A few weeks ago our friends at
Zalman sent us some goodies for review, and today we are going to look at one of their latest releases - the VF3000 series dual fan VGA cooler. The VF3000 series builds on what Zalman accomplished with their popular VF1000 VGA cooler, while taking things to the next level in terms of performance, silence, and compatibility with today's high end GPUs.
There are a few different models in the VF3000 series designed to fit a variety of modern GPUs, and just for the high end Nvidia GPUs there are two models with the VF3000F designation. One model is designed solely for the GTX480, while the unit we will be reviewing is designed to accommodate both the GTX470 and the GTX465. Given how hot Nvidia's new Fermi chips can run, you'll want something extra special to handle the heat, and Zalman's VF3000F may be just the thing.
The promotional image above gives you a good idea of whats involved with the 430 gram behemoth we're about to get up close and personal with. Before taking a closer look at the sample provided for review, let's take a quick tale-of-the-tape look at the features and specifications for the VF3000F (GTX470/465) VGA cooler found on the
official product page on the Zalman website.
Features:
» Powerful Cooling Performance
» Ultra Quiet Design
» Excellent Peripheral Component Cooling
» Ultra Quiet 92mm Green LED Dual Fans
» High Performance Super Thermal Grease ZM-STG2
» Adjustable Fan Speed Controller
» Environment Friendly Design
Specifications:
» Brand: ZALMAN
» Model: VF3000F(GTX470/465)
» Compatibility: VGA Card Processor
» Bearing Type: EBR Bearing
» RPM: Silent Mode : 1,400rpm ± 15%, Normal Mode: 3,000rpm ± 15%
» Air Flow: Variable
» Noise Level: Silent Mode: 18dBA ± 15%, Normal Mode: 33dBA ± 15%
» Fan Color: Transparent
» LED: Green
» Heatsink Material: Fin: Pure Aluminum, Base: Pure Copper, Heatpipes: Pure Copper
» Fan Dimensions: 92 x 92 x 15 mm
» Heatsink Dimensions: 239 x 98 x 51 mm
» Manufacturer Warranty:
» Parts: 1 year limited
» Labor: 1 year limited
Models:
Zalman has actually created four (slightly) different models in three different colors for the VF3000 series, all intended to work with a different series of modern graphics cards. Below are the configurations that Zalman is currently offering:
» VF3000F - Green Shroud (GTX470/465)
» VF3000F - Green Shroud (GTX480)
» VF3000N - Black Shroud (GTX260, GTX275, GTX285)
» VF3000A - Red Shroud (HD5830, HD5850, HD5870)
As mentioned previously, please note that there are two VF3000F models; make sure you select the correct one for your card.
