Introduction

Zalman is a company that has been a part of the PC-cooling market for a long time. In fact, considering they were founded in 1999, you could say they are of the old guard, having formed back when PC gaming first really began to kick off with NVIDIA's release of the GeForce 256. Since then, Zalman has expanded into multiple markets and categories, including not just coolers and fans but also cases, power supplies, all-in-one liquid coolers, keyboards, and much more. Even so, they are perhaps best known for their CNPS 9500, 9700, and 9900 CPU coolers, which really served to catapult them into the limelight.


In today's review, I look at Zalman's CNPS20X, or CNPS 20X? Or maybe CNPS 20x? Depending on where you look, it seems to vary, but what doesn't change is the fact that this cooler is a behemoth dual-tower heatsink that looks to lay the smackdown on Noctua's long-reigning NH-D15. Sporting two ARGB 140 mm fans, six Ø6 mm heat pipes, and the unique fin design, it certainly looks the part considering its 300-watt TDP. Zalman has really laid it on thick in the technology and marketing department as the cooler features 4D Stereoscopic corrugated cooling fins and a RDTH "Reverse Direct Touch Heat" pipes cold plate. Honestly, the marketing here is a bit much, but it's nothing new, either. Standing out and trying to grab a consumer's attention is difficult enough in a crowded market, and well, it's no surprise Zalman pushed the envelope. However, here at TechPowerUp, performance is what matters, so let us take a closer look at what this cooler really has to offer.