XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler I5 775 AMD compatible

Pros: good quality and construction.
Direct-Touch heat pipes are key. (Heat transfer degrades significantly from one substance to the next).
PWM fan.

Cons: Mounting only allows venting up/down, and not back towards case exhaust fan.
A bit loud, just a bit.
Aluminum fins are slipped on, not solder/welded to heat pipe.(ie degrades heat transfer potential)

Overall Review: modified case to allow fresh air from top down, this cooled my AMD X2 5000+ B.E. nearly 20C idle and under load to a stable 3325mhz overclock, @ 1.4625V.
This achieved properly using the "-A1" switch to run 2 instances of Prime95, (one for each core, affinity 1/affinity 0). This makes a huge difference stressing the CPU, but this cooler made it possible at just $21 shipped after rebate.
Considering even the least expensive coolers run almost the same price shipped, this ones a steal.

Soldered fins to the heat pipe or larger diameter pipe would improve performance, but significantly increase price. Fair trade off.

Chose this model over the HDT-S964 with a solid copper base, as the heat transfer from base to heat pipe is not as efficient as direct to pipe.
The cooling bottle neck lies in ability of passing air to absorb heat, not in conducting the heat away.

Theres more expensive coolers, few legitimately cool better, but at $50+, u might as well buy a faster processor to beg

Pros: Automatically adjust fan speed according to the temperature if your motherboard supports this feature, temperature is 24°F idle, my motherboard is, A770E3

Cons: The rebate took five months to receive shortly after I complained to the BBB.ORG

Overall Review: Contact the Better Business Bureau if you get your rebate in a timely manner