360° View - Zalman CNPS9700 LED Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
	The Heatsink Fan: The 110x110x25mm fan on the CNPS9700 LED heatsink spins at 1250 to 2800RPM, depending on what the Fanmate2 is set to; 2800RPM is its default speed. As with all CNPS9000-series heatsinks, the lack of a fan guard presents a challenge for systems with loose wires dangling around inside the case. The heatsink stands 142mm tall, and is 124mm wide at the top. From the base to about 30mm up there is a good degree of clearance for adjacent devices. The fan draws power from a standard 3-pin motherboard fan header, and supports RPM monitoring. It is internally illuminated with a couple blue LEDs, giving it a nice appearance in modded cases.
	Heatsink Top: The Looking down at the top of the Zalman CNPS9700 LED heatsink we can see the basic shape its 80 or so thin copper fins make up. The small indentation at the center provides space for a screwdriver further down when engaging the heatsink clip onto the CPU retention bracket. The clip fits in perpendicular to the direction of the heatpipes, or in parallel to them, depending on the orientation of the CPU socket and heatsink retention frame. This portion of the heatsink is 90mm deep (front to back), compared to 85mm for the '9500 model.
	Heatsink Side A: The 110mm fan is suspended in the center of the radial fins and figure-eight heatpipe assembly on a pair of stainless steel posts. When powered up, vibration were not noticeable. The space directly behind the fan motor is empty, which makes sense as this is generally a dead-spot for airflow. The Zalman CNPS9700 LED heatsink installs onto a variety of processors with one of two stainless steel clips that fit over the nub of the cast aluminum base. The clips engage with a special retention frame, or the HSRM that comes with the motherboard. Clamping forces are directed at the center of the heatsink's base, for even loading on the processor integrated heat spreader. The cooling fins extend out to a diameter of 124mm, 12mm wider than with the '9500 series. Each copper fin extends 40mm from the center.
	Heatsink Side B: The copper fins measure 0.2mm thick, and are spaced ~2.5mm at the tip, and a little less than ~0.5mm along the inside curvature. The copper fins are all soldered directly to each of the three copper heatpipes. Each of the three copper heatpipes is 6mm in diameter. The base consists of a shaped copper section to which the heatpipes are soldered, and a base cap made from cast aluminum. The copper base is 3mm thick on average, 5mm at the most. The aluminum cap floats above the copper fins, so all heat energy must be dispersed by the cooling fins. The Zalman CNPS9700 LED is tall, and may not fit in some smaller sized cases.
	Heatsink Base: The copper base measures 33mm x 33mm in size, and has a polished, not machined, finish. Surface roughness is at or better than ~8 microinches, and the base is just about perfectly flat in both axis. The six heatpipe ends are soldered to the copper base so thermal conductivity is direct as possible. The aluminum cap hovers just above the heatpipes, instead of coming in direct contact with them. Note how the cooling fins flare out at 50 degree angle at the rear of the cooler - this is because there is more airflow towards the outer edges of the copper fins than at the center.