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Intel Quiet CPU Coolers

The Intel Pentium processor is currently a very popular choice of CPU since it offers excellent performance and reliability. Traditionally, Intel processors have always run cooler than equivalent offerings from their rival AMD. However, more recently there has not been much difference between them in terms of thermal output, as the Pentium D CPUs now run hotter than their AMD X2 counterparts! This means that providing safe and quiet cooling is more of a challenge.

However, CPU cooler technology has not stood still, and now we are delighted to be able to offer several new products which are specifically designed to give excellent cooling for Intel processors in near-silence. If your current cooler is driving you nuts, or if you just want to build a PC right in the first place, these products should be number one on your shopping list! Forget other “great pretenders” - if you want an extremely quiet system, these are the coolers to use.

PLEASE NOTE: All CPU coolers are supplied with thermal paste.

CNPS9500

CNPS7700

CNPS7000B

CNPS6500B

CNPS5100

Ninja-Plus

Katana 2

NCU-2005

Kamaboko Z

Active Cool

Cool Flow

Radial Fin

LGA775 (dual core CPU)

LGA775 (single core CPU)

Socket 478 all speeds

Socket 423 all speeds

Socket 603/604 Xeon

Ideal solution

Satisfactory solution

Zalman CNPS9500-LED Aero Flower Cooler, Copper

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

Zalman have announced the release of their new CNPS9500-LED Aero Flower Cooler. Zalman claim it outperforms all other air-cooled CPU coolers as well as internal water-cooling systems, while maintaining Zalman’s renowned ultra quiet fan operation. This is a bold statement by Zalman.

Check out the performance chart Zalman compiled showing the excellent performance of the CNPS9500-LED.

The primary innovation lies in the patented ‘figure of 8’ shape bending of the heatpipes. This produces the effect of up to six heatpipes when in actual fact there are only three. The excellent cooling performance and efficiency of the CNPS9500-LED is achieved by the aerodynamically designed ultra-slim heatsink fins and their performance optimised layout. This layout reduces airflow resistance and minimises the weigh of the cooler.

Compatibility Issues
Zalman have released a comprehensive list of compatible motherboards. Please follow these links depending on your motherboard socket type: Pentium 4 (LGA775), Pentium 4 (S478) and Athlon 64 (S754/939/940). If you can not determine if your motherboard is compatible with the CNPS9500 LED then you are asked to measure your motherboard to ascertain compatibility.

Product Features
Ultimate Performance Triple “Figure 8” shaped heatpipes offer twice the cooling of conventional heatpipe design.	Minimised Weight Aerodynamically designed ultra-slim 0.2 mm fins for minimised weight and reduced airflow resistance.
CPU Compatibility Compatible with Pentium 4 (socket 478/775) and Athlon 64 (socket 754/939/940).	Ultra Quiet Operation World-famous ultra-quiet fan operation - virtually inaudible with figures as low as 18 dB.

Specifications

Product Review

"...this heatsink from Zalman delivers, and then some. ...it will enable you to get the very most from your CPU whilst enjoying the silence." - www.custompc.ie

"I have not seen anything like this before! It outperforms even my watercooling I have to admit. " - www.rbmods.com

Zalman CNPS7700 120mm Super Flower Cooler

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

The CNPS7000 series "Super Flower" has been a massive success for Zalman, but with processors becoming hotter and hotter it was only a matter of time before Zalman came up with something even better So say hello to the colossal CNPS7700 series!

The design is very similar to the CNPS7000 series but with one major difference. The CNPS7700 series uses a 120mm fan compared to the 92mm fan used with the CNPS7000 series. This provide a greater amount of airflow at lower fan RPM, which means better performance without any extra noise!

Motherboard Cooling
Another benefit of a 120mm fan is that the components around the CPU are also cooled. The image to the right shows the 120mm fan providing cooling to other sensitive areas around the vicinity of the CPU. Important components like the Northbridge chip, RAM, VGA and FET circuitry now receive a share of the airflow. The benefit of this airflow is that the expected life of the components receiving the airflow is increased because their operational temperature is reduced.

