Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Premium

t_ski · 10-19-2007, 04:05 PM

To read this review go to: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Z...ana120Premium/

Please Digg the review to help us promote it.

t_ski · 10-29-2007, 09:50 PM

For those interested in purchasing this cooler, here are some links for you:

ZipZoomFly
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=10006946

Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7011&Tpk=nv120

TigerDirect
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...3116&CatId=798

The first link for ZipZoomFly is the one that has it for $42 after rebate, and they also have free shipping on it. The free shipping only works in the continental US, and so does the rebate.

TUngsten · 10-29-2007, 10:15 PM

Excellent review, T-ski

One comment (something I notice about a lot of reviews)
It would be great if the initial sentence or header mentioned exactly what kind of product is being reviewed (i.e. cpu cooling fan, etc), so one needn't scroll down a few pages to learn exactly what a "Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Premium" is

Kreij · 10-29-2007, 10:18 PM

Great Review T-Ski.

We are going to have to get you a processor that generates some real heat.
That darn E6850 only has a TDP of 65W.

Anyway, I ordered one to try on my QX6700. We'll see what it can do on a quad.

WarEagleAU · 10-29-2007, 11:10 PM

Excellent review as always. You seem to put a little of yourself in every review you do.

Im amazed by the cooling power of this air cooler. Its right up there with the Zalman and AC Pro. Very impressive. Im sure a nice lap job would lower the temps by another degree or two. Also, the price is nice and the noise isnt too bad.

t_ski · 10-30-2007, 12:47 AM

Thanks guys. I thought the performance to price ratio was great, especially considering $42 shipped after rebate. There aren't many tower style heatsinks that cost as little as this one, yet still perform as good as it does.

I must have some bad luck, though. I read the other Nirvana review linked on the front page of TPU and the sample they received had a perfect base. No imperfections, or mill marks. Oh, well.

OnBoard · 10-30-2007, 01:46 AM

That's one sexy cooler!

Wouldn't fit my mobo, as I have Noctuas chipset tower cooler, Ultima only fits, because it's narrower in the middle. There is 1-2mm of space without lying and Zalman 9500 didn't have much more :P

ZEROtherm does some nice coolers with good value, If I hade a second computer or a media center, I'd definately buy one of them.

t_ski: noticed the thermalpastelineimage, was like "take that OnBoard"

Airbrushkid · 10-30-2007, 02:33 AM

Why did they compare it against the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme??

Kreij · 10-31-2007, 01:51 PM

Interesting, the number of reviews on this coolers, by sites around the 'net, is high.
ZEROTherm must be passing them out like candy

It's also noteworthy that this thing is getting excellent reviews across the board.

t_ski · 10-31-2007, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airbrushkid

Why did they compare it against the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme??

Do you mean "Why didn't you compare it against the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme?"

Simply because I do not own one, and Thermalright has not responded to my request for a review sample.

erocker · 10-31-2007, 05:47 PM

Nice! An alternative to the girly "butterfly" design.

Kreij · 11-01-2007, 01:30 PM

Did anyone read the Overclockers New Zealand review?

This thing stood toe to toe with a Tuniq Tower on an OC'd quad.
Pretty darn impressive.

Note to UPS : Step on it, will ya?

Kreij · 11-09-2007, 07:05 PM

I got this thing installed on my Quad.

BIOS reports idle temp @ 28C
Cores are at 35, 35, 31, 33

That is a couple of degrees cooler than the Scythe Mine on my system.
No time to do load tests yet.

t_ski · 11-09-2007, 07:09 PM

Idle temp in Windows should be higher, due to no power-saving modes working in the BIOS. Post your results here for everyone else when you get them up.

Kreij · 11-09-2007, 07:33 PM

The core temps are from CoreTemp v. 0.94 in Windows.

cyborg939 · 11-30-2007, 10:29 PM

How much noise would this make in an Antec 900 with fan speeds on low? Also w/ and OC'ed Q6600 G0 to 3.2GHz.

t_ski · 12-01-2007, 01:13 AM

Hi cyborg939 - welcome to TPU.

