Pros: -Very quiet operation. Not totally silent but unless you're going fanless it doesn't get much better than this from my experience. -Seems to cool effectively. I'm using this with a 65W AMD A10-7800 so this cooler is clearly overkill and I haven't had any need to monitor temps at all. I wanted something silent and since the HTPC would be slightly confined on a media shelf I also wanted something that would keep me from worrying about heat building up. After a marathon of activity there seems to be barely any heat coming form the case at all. -Beautiful design. I've used Zalman coolers almost exclusively for my CPU needs for years. My first was a CNPS7000 way back almost 10 years ago and this cooler seems almost like a throw back to that design. I've always felt that it was one of their better looking ones. -Low enough profile for very small cases. I'm using the tiny Silverstone MILO ML06B Mini-ITX case and this is just short enough to fit. It's NOT low enough to fit a slim slot load optical drive above it, in fact I had to remove the bracket which would normally allow for that option. I wasn't planning to install one however so it's not a big deal to me. The cooler sits almost perfectly below a fan grill on the top of the case allowing for great airflow.

Cons: -The U-shaped brackets which come with the cooler require it to be installed so that the heat pipes stick out in fixed directions. This can cause compatibility issues with certain motherboards/RAM. If additional brackets were packaged to allow the heatsink to be rotated 90 degrees it would open up a LOT of motherboards for better compatibility.

Overall Review: I selected this cooler based on a motherboard which I eventually discovered wasn't a good choice for my case. When I changed my motherboard selection I forgot to make sure this cooler would be compatible with that one as well. I now know that a GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI is NOT compatible with this. The U-shaped brackets which are needed to fit the cooler with the AM2+ socket require the cooler to be positioned so that the heat pipes bump into the RAM and a motherboard heatsink. I wanted to use this cooler though, so I machined some new brackets which would allow me to rotate it 90 degrees. Basically, they're nearly straight instead of U shaped, but still connect to same points on the cooler as the stock brackets. They work fine but it would have saved a few hours if Zalman made the brackets themselves. I wouldn't recommend these kinds of modifications unless you have the proper machinery and know how. I only bring it up to show that Zalman could make this cooler compatible for more configurations if they create some of these brackets themselves. Overall I'm very pleased with this cooler in my HTPC. The build includes the following: SILVERSTONE MILO Series ML06B Mini-ITX - Fits with about half an inch between the top of the cooler and the grill on the top of this case. GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI - this is NOT compatible with the cooler. I had to create new parts to make it work. AMD Radeon Gamer Series 16GB DDR3 2133 - this RAM is proof that giant heatsinks in high end memory are generally a gimmick. It performs wonderfully and sits cleanly under the edge of this Zalman cooler as long as one of the heat pipe sides isn't bumping into it. SILVERSTONE ST45SF-G 450W SFX12V - this is a little bit quieter than the Zalman cooler, both are very quiet. SAMSUNG 840 Pro SSD 256GB - no noise, basically no heat, and boots to XBMC in about 15 seconds. no complaints whatsoever.

Pros: Delivers on quiet, without sacrificing cooling. Comes with thermal grease so no reason to buy others. The one they give is 2-3x better than most, so make use of theirs.

Cons: None

Overall Review: It was slightly quirky to install the back plate portion, however those that have used Zalman's or non stock (snap in) coolers will likely have seen this configuration before.

Pros: -Quietest CPU cooler I've ever used. Even under load. -Cools about 15 degrees better than stock at Idle, and up to 30 under load. -very high quality piece. the pictures are a little deceptive. - lots of overhead clearance. should fit in nearly any case.

Cons: Just make sure you have room for that Ram if you have a 2 chip M-atx or Itx board.

Overall Review: - People that are complaining about noise. Inspect your cooler very carefully when you recieve it for shipping damage. And inspect it again after installation for installer damage. I have no doubt that 100% of these complaints are user error. - I was a little worried about ordering this because it looks a little flimsy in the pics. It looks like it will bend if you look at it wrong. NOT the case.. the fins are much thicker and sturdier than anything I've used before. Also, if you are worried about the gaps in the contact base.. don't. It's machined pretty well, and thermal compound will easily fill the gaps.

