Hi everyone, Phil from Tech for Techs here. Today, we're going to be looking at this product from Zalman. It’s the CNPS10X Performa Black air cooler for your CPU. It has a recommended retail price of around 38 pounds, and we’ve got links in the description just below.
As you can see, we’ve got the box here. You can see the cooler on the box, but it doesn’t stand out much because it’s a black cooler on a black background. Still, you can pretty much tell what it is—you can see the fan, the cooler, and some clips, which are all black except for the silver clips. It would be nice if those clips were black to match the rest of the cooler. The model number is clearly marked, indicating that it's a Performa Black. "Performa" usually means it's a performance model, and "Black" obviously refers to its color. It also mentions socket compatibility, supporting Intel sockets such as 2066, 2011, and AMD’s AM4 socket.
On one side of the box, you’ll find some additional information. It highlights features like the turbine black fan, serious black fins, and direct-touch heat pipes at the base, where four pipes make direct contact with the CPU. The back of the box includes specifications and compatibility details, again listing the supported Intel and AMD sockets. It also covers dimensions, materials, weight, and other technical details, such as the power consumption of 2.4 watts and the fan's PWM control.
Inside the box, you’ll find the cooler encased in plastic, which I think could have been replaced with something more environmentally friendly, like cardboard. The cooler is accompanied by a manual with multilingual instructions and diagrams that should make installation straightforward. You’ll also find the backplate, which is compatible with both Intel and AMD sockets, and a packet of thermal paste. Additionally, there are various clips, screws, and brackets necessary for installation. Typically, when mounting the cooler, you'll need to remove the fan and then reattach it after securing the cooler to the motherboard.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the cooler itself. The base is aluminum with four copper heat pipes. There’s no thermal paste pre-applied, but a packet is provided for you to apply yourself. The base is smooth but has grooves between the heat pipes and the aluminum, which some might see as a plus or a minus. These heat pipes directly touch the CPU, and though it might seem like there are eight pipes, it’s actually just four arranged in a U-shape.
When mounting the cooler, you’ll need to remove the fan. Speaking of the fan, while the cooler is entirely black, the clips that hold the fan are silver. Given that it’s marketed as a "Performa Black," I would have preferred these clips to be black as well. The fan itself has nine blades with a sweeping design, which should make it efficient and quiet. However, note that the black finish picks up fingerprints easily.
The cooler has a sleek design with the Zalman logo on top, but the silver clips stand out against the all-black design. The fan measures 135 millimeters and fits snugly within the heatsink. However, there’s a gap at the top and bottom, which means not all the air will pass through the fins—some will escape. A plastic shroud could have helped direct the airflow more efficiently.
During testing, we used the same machine and settings for consistency. We set the fan speed at 50% and 100% to gauge performance under different conditions. At idle, the CPU temperature was 25°C at 50% fan speed, which is slightly higher than other coolers we’ve tested. Under full load with the fan at 50%, the temperature reached 63°C, placing it in the middle of the pack. With the fan at 100%, the temperature dropped to 61°C—not a huge improvement, but decent.
For overclocking, we pushed the CPU to 5.1 GHz. While some coolers failed or thermal throttled, the Zalman completed the test, though it ran hotter than others. Despite this, it’s a good cooler for its price, especially for everyday use with an i7 processor or lower.
When testing noise levels, the cooler performed exceptionally well. At 50% fan speed, it measured 48 decibels, making it one of the quietest coolers we’ve tested. Even at 100% speed, it only reached 55 decibels, maintaining its status as the quietest cooler.
Overall, the Zalman CNPS10X Performa Black is a quiet and efficient cooler that performs well for its price. It’s ideal for general use and moderate overclocking. My only complaint is the silver clips, which I feel should have been black to match the rest of the cooler. Other than that, I highly recommend this product.
