Installation

The biggest drawback the ZM80-HP has is without a doubt the difficult installation! However, the manual is quite illustrative and offers good step-by-step instructions on how to install the cooler on a video card. At least you should take your time installing it, as it is very important for performance that it is done correctly. Zalman have included two sets of GPU base assembly units. The only difference between the two sets is the size, as one is longer than the other. This will allow for installation of numerous different video cards.

It took me about an hour to install the cooler solution (including time for pictures, removing my custom-made video card cooler, cleaning the GPU etc.) The user carries a somewhat big risk in installing the unit, so caution is advised. As I installed this unit I noticed that the base assembly does not cover the entire GPU base, as there were about 1-2 mm on both top and bottom of my GeForce 3 TI-200 GPU that were not covered by the base. I consider this to be somewhat of a problem. See the following pictures to get an idea of the installation process.

Important installation notes (cautions)

The ZM80-HP can ONLY be installed on video cards that utilize the small holes around the GPU. If they are not present on your video card, you cannot install this unit. You cannot use this cooler on the Matrox Parhelia. Before installing, one should make sure that there is sufficient room in the case and that there are no motherboard components the way. (RAM slots, capacitors, connectors, PCI devices etc.)

Onto the pictures...

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