Zalman CNPS7500-CU review

Zalman supersizes its flower cooler

you'll not find many quieter coolers out there than the Zalman CNPS7500-CPU

TechRadar Verdict

Does its job well, but the design and finish leave a lot to be desired

Pros

  • +

    Runs very quiet

Cons

  • -

    Dated design

    Flimsy controller

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We've seen Zalman's 'flower' cooler design a fair few times. And this latest incarnation ups the surface area of its copper fins considerably, but obviously grows to much larger proportions to accomodate for this.

The new Zalman is particularly quiet, provided you've set the included fan speed controller to minimum, but the controller is a flimsy bit of black plastic that dangles precariously on a wire - not exactly the most professional finish.

That said, you'll not find many quieter coolers out there when the speed knob is turned all the way to the left, and it still manages to retain a significant amount of cooling power.

Our tests averaged a very reasonable 49 degrees at full load, even when running at low speed. Commendable, although the frivolous blue lighting scheme (and, frankly, tired design) knocks it down a couple of tiny notches in our estimation.