X-bit labs

Zalman ZM80D-HP: Make Your Graphics Card Completely Noiseless

Category: Video

by Tim Tscheblockov

[ 10/28/2004 | 04:34 PM ]

Every overclocker knows that besides excellent coolers and unique PC cases Zalman is producing cooling systems for graphics cards. One of the most efficient of Zalman’s passive cooling solutions for graphics cards, the ZM80D-HP model, is going to be the subject of this review.

Table of contents:

• Assembly
  
• Testbed and Methods
  
• Performance
  
• Conclusion
  

We have already reviewed power supply units (see our 3 Zalman Power Supply Units Roundup), unique PC cases (see our 25 Kilograms of Silence: Zalman TNN500A Case Review) and water cooling solutions (see our article called Aesthetic Water Cooling Solutions: Zalman Reserator 1, ZM-WB2 Gold and ZM-GWB1). Today we would like to intorduce to you one more interesting product: the ZM80D-HP fanless VGA cooler.

All ZMxx series cooling systems from Zalman share the same basic design: an aluminum block is fastened to the graphics processor to take its heat and transfer it to a big passive radiator. This heatsink is but slightly smaller than the graphics card itself, while its ribbed surface has a total area no smaller than that of a standard heatsink. To improve the cooling, Zalman’s systems use two passive heatsinks, rather than one. The second is located at the back side of the graphics card and absorbs heat from the GPU via a heat pipe.

The ZM80D-HP is distinguishable from all the previous models for its using two heat pipes rather than one. This facilitates heat transfer from the GPU and face-side heatsink to the backside heatsink – the overall efficiency of the system is thus improved.

The ZM80D-HP kit is packaged into transparent plastic – for the whole world to see:

We have two heat pipes, two large heatsinks, eight heatsinks for memory chips, two GPU blocks, a screwdriver, and a pack of fasteners which is hidden under the picture to the left of the big heatsinks.

A pack of spare fasteners, in case you lose a screw or nut, and exclusive thermal grease from Zalman are enclosed with the ZM80D-HP.

We have everything necessary to put the system together – let’s try to do that.