Zalman 7000 Cu clone without fan: $15 at SVC.com

mshan · Post by **mshan** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:47 pm

What do you guys think of this Zalman 7000 Cu clone without fan:
http://www.svc.com/kd-42cu.html

How easy is it to get / make a 92 mm fan without it's frame?

And can you drop a 92 mm fan into this AlCu clone? ($10 at SVC.com)
http://www.svc.com/pa9c-38cual.html

smoothness · Post by **smoothness** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 8:32 pm

it'd be cool if someone has actually bought one, and seen whether or not this thing can hold the proverbial candle to the real zalman.

warlock110 · Post by **warlock110** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:05 pm

they stole the design, it should come very close, copper is ver easy to copy

, the fan isn't hard to make, i remember reading somewhere about changing the fan on those zalman because they make whiny noise at 1/2 speed, you'll have to search out the article but i saw it and it's very easy, they basicly cut out a 92mm fans frame leaving 2 bracket and stick it on the heatsink with hot glue or some sort of screw if you really wanna be perfect

StarfishChris · Post by **StarfishChris** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:34 pm

I bought one through ebuyer.co.uk (PA9C-42CU) for £7.

As for what I got: fan very noisy, I soon brought that down with speedfan. At 50% (not very audible above general PC noise) it keeps my A64 3000+ at ~44 C and remains off at idle (with stock Antec case fan & psu, no fancy cards) using Cool n Quiet. I've not had a Zalman so I have no way of comparing it, but the design is almost exact, right down to a fanmate-type device.

Base finish isn't great and would benefit with lapping, but I didn't do it (perhaps I will when I decide to change the thermal compound!). It works very well for me and came with parts for all the socket types you'd reasonably use. Maybe 2-4 degrees higher than the Zalman after treatment, but the price difference is massive for the performance.

DyJohnnY · Post by **DyJohnnY** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:31 am

anyone else had experience with them, it's almost 1/3 of the price we pay for a zalman

SometimesWarrior · Post by **SometimesWarrior** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:41 am

I think there's an important distinction between this heatsink and the Zalman: it doesn't look like the fan in this one actually sits inside the heatsink like with the Zalman. The reason why the Zalman is so effective is because it uses the downward-moving air as well as the air shooting out the sides of the fan, but this heatsink doesn't do that. So you shouldn't expect Zalman-like performance from this heatsink.

Edit: check out the manufacturer's website for more awesome Zalman ripoffs. It looks like China is giving the finger to Korea's patent office, or something. Notice that, though the website lists the same product numbers as SVC, the products are clearly different: the fans are now more Zalman-like, embedded in the heatsink without the round plastic shroud. (going off-topic here...) There are times when you can take the moral high ground and not buy product knock-off's. For example, I heard a story about a woman who designed a special woman's cycling seat, and sent the thing off for manufacturing overseas. But the manufacturers copied the plans and started making their own women's seats from the same design, so the woman never made much money from her work. But I'm not sure Zalman deserves the same small-business patronage as the bike seat entrepreneur, so maybe I'll buy one of these things anyway.

Edit again: A HardOCP thread about the company, with a reply from a Zalman rep stating that this company is infringing on patents. So I won't ever buy this heatsink, despite the price benefit.

Post by **Ralf Hutter** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:15 am

Similar thread from last July.

As I said in that thread:

Ralfie wrote:I'm going to drop SVC a line and let them know what I think about it. I suggest other SPCR readers do the same. Vote with your wallets guys.

And I still feel the same way six months later. My 2¢, FWIW.