Zalman has been responsible for designing some of the most innovative cooling products of recent years, such as the Reserator water-cooling kit and TNN cases.

The ZM-F1 is an 80mm fan that spins at a heady 3,000rpm. However, it's also bundled with a resistor cable that sits between its 3-pin cable and the motherboard, and reduces the voltage supplied to the fan from 12V to 7.5V, thereby reducing its speed to 1,700rpm.

At 1,700rpm, Zalman claims that the ZM-F1 delivers 20.6cfm at 20dBA. Our results came close to Zalman's claims; we measured it as producing 18cfm, and its noise output was below the ambient noise level of the test chamber (20.1dBA).

At 3,000rpm, Zalman claims that the ZM-F1 produces 36.5cfm at 34.2dBA, although we measured the airflow at 43cfm, and the noise level at an audible and irritating 35.3dBA.

The 92mm Zalman ZM-F2 is also supplied with a resistor cable, so it can either run at 1,600 or 3,000rpm. At 1,600rpm, the ZM-F2 produced 17cfm at a noise level of 22.6dBA. At 3,000rpm, we measured its airflow at a very healthy 67cfm. Sadly, its measured noise level was 39.3dBA, which is irritating.

Zalman also produces a 120mm fan, the ZM-F3, which can be set to either 900 or 1,800rpm using the bundled resistor cable. At 900rpm, the ZM-F3 produced 36cfm at an extremely quiet 20.6dBA. At 1,800rpm, the ZM-F3 moved 87cfm at 37.3dBA, which is too noisy for comfort.

As the ZM-F3 has such good airflow, and is practically silent when running at 7.5V, it's worth checking out, especially if you use the bundled rubber anti-vibration fasteners.
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