Honestly, I can't say for sure, since I don't have an Antec 900 nor do I have access to one. But seeing how when on low speed the fan is quieter than any I've tested so far, I would say at low speed you would not notice it over any other fans. However, at high speed it is significantly louder than a stock Intel cooler - probably as much as 3 or four times as loud.

Hope that helps.

10-19-2007, 04:05 PM	#1
t_ski Staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 2,426 (2.55/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts System Specs	Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Premium To read this review go to: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Z...ana120Premium/ Please Digg the review to help us promote it. __________________ Intel QX9650 ~ Asus Maximus Formula ~ 4GB G.Skill PC2-8000 Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX) ~ Samsung 2493HM 24" LCD 4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5) ~ Dual Lite-On DVD-RW Thermaltake ToughPower 850W Power Supply ~ Lian Li PC-A10B Last edited by W1zzard; 10-29-2007 at 09:14 PM.

System Name:	Four Quad
Processor:	Intel QX9650
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus Formula
Cooling:	DD D5, Storm, MCR320-QP-K
Memory:	4GB G.Skill PC2-8000
Video Card:	Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX)
Harddisk:	4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5)
CD/DVD Drive:	Lite-On LightScribe DVD-RW Drive, Lite-On DVD-RW Drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 2493HM (24" 5ms)
Case:	Lian Li PC-A10B
Sound Card:	SupremeFX HD Audio
PSU:	Thermaltake ToughPower 850W & CoolerMaster 650W Realpower
Software:	Windows Vista SP1

10-29-2007, 09:50 PM	#2
t_ski Staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 2,426 (2.55/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts System Specs	For those interested in purchasing this cooler, here are some links for you: ZipZoomFly http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Produc...tCode=10006946 Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...7011&Tpk=nv120 TigerDirect http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...3116&CatId=798 The first link for ZipZoomFly is the one that has it for $42 after rebate, and they also have free shipping on it. The free shipping only works in the continental US, and so does the rebate. __________________ Intel QX9650 ~ Asus Maximus Formula ~ 4GB G.Skill PC2-8000 Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX) ~ Samsung 2493HM 24" LCD 4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5) ~ Dual Lite-On DVD-RW Thermaltake ToughPower 850W Power Supply ~ Lian Li PC-A10B

System Name:	Four Quad
Processor:	Intel QX9650
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus Formula
Cooling:	DD D5, Storm, MCR320-QP-K
Memory:	4GB G.Skill PC2-8000
Video Card:	Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX)
Harddisk:	4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5)
CD/DVD Drive:	Lite-On LightScribe DVD-RW Drive, Lite-On DVD-RW Drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 2493HM (24" 5ms)
Case:	Lian Li PC-A10B
Sound Card:	SupremeFX HD Audio
PSU:	Thermaltake ToughPower 850W & CoolerMaster 650W Realpower
Software:	Windows Vista SP1

10-29-2007, 10:15 PM	#3
TUngsten Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: CT, USA Posts: 871 (1.20/day) Thanks: 14 Thanked 54 Times in 47 Posts System Specs	Excellent review, T-ski One comment (something I notice about a lot of reviews) It would be great if the initial sentence or header mentioned exactly what kind of product is being reviewed (i.e. cpu cooling fan, etc), so one needn't scroll down a few pages to learn exactly what a "Zerotherm Nirvana 120 Premium" is __________________ Objects, Artifacts, Arcane Mechanica www.terrencelavin.com

Processor:	e6400 @ 3.28ghz (410fsb) 1.365v
Motherboard:	Asus p5w DH Deluxe
Cooling:	Scythe Andy Samurai, 4x80mm silenx, 2x120mm silenx fans
Memory:	2x1gb G.Skill (F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ) 4-4-4-12
Video Card:	BFG 8800gt OC 705/2000/1895
Harddisk:	250gb seagate sata, 2x250gb seagate perp (raid0)
CD/DVD Drive:	LG 18x superwrite
CRT/LCD Model:	samsung syncmaster 216bw
Case:	Coolermaster atc s4000 sx-1
Sound Card:	Creative Audigy2 Platinum
PSU:	Antec True Power Trio 650w
Software:	winXP pro x64

