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Silent Graphics Card Heatsinks

These days, the performance of a PC system is reliant almost as much on the video card as the main processor. As graphics performance has increased, so has the heat output of the GPU chip, which in turn has lead to video cards being installed with more and more elaborate fan-based coolers. From a noise point of view, this is a disaster! The tiny GPU fan must spin very quickly in order to achieve reasonable airflow, and of course the higher the fan speed, the higher the noise level.

Naturally, the best approach is to avoid video cards with fans on them, but these days it is almost impossible to find a high performance graphics card without a fan. But there is no need to sacrifice performance for quietness; the following innovative products from Zalman will put an end to the problem for good. Your VGA card won't be just "quieter" - it will be totally silent! Extremely clever heatsink designs give a huge increase in surface area, and usually give better cooling than the standard item too.

Compatibility Chart

NOTES

The VF700, ZM80 are only compatible with graphic cards that have push-pin holes around the GPU. Please check your graphics card! If your graphics card does not have any push-pin holes around the GPU then the ZM17-CU is our only solution.

Due to the size of these heatsinks, you will be unable to insert a PCI card in the one slot adjacent to your video card after installing the VF700, ZM80C-HP or the ZM80D-HP. Other slots remain unaffected.

Zalman VF700 Quiet VGA Cooler

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

With nVidia and ATi releasing their next generation graphics cards that require more and more power, which in turn generates more and more heat it was only a matter of time before Zalman released a new quiet graphics card cooler, introducing the VF700.

Zalman have taken all their expertise in heatsink design to manufacture something special. As you can see from the images below the heatsink looks similar to the very popular CNPS7000B Super Flower CPU Cooler. The major difference between the VF700 and the CNPS7000B is that the radial arrangement of the VF700 is split into two half-moons - one smaller than the other. This approach, combined with the use of a smaller fan, ensures no clearance issues when fitted to the graphics card. The airflow from the fan is spread very evenly across all fins and adjacent components, to give cooling unmatched by any other design. Also included are eight RAM heatsinks (anodised blue), to capitalise on the extra airflow generated by the fan.

Product Differences

Just like the CNPS7000B, the VF700 is available in full copper (CU) or aluminium and copper (ALCU) versions. This means you will benefit from a lower GPU temperature of around 3-5° with the CU version compared to the ALCU. The only difference from the VF700-CU to the VF700-CU LED is that the LED version has a clear fan which when running emits a blue light! All other specifications are exactly the same as the VF700-CU. Images of the VF700-CU LED are shown below.

Compatibility

The VF700 is compatible with AGP and PCI-E (PCI Express) graphics cards which have pushpin holes around the GPU. Unfortunately it is not compatible with Matrox or nVidia’s PCX series graphics cards. If you own a Matrox card please consider using the ZM80D-HP and ZM-OP1. nVidia PCX owners, we are sorry to say we do not have a solution for that particular series of graphics card. It is also incompatible with nVidia’s 7800 GS AGP cards, the 7800 PCI-E remains fully compatible.

Zalman have produced a list of compatible graphics cards for the VF700. Take a look at the following links for more information - Compatible VGA Cards : Incompatible VGA Cards.

VF700 Specifications

ZM80A/C/D-HP Silent Heatpipe Video Card Heatsinks

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

We are proud to present the very best video card heatsinks; the ZM80A-HP, ZM80C-HP and the ZM80D-HP. Simply put, these are the world's most efficient video card heatsinks. What's more, they can operates in absolute silence! Even the very latest video cards present no problem to this product's amazing cooling abilities. The ZM80C-HP comprises of two grey large anodised aluminium heatsinks which are linked by a heatpipe to equalise their temperatures, while the ZM80D-HP has dual heatpipes linking together even larger anodised aluminium heatsinks. One heatsink is installed on the front of the card, and the other on the rear. Being mounted on rubber washers, the rear heatsink has no direct contact with the card, but by using a heatpipes, this clever approach means that the cooling surface area is effectively doubled with no clearance disadvantages.

Compatibility

The ZM80 is compatible with AGP and PCI-E (PCI Express) video cards which have pushpin holes around the GPU. Unfortunately it is not compatible with nVidia’s PCX, 6800 nor the 7800 series graphics cards. If you are a owner of a 6800 or 7800 card please consider using the VF700.

We recommend the ZM80 if you are intending to install it on the following graphics cards - nVidia FX5700 or below, nVidia 6600* (all models), ATi 9700 or below (all models), ATi X700 or below (all models). If you have a graphics card with a higher specification than the ones mentioned it is recommend that you opt for the VF700. If you intend to install the ZM80 onto a higher performance graphics card than the above mentioned, it is highly recommended that you install the optional ZM-OP1. The ZM-OP1 is not compatible with the ZM80A-HP.

