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Zalman Fatal1ty FS-V7 VGA Cooler
Author: Hellfire
Manufacturer: Zalman
Source: Zalman USA
Purchase: PriceGrabber
Comment or Question: Post Here
Page: 5 of 5 [ 1 2 3 4 5 ]
Zalman Fatal1ty FS-V7 VGA Cooler
December 05, 2005

Conclusion:

The Zalman Fatal1ty FS-V7 VGA cooler does its job, and does it very well, providing a 5 degree C drop on the BFG 6600GT OC GPU. The fan is just about silent in the 5V mode, and fairly loud in the 12V mode. Your tastes and cooling requirements will have to be weighed in choosing what level is right for you. If you are running a SLI configuration, installing two of these units in your box will really help decrease the overall temperature, and will help keep your cards in top shape due to the lower temperatures.


I had two issues with the Zalman Fatal1ty, with the first being related to the 5V and 12V power connections. While it's nice to have that option, I would have preferred a drive bay switch or an expansion slot switch. Either would have been better than having to manually switch the power connections. This is really the only issue I could come up with. For many it will be a minor one or not even a consideration.

The second issue was was with the LEDs, and is the same issue I had with the LEDs on the Fatal1ty CS-77 CPU Cooler. I expected them to be bright and vibrant, but they weren't. I found them to be dull and lacking any "wow" factor. Again, it's not really a show stopper, since it doesn't truly affect how the cooler performs, and is personal preference. Any cooler that is designed for gamers is generally designed to be shown off at LAN parties. Along with the LEDs, the other aesthetic change I would like to see is the power cable being wrapped. Again this is a very minor issue, and no points were taken off for these reasons. They are extremely minor, and as I said, are personal preference.

A search of PriceGrabber finds this cooler online at places such as Zipzoomfly.com and TheNerds.net, and you should expect to pay anywhere from $39.00 to $49.00. This may be more than your typical VGA cooler, but compared to other high end models on the market, it is right in line.

The price to performance ratio scores big points, but a few points are lost for having to manually change the power connector between performance or silent mode. Overall I award the Fatal1ty FS-V7 VGA Cooler a final score of 4.5 out of 5 stars and a rating of "Gaming Approved".

Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):


Pros:

• Unique design
• Good cooling performance in both performance and silent modes
• Silent in 5V mode
• SLI compatible

Cons:

• Manually switch power connectors to change from performance to silent mode
• LEDs are dull

Special thanks to Zalman USA for providing the Fatal1ty FS-V7 VGA Cooler to Bigbruin.com for review!

Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.

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