Titan DC-155A915Z/RPW 95mm Z-AXIS CPU Cooler

Pros: It was cheap, and for at least a few months it did what it was supposed to, although it made an abnormally loud whirring noise I probably should have investigated sooner.

Cons: The noise grew louder and louder over time, and eventually the fan stopped working altogether.

Pros: Easy to install, the backplane is a softer plastic than I would have imagined but it locks into place firmly nonetheless. Obviously, the metal screws + backplane makes me feel much more confident in the longevity of my board as opposed to plastic plugs. My ASUS P8H61-I R2.0 really brings this fan great justice with customizable idle fan speeds. Thing is absolutely silent and keeps the CPU at a cool 26 degrees at 200 RPM's idle. I can barely tell my HTPC is on!

Cons: None to note as of yet!

Pros: Plastic pushpin heat sinks make me nervous. So, when I had to rebuild my HTPC, I came across this little gem and decided to try it out. Excellent fit with my P8H 61-M LE mobo and my compact HTPC case. It does a great job keeping my i3-2100t cool considering the size of the case and the fact that it is stuffed inside a cabinet.

No sound problems either. Pretty much silent, really.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: Sub $20. Metal construction. Low profile. It does the job.

Pros: Price
Cooling performance
Solid metal mounting screws instead of plastic pins

Cons: No better than stock for noise
Need to remove motherboard to install
No copper bottom

Other Thoughts: I rebuilt my reference SFF HTPC into a small 9.4" x 8" x 3" enclosure so I needed a very low profile HSF. The Titan is 7mm shorter than the Silverstone NT07-1156 coming in at only 30mm. To me the noise characteristics are pretty much the same as the stock Intel heatsink but not as quiet as the NT07-1156. Still, you have to be within 3 feet to hear it. In the new enclosure, the G620/H61 with picoPSU, 64GB SSD, 250GB 2.5" HDD running with Prime95, climbed to only around 130F (54C). The Titan did a good job of keeping everything cool. The Titan's just a little bit shorter than I/O shield -- perfect for a SFF HTPC and it's cheap.