Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Premium

t_ski · Oct 19, 2007

Today Zerotherm launches the new Nirvana NV120 Premium tower style heatsink, which features a copper base and four U-shaped heatpipes with aluminum fins. Over the entire surface of the Nirvana Premium is a dark gray mirror finish like no other heatsink I have seen. Included is a 120mm blue LED fan with a fan controller to dial in the right noise level for any system. With all this style comes great performance, too.

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t_ski · Oct 29, 2007

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

ZipZoomFly
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006946

Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887011&Tpk=nv120

TigerDirect
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3273116&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 · Oct 29, 2007

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 :toast:

Kreij · Oct 29, 2007

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 · Oct 29, 2007

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 · Oct 29, 2007

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 · Oct 30, 2007

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

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 · Oct 30, 2007

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

Kreij · Oct 31, 2007

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 · Oct 31, 2007

Airbrushkid said:
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 · Oct 31, 2007

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

Kreij · Nov 1, 2007

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 · Nov 9, 2007

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 · Nov 9, 2007

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 · Nov 9, 2007

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

cyborg939 · Nov 30, 2007

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 · Dec 1, 2007

Hi cyborg939 - welcome to TPU. :toast:

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.

Kreij · Dec 3, 2007

I shut of Q-Fan control in my bios so it runs at full speed all of the time.
The fan noise is noticablely louder than when it is in low speed mode, but still nothing compared to my pair of 1950s when they both kick into high

trt740 · Jan 18, 2008

This is a super good heatsink not a Thermalright ultra extreme but a match for just about anyother cooler made and it looks a whole lot better in person than it does in a picture Wow!!!! nice device. In addition my rpm sensor on the fan went out no big deal but it went out.

t_ski · Jan 18, 2008

I think it's definitely one of the best looking heatsinks out there, and the performance is pretty darn good, too.

PaulieG · Jan 18, 2008

Great cooler!! Currently in my rig. Awesome temps along with MX-2.

Kreij · Jan 18, 2008

Did you see the recent review on Anandtech. This thing beats the TR U120E at idle temps and holds its own up to 3.9GHz. The TR wins with a higher stable OC though.

trt740 · Jan 18, 2008

Kreij said:
Did you see the recent review on Anandtech. This thing beats the TR U120E at idle temps and holds its own up to 3.9GHz. The TR wins with a higher stable OC though.

The TRUE I owned had a 63fc Scythe fan and Zero cooler with my 250 mm side case fan almost matches it . The difference is the TRUE 120 cost more and is near silent with that fan, and won't fit with my side fan. The Zero fits with my 250mm side fan on and it has a 90+cf fan but on high the fan is loud ,( Its strange thoe even when it's on high the sound is not bothersome it just sounds like a bunch of rushing air no fan noise). Also for some reason when you put it on the fan controller on high it sounds quieter.

t_ski · Jan 18, 2008

Usually most fan controllers will "steal" some of the voltage and reduce it some, thus creating a slower fan speed/lower noise level even when on high. I never got my DMM out on this one's controller, but I imagine it's the same.

Kreij · Jan 18, 2008

trt740 said:
The TRUE I owned had a 63fc Scythe fan and Zero cooler with my 250 mm side case fan almost matches it . The difference is the TRUE 120 cost more and is near silent with that fan, and won't fit with my side fan. The Zero fits with my 250mm side fan on and it has a 90+cf fan but on high the fan is loud ,( Its strange thoe even when it's on high the sound is not bothersome it just sounds like a bunch of rushing air no fan noise). Also for some reason when you put it on the fan controller on high it sounds quieter.

I have the same case as you, TRT, and that is why I look for shorter units.
I don't use fan controller and have the BIOS set to run it at full blast all of the time.
Makes no difference as my 2 x 1950xtx's are much louder when under load.
~~My Nirvana came with a 120mm fan.~~
~~Did you put in the 90 yourself?~~

Never mind, I see you put cf not mm. DOH !

