no .. i did not have to cut and trim the zalman's fins at all. you might have mis read.
the 120mm fan mod is rather easy, really ...
the only part requiring a bit of finesse is in the slight bends to the silver mounting arm which will let you use the larger fan which will rest *outside* of the 9500's fin assembly, as opposed to *inside* it, as the stock fan does.
...
here's what you do:
1. generally, as a road-map for the modification, follow this guy's process (drillling, etc.); he's replacing the stock fan with a fan of identical proportions, but the process, basically, is the same; this is the mod process i used: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article284-page1.html
2. obviously, since the new 120mm fan is way to big to fit snugly within the 9500's recessed area, you'll have to bend the main mounting arm in order to allow the new 120mm fan to ride *outside* of the fin assembly.
...
and that's it, really ...
i didn't have to cut the 9500's fins at all; the only cutting i did, was cutting the 120mm fan out of it's square shroud ...