ZALMAN CNPS10X FLEX CPU Cooler

Pros: Ran this for a couple days straight on 100% CPU doing video encoding without any problems. No direct fan, just a case fan and my PC is quieter than ever.

Cons: Was a bit fussy getting attached to motherboard. I had to use washers to get a snug fit I was comfortable with, but that is me being particular rather than a knock on the product.

Pros: Lots of thermal dissipation. Can mount fan on either side or two. CPU much cooler and much quieter than stock.

Cons: Really big. Cleared almost all of my stuff, but I have a micro-atx with mushkin ram. The 4th sticks heatsink ran into the fan. I knew it might be to big for the board and the ram that I have in my computer.

Other Thoughts: Patience when installing it on small board.

AMD Phenom II quad core

Pros: Works exactly as advertised. Cleared my higher-than-normal ram with two fans.

Cons: Doesn't cool as well as other higher-end units. But, they are also more money.

Other Thoughts: Lighter than I would have thought.

Pros: Easy install, works under easy load w/o extra fan

Cons: For what it does, none

Other Thoughts: Set up in a HAF 912 with a 65W i5. 42C idle, 60C load without anything other than the two 120mm case fans. I didn't think it was any harder or easier to install than a normal aftermarket heatsink/fan combo, at least not the GeminII's that I have used in the past.

Pros: In combination with a new case my CPU temps dropped 10 degrees, and that is with an additional 200MHz overclock and a voltage bump. I previously couldn't overclock higher due to temps, now i am at the processors limit, and still cool.

Unlike some i thought the install was pretty easy. My first time doing one that requires removal of the motherboard heatsing mounting setup and I had no issues. I even had to remove one of the fans and put it back in order to reach a plug once it was in the case and had no problems.

Didn't need the vibration strips. Its pretty quiet even with two powerful (N82E16835185060) 120MM fans on it blasting a jet stream of air out the back of my case.

Fans use clips and can slide up and down. I am using newegg item number N82E16820231455 for memory and the front fan sits right on top of the first stick in a crosshair III MB. So it doesn't block the first slot but any taller memory and you wouldn't be able to fit the front fan.

Cons: Its big, know your case.

I kicked it while it was sitting on the floor and slashed up a toe?

Other Thoughts: Fits in a rosewill thor v2 with no problem at all. Excellent cooling on AMD AM3 CPUs

Pros: This CPU cooler works. It is not too heavy, 700g, for my Asus P5KPL-AM EPU. It keeps my Q9650(333x9.0) at 39 degrees C, idle. It runs at 50 degrees C while folding. I use (2) 120mm 78CFM fans at 2000 rpm.

Cons: You have to remove motherboard in Antec 1200 case. Measure carefully, It is 151mm tall. It is iritating to install. I had to install in front-to-back position. It is too wide to install in north-to-south position.

Other Thoughts: I used ZM-STG1 T.I.M..

Pros: The unit performs beautifully. It's silence (my goal), it looks cool (no pun intended) and it's a decent price.

Cons: I consider myself a relatively calm person. But honestly, you're going to want to put the kids to bed before you start to install this thing. I trouble with screw length, screw-driver length, screw-driver thickness and steady hands. Additionally, the sticky pad they give to hold things together just wasn't working. The installation is the reason I gave it 4 instead of 5. It brought me to explatives. But in the end, it was worth it.

Other Thoughts: Make sure you have a long thin screwdriver you can use to work for you. I installed a different manufacturers heatpipe, and they sent one with the unit which I ended up using for this installation. Additionally, as everyone said before me, measure twice. It's a big unit, and it needs it's space. I installed mine with a single 120mm fan right next to the out vent fan in the back of the case. temp went from 50 to 39.