All of these factors makes the CNPS7700 series the best choice CPU cooler. But the size comes at a cost, see below for compatibility issues!

Product features

• Incredible thermal efficiency from 0.19 C/W max

• 360 degree copper fin design is beautiful and effective

• Socket 478, 754, 775, 939 and 940 compatible

• 120mm integral fan maximises airflow and minimises noise

• FANMATE2 variable fan speed controller included

• Animated installation instructions are available here

Product differences
The specifications of the CNPS7700 series are identical, except that the thermal resistance is 0.02°C/W higher for the CU version. In practice this equates to a lower CPU running temperature of around 3°C for a high-end system. Most customers would not notice this difference in practice, and therefore we recommend purchase of the standard cooler (ALCU version) instead of this full copper (CU) version, since it is both lighter and less expensive.

Installation considerations
Since the weight of the CU version exceeds Intel's recommendation by a factor of two, we strongly suggest that you consider purchasing the ALCU version instead, which has outer fins made from aluminium in order to bring the weight down. Cooling performance is not significantly different. If you decide to go ahead and purchase the CU version because cooling performance and looks are the absolute priorities, then please be advised that installation is at your own risk. Neither we nor the manufacturer can be held responsible for any damage to a system or a CPU occurring when a PC is moved with an overweight heatsink in situ. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES must a PC be transported by courier with this heatsink in place. The heatsink must be removed from the CPU before transporting the PC in order to prevent damage.

Compatibility Issues
Due to the large diameter of the CNPS7700 there are a few things to consider before purchase. Zalman state that no motherboard components with a height greater that 39mm as well as the PSU, disk drives, VGA card, and RAM should be present within a 68mm (2.68 inch) radius from the center of the CPU.

Zalman are working on a list of compatible motherboards. Until that is complete you are advised to measure your motherboard to ascertain compatibility.

The CNPS7700 is incompatible with Athlon XP (socket A, 462) and Pentium 3 (Socket 370).

PLEASE NOTE: Some motherboards have difficulty measuring low fan RPM speeds on coolers such as this one. The problem can sometimes be fixed by updating the motherboard BIOS to the latest version available on the motherboard manufacturer's website. However, with some motherboards, the problem remains. Regardless, this will not affect performance. In addition, some motherboards will not boot if the CPU fan speed cannot be measured, as a safety feature. After rotating the Fan Mate speed control fully clockwise to enable booting, this feature needs to be disabled in the BIOS setup (set "CPU Fan Detect" or similar to "Disabled").

Specifications

Zalman CNPS7000B Series Super Flower Cooler AMD and P4

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

The CNPS7000B "Super Flower" builds on the success of the 6000 series, and offers the same low-noise 92mm fan, but this time integrated into the heatsink itself. Available for Pentium 4, Athlon 64 and Athlon XP, its radical design offers unparalleled efficiency even when its fan is running in "Silent mode" (a mere 1,350 rpm).

The CNPS7000-CU achieved a full 6 out of 6 stars in September's PC Pro magazine and even scooped the coveted "Extreme Most Wanted" award! For a specialist component, this alone speaks volumes. But what really hammers the point home is the product's ability to cool processors up to a theoretical 150 watts! When it comes to cooling in silence, there is nothing to touch the Zalman Super Flower.

"Zalman still rules the roost with its Flower Cooler approach." PC Pro Magazine, Jan 2004 p.299.
(CNPS7000-CU vs Thermalright SLK-947U comparative review).

Many customers will appreciate the benefits of the CU version but prefer a more lightweight solution. By using a combination of aluminium and copper, the ALCU version achieves the perfect weight and cooling ability and also comes attractively priced. This is, without a doubt, the first choice CPU cooler.

The CNPS7000B has gone all funky!

For you crazy kids out there, Zalman have released a blue LED version of this very popular cooler! The product is exactly the same as the non-LED versions, except for the fan colour.

