ZALMAN Computer Noise Prevention System with Powerful Cooling Performance Heatsink CPU Cooler CNPS5X Performa, Black, Silver

I bought this cpu cooler to replace the stock amd cooler (it was way too loud), I didn't want a cpu cooler that required a back-plate as I had already installed the motherboard. So far the idle temperatures are about the same as the amd stock cooler which is fine, but when under load the cpu fan doesnt seem to speed up as is evidenced by the sound and CPUID HWMonitor. Since the fan doesn't speed up beyond around 2800 rpm, the temperatures tend to rise quite high when under load. While for $20 this cpu cooler is built nice and is quiet the fact that the cpu fan isn't picking up when under load is annoying and I will have to try and improve airflow across the heatsink in other ways to try and alleviate the situation.Edit: I originally gave the heatsink a 3 star review, but upped it to 4 stars as the cpu cooler did well for $20 and I was able to improve cooling by improving the airflow of my system so it maxes at around 64 celsius instead of 72 celsius like before. While the fan on the cpu cooler may not be powerful enough for my satisfaction the heatsink itself has a nice surface area and works well.

After reading many reviews and all the different kinds of cpu cooler fans out there, I decided to choose this Zalman CPU cooler for my AMD FX8320E/AM3+ based PC. The size seemed right to fit into my PC case and the price was very affordable.This is the first time I've ever installed a cpu cooler that wasn't stock, so I had much trepidation how this was going to go.This was the flipping easiest thing I've ever done and I wonder why I hadn't done this sooner. I was done is five minutes. I read the instructions (not very clear, but once you start working it begins to make sense), unclipped the old stock heatsink/fan, cleaned up the old grease, loosened up the screws on the new cooler, added the new thermal grease, gently put the new cooler in place (I did a dry run at first to make sure how it was going to fit before messing with the thermal grease), slid the new clips in place, then tightened them down snug (halfway down the screw post) as the instructions dictated. (CAREFUL: Screw down until you get snug tight - approximately halfway down the screw post itself. If you attempt to screw it down all the way, you risk breaking the plastic mounts on the motherboard from overtightening.) After it was set, I plugged in the connector to the motherboard.The PC powered back up fine and the new CPU cooler is running like a champ. It's much quieter than the stock fan. I've been keeping an eye on the temperatures and it's all working as it should. Now my PC is not struggling to keep the CPU cool as it was before. (I recently had an automatic shut down which alerted me that there was a heating problem. After blowing excess dust out, I can hear the fan was going all kinds of speeds straining to do its job to cool the CPU. Not good.)It's only been a few days, but everything is looking great. Everything fits. Installation was extremely easy and quick. My PC is running like a champ. I'm very pleased with my new Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU cooler. Five stars.

I bought this to replace my AMD FX-8320 stock cooler and it performs as well if not a bit better than than stock. My cpu is slightly overclocked (4.1 ghz) so I didn't expect much but it kept my cpu temps under heavy gaming/streaming/recording at an average of 63C so I'm happy. The cooler is much quieter than the jet engine stock cooler which is a huge plus for me.P.S. Read the instructions! I thought the installation was self explanatory after glancing at it but my cooler came with the screws in the intel socket so I mounted it that way and my pc overheated/shutdown. Make sure you switch to the amd socket for amd cpus.

Really good cooler for the price. Really quiet for the price.One thing a bit awkward was that it really didn't change idle temps, in fact I was idling at around 38 C vs 36 C with the stock AMD Cooler with the FX 8320 processor, but that might have something to do with the way I applied the thermal paste. However the real noticeable change was under load, where the cooler managed to keep the processor under 60 C most of the time. Whereas the stock cooler fan would max out and the temps would hit 65 C and above...and not to mention the terrible sound the stock fan makes.For 18 dollars, this is a great cooler. Comes with some Zalman thermal paste, which is a plus. However I would recommend something like the Artic Silver thermal paste or something else. It's still a good addition in case you don't have some thermal grease/paste lying around.It also looks pretty good from a case window, the big ZALMAN cutouts on the top plastic shroud are pretty good and don't look cheesy or sketchy. It's a narrow profile cooler unlike the AMD stock cooler with spreads itself all around the CPU area. whereas the Zalman cooler has a small contact patch which covers the CPU and nothing else. Which in my opinion makes things look a lot neater.All in all, this is a pretty basic air cooler, it gets the job done, and for the price, it's hard to beat. I'd say this is a close rival to the famous Hyper 212 EVO!

works amazing, 42C at idle typically, 60 C max on load with a mean overclockamd 3.8 ghz 4300 fx running it at 4.4 GHZyou dont even hear it if its on a fan control. i have mine running at 100%very happy

C'est surtout un très beau produit. Si il y a quelque chose a lui reprocher, c'est qu'il est un peu plus bruyant que ce que je m'attendais et fragile aussi.

Good for budget builds!

Not very silent fans, after several days use, it sounds loud.

What can I say, it runs quiet and keeps CPU cool.