Zalman CNPS9900 MAX Cooling Fan/Heatsink

This is my second Zalman CNPS9900 MAX, one for my home office and one for my office office. I've used many Zalman cooling fans in the past as well as their cases and have never been disappointed. The only thing difficult about this fan is the installation unless this is not your first couple of PC builds. To install properly you must attach a back plate to the underside of the motherboard that requires having the motherboard out of the case. If you are hoping to install this in place of your stock heatsink without taking the machine apart, you are out of luck. Personally, I was able to hack it slightly by removing the stock fastener from this unit and attaching the bracket from my older Zalman that was already in place, and it worked nicely, but the way this fan comes stock you will need access to the back of the board. It's a nicer shade of blue than most LED fans, probably because of the black fins, but it's more pleasing than usual blue lighting, darker/deeper blue. The fins are high quality and won't bend easily. The included thermal grease was a nice touch, I used it even though I have higher grade paste at my office but the temps have been great so I'm not worried anymore. (I'm a little neurotic about PC cooling). The heat piping is nice and keeps my i7-930 running several degrees C cooler than the stock heatsink, and even the previous Zalman that was in the case before. I give this 5 stars because it deserves it based on the categories it is expected to perform in. However, I nearly gave it 4 stars because of the complicated installation. I do understand that the installation is the way it is because of being mega secure to the board and providing the best possible seal to the processor. I recommend this if your focus is on having a cool running case! Also it's pretty quiet.

• How did the image on site compare with the actual product? Exactly
• Was the product free of any manufacturer defects? Yes
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Very high quality, especially for the price.