Zalman CNPS9900A LED Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler

While I expected a drop in cpu temperatures based on the simple fact that I was swapping out a standard CPU fan for a more sophisticated one ... I was amazed at the difference!Now it may be a case of not just the Zalman being a superb cooler but also possibly a subpar thermal paste job on the formerly installed fan. But either way I have optimal temps and couldn't be happier.My cpu is an Intel Core 2 Quad Q950 running at 3ghz, standard settings etc.The original fan that came with it was an Intel Pentium D Socket 775 Heat Sink and Fan D34017-002. The D34017 served my cpu admirably and I was able to handle a lot thrown at it. But the combination of frequent high-pitched noise from the fan (as the system auto-adjusted the RPMs on high load) + the very high temperatures lead me on a search for a new solution. The Zalman filled in wonderfully.At this point the only real fan noise I can hear is one of my antec case fans, which is great as the D34017 was quite noisy at peak usage.Took some temp measurements before and after and again it is possible that when I installed the D34017 I didn't do a great job of applying the thermal paste hence the reason my temps were so high previously. But I'd like to believe that what I'm achieving with the Zalman 9900 simply wouldn't be possible under the same conditions with the D34017 AND at such a quiet level of operation.CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 at 3ghzMy IDLE scenario is:-Win 10- Piriform Speccy Running (the only actively running application)Background Apps:- Bittorrent Sync- Avira- CrystalDiskInfo- ProcessExplorer- VirtualClone Drive- Cobian Backup- Flux- WinsplitRunning Piriform Speccy I got the following avg temperature measurements for the IDLE load scenario:- Avg temp with the Intel D34017-002 fan: 60°C- Avg temp with the Zalman 9900A LED fan: 41°CFor my Heavy Load (which honestly isn't exactly heavy (as opposed to running an actual stress test) but was enough to recreate the high temps I wanted to eliminate, we have the IDLE scenario + the following apps running/open:- Piriform Speccy- Winamp 5 mp3 stream playback- Paint.NET- Google Chrome - 1 tab "Inbox by Gmail" / 1 tab Youtube 1080p 60fps video at full screen- Windows Explorer Window- Cmder- Franz Messenger Desktop App- Microsoft Outlook 2016"Heavy" load scenario temps:- Avg temp with the Intel D34017-002 fan: 85°C- Avg temp with the Zalman 9900A LED fan: 47°CAgain my testing is fairly crude but it was enough for me to be happy with the improvements. To know that instead of jumping from 60 degrees at idle to as high as 85 degrees under a heavier load to now only an increase of 6 degrees with the Zalman? That's pretty awesome. And it's super quiet!Now regarding the installation, I'm using a 775 setup and I will say the install definitely took me some time. I've dealt with somewhat difficult installs before. This was by no means an easy install. It wasn't incredibly difficult but it took me some time. It's also true that I didn't fully follow the instructions mainly because I got stuck with the backplate install and this square, plastic spacer that's supposed to go between the motherboard and the backplate for the fan. But I found that piece simply made it virtually impossible for me to get the bolts far enough through the motherboard so that I could successfully screw in the fan from the top side.In additon, my Gigabyte GA-965P-DQ6 had it's own "quad6" cooling system that included a copper heatsink square plate directly beneath the motherboard where the backplate needed to go. So I had to unscrew and remove that heatsink component completely (which didn't seem to visibly disable or impair the remaining heat sink "silent pipe" structure that was partially connected to that plate on the top side).Lastly, I found the screwing in of the fan fairly awkward given the screws placement so close to the heat sink fins.My advice is(at least for the 775 setup): it's a worthy cpu fan upgrade but be prepared to have some patience, read the documentation as well as watch a couple Zalman videos to see how folks installed for scenarios that fit your install version eg 775 vs other socket types.Due to the installation difficulties I was inclined to give this a 4 star review...but I'm just so happy with the reduced temperatures and quiet operation that I'll keep it at 5.

