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1 2 3 4 5 Next November 5, 2007 by Lawrence
Lee
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Product
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Zalman VF1000 LED VGA Cooler |
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Manufacturer
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Zalman
Tech Co. |
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Market Price
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US$50 |
Ever-growing demand for more sophisticated PC games has resulted in increasingly
power hungry graphics cards. Consequently, more extreme cooling solutions
are required. The reference coolers traditionally employed by the majority
of manufacturers are usually adequate at best and rarely quiet. Now they routinely
ship video cards with large, dual slot heatsinks. If these stock heatsinks
represent the minimum standards, a third party solution has to be quite the
performer to justify its existence.
Inclusion of a high power graphics cards in a PC represents a backward step
in terms of system cooling, energy efficiency and low noise capability. There's
no denying that the SPCR forums are increasingly filled with gamers looking
to quiet their noisy systems, however, and low noise graphics card cooling
is a key element for their success.
It is in this spirit that we examine the Zalman VF1000 LED VGA cooler. It
features a 100% copper design, four heatpipes, and massive array of linear
fins. It has all the makings of a lean, mean cooling machine, and it's itching
for a fight. We're going to pit it against one of its predecessors, the Zalman
VF900-CU — which for more than a year has been a favorite for those seeking
quiet graphics card cooling in a relatively compact form. Will it be a fair
fight, or will the VF1000 reduce it to the role of punching bag?
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VF1000 and VNF100
boxes side by side. The VNF100 is Zalman's new passive VGA cooler
and will be reviewed at a future date.
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The mounting hardware is almost identical to the VF900-CU —
low profile memory heatsinks and a Fan Mate 2 manual fan speed controller
are provided.
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Features & Brief
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Our Comment |
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The product is equipped with Zalman’s patented VFP (Variable
Fin Profile) technology. Fan installed inside the heatsink maximizes
the cooling efficiency and the product’s maximized dissipation
surface area provides excellent performance.
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Aside from accommodating
the fan's presence, 'the variable fin profile' seems aesthetic rather
than functional. |
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Use of four high performance heatpipes maximizes heat transfer.
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Twice as many heatpipes
as the VF900-CU. |
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Pure copper thin fins (0.3mm) for excellent cooling performance.
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Copper is an excellent
heat conductor. |
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Cools not only the VGA chipset and VGA RAM, but all other VGA components
as well.
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It is a top-down
cooler, so nothing surprising here. |
| 80mm Slim LED Fan for
excellent performance and great aesthetics. |
Appears to be the
same fan as the VF900-CU LED. |
| Newly improved installation
structure provides easy installation and broad compatibility. |
An extra set of mounting
holes compared to the VF900-CU. |
| Adjustable fan speed
controller (FAN MATE 2) enables control of noise and fan speed. |
Useful for those
with no other fan control options; probably essential to achieve very
low noise. |
| Does not generate noise
or vibration in Silent Mode. |
In many systems,
it will probably be drowned out. |
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Heatsink
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| Dimensions |
160(L) X 80(W) X 30(H) mm |
| Weight |
380g |
| Materials Dissipation |
Fins : Pure Copper, Base : Pure Copper,
Heatpipe : Pure Copper |
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Fan
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| Dimensions |
80(L) x 80(W) x 15(H) mm |
| Bearing Type |
2 Ball-Bearing |
| Speed (using FAN MATE 2) |
Silent Mode
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1,400rpm ±10%
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Normal Mode
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2,500rpm ±10%
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| Noise Level (using FAN MATE 2) |
Silent Mode
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18dBA ±10%
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Normal Mode
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28dBA ±10%
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| ATI Radeon |
ATI Radeon 9*** Series (except 9550/9600)
ATI X1300 Series
ATI X1650 Series
ATI X1600 Series
ATI X1800 Series
ATI X1900 Series
ATI X1950 Series |
| nVidia Geforce |
NVIDIA Geforce4 MX Series
NVIDIA Geforce4 TI 4 Series
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5200
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5500
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5600(FX 5700)
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5700(Ultra) Series
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5800 Series
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5900 Series
NVIDIA Geforce FX 5950 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 6600 Series(except 6600 AGP Series)
NVIDIA Geforce 6800 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 7300 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 7600 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 7800 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 7900 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 7950 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 8500 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 8600 Series
NVIDIA Geforce 8800 Series |
| Cautionary Notes |
1. By installing this product on a VGA
(Video Graphics Array) card, a PCI slot adjacent to the PCIe (or AGP)
slot will become unusable.
2. The product cannot be installed on Matrox VGA cards, NVIDIA PCX 5***
, NVIDIA Geforce 6600 AGP Series, Geforce 7600/7900 AGP Series, and
ATI Radeon 9550/9600 Series.
3. If the VGA card and/or its components interfere with the installation
of this product, then stop the installation, refer to the list of compatible
VGA cards at Zalman’s website, and install this product with one
of the compatible VGA cards.
4. NVIDIA’s Geforce 8800 Series requires the installation of Zalman’s
RAM Heatsink ZM-RHS88 before installing VF1000 LED.
5. The use of a fan positioned on the front side of the case and an
exhaust fan positioned on the rear side of the case is recommended for
enhancement of product performance. |
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