10-29-2007, 10:18 PM	#4
Kreij TPU Hit Squad Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA) Posts: 2,122 (3.25/day) Thanks: 68 Thanked 491 Times in 393 Posts System Specs	Great Review T-Ski. We are going to have to get you a processor that generates some real heat. That darn E6850 only has a TDP of 65W. Anyway, I ordered one to try on my QX6700. We'll see what it can do on a quad. __________________ - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--. If it doesn't fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway. Go to GamePowerUp forums for all your gaming needs! If you are a coder, don't miss the excellent Programming and Webmastering section - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--.

Processor:	Intel Core 2 Quad QX9650 Extreme @ 3.0 GHz
Motherboard:	Asus Rampage Formula
Cooling:	ZeroTherm Nirvana NV120 Premium
Memory:	8GB (4 x 2GB) Corsair Dominator PC2-8500
Video Card:	Palit HD4870x2 2GB
Harddisk:	2 x Seagate Barracuda 320GB in RAID 1
CD/DVD Drive:	Sony DRU-120C DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell 3007WFP 30" LCD (2560 x 1600)
Case:	Thermaltake Armor w/ 250mm Side Fan
Sound Card:	SupremeFX 8ch Audio
PSU:	Thermaltake Toughpower 750W Modular
Software:	Vista Ultimate 64 Bit SP1

10-29-2007, 11:10 PM	#5
WarEagleAU Bird of Prey Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gurley, AL Posts: 7,313 (8.46/day) Thanks: 1,146 Thanked 296 Times in 277 Posts System Specs	Excellent review as always. You seem to put a little of yourself in every review you do. Im amazed by the cooling power of this air cooler. Its right up there with the Zalman and AC Pro. Very impressive. Im sure a nice lap job would lower the temps by another degree or two. Also, the price is nice and the noise isnt too bad. __________________ =-TheEagle-= Ashentech

System Name:	War Eagle 9000!!!
Processor:	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ BE baby yeah! 3244 MHz (3.25Ghz effective) (240 * 13.5)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA MA 790X DS4 AM2/AM2+ AMD 790X Mobo
Cooling:	Xigmatek S1283 DHT w/ AS MX-2. Lapped/Polished TT Easy Spirit 2 (40mm fan) all copper with MX-2
Memory:	Wintec Ampx Pro 4gb (2x2gb) DDR2 800 (463.5 DDR 927Mhz Effective 127MHZ OC!! )
Video Card:	Ive Finally Joined the revolution. HIS IceQ3 HD 3870 FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Harddisk:	Western Digital 320 GB SATAII 3.0GBPS
CD/DVD Drive:	Samung (TCCT Corp) 18X Lightscribe DVD+/-R/RW
CRT/LCD Model:	ACER 19W AL1917W 1440x900 19" LCD
Case:	Sigma Luna W Case
Sound Card:	Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty Regulard Edition with 64MB XRAM
PSU:	Corsair TX CMPSU 650W!!!! (Aww its so nice and purty.) 52A on single 12v RAIL!!
Software:	MS Windows XP Pro 64 Bit SP2
Benchmarks:	3DMark06 : 9997 PcMark05 : Not known yet, need a keygen xD

10-30-2007, 12:47 AM	#6
t_ski Staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 2,426 (2.55/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts System Specs	Thanks guys. I thought the performance to price ratio was great, especially considering $42 shipped after rebate. There aren't many tower style heatsinks that cost as little as this one, yet still perform as good as it does. I must have some bad luck, though. I read the other Nirvana review linked on the front page of TPU and the sample they received had a perfect base. No imperfections, or mill marks. Oh, well. __________________ Intel QX9650 ~ Asus Maximus Formula ~ 4GB G.Skill PC2-8000 Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX) ~ Samsung 2493HM 24" LCD 4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5) ~ Dual Lite-On DVD-RW Thermaltake ToughPower 850W Power Supply ~ Lian Li PC-A10B

