Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 - The Hardware Killer
Zerotherm appalled us with its newest cooler product, the Nirvana NV120. We feel obligated to point out the dangers and risks that are associated with using this cooler. If you are not very careful when installing it, you can easily damage or even destroy your PC components.
Zerotherm Nirvana NV120
The backplate, which is mounted in the back of the motherboard, is covered with a transparent adhesive foil. When removing the protective sticker from the backplate, it is far too easy to accidentally pull off this adhesive film too. As a result, the bare metal will press against the reverse side of the CPU socket, creating a short circuit that can destroy your entire motherboard. In the worst case, this can even affect other components as well.
Hardware-Killer
Metal shavings already caused problems with the previous model
Another reason we had to fail this cooler is that it, too, suffers from the already well-known problem with metal shavings. When you attach the cooler by fastening the screws, metal shavings can fall from the screws and springs and fall into the hardware of your PC - again causing a short circuit. This is not a new problem, but one that we've mentioned in previous reviews.
A look at the cooler from below
Mounting components
When running at its highest fan speed, the Nirvana NV120 achieves good cooling performance, able to cool the quad-core CPU to 65°C. However, it is unbearably loud at this setting. At its lowest speed, the CPU temperature rises to 74°C and the cooler is completely inaudible. Its noise level increases when the fan speed is raised by more than 33%. Thus, only the lowest fan speed will allow you to work without the cooler's noise becoming an annoyance.
In our eyes, a price of $46 is too steep for the performance this cooler offers.
The retail package
Technical Data | ||
---|---|---|
CPU | 100% load | idle |
Temperature 12V | 64.75°C | 35°C |
Temperature 5V | 74.25°C | 36°C |
Noise | 49.1 dB(A) | 37.9 dB(A) |
Fan Speed | 2460 RPM | 1040 RPM |
Weight | 698 grams | |
Intel Socket | 775 | |
AMD Socket | AM2 | AM2+ |
939 | 940 |
Installation