Product features

• Incredible thermal efficiency of 0.20 C/W max

• 360 degree copper fin design is beautiful and effective

• Socket 478, 462, 940 and 754 compatible

• 92mm integral fan maximises airflow and minimises noise

• FANMATE 2 variable fan speed controller included

• Animated installation instructions are available here

Product differences
The specifications of the CNPS7000B series flower coolers are identical, except that the thermal resistance is 0.02°C/W higher for the CU version. In practice this equates to a lower CPU running temperature of around 3°C for a high-end system. Most customers would not notice this difference in practice, and therefore we recommend purchase of the standard cooler (ALCU version) instead of this full copper (CU) version, since it is both lighter and less expensive.

Click here to read a review that compares the CU version to the ALCU.

Installation considerations
Since the weight of the CU version exceeds Intel's recommendation by nearly a factor of two, we strongly suggest that you consider purchasing the ALCU version instead, which has outer fins made from aluminium in order to bring the weight down. Cooling performance is not significantly different. If you decide to go ahead and purchase the CU version because cooling performance and looks are the absolute priorities, then please be advised that installation is at your own risk. Neither we nor the manufacturer can be held responsible for any damage to a system or a CPU occurring when a PC is moved with an overweight heatsink in situ. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES must a PC be transported by courier with this heatsink in place. The heatsink must be removed from the CPU before transporting the PC in order to prevent damage.

Compatibility Issues

Pentium 4 owners
Socket 478 - Because of the size of the 7000 series cooler there are known problems with some motherboards. Therefore Pentium 4 owners should check this webpage, it contains a list of P4 motherboards that interfere with the 7000 series cooler.

Socket 775 - Socket 775 compatibility is achieved by using Zalman's ZM-CS1 clips, available separately. This clip has been specifically designed for the 7000 series only.

Athlon XP owners, socket 462
Your motherboard MUST have four holes around the CPU socket. If these holes are not there then the CNPS7000B will not fit. Zalman have kindly created a list of motherboards. You are urged to check this list to see if your motherboard is compatible with the CNPS7000B. If your motherboard is not on this list then the CNPS7000B is incompatible.

Athlon 64 owners, socket 939, 940 and 754
The CNPS7000B is compatible with virtually Athlon 64 motherboards, but you are still urged to check this list of motherboards.

NOTE: Some motherboards have difficulty measuring low fan RPM speeds on coolers such as this one. The problem can sometimes be fixed by updating the motherboard BIOS to the latest version available on the motherboard manufacturer's website. However, with some motherboards, the problem remains. Regardless, this will not affect performance. In addition, some motherboards will not boot if the CPU fan speed cannot be measured, as a safety feature. After rotating the Fan Mate speed control fully clockwise to enable booting, this feature needs to be disabled in the BIOS setup (set "CPU Fan Detect" or similar to "Disabled").

Specifications

Product Review

"Well I always knew Zalman had good products but this cooler is knocking spots of its predecessors" - The Modfathers.com (CNPS7000-CU)

"There are no two ways about it: Zalman's CNPS7000-CU is one of the most powerful and possibly the most 'beautiful' air coolers around." - Tom's Hardware (CNPS7000-CU)

"If you’re trying to build a quiet PC you should take a look at the CNPS7000A-ALCu, and if you’ve got a case with a clear side panel you’ll want it even more." - TrustedReviews (CNPS7000A-ALCU)

Zalman ZM-CS1 clip for CNPS7000 series and socket 775

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

This product has been designed for customers who require a quiet CPU cooler for their socket 775 (LGA775) motherboard. This clip works inconjuction with Zalman's CNPS7000 series cooler only.

Installation intructions are available here.

P4 S478 Flower Cooler CNPS6500B Series

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

Now our most popular CPU cooler, the amazing and beautiful Zalman Flower is as versatile as it is effective. This socket 478 Pentium 4 version works up to 3 GHz and comes in a kit with everything you need, including heatsink, ultra-quiet fan, mounting bracket, Fan Mate speed controller, thermal compound, screws/bolts, clips and instructions. In addition, animated installation instructions are available.