System Name	My i7 Beast
Processor	Intel Core i7 6800K
Motherboard	Asus X99-A II
Cooling	Nickel-plated EK Supremacy EVO, D5 with XSPC Bayres & BIX Quad Radiator
Memory	4 x 8GB EVGA SuperSC DDR4-3200
Video Card(s)	EVGA 1080 SuperClocked
Storage	Samsung 950 Pro 256GB m.2 SSD + 480GB Sandisk storage SSD
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Case	Silverstone TJ07
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair AX1200
Keyboard	Corsair K95
Software	Windows 10 x64 Pro

System Name	My i7 Beast
Processor	Intel Core i7 6800K
Motherboard	Asus X99-A II
Cooling	Nickel-plated EK Supremacy EVO, D5 with XSPC Bayres & BIX Quad Radiator
Memory	4 x 8GB EVGA SuperSC DDR4-3200
Video Card(s)	EVGA 1080 SuperClocked
Storage	Samsung 950 Pro 256GB m.2 SSD + 480GB Sandisk storage SSD
Display(s)	Three Asus 24" VW246H LCD's
Case	Silverstone TJ07
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair AX1200
Keyboard	Corsair K95
Software	Windows 10 x64 Pro

Processor	q6700 @ 3.2ghz
Motherboard	Asus p5w DH Deluxe
Cooling	Scythe Andy Samurai, 4x80mm silenx, 2x120mm silenx fans
Memory	2x2gb G.Skill 4-4-4-12
Video Card(s)	xfx black edition 6870
Storage	250gb seagate sata, 2x250gb seagate perp (raid0)
Display(s)	dell 24"
Case	Coolermaster atc s4000 sx-1
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Power Supply	Antec True Power Trio 650w
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Memory	32 GB Geil EVO Portenza DDR4 3200 MHz
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Power Supply	Corsair RMX 850 Platinum PSU (Newegg Eggxpert)
Mouse	Razer Death Adder
Keyboard	Corsair K95 Mechanical & Corsair K65 Wired, Wireless, Bluetooth)
Software	Windows 10 Pro x64

System Name	My i7 Beast
Processor	Intel Core i7 6800K
Motherboard	Asus X99-A II
Cooling	Nickel-plated EK Supremacy EVO, D5 with XSPC Bayres & BIX Quad Radiator
Memory	4 x 8GB EVGA SuperSC DDR4-3200
Video Card(s)	EVGA 1080 SuperClocked
Storage	Samsung 950 Pro 256GB m.2 SSD + 480GB Sandisk storage SSD
Display(s)	Three Asus 24" VW246H LCD's
Case	Silverstone TJ07
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	Corsair AX1200
Keyboard	Corsair K95
Software	Windows 10 x64 Pro

Processor	Core i5-750 @ 3.6GHz 1.136V 24/7
Motherboard	Gigabyte P55A-UD3, SATA 6Gbit/s & USB3.0 baby!
Cooling	Alpenföhn Brocken HeatpipeDirectTouch
Memory	Geil Ultra Series 4GB 2133MHz DDR3 @ 1440MHz 7-7-7-24
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB OC (mostly stock speeds)
Storage	OS: Samsung F3 500GB Games: Samsung F1 640GB
Display(s)	new! Samsung P2350 23" FullHD 2ms / Mirai DTL-632E500 32" LCD
Case	new! Xigmatek Midgard/Utgard side window with red cathodes, 1x140mm & 3x120mm fans
Audio Device(s)	new! ASUS Xonar DG & JVC HA-RX700 headphones
Power Supply	Cougar CM 700W Modular
Software	Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Benchmark Scores	Logitech UltraX Premium & G5 laser v2 + Ulti-mat Breathe X2 for fragging

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
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Memory	32 GB Ballistix Elite/32 GB TridentZ/16GB Mushkin Redline Black/16 GB Dominator
Video Card(s)	Asus Strix RTX3060/EVGA 970(2)/Asus 750 ti/Old Quadros
Storage	Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVMe 500GB/WD Black M.2 NVMe 500GB/Adata 500gb NVMe
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Case	(2) Lian Li Lancool II Mesh/Corsair 4000D /Phanteks Eclipse 500a/Be Quiet Pure Base 500/Bones of HAF
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Mouse	Generic Black wireless (5)
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Zerotherm Nirvana NV120 Premium

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