Date: May 16th, 2006
Article by: Joe Anderson (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited by: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Zalman USA
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PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
Some charts and tables, from the Zalman website, give us a good overview of what the 9500 has to offer.
As you would expect, the 9500 is big, but the design keeps it relatively lightweight, considering that it's mostly copper. At 530 grams it's well above the ATX spec. of 450 grams. However, many coolers these days exceed the ATX spec. with no apparent ill-effects. The advertised noise levels are impressive and one of Zalman's excellent Fan Mate 2 speed controllers lets users adjust fan speed to suit their particular application.
Zalman has a reputation for making quiet, efficient heatsinks from premium materials with wide compatibility. Excellent design and ease of installation are also characteristics of Zalman products. The 9500 is no exception. Detailed CPU and motherboard compatibility information and an installation movie can be accessed HERE.
PRODUCT COMPOSITION
For around $50 US, you'll get the following:
It's been my experience that Zalman has always had quality packaging and they didn't disappoint me this time. The tough cardboard box houses a clear plastic “clamshell” that holds the cooler itself, with a second box containing the accessories. The packaging, while providing superior protection for the contents, is also very easily opened. This is a big plus in my book, as I detest those welded plastic containers that only yield to sharp implements and, shall we say, “colorful” language.
There is a lot of stuff included with the 9500! Aside from the cooler, manual, sticker and Fan Mate, the other hardware allows the 9500 to be mounted on virtually any motherboard currently available (and some that aren't). Not surprisingly, Zalman has included everything the user will need to install the 9500. A tube of thermal paste is also included, but for testing purposes, we'll be using AS5 in this review. The manual is quite good and, coupled with the online support, will make installation a breeze.