The fan is held above the heatsink using an adjustable bracket (FB123, included) which fastens using the screws holding the AGP/PCI cards in place. Because the fan is larger than normal (92mm), it can be run very slowly yet still provide excellent airflow downward onto the heatsink. Combined with the efficiency of the flower fin arrangement and the use of copper as a fin material, this means you can have outstanding cooling performance but without the noise! The bracket is also capable of holding a second ultra-quiet 92mm fan (available separately), for cooling the AGP/PCI cards, particularly the graphics card.

As well as preventing vibration being transferred to the delicate CPU, the bracket allows positioning of the fan in any desired location, making it compatible with virtually all ATX tower/desktop cases and motherboards. However, please note that this product is not recommended for use with small form-factor computer cases which have the PSU mounted so that it covers the CPU and obstructs its airflow.

The speed of the fan is controlled using a Fan Mate variable voltage regulator, so you can set this manually to the speed you require, for best balance between noise and CPU temperature. At its lowest speed setting, adequate cooling is achieved even for the fastest processors, and the fan is almost completely inaudible.

It is recommended that you try to keep your CPU temperature below 70-75°C for reliable operation, but there will be no problem achieving this with the Flower cooler. In practice, temperatures as low as 35-50°C are often achievable. Because of its design, the Flower will appeal to people who need a quiet computer, and also those who need minimum CPU temperature for best stability when overclocking (overclocking is done at your own risk).

Although the Flower cooler looks physically very large, its appearance is somewhat deceptive. The product is compatible with all known motherboards (the heatsink has a very small footprint at its base, so that it clears raised components around CPU socket). If you are still unsure about clearances, then you can check product dimensions using the specification table below.

Installation considerations

Since the weight of the CU version exceeds Intel's recommendation by nearly a factor of two, we strongly suggest that you consider purchasing the ALCU version instead, which has outer fins made from aluminium in order to bring the weight down. Cooling performance is not significantly different. If you decide to go ahead and purchase the CU version because cooling performance and looks are the absolute priorities, then please be advised that installation is at your own risk. Neither we nor the manufacturer can be held responsible for any damage to a system or a CPU occurring when a PC is moved with an overweight heatsink in situ. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES must a PC be transported by courier with this heatsink in place. The heatsink must be removed from the CPU before transporting the PC in order to prevent damage.

NOTE: Some motherboards have difficulty measuring low fan RPM speeds on coolers such as this one. The problem can sometimes be fixed by updating the motherboard BIOS to the latest version available on the motherboard manufacturer's website. However, with some motherboards, the problem remains. Regardless, this will not affect performance. In addition, some motherboards will not boot if the CPU fan speed cannot be measured, as a safety feature. After rotating the Fan Mate speed control fully clockwise to enable booting, this feature needs to be disabled in the BIOS setup (set "CPU Fan Detect" or similar to "Disabled").

Product differences

The specifications of the CNPS6500B series flower coolers are identical, except that the thermal resistance is 0.03°C/W higher for the CU version. In practice this equates to a lower CPU running temperature of around 3°C for a high-end Pentium 4. Most customers would not notice this difference in practice, and therefore we recommend purchase of the standard cooler (ALCU version) instead of this full copper (CU) version, since it is both lighter and less expensive.

Specifications

CNPS5100-CU S423/603/604/462 CPU Cooler

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

It is recommended that you try to keep your CPU temperature below 70-75°C for reliable operation, but there will be no problem achieving this with the CNPS5100-CU cooler. In practice, temperatures as low as 35-50°C are often achievable. Because of its design, the Flower will appeal to people who need a quiet computer, and also those who need minimum CPU temperature for best stability when overclocking (overclocking is done at your own risk).

IMPORTANT: To be able to successfully install this cooler, your motherboard needs to have four holes around the CPU socket as shown below. A S423 layout is pictured, but if the cooler is to be used with S603/604 Xeon or S462 AMD, similar holes must be present.

