Introduction:

ZEROtherm Zen FZ120 CPU Cooler

   About a year ago, I reviewed a couple of CPU coolers from ZEROtherm. Since that time, they released what they called an Enthusiast CPU Cooler: the Nirvana Premium Cooler. It got good marks, but wasn't perfect - for one, it wasn't all that quiet. Never settling for mediocrity, ZEROtherm designers put their heads together and came up with our next review item: the Zen FZ120 CPU Cooler.

    The Zen FZ120 was actually first displayed at this year's CeBIT. It was touted as being of as high performance and quality as the Nirvana, but at a lower price. The noise issue was also addressed: the Zen has a much quieter, and removable, 120mm fan.

    High performance, low price, and quiet - all great qualities in a cooler. Let's see if this successor to the Nirvana lives up to the hype.

About the Company:

    ZEROtherm is engineered for the objective of decreasing noise into the ¡°ZERO¡± range while effectively addressing thermal issues. ZEROtherm products are optimized cooling solutions to reduce both noise and heat. Our core thermal packaging technology (including heat pipe technology and micro electro mechanical technology) is the basis for all ZEROtherm products. We seek to exceed consumer expectations by developing, designing, and producing ¡°best-of-breed¡± solutions from our extensive technological and engineering capabilities.

Specifications:

ㆍKey Features       Best Performance among 120mm air cooling CPU coolers Effective 8-line Heat pipe effect   Honeycomb structure for optimized air flow. More than 6,827 ㎠ heat dissipation area 120mm fan for max. air-flow (up to .7 CFM)   PWM (Automatic Fan Contron) Silence Innovations Min. 19 .5 dBA at 1,100 rpm Max. 31.4 dBA at 1,800 rpm   Support Latest Intel CPUs Support Latest AMD CPUs

ZEROtherm FZ120 Specifications: Dimensions 126 X 61 X 156 mm (4.96 X 2.40 X 6.14 inch) Weight 670g (Without Clip Components) Matreials FIN Aluminum Base Copper Heat Pipe Copper Heat Dissipation Area 6,827 cm² (1,058 inch²) Cooling Capacity Over 150W Fan Size 120 X 25 mm (4.72 X 0.98 inch) Fans Speed 1,100 ~ 1,800 rpm (± 10%) Acoustic Noise Min. 19.5 ~ Max. 31.4 dBA (± 10%) Connector 4 Pin, PWM Operating Voltage 5.0 ~ 13.8 VDC Airflow Rate 59.48 CFM

Compatibility List: BRAND CLASS SOCKET MODEL CoreTM2 Extreme Socket-T (LGA775) Support All Speeds (Models) CoreTM2 Quad CoreTM2 Duo Pentium D Pentium 4 Phenom X3 / X4 Socket 939 / 940 / AM2 Support All Speeds (Models) Athlon64 FX X2 / BE Athlon64 Sempron Opteron Incompatibility List Intel Socket 478, 771, 603, 604 AMD Socket 754, Socket F or Socket A

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