I was doing a mini-itx intel build (i5 8600k) using Thermaltake Core V1 SPCC mini-itx cube case https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M2UKGSM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1This case has a good amount of room, but the spare Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo that I have was too tall for it. I came across a YouTube video about the Core V1 case and the content creator recommended this Zalman cooler, as it fits perfectly and is really quiet. I ordered this cooler and am glad I did. It actually looks really cool with the copper fins and it is very quiet during normal use. I am not going to overclock my cpu and the purpose of it is mainly office work and some light gaming.Mounting it was not too bad, it can be a bit tricky at first, but was overall decently simple. The instructions have pictures that show where all of the parts go and which way they need to be orientated. A plastic mount goes over the cpu area with 4 bolts, nuts, and washers. The cooler mounts to the plastic bracket with 2 screws and a metal bracket that goes through the cooler on centered notch piece. The tricky part is the metal bracket, which you start one screw in the front of the cooler, then you start the back screw, but this requires a lot of pressure to flex the bracket for the screw to reach. Makes sense that it is this way to put pressure down on the mount, but you have to be careful that the first screw you start does not pop out when flexing the bracket. This happened to me on my first try, the first screw went flying across the room. Once I realized how much tension goes on this bracket, I screwed the first screw almost completely in.At first I was worried about my ram fitting, but it cleared the cooler (almost touches it!). I am using 16 gigabytes (2 sticks) of Crucial Ballistix RGB memory.Pros:Made out of copperDesign looks really coolQuietFan is a 4 pin pwm fanFits many generations of Intel socketsMemory clearance is goodCons:Copper fins are delicate, can be bent easilyMounting is a bit tricky at first, not the best designOnly fits IntelComes with thermal paste, but is in a tiny pouch instead of a syringeNo RGB (I wish they had this option!)The fan sits a bit uneven in the center of the copper fins, but seems to function properly (can see in my photo).

This has been setup to cool an i5 11400F with the LGA1200 board. Installed into a prebuilt gaming system with smaller case which does not have much clearance to support 120mm fan setup (video card shortages), and I was able to simple widen the inside of the bottom holes of the mount plate, (approx1mm) about half the depth of the screw hole, for it to mount onto the existing posts for the stock Intel cooler tension back plate this system came with, and fastened it using the screws provided with the Zalman. This ended up making the mount extra more secure to the board and saved me lots of time of having to take apart the whole system.With the stock cooler, I was experiencing idles temps of 35-40 and was constantly reaching100 degrees C when stress testing with heavyload program and playing newest games. After this was installed, I am idling around 28-31 with spikes of 34. When testing with heavyload now, it fluctuates between 54-58. Now as long as the intake and exhaust fans, one of each 92mm, are running, it will not go above 58. With those turned down fully, it stays in the lower 60s with odd spikes in the mid to upper 60s. Room temps 28 or higher at times does not alter the mentioned temps.This is an amazing cooling system for the price here. And because 11XX uses the same mounting sizes and hole positioning, it fits an LGA1200 system! Very old copper cooler still kicking it to the max! Definite recommended buy for those looking for a good cooling system without going water or spending too much! I even heard this copper air cooler works better under the higher wattage than some of the cooler master water cooling systems! And the with how this fan cooler is designed, the fan blowing air around the front sides of the heatsink helps keep the other hardware inside the case cooler, as well.Actual size is H= 125mm W = 112mm and D = 8.5mm

It is installed in a used Dell G5 i5-10400f system(power from SATA to 4pin). I like the copper look from the 90s or early 2000s. Zalman cooler helps CPU temperature drop from 37 to 27. This is perfect for a home server which runs 24/7.* This cooler seems to be new old stock. The thermal paste from the package dried out.92mm fan is a little louder than I expected, especially compared with two Noctua fans.Pro: looks, performance

... ma ho questa ventola dal 2013 e non mi ha mai abbandonato. Un paio di volte l'ho dovuta pulire utilizzando un bagno di acqua e aceto ma funziona ancora magnificamente. Un ottimo acquisto.

Una excelente opción para mejorar la temperatura de tu CPU ya que usualmente los disipadores que trae son muy básicos, es de un gran tamaño, así que quizá deberías revisar las medidas de tu gabineta antes de comprarlo, el cobre ayuda perfectamente a distribuir la temperatura y en lo personal pienso que se ve muy bien con ese color dentro de tu equipo y además mejorar el rendimiento de tu procesador, es silencioso casi inaudible al momento de utilizarlo, lo recomiendo ampliamente, una buena marca que hace productos de calidad.

Quite noisy.You can buy better and quieter heatsink