How good is this Heatsink (ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B) for this price?

[TopGun]

Is this a home run value deal to get this heatsink at this price?

ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-B for $24.99

Are there any recommended sites where they compare this to the hyper 212+, silver arrow, venomous X, mugen 2, nh-d14, etc.?

If it's an upgrade (better performance) over the 212+ for a similar (maybe even cheaper) price it's a no-brainer isn't it?

I would rather have the nh-d14 or silver arrow of course, but I doubt if the performance difference would be enough to justify the cost (or would it?).

Will this fit in an Antec 300 case?

Should I pull the trigger on this deal, or do you think there will be better deals around black friday/cyber monday?

Thanks,
-TG

 

[blade061188]

hi TopGun.

That sounds like a great deal to me. I usually recommend the 212+ (or EVO) because of the great value, but if you can snag this for $25. Go for it.

Here is a benchmark for you:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/zalman-cnps-9900-max-review/7

 

[geofelt]

Most coolers with a 120mm fan or larger will perform very well; at least well enough for a 4.0+ oc on a 2500K. Spending more than $30 or so does not buy you much extra.
If you are not limited by budget, then spending $80 on a cooler is ok, but don't expect a significant improvement.

The antec 300 is a reasonably wide case, and will hold any tower cooler. No worries there.

The one thing I don't like about the zalman cooler is the integrated fan. If it fails, or if you want to change it out, you may have a problem.
It does look good though.

I think I would stick with the hyper212 or Xigmatek gaia.

Unless you are in a rush, see what black friday/cyber monday brings.

 

[TopGun]

I think I'm gonna get it. It's only on sale/rebate for a couple days, so I don't want to miss it. If something better comes up on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, I can still get it and use the Zalman on a different build. $24.99 isn't too big a hurt on my wallet if I end up finding a better deal later.

Pros: It seems like a very good value, has good reviews from a lot of different places, and I like the looks and size of it.

Cons: It is supposed to be a bit louder than other heatsinks and the attached fan might be difficult to replace if it ever goes bad.

I can't really foresee the nh-d14 or silver arrow lowering their price enough to be as good a value as this Zalman. I think the 212+ might go on sale once in a while, but I've been looking and haven't seen it go down into the $10-$15 range...even if it went down to $20ish, I think I'd still prefer the Zalman for $5 more.

Thanks for the advice guys...keep it coming too!

 

[blade061188]

No Problem. I think that is a good choice for your needs $25 is a good deal for a good cooler

Do you need any more advice?

If you are done here, please close the thread (by selecting a best answer)

Thanks!

 

[TopGun]

I would still like some more links where this Heatsink is compared to some other popular ones...or if anyone had a crazy sale they found from last years Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

 

[blade061188]

From Last year? Prices have changed around quite a bit since last year.

I don't know if it would be very helpful to you. you aren't risking much with $25

Here are a couple more benchmarks for you:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Zalman-CNPS9900-MAX-CPU-Cooler-Review/1176/1
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/zalman_cnps9900_max_review

 

[TopGun]

Thanks for the links/advice. Looks like this is an awesome deal based off these reviews and at this price.

 

[TopGun]

Best answer selected by TopGun.