Scythe Ninja-Plus Heatpipe CPU Cooler

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

One thing we like about Scythe's CPU coolers is that their product names always bring a smile to our face. Their latest fanless cooler is no exception: the Ninja! This product is not especially good at being an agent of espionage or assassination, but it does excel in one area of specialism - it provides cutting-edge cooling performance!

The Ninja represents the holy grail of a quiet computer because it is an entirely passive heatsink, so from a noise point of view it is totally silent. It manages this through its clever arrangement of a multiple-layer fin design, combined with no less than six heatpipes. Because of this, it is one of the most efficient heatsinks we sell. The downside of this design is that is makes the heatsink fairly large, meaning that it is unsuitable for use in restricted-space applications such as HTPC cases.

As with all fanless coolers, use of the Ninja is restricted by the type of CPU you are intending to use with it. We recommend using a fanless cooler if your CPU is a Pentium 4 Northwood (any speed), or an Athlon 64 3500+ or lower. If you intend to use the cooler with a socket 775 processor or a CPU faster than an Athlon 64 3500+ then we recommend you install the 120mm fan. The Ninja-PLUS is supplied with two retaining clips and a 120mm fan for use with a high-end CPU, like Intel's and AMD's new dual core processors.

It is imperative that after installation you monitor your CPU temperature very closely, making sure that you are happy with the results. If you believe your CPU temperature is too high (say 70C or above), try to increase the airflow through the system. If the CPU temperature is still too high then please cease using the Ninja and contact us for advice. However, as long as you do not run your PC with the CPU flat out for many hours continuously, there should be no reason why you can't enjoy the silence of this cooler.

Alternatively you can alway use the supplied 120mm fan to provide direct airflow to the heatsink; And if you purchase Zalman's Fanmate 2 at the same time you will be able to adjust the speed of the fan to give you the best balance between noise and cooling.

Specifications

* Customers who intend to use the Ninja with a Pentium 4 LGA775 CPU or a Athlon 64 939 over 3500+, are recommend to using the supplied 120mm fan.

Product Review

"This (the Ninja) makes it the most efficient unit on test, and even with a 120mm fan hooked on, it's pretty quiet." - PC Format Aug 05, page 72, 91%

"The Scythe Ninja is an excellent HS that can be confidently recommended for the most demanding CPU cooling challenges at truly whisper quiet noise levels..." - Silent PC Review

"Even adding in the cost of a decent 120mm fan, this is still a small price to pay for the immense cooling capabilities, earning the Ninja a Recommended Award" - PC Pro Magazine, issue 133, page 40 (Recommended)

Scythe Katana 2 Quiet CPU Cooler Intel/AMD

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

Sharper than ever! The Katana is back.

The slope shaped heatsink known as Katana CPU Cooler is now back and boasts improved performance to meet the higher cooling demands for all users. Three heatpipes and the latest CPU socket compatibility are build-in to offer value-for-money without any compromise in the performance!

OFCS - Oval Fin Contact Structure

Introducing the newly developed OFCS (Oval Fin Contact Structure) that achieves a greater contact area between the cooling fins and heatpipes, which reduces heat transfer loss. Furthermore, by adopting the sloping fins this reduces the overall width of the cooler as well as providing the ability to direct the airflow to various motherboard components simultaneously whilst cooling the CPU.
VFMS - Versatile Fan Mounting System / 100mm Fan

By adapting the VFMS fan mounting system from Scythe’s popular Mine CPU Cooler, the default fan (100x100x25mm) can be easily exchanged to any other standard 25mm thick fan.
Four-Way Mounting

Four-way (direction) mounting is possible. This allows you to configure and optimise the airflow direction inside your chassis without any restrictions.
Universal Socket Compatibility with AM2

The Katana 2 CPU Cooler is compatible for socket 478/754/939/940/AM2 and LGA775. All in one solution for your PC system.

Installation instructions are supplied with the cooler to make installing the Katana very straightforward. Alternatively you can view the PDF here.

It may appear that the Katana is actually falling over but in fact it is like this on purpose. The heatsink has been angled at 70°. The slant allows the fan to blow air over the motherboard, aiding motherboard cooling. This improves system stability and prolongs component life.

