indeed, the retention system is expected to move only one way that allows the opening of the fastening system of the processor.

The 8700 returns to shoehorn radiators because of the increasing volume and the highest around the socket. Zalman also announced on its website that no component of a height greater than 3.9 cm should be present within a radius of 6.1 cm around the center of the socket.

Socket AM2, the CNPS8700 move also provided with the lever but the retention system standard AMD. This therefore poses fewer difficulties than socket LGA775. What remains difficult to do against common to both sockets, it is the insertion of the lever between the heatpipes in order to secure the center circle in the fan. Few also clear positioning of the hook on the lever as a result of vanes, access to the lever is not easy without the need to position it correctly according to the socket on which you install the ventirad. In summary, Zalman has accustomed us to installations much easier.

[Jeffrey]

Configuration and testing protocol

Motherboard Asus Blitz Extreme was chosen because it is one of the few probes provide temperature southbridge and northbridge in addition to the classical probe labeled "motherboard." In addition, the chipset may be thanks to watercooler integrated waterblock, which can be used in testing systems Watercooling. The Blitz Extreme also can read the temperatures of both probes delivered free in the bundle. We used to measure the temperature at the Corsair card used. Indeed, beyond measuring the performance of cooling the processor, we will also check how the cooling system dissipates heat from the elements surrounding the socket: chipset, back of the graphics card, memory and a radiator mosfets . Given the growing number of motherboards with passive cooling systems, the role of ventirad in the dissipation of heat generated is not negligible.

The QX6700 processor was chosen because it is a quad core processor dissipating much heat as it has a TDP of 130 watts. We measured temperatures of the four core, stressed by four sessions of CPUBurn via RMClock software that offers the possibility to see graphically the evolution of the temperature and record the readings, what does not CoreTemp. Temperatures are read as digital sensors embedded in each core by Intel. The average temperature is calculated and then retired to the average ambient temperature measured by the digital thermometer. The probe is placed 5 cm from the fan at half-radius of the blades of the fan. This allows us to generate a delta value which gives a more precise that the values of the digital processor probes which, taken alone, do not take into account the ambient temperature of the air used by the fan.

For noise, we decided to measure in a real situation, namely, with the ventirad installed on the motherboard. This allows for a more realistic but also it allows us to better manage the rpm we want make our measurements. To restrict the maximum noise, we use a power supply Fortron Zen fanless which when tested for cooling is slightly broken by a Papst 120 mm since it has no air flow, which would be the case if it was placed in a box. When tested for noise, the Papst is off by a rhéobus Sunbeam.

To not hear the hard drive, we have locked in a Scythe Quiet Drive, which absorbs vibrations very well, while limiting the heating of the disk drive. Finally, the graphics card is a fanless model, so that when we do our tests that the fan cooling the processor. Noise were measured at 20 cm from the fan, as opposed to the airflow. For information, no machine in operation, the room in which we conduct our actions has a noise level of 24.9 dB / A.

[Jeffrey]

Noise

The results may surprise Zalman CNPS8700. Indeed, the 8700NT is more noisy than the 8700 LED speed more or less equally. To be sure of our measurements, we checked twice to reach the same conclusion: the 8700 is a bit more audible. In reality it makes a noise a bit different, more buzzing than the 8700 LED. As a reminder, these sinks do not use the same 110 mm fan. Broadly speaking, we can also say that these ventilators are not very discreet, just like the LED 9700 because of their fan 110 millimeters.

[Jeffrey]

Conclusion

Zalman aims performance enthusiasts who have a place in their case. With the series of CNSP8xxx, the Korean company is trying to seduce people seeking ventirad not too high, eg for use in a box or HTPC Desktop. After the disappointment generated by the timid CNPS8000, Zalman had to return to the race. To achieve this, the manufacturer has released the CNPS8700 LED and CNPS8700 NT. Do that by differentiating the connector and the fan speed of 110 millimeters, for they share a common rest.


Noise are not really the strong point of these two Zalman. Like the CNPS9700 LED, performance is achieved through a big fan who will always be noisier than 92 mm or 80 mm at speeds equal to and even lower speeds. But do not tell us what we have not told that these are noisy Zalman. Like all ventilators this test, they are 12 volts, but there are way to find a good compromise cooling / noise or leaving management to PWM for the NT, either using the Fanmlate2 for the 8700 LED. What we want rather mean, is that other ventilators allow for more silent operation ...

If your motherboard is compatible, these CNPS8700 delight you. If against the height is no problem and that the cooling of the peripheral components to the socket is not an ultimate priority, there is more for less as the OCZ Vendetta, for example, or better for a little more like Zalman CNPS9700 LED.