Thermalright SI-97 or Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu for Socket A?

Cooling Processors quietly

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Towermax
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Thermalright SI-97 or Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu for Socket A?

Post by Towermax » Wed Nov 01, 2006 7:59 pm

I need a cooler for a Barton 2800+, and I have been offered a used SI-97 for $20. I'd have to add a fan, of course.

For about the same price, I can get a new Zalman CNPS7000B-AlCu. I already have one of these on a 3800X2 and like it very much.

I've heard the SI-97 called the best ever Socket A heatsink. When mated with a Nexus 92mm or other good fan would it be better than the Zalman?

disphenoidal
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Post by disphenoidal » Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:53 pm

Probably, if only because the Zalman fan is not as good as a fan like the Nexus. Other than that the Zalman is quite good with the fan at low speed. I have a CNPS7000-Cu and I like it, I just have to run it slow to keep the bearing noise down.

Towermax
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Post by Towermax » Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:10 pm

Yes, I agree that the Zalman 7000-AlCu is quite good. It's a known quantity, while, on the other hand, I only know the SI-97 from reading about it.

Thomas
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Post by Thomas » Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:42 am

Three words: Katana, Katana and Katana

A few more words: Zalman fans aint excatly known for the ultimate quietness. The included fan on my Katana is far more quiet, than my VF-900 (both at 5 volt). And according to the SPCR review, the VF-900 is one of the more quiet Zalman fans...

Also, there's a lot of recent threads regarding socket A cooling :wink: 8)

jhhoffma
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Post by jhhoffma » Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:17 am

I've never used the SI-97 but I have heard good things and after owning two 7000AlCu's I would use the SI-97 with my own fan. The fan on the 7000 buzzes way too much, even @ <5V. I will probably end up doing a fan swap with a Panaflo or YateLoon soon.

Towermax
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Post by Towermax » Thu Nov 02, 2006 9:15 am

Thomas wrote:Three words: Katana, Katana and Katana

A few more words: Zalman fans aint excatly known for the ultimate quietness. The included fan on my Katana is far more quiet, than my VF-900 (both at 5 volt). And according to the SPCR review, the VF-900 is one of the more quiet Zalman fans...

Also, there's a lot of recent threads regarding socket A cooling :wink: 8)
I've reviewed most of the recent threads and reviews--that's how I got the info on the SI-97. I have a VF-900 at 5V also, so if the Katana is quieter than it, it must be very quiet indeed.

I see two possible issues with the Katana:

- I'll only be able to mount it in one direction on this Socket A board--canted up towards the power supply. That means the fan will be blowing through the Katana into the power supply fan--won't that tend to add heat to the power supply with consequent ramping up of the power supply fan? (On another board with a more modern socket I could orient the Katana directly towards the 120mm case exhaust fan.)

- I'm not sure how well the Katana would deal with hotter CPUs in the future. One advantage of the Zalman 7000 is that it appears to have more thermal headroom--it would still cool well if transferred to another CPU in the future.

Thomas
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Post by Thomas » Thu Nov 02, 2006 2:36 pm

You do have some points here regarding the Katana 8)

A few somewhat counterpoints:

- With the Zalman 7000 and SI-97, one dont know where the heat goes; Through PSU or rear fan? Of course, with the Katana, you know it will go towards the PSU. On the other hand, if the Katana fan is blowing in the same direction as the PSU fan, the Katana will help the PSU fan overcome the air resistance. But the real question is, how big is the difference?

- The Katana is about 150 grams ligther than the 7000.

Which case, which CPU and which PSU?

If you're using a S12 and a reasonably low-power CPU, the PSU probably wont ramp up much, if anything.

Based on the reviews, and the temp/watt measurings, it do sound like the 7000 got the better cooling capasity. However, if the Katana is mounted so another (PSU-)fan is blowing in the same direction, it's very effective, according to my experience.

My Sempron 2800+ is rated to 62 watt TDP. The Katana have no problems with that.

If you're going high power, the Zalman might be the right choise. But I think you should consider if you're prepared to do a fan swap :wink:

Towermax
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Post by Towermax » Thu Nov 02, 2006 5:55 pm

Thanks for all the input, everyone.

It's all moot at this point, though. I got a great deal on a Scythe Ninja today with Yate Loon fan, so it's going on my 3800X2 and the Zalman 7000 AlCu will get moved to the Barton system.

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