Zalman Announces CNPS12X High-End CPU Cooler

[xstayxtruex]

Why would you put a window on your case if you didn't like looking at whats inside it? The LEDs on pretty much every Zalman cooler I've had with the fan-in design have not been anywhere near as bright or as off-putting as something like a Cooler Master or Thermaltake case fan. Those of you who don't like fans that you cant take out are too paranoid the fan will fail or have problems cleaning your components with a can of air duster. If the fan goes out, there is a warranty. If the fan gets dusty, use a can of air duster. If you don't like the LEDs, put a solid case door on your computer.

Enough ranting though, I'm surprised that they went to the DTH style of heatsink bases. It does look like it needs some smoothing out, the nickle plating probably has something to do with why it looks so rough. Personally I love the way it looks and I really look forward to some reviews and comparisons.

 

[Inceptor]

Yeah I reckon so too, if you look at the side profile picture you can see the amount of surface area availible is less than what you'd get with many other tower heatsinks.

I think their design rationale for less heatsink surface area has to do with the three fans.
If you have three fans sucking and blowing all the hot air from the fins away from the unit, you don't need a large surface area. Also, it's copper plated with nickel, not aluminum like nearly all tower heatsinks.
Copper is a better heat conductor than Aluminum.

Looks interesting, I don't think I'd buy it though.

 

[xkm1948]

Used to have a CNPS9700. Beautiful but useless. It cant even keep a stock Q6600 cool. ZALMAN's product are more for decoration use IMO.

 

[Sir B. Fannybottom]

My god is that sexy, ME WANT!

 

[Frick]

I will not kill them on sight, but I prefer no lights at all. Anywhere. A power light is enough, and maybe an HDD activity light but that is it.

 

[xstayxtruex]

Used to have a CNPS9700. Beautiful but useless. It cant even keep a stock Q6600 cool. ZALMAN's product are more for decoration use IMO.

lol Q6600 nothing less than a phase cooler could keep those temps down.

 

[D4S4]

It's okay, once it's installed you won't see the base

this:

I don't know about you guys,

But I see one of the roughest surfaces I have seen.

Yeah the CPU will probably touch at only 40-50% of the base.

But you can see a massive ripple affect and a "stamped" on affect at to the base of the CPU that doesn't look smooth at all, like ripple in a wave

i don't care how it looks aesthetically but i bet it sucks quite some at contacting the component it's supposed to cool.

 

[DanishDevil]

Looking forward to performance figures. This seems to be the first potentially worthy successor to the CNPS 9500 days.

 

[D007]

Ooh sexy. I might buy one just for a paperweight..

 

[Delta6326]

Used to have a CNPS9700. Beautiful but useless. It cant even keep a stock Q6600 cool. ZALMAN's product are more for decoration use IMO.

lol Q6600 nothing less than a phase cooler could keep those temps down.

I like looks I want one so badly.

My Xiggy does fine.
But I get what you mean.

 

[xvi]

I forsee an unfavorable review in this product's future. I hear that in some cases, the three heatpipes on my my Xiggy S1283 does better than the four heatpipes on the Xiggy S1284 simply because all three heatpipes touch the hot zones on the processor while the S1284's four heatpipes only have two smaller heatpipes that touch while the outside two do almost nothing.

I'm willing to bet that this will do rather well in synthetic benchmarks (heatplate), but worse in practice due to the lack of contact on the outside heatpipes.

Also, that looks like a terrible finish on the base. Even though the heatpipes are exposed, I'd lap it.

Edit: I agree. Zalman used to be cool (both ways), but (imo) their last good cooler was the CMPS7700cu (which I still use on my Sck754 Sempy).

 

[Swansen]

It's okay, once it's installed you won't see the base

i think he is talking about the surface condition, not the appearance. Its not smooth at all.

 

[Th3pwn3r]

I don't know about you guys,

But I see one of the roughest surfaces I have seen.

Yeah the CPU will probably touch at only 40-50% of the base.

But you can see a massive ripple affect and a "stamped" on affect at to the base of the CPU that doesn't look smooth at all, like ripple in a wave

Lol, it looks so bad it looks like I made it.

i think he is talking about the surface condition, not the appearance. Its not smooth at all.

How are you going to sell TIM if the base makes good contact?!

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

I love it! I hope we get a review!

 

[specks]

But will it beat the NH-D14 or the Silver Arrow?

agree, it would much better if it can be paired with different fan.
but it looks impossible since the hsf is round like basket ball

That is one way of making you buy another one when the fan breaks down.



Edit: Wierd. The last "pull" fan is constructed the opposite way.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

I will be getting one of these I love Zalman!

 

[LagunaX]

Sexy design.
Nice clearance for RAM.
Could have made the center fan 140mm for better dba, cfm, and fin coverage - it looks like it'd fit.

Just worry about the base though - doubt the lateral 2 DHT pipes on either side will amount to much contact with the die shrink and smaller size of cpu's nowadays - might have been better off with a lapped master plate on the bottom.

Oh well...we'll see as soon as it arrives whether it'll even meet or beat a NH-D14 or not!

 

[SaiZo]

I bet it's better than my existing fan/heatsink that was shipped with my CPU.

 

[xstayxtruex]

Sexy design.
Nice clearance for RAM.
Could have made the center fan 140mm for better dba, cfm, and fin coverage - it looks like it'd fit.

Just worry about the base though - doubt the lateral 2 DHT pipes on either side will amount to much contact with the die shrink and smaller size of cpu's nowadays - might have been better off with a lapped master plate on the bottom.

Oh well...we'll see as soon as it arrives whether it'll even meet or beat a NH-D14 or not!

If anything the pipes outside of the direct die area will just pick up the heat transfer from the other pipes. Even if they don't touch it at all, what could it hurt? lol.

 

[LagunaX]

Only 1 limited review so far:

Temperatures: Phenom II X6 1100T - OC 4GHz
[C]
Noctua NH C-14 - rest 32
Zalman CNPS12X - rest 32
Zalman CNPS12X - AOD 49
Noctua NH C-14 - AOD 50
Zalman CNPS12X - IBT 55
Noctua NH C-14 - 56 IBT

http://www.benchmark.pl/testy_i_recenzje/Test_Zalman_CNPS12X_-_chlodzenie_procesora_na_3_wentyle-4145/strona/15695.html

 

[btarunr]

But will it beat the NH-D14 or the Silver Arrow?




That is one way of making you buy another one when the fan breaks down.



Edit: Wierd. The last "pull" fan is constructed the opposite way.

http://www.zalman.com/DataFile/product/CNPS12X_b_01.jpg

That's because they didn't want the fixed end of the motor to show outside, but the head of the impeller.

But don't worry, the DC polarity is reversed on that fan, so it blows outward.

 

[pantherx12]

i think he is talking about the surface condition, not the appearance. Its not smooth at all.

I know, but people don't buy zalman coolers for performance eh?

It's like buying one of those weird tower heatsinks with the blower cooler in them ( think spire make them) and wanted good performance from them lol

 

[LagunaX]

Zalman USA says available end of October.

 

[ChaoticAtmosphere]

Very nice looking cooler. But I'm surprised at that base surface. The it's CPNS successors always had a nice lapped mirror finish. Why change now? Hopefully that will change by the time they release it.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Zalman USA says available end of October.

I'm looking forward to this one.