W1zzard
09-02-2004, 03:36 PM
[Page=Introduction, Packaging & Installation]
Introduction
From the manufacturer Zalman (http://www.zalman.co.kr):
<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Dissipation Area </th>
<td scope="row">1350 cm² (ZM-80C 1200 cm² )</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Weight</th>
<td scope="row">350 g + 75 g for OP-1 addon </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Material</th>
<td scope="row">Heatsink is anodized aluminum
Heatpipes are made from gold plated copper tube.
Ramsinks are anodized aluminium</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Rated Fan Speeds of OP-1 addon </th>
<td scope="row">1400 / 2800 RPM </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Addon Fan noise </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">20 dB / 33 dB </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Compatible with </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">All cards that have mounting holes:
All Radeon 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800, X800, all All-In-Wonder
All GeForce 2, GeForce 3, GeForce 4, GeForce FX
Matrox Parhelia, Matrox Millenium P750</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Space constraints</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row"><p>Northbridge cooler must be less than 25mm tall if within 5.5mm of the AGP slot.</p>
<p>Interferes with some CPU coolers if they are within 35mm of the AGP slot and have a big footprint (CNPS7000 for example) </p></td>
</tr>
</table>
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package2.jpg)
Box contents:
Front side and back side heatsink, heatpipe cover
4 VGA Ramsinks front side, 4 VGA Ramsinks for the back side
One bag of assembly parts: Four plate link nipples, Four bolts 10mm, Four bolts 8mm, Two nuts, Two rubber rings, Two nipples, Two Plate Link Metal Tabs, Two tubes of Thermal paste.
One bag of spare parts: Two bolts for OP1, Two 10mm bolts, Two 8mm bolts, Two nuts, Two rubber rings, Thermal paste, Two Thermal Pads, Two Rubber Rings
Front side and back side base assembly for GeForce4 Ti based cards (mounting holes wide apart)
Front side and back side base assembly for most other cards.
Two Heatpipes
Screwdriver
Instruction Manual
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package4.jpg)
The (sold seperately) fan addon option package ZM-OP1 adds the following:
Slim 80mm fan - 15mm high
Fan Grill
Two fan bolts
Two fan screws
Two fan nipples
Multi-connector with two outputs for 12V and 5V each.
The next two images clearly show that Zalman has greatly improved the cooler's contact surface - it is very flat.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness2.jpg)
Installation
Installation takes about 30-45 minutes and is Zalman-like, complicated. Please read the instructions from start to finish before starting the assembly, and make sure you understand exactly where all parts are going, as they are easy to confuse. Please take care so you don't mix up the 8mm and 10mm screws.
The cooler's design, which moves heat through the heatpipes to the rear heatsink, requires that the VGA card is either installed with the backside facing up or the AGP slot towards the bottom of the card.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation5.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation6.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation7.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation8_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation8.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation9_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation9.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation10_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation10.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation11_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation11.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation12_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation12.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation13_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation13.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation14_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation14.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation15_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation15.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation16_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation16.jpg)
The optional Fan ZM-OP1 is easily mounted by sliding it into the groove on the backside heatsink.
You can swap out the fan for another model, but you must use a slim (15mm) fan unless you use longer screws to mount it which are not included.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/op1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/op1.jpg)
The included ramsinks are designed to perfectly match the height constraints of the ZM-80D.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink2.jpg)
[PAGE=Performance, Value & Conclusion]
Performance
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/contact_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/contact.jpg)
After the initial installation, I removed the heatsink to inspect the contact area. The above pictures clearly show that the contact is good, especially on the right side where the thermal compound was almost completely squeezed away. The ATI logo on the core is almost visible. On the edges you can see how the suction resulting from removing the heatsink caused some thermal paste to be sucked back in.
[hr]
For the overclocking tests I used my ATITool overclocking utility version 0.0.22. ATITool has the unique ability to detect artifacts, or flaws, in a rendered image. As defined by ATITool, the maximum stable overclock on a card is the speed at which it is able to consistently (15 minutes in this test) produce no errors, or artifacts. ATITool detects ANY artifacts, even ones which will not be visible in game. Using the human eye to detect artifacts introduces subjectivity into the test, so despite the fact that an ATITool tested overclock will be characteristically lower than a human one, I will use this.
Temperature was measured with one case side open by putting a thermal probe on the backside of the Radeon 9800 Pro opposite of where the GPU is. Idle temperature was measured after letting Windows sit one hour at the desktop. Load temperature was measured after running 3DMark2001 looped for one hour. Both at the card's default clock of 380 / 340 Mhz.