10-30-2007, 01:46 AM	#7
OnBoard Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Finland Posts: 1,184 (1.49/day) Thanks: 99 Thanked 57 Times in 52 Posts System Specs	That's one sexy cooler! Wouldn't fit my mobo, as I have Noctuas chipset tower cooler, Ultima only fits, because it's narrower in the middle. There is 1-2mm of space without lying and Zalman 9500 didn't have much more :P ZEROtherm does some nice coolers with good value, If I hade a second computer or a media center, I'd definately buy one of them. t_ski: noticed the thermalpastelineimage, was like "take that OnBoard"

Processor:	Core 2 Duo E7200@4104MHz 1.376V, 24/7@3200MHz stock volts
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 -P45-, Noctua NC-U6 (bolt trough mod)
Cooling:	Thermalright Ultima-90 lapped (120mm PWM), 3x120mm 1000rpm fans
Memory:	4GB (2x2GB) A-Data PC2-6400
Video Card:	PNY 9800GTX+ 55nm @ 840/2000/2430MHz + Accelero Twin Turbo
Harddisk:	Games: Samsung SpinPoint F1 640GB, OS: Samsung 250GB, Hard Disk Stabilizer x4
CD/DVD Drive:	Samsung SH-S203B 20x DVD-RW SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	LG L207WT WideColorGamut 20" 2ms / Mirai DTL-632E500 32" LCD
Case:	Rebel9 Economy, 2x120mm in, 1x120mm out + some mods.
Sound Card:	ALC889A HD Audio
PSU:	Zalman ZM600-HP 600W Heatpipe Modular
Software:	Vista Home Premium x64
Benchmarks:	Logitech UltraX Premium & G5 laser for fragging

10-30-2007, 02:33 AM	#8
Airbrushkid Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 97 (0.22/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Why did they compare it against the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme?? __________________ Athlon 64 X2 4800 Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme eVGA NForce4 SLI Edition NF41 eVGA 8800 GTS 320 SC Thermalright HR-03 Plus 650/1523/900 Corsair XMS 2x1 gig PC3200 DDR400 WD Raptor X 150 gb 10,000 rpm Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Antec True Power Trio 650W Dual boot Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 32 bit

10-31-2007, 01:51 PM	#9
Kreij TPU Hit Squad Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA) Posts: 2,122 (3.25/day) Thanks: 68 Thanked 491 Times in 393 Posts System Specs	Interesting, the number of reviews on this coolers, by sites around the 'net, is high. ZEROTherm must be passing them out like candy It's also noteworthy that this thing is getting excellent reviews across the board. __________________ - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--. If it doesn't fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway. Go to GamePowerUp forums for all your gaming needs! If you are a coder, don't miss the excellent Programming and Webmastering section - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--.

10-31-2007, 05:47 PM	#11
erocker Moderator Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Venture Industries Posts: 9,368 (10.97/day) Thanks: 689 Thanked 1,556 Times in 1,260 Posts System Specs	Nice! An alternative to the girly "butterfly" design. __________________ I am The Bat!

