Box n' Bundle

Upon receiving this product my first impressions were good. The packaging is clean, and professionally styled. The product comes in an incredibly sturdy cardboard box with a 3D plastic sticker of the top of the cooler stuck on the front.

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The rear of the packaging is similarly well designed with yet another photo of the X-shape of the cooler and the various product specs and features. Another interesting thing is that Coolermaster have put on some small print at the bottom, which reads: *fans are purchased separately. The fans which Coolermaster say are compatible don’t appear to come cheap either- averaging out at around £10-£15 each which is at the top end of fan costs.

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The sides are also a similar story, one stating processor compatibility and the other carrying some photos of suggested setups for the cooler: passive and ultimate cooling (2 fan setup). The Z600 can be used in either passive or fan assisted cooling setups, this is a great plus point for the product as it shows its versatility.

The sheer amount of extras that come with the Z600 is astonishing. Along with the expected garb - the cooler, 775 mounting kit, AM2 mounting kit, installation instructions and some thermal paste - you get a huge assortment of shiny screws, nuts, washers, spacers, anti-vibration soft pads and insulating cushions.

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The coolers mounting kits are regrettably the annoying screw based mounting systems, that require motherboard removal for installation, and what seems to be a lot of time spent trying to line up the screws with the holes; a recipe for frustration if ever I saw one.