Conclusion
The Cooler Master CoolViva Pro offers cooling on par with and sometimes better than the competition. The charts on the previous page show this, but you must keep in mind your ability to overclock may vary and your system's components, case and ambient room temperature will play a significant impact on your decision. By itself the CoolViva is a solid cooler. It's missing some features the Zalman VF900-Cu offers like the Fanmate, and doesn't actually cover two of the eight memory chips due to the unique heatsink design, but it's still a solid performer with its own strong pros. Check this: Is your system case roomy enough for the CoolViva? If it isn't, your choices are pretty much set. If it is, is your system capable of software temperature control and are you willing to have a constantly running process in the background to monitor and alert you of any problems? If it isn't and you want to control your video card fan's RPM, then the Zalman looks like something for you. If you already own a fan controller or don't mind the "connect-and-forget" MOLEX power connector the CoolViva offers, then you should go for it. Being able to eject hot air straight out the rear of your case is a feature that you need to look twice at, since depending on your configuration it could raise or lower other components temperatures. Overall we feel that the Cooler Master CoolViva Pro performs on par with competition at it's price range and simply offers a viable alternative worthy of praise and consideration.

Pros
+ Excellent cooler
+ Quiet operation
+ Simple installation
+ Cooling design removes hot air from system
+ Easy to understand instructions
+ Price!

Cons
- Incompatible with certain high-end NVIDIA & ATI models
- Lack of multiple types of fan power connections
- Large footprint may not fit all systems
- Copper base a bit unpolished
- Two memory chips remain without heatsinks

Rating
9 out of 10

The Cooler Master CoolViva Pro is really a solid choice to consider if your video card fits the bill. The rating it received directly coincides with our standard Rating Criteria. It performed well compared to the competition and presents a clear option to anyone with temperature and noise problems with their existing video card cooling solution. At its price point you really can't go wrong, therefore recommending the Cooler Master CoolViva Pro is simply a no brainer.