I believe any review of coolers should include the performance characteristics of the stock heatsink/fan provided by the manufacturer (Intel in this case) for their reatail products. A lot of coolers on the market do not perform better than Intel,s standard unit.

Why was this tested with the plastic shipping shroud on wouldn't this dampen the coolers intended performance

OMG DUDE!!!

YOU FORGOT TO TAKE THE PROTECTIVE HOUSING OFF THE ZALMAN BEFORE USING IT!!!!!

YOU FORGOT TO TAKE THE PROTECTIVE HOUSING OFF THE ZALMAN BEFORE USING IT!!!!!

YOU FORGOT TO TAKE THE PROTECTIVE HOUSING OFF THE ZALMAN BEFORE USING IT!!!!!

THAT COVER IS THERE FOR PROTECTING THE FANS AND FINS DURING SHIPPING AND INSTALLATION AND IS SUPPOSED TO BE REMOVED BEFORE USE!!!!!

YOU COMPLETELY BORKED YOUR TEST RESULTS!!!

Listen Kiddies, just becaue you work with computers and think you are smarter than the average hairless monkey, doesn't mean you shouldn't READ THE DAMN INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS!!! LOLOLOL!!!

THIS IS BY FAR ONE OF THE MOST EMBARASSING REVIEWS EVER!!!!

LOL!

WOW! Just Wow!

I was reading it and looking at the picks and thinking ok why is the plastic protector still on after he installed it?

and then i read:

"What could we add here? There is one thing! You may have already noticed that the plastic housing covering the fan all around has cut-out slits in it. These slits release partially the airflow and I decided to get it to work for my benefit. I used regular clear scotch tape that appeared of the same width as the plastic housing. This simple modification improved the cooling efficiency in Linpack under maximum workload by 2°C! You may think it is a trifle, but this improvement can be achieved with the most primitive fix that will take you 30 seconds to put in place and will not change the looks of the cooler. Therefore, I would obviously like to ask the manufacturer in the first place: why did they make these slits at all, if they lower the cooler efficiency? Are they intended to improve the cooling of the around-the-socket area or to lower the noise? I doubt it. So, the question still stands."

OMG HAhAHAHAHA

And the manufacturer will respond, MORON! THATS NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE ON THERE!!!

If i were ZALMAN i would be so PISSED that you failed to read instructions on using their product and gave a review that shows results based on your stupidity not their product!

They should SUE YOUR ASS OFF!!!!

HAHAHA...here let me help you since as you say in your conclusion:

"On our part, we would like to make a few recommendations to Zalman for their next (still hypothetical) cooler revision: to make the plastic fan housing solid...blah blah blah"


I would like to make a suggestion that next time you read the manual!!

ROFLOLapalooza
Calm down.
The plastic shipping shroud will be removed in new test of Zalman CNPS9900 LED and many overs Supercoolers.

And 2 degreese cardinally will not change a situation.
In addition, not all, what the producers of coolers write about, appears a true.

In general, will check soon.

Another review tested with the shroud on and off and found a difference of 2 degrees c at max...you are right.

BUT they found a 6 degree c difference at normal op. That's pretty significant.

In addition the shroud structure and its slits will clearly will affect the acoustic test results.

Really you should rectify the existing review and remove your suggestions or explain upfront to the reader that you failed to follow instructions.

Better yet do what the other reviewer did and provide side by side test comparison with the shroud on and off to further accentuate what it should be removed as they instruct users to do after installation of the heatsink.

As you say, "Not all what the producers of coolers write about appear to be true", but i bet the instruction manual is pretty spot on.

Just admit you screwed up royally instead of trying to justify it. We all make mistakes, but you only compound an appearance of an ego problem by implying that the manufacturer is lying.

You did something boneheaded.

You failed to read the installation instructions and left a shipping and handling shroud on the product.

You compounded the error of your flawed test results by suggesting ways that piece could be improved and giving the impression that you, a reviewer was better equipped to design a cooler than the manufacturer.

I am not the first person who has pointed out that you left the shroud on the review has been up for weeks and you have made no effort to correct a misleading review.

You are right, i shouldn't be upset, but you sure as heck should be.

What you did was unfortunate but understandable (the original mistake). We all think we know more than we do and most of us never look at a manual first.

What you failed to do after (correct the mistake, note it in the review, address it directly, and apologize to the consumers who are being misled by your shoddy review) is however, inexcusable.

Step Up!