Arctic Silver Lumière was used as thermal interface material for the GPU core in all installations. Lumière is a specially engineered testing compound - it needs no settle in time to reach its maximum performance, but it's not designed for permanent use.
A 7V setting is possible by connecting the fan connector's black wire to the PSU's 5V output, and the fan connector's red wire to the PSU's 12V output (12V - 5V = 7 V).
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Radeon 9800 Pro</th>
<td>Maximum Core Clock</td>
<td>Sound level </td>
<td>Temperature Load</td>
<td>Temperature Idle</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler</th>
<td>410 Mhz</td>
<td>Acceptable</td>
<td>64°C</td>
<td>50°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D passive</th>
<td>401 Mhz</td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>82°C</td>
<td>65°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 5V</th>
<td>417 Mhz</td>
<td>Almost inaudible</td>
<td>52°C</td>
<td>44°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 7V</th>
<td>418Mhz</td>
<td>Quiet</td>
<td>48°C</td>
<td>40°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 12V</th>
<td>424 Mhz</td>
<td>Noisy</td>
<td>43°C</td>
<td>37°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Watercooling (Water ~30°C) </th>
<td>430 Mhz</td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>48°C</td>
<td>35°C</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph3.gif
Additionally to the 9800 Pro tests I tested the ZM-80D on a Radeon X800 Pro. The X800 features dynamic fan speeds which means that fan speed is varied based on temperature. Since it would be a bit unfair to compare those dynamic speeds to the fixed speed of the OP1 I used ATITool to run the stock fan at maximum speed during the 'fan 100%' tests.
Maximum core clocks were verified with ATITool and a number of other applications/games. Default clocks are 475/450 Mhz, temperature was measured using the on-die thermal diode of the X800. The remaining test setup was the same as in the 9800 Pro tests.
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Radeon X800 Pro </th>
<td>Maximum Core Clock </td>
<td>Sound level </td>
<td>Temperature Load </td>
<td>Temperature Idle </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - dynamic fan</th>
<td>525 Mhz</td>
<td>Quiet</td>
<td>80°C</td>
<td>49°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - fan 100%</th>
<td>530 Mhz</td>
<td>Noisy</td>
<td>67°C</td>
<td>40°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D passive </th>
<td>507 Mhz</td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>97°C</td>
<td>52°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 5V</th>
<td>532 Mhz </td>
<td>Almost inaudible</td>
<td>64°C</td>
<td>39°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 7V</th>
<td>534 Mhz </td>
<td>Quiet</td>
<td>59°C</td>
<td>38°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 12V</th>
<td>537 Mhz </td>
<td>Noisy</td>
<td>56°C</td>
<td>37°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Watercooling (Water ~30°C)</th>
<td>556 Mhz </td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>37°C</td>
<td>32°C</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph4.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph5.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph6.gif
While running the ZM-80D passive gives you a completely quiet solution, the temperatures, especially under load, are unacceptable. Don't forget that on the 9800 the temperature was measured on the card's backside so actual core temperature is even higher. Zalman does recommend the addon fan OP-1 for all 9800 cards - same goes for the X800.
My suggestion is to run the ZM-80D with the OP1 add-on fan set to 7V. This gives the best tradeoff between temperatures and noise. I wonder why Zalman didn't include the 7V option in their power cables - I have to admit the 7V connection it is a bit uncommon but it will work fine.
Nothing can beat watercooling on the X800. It seems the core just loves low temperatures.
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The ZM-80D is selling for about $35 which is a good price for this cooler, but older generation coolers can be had around $15 - I don't think the performance difference warrants upgradings to a new cooler.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Very beautiful anodized blue heatsinks
Great compatibility
Good performance
Spare parts included
Screwdriver included
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Complex installation
Add-on fan is an additional purchase
No 7V option for fan
Passive operation is not possible with high-end cards
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.5</th>
<td>The Zalman ZM-80D is without doubt the prettiest VGA cooler I have seen.
Its performance is pretty good. There were no compatibility issues. Personally I find the price tag a bit high compared to the previous generation cooler - just a shiny blue and second heatpipe does not make up over $10 difference. On the other hand $10 is not much compared to what we spend on computers.</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td></td></tr>
</table>
Introduction
From the manufacturer Zalman (http://www.zalman.co.kr):
<table border="1" class="resulttable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th scope="row">Dissipation Area </th>
<td scope="row">1350 cm² (ZM-80C 1200 cm² )</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Weight</th>
<td scope="row">350 g + 75 g for OP-1 addon </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Material</th>
<td scope="row">Heatsink is anodized aluminum
Heatpipes are made from gold plated copper tube.
