SUMMARY: High noise, low performance.
The good guys at Cibna were nice enough to send the newest version of the ZEROtherm for a test spin. This is a heatpipe heatsink featuring three pipes running up to a finned radiator:
The ZEROtherm ships with a Sym Bang fan, #D7025V12SHB – a 70 x 25mm unit rated at 50 cfm @ 6000 rpm, 53.5 dBA¹. I found it to be on the noisy side – I measured its noise at 67 dBA with a Radio Shack sound meter 8″ from the fan’s intake, close to a Delta 38 (about 69 dBA).
The base shows polishing marks:
When I ran my nail over it, I could feel the ridges – not the smoothest finish I’ve seen. The mounting clip is quite secure but does require a screwdriver to mount the Socket A version.
The ZEROtherm was tested on the CPU Die Simulator which gives results that are unaffected by motherboard influences.
| Heatsink | Die Temp | Ambient Temp | Delta | C/W |
| ZEROtherm, 6006 rpm | 59.0 C | 22.2 C | 36.8 C | 0.53 |
C/W = Delta / CPU Watts
Interpreting C/W: For every watt (CPUw) that the CPU
consumes, the HSF will limit the CPU’s temperature rise to (C/W x CPUw)
plus the temperature at the HSF’s fan inlet. For example, at an ambient temp of 25 C, a C/W of 0.25 with a CPU radiating 50 watts means that CPU temp will increase 50 x 0.25 = 12.5 C over ambient temp, or 37.5 C. The lower the C/W, the better.
Die Simulator results place the ZEROtherm in the lower rank of Socket A heatsinks tested to date (Heatsink Ranking). It has not substantially changed from the first version tested.
The ZEROtherm is not a particularly aggressive choice for Socket A or P4 cooling. It’s noisy, with its 6000 rpm fan, and performance is subdued.
Thanks again to Cibna for sending this our way.
¹Note that manufacturers measure fan noise usually 3 feet from the fan.
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