Zalman VF900-Cu review
Verdict
Review Date: 21 Jul 2006
Reviewed By: Dave Stevenson
Price when reviewed: (£24 inc VAT)
Overall Rating
If you'd rather not splash out on an entirely new, passively cooled graphics card, you could always cut the noise on your current model by fitting a new cooler. The Zalman VF900-Cu has an 80mm fan and comes complete with a manual speed adjuster and eight heatsinks for the graphics card's RAM. Fitting the cooler is inevitably a bit fiddly, but the results are indisputable. At the fan's slowest speed of 1,350rpm, our 7900 GT dropped from a peak of 67C in Far Cry with Nvidia's stock cooler to just 53C with Zalman's, and was much quieter too. Results with ATi's top-end X1900 CrossFire Edition were a little less impressive - 88C for the Zalman compared to 89C - but there's little arguing with this level of noise reduction for just £20. Most, but not all, cards are compatible - check here for the definitive list.
Author: Dave Stevenson
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