Zalman FX100 Ultimate Fanless cooler wins Silver Award from US HardwareInfo
Introduction
The Zalman FX100 was first introduced in November last year, at this year's CES it was officially unveiled, and soon it will hit stores. The new CPU cooler from the Korean manufacturer can be entirely passive and is intended for Ivy Bridge processors. Is this the perfect cooler for the silent crowd?
The Zalman FX100, a.k.a. 'The Cube', looks imposing. It measures about 15.6 cm in each direction, which makes it a lot bigger than most other CPU coolers. It's lighter than it looks though, weighing in at 770 grams. The cooler is compatible with Intel Socket 775, 1155/1156, 1366 and 2011 processors, and also AMD Socket AM2/AM3/FM1 CPUs. Zalman only guarantees passive operation with Intel Socket 1155/1156 CPUs, with a maximum TDP of 95W. For CPUs that use more power you have the option of putting a 92 mm fan in the FX100.
The FX100 is built on a relatively small copper baseplate, roughly the size of a Socket 1155 processor, so it's clear it's not meant for Socket 2011. Four heatpipes rise form the baseplate to the heatsink. The heatsink consists of two smaller cooling blocks between which you can put the optional 92mm fan. Around those are four large cooling blocks connected by three 6mm heatpipes. The fins of the large cooling blocks have quite a bit of space between them, and Zalman claims this was done in order to facilitate the airflow.
There's room for an optional 92mm fan inside the FX100.
Conclusion
Zalman claims that the FX100 can passively cool an Intel Socket 1155 or 1156 processor as long as there is decent enough airflow present inside the chassis. Based on our tests we can confirm that. A Socket 1155 CPU using 95W remained just above 60 degrees, which is good. Without airflow it quickly went passed 80 degrees, which is not good for a processor.
If you want to play it safe, you can put a 92 mm fan inside the FX100. With the very silent Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentPRO PE-1 1300rpm fan, the FX100 is still quieter than almost any other CPU cooler. The cooling performance does also remain far below average, but still adequate.
Our biggest complaint is the price of about € 75. When you compare the Zalman FX100 and the slightly more expensive Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 2, the latter is also inaudible at low speed. It cools between 6 and 10 degrees better, however. That's a big difference.
But if you want completely passive, there is nothing wrong with the FX100, as long as you're not planning on overclocking a whole lot.
