Introduction

The GF100 cards are known just as well for their performance as their high thermal output.  Even if the video cards are rated up to 105C, running them 24-7 at high 80s and 90 degree temperatures doesn't sound very healthy for such a pricey investment.  There really aren't many after market cooling solutions for the GF100 series right now, except for water cooling, and that can be a significantly more expensive purchase than even buying another GF100 card in SLI.  Zalman now has an answer for those who want a more economical solution to aftermarket "Fermi" cooling.

Based on essentially the same heatsink design as the VF3000N we reviewed last month for the GT200 video cards, Zalman aims to tame the high temperature output that Nvidia's GeForce GTX400 cards create.  Zalman also redesigned the way the RAM and the FETs are cooled with a new single piece of solid heat sink block that screws directly to the PCB, improving upon the small individual RAM and FET heat sinks on the earlier VF3000 models.

The Zalman VF3000F is a VGA heatsink specifically made for Nvidia's GF100 series GPUs and comes in two models: One for GTX 480 and one for GTX 470/465 GPUs. The same effective five 6mm heatpipe into aluminum fin design from the VF3000N is also used in the VF3000F, as well as twin 92mm fans, which provide a quiet, active cooling solution. The Zalman VF3000F aims to provide a significant thermal improvement over stock Nvidia cooling, so you can fold 24-7 and play the latest games without worrying about your video card's health.