Zalman CNPS9700LEDProvided by:
ZalmanWe don’t need to introduce Zalman, do we? Their latest high end CPU cooler, CNPS9500LED, was quite popular with good reason, as it offered a respectable performance/noise balance. Today we have the follow-up in the test labs, the 9700LED, as you might expect, features a larger fan and more/larger copper fins to remove the heat.
Platform compatibility: Intel Socket 775, AMD S939/AM2
Fan Support: 110mm (custom size 1250~2800rpm)
Dimensions: 142 x 124 x 90 mm
Weight (with fan): 764gr
Inside the package you mounting gear for AMD/Intel platforms, a case badge, detailed manual, and (missing from the picture) a Fanmate2 fan controller. There is also a small bottle of nail polish, or at least that’s what it looks like at first sight.
The CNPS9700LED is quite intimidating if you are used to their smaller CNPS models, the “Zalman” branded fins are spread out around the larger (almost 120mm) fan which sits in the middle.
The nail polish turns out to be a bottle of high quality thermal paste which is applied… like nail polish. The base of the unit is almost a mirror, no large amount of thermal compound will be needed.
Installation
Installation requires motherboard removal, you install the S775 mounting bracket and then you install the CNPS9700CU with the correct clip. The unit can be orientated freely, it’s advised though to have the exhaust point to the rear of the case.
We read a few reports on the web on this new Super Thermal Grease and decided to try it out; we smeared a bit on the base of the heatsink
And also on the CPU:
Compared to the Arctic Lumiere we normally use for heatsinks tests, the results were far from bad:
While a 2-3°C difference is nothing earth shocking, it does mean the Super Grease will be better than your run-off-the mill white putty.
CNPS9700LED doesn’t look half bad either when powered on, if you have a case window, it will stand out:
Zalman is ready for testing!