TechRadar Verdict
Does its job well, but the design and finish leave a lot to be desired
Pros
- +
Runs very quiet
Cons
- -
Dated design
Flimsy controller
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We've seen Zalman's 'flower' cooler design a fair few times. And this latest incarnation ups the surface area of its copper fins considerably, but obviously grows to much larger proportions to accomodate for this.
The new Zalman is particularly quiet, provided you've set the included fan speed controller to minimum, but the controller is a flimsy bit of black plastic that dangles precariously on a wire - not exactly the most professional finish.
That said, you'll not find many quieter coolers out there when the speed knob is turned all the way to the left, and it still manages to retain a significant amount of cooling power.
Our tests averaged a very reasonable 49 degrees at full load, even when running at low speed. Commendable, although the frivolous blue lighting scheme (and, frankly, tired design) knocks it down a couple of tiny notches in our estimation.