Zalman vs. Arctic Cooling

DrunkenMonkey · Jan 10, 2006, 04:19 AM

I've eliminated other cooling solutions for my Graphics Card, and What I have left is

the Zalman [color=#1c4d84][color=red]VF700-Cu[/color] [/color][color=white](LED or no LED) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/VF700-Cu[/color]

or

the [color=red]Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 5 (Rev. 2) http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=61[/color]

[color=black]I'm torn between the two. I can get both for cheap money, so it's a hard decision. Can you guys help me decide?[/color]

Drakon · Jan 10, 2006, 06:08 AM

I had the ATI Silencer 5 Rev 2. Great cooler, plus very silent too, even when running at high speeds. Kept my x850xt pe pretty cool. I do need to get a NVSilencer 5 for my 7800GTX

daedal · Jan 10, 2006, 11:59 AM

Same here. I installed an ATI Silencer 5 Rev 2 on my X850XT(PE) and it runs cooler than ever. On a side note, I don't believe the Zalman cooler cools down the memory like the Silencer does.

Sargentwhitey · Jan 10, 2006, 02:05 PM

I have that Zalman Cooler installed on both of my 7800GT's and it keeps 'em nice and cool.

It does cool the memory with little BGA Heatsinks, which are in turn cooled by the fan that spins "above" them.

Lowfat · Jan 10, 2006, 04:56 PM

I've used both the Arctic Cooling Silencers as well as Zalman VF700Cu's. I'd pick the VF700 without a doubt. It is a great videocard cooler and like Sargentwhitey says it comes with very nice ramsinks. On my 7800nu it kept it under 65C and that was with a 43% overclock on the core. On my X850XT, which is a poor overclocker, I've never seen higher than 61C.

The VF900 should be released in a month or two, if you are willing to wait. Looks more like a CNPS7000 for your videocard, that also uses heatpipes

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jan 10, 2006, 08:56 PM

I third the VF700Cu.... very solid contact on it, easy install, and I mated some copper OCZ ramsinks with the cooler (which surprisingly fit without too much hassle) and I can't be happier

Well if I had a 7800GTX SLI Setup I might be happier

But hey...it works

DrunkenMonkey · Jan 10, 2006, 09:15 PM

It turns out I cant get the ATI Silencer... dont ask why, I just can't... so I guess I'm getting the Zalman. For you guys who have the Zalman, can you give me your idle and load temperatures? before and after?

Thank you.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jan 10, 2006, 09:17 PM

No prob.

All stock speeds here (OC'ing didn't raise temp anyway)

Before: Idle 45 - 48ish, load 70's to 80's if I had the fan on 100%

After: Idle 24 - 28, load 48 if fan is on full, if its at 33% (5v) only goes up 4 degrees more

DrunkenMonkey · Jan 10, 2006, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H3X4D3C1M4L

No prob.

All stock speeds here (OC'ing didn't raise temp anyway)

Before: Idle 45 - 48ish, load 70's to 80's if I had the fan on 100%

After: Idle 24 - 28, load 48 if fan is on full, if its at 33% (5v) only goes up 4 degrees more

at what clocks and temperatures do you begin to see artifacts?

I run my X850XT @ 580/600 when gaming. I begin to see artifacts when gaming at around 590/600.my load temperature is usually 68-70C, with stock fan running at high speeds according to temperatures.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jan 10, 2006, 09:30 PM

I see freezing around 540 on the core but thats cause I need a volt mod. RAM doesn't get bad until 640 but some games get picky.

DrunkenMonkey · Jan 10, 2006, 09:32 PM

The part will get here tomorrow afternoon. I'm paying $49.99 CDN for it.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jan 10, 2006, 09:39 PM

That's a tad expensive isn't it? I can get it for $35

Lowfat · Jan 10, 2006, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrunkenMonkey

at what clocks and temperatures do you begin to see artifacts?

I run my X850XT @ 580/600 when gaming. I begin to see artifacts when gaming at around 590/600.my load temperature is usually 68-70C, with stock fan running at high speeds according to temperatures.

I wish mine overclocked like that. @ stock my videocard with stock HSF went to 72C load @ 100. With the Zalman never reaches over 60C @ stock clocks. It is also far quieter then the HSF even at full speed.

DrunkenMonkey · Jan 10, 2006, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowfat

I wish mine overclocked like that. @ stock my videocard with stock HSF went to 72C load @ 100. With the Zalman never reaches over 60C @ stock clocks. It is also far quieter then the HSF even at full speed.

try raising your fan speeds

I find that higher fan speeds cool much much better.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jan 10, 2006, 10:56 PM

Doesn't always help though, at 100% or 20% mine freezes above 525-530 core

Lowfat · Jan 10, 2006, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrunkenMonkey

try raising your fan speeds

I find that higher fan speeds cool much much better.

I had it at 100%. Even with the VF700 i never got a single MHz higher.

DrunkenMonkey · Jan 11, 2006, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H3X4D3C1M4L

Doesn't always help though, at 100% or 20% mine freezes above 525-530 core

hey, what 3Dmark05 score are you getting with that?

JCLW · Jan 13, 2006, 04:42 AM

My Artic Silencer got to be not-so-silent after a year. I'm going to swap it out for the Zalman I think.

H3X4D3C1M4L · Jan 13, 2006, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrunkenMonkey

hey, what 3Dmark05 score are you getting with that?