* nVidia AGP 6600LE and 6600GT owners - Please note that the ZM80 is not compatible with this graphics card. The reason for the incompatibility is because the GPU has been rotated 45° in order to incorporate the HSI chip. Please consider the VF700 and check the compatibility links. This does not affect the PCI-E version of the 6600LE or the 6600GT because that card does not include a HSI chip.

For further compatibility issues please see Zalman's website for each specific cooler - ZM80A-HP, ZM80C-HP, ZM80D-HP

Product Differences

There are a number of differences between these two products, they are as follows...

• The ZM80D-HP has two heatpipes. This allows the ZM80D-HP to transfer heat to the rear heatsink quicker than the ZM80C-HP, which only has one heatpipe.

• The ZM80D-HP has the larger surface area, which means it can dissipate more heat than the ZM80C-HP.

• The ZM80D-HP is supplied with VGA RAM heatsinks.

• The ZM80D-HP will provide a temperature drop of around 2-3° compared to the ZM80C-HP on the latest graphics cards while using the ZM-OP1.

• The ZM80D-HP is blue, the ZM80C-HP is grey.

Specifications

ZM80C-HP cooler dimensions can be found here.

Product Review

" Overall the ZM80C-HP/ZMOP1 is an excellent graphics card cooling solution... if you’re after the best possible solution in terms of noise and cooling this is the one to go for " - Trusted Reviews (ZM80C-HP)

" Zalman has hit big with this new VGA heatsink. It's big and it delivers. " - InsaneTek (ZM80D-HP)

ZM-OP1 Optional Slim 80mm Fan & Grill for ZM80C-HP

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

This optional slim 80mm fan for the ZM80C-HP is designed to cool the very latest graphics cards in near silence. This fan fastens to the top of the ZM80C-HP and provides the correct amount of airflow needed in near silence, only 20dB(A).

Compatibility

This slim 80mm is only compatible with the ZM80CD-HPand ZM80D-HP Only. If you are intending to use the ZM80C/D-HP on a GeForce 5700 or higher, Matrox Parhelia, or the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro or higher, the optional slim 80mm fan ZM-OP1 must be installed. All lower spec graphics cards do not require the ZM-OP1, the ZM80C-HP or AM80D-HP alone will adequately cool your graphics card.

Silent Heatpipe Video Card Heatsink ZM50-HP

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

Here is the little brother to the ZM80C-HP, the ZM50-HP. This heatsink offers all the advantages of the larger version, but with reduced cost and weight. However, please bear in mind that its cooling ability is more limited (see "Compatibility", below). If you have a card which is compatible with the ZM50-HP then look no further for the perfect solution to a noisy video card fan.

Compatibility

The product works only with video cards which have pushpin holes around the GPU. It is best suited to non cutting-edge performance cards such as the GeForce 2MX/4MX, 7300GS and Radeon 7000, 7200 or 7500. If you have one of these cards, then this heatsink is the perfect solution. For slower cards (without pushpin holes) we recommend the ZM17-CU.

Specifications

Silent Video Card Heatsink glue-mount ZM17-CU

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

This beautiful product is designed specifically to replace the cheap heatsink/fan (HSF) combinations which are commonly supplied on PC graphics cards. Fourteen fins made of pure copper are folded almost flat for maximum space efficiency, and the ends clamped tightly between two aluminium blocks. Two super-strong hex-head bolts are used to compress the fins together in a multiple-layer aluminium/copper "sandwich" and rounded nuts tighten the whole assembly to very high torque level for maximum heat transfer.

Bore holes are cross-drilled through the block for extra airflow, and finally the contact surface of the heatsink is milled completely flat and polished so you can see your face in it! The heatsink is mounted directly to the graphics card in place of the factory HSF using two-part thermally-conductive epoxy adhesive (supplied). Please note that the adhesive is a permanent fixing solution and the heatsink will subsequently not be easily removable.

Compatibility

The product is compatible with the vast majority of graphics cards. However, if your existing video card heatsink is mounted using pushpins rather than being glued on, we would recommend you take advantage of this, and use a ZM80C-HP or ZM50-HP instead of the ZM17-CU. The HP (heatpipe) products are of a more recent design and are easier to remove should you later upgrade your video card or need to make a video card warranty claim.

