Zalman CNPS9700 LED vs Thermalright Ultra 120

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defiant007

2[H]4U
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Feb 27, 2006
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So....I need to pick a new HSF for my C2D rig which I hope to build in January and would appreciate some [H] advice.

I intend to purchase an E6600 which I hope to over clock to over 3ghz. Am not sure what m/board I will be buying as I am still waiting to see what 680i boards Abit, MSI, DFI Lan and gigabyte have to offer.

Unfortunately I have not been able to find any reviews which compare these two monsters. From my research, it seems that the CNPS9700 is a monster, but suffers from the following drawbacks:

it is huge and therefore takes up a lot of m/board real estate (can anyone say whether it interferes with other components or results in an uncomfortably tight squeeze?);

again, it is huge and weighs enough to rip your socket out if you decide to move your case w/out dismounting the HSF;

the fan can be quite loud at the highest setting, in which case you need a fan controller or need to use the crappy included zalman voltage switch.

The Ultra 120 appeals to me because it is lighter, it has a high profile and therefore doesn't interfere with components in the immediate vicinity or cause the m/board to become too cramp, and you have the flexibility of using whatever fan you want with it. The most obvious downside is that its not made from copper like the CNPS9700 and therefore does not have as good cooling properties.

The fan that I would most likely use with the Ultra 120 is:

the 120mm scythe ninja (http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=6669)

or

the 120mm Noctua (http://www.nintek.com.au/x/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=7662)

both of which are quieter than the fan on the CNPS9700.

Any opinions or advice are very welcome :cool:
 
The biggest drawback I've seen from the 9700's is that space issue as well. Because most of the cpu's are placed high on the mobo, the 9700 hangs over the top of the mobo. If you have a mid tower, that leaves you with no room and more than likely a board that won't fit into your case. So if you have a big enough tower, then I'd say go with the 9700, but if you have a mid tower the 120 is the way to go. It fits in most cases, and, as you said, you can put whatever fan you want on there.
 
the fans which you mention below CAN be quieter than the 9700.
However the fan on the 9700 only reaches its highest setting if you overclock it to 25ghz etc. etc.
The cooling on the 9700 is better than the ultra 120, therefore when it runs it will run quieter as the fan will have to spin less hard.
It uses a temp controlled fan attached to the mobo, so again this makes it easier.
The best coolers out there are the 9700 and the scythe infinity, however the infinity really is crazy, with 10 heatpipes and the size of a small family sedan.
Get the 9700, it is almost silent when running stock speeds even at max load.
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The 9700 is nice and quiet if you use the fan controller it comes with to crank it down, or another one of your choice. I use my aerogate 2.

It's also not really that heavy imho, it's just massive. If there is any weight in it, it's in the base that's on the CPU, not the fins.
 
Have you thought about getting the 9500? I know that will fit with no problems.
 
I have the 9700, in a mid-size case, the Lian-li PC-7AW.


The 9700 fits in no problem, I can use all slots. It does make the case a little cramped, but not much.

I LOVE this cooler, now I do have this on my own fan controller, so take that into consideration.

On 7v, its is extremely quiet. Its louder at 12v, but i only put it on 12 volts when gaming, which of course i dont hear it :)

From all the reviews i can find on the net, it is one amazing cooler. Its much better than the 9500, as it has 35% more cooling area, low setting, its better than the 9500 on high.

On low it beats almost every cooler on the market, and on high, it is one of the best cooler out there.... I highly reccomend it.

heres a great review on it, Vs the 120...and they are pretty much even...

Where its impressive is on low, how very competetive it stays.

fan link
 
Thanks for the responses......I plan on getting a stacker 830 and therefore will probably get the 9700 given that space wont be an issue. Thanks for all your help :D
 
The 9500 wasn't a very good heatsink in comparison to coolers of its price range. The 9700 at 69.99 proved only about 5-7 degrees within its little brother. If the Ultra-120 is only a hair behind the Tuniq Tower 120... how can people even compare the 9700 to the Ultra-120?
 
From my experience, I have a C2D overclocked to 3.0GHz, running a Zalman 9700. I keep the fan on its lowest speed possible and it's totally quiet, and cools sufficiently.

idle 42C, load is 58C.

And yeah, it's big, but it's designed to fit any situation/motherboard. The motherboard manufacturers have a "keep out" zone around the processor to allow for cooling, and though we still see conflicts once in awhile, I had no trouble at all fitting this 9700 in my case.
 
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