System Name:	Blue / Red
Processor:	Q6600 / E7200
Motherboard:	Asus Rampage Formula X48 / DFI PK35 Dark
Cooling:	Dtek FuzionV2 / Xigmatek RS1283
Memory:	4x1GB Transcend aXeRam DDR2 1200 / 2gb OCZ Reapers
Video Card:	HIS HD4870 Xfire / Visiontek HD4850 /
Harddisk:	36GB WD Raptor(system), 150GB WD Raptor(games), 500GB WD(storage)
CD/DVD Drive:	Lite-On DVDR (IDE)
CRT/LCD Model:	X2gen 22" 1680x1050 / Hansspree 19" 1440x900
Case:	LianLi V1000B II Plus / LianLi Rocketfish
Sound Card:	Sound Blaster X-fi / Sound Blaster Audigy SE
PSU:	PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad / Corsair 620HX
Software:	Vista 64bit / Windows XP
Benchmarks:	Visiontek HD4850 @ 700/1060 - Q6600 @ 3600Mhz - 400FSB = 15150 ------------------------------------

11-01-2007, 01:30 PM	#12
Kreij TPU Hit Squad Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA) Posts: 2,122 (3.25/day) Thanks: 68 Thanked 491 Times in 393 Posts System Specs	Did anyone read the Overclockers New Zealand review? This thing stood toe to toe with a Tuniq Tower on an OC'd quad. Pretty darn impressive. Note to UPS : Step on it, will ya? __________________ - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--. If it doesn't fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway. Go to GamePowerUp forums for all your gaming needs! If you are a coder, don't miss the excellent Programming and Webmastering section - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--.

11-09-2007, 07:05 PM	#13
Kreij TPU Hit Squad Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA) Posts: 2,122 (3.25/day) Thanks: 68 Thanked 491 Times in 393 Posts System Specs	I got this thing installed on my Quad. BIOS reports idle temp @ 28C Cores are at 35, 35, 31, 33 That is a couple of degrees cooler than the Scythe Mine on my system. No time to do load tests yet. __________________ - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--. If it doesn't fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway. Go to GamePowerUp forums for all your gaming needs! If you are a coder, don't miss the excellent Programming and Webmastering section - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--.

11-09-2007, 07:09 PM	#14
t_ski Staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 2,426 (2.55/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts System Specs	Idle temp in Windows should be higher, due to no power-saving modes working in the BIOS. Post your results here for everyone else when you get them up. __________________ Intel QX9650 ~ Asus Maximus Formula ~ 4GB G.Skill PC2-8000 Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX) ~ Samsung 2493HM 24" LCD 4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5) ~ Dual Lite-On DVD-RW Thermaltake ToughPower 850W Power Supply ~ Lian Li PC-A10B

11-09-2007, 07:33 PM	#15
Kreij TPU Hit Squad Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Cheeseland (Wisconsin, USA) Posts: 2,122 (3.25/day) Thanks: 68 Thanked 491 Times in 393 Posts System Specs	The core temps are from CoreTemp v. 0.94 in Windows. __________________ - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--. If it doesn't fit, force it; if it breaks, it needed replacement anyway. Go to GamePowerUp forums for all your gaming needs! If you are a coder, don't miss the excellent Programming and Webmastering section - . -.-. .... .--. --- .-- . .-. ..- .--. ..--.

11-30-2007, 10:29 PM	#16
cyborg939 Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 1 (0.00/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	How much noise would this make in an Antec 900 with fan speeds on low? Also w/ and OC'ed Q6600 G0 to 3.2GHz.

12-01-2007, 01:13 AM	#17
t_ski Staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Illinois, USA Posts: 2,426 (2.55/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 173 Times in 154 Posts System Specs	Hi cyborg939 - welcome to TPU. Honestly, I can't say for sure, since I don't have an Antec 900 nor do I have access to one. But seeing how when on low speed the fan is quieter than any I've tested so far, I would say at low speed you would not notice it over any other fans. However, at high speed it is significantly louder than a stock Intel cooler - probably as much as 3 or four times as loud. Hope that helps. __________________ Intel QX9650 ~ Asus Maximus Formula ~ 4GB G.Skill PC2-8000 Dual Radeon HD 4870X2 (CrossFireX) ~ Samsung 2493HM 24" LCD 4 x 250 GB Seagate 7200.10 (Raid 0/5) ~ Dual Lite-On DVD-RW Thermaltake ToughPower 850W Power Supply ~ Lian Li PC-A10B