Zalman CNPS11X Tower CPU Cooler Review

Looking closer at the CNPS11X

With the CNPS11X out of the box we can get a good look at it. Being triangle-shaped, the CNPS11X is different. The fan is a 120mm blue LED fan that when in Low Noise Mode spins at 1,000 to 1,450 rpm at 17 to 24 dBA, and in Performance Mode spins at 1,000 to 1,950 rpm at 17 to 33dBA.

The fan is mounted to a frame that is attached to the cooling towers at the top and bottom.

Looking from the side the heatpipes lean back, and then go up. This pulls the fan away from the RAM slots on most standard layout motherboards. Handy for those that would want to run tall RAM.

Looking from the back there is a piece of plastic running top to bottom between the towers. This helps keep the air from escaping through the gap and directs it through the cooling fins.

The top has the CNPS11X logo in chrome lettering.

Pulling the fan off we can see the fan mount. It is attached with four screws to the top and bottom covers.

Removing the covers reveals that the fans mount clips to the heatpipes. These hold pretty well, but if one should happen to break you would need to replace it to mount the fan back properly.

With the entire fan mounting system removed we can see the cooler itself.

Looking from the top we can see the fin profile is flat on the inside and slightly curved on the outside. Also, looking at it from this angle makes me think of one of the pod racers from Star Wars.

The base top of the CNPS11X is cast aluminum and attached to the cooler base with 4 screws.

The base of the CNPS11X is flat and looks to be flawless. The Black Pearl nickel finish really does look nice.