The Zalman Twins: 9500 & 9700 Air Tunnels
by Wesley Fink on February 19, 2007 12:40 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Zalman 9700
The Zalman CNPS9700 is basically an oversized 9500, with a larger 110mm fan and a greater surface area of copper fins for cooling.
The size difference is pretty clear in this picture of the 9500 and 9700 side by side. The increase in size and copper also raises the cost. Where the 9500 series sells for around $60, the 9700 retails for about $75.
Packaging for the 9700 is about the same as the 9500. Zalman uses blue for the universal mount and Intel mount coolers, and green to designate AMD coolers. We would like to extend a thank you to Frozen CPU for providing the Zalman CNPS9700 for review.
Few can complain about the polish of the copper mounting surface of the 9700. The 9500 was very similar, with a flat high polish pad that mates to the CPU. Mounting of the 9700 is exactly like the 9500. The same adapters and plates will work on either CPU cooler.
The 9700 includes all the same parts as the 9500 LED plus an AM2 adapter. It also includes the Zalman Fan Mate 2 fan controller. The 9700 can mount Socket 775, AM2, 754, 939, and 940. However, it drops support for Socket 478, which is now three generations back on the Intel tree. Also added is a bottle of Zalman Super Thermal Grease.
Zalman Super Thermal Grease
Included in the CSN9700 kit is a bottle of Zalman Super Thermal Grease with a brush in the cap to make application easier.
| Zalman Super Thermal Grease Specifications | |
| Type | Non-curing compound |
| Capacity | 3.5g |
| Specific Gravity | 2.42 |
| Temperature Stability | -40C-150C (-40F-302F) |
Specifications
Our test system is Intel Socket 775, but the Zalman CNPS9700 LED will mount on all current CPU sockets. All the needed hardware is included to fit the variety of supported sockets.
| Zalman CNPS9700 LED Specifications | |
| Heatsink | |
| Dimensions | 90(L) X 124(W) X 142(H) mm |
| Weight | Heatsink: 690g, Total (including fan): 764g |
| Base Material | Pure Copper and Aluminum |
| Dissipation Area | 5,490 cm2 |
| Fan | |
| Fan Size/Weight | 110 mm, 74g |
| Bearing Type | 2 Ball-Bearing |
| Speed - Silent Mode | 1,250RPM +/- 10% |
| Speed - Normal Mode | 2,800RPM +/- 10% |
| Noise Level - Silent Mode | 19.5dB +/- 10% |
| Noise Level - Normal Mode | 35dB +/- 10% |
The main difference between the Zalman 9700 and the 9500 is size and weight. The 9700 is 142mm tall compared to the 9500 height of 125mm. This 17mm height difference will matter to some with smaller cases, but neither of these two Zalman coolers is truly small. They are generally not suitable for small, flat Media PC cases or modular cases designed for rack mounting.
The 9700 also weighs 764g, compared to the 530g of the 9500. While the motherboard mounting method may handle the 530g weight just fine, you should be careful with the heavier 9700. At almost two pounds this is a heavy heatsink and the plastic mounting plates allow flex - they are not rigid like some of the metal plates used on competing large CPU coolers. It is probably not a good idea to use the 9700 on a PC that will be moved frequently, such as a LAN Party PC. Carrying around a mounted heavy cooler like the Zalman 9700 could be asking for trouble.
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Wesley Fink - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
Very odd, but corrected.$pade - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
This is another cooler that should be in the same league as the Tuniq Tower, but I have never seen a comparison review between the two units. I have seen the infinity used in several test configurations here, so I don't understand why it hasn't been included here yet. Anyways, the Infinity received editor's choice award here (http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/core_2_cpu_coo...">http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/core_2_cpu_coo... because it featured the lowest noise level and best cooling performance. I'd like to see another review for a second opinion and to see how it compares against the Tower.Vigile - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=298">http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=298Wesley Fink - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
We have just received the latest versions of the Scythe Ninja and the Scythe Infinity. They will be covered in an upcoming review.Sh0ckwave - Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - link
Awesome. my Infinity kicks ass with a papst fanVooDooAddict - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
Excellent!mostlyprudent - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
Sweet!Operandi - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
It looks like the Zalmans are operating below your noise floor when they are run at low so it's hard to compare noise results within your results. Your prices are also a bit off; on Newegg the 9500 has been in the mid $40 range for awhile now which makes it more competitive.Also I don't believe Zalman makes a passive PSU aside from the unit integrated into some of their passive cases.
PseudoKnight - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
I hope they can do better on their next iteration or at least drop the prices on these ones. I had a great experience with their product support. The heatsinks also look fantastic. heh.Wesley Fink - Monday, February 19, 2007 - link
We agree that Zalman product support is excellent. They also have put a lot of thought into the engineering of the installtion, and into describing that installation very well - which we mentioned in the review.We have tremendous respect for Zalman as a company, but we also know our readers depend on us for objective testing, and not reviews that are just ads for products. There are plenty of sites where you can get those kinds of reviews. We strongly believe that a "review" of a single product is an advertisement - reviews require comparing two or more products objectively.
Zalman missed the value mark this time, but we're certain they will be back with other great products in the future.