CNPS10X Extreme: Zalman's Extreme Makeover

The CNPS10X has the appearance of typical high performance tower cooler with 10 heatpipes (5 in U-shaped loops with 10 lengths moving the heatup through the fins) and a 120mm blue LED PWM fan. The fan is mounted with four screws which simply wedge in-between the fins.

The cooler has 56 fins, approximately 0.42mm thick and spaced only 1.5mm apart on average. The fins in the center extend out slightly more than the adjacent sections.

A plastic cover with a built-in fan controller sits at the top. The button pictured at the center toggles between 3 different speeds (denoted by 3 different LED colors) and manual mode. The dial on the left controls the fan speed in manual mode. The controller can be removed and with the included extension cable, can be placed outside the case for easier access.

The heatpipes are staggered like Thermalright's HR and Ultra series to increase their exposure to airflow. The entire heatsink is nickel-plated, giving it a shiny, futuristic aesthetic.

The base is typically Zalman: Very flat with a mirror polish.