Home | Forums | Article Search | Subscribe & Shop | Contact Us | Log Out Zalman CNPS10X Performa Email This Print This View My Personal Library Heavy Gear April 2010 • Vol.10 Issue 4 Page(s) 36 in print issue Add To My Personal Library Zalman CNPS10X Performa CNPS10X Performa $30 Zalman www.zalmanusa.com CPU Rating: 4.5 Specs: Compatibility: Intel Sockets 1366/1156/775, AMD Sockets AM3/AM2+/AM2/940/939/754; 748g; Materials: Aluminum (fins), copper (base); Fan: 4-pin 120mm PWM; Fan speeds: 900 to 1,350rpm (RC24P connected), 900 to 2,000rpm (RC24P not connected); Noise: 17 to 24dBA (RC24P connected), 17 to 36dBA (RC24P not connected) We’ve already looked at three of Zalman’s CNPS10X coolers (see pages 21, 33, and 28 of the November 2009, February 2010, and March 2010 issues, respectively) and found them all to be respectable performers. The Performa, however, while also a decent performer, seems to be the better value. The Zalman CNPS10X Performa features a tower-type aluminum heatsink fin configuration with a solid copper base. The heatsink fins are linked to the base via five copper heatpipes. The unit includes one 120mm fan, and there are hooks to add a second. (We tested the Performa with a single fan.) A simple fan controller of sorts called the RC24P, which consists of little more than a power extension cable with an in-line resistor, is included with the Performa, too. When in place, the RC24P results in a slower fan speed, and hence lower noise output, although the stock fan is quiet even without the RC24P. Installation is somewhat complex due to the multiple types of mounting brackets included. But once in place, the Performa remains mounted solidly. Its performance, when tested on our Core i7-965-based test bed, far exceeded Intel’s stock heatsink and fan, and temperatures while overclocked to almost 4GHz were well within comfortable limits. With an expected street price near the $30 mark, the CNPS10X Performa is a great all-around cooler. In its stock form, the Performa should please quiet-computing and mainstream users, while enthusiasts can opt for a dual-fan configuration for extreme performance. by Marco Chiappetta Benchmark Results Intel Stock HSF Zalman CNPS10X Performa Stock/OC Idle* 42 38/40 Load* 69 64/78 Test System Specs: Intel Core i7 965 Extreme (3.2GHz stock, 3.9GHz overclocked), Gigabyte EX58-UD5, 6GB OCZ Reaper DDR3-1333, Windows 7 Ultimate x64 *Results in degrees Celsius  User Reviews Be the first to write a review of this product Want more information about a topic you found of interest while reading this article? Type a word or phrase that identifies the topic and click "Search" to find relevant articles from within our editorial database. Enter A Subject (key words or a phrase): ALL Words (‘digital’ AND ‘photography’) ANY Words (‘digital’ OR ‘photography’) Exact Match ('digital photography'- all words MUST appear together) Home      Copyright & Legal Information      Privacy Policy      Site Map      Contact Us Copyright © 2010 Sandhills Publishing Company U.S.A. All rights reserved.