Zalman cooler!... is it good enough?

[godman]

please can you people of wisdom help me,

Zalman CNPS9500-AM2
http://www.zalman.co.kr/
this is the am2 version#
the zalman coooler is around £35 at scan
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=405603

i will also be getting a thermaltake arour jr

1)is it good for overclcoking
ie will i be able to get 2.6ghz -or higher- out of a socket am2 (orleans) 3200+?

2)Will it be very loud at
a)stock frequencies
b) @2.6 or so oc? :?
3) will it be much more better than the -good or so what ive heard- stock hsfs included in the retail package? because getting this adds to my alredy stretched budget of £600 im currently spending £650 with the cooler (prices for the whole system)

are there any better hsf's out there that are cheaper, same sort of quality as the zalman, and able to achive higher overclcoks than with this hsf. i would have liked to get the thermaltke bigwater 745 but its too expensive (when you take all the system components into consideration) also how much better would a bigwater 745 be compared to the zalman?

thanks for the help in advance

 

[mcgruff]

I'd go for the Scythe Mine (£25 at scan) if you're overclocking or Scythe Ninja if you weren't (you can probably use it passively with that chip at normal speeds). Compared to the Zalman they're both cheaper, a little bit cooler, and much quieter.

Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro is also worth a look. Great cooling performance for only £13 although not as quiet as the Scythes.

madshrimps heatsink review

*EDIT: I forgot to mention the Ninja may not be compatible with AM2 at the moment (a bracket or something is bound to come out sometime) but the Mine is OK.

 

[syn1kk]

this heatsink has been discussed to death. Please use the search engine. And look at the actual reviews of different heatsinks.

the previous thread cites the same madshrimps article. It shows that 9500 is in the middle of the pack. Anything below that on the madshrimps article is better.

 

[clue69less]

I'd go for the Scythe Mine (£25 at scan) if you're overclocking or Scythe Ninja if you weren't (you can probably use it passively with that chip at normal speeds). Compared to the Zalman they're both cheaper, a little bit cooler, and much quieter.

Most reviews have them less cool, but they are a little quieter. And they weigh more than the Zalman, allowing you to add more stress to your mobo right there in the socket area.

 

[Gegitech]

This is the best heatsink that zalman has made for the AM2. Its fairly quiet and you should be able to get a decent amount of overclocking from it. I dont know specifically how far you will be able to overclock on that cooler but 600 mhz should be within reach if your case is properly ventalated. The 745 is going to give you lower temperatures if you plan on overclocking 600 mhz and will allow you to go farther than that. You should stick with what ever is going to fit within you budget.

 

[asgallant]

1)is it good for overclcoking
ie will i be able to get 2.6ghz -or higher- out of a socket am2 (orleans) 3200+?

The CPU HSF is only part of the equation. If the particular CPU you recieve can reach 2.6 gHz (likely), and the MB is a good overclocker (really depends on what brand and model you get), then yes, you should be able to reach 2.6 gHz with the Zalman CNPS9500. Assuming that the heatsink was the only thing preventing you from overclocking more, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to hit 2.8 or even 3.0 gHz with the Zalman.

 

[godman]

thanks every one!

 

[madshrimp]

This is the best heatsink that zalman has made for the AM2. .

that's not very hard... it's their only AM2 heatsink...

 

[rushfan]

I used my 9500 to cool my A64 @ 2.52 GHz and my idle temps were in the low thirties. That's with the fan at 2000 RPM which is very quiet, in my opinion. I'm sure that it can do the same for you, especially if the AM2 chips run a little cooler than the 939 CPUs.

 

[Anoobis]

Too bad. This one is a better deal. It is AM2 compatible.

 

[Raviolissimo]

where is Wusy when you need him ?

i must say, Zalman tricked me with the .12 degrees C per watt spec.

i think it's Frostytech that had the lab report. they took a bunch of heat sinks and stuck a 125 heat input on the base, that would normally be next to the CPU.

the Zalman 9500 was more like .18 or .20 degrees C per watt.

of course, it matters a lot if you have case fans lined up with the Zalman 9500, one on case input, one on case output.

to answer the question - yeah, it's good enough.

personally, i like the Zalman 7700 because the path from CPU to fin is very direct, and the airflow blows on all the peripheral chips - like the RAM - that support the CPU.

on the other hand, stock HSF's are "good enough" too, usually, if you pay attention to airflow within the case.

the questions is - good enough for - what ? a new Land Speed (overclocking) record, on Air ?

 

[madshrimp]

of course, it matters a lot if you have case fans lined up with the Zalman 9500, one on case input, one on case output.

Frostytech doesn't test inside a case, so those results are only valid if you have a PC without a case, if you use a case than the results will be completely different.