Zalman FB123 adjustable fan bracket review

Introduction

Now here is a product the benchmarkers in particular will like. The Zalman FB123 allows you to add one or more fans blowing onto those areas in your system that would not normally be covered by active cooling.

This includes memory modules in particular which are one component that overclockers love to stress by adding a lot of extra voltage. The extra voltage results in more heat and this can cause system instability without adequate cooling.

Zalman

Features

PRODUCT PAGE

- ZALMAN FB123 does not generate noise and vibration in silent mode.
- Separation of the FHS from the CPU fan prevents transfer of the fan's vibration to the CPU.
- By utilizing a 92mm fan(ZM-F2), both the CPU and the motherboard chipset are cooled.
- The cooling fan can be mounted at any desired location, making it compatible with virtually all computer cases and motherboards (Note: computer cases that have the power supply covering the CPU cannot be used).
- Video cards can also be perfectly cooled without the use of the FB165 VGA Bracket.
- CPU can be cooled to a temperature sufficiently below the temperature required by the CPU manufacturer in Silent Mode.

The FB123





Included in the package.

1. FB123 (FAN, BR123, FAN FIX1)- NP FAN & Bracket
2. Bolts for fastening FB123 (2 types)
3. Noiseless Connector (RC56)



Here is a closer look at the arm itself. As you can see there are open tracks where the fan can be fitted along the side of the arm as well to give as much versatility as possible.



To mount the fan you first have to attach the bolt to the fan itself.



The fan can then be attached to the arm using the large nut which is easy to tighten when required.



The fan can be moved horizontally until you find the best position depending on your setup.



As I mentioned you can mount the fan on various parts of the arm for greater versatility.



The supplied 92 mm fan pushes a lot of air and when you are pushing 3.6 volts through your memory for example, a lot of air is what you need.



Another plus is that the arm attaches to the case itself which means that there is very little to no chance that the vibration of the fan will cause interference with the components on the motherboard.

Conclusion

There is nothing negative I can say about this product. Admittedly it is one of those products I never really thought about until I actually used it. And now that I have I consider it to be a vital addition to my benchmarking setup.

Active cooling is a vital part of some computer setups, however there are still a number of components that do not receive this type of cooling by default. That is where a product like this comes in most handly.

It should retail around R180.00

Simple yet very effective.

Damn that looks like a really cool piece of hardware. It certainly beats the elastic bands which I am currently using to hold a fan over my gfx. R180 is a tad on the steep side for me...pretty sure you can fabricate one for a little cheaper. But, as always, great review solo!!!

Great review Solo!

It will work wonders, but personaly I will swap the fan for better looking one.

The black one is butt ugly.

Well you are free to do that of course

This post has been edited by solo: Jul 4 2005, 01:06 PM

For that price I will stick to my zip ties, or the room fan blowing into the open case.

Excellent review !