Installation:
Since I will be installing this on an AMD 64 system, I have to use the custom motherboard back plate (there is a custom back plate for Intel socket 775 as well). This is the first issue I have with the cooler. A little modification, and Zalman could allow you to use the standard back plate. With this custom back plate, you have to remove your motherboard from the case in order to mount the cooler. This isn't a problem if it's a new system that's not been put together yet. Once that is done, you can install the Fatal1ty FS-C77 CPU cooler. I was surprised at how easy it was to mount due to the size. You can turn the fan blades and get a screwdriver between them in order to access the screws.
The ECS KN1 SLI Extreme motherboard includes a small 40mm exhaust fan in the place of the parallel port. There is a nice fan hood on it that helps to pull hot air off some components. Problem is, this fan hood causes issues with the oversized coolers. When I first attempted to mount the Fatal1ty FS-C77, it wouldn't mount properly because of the fan hood. I had to perform some minor modding on the fan hood. Getting my trusty Dremel out, I removed approximately 1/8" off the hood. Now it fits properly, although I could have removed another 1/8" and had a little extra room. Another solution would have been to round off the fan hood, and just remove the portion to get the cooler to fit.
Once it's all mounted and plugged in, you can finally turn your system back on. Here you can see the fan in operation. The fan on the cooler is a little louder than I had expected, at 42dba it can easily be heard over the rest of my components, but it is a dull hum, and not a squeal. With the case sitting right next to me I have no problems playing games for hours with it powered on. Other than the custom AMD back plate, the fan is where my biggest disappointment lies. The LEDs on the fan aren't very bright. As you can see here, the blue LEDs from the ECS KN1 40mm fan easily over power the red LEDs on the Zalman Fatal1ty CPU cooler. While this isn't a show stopper, I personally would have liked for the LEDs to be brighter, since this CPU cooler was obviously designed to be shown off.
