Conclusion:
I'm very impressed by the Zalman Fatal1ty FS-C77's cooling ability, especially since it surpassed the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64! I've tried out many coolers, and the Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 has always been a top performer in my test system. In addition to being a good cooler, it also looks pretty cool!
Very few coolers offer a perfect blend between appearance, operation, and cooling ability. The Zalman Fatal1ty comes close, but has a few minor problems. The first issue is the need to use the custom motherboard back plate on an AMD A64 system. While it is not a deal breaker, it is a bit of a nuisance. Having to remove your motherboard to install a CPU cooler isn't always fun, but does give you a good opportunity to clean the cobwebs out of your case!
The second issue I had with the Zalman Fatal1ty was with the LEDs. I expected them to be bright and vibrant, but they weren't. I found them to be dull and lacking any "wow" factor. Again, this is not really a show stopper, since it doesn't truly impact the performance, it just impacts the "bling" factor. Any cooler that is designed for gamers is generally designed to be shown off at LAN parties. Along with the LEDs, the other aesthetic change I would like to see is the power cable being wrapped. Again this is a very minor issue.
Other than the two issues mentioned above, the Zalman Fatal1ty FS-C77 is a near perfect cooler that should fit your motherboard without any conflicts. When looking at a 120mm CPU cooler, double check the space around the cooler. My space issue was easy to resolve, others might not be so lucky.
A search of PriceGrabber shows that you can find this cooler online at places such as Zipzoomfly.com, Newegg.com, and Xoxide.com, and you should expect to pay anywhere from $56.99 to $75.99. At this price it does make it one of the more costly CPU coolers. The price is outweighed by the performance it provides.
The price to performance ratio scores big points, but a few points are lost for having to use the custom motherboard back plate. I didn't remove any points for the dull LEDs as that is just personal preference, and it doesn't impact the installation or performance. Overall I award the Zalman Fatal1ty FS-C77 a final score of 4.5 out of 5 stars, and a rating of "Gaming Approved".
Final Rating (4.5 out of 5 stars):  
Pros:
• Easy installation
• Good cooling performance
• Quiet, high performance fan
• All accessories included for any possible chip set
Cons:
• Custom AMD and Intel 775 motherboard backplate
• Possible conflict with other components due to size
• LED not very bright (personal preference)
• Little loud at 42dba
Special thanks to Zalman USA for providing the Fatal1ty FS-C77 CPU Cooler to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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