With the G71 and R580 series of high performance GPU’s literally weeks away, there has never been a more necessary time to consider a third party GPU cooler. The new cards will push current GPU clock speed boundaries to a level never seen before. If you have or are considering anything like an X800 GTO or above you should really look at what’s available.

In the high-end sector there are many factory overclocked cards fighting for your attention, but they do demand a premium. If you decide to buy a reference clocked board but want to overclock, you should invest in a third party cooler. In fact, if you go for one of the uber expensive factory overclocked ‘Extreme Ultra Combo Attack’ models it’s probably even more important to get a better cooler strapped to its PCB.

Zalman have built an enviable reputation for manufacturing low noise solutions of almost any PC component that, well….produces noise. They were there at the beginning when low noise products were still a niche, they were there when the niche became a phenomenon and many companies set out to make low noise products part of there core business, thus stiff competition for Zalman, and they are still here today, and still there brand name is as strong as ever. They are the Corsair of the low noise world.

On top of great performance where it counted, Zalman redefined heatsink principles with there now legendary Flower design. It looked remarkably different to the square blocks of copper fins we previously were used to owning, and so this insured everyone flocked to see what all the fuss was about. Essentially Zalman were creating ‘cool’ products with performance to back up the looks.

All this ensures that when Zalman release a product, it will most likely be something exciting.  In this review we will be taking a look at a high end GPU cooler from Zalman, the VF700-Cu LED. There are actually four VF700 models, ranging from the hybrid copper/aluminium VF700-AlCu, to the all copper with blue LED VF700-Cu LED. We’re taking a look at the latter. The VF700 is compatible with a broad range of cards. Here’s the list:

• ATI Radeon 9*** Series • ATI Radeon X*** Series • NVIDIA Geforce4 MX Series • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5200 • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5500 • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5600(FX 5700)

• NVIDIA Geforce4 Ti 4*** Series • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5700(Ultra) Series • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5800 Series • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5900 Series • NVIDIA Geforce FX 5950 Series • NVIDIA Geforce 6600 Series

• NVIDIA Geforce 6800 LE Series • NVIDIA Geforce 6800 Series • NVIDIA Geforce 6800 GT Series • NVIDIA Geforce 6800 Ultra Series • NVIDIA Geforce 6800 Ultra • NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GT series • NVIDIA Geforce 7800 GTX series • ATI Radeon X1800 Series

It’s quite probable that X1900 and 7900 support will be there too. I can say with confidence that X1900 will be compatible, but I’m yet to see a 7900.

Before we take a closer look at the cooler it should be noted that Zalman have recently released a hardcore version of this cooler called the Fatal1ty FS-V7 which has an 80mm fan and more surface area to aid cooling.