Pros: it fits like a glove i have the zalman GS-1000 plus case i did not use the back plate that came with it i used the one that came with my asus m4a89td pro usb3 board. i have the 965 black edition at 4.00Ghz and it is 29 c at idle and 48-50 c under prime95 and 40c while gaming i have 2 fans on it 120mm running at 900rpm at idle and 1800 under full load i used the heat past that came with it

Cons: well as the others said the fans were a problem to get on and right but there is not much to con about here it is a great cooler and even though i have 9 fans in my case it is very quiet i love zalman products but there support is not that great and its hard to get parts and as usual new egg shipped it on time and packaged well @ a great price.

Other Thoughts: should have done a video review so you could see where its tight and where its not i love that feature in the reviews section thanks newegg.

Pros: Built like a tank. Mine says "Made in Korea". Thick aluminum fins with plenty of space between. Works perfect with a SilenX 120mmx36mm "fat fan". That sucker draws 70cfm and the spacing on this heatsink does NOT block the airflow. Lot's of other sinks have small fin spaces that don't allow you to draw that much. This is made to take as much air as you can push through it. Doesn't get clogged full of dust, either. I'm running the SilenX "fat fan" on draw (controlled by regular motherboard fan header), and an Excalibur on inlet side (plugged into the CPU PWM fan header). I'm using Artic Silver thermal paste. See the "Other thoughts" for the temps I'm getting on my Intel 980x.

Cons: It's big, it's heavy, and the backing plate can be difficult to install. Mine has the wire clips for the fans, so I had to use a pin vise and bore holes into my CoolerMaster Excalibur fan in order to insert them.

Other Thoughts: When I first bought this a year ago, I swore in my first review that I would move this to my next computer. I just got my ASUS X58 Sabertooth, Intel 980x, 6-8-6-20 G.Skill memory, and Enermax 1020watt 80Silver power supply from newegg last month. Yep, I moved my CNPS10x Flex heatsink from my old Q9400 onto my new 980x and left the stock heatsink in the box. 34°C at idle, IXTU Stress Test at 5.01GHz overclock 100% all cores active says it maxes out at 66°C. Let's hear it for air cooling!

Pros: Does a decent job of lowering CPU temperature on the i7-950. One of the few heavy duty LGA 1366 coolers that will fit into a microATX system. You need a case that is at least 18cm thick. These are the specs of the final install on my system:

Cooler Master Centurion 541 case (microATX)
ASUS Rampage III Gene motherboard (LGA 1366, microATX)
Intel i7 950 at 3.06 GHz (standard)
G.Skill ECO 8Gb DDR3 1600 PC3-12800 (low voltage, low profile)
Zotac GeForce GTS 250 ZT-20106
Corsair TX850W power supply
Crucial SSD 128Gb SATA III
Western Digital 2Tb Caviar Black
Western Digital 2TB Caviar Green
Total of 4 - 120mm Xigmatek fans and 2 - 80mm S-Flex fans.

Cons: Fans are difficult to install. It's best to have everything completely planned out and install the completed cooler with the fans attached onto the motherboard before putting the motherboard into the case. Failing that (as happened to me), the minimal space inside the case means that you need to have extremely strong and clever fingers and great patience to get those fans clipped onto the cooling fins once this cooler is inside the case.

Other Thoughts: Running five simultaneous programs (antivirus/antispyware checkers) on this i7-950 system easily shot the CPU temperatures to over 70 degrees C (from a base of 37 degrees), using the original Intel CPU cooler (60% CPU in use). I didn't dare try the Prime95 test.

The copper risers on this Zalman cooler give about 35mm clearance over the RAM and Northbridge cooler around the CPU on the Rampage III Gene motherboard. You have to use low profile RAM as it does cover one of the RAM slots.

Running the same programs (60% CPU in use) with the Zalman cooler with 2 Zigmatek 120mm fans attached, the CPU temperatures hover around 50 degrees C, about a 20 degree improvement. Run the hottest Prime95 torture test together with these same programs, or the Prime 95 by itself (100% CPU in use) and the temperatures hover around 70 degrees C. The Northbridge tends to stay around 50 degrees C in this Rampage III motherboard - a 120mm fan in the side cover blows directly on the Northbridge.