X-bit labs

Zalman Reserator XT: Effective, Quiet, Stylish and Expensive Cooling Solution (page 5)

Category: Coolers

by Sergey Lepilov

[ 11/20/2007 | 02:01 PM ]

The base and cap of the water-block are sealed with a warranty stamp but you can judge the internal design of the water-block by the photo on the packaging:

So, the Zalman ZM-WB5 has 144 cylindrical needles. To remind you, the previous version of the water-block (Zalman ZM-WB4 Gold) had a completely different internal design (more primitive, in my opinion).

I’ll check the efficiency of the new water-block in comparison with the previous version later on. Right now you can have a look at the water-block’s base:

It is ideally flat and polished off. I just can’t find a suitable laudatory epithet to describe it. The new water-block can be mounted on LGA775, Socket AM2 and 754/939/940. It doesn’t support Socket 478. To install the ZM-WB5 on a platform for AMD K8 CPUs you should secure the included clip on the nut of the central fitting and hitch it to the teeth of the standard retention frame. For LGA775 mainboards you should use a plastic back-plate, a frame and two separate fastening clips:

The installation process is described in more detail in the enclosed guide (a 0.9MB PDF file). The water-block presses very hard on the CPU heat-spreader while the fastening mechanism prevents it from rotating.