Results

Results

Zalman’s CNPS9500-LED needs no introduction here, having been awarded best cooler in our April AMD cooler shootout and further recommended for Intel platforms in our £79.95 4.1GHz Dual Core project last May. Let’s see how the larger version compares...

And there you have it; the new larger CNPS9700 LED was worth a 4°C drop in temperature compared to its smaller predecessor. It was also worth a 10-20°C temperature reduction compared to Intel’s boxed cooler, but the boxed cooler wasn’t intended for this type of use.

Conclusion

Zalman’s CNPS9700 LED has a little more of everything that made the CNPS9500 LED famous: A little more cooling, a little more noise, a little more size, and a little more weight. The weight could put portable LAN boxes at risk of motherboard damage, but will probably be tolerated quite well in stationary applications. It’s too large to fit most home theatre enclosures, but easily fits larger mid-towers, and could take your overclocking experience to the next level.

While the review sample fit our Abit AB9 Pro test board, owners of other boards should wait for Zalman’s compatibility list, to be published on release day.