Considering Zalman was the first to create a completely passive PC case, it seems only fitting that the ZM-NBF47 should cool "the Northbridge chipset to its optimal temperature in absolute silence". But how exactly does Zalman define "optimal temperature"? If you're as skeptical as us, you'll enjoy this review, because we performed our own benchmarks to rake through the muck to find the actual hard, cold truth about this heatsink.

Features	No electrical power required Absolutely silent Unique anodized accent for your system
Dimmensions	81(L) X 37(W) X 47(H)mm
Material	Pure Alluminum
Weight	57g
Compatibility	Compatible with Northbridge chipsets that have mounting holes or loops on the motherboard.
Bundled Accessories	ZM-NBF47 Heat sink Two Bolts Two Links Two Clips Thermal Grease Two Nuts Two Push Pin Assemblies

Although it may not be much to look at, Zalman provides everything one needs to get this cooler up and running. We were also very pleased with the instruction manual, which is very detailed and concise.

If it weren't for the fact that our test rig uses push pins to attach the CPU and North Bridge heatsinks, the installation would have been very quick, thanks to the no-motherboard-removal setup they have for systems that are already holding the heat sink with loops. However, it took us a little while longer, because our Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI uses push pins, meaning we had to gut our entire system to get this little treat installed.

Despite the time consuming motherboard removal we went through, the installation was easy. In addition to its clear instructions pamphlet is the fact that the push pins were so easy to attach. Unlike those of other heat sinks we've reviewed in the past, these push pins will go on with ease. But remember to install the links in the correct direction, unlike this photo.

Once we started re-assembling our rig, we noticed one of the few flaws. The fins extend really far. Way far. So far, in fact, that it stood in the way of our graphics card. We had to move it so far that the contact plate barely covered the entire north bridge. Considering the size of the contact plate versus that of the north bridge, that's pretty ridiculous.

To record our temperatures, we used a toasty Athlon 64-based system outfitted with the stock cooler. And despite its name, cold cathode lights do produce a minute amount of heat. For this reason, all of our thermal tests were run with the cold cathode switched off. All of our temperatures were measured in centigrade with a thermal probe with the accuracy of ±1%.

Case	NZXT Trinity
Processor	AMD Athlon 64 3700+ (stock speeds)
RAM	2x 512 Corsair XMS DDR400
Hard Disk	Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10k RPM Seagate Barracuda 400GB 7,200 RPM
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-K8N Pro-SLI
Chipset	nVidia nForce 4 SLI
Graphics Card	Asus ATI Radeon x550 w/ 256MB Frame Buffer
PSU	NZXT 400W
Operating System	Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 2003

As shown in the graph, the ZM-NBF47 kicked the Gigabyte's stock cooler's butt by a margin of 19 degrees Centigrade. Considering it's just a passive hunk of metal with no fan, that's one heck of a temperature drop!

Segment	Score	Comments
Thermal Performance	19/20	No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't get our chipset to reach 50 degrees while using the ZM-NBF47. Our tests showed a whopping 19 degree drop from the stock cooler, and we've heard murmurings of even greater performance on the Intel platform. There's no place to connect a fan, which would most probably increase the performance even more.
Installation	8/10	With the notable exception of push pin-type motherboards, motherboard removal is not required The instructions are well-written and detailed The assembly is very easy
Accessories	19/20	Zalman bundled everything we needed to get our system running, though we were dissapointed with the crappy white thermal paste they included.
Accoustics	20/20	The ZM-NBF47 acheives its performance completely passively, meaning no fans and no noise. Kudos!
Price/Value	18/20	The ZM-NBF47 streets for around $15. Considering the remarkable 19 degree drop we experienced in our tests, we sincerely believe that this is a great deal.
Warranty & Support	9/10	Zalman has a vast and full featured website that features a FAQ section, a Q & A section that is basically a support forum, and a customer service section where you can ask Zalman specific questions.

Our Recommendation

The ZM-NBF47 is one heck of a heat sink. Ridiculously spectacular performance at a decent price. We highly recommend this product to anyone in need of a lower north bridge temperature.

Other Reviews of Note

It's always nice to have more than one opinion on a component before you spend your hard earned money. For one, we may see something others missed, or vice versa. As with all reviews posted at HardwareLogic, we'll not only give you our recommendation, but also point out some reviews from some other great sites around the web.

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