Pros: I made a mini ITX gaming rig from the EVGA Hadron Air and decided on this so I could push the air out the top fans (many smaller coolers simply push air up from the socket not angle it toward a case fan). This CPU cooler is keeping my i3-6100 @ 4.4 GHz under 55 C during gaming whilst being silent (it can cool more but I choose to not increase the fan speed so I can maintain a small, quiet and powerful gaming rig).

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: Buy this CPU cooler if you want to keep your processor cooler and eliminate the noise from the stock cooling setup. As a side-note the large copper fins look great and the product feels like it was built with great quality.

Pros: Looks like it would do a good job if it had a proper mounting system for a socket 1150 motherboard.

Cons: I've built many systems and used many different coolers in my past and by far this is the worst mounting system ever. I bought this for a simple i3 setup on a 1150 socket motherboard. For a socket 1150 install, Zalman only has two tiny retention screws to hold this rather large and heavy cooler in place. The tiny screws are supposed to go into the plastic mounting bracket and grab onto the threads of a small nut embedded at the bottom of the mounting bracket holes. The problem is, the screws they sent me were too sort to reach the nut way at the bottom of the mounting bracket. Luckily I had screws of my own that were longer and fit into the threads of their mounting bracket nuts, but even with the cooler fully tightened down, the cooler was able to shift around on the processor quite easily. I didn't dare stand my computer case up with this cooler installed in this horrible manner as all the weight and pressure of the cooler will be completely on the processor instead of being supported by the mounting bracket as it should be. So I installed the stock cooler that came with my processor until I can buy a replacement.

Pros: Keeps the CPU cool, very low noise, long life. Love the quality

Cons: Had to remove the motherboard to install it but well worth it

Other Thoughts: Have the Zalman CPU cooler installed on my PC for 7 months as of now. After checking multiple CPU coolers to replace the stock one I had, I went with Zalman. My decision of purchasing a cooler was based price/quality/efficiency. Had some friends recommending a Zalman cooler, as some had them installed on their PCs. Best PC cooler for the price range.

My build- ASUS Z97-E/ i5-4460 3.2GHz/ 12 GB Ram/ XFX Double D Radeon R9 280/ 128GB & 256GB SSDs/ XFX TS Series 550W 80+ Gold PSU/ Zalman CNPS9500 cooler

Installation- It wasn’t that hard but it wasn’t easy as well. It was my first time installing anything(my first build). Had placed my motherboard to my case due to already having a backplate placed on it. Tried to install the cooler with the mobo placed and just couldn't place it. It was due to the size of the cooler and couldn’t place my hands properly in the right positions due to the case. Once I removed the MoBo I managed to install it real fast. So this was the only inconvenience I had with the installation. I didn’t use the provided thermal paste, used the Arctic Silver 5.

Quality- No complaints here. It’s sturdy and well made. The fan doesn’t make any noises unless it’s under high duress (I only hear it when updating my graphics card- it’s under a high load). As for temperatures when idling my PC is always around 28C-30C, with light use between 30C-32C and when gaming never saw it go above 40C-42C(even when streaming). It does go around 50C whenever AMD does an update on the graphics card(all my fans go crazy).

Overall I’m very happy with the cooler. The price/quality fits perfectly, it doesn’t make noise unless under heavy load, keeps my CPU cool. Would recommend this cooler to anyone.

Pros: As usual, Zalman makes excellent HSF for overclocking enthusiasts. I had its sister, the CNPS9900MAX, in my last build, and while they're both very large chunks of metal, you cannot argue their effectiveness.

Cons: It's a very big HSF, so it won't fit in many cases. Installation can be a little cumbersome, so it might be easier to remove the mobo prior to mounting. Also, rebates suck.

Other Thoughts: I paid a little more than it usually sells for, because Zalman promised a rebate through 4myrebate.com. Par for course for the dreaded "mail-in-rebate," they claim they didn't get my documentation, and requested I re-send. Of course I don't have a second UPC to mail, so I'm out $25 because of yet another shyster rebate company.
Rebates: Not Even Once.

