cooler indecision zalman, arctic or tuniq?

lancer

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I was considering the arctic cooling freezer 7 pro

however this thread

link about different coolers

rubbishes it. mentions the zlaman 9500 and 9700. these have been criticsed on this board.

however, everyone agrees that the tuniq 120 tower is good. however, I also see a lot of people criticising that for poor mounting, heavy weight etc.

scythe infinity is also tipped but gets criticised for difficulty in mounting due to close proximity of fins to the mounting clips.

so can people chip in with some comments.

going to be a thermaltake armor full tower with a intel 975bx2 board.
 

BaldEagle

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Get the Tuniq Tower it works fantastic the weight is only a concern if you are going to move your computer around a lot. If you have to move your machine often get the Scythe Infinity.
 

Eurasianman

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Someone else also pointed out that Zalman are overpriced for their performance.

What about the Scythe Ninja?

Tuniq Tower has good reviews, other than the fact that you might not want to use it if you move your computer around too much. The Scythe Infinity, I don't know much about, except I think the design is similar to the Ninja.

I chose the Ninja because it was lighter than other coolers and performed better than others. I was originally going to get the AC 7 Freezer Pro. The only thing I like about the AC cooler is that it pushes cool air down towards the motherboard, unlike other coolers (my Scythe Ninja) which I think somewhat hinders OC performance. *shudders* I could be wrong. Then again, I'm only human.
 

fishboi

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Go with the Tuniq - clear winner. I am really happy with my Thermalright Ultra 120. Went with this one cause I couldnt find the Tuniq anywhere at the time.
 

hybrid11

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go for the tuniq or scythe infinity
the scythe infinity can be a little bit tough to mount on, if your mobo isn't out of your case otherwise there's i've had no issues with it
 

lancer

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see, everyone keeps saying Tuniq, but how many of you actually have one?

I've read an awful lot of reviews that say the screws it comes with are pissant weak where the tops snap off, plus due to it's weight, (nearly 1kg) which exceeds the 775 chipset board spec by 500g it's hard to get sat right, particularly taking into account concave duo core cpu's + plus due to the screws, it's awfully hard to get it tight in exactly the right place.

I know the thing can cool like a son of a bitch, the test figures prove it, but have tuniq solved the mounting issue since this thing got released and reviewed.

has anyone mounted one recently and found it to be no problem at all, or are the screws etc still an issue?
 

lancer

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a) I assume so but not having seen a tuniq in the flesh, I dunno till I see the screws

b) why should I have to?

if it's such a good cooler, then I shouldn't have that problem. I know everyone is singing its praises but I've also read threads that slag it off something rotten for it's poor fitting characteristics.
 

Oldguy

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Tuniq, Zalman and Scythe good solutions for major overclockers. Running Tuniqs myself in 3 boxes but do not move them (like for a lan party) Real PITA to install(had to give myself a couple of time-outs for the first 2) but once in are really, really good. Have a Zalman 9500 in a 4th box for one of my kids - a little overpriced, good cooling and the fan light works well with a windowed case. No experience with Scythe other than their great flex fans. That being said, If you want some mobility, really easy install and incrementally better cooling (-5-7, roughly) with low noise - again assuming modest o/c only, Arctic is your best candidate.
 

Oldguy

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Tuniq screws are 2 parts and a little delicate. Problem with them are the most folks treat them like real screws and tighten the snot out of them. They are real nice about selling replacements if you have the time to wait and can get a support person to actually talk to you. Trick is to hand tighten (this is a major part of the PITA, I mentioned earlier and needs to be done in an area with plenty of space to turn your Mobo to reach each screw.) + 1/4 to 1/2 driver turned. Should result in a firm, but not stressfull mount. Absolutely must be done with not one other component installed on the board or you will leave a little bio material at each corner.
 

darkstar782

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mentions the zlaman 9500 and 9700. these have been criticsed on this board.

Most agree that the 9700 is not a bad cooler, but is just stupidly overpriced. At least, that is my experience.

however, everyone agrees that the tuniq 120 tower is good. however, I also see a lot of people criticising that for poor mounting, heavy weight etc.

Its amazing in terms of cooling performance, and if you are not moving the PC (and with a TT Armour you probably want to avoid that, I have the steel/black one and it weighs a f'ing ton) the weight shouldnt matter, you wont damage the board if it isnt knocked about in the car boot etc. Yeah, the retention system isnt as good as some, but you only have to do that once.

I would go for the Tuniq myself.
 

Lumberboy

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I have a Scythe Infinity and it is a great cooler. It is very quiet and efficient! I recommend installing it outsided of your case however. I have my installed on a crosshair mobo. To install it I had to unscrew one side of the plastic clip thing attached to the mobo and tilt it up. Took less than 5 mins. My CPU now idles at 26 C and under load it reaches 35 C.
 

Nomans63

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I'm using the Tuniq Tower 120 on the Bad Axe2 board (Intel 975XBX2) in Antec 900 case. I also use the Zalman 9700 in another C2D build with eVGA 680i board. From my experiences:

1. Zalman 9700 is overpriced for its cooling performance but it's easy to install (within 15 minutes). However, I got the Zalman 9700 when it was on sale for 55 bucks, so not a big deal for me in terms of pricing.

