ZALMAN today introduced the CNPS14X Duo Black, its new high-end air-type CPU cooler, designed for thermal loads of up to 270 W, or comparable to typical 240 mm AIO liquid coolers. It does so in an imposing size of 126 mm x 135 mm x 159 mm (DxWxH), weighing 1.16 kg. It features a traditional dual fin-stack (D-type) heatsink, with a ZALMAN patented reverse direct-touch heatpipe base. Rather than have a the heatpipes make direct contact with the CPU, or even indirect contact through a base-plate, were only portions of the heatpipes make contact with the base; the reverse direct-touch mechanism has them enclosed and surrounded by the base-plate, so it makes contact with the entire surface area of the heatpipes. The heatsink features six 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes, with their ends passing through the two aluminium fin-stacks. The two stacks are capped by ABS top-plates.

The cooler includes two ZALMAN AF120 fans, you can use both of them in a push-pull configuration, where the cooler yields 44 mm of clearance for the memory; or single fan mode, clearing out 52 mm for the memory. Each of the two fans turns at speeds between 600 to 2,000 RPM, pushing up to 69.12 CFM of airflow, at a maximum static pressure of 2.01 mm H₂O, and 29.7 dBA maximum noise output. Their hydro dynamic bearings are rated for 40,000 hours. Among the CPU socket types supported by the ZALMAN CNPS14X Duo Black are Intel LGA1700, LGA1200; AMD AM5, and AM4. A sachet of ZALMAN ZM-STC8 thermal compound comes included with the cooler, which is rated for thermal conductivity of 8.3 W/mK. The company didn't reveal pricing.