Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler Review

A Closer Look

Zalman takes the concept of most of their coolers, many very thin copper fins with a fan mounted within, and elaborates on it. With the 9900LED, the cooler looks like a large doughnut with a fan in the middle. A hulking doughnut, the cooler stands just over 6″ tall.



Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler

Looking further, we see a plastic ring around the center of the cooler with a warning label. This ring is a packing device used to prevent damage to the cooler during shipping. This plastic ring is to be removed, it is held together by a pair of Phillips head screws.


Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler

Once the plastic is removed, we see the whole story. The 9900LED is a pair of finned heatsinks. A pair of heatpipes runs through one side, and a single pipe through the other. This design creates a massive surface area for heat dissipation.nearly six square feet of pure copper heat transferral goodness. With the exception of the upper part of the base, the entire cooler is solid copper.over 1.5 pounds of Cu!


Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler

The particular design of the heatpipes allows three heatpipes to work like six. So, the 9900LED really is like a pair of nice coolers on your CPU. The design is so radical that the CNPS 9900LED was an Innovations Award Honoree at the 2009 CES.

And if you were wondering if the base is lapped, here’s your answer.


Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler

The CNPS 9900LED has hardware for installation with Intel’s LGA 1366 and LGA 775, and AMD’s AM2+, AM2, Socket 939, Socket 940, and Socket 754. This cooler will fit nearly every CPU made in the last five or so years.


Zalman CNPS 9900LED CPU Cooler