Zalman. You know them, you love them... or you at least know OF them. They have been putting out quality PC cooling gear for over 6 years now and show no signs of letting up. I, for one, am very happy about that. Today we are reviewing another well known product from Zalman. The CNPS9500 series of coolers are known for excellent cooling performance but the last socket to be graced with it's presence was the AMD AM2 socket. The Zalman CNLS9500 AM2 CPU Cooler is now ready to cater to this socket format. To help show the AMD love the cooler comes equipped with green LEDs vs the usual blue or red LEDs that most of Zalman's coolers come stock with.

I must say that when I was first asked to review this cooler I was pretty excited as I know how well other versions of this has cooler performed on other platforms/sockets. Needless to say, I didn't turn down the offer; but will she perform the same on the AM2 platform? Let's find out.

Specifications

Here are the specs for the CNPS9500 (AM2) Cooler as taken from the Zalman website:

Heatsink

Dimensions	85(L) X 112(W) X 125(H)mm
Weight	530g
Material	Pure Copper
Dissipation Area	3,698cm2
Thermal Resistance	Silent Mode 0.16 °C/W Low-noise Mode 0.12 °C/W

Fan

Bearing Type	2-Ball Bearing
Speed	Silent Mode 1,350 rpm ± 10 % Low-noise Mode 2,600 rpmM ± 10 %
Noise Level	Silent Mode 18.0dB ± 10% Low-noise Mode 27.5dB ± 10%

FAN Speed Controller (FAN MATE 2)
- Dimensions : 70(L) x 26(W) x 26(H)mm
- Weight : 20g
- Output Voltage : 5V ~ 11V ± 2%
- Allowable Power : 6W or lower
- Connector : 3-Pin

Features
1. Compatible with AMD Opteron, Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core, Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64, and Sempron for
Socket AM2/754/939/940.
2. Pure copper heatsink with component layout optimized for maximum cooling efficiency.
3. Innovative, patented, and curved heatpipe design for a heat transfer capacity of up to six heatpipes
with the use of just three.
4. Ultra slim fins (0.2mm) for minimized weight and reduced airflow resistance.
5. Adjustable fan speed controller (FAN MATE 2) included.

Installation Requirements
Cases equipped with an Air Guide must have their Air Guide Ducts removed before installation.
Install only on systems meeting the following conditions :
1) There must be no interfering components (e.g. PSU, VGA card) within 56mm distance from the
center of the CPU.
2) There must be no interfering components (e.g. ODD) within 45mm distance from the center of the
CPU.
3) Case chassis cover must be distanced at least 135mm away from the motherboard.

Components
1) CNPS9500 AM2
2) Thermal Grease
3) FAN MATE 2 (Fan Speed Controller)
4) Cable for FAN MATE2
5) Double-sided Tape(to attach FAN MATE2)
6) One(1) Clip
7) One(1) Lever
8) User’s Manual

Please Keep in Mind When Building a Noiseless Computer
Zalman affixes a Computer Noise Prevention System (CNPS) mark to all components used for noiseless computers.

Patent Applications
1. Korean Patent Application No. 05-45737
2. Korean Design Applications No. 05-15303, 15304, 15306, 15307, 17970, 17971
3. Patent Applications pending in over 20 nations around the world including USA, EU, and Japan

Cautionary Notes
1. The maximum weight specified for a cooler is 450g for AMD socket AM2/754/939/940. Special care and attention must be taken when moving a computer equipped with a cooler exceeding the specified weight limit. Zalman Tech Co., Ltd. is not responsible for any damage
resulting from moving a computer.
2. When booting the computer, it may automatically power down after an alarm sound is set off by a system monitoring program. This indicates that the CPU fan is rotating slowly. If this happens, turn the Control Knob fully clockwise to increase the fan speed. Then set ‘CPU Fan Detected’ to ‘Disabled’ in BIOS settings, or set the slowest rotational speed of the CPU fan in the system monitoring program to less than or equal to 1300rpm.
3. Zalman Tech Co., Ltd. is not responsible for any damage resulting from CPU OVERCLOCKING.