Product Reviews
- “Another great CPU cooler from Zerotherm. On standard clock speeds the low fan setting was enough to keep our Quad CPU cool and for Overclocking we were impressed at how well the high-speed fan setting could efficiently keep the CPU running at low temperatures. Overall a quality product at a great price.”
- “Without a doubt, I can say the Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 is a well built piece of equipment. It physically looks better than any other cooler I currently own.”
- “I just cannot get over how beautiful the finish is on the Nirvana, and that finish wraps the entire heatsink. The blue LEDs in the fan are a nice touch, and the fan controller allows the user to dial in exactly how much noise is acceptable. 9/10 Editor’s Choice.”
- “ZEROtherm’s new Nirvana NV120 is a very, very nice product that combines great looks and cooling with easy installation. The included fan speed controller allows the Nirvana to operate at near silence while still providing excellent cooling performance. Top Rank Award.”
- “ZEROtherm’s NV120 Nirvana cooler is a great looking CPU cooler that happens to perform just as good as it looks! The NV120 was easy to install and cleared all the motherboard components of the ‘Intel Bad Axe 2’ D975XBX2 with room to spare.”
- “Once again ZEROtherm has come out with a quality product. The performance of the NV120 is just amazing, especially for an air cooler. It is now our best performing air cooler that we have tested! Even on low fan speed it still performs better than most other CPU coolers we have tested.”
- “This cooler looks set to be the reigning champion of cool and quiet heatsinks. It kept our test system below 40°, even when playing a 1,080p high-def movie with the fan speed at its lowest.”
- Windows Vista Magazine - “The ZEROtherm Nirvana NV-120 is an exceptionally large cooler that delivers performance within a gnat’s wing of the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, despite costing a good deal less once you consider the latter’s requirement for a separate fan purchase. Its included RPM controller means you can adjust the heatsink’s fan speed for the optimal balance of performance and quietness, and we were very impressed with the product’s overall build quality, presentation and value.”
- Micro Mart, Issue 1001, p56
Nirvana NV-120 Quiet CPU Cooler with 120mm fan
 | Nirvana NV-120 Quiet CPU Cooler with 120mm fan [178 in stock] | £28.93 (£34.00 inc VAT) |
It is getting more and more difficult to choose a suitable high-end CPU cooler because there are so many great products available to choose from. Yes you can read reviews and act on recommendation but are you 100% sure you are still choosing the best cooler for your system? ZEROtherm’s latest incarnation, the Nirvana is trying to make your decision even easier and to be honest this cooler mightily impressed us here at Quiet PC.
Features
- Excellent performance
- Honeycomb structure
- Four U-shaped heatpipes
- 120mm blue LED fan
- Supplied with fan controller
- Easy installation
- Intel LGA775 and AMD AM2/939 compatible
The first thing that will strike you about this cooler is its size. It stands 150mm tall, so make sure it will fit inside your system. For the record only the Scythe Infinity and the Thermalright IFX-14 stand taller than this cooler, but the Nirvana looks more compact than the two for mentioned CPU coolers due to the fact the 120mm fan is built into the body of the Nirvana.
Gone are the references to butterflies and in are references to bees! We say this because the heatsink features a Honeycomb Structure. This feature increases air pressure at the centre of the heatsink to aid cooling, and boy does it work! During our evaluation no matter what we tried we could not get our Intel QX6600 Quad Core CPU over 41° and this was with the fan speed on its absolute minimum. Not only does the Honeycomb Structure help but also the copper base and the four U-shaped copper heatsinks play a massive factor. They transfer the heat quickly and efficiently into the fins where everything is cooled by an extremely quiet fan.
The supplied 120mm blue LED fan is built into the unit in a similar way to ZEROtherm’s Butterfly coolers. What is different about this fan is that it is not a PWM fan. The Nirvana fan has a standard 3-pin connector which connects to the supplied fan speed controller. This controller works in a similar way to Zalman’s FANMATE2 and when connected you can change the speed of the fan to a RPM that suits you, instead of the motherboard dictating the fan speed. When the fan speed is set to minimum the noise from the fan (if you can call it noise) is virtually inaudible. You can only hear it if you place your ear directly next to the fan!
To improve the look of the cooler ZEROtherm has nickel plated the whole cooler so it has a finish that looks fantastic and feel very smooth, although it does show finger prints easily, but I’m sure you will agree, that is nothing to worry about.
Compatibility and Installation
The Nirvana is compatible with Intel’s LGA775 and AMD’s 939, 940 and AM2 sockets. Installation is extremely easy. The images below show the two different brackets required to mount the cooler depending whether you have an Intel or AMD system. The AMD bracket will just attach to the supplied black retention module currently around the CPU. Unfortunately it is not that easy with the Intel socket. The motherboard requires the supplied backplate installing and once it is done the cooler simply screws through the motherboard and into the backplate.
Specifications
| Dimensions | 128 x 95 x 150 mm (LxWxH) |
| Materials | Aluminium fins, Copper base and heatpipes |
| Surface Area | 6748 sq.cm |
| Cooling Capacity | 150W |
| Fan Size | 120 x 25 mm with blue LEDs |
| Fan Speed | 700-2600 RPM |
| Noise level | 17-39 dBA |
| Fan Connector | 3-pin |
| Air Flow Rate | 84.7 CFM |
| Weight | 628g |
See also:
Intel Quiet CPU Coolers
Ultra Grade Products
CPU Coolers