Not sure haven't benched since my Omega 5.10 set.

Running DHZP 5.13, what settings you want me to bench '05 on?

Jan 10, 2006, 11:59 AM	#3
daedal Uber Coffee Drinker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gatineau, Quebec Posts: 2,250 Rep Power: 0	Same here. I installed an ATI Silencer 5 Rev 2 on my X850XT(PE) and it runs cooler than ever. On a side note, I don't believe the Zalman cooler cools down the memory like the Silencer does. __________________

Jan 10, 2006, 02:05 PM	#4
Sargentwhitey Has a JOB.. Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 1,473 Rep Power: 0	I have that Zalman Cooler installed on both of my 7800GT's and it keeps 'em nice and cool. It does cool the memory with little BGA Heatsinks, which are in turn cooled by the fan that spins "above" them. __________________ Mobile:Intel Celeron M 1.5GHz, 40GB WD, 1GB PC24000, Intel Mediocre Graphics 2, SB Audigy 2 Notebook

Jan 10, 2006, 04:56 PM	#5
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	I've used both the Arctic Cooling Silencers as well as Zalman VF700Cu's. I'd pick the VF700 without a doubt. It is a great videocard cooler and like Sargentwhitey says it comes with very nice ramsinks. On my 7800nu it kept it under 65C and that was with a 43% overclock on the core. On my X850XT, which is a poor overclocker, I've never seen higher than 61C. The VF900 should be released in a month or two, if you are willing to wait. Looks more like a CNPS7000 for your videocard, that also uses heatpipes __________________

Jan 10, 2006, 09:15 PM	Thread Starter #7
DrunkenMonkey DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 28 Rep Power: 0	It turns out I cant get the ATI Silencer... dont ask why, I just can't... so I guess I'm getting the Zalman. For you guys who have the Zalman, can you give me your idle and load temperatures? before and after? Thank you. __________________ [color=red]ATI Sapphire x850XT PCI-E 16x (Omega 2.6.87) AMD 64 x2 4400+ @ 2453 Mhz OCZ 1 GB (2x 512MB) Dual Channel PC3200 (200Mhz) 2.5-3-3-7 MSI K8N Neo4 Sli Platinum Edition (MS-7100)[/color]

Jan 10, 2006, 09:32 PM	Thread Starter #11
DrunkenMonkey DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 28 Rep Power: 0	The part will get here tomorrow afternoon. I'm paying $49.99 CDN for it. __________________ [color=red]ATI Sapphire x850XT PCI-E 16x (Omega 2.6.87) AMD 64 x2 4400+ @ 2453 Mhz OCZ 1 GB (2x 512MB) Dual Channel PC3200 (200Mhz) 2.5-3-3-7 MSI K8N Neo4 Sli Platinum Edition (MS-7100)[/color]

Jan 10, 2006, 04:19 AM	#1
DrunkenMonkey DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 28 Rep Power: 0	Zalman vs. Arctic Cooling I've eliminated other cooling solutions for my Graphics Card, and What I have left is the Zalman [color=#1c4d84][color=red]VF700-Cu[/color] [/color][color=white](LED or no LED) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/VF700-Cu[/color] or the [color=red]Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 5 (Rev. 2) http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=61[/color] [color=black]I'm torn between the two. I can get both for cheap money, so it's a hard decision. Can you guys help me decide?[/color] __________________ [color=red]ATI Sapphire x850XT PCI-E 16x (Omega 2.6.87) AMD 64 x2 4400+ @ 2453 Mhz OCZ 1 GB (2x 512MB) Dual Channel PC3200 (200Mhz) 2.5-3-3-7 MSI K8N Neo4 Sli Platinum Edition (MS-7100)[/color]

Jan 10, 2006, 06:08 AM	#2
Drakon DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Floatin'... Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 0	I had the ATI Silencer 5 Rev 2. Great cooler, plus very silent too, even when running at high speeds. Kept my x850xt pe pretty cool. I do need to get a NVSilencer 5 for my 7800GTX

Jan 10, 2006, 08:56 PM	#6
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	I third the VF700Cu.... very solid contact on it, easy install, and I mated some copper OCZ ramsinks with the cooler (which surprisingly fit without too much hassle) and I can't be happier Well if I had a 7800GTX SLI Setup I might be happier But hey...it works

Jan 10, 2006, 09:17 PM	#8
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	No prob. All stock speeds here (OC'ing didn't raise temp anyway) Before: Idle 45 - 48ish, load 70's to 80's if I had the fan on 100% After: Idle 24 - 28, load 48 if fan is on full, if its at 33% (5v) only goes up 4 degrees more

Jan 10, 2006, 09:30 PM	#10
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	I see freezing around 540 on the core but thats cause I need a volt mod. RAM doesn't get bad until 640 but some games get picky.

Jan 10, 2006, 09:39 PM	#12
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	That's a tad expensive isn't it? I can get it for $35

Jan 10, 2006, 10:56 PM	#15
H3X4D3C1M4L DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6,794 Rep Power: 0	Doesn't always help though, at 100% or 20% mine freezes above 525-530 core

Jan 13, 2006, 04:42 AM	#18
JCLW Long Live The P6! Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 119 Rep Power: 0	My Artic Silencer got to be not-so-silent after a year. I'm going to swap it out for the Zalman I think.