Conclusions
The Zalman 10X Performa had no problem whatsoever keeping the hot temps of the 130 watt Core i7 920 to manageable levels. The 10X Extreme remains the best air cooler I’ve used with the i7 920, and the Performa was only three degrees higher. The 10X Performa also tied with the CNPS 9900LED.
Zalman has a winner with the CNPS 10X Performa. As always with Zalman coolers, the Performa does its job in silence. It has a fairly low profile for a 120mm cooler. Performance is right up there with the 10X Extreme.
Though the Zalman 10X Performa wasn’t for sale at my favorite online retailer, I found it at another of my favorite online retailers for $44.99. The 10X Extreme still runs $70, 25 bucks higher than the Performa, which performs nearly as well. You will find 120mm coolers that cost less than the Zalman CNPS 10X Performa, but few that perform as well. ThinkComputers gives the Zalman CNPS 10X Performa CPU Cooler a 10 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Fairly low profile for a 120mm tower
– Low speed adapter has large 1 Watt resistor
– Excellent performance, comparable with the 10X Extreme
– Costs $25 less than the 10X Extreme
Cons:
– None