With Zalman's CNPS7700, once again there are winners and losers. A rapid installation is only possible for the Socket 478 system: you simply slide the tracks into the retention module, attach the cooler, insert two clamps and tighten the screws. It doesn't take much longer to install this cooler than it does the Intel boxed cooler.
Various clamps to be slotted into the cooler. The instructions tell you which clamps to use.
Those who own a K8 system or an Intel board with Socket LGA775 first have to remove the motherboard. The process of removing and re-installing the board can easily take an hour, but the actual work on the board goes quickly. To install the cooler in the K8, a backplate with two spacers has to be fastened. For the LGA775, a retention module from Zalman is attached with four screws. Then the board can be re-installed in the case.
Finally the cooler is attached, using two clamps and two screws as with the Socket 478 system. This means that changing the CPU at a later stage won't take more than a few minutes.
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