Question 1

Does this require the installation of a backplate to use, or is it a simple push-pin design like the stock coolers for 1156 sockets? I am not looking forward to pulling my mobo out of my case to install a back plate x.x

Accepted Answer

I can't relate to your system as I used mine on an ATI chip but there is nothing to it as it installs with just the normal hardware just to set it on the processor and it holds down with just the basic hardware which takes up little space.  I was actually surprised at just how well it cooled the system, far better than I had actually anticipated since I got it mainly because it fit into a small place that most coolers would not.

Question 2

Does it have pre applied thermal paste?

Accepted Answer

To be honest, I bought and installed this fan two years ago. I'd rather a fan not have preapplied paste. I have my own and its 100% better than the preapplied pastes. I don't recall if this one came with it or not.

Question 3

I bought this fan but it does not have the AM2 backplate. What is happening here?

Accepted Answer

If I'm correct, the AM2 backplate is used for AMD chipsets and I used this to replace an old Pentium D fan. I don't recall any literature about AMD compatibility.

Question 4

Will this keep my AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad core cool? My core runs as 125 watts.

Accepted Answer

It probably will, but at a noticable noise. I am using it on a 95W Athlon X4, and it keeps the CPU under 40C even under load. But as the CPU usage goes up, the fan becomes quite noisy.

It's near silent at 600-1000RPM.

Question 5

This one has how many PIN ??  The pictures show 4 Pin. But the spactfications said 3 Pin ! Make sure this item is 4 PIN or 3 PIN !?
Thanks or snswers ! Because I am going to buy this fan. ASAP.

Accepted Answer

This is a 4 pin.. listed incorrectly by the site already complained to newegg and sent a inquiry to zalman , which was never answered but received. The  Dimensions were also wrong..

Question 6

The specs say it's 3-pin.  The picture shows a 4-pin connector. Which is it?

Accepted Answer

Mine was a four pin

Question 7

It'll fit FM2/+ correct? The heatsink installation is the same right?

Accepted Answer

I don't know if it will fit FM2/+.  I bought it for an Intel i7-3700 CPU, but it did cool the CPU very well so I switch to a different cooler.

Question 8

What is the height on this?

Accepted Answer

Specs say it's about 60mm clearance. I measured mine, out of box is 55mm from bottom to top of fins (which go slightly higher than the fan.) I would not recommend this on quad core or higher CPU. I tested this on a i7 2700K and it was slower to cool than a copper based cooler, and ran way too hot at maximum throttle. The only reason to use this should be on a system with a lower-end CPU, where excess weight and space is an issue, and you want a quiet fan that is PWM controllable (4-pin). I would definitely spend more to have solid copper at the base, Zalman makes one like this that combines copper and aluminum. You definitely want copper directly on the CPU die though, (aluminum does not cool efficiently enough). I originally bought this to replace a non-PWM fan on another Zalman copper cooler. I would buy this product again, but only for an i3-i5 or similar dual core, but not quad core i5-i7 used for gaming purposes.

Question 9

Anyone know the Amount of air flow (CFM) on this unit?

Accepted Answer

It's listed as 800-2600 RPM, Mine usually sits around 600-700RPM and I can manually get it up to around 2880RPM, and it's still pretty quiet. The fan is great on this unit, but aluminum is not very efficient no matter how much air-flow you have. Stick with the Copper coolers in the Zalman line, you will be much happier.

Questions & Answers