ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Blue LED

Pros: The one I got included the LGA 2011 mounting kit, so I didn't need to have one shipped from Zalman. It is nice looking and feels pretty sturdy. Be careful when installing it, as the fins can cut you if your hand slips hard enough. Keeps my i7 3820 cool (@ 4.4Ghz 37C idle, 44-46C load).

Cons: The thermal grease included is kinda bunk. It's like the old thermal gum compound that dries out and hardens a bit. I still have a tube of Geil platinum thermal paste and I just used that instead.

Other Thoughts: For anyone checking compatibility, here is my system:
ASRock X79 Extreme6 LGA 2011 mobo
Zalman 9900MAX cooler
EVGA Geforce GTX 670 4Gb
Intel i7 3820 @4.4Ghz
Asus Xonar D1 sound card
Rosewill Thor V2 case
Corsair HX750 PSU
GSkill Trident 16Gb (2x8) 2400Mhz kit
Mushkin Chronos Enhanced 120Gb SSD

Pros: Very good cooler looks great. Didnt follow instructions for my am3 board. Tried to but screws were way to short going by them. Instead of running them trough the black plastic prongs i put them in the back plate then pushed the plastic pieces over the screws. gave me just enough room to screw it on. For those of u having problems with this.

Cons: Kinda a pain to install. On my board anyway. Asus m4a78t-e Am3

Pros: best air cooler I've used. I have one of these installed in each of my main machines. One is red and this is the blue one. Yet to see a temp above 36C under load.

Cons: none

Pros: very big removes heat from cpu well

Cons: extremely loud, hard to attach to system board

Pros: This cooler keeps your CPU nice and cool and the looks are outstanding. The blue LED is not to "in your face" as some lights are.

Cons: What a miserable set of instructions that come with this cooler. I have installed a lot of coolers and this one by far falls under the diabolical category. Not only are the instructions lousy the parts supplied to assemble this cooler are of poor quality and leave you guessing if you actually have it installed correctly. There is not even a plastic cover protecting the base of the cooler that goes against your CPU. Nice cooler but you better put on your patience hat before you start as you are going to need it.

Other Thoughts: I wanted to give it 4 eggs as the cooler works very well and also looks great but the hardware and installation instructions just killed 2 eggs for me.

Pros: I mainly bought this thing cause it looks cool to me. Have had it on an amd 970 be and now and i5 3570k. The intel install was much easier. 2 hours of prime95 and my i5 @4.2 ghz didn't go above 39c.

Cons: Installation can be a little frustrating. I thought it was a lot easier with the i5 than the 970. Felt like I was bending my mobo on the 970 but was much easier with the i5. Both times was on a fresh build though, I'd recommend taking out the motherboard for sure if you're gonna use this thing. Overall, worth it in my opinion.

Other Thoughts: I5 3570k is way better than my 970be.

Pros: Quiet, keeps CPU quite cool, variable speed.

Cons: After about a year, sounds like the bearings are going out on the fan and its making an annoying grinding sound.

Just past the warranty mark, of course.

This was the first time the CPU fan didn't outlast my computer as a whole, and since I usually do more OCing towards the end of the computers life, I will probably have to pick up another CPU fan for that stage

Other Thoughts: Best to buy this with a new board, since you will need access to the back yo install it, and installation is a little time consuming.
I think this may be my last Zalman fan since the life was so short, and I usually keep my rigs for 3-4 years...even the stock fans that come with most CPUs will last longer!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear valued customer,

We sincerely apologize for the issue. Please contact our customer service e-mail support.usa@zalmanusa.com or via toll free number 1-888-925-6266 for further assistance.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Zalman USA Customer Service

Pros: I went from stock AMD cooling fins and fan running in-game, World of Tanks, max settings, at 47-51 C and replaced it with Zalman 9900 MAX and now running at 24 C in-game. Like others have said the blue LED is VERY dim. install was very quick EXCEPT 1 item (see cons).

This is as quiet OR QUIETER than the stock AMD cooling fan. (except when max RPM which i only saw during calibration)

Cons: This system DOES NOT work very well with the BioStar A85W motherboard ( FM2 socket ) in only that I had to bend the AMD bracket/tabs down, and then flat again, so that the mounting screws would reach the mounting nuts. Otherwise installation went well and was a "quick" install ( much faster than i expected based on other peoples reviews ) but can see how people without much experience would have trouble installing it.

The fan actually has a very small "wobble" that doesn't seem to affect performance, but i noticed it. I hope this doesn't wear out the fan/bearings sooner than expected.

The thermal grease was old and starting to dry up. Make sure you have some extra on hand just in-case.

Other Thoughts: bought for $59 and sent in my $20 rebate ( for total price of $39 ) lets hope the rebate comes soon.

Pros: super quiet,even playing games, cpu stays cool

Cons: could be easier to install over cpu, getting screws started what a pain

Other Thoughts: way cheaper than water cooling,still works even with over clocked cpu.i have i7 cpu overclocked from 3.5 to 4.3 no plomblems

Pros: - Heatsink fins are solid. If you've used previous Zalman models, chances are you've bent one (or a few of them) at some point.
- I was quite surprised at how quiet this fan was. Even under stress testing, though you do notice the spin-up, it's quieter then any other aftermarket air cooler I've used. With a headset on, I don't even hear it. Compared to the stock heatsink, you'll question if the fan is even on.
- I'm normally not one for listing aesthetics as pros, but the nickel plating (vs copper) really, really looks nice. You have to see it in person to appreciate it.
- Keeps an i7 3770k running at 4.2Ghz just as cool as the stock heatsink did at 3.5Ghz.
- At stock speeds (3.5Ghz/3.9Ghz Turbo), I saw a temperature difference between the stock cooler and the 9900 of ~6c idle and ~14c under a full hour of Prime95 stress test. While the idle temperature difference is nice, you overclockers know how much room 14c can get you on an OC!
- Allowed me to push the cpu to 4.5Ghz, Prime stable, with temps in the mid 70c's. This was done at room temp 20c (68f). For now, I have my 3770k running comfortably at 4.2Ghz and this cooler leaves me with room to spare if I decide I want to push it further in the future.

Cons: - Only one. A very big, BIG one. I read through all the reviews here before buying this heatsink; almost every single review with a con revolved around the installation. I thought to myself, "Oh come on, it can't possibly be that bad!" Let me offer my sincerest apologies for doubting any of you. Installing this heatsink was one of the most frustrating experiences I've ever had on a system build. (and we're talking dozens here.) Not only are the instructions mediocre at best, but everything needs to fit like a glove. If a single pin isn't lined up perfect, you're going to sit there thinking, "This can't possibly fit! How come the threads aren't catching?!" Once you do get all the screws partially threaded... Now you get to enjoy the tediously slow process of locking them all down.
I will say this though, once you do actually get this cooler attached you do feel a sense of accomplishment. And despite the hassle and nearly 60 minutes of my life lost to just a heatsink installation, I still can't find it within myself to knock an egg off as this heatsink's pros FAR outweigh this single con.

Other Thoughts: As much as I like Zalman's cooling solutions (4th one I've owned now), if you are looking for a quick and effortless installation on your cooler it pains me to say this, "Stay away from this heatsink."

However, if you have the patience then go for it. In the end it'll be rewarding and you'll forget what you had to go through when you see the overclocking potential this little gem offers.
I will go as far as saying, had it not been for the installation experience, this heatsink, in my opinion, is one of the best air cooling solutions you can find for these supported socket designs.