If you decide against using a HP heatsink then it is no problem to use a ZM17-CU instead, but for best cooling, we would recommend using an Ultra-Quiet fan and bracket if your video card is faster than a GeForce 2 or Radeon 7000 series. GeForce 2 / Radeon 7000 and earlier video cards can use the ZM17-CU with no additional fan being required.

Specifications

Click here to read the PC Arena review - "The Zalman beats the Nvidia stock cooler hands down"

Overhead Fan Bracket Assembly BR123 & Ultra-Quiet 92mm Case Fan, 3 pin connector

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

Where additional video card cooling is required, this fan and bracket combination is the perfect answer. The BR123 is a simple bracket which is designed to be mounted using the same screws that retain your PCI/AGP cards. The bracket has slots to allow positional adjustment of a fan so that airflow is directed across the heatsink(s) on your video card, giving unbeatable cooling. It is supplied with the necessary bolt and brass thumb screw to fasten a fan, and we would recommend the 92mm Ultra-Quiet fan as being the best choice for use in combination with the bracket.

The BR123 is exactly the same bracket which is supplied with the Zalman Flower CPU coolers. So if you are using a Flower cooler on your processor, then a 92mm fan can be mounted on the same bracket to cool your video card, and there is no need to purchase an additional bracket. In fact, up to three fans can be mounted on one bracket - for any combination of CPU cooling, video card cooling, or general air circulation.

The BR123 (plus fan) is especially useful when using a ZM17-CU with hot-running cards. We would recommend the use of a BR123 and fan where a ZM17-CU is mounted on any video card faster than a GeForce 2 or Radeon 7000 series, to ensure best cooling. The bracket and fan is also useful for customers who are using the heatpipe video card coolers (ZM50-HP / ZM80C-HP) and who wish to ensure excellent cooling, but it is not essential that the bracket and fan are used, since the ZM80C-HP and the ZM50-HP products are extremely efficient on their own (without any forced airflow).

Silent Motherboard Heatsinks ZM-NB32K and ZM-NB47J

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

So you've got a high specification computer but you'd like to make it quiet too. A difficult combination? Not any more. As you can see from our other web pages, it is easy enough to quieten the power supply, hard drive or even a processor cooler, but the problem with noise elimination in your PC is that you will always hear the loudest sound. The effect of quietness is often spoiled by noises coming from fans installed on the motherboard and/or the video card. For their size, the small fans that are typically used on these devices are incredibly loud!

Many new motherboards are now supplied with fans on the Northbridge chipset in order to give adequate cooling. These two Zalman products take a different but refreshingly simple approach. By using the maximum possible area of the chip surface, and by having an oversize fin design, the motherboard northbridge is cooled safely and without any noise whatsoever. In some cases, the chip will run even cooler than with the noisy manufacturer-supplied HSF, enhancing PC stability.

Product features

• Two model heights available - 32mm (NB32K, yellow) and 47mm (NB47J, blue)

• Reduces motherboard noise to zero - operates in absolute silence

• Compatible with all motherboards with push-pin holes around the Northbridge chip

• A fan is not required, so no vibrations are transmitted into the PCB, enhancing long-term reliability

• Reduces power loading through the motherboard and computer PSU

• Reduces dust build up for more pleasant servicing and again enhancing reliability

• Easy to install, but does require motherboard removal

• Solid anodised-aluminium top quality construction

• Animated installation instructions are available here (requires Flash plugin)

Installation considerations

If your existing Northbridge cooler is secured using pushpins going into the motherboard, then the cooler can be removed and a ZM-NB32K or ZM-NB47J can be mounted in its place. Sprung pushpins and a tube of thermal compound are provided with the product. Installation is easy, since a clever adjustable mechanism caters for a variety of pushpin locations, and the white thermal compound is spread on the mating surfaces for optimum heat transfer.

If your motherboard has another form of mounting the Northbridge heatsink onto the motherboard then neither the ZM-NB32K nor the ZM-NB47J will be compatible on their own. Therefore we recommend that you consider gluing either the ZM-NB32K or the ZM-NB47J using a Thermally-Conductive Adhesive, like Artic Silver's.

PLEASE NOTE: It is easier to install these coolers when the motherboard is outside of the case.

Product differences

The ZM-NB32K is a tremendously popular product and it has recently been followed up with a slightly different version, the ZM-NB47J. If there is plenty of clearance around the northbridge chipset then we would recommend choosing the NB47J because it gives marginally better cooling (due to its larger fins). However, if you are concerned that there may be clearance difficulties due to its height, then you may prefer the NB32K which is 15mm shorter and also costs less. In addition, your decision may be affected by which of the products are in stock, and which colour you prefer! Both heatsinks are excellent products which will do the job perfectly.

Specifications