Pros: Excellent cooling. Previous temps were a bit high, running around 75C, even higher with shadow of mordor. With this thing, running on average 45 to 50C on ultra settings. If your tower has the space, just spend the 35 dollars.
Excellent price for performance. BUY IT.
Not even that loud.

Cons: Not too much to say. It was a little tricky to install. However, the process seems necessary for a heatsink of this weight.

Other Thoughts: I would absolutely recommend this to a friend. I enjoy the choice of either an LED lit fan, or this more simple cheaper unlit one.
I don't see a reason to buy another...but if I had too, I definitely would. Design is great, the mounting brackets hold it well it place

Pros: I was unable to get the heat sink installed so i can not say on its performance like others have.

Cons: One of the worst mounting installations i have seen for a heat sink. There are just 2 tiny screws meant to hold the heat sink onto the cpu. Needless to say they did not work. I was using a 775 socket. The metal nuts meant to hold the screws gave no retention what so ever. I will be asking for a full refund for the product. I am more than disappointed.

Other Thoughts: I have built 5 computers from scratched and have taken apart fully at least 10 times to work on them. With that said i have never had such issues with any heat sink like i have this one. I would advise to not get this product the support structure for the heat sink is not sufficient.

Pros: Keeps my CPU nice and cool, it's also very quiet.

Cons: The installation wasn't hard it was just annoying, honestly I never had a more annoying heat sink installation than this.
The fact someone saw that and said it was good is crazy.

Pros: Very high build quality, low noise, great cooling, long life, super easy install on amd platforms (its just a simple spring clip)

Cons: Out performed by some of Zalman's newer designs

Other Thoughts: I would not buy this cooler again unless I had space concerns in my computer case since it is has been made obsolete by newer designs; however this is very well made. The heat sink is solid copper with a base polished to a high mirror finish. I had this thing rocking in my case for 8 years, the fan finally started acting up on me under load and had to be replaced. I replaced it with the 212 but that does not match up to Zalmans build quality. Zalman has fantastic support too, I went to reinstall this 2 years ago and broke the clip, they were able to send me a new one in a short period of time for a few bucks.

Pros: Very efficient.

Nice and quiet.

Installation was quick and easy.

Unique aesthetic looks.

Cons: You have to be careful when handling it on installation. I bent one of the fins ever so slightly and while no one else will see it, I know it's there.

Other Thoughts: I chose this version because my rig is black with green lighting and the only lighted fan option is blue. This is not a big deal at all for me as performance of the cooling far outweighs and aesthetics.

It's holding my i7 Core 6700k running unclocked at 35C and I'll be happy to ramp up the clocking later on from 4GHz to 4.4GHz.

This is my first Intel build following yead on AMD chips. The LG1151 socket adapter is a much better design for me and installation was very quick.

I'll be seriously considering the blue LED version for my kid's PC as it has blue LEDs in it already.

Pros: - Cooling performance
- Small footprint
- Unique look

Cons: - Mounting Hardware
- Sharp and thin heatsink fins

Other Thoughts: Cools a stock i5-4690k very well, but I wasn't able to get much of an overclock in before the CPU was throttling under load. However, it did perform well for an air cooler of it's size and price point.

I used this in an orange colored build and the copper fit in nicely and the shape draws attention.

I was incredibly disappointed with the mounting hardware/process with this model. I have used other Zalman coolers previously with no problems, but I had a very difficult time getting this one mounted. As a seasoned builder I had to look at the install instructions which showed installation the exact way I was trying. During install I ended up cutting my hand on the fins and bending a few in the process. They were easily bent back, but I shouldn't bleed when building a computer.

This is advertised as an "Ultra Quiet" cooler and in my opinion this is just a quiet cooler since it exceeds 25dB under load. My preference is under 20dB under load, but that is just my opinion.

Build this was used in:
Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H
i5-4690K @ 3.7GHz
Coursair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600
Gigabyte GeForce GTX980 WF
Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD
EVGA 650W P2 PSU
DIYPC White/Orange Case