ZALMAN CNPS9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

Pros: put in a 3570k Intel chip. With an MSI Thunderbolt add 16 1600 RAM, stir and you have a great set up except the stock heat sink runs in a hard game 150 F. Replace heat sink with this and the highest under the greatest possible load and a room temperature in the 80,s 113 F. It is very easy to install because it is smaller than the biggest model.
The amount of noise can be controlled at low which is most of the time not sure computer is on at high some fan noise but playing a game its not that it can't be heard,

Cons: none

Other Thoughts: You need huge heat sink to get great results, not so. This is not very big has a nice little lite. It is not that expensive for what you get at all in fact it is cheap for what you get. Much easier to install than years ago so don't panic.

Pros: quiet, cool, runs forever.

Cons: none so far

Pros: For 1155 socket - none

Cons: As another reviewer stated, the supplied screws that attach the retaining clip to the bracket are way too short. They're also tapered, so they simply will not grab enough threads to secure the clip adequately and the screws pops out from the clip tension. Tried for an hour to get the screws to go in. All I got were stripped screws, smeared thermal paste and a headache. This thing is getting RMA'd.

If you're looking for a cooling solution for your 1155, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Other Thoughts: Sure, people could go buy replacement screws, but they shouldn't have to. And the threads inside the bracket may get stripped as well after fighting with the inadequate supplied screws.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear valued customer,

We sincerely apologize for the issue. Please contact our customer service e-mail support.usa@zalmanusa.com or via toll free number 1-888-925-6266 for further assistance.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Zalman USA Customer Service

Pros: this cpu cooler is easy to install and definitely works. and the subtle blue glow of the fan inside the copper fins looks awesome and happens to match my blue and orange theme very well. id put it on any air cooled build. its a lot easier to clean than a stock style cooler too since the fins are all right there and exposed.

Cons: fins are sharp be careful!

Pros: cools well; well built

Cons: not quiet without speed control

Other Thoughts: The kit includes a speed control, but I did not install it. I use my computer for heavy duty number crunching, so it can run for days at 100% load. To keep it cool at that load takes everything this cooler has, so I left off the speed control. In this configuration, the fan is rather noisy.

Pros: None

Cons: Intel 1155 - Mounting screws are too short. There is absolutely no way they will seat with the clip in place, and I'm not going to destroy my motherboard trying.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear valued customer,

We sincerely apologize for the issue. Please contact our customer service e-mail support.usa@zalmanusa.com or via toll free number 1-888-925-6266 for further assistance.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Zalman USA Customer Service

Pros: It works as it should. My CPU idles at about 34-35C and has only touched 50C once under 100% load. I installed this cooler on to my new build from the start, so I don't have a temperature difference to report from the OEM cooler.

Cons: The mounting hardware, or at least part of it. The bracket that mounts to the motherboard is fine and screws on relatively easily. Once you apply some thermal paste and actually sit the heatsink on the CPU, there is a clip/bracket that you bolt down over the top of it to secure it in place.

It is either poor design or mine was faulty. The screws are very small and you can only get maybe 2 threads in. At that point, the other side of the bracket was a full 1/4" raised - so no way the other screw is going in. I had to bend the clip to a more straight position and still managed to strip one of the wells.

Luckily, I was able to use another orientation to utilize the other two clip holes. Bent clip aside, if the screws were another 1/8" long or so, I'd feel much better about it. I may actually go buy some for my own piece of mind since I don't want this thing to be hanging by the fan cable one day.

I'm only taking off 1 egg for this. If I had to actually go buy more screws, it would be 2 eggs off.

Other Thoughts: The side with the fan face should be facing away from the direction you want the airflow to be going. That isn't made clear in the instructions and saves you the time of figuring out which way the fan rotates, etc.

Pros: It works and keeps my Ivy Bridge i5 cool. The LED is nice. Not overwhelmingly bright, but I like it better that way.

Cons: The biggest con has to do with the mounting bolts for the Intel clip. The mounting frame is easy enough to install. Once you apply the thermal paste, there's a bracket to bolt down over the heatsink that keeps the unit latched down. First, my clip was warped pretty badly. Once I got one screw in 1-2 threads (barely), there was a gap about 1/4" high on the other side.

Trying to push that down enough to thread the other screw caused the other side to strip. I ended up bending the clip to a more straight position and managed to get the clip through the coils to mount it on the other 2 mounting holes. Even then, it doesn't feel overly secure to me. I don't like that. My next step was going to be to get screws that are about 1/8" longer.

Other Thoughts: The face of the fan should be mounted facing away from wherever you want the airflow to be directed. That isn't exactly clear in the instructions and there isn't an airflow arrow or anything.

Pros: This is a good product. It keeps my CPU at least 10 degrees cooler than the stock heatsink, and more under load. The knob so you can manually adjust is great if you want more control. The LED looks nice if you like that sort of thing, and it glows blue nicely offsetting my other red LED's.

Cons: Only two, and not egg removal worthy. First, it is somewhat difficult to install as the directions aren't the easiest to follow, but once you figure it out its not too bad. Second, the wire to the fan speed adjustment knob is horribly ugly and since there is no easy way to hide it and keep the dial handy for tweeking it kind of ruins the look of my case. But its useful enough to make it worth it. Maybe just a bit of paint or electrical tape to hide the multi-colored wire.

Other Thoughts: The pros outweigh the cons.

Pros: Works extremely well, CPU temps are very cool even under load. Entry level gaming rig for a younger client.

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3
CPU - AMD FX-4130 Zambezi @ 3.8ghz
GPU - Sapphire 100355-1GOCL HD7850
PSU - Corsair CX600M
Cooler - Zalman CNPS9500A
Memory - 8GB GSkill F3-12800CL9D
Case - Antec 900 w/ USB3

Cons: Terrible rebate service... sent all the requested documentation. They SCANNED all the documents... then claimed I didn't send the invoice and that it was postmarked too late. I attempted to email them back four times so far, but it has bounced back as "rejected" each time - if I get the chance, I will call them, but working two jobs makes calling anyone that is only open standard business hours a royal pain.

Other Thoughts: Zalman, you are putting a great product at risk with shabby customer service. Please step that up and you'd be well worth the five eggs!