Verdict: For Intel CPUs, the CNPS9500LED provides better cooling than some water-cooling kits, but for AMD CPUs, its mounting system is a real letdown.
The latest HSFs from companies such as Zalman are so good right now that it's making it difficult for low and even mid-range water-cooling kits to justify their expense.
Zalman's latest CNPS9500LED is massive, made of copper and looks fantastic. Below the circular array of fins are three heatpipes and there's a speed-adjustable 92mm fan in the middle, which is surprisingly noisy at full speed .
The Zalman can cool both Intel and AMD CPUs, and installation is fairly easy. For LGA775 motherboards, you need to remove the motherboard from the case, and attach a backplate underneath the CPU socket. A clip then screws the HSF onto this backplate. The AMD mounting mechanism is simpler, though less secure, as it uses the two screws that fix the CPU mounting bracket to its backplate.
Our overclocked and overvolted 3.96GHz Pentium 4e was 16ûC cooler with the Zalman than it was with the reference HSF. This is better than the Asetek WaterChill 03-L-5012 water-cooling kit with its fans at their lowest speed. When we lowered the Zalman's fan speed, the Pentium 4e was 10ûC below the reference cooler, which is still great.
Sadly, our concerns about the Athlon 64 mount were justified. At full fan speed, our overclocked and overvolted Athlon 64 FX 55 was 13ûC cooler than it was with the reference HSF, and 10ûC cooler at low fan speed. The Gigabyte G-Power Cooler Pro is far superior, cooling the same CPU to 19ûC below the reference HSF.
CONCLUSION
For Intel CPUs, the CNPS9500LED provides better cooling than some water-cooling kits, but for AMD CPUs, its mounting system is a real letdown.