2. Tuniq Tower 120 is much more difficult to install (on Bad Axe2, may be on other boards also, I don't know). First off, from the bottom of the heat sink fins to the mobo, you got about 3 - 3.5 inches high to work with the screws. If you use any kind of tool to tighten the screws, you may break off the screw head with too much force. I hand-tight the screws so I don't break anything but the problem is I don't have a lot of space to work with. Second, the screw head surface is smooth, but it's rough on the side. So I have to pack the screw on the side and turn it slowly. Be ceraful not to hit any of the board capacitors and NB heat sink nearby. It took me nearly 2 hours to finish the Tuniq Tower 120 installation on the Bad Axe2.
 

Valtiel

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I have a Scythe Infinity and it is a great cooler. It is very quiet and efficient! I recommend installing it outsided of your case however. I have my installed on a crosshair mobo. To install it I had to unscrew one side of the plastic clip thing attached to the mobo and tilt it up. Took less than 5 mins. My CPU now idles at 26 C and under load it reaches 35 C.

Mind posting your system specs? :)

I'm trying to decide between the Tower-120 (Which I'll most likely be getting) and the Infinity-1000. The Infinity has more heatpipes but is smaller than the Tower but the Tower is bigger and supposedly cools better than the Infinity.
 

Lumberboy

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My system:

Antec P180B
Corsair 620HX
Asus Crosshair
AM2 A64 5200+ @ 260*10
2 Gigs of Team Xtreme 4-4-4-10 @ 5-4-4-9 520Mhz
BFG 7950GT
150GB Raptor

Sadly my cpu does not overclock at all. I am however going to push the fsb as high as I can.
 

zenmaster

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What do you plan on doing with your System?

Myself, I have the Artic Pro 7.
I have OCed my C2D CPU to 3.0Ghz and my fan normally runs at 600-700RPM through the day. It gets to about 2000RPM when under heavy load but still keeps the CPU quite cool.

Myself, I have no interest in pushing to the limits for an OC.
If you do, then go with the more expensive coolers listed.
If you dont, the Artic Pro 7 is fine.
 

Eurasianman

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When sites like Anandtech and TH do reviews on these coolers, the idle temp... is that with speedstep/cool n quiet enabled or disabled? My room's ambient temp is 20C and my CPU idles at 40C without EIST and C1E enabled. Load gets up close to 60C which is somewhat a concern considering that when summer comes around, my room ambient temp will be around 25-26C.

Is the Tuniq really that good compared to the Ninja? I just got the Ninja because it was a bit lighter than the Tuniq. Another reason being that I might possibly start taking my signature build to LAN parties. Therefore, I don't really want to have a cooler in which I'll have to take off when I go to LAN parties.

The CoolIT Freezone is looking kind of nice if you don't look at the price tag :oops:

CoolIT Freezone
 

Eurasianman

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Meh, disregard about the CoolIT Freezone. Just finish reading multiple threads about it.

Apparently, it's not as great as reviews say.

Further questions, ask "DaClan" :wink:

IMO, DaClan = new THG staff :tongue:
 
But the Zalman's are so neat looking. I have just about decided that if I can find one on sale the next time that I am in the U.S., I will buy one to display as an example of modern industrial art.

A friend of mine gave me a pretty good case when he left Saudi Arabia. I would have bought a Tuniq if I had been certain I had enough room in the case for it. I settled on the AC Pro.

With the AC Pro and E6600 at 3.4 GHz and 1.45 v., core temps peak at around 45 ° C. in my case.

I discovered that my CPU will run at 3.0 GHz at 1.25 volts. You can always do that and use the stock HSF.

john
 

Mondoman

Splendid
I think it's quite important to look into the details of the various tests, especially the difference between closed case and open case, as well as ambient (room) temp.

IMHO, any test that shows the CPU temp (using MB temp sensor) at *idle* being more than a few degrees C above ambient temp indicates either a problem with the hsf, or a problem with the case ventilation, or both. Note that running "open case" does not always exclude a problem with the case ventilation. Any test that shows the CPU idle temp 10 degrees C or more above ambient temp indicates a *major* problem with the hsf or with case ventilation.

For example, in looking at the X-bit labs article referred to in the overclock.net thread mentioned by the OP, I noticed that the "in case" Pentium 4 idle temps for the 3 coolers were 41C, 41C, and 40C. Since I highly doubt that ambient temp was above 30C, these tests are at least in big part dealing with case airflow issues.

Remember that there is almost always a major tradeoff between ventilation quality and noise, and that everyone has their own preference for "acceptable" noise levels. The case design and choice/location of case & PS fans will make a big difference, so it's important to use *exactly* the same setup for meaningful comparisons.
 

pongrules

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I have experience with both the Tuniq and the Zalman 9700. I HAND TIGHTENED the screws on the Tuniq and the heads of the screws popped off. Plus, it was a MAJOR pain in the buttocks to even turn the screws while keeping the massive cooler from slipping all over the processor. But if you like PITA installs for the 1-2 degree difference it might make over the Zalman 9700, then go for it--i.e., make trips to the hardware store and all that for a product that's supposed to work out of the box.

Because I was so P.O.'d with the Tuniq I ordered what seemed to have the second best reviews--the Zalman 9700. Piece of cake to install, looks great and works like a charm.

Zalman 9700 FTW.