Pros: I am using this in a Silverstone GD06 with an MSI X58M. I have no issues clearing RAM. In what is a fairly cramped case I have fit the following previously: Zalman CNPS8000B (92mm) Scythe SCSK-1100 Shuriken Rev. B3 (100mm) Scythe SCBSK-2100 BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B (120mm) Asetek 545LC (90mm all-in-one kit, required case modification). The Zalman CNPS8900 gives me about 1cm of clearance under my BD Drive. The Zalman CNPS8000B gave more clearance but it had the noise levels of a turboprop. I am seeing 10-15c improvement over stock under load for an i7-965 using Antec Formula 7 (my tube of Arctic Silver 5 went AWOL). I have fitted Enermax T.B. Silence case fans (15dBa) and this cooler is not audible over them under load. The loudest fans in the case are my two GTX760s under load. The cooler is extremely easy to assemble. The manual could be reduced to a single page; looking at the pictures is more than sufficient. Anyone with difficulty installing this likely did not measure out available space properly before trying to slap it on an MITX, or is just flat out incompetent in life (and erroneously gave themselves "5" for Tech Knowledge).

Cons: Captive thumb screws would work much better and remove the need for a screwdriver, but this is not worth an egg deduction. It takes real effort to misalign the screws. The fan cable ending in a mini 4-pin makes no sense. There is an adapter cable terminating in a 4-pin PWM fan connector which is unnecessary, but this is not worth an egg deduction. The first package I opened had a dead fan motor. I've had some incidents in the past with dodgy fans from Zalman, but this was remedied by a quick exchange. Still not worth an egg deduction. Cooler uses a proprietary, non-replaceable 110mm fan. Not that big a deal.

Overall Review: This is probably the best low profile heatsink that can fit into an HTPC case short of the Noctua NH-L12 (which has clearance issues due to its width). I am seeing minimal difference between this and the Asetek 545LC, which admittedly is an inferior watercooling solution. Considering the cramped dimensions, airflow issues, and high heat given off by an i7-965, it performs admirably; even better than the Scythes I used previously. Relevant specs: Silverstone GD06 HTPC case MSI X58M LGA1366 motherboard i7-965 Mushkin Enhanced Blackline RAM (all 6 slots used on mobo) Enermax TB SILENCE fans (3x120, 2x80mm, 1x90mm)

Pros: - Quiet - even when fan spins at full speed I can't hear it in the case above the background noise of the room - Interesting design helps cool motherboard components and CPU - I like the all-copper look

Cons: - Installation instructions not very clear. This is my biggest, and so far, only complaint. When I followed the instructions and placed the black plastix square (with Zalman on it) between the backplate and motherboard, there was too much space and I had to try and force the screws to catch with the backplate. This put uneven stress on the CPU. So, I removed the black plastic, and only put the sticky spacer between the MB and backplate, and stuck the black plastic on the botton of the MB/backplate, and everything lined up.

Overall Review: I didn't have any RAM clearance issues, but my RAM heat shields aren't very tall. I was able to line the cooler up with the CPU as recommended in the docs, and everything works as intended. With an i5-7600K, I get 55 average under load and 35 under idle, with a max at 60 under stress test. This is all with standard clock - no overclock. Works as well as my Cooler Master 120mm AIO cooler and is quieter. I recommend it.

Pros: Low profile, quiet, cools surrounding components, cost effective.

Cons: Included thermal paste isn't the greatest, but this is a review for the cooler.

Overall Review: This was purchased as the ASRock 970m requires a top down blower when paired with an FX-8350 in order to cool the tiny 4+1 VRM. This cooler when configured with proper airflow keeps CPU at 32 idle, 50-55ish under load, and the board in the 32-42 range. Very quiet, overhangs the VRM nicely to provide additional cooling support to surrounding components. Blocks off one RAM slot unless used with low profile ram, but I knew about that when I ordered it, so I'm not going to ding it on that.

Pros: Works well overclocking a hot running old Q6600 i scavenged. Very quiet and way cooler temps then the stock cooler. Fits within confines of an mATX mother board and does not extend out at all, its better then stock in every way. Also the build quality is phenomenal, look at all that copper!.

Cons: none

Pros: got this cooler to stuff in the Asrock M8, its got a Z87/97 Mobo, so I picked up a K-series processor for my build. Even in this thermally challenged SFF case I've seen a 10°C drop under load (70+° down to 60° max).

Cons: The mounting hardware does not include anything to stop the retainer nuts on the bottom from spinning during install, not worth an egg off, just be prepared.