Ramsinks are anodized aluminium</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th scope="row">Rated Fan Speeds of OP-1 addon </th>
<td scope="row">1400 / 2800 RPM </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Addon Fan noise </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">20 dB / 33 dB </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Compatible with </th>
<td valign="top" scope="row">All cards that have mounting holes:
All Radeon 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800, X800, all All-In-Wonder
All GeForce 2, GeForce 3, GeForce 4, GeForce FX
Matrox Parhelia, Matrox Millenium P750</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Space constraints</th>
<td valign="top" scope="row"><p>Northbridge cooler must be less than 25mm tall if within 5.5mm of the AGP slot.</p>
<p>Interferes with some CPU coolers if they are within 35mm of the AGP slot and have a big footprint (CNPS7000 for example) </p></td>
</tr>
</table>
Packaging
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package2.jpg)
Box contents:
Front side and back side heatsink, heatpipe cover
4 VGA Ramsinks front side, 4 VGA Ramsinks for the back side
One bag of assembly parts: Four plate link nipples, Four bolts 10mm, Four bolts 8mm, Two nuts, Two rubber rings, Two nipples, Two Plate Link Metal Tabs, Two tubes of Thermal paste.
One bag of spare parts: Two bolts for OP1, Two 10mm bolts, Two 8mm bolts, Two nuts, Two rubber rings, Thermal paste, Two Thermal Pads, Two Rubber Rings
Front side and back side base assembly for GeForce4 Ti based cards (mounting holes wide apart)
Front side and back side base assembly for most other cards.
Two Heatpipes
Screwdriver
Instruction Manual
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/package4.jpg)
The (sold seperately) fan addon option package ZM-OP1 adds the following:
Slim 80mm fan - 15mm high
Fan Grill
Two fan bolts
Two fan screws
Two fan nipples
Multi-connector with two outputs for 12V and 5V each.
The next two images clearly show that Zalman has greatly improved the cooler's contact surface - it is very flat.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/flatness2.jpg)
Installation
Installation takes about 30-45 minutes and is Zalman-like, complicated. Please read the instructions from start to finish before starting the assembly, and make sure you understand exactly where all parts are going, as they are easy to confuse. Please take care so you don't mix up the 8mm and 10mm screws.
The cooler's design, which moves heat through the heatpipes to the rear heatsink, requires that the VGA card is either installed with the backside facing up or the AGP slot towards the bottom of the card.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation2.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation3_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation3.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation4_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation4.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation5_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation5.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation6_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation6.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation7_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation7.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation8_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation8.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation9_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation9.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation10_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation10.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation11_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation11.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation12_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation12.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation13_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation13.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation14_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation14.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation15_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation15.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation16_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/installation16.jpg)
The optional Fan ZM-OP1 is easily mounted by sliding it into the groove on the backside heatsink.
You can swap out the fan for another model, but you must use a slim (15mm) fan unless you use longer screws to mount it which are not included.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/op1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/op1.jpg)
The included ramsinks are designed to perfectly match the height constraints of the ZM-80D.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink1_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink1.jpg) http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink2_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/ramsink2.jpg)
[PAGE=Performance, Value & Conclusion]
Performance
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/contact_small.jpg (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/contact.jpg)
After the initial installation, I removed the heatsink to inspect the contact area. The above pictures clearly show that the contact is good, especially on the right side where the thermal compound was almost completely squeezed away. The ATI logo on the core is almost visible. On the edges you can see how the suction resulting from removing the heatsink caused some thermal paste to be sucked back in.
[hr]
For the overclocking tests I used my ATITool overclocking utility version 0.0.22. ATITool has the unique ability to detect artifacts, or flaws, in a rendered image. As defined by ATITool, the maximum stable overclock on a card is the speed at which it is able to consistently (15 minutes in this test) produce no errors, or artifacts. ATITool detects ANY artifacts, even ones which will not be visible in game. Using the human eye to detect artifacts introduces subjectivity into the test, so despite the fact that an ATITool tested overclock will be characteristically lower than a human one, I will use this.
Temperature was measured with one case side open by putting a thermal probe on the backside of the Radeon 9800 Pro opposite of where the GPU is. Idle temperature was measured after letting Windows sit one hour at the desktop. Load temperature was measured after running 3DMark2001 looped for one hour. Both at the card's default clock of 380 / 340 Mhz.
Arctic Silver Lumière was used as thermal interface material for the GPU core in all installations. Lumière is a specially engineered testing compound - it needs no settle in time to reach its maximum performance, but it's not designed for permanent use.
