I currently use a Zalman CNPS9500 heatsink/fan combo for my workstation (pictured above), and I’ve been very happy with it. I liked it enough to bother migrating it from my previous workstation, instead of using the stock heatsink/fan combo that came with my new system. It makes a very significant difference in noise and heat levels.
Having operated on two computers with that heatsink present, I finally solved an enigma and discovered a hazard of Zalman’s product. Those thin copper “leaves” (closeup below), so good at dissipating heat, are also good at giving “paper cuts”.
Sometimes when I operated on my previous workstation, I would end up with cuts on my working hand. I’d wonder why – after all, the reason I buy Antec cases so obediently is because all the cutting edges have been smoothed away – but I chalked it up to some unknown point that I’d dragged my hand across. In retrospect, cuts made by points hurt a lot more than “clean” cuts made by knife-like edges, which would explain why I never noticed the injuries until later when they were bleeding and/or itching.
I guess idly playing with the heatsink (it’s fun, like bubble wrap!) wasn’t a good idea.
