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Zalman CNPS9700 NT CPU Cooler Review

Date Published:
12-26-2006

Written By:
Diceman

Edited By:
Diceman

Provided By:
Zalman USA

Where to Buy:
Sharka Computers

Discuss Article:
VH Forum link

Pages: 1 2 3

Testing:

Hardware:

ASUS Striker Extreme 680i SLI
Intel E6600 Core 2 Duo
2x ASUS 8800GTS Graphics Cards
2x SATA Hard drives (160gb x 80gb)
2x1GB Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2
2x1GB Kingston PC2-9600 DDR2

Testing

Results:

Temp Readings
Stock Intel Cooler	Idle	100% Load
Stock Intel Cooler	38c-40c	49c-51c
Zalman 9700 NT	Idle	100% Load
Zalman 9700 NT	29c-31c	42c-43c

Well I was impressed to say the least with the temperature drops when I tested the Zalman cooler over the stock cooler. It also remained pretty quite, but not silent. I'm running the CNPS9700 NT in Q-Fan mode and although the cooler's fan is rated for between 1250rpm and 2800rpm, it seems to like to run about 1700rpm all the time. At 1700rpm it's not silent, it does produce a mild hum. I'm still tweaking the Q-Fan functions on this new ASUS Striker motherboard, so perhaps I can get it to silent mode here soon.

Keep in mind that your temp reading will probably be different from my exact readings depending on your chassis situation, airflow, ambient temp, etc. I tested this the other day when it was a tad chilly in here, maybe 68F-70F ambient. Just raising the ambient temps a few degrees F can cause a noticeable change in your hardware temp readings. For instance, a few minutes ago the heat (central air) kicked on and my idle temps went from it's normal 30c all the way to 36c! (Yes, it's a small office and with hot air blowing directly into it, it's like an oven for a few minutes). The heat kicked off just now and it's working its way back down to 30c. It's already down to 33c and dropping. Go figure. It just goes to show that ambient temps make a huge difference.

Bling? Yea, a little :)

Conclusion:

Overall I really like the Zalman CNPS9700 NT. With it's blackened good looks, mirror polished base, huge 110mm green led fan, and 4-pin PWM fan control (no need for fanmate, yay!), Zalman definitely has a winner on it's hands and a must-own for the new Core 2 Duo 'overclocking on air-cooling' crowd. This monster of a cooler can go from silent cooling (at 1250rpm) all the way up to god-like cooling (at 2800rpm).

As I mentioned previously, in my situation with running the cooler on the ASUS Striker motherboard and utilizing both the 4-pin PWM control and Q-fan mode, the CNPS9700 NT ran about 1700rpm all the time keeping my CPU temps grounded around 30c idle with minimal fan noise (minor hum).

'Quiet' and 'Cooling' is what made Zalman famous and this new CNP9700 NT with a new larger design and 110mm fan just continues the air cooling dominance by Zalman. Sure it's huge, but it cools like crazy. Pick your poison because a tiny air cooler isn't going to cool your hot hardware. All the 'cool' people know that larger, slower spinning fans is where it's at and obviously so does Zalman by improving the 92mm CNPS9500 series with the 110mm CNPS9700 series.

Click here to buy now!

I think it looks great, cools great, can be adjusted from silent to OMG!, and also can be easily configured to face any direction (north, south, east or west). It's a no-brainer to award the Zalman CNPS9700 NT the Editors Choice Award! If you'd like to pick one up (and if you've got the hardware I have, I think you should!), head over to our friends Sharka Computers and grab yours today for just $69.99!

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