ZEROtherm Core 92 CPU Cooler Review

Heat is bad. Heat is Evil. Need I say more? Not really, but I will. CPU Coolers offer a great way to keep your system cool. Today we’re going to look at the ZEROtherm Core 92 CPU cooler. This particular cooler is a Fin-Fan-Fin structure, which is a fairly unique design where the fan is actually mounted inside the cooler as opposed to on the side or on top. This makes for a very unique design that has a nice blue LED glowing from within the cooler. So, not only will this product keep your CPU nice and cold, but it will look good to boot. Let’s take a closer look.

Product Provided By: Zerotherm

Price: $29.99

Closer Look:

Key Features

Best Performance among
92mm air cooling
CPU coolers

Heatpipe Direct Touch
Effective 6-line
Heat pipe effect

Automatic Fan
Speed Control (PWM)

Fin-Fan-Fin Structure
Max 29.5 dBA
at 2,500 rpm



Easy to install Push-pin-type Universal LGA 775 / 1366 Clip	Universal Clip Design Supports Intel LGA775/1366 and the latest LGA1156 for Core™ i5/i7 Processors	Supports Intel LGA775 Core2Quad, Core2Duo and Pentium-4	Super Bright LEDs

ZEROtherm CORE92 Specifications
Dimensions	103 X 93 X 123 mm (4.05 X 3.66 X 4.82 inch)
Weight	470g (With all Components)
Material	Base	Alunminum
	Heat pipe	Pure Copper
	Fin	Alunminum
Heat Dissipation Area	4,438 cm² (688 inch²)
Cooling Capacity	Over 130W
Fan Size	92 X 25 mm (3.62 X 0.98 inch) With 2 Blue LEDs
Fans Speed	900 ~ 2,500 rpm (± 10%)
Acoustic Noise	Under 19.5 dBA (± 10%)
Bearing Type	Long-Life Bearing
Operating Voltage	5.0 ~ 13.2 VDC
Airflow Rate	Max. 56.7 CFM
Fan Conector	4 pin

Compatibility List
BRAND	CLASS	SOCKET	MODEL
	Core™ i7 Extreme	Socket-B (LGA1366)	Support All Speeds (Models)
	Core™ i7
	Core™2 Extreme	Socket-T (LGA775)
	Core™2 Quad
	Core™2 Duo
	Pentium D
	Pentium 4
	Celeron
	Socket H(1156)	Core™ i5
Incompatibility List
Intel	Core92 Supports only Intel CPUs. (Not for AMD CPUs) Core92 CPU Cooler can over up to 130W thermal load. Core92 is not compatible with Socket478, 603 or 604

Test Setup:

CPU: Q6600
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3
Memory: 2 x 2GB Kingston
OS: Windows XP Home SP3
Video Card: MSI Geforce GTS 250
Power Supply: Nexus RX-1K 1000 Watt

Testing:

We’ll be comparing the ZEROtherm Core 92 CPU Cooler with the Evercool Buffalo CPU Cooler. Both coolers will be tested at idle and under load. To achivel the load temp we will be running the Prime 95Tourture Test. The ambient temp in the room will remain 14°C (57°F)

CPU Cooler	Zerotherm Core 92 CPU Cooler		Evercool Buffalo CPU Cooler
State	Idle	Load	Idle	Load
Temp	15°C (59°F)	30°C (86°F)	17°C (62°F)	27°C (81°F)

From this we can see that overall this cooler did fairly well. Unfortunately it seems that it did do slightly worse while the CPU was under load however this was while the fan was running at its default speed and since this fan has PWM it could possibly be turned up improving its cooling abilities.

Conclusion:

So we see that the ZEROtherm Core 92 CPU cooler is comparable to other coolers available on the market today. We notice that it had a lower idle temperature then the Evercool Buffalo, which makes it an excellent cooler for machines that are used a lot for low demand applications, such as word processing and web surfing. Under load it didn’t do as well as the Evercool, but its 30°C temperature is a vast improvement over most stock coolers, which will have temps in the area of 60°C or higher.

So in the end would I recommend this CPU Cooler? Well it offers good cooling for your system, and its unique design sets it apart from most coolers. Who doesn’t want to look inside their rig and see a nice glowing cooler? It also runs nice and quiet, around 29 Dbms, so you don’t have to struggle to hear what you’re watching or doing on your system over the roar of its cooler. Also with it having PWM control for the fan it could very well prove to be even better then some other coolers.

Pros:

Looks amazing
Reasonably priced
Does a good job of cooling

Cons:

Non that I can think of

Recent Posts