ZEROtherm Zen FZ120 CPU Cooler – Performance For Just $39

The Zen FZ120 Brings Performance Cooling To Budget Price Points

ZEROtherm first gained attention in the enthusiasts’ market with the BTF90 cooler, or, as most of the world calls it, the butterfly cooler. Not only did it have a unique design being shaped like a butterfly, it performed fairly well. Here at LR we were introduced to ZEROtherms coolers when they sent us the NV-120 Nirvana CPU cooler and they have since been our favorites for cost/performance even when paired with the Intel Q6600 quad core. Now they have provided us with their newest CPU cooler the FV-120 Zen. A quick look at ZEROtherms website shows us that they have the Zen listed under the Nirvana. This leads me to believe that the Zen is not the successor to the Nirvana, rather a blend of cost/performance/silence (thus the name Zen). But, before we get too far lets look at the Zens specifications.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 126 X 61 X 156 mm (4.96 X 2.40 X 6.14 inch)
• Weight: 670g (Without Clip Components)
• Materials:

• FIN: Aluminum
• Base: Copper
• Heat Pipe: Copper Heat

Dissipation Area: 6,827 cm (1,058 inch)

Cooling Capacity: Over 150W

Fan Size: 120 X 25 mm (4.72 X 0.98 inch)

Fans Speed: 1,100 ~ 1,800 rpm ( 10%)

Acoustic Noise: Min. 19.5 ~ Max. 31.4 dBA ( 10%)

Connector: 4 Pin, PWM

Operating Voltage: 5.0 ~ 13.8 VDC

Airflow Rate: 59.48 CFM

Compatibility List:

• Intel Socket T (LGA775)

• Core2 Extreme, Core2 Quad, Core2 Duo, Pentium D, Pentium 4

AMD Socket 939/940/AM2

• Phenom X3/X4, Athlon64 FX X2/BE, Athlon64, Sempron, Opteron

Incompatibility List

• Intel: Socket 478, 771, 603, 604
• AMD: Socket 754, Socket F or Socket A

Packaging

The Zen comes tightly packed in a heavy cardboard box. The cooler is actually packed in the box upside down, so the base is at the top of the box along with the mounting accessories. So, if you were to pick this up off a shelf the box feels really deceptively top-heavy.

With everything out of the box we can see cooler, fan, and accessories bag.

Inside the accessories bag is the mounting hardware for the cooler to mount the Zen up to all Intel socket T (LGA 775) and AMD socket 939/940/AM2. Also included is a tube of ZEROtherms thermal paste. Noticeably absent this time around is a fan controller. This leads me to believe even at full power the fan on the Zen will be quiet.