The CNPS (computer noise prevention system) line of CPU coolers from Zalman have decades of reputation, but the company hasn't launched much under this banner, in recent times. The company finally got around to new products, all of which are tower-type heatsinks. Leading the pack is the CNPS10X Optima II. This cooler is a successor of the original CNPS10X Optima from way back in 2011. The heatsink design is unchanged from the original - a conventional tower-type fin-stack with four 8 mm-thick copper heat pipes making direct contact with the CPU at the base. What's changed is an improved fan and support for newer CPU sockets such as AM4 and LGA2066.

The included 120 mm fan of the CNPS10X Optima II comes with a new split-blade impeller (or dual-blade as Zalman likes to call it), which improves air-flow, that is then traded for lower RPMs, and noise. The impeller is translucent, and illuminated by white LEDs. It also has a The cooler is rated for thermal loads of up to 200W TDP. Next up, is the CNPS9X Optima. This cooler features a narrower aluminium fin-stack than the CNPS10X Optima II, but a similar direct-touch base, and four copper heat pipes branching out through various points of the fin-stack. It has the 120 mm "Shank Fin" fan that debuted with the original CNPS10X. This cooler can handle thermal loads of up to 180W, and like the Optima II, it supports newer sockets such as AM4 and LGA2066.