In midsummer of 2009, our friends at Zalman released the CNPS 10X Extreme, a 5-heatpipe 120mm tower cooler with a built-in PWM fan controller. Though it wasn’t terribly different in the realm of tower coolers, it was a radical departure for Zalman, who hadn’t previously had a conventional-styled tower cooler in their lineup. I found the 10X Extreme to be an excellent cooler, easily keeping the extreme heat of the 130 watt LGA 1366 i7 to manageable levels.
Zalman has based some other coolers off of the 10X Extreme. Today I will be looking at the Zalman CNPS 10X Performa, a more budget-minded version of the earlier 10X Extreme, which not only ended up being the best air cooler I cooled the LGA 1366 i7 with, but also the most expensive. Will the Performa live up to the expectations we have for Zalman coolers? Read on to see!
Special thanks to Zalman for providing us with the CNPS10X Performa CPU Cooler to review.
Specifications:
Model: CNPS 10X Performa
CPU Compatibility:
-Intel LGA 1366/LGA 1156/LGA 775
-AMD Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2/939/940/754
Dimensions: 132mm x 100mm x 152mm
Weight: 784g (1.728 lbs)
Dissipation surface area: 7900cm2 (1224.5 sq in)
Heatpipes: 5 x 6mm copper heatpipes
Materials: aluminum fins, copper base
Fan: 4-Pin 120mm PWM Fan
Fan Bearing: Long life bearing
Fan RPM: 900-1350RPM (w/RC24P connected) 900-2000RPM (w/o RC24P connected)
Fan Noise Level: 17~24dBA ±10% (w/RC24P connected) 17~36dBA ±10% (w/o RC24P connected)
Packaging:
The Zalman CNPS 10X Performa is packaged in a sharp looking hanging cardboard box that would definitely catch your eye in a retail store.
Inside, the cooler is well protected with foam.
