Zalman or Thermaltake?

FragmastaG

n00b
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
4
I'm getting parts for my new rig this week, and all I have left to buy is the CPU cooler. I'm using these parts:

eVGA 680i mobo
E6600 Dual Core
XFX 8800 GTX video
2GB OCZ PC8500 ram

I want to do a moderate overclock, say 3.0 GHz, and need a CPU cooler to match. I've come to these two possibilities:

Zalman CNPS 9700 - seems to be the best air cooler these days

Thermaltake CL-P0114 - seems to be the quiet choice

Will they both get the job done? I'm leaning towards the TT because it's cheaper and quieter than the Zalman. But I've read that the base surface is somewhat rough on the TT, and installation is more difficult. Any experience with these?
 
Thermaltake does a great job of marketing their products. However, their heatsinks often need lapping to make them acceptable and their fans rarely see the CFM or dBA numbers that are claimed. IMO go Zalman.
 
I've never heard someone refer to the "Big Typhoon" as the CL-P0114 before :p


But yeah, it's good... I think it lags right behind the 9700 and the Tuniq Tower (in that order).
 
9700. At 1700 RPM, my 9700 keeps the proc in sig at 27-29 idle and 41-43 load. I still have a lot of room to up the speed of the fan and bring the temps down even more.
 
Another vote for the 9700. When you look at the bottom if it, it's incredible, like looking into a mirror, literally.
 
I got a TT Big typhoon and I love it. It is pretty quiet considering the sheer size of the thing. I'm not sure how difficult it is to install as I didn't do it myself, but I don't see it being that bad.
 
My 9700 isn't really loud. I would say 21-22 db would be appropriate. I have a 120 mm fan behind it that is 21db rated and it sounds louder than the 9700...
 
im a huge thermaltake fan so my vote is for thermaltake. i have never used anything else in the cpu fan department. i have a golden orb 2 and it is indeed quiet and it cools very well. (when my x2 4400+ was oced to 2.6 ghz i got 32 idle)
 
The Zalman 9700 LED (same as the CNPS for the most part) cooled my E6700 from 62c to 42c on load, no overclock. Cools quite well, easy to install.

I'm getting parts for my new rig this week, and all I have left to buy is the CPU cooler. I'm using these parts:

eVGA 680i mobo
E6600 Dual Core
XFX 8800 GTX video
2GB OCZ PC8500 ram

I want to do a moderate overclock, say 3.0 GHz, and need a CPU cooler to match. I've come to these two possibilities:

Zalman CNPS 9700 - seems to be the best air cooler these days

Thermaltake CL-P0114 - seems to be the quiet choice

Will they both get the job done? I'm leaning towards the TT because it's cheaper and quieter than the Zalman. But I've read that the base surface is somewhat rough on the TT, and installation is more difficult. Any experience with these?
 
I'm somewhat surprised people aren't mentioning some of the other options, like the Tuniq pointed out in here. It's supposed to be not too quiet at high speed, but good at medium speed and still the best air cooler around at medium. There's also the Scythe Infinity, which runs about even with that. Both of those two coolers are reputed to be the best (maybe along with the Noctua NH-U12 or something?).

But yeah, I use a BT on my 939 rig. It works amazingly well, but I don't think you can really go wrong with either cooler between the two.

There's a billion good options around right now, and it's hard to find good comparisons between them.
 
Thanks for all the input....after careful consideration I decided to get the 9700. It was a tough call, as both seemed good. I had a gift certificate for Newegg burning a hole in my pocket, so the net cost was only like $15. No brainer there!

Installation should be easy 'nuff since it's a new build. EZ access to both sides of the mobo :)

Just have to get the 8800 GTX this week. Club IT has the XFX on sale for $550, plus a $50 rebate....$500 ain't so bad for the GTX.
 
i can vouch for the big typhoon. it keeps my 6300 at 40 load with cpu running at 3.15ghz 1.45v
 
Back
Top