CoolJag Falcon 92-CU CPU Cooler Review

With the quote “Easy Installation for All Sockets” ringing loudly in our heads we unpacked the TIM and the manual and started in. The very first thing that one notices is the thermal compound; it does not come preinstalled on the Falcon 92, rather it is in a tube waiting for you to manually install it. Balancing this extra hassle is the fact that the TIM included is not any ordinary compound, it is Shin-Etsu X32 7762. If the name Shin-Etsu doesn't ring a bell, it should since it is one of the better compounds on the market today. Some people may disagree with that statement but no one can disagree with the fact that this is a premium high quality TIM. Seeing this included was a great little bonus and really does show that CoolJag spared no expense in the design of the Falcon 92-cu.

On the negative side, if you have heard of Shin-Etsu but never worked with it, you are in for a tough install. At room temperature (especially if yours is like our computer room which is kept at a constant 15*c) Shin-Etsu can be very hard to spread, in fact it is fair to say that it has to consistency of sh… err….um…lets just say it has the consistency of “tar” and leave at that. However, (after first sealing it in a ziplock bag) a quick 5minute dip in a cup of very hot water makes it smooth and spreadable. The inclusion of the plastic spreader does make this an easy task but to you can’t beat the razor blade method or putting a drop the size of a grain of rice in the center of the CPU.


(Please note the screws were purposely loosened to help show the motherboard tracings)

If you have a AMD system the rest of the installation truly IS an “easy installation” as you simply install the AMD mounting hardware and use the standard AMD plastic mount to hold the 736 gram CPU cooler up. However, if you have an Intel system this is where the wheels fall off the whole PR “Easy Installation for All Sockets” machine. The included hardware includes a good sturdy backplane and this was not the problem. The first major problem is the brass standoffs one is expected to use for installation. These four small brass standoffs when screwed into place can scratch your motherboard. This wouldn’t be a problem but on many motherboards (including our Gigabyte DS4 and Asus Maximus) but there are many motherboard tracings that can be scratched (read CUT) by the brass when installed. Brass + motherboard tracings = high potential for a dead motherboard.


(Please note the screws were still loose when this picture was taken, this is not how it was when tested)

The solution to this problem is as easy as the solution to tar-like TIM. Some people recommend small plastic washers that you can get at your local hardware store but I personally use the “IT-man’s helper” which is more commonly refered to as black electrical tape. Cut off a small piece and then cut a hole in the center for the screw and VOILA, problem solved. The upside to this is that you now know that no shorts are going to come from those brass standoffs. The downside is the obvious fact that you shouldn’t have to do this! Would 4 rubber or even paper washers added much to the cost of the unit?

With the “easy installation” PR statement still banging away in the backs of our heads like an Iron(y) Drum (pardon the pun) we trudged forward with the install only to run smack into another setback. The instructions call for installing the brass standoffs on the 775 mounting hardware which itself is mounted to the Falcon 92-CU. This is no big deal even though there are some small screws with very fine threads. What is a big deal is that you somehow have to balance the motherboard on its side with one hand, hold the 26 ounce cooler in the other hand and place it directly over the four mounting bracket holes while in your other hand screw in from the bottom the four base screws.

In case you missed it….you need three frickin’ hands to properly install this cooler the “official” CoolJag way. Who has three hands and why did CoolJag see the need to write the instructions for THEM? The more realistic explanation is that CoolJag let the engineers’ write the manual and they saw no problems in requiring two people to install a CPU cooler. However, needing two people to install a CPU cooler is down right wrong and smacks of needing to ask for help. CoolJag, most of your customers are going to be men, and as a man I bought a $300 GPS unit just so I wouldn’t need “help” and have to ask for directions.

Instead of asking for help you can install the Falcon 92-cu by balancing the motherboard on its side with your chin while you maneuver the Falcon into place and screw it down with your two hands…. or at least that was the theory. After a 20 minutes I gave up and came up with a much more practical way. By putting the screws in the backplate and putting them all through the motherboard holes on the backside you can leave motherboard's left right side up with the four screws sticking up (i.e. install it just like you would any other backplate needing CPU cooler). You then simply have to gently screw in the brass standoffs. It was found that one full turn on the screws was enough to get started. Then by positioning the Falcon 92-CU and letting gravity take over it was then simply a matter of screwing in the four small screws and then tightening the bottom 4. Overall, not exactly easy but it was a lot easier than the instructions included.

One thing worth mentioning is that CoolJag recommends you install this cooler in one particular way only. While not exactly user customizable, this really is only a minor annoyance. After all, you can only use a heatsink in one direction at a time, but if your case is quirky you may want to take note that it has to be pointed with the heatpipes towards the memory and the open end towards the back of the case (and this pointed at the back rear exhaust fan).

With the help of another person the official CoolJag installation way took 20 minutes to install the Falcon 92-cu from start to finish. By doing it our way, it took about 15 minutes. Anyway you slice it this is NOT an “Easy Installation for All Sockets”.

Overall, this can be considered a quirky CPU cooler to install for Intel 775 systems. Depending on your level of experience this can be a very big deciding factor. After all, not everyone has the time, inclination or even the comfort level to remove a motherboard and then re-install it. If you are planning on using it on a AMD system expect the installation time to very easy and less than half of what it was for Intel systems. For Intel 775 system this is not a user friendly heatsink to work with and you should really plan out in advance how you are going to install it.