Zalman unleashes its new completely
fanless and silent CPU cooler
Those interested in passive, silent cooling
are used to using hardware that's a little underpowered compared to the top-end
equipment that's available, as the more powerful something gets, the more heat
it tends to produce, and the more it needs some noisy air or liquid movement to
shift its heat.
Zalman
FX100 Cube
Zalman seems keen to challenge this notion,
however, with the release of the FX100 Cube, one of very few coolers with
claims of being able to passively cool a CPU with a TDP of up to 95W, which
includes Intel's latest generation of Ivy Bridge LGA1155 CPUs. Its industrial
cuboid design with rounded edges and blackened metal actually looks rather funky,
and it certainly stands out. The suggested $107 retail price is very steep, but
passive cooling is one of those niche markets where prices unfortunately take
an upwards turn.
Four heat pipes pass through the CPU
baseplate, with another six soldered onto these at the cube's corners and
working their way round the outside and through the four external aluminum fin
stacks. An extra two fin stacks sit inside the Cube, and it’s possible to fit a
92mm fan here. No fan is provided but you'll need one for LGA1366 and LGA2011
CPUs. The cooler is designed to work using convection and has just a single
recommended orientation. Naturally, it's also suggested to use it in
conjunction with a well-ventilated case so that hot air can escape.
Getting the backplate and front mounting
plate onto your motherboard is pretty simple as far as cooler installations go
and doesn't require any tools. Where you will need to bust out a screwdriver is
to attach the cooler itself, which is really rather fiddly. After removing the
Cube's roof, you'll need to reach a long screwdriver between the inside and
outside fin stacks to screw in a pair of bolts. Patience is a necessity, as
it's likely to take a few goes before you get it right.
Once the cooler is in place, however, it's
clear that it makes good contact with your CPU and sits in place nice and
tightly. As the bottom of the cube is raised a fair distance, the vast majority
of motherboards should have no issues with heat sinks getting in the way, but
you'll still want to invest in some low-profile RAM, because anything larger
would risk not quite fitting.
So can Zalman's cooler do what it says and
cool a modern, high-end CPU without producing any noise? The answer,
thankfully, is yes. In a low-noise, low-airflow and well-ventilated chassis,
the FX100 Cube is capable of cooling an Intel Core i7-2600K at stock speeds.
While this Sandy Bridge CPU runs a little cooler than the current generation of
Ivy Bridge CPUs, there's enough leeway in the temperatures it produces to cater
for this overhead, so LGA1155 users running at stock speeds should be well
covered.
Impressively, the Cube is even able to keep
the same CPU overclocked to 4.4GHz from reaching its thermal limit, although
temperatures do get worryingly hot in this scenario. What this suggests,
however, is that in the right case, the Cube can deal with a slightly higher
TDP rating than it advertises.
Impressively,
the Cube is even able to keep the same CPU overclocked to 4.4GHz from reaching
its thermal limit, although temperatures do get worryingly hot in this
scenario.
The Cube does come with a few caveats,
however. For starters, those who want a completely passive system with no air
or water flow whatsoever will really need to ensure the Cube is installed in a
well-ventilated system, and overclocking will be off the cards completely.
Its price is also a massive barrier to
entry, as even super powerful and incredibly quiet air coolers like Noctua's
NH-D14 can be had for around $32 less. Therefore, while the Zalman cooler can
do what it says, regular, cheaper and better performing air coolers are the
superior choice for the vast majority of people. Only those pursuing absolute
silence should even consider forking out the $106.7 asking price.
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Details
§ Price:
Approx. $107
§ Manufacturer:
Zalman
§ Website:
www.zalman.com
§ Required
spec: Intel sockets LGA775, LGA1155, LGA1156 (LGA1366, LGA2011 with fan); AMD
sockets FM1,FM2,AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+
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