Product Gallery CNPS10X Extreme

As as abundantly clear -- we'll be testing two Zalman 10X CPU coolers today. To the left the CNPS 10X Quiet and to the right the CNPS 10X Extreme, which we'll start off with.

This is the CNPS 10X Extreme. A lovely rigid and sturdy looking Heatpipe based cooler really. Located at the front of the heatsink we spot a 120mm fan attached using four screws. The fan RPMs range from 1,000 to 2,000 RPM depending on the fan controller settings used. Zalman states it will put out about 20 to 39 dBA of noise which we will measure.

The cooler, fins, pipes, and base is nickel plated, in what Zalman describes as “black pearl” nickel. There are five heatpipes to be found in a U-shape running through that cooling base.