Scythe’s engineering team designed the Katana with value, silence and performance in mind. They wanted to produce a cooler with as many features as possible without any compromise in performance. It seems that Scythe's engineering team have hit the nail on the head with the Katana!

Specifications

Product Review

"...the heatpipes and fins of the Katana are designed to be angled in a way so that great performance could be achieved without the need of increased heatpipes and massive fins." - InsaneTek (Recommended)

Scythe NCU-2005 P4/AMD Fanless Heatlane CPU Cooler

For pricing and availability, please click here or order at the top of the page

Installation Considerations

It is recommended that you use the NCU-2005 with a power supply that incorporates a 120mm fan. The 120mm fan provides excellent cooling for the NCU-2005 due to its close proximity. It is also imperative that you have good case airflow. As you can see with the image to the left, we installed a QTechnology 400W 120mm fan PSU and a 120mm AcoustiFan. This provided excellent cooling for the NCU-2005. See tests below.

The manufacturers state that this CPU cooler can only be used with low-medium loaded PCs. If you are an overclocker or someone who pushes their CPU consistently near 100%, then this is not the cooler for you. But for those that use their PC for the occasional game, word processing, watching DVDs etc, then take advantage of the Fanless NCU-2005.

PLEASE NOTE: The NCU-2005 is too tall for the Accent Home Theatre PC Cases. We suggest using a Zalman CNPS7000.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES must a PC be transported by courier with this heatsink in place. The heatsink must be removed from the CPU before transporting the PC in order to prevent damage.

Cooler Efficiency

We tested the cooling efficiency of the NCU-2005 very hard indeed. We installed it into the following system; Pentium 4 3.2Ghz Prescott (3.20E), ASUS P4R800-VM Motherboard (on-board graphics), AcoustiCase C6607, 1 x Seagate Barracuda V 80 Gigabyte hard drive and a NEC ND-2510 DVD-RW drive. Below you will find the recorded temperatures using different power supplies and with/without case fans. We then ran the CPU for 30 minutes at 100% usage using a program called CPU burn. The CPU and ambient temperatures were recorded, using 'ASUS Probe'. From these figures and given the fact that the CPU outputs 103 watts at 100% usage, it was possible to work out the C/W figure of the cooler in each test.

Intel specify a maximum operating temperature for this particular CPU at 73.2°C. According to AMD the Athlon 64 CPUs currently output a maximum of 89 watts, so Athlon 64 owners should have better results!

Conclusion

Test 1 - As you can see things got a little hot here! It is highly recommend that you DO NOT use this cooler in a fanless system without any airflow. At idle the CPU was around 55°C.

Test 2 - By adding just two 120mm case fans helped reduce the CPU temperature under the 75° mark, making it very close, but still above, our recommended maximum temperature. The case fans were running at 900 RPM this made them virtually silent. If you were to exceed the speed of the case fans above 1100 RPM it would make having a fanless CPU cooler pointless! The idle temperature was around 48°C;.

Test 3 and 4 - These tests reduced the CPU temperature well below the maximum recommended temperature. Making the QTechnology power supply (with the 120mm fan) an ideal companion for the NCU-2005.

It is imperative that after installation you monitor your CPU temperature very closely, making sure you are happy with the results. If you believe your CPU temperature is too high, try increase the airflow through the system. If the CPU temperature is still too high then please uninstall and stop using the NCU-2005. Just as long as you do not constantly push the CPU to 100%, then there should be no reason why you can not enjoy the silence of the NCU-2005.

PRODUCT UPDATE:

Optional 120mm fan - It is now possible to use a 120mm fan with the NCU-2005. The main body of that fan has been slightly modified to aid this purpose. The fan attaches to the heatsink use two clips. This means if you want to use this cooler on the hottest and faster CPUs currently available, you can, by attaching a slow running 120mm fan.

LGA775 Compatible - The NCU-2005 has been redesigned to accommodate Intel's new socket LGA775. This means the NCU-2005 is the world's first fanless cooler for low to medium loaded LGA775 based PCs!