A 7V setting is possible by connecting the fan connector's black wire to the PSU's 5V output, and the fan connector's red wire to the PSU's 12V output (12V - 5V = 7 V).
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Radeon 9800 Pro</th>
<td>Maximum Core Clock</td>
<td>Sound level </td>
<td>Temperature Load</td>
<td>Temperature Idle</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler</th>
<td>410 Mhz</td>
<td>Acceptable</td>
<td>64°C</td>
<td>50°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D passive</th>
<td>401 Mhz</td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>82°C</td>
<td>65°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 5V</th>
<td>417 Mhz</td>
<td>Almost inaudible</td>
<td>52°C</td>
<td>44°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 7V</th>
<td>418Mhz</td>
<td>Quiet</td>
<td>48°C</td>
<td>40°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 12V</th>
<td>424 Mhz</td>
<td>Noisy</td>
<td>43°C</td>
<td>37°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Watercooling (Water ~30°C) </th>
<td>430 Mhz</td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>48°C</td>
<td>35°C</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph1.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph2.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph3.gif
Additionally to the 9800 Pro tests I tested the ZM-80D on a Radeon X800 Pro. The X800 features dynamic fan speeds which means that fan speed is varied based on temperature. Since it would be a bit unfair to compare those dynamic speeds to the fixed speed of the OP1 I used ATITool to run the stock fan at maximum speed during the 'fan 100%' tests.
Maximum core clocks were verified with ATITool and a number of other applications/games. Default clocks are 475/450 Mhz, temperature was measured using the on-die thermal diode of the X800. The remaining test setup was the same as in the 9800 Pro tests.
<table class="resulttable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Radeon X800 Pro </th>
<td>Maximum Core Clock </td>
<td>Sound level </td>
<td>Temperature Load </td>
<td>Temperature Idle </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - dynamic fan</th>
<td>525 Mhz</td>
<td>Quiet</td>
<td>80°C</td>
<td>49°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Stock cooler - fan 100%</th>
<td>530 Mhz</td>
<td>Noisy</td>
<td>67°C</td>
<td>40°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D passive </th>
<td>507 Mhz</td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>97°C</td>
<td>52°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 5V</th>
<td>532 Mhz </td>
<td>Almost inaudible</td>
<td>64°C</td>
<td>39°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 7V</th>
<td>534 Mhz </td>
<td>Quiet</td>
<td>59°C</td>
<td>38°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Zalman ZM-80D + OP-1 12V</th>
<td>537 Mhz </td>
<td>Noisy</td>
<td>56°C</td>
<td>37°C</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th valign="top" scope="row">Watercooling (Water ~30°C)</th>
<td>556 Mhz </td>
<td>Inaudible</td>
<td>37°C</td>
<td>32°C</td>
</tr>
</table>
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph4.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph5.gif http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zalman/ZM-80D/images/graph6.gif
While running the ZM-80D passive gives you a completely quiet solution, the temperatures, especially under load, are unacceptable. Don't forget that on the 9800 the temperature was measured on the card's backside so actual core temperature is even higher. Zalman does recommend the addon fan OP-1 for all 9800 cards - same goes for the X800.
My suggestion is to run the ZM-80D with the OP1 add-on fan set to 7V. This gives the best tradeoff between temperatures and noise. I wonder why Zalman didn't include the 7V option in their power cables - I have to admit the 7V connection it is a bit uncommon but it will work fine.
Nothing can beat watercooling on the X800. It seems the core just loves low temperatures.
Value and Conclusion
<table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" id="result">
<tr><th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/dollar.gif</th>
<td>
The ZM-80D is selling for about $35 which is a good price for this cooler, but older generation coolers can be had around $15 - I don't think the performance difference warrants upgradings to a new cooler.
</td>
</tr><tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbup.gif</th>
<td>
Very beautiful anodized blue heatsinks
Great compatibility
Good performance
Spare parts included
Screwdriver included
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>http://www.techpowerup.com/images/thumbdown.gif</th>
<td>
Complex installation
Add-on fan is an additional purchase
No 7V option for fan
Passive operation is not possible with high-end cards
</td></tr>
<tr><th>8.5</th>
<td>The Zalman ZM-80D is without doubt the prettiest VGA cooler I have seen.
Its performance is pretty good. There were no compatibility issues. Personally I find the price tag a bit high compared to the previous generation cooler - just a shiny blue and second heatpipe does not make up over $10 difference. On the other hand $10 is not much compared to what we spend on computers.</td></tr>
<tr><th></th><td></td></tr>
</table>