Replace my Freezer Pro 7?

[mis33]

My current conifguration:
Asus P5E-WS Professional
Q6600-G0@2.8GHz
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
2 x 2GB OCZ Vista Performance Platinum Edition
eVGA 8800GTS-512MG
All SATA stroage devices
P182 with one additional fan, all 4 fans set to low

At idle, the core temps are 38-40C at idle and at full load (Prime95) are 58-60C. The noise level is very good at both idle and load. I use Asus Q-Fan to control the fan speed and so far, it's working great.

I have a chance now to replace the Freezer Pro 7 with a Zalman CNPS9700-LED for only $35.
Will I see significant improvement in term of temperatures? Will the noise level be increased?

 

[Evilonigiri]

The Zalman is pretty quiet, so you don't have to worry about noise. Your core temp should go down too. At $35, it's a good deal, but I'm not sure it's worth the upgrade or not. Your choice.

 

[mis33]

I did some research and the Zalman CNPS9700-LED is probably not good for me because it comes with a 3-pin fan connector (no PWM control). I do not want to install the fanmate and I don't want to control the fan speed manually

I am currently using Asus Q-Fan to control the fan speed and the Freezer Pro 7 is working fine with PWM (4 pin connector).

I am now thinking about the Zalman CNPS9700-NT which comes with PWM connector.

 

[Evilonigiri]

That's too bad. I was going to suggest the Zerotherm Nirvana http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887011 which owns the Zalman and can be had for $36 with MIR but it's a 3pin connector. It includes a fan controller though.

 

[mis33]

Yes, looks like the 9700-NT is the one I should get.

With the Freezer Pro 7, my idle temp are 38-40C and loaded temp are 58-60C. What temp can I expect from the 9700-NT?

 

[Evilonigiri]

Up to 4C cooler, with fan speed maxed out.

Just an estimation.

 

[mis33]

To replace the HSF with a 9700NT, I will have to remove everything to take off the motherboard.

My idle temp is 38-40c and load temp is 58-60C while ambient temp is 21-22C. I set the CPU voltage in the BIOS to be 1.26875V. CPU-Z shows my CPU voltage is 1.232V. I OC my Q6600-G0 to moderate gain of 20%, ie: 2.88 GHz.

The system is working perfectly and silent now both at idle (fan<1,000 RPM) and load (fan at 1800 RPM). I am not sure if I should do all these work for a gain of 3-4 C.

 

[Evilonigiri]

If you want to OC further, it's worth it. If you want to keep it as is, it's not. Of course I'm talking about the Zalman at $35, any higher wouldn't be worth it. Zalmans are overly expensive for the performance.

 

[mis33]

Actually, the store will take back the Freezer Pro 7 and give me the Zalmans. I will only pay the difference.

I would OC my Q6600-G0 to 2.88-3.0 GHz. However, if the Zalmans can lower the temp by 5-10C under idle and load, it would be great. The lower the temp, the better, right?

 

[Evilonigiri]

Yes. I think I read an article saying something like every 10C decrease, the cpu life increases by 1 year.

 

[mis33]

I know the Zalmans is a better HSF than the Freezer Pro 7 but my main concern is how much temp drop would I get.

If it is only 2-3 C, it's not worth it at all. I will have to remove the whole motherboard (P5E-WS) to replace the HSF.