Zalman VF3000 Series Thermal Performance
Each test was performed without any secondary case fan(s) blowing directly on the VGA coolers. If your computer case has extra cooling in this respect, you can expect somewhat lower temps in a more real world scenario.
Note: The reference and Icy Vision coolers don’t have variable fan controllers thus low and high temps were the same.
What we see here is that there is very similar performance between the VF3000 and Icy Vision VGA coolers mostly at high speed. The trade off here is that the Icy Vision is always at full speed no matter what it’s doing as it does not include a fan controller or a PWM variable speed fan. However, it does do exceptionally well considering it is priced considerably cheaper. While the VF3000 coolers do well even at the lowest fan speed, I found temps to be very close at just above half speed. Now, Let’s confront the noise issue.
Zalman VF3000 Series Noise Performance
Using the included fan controller, it was easier to monitor the VF3000 series’ noise at low and high speed. With these measurements, you can guess where the happy medium is in terms of noise. The Icy Vision doesn’t include a fan controller or a PWM fan, so you’re stuck with a constant full speed.
The VF3000 coolers are very pleasant at their lowest speed. Noise levels were actually lower than spec between 16 to 17dB. I found the magic spot is at about medium which hums along at a very tolerable 23dB. Factor in some decent air flow from a case fan or two and you can slow down the fans even more to drop noise and manage temps. As for the Icy Vision, it hummed in at a constant 27dB due to its lack of PWM and fan controller so if you need a quiet solution, the Zalman VF3000’s are the ones to go for. They also look much nicer than the more unfinished looking Icy Vision.
Can the Zalman VF3000 Series Get the Job Done?
nVIDIA and AMD’s flagship video cards are among the hottest cards ever produced. Zalman’s entire VF3000 series VGA coolers significantly decreased GPU temperatures in our testing while giving the user an option to control fan noise via an included fan controller. Toss the cards in to a decent air cooled computer case with one of these coolers and you can improve upon cooling performance even further. In fact, they aggressively drop temperatures while decreasing noise at the same time.
All of the VF3000s are easy to install and after tabulating our results, factoring in the price tags, and rating the high quality of each VF3000 series cooler, we’ve been able to come up with the following conclusions.
Final Thoughts on the Zalman VF3000F VGA Cooler
Cooling off the GTX480 is a real challenge. If the cooler wasn’t extremely capable, OEM partners would not be choosing this exact solution for their overclocked nVidia cards. That in itself is a testament to this cooler’s ability to tame extremely hot GPUs. Not only is it one of the most attractive shades of metallic green ever produced, it’s also extremely easy to install. Adding features like the fan controller and high quality polished copper base to further combat heat is just icing on the cake.
Even though it’s priced higher at a premium $74.99 US, I feel it’s worth every extra dollar despite the performance put down by the less expensive GELID Icy Vision.
Final Thoughts on the Zalman VF3000N VGA Cooler
There are plenty of stock GTX 280 video cards around that get plenty hot especially in warmer climates. The VF3000N also offers an aluminum shroud and polished copper base that are among the nicest I’ve seen in quite some time. The black on silver with blue LEDs adds a really nice effect. The only thing about this and any other after market VGA cooler is that you have to put in a little time to properly install it on your video card. There are plenty of parts for every hot component and a little patience will reward you with a cooler workhorse video card.
The best part is that the VF3000N will reward you for your efforts without severely penalizing your wallet at under $50 US.
Final Thoughts on the Zalman VF3000A VGA Cooler
Zalman likes to cover the entire video card market. In ATI fashion, the VF3000A gives you a very attractive red aluminum shroud and heat sinks paired with yet another polished copper base for maximum cooling potential. I would have loved to see this cooler come with red LEDs. However, the blue LED cooling fans work well when coupled with the fan controller. This cooler was also one of the easiest to install thanks to the slightly easier to work with ATI PCB design.
Overall, it’s definitely worth more than its going street price of under $50 US.
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