Zalman CNPS9900-MAX Blue Review | bit-tech.net
Written by
Antony Leather
March 14, 2011 | 11:29
Tags: #best #cold #cooler #coolest #cpu-cooler #fan #fin #heat #heatpipe #noise #overclocking #quietest #rpm #sandy-bridge #temperature
Companies: #zalman
1 — Zalman CNPS9900-MAX Blue Review2 — CNPS9900-MAX Blue Cooling Performance3 — CNPS9900-MAX Blue Performance and Conclusion
Manufacturer:Zalman
UK Price (as reviewed): £42.47 (inc VAT)
US Price (as reviewed):$74.99 (ex tax)
The last Zalman cooler we saw here on bit-tech, the Zalman CNPS10X Flex, was expensive, noisy and only offered average cooling. This was disappointing, as Zalman has been a big name in cooling for a long time now. We were therefore hoping that the CNPS9900-MAX Blue would signal a return to form for the company.
Those familiar with Zalman’s futuristic flower-style coolers will most likely feel a pang of nostalgia while gazing at the CNPS9900-MAX Blue – its circular heatsink arrays were very popular but have been shunned in recent years, as they’ve usually proved to be less efficient than today’s standard stacks of fins.
Click to enlarge
The CNPS9900-MAX Blue has three 6mm heatpipes; these start and finish in a contact plate at its base, and transfer heat to the ornate heatsink fins on their way. A single PWM-controlled 135mm fan (which isn’t covered by a shroud) is also located between the fins.
Meanwhile, a fan-speed-reduction cable is provided in the box, which can be placed between the fan’s power connector and any PWM-compatible fan header to reduce its speed significantly. The fan is also illuminated, and although the light can’t be turned off, the blue glow is only subtle so we didn’t find it intrusive.
Click to enlarge
Installing the CNPS9900-MAX Blue was fiddly to say the least, which was mainly due to the excessive number of parts compared with other coolers we’ve tested. However, we couldn’t fault its strong, secure grip to the CPU once we’d mounted it. You get plenty of thermal paste in the box too, so you should be able to install it several times without having to buy more.
Specifications
- Compatibility Intel: LGA775, LGA1156, LGA1366. AMD: Socket AM2, AM2+, AM3
- Weight 755g
- Size (mm) 131 x 94 x 152 (W x D x H)
- Fan 1x 135mm, PWM control, 900 -1,700rpm
- Stated Noise 18dBA — 30dBA
1 — Zalman CNPS9900-MAX Blue Review2 — CNPS9900-MAX Blue Cooling Performance3 — CNPS9900-MAX Blue Performance and Conclusion
Zalman’s CNPS9900 Max heatsink may look a lot like the CNPS9900 LED model Like most Zalman The CNPS9900 Max heatsink has a total heat dissipation surface area on the order of 5402cm2, stands 150mm tall and weighs 755 grams. The real
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The CNPS9900 Max is built with better heat conducting ‘composite heatpipes,’ a more robust mounting system, a larger copper base plate that is machined flat and a 130mm diameter fan. The face lift and design revisions aren’t cosmetic, the CNPS9900 Max heatsink performs much better than its forerunner and offers very good low noise cooling too.
There are
a couple other aspects of the Zalman CNPS9900
Max heatsink that make it stand out from the crowd.
One obvious aspect is the
heatsink’s split cooling fins, each of which is joined to the base by only the 6mm
diameter copper heatpipes. In front of the 130mm fan is a 27mm wide fin section
wrapped around one single 6mm diameter heatpipe.
Behind the 130mm fan, the second copper fin section is wrapped around
two 6mm diameter heatpipes and measures 34mm wide. The choice of an asymmetrical (ie. one side
is larger than the other) fin design is unique.
A plastic packing bracket keeps the two halves of the
heatsink firmly separated during shipping, but a word of caution. The heatsink isn’t
fragile by any means, but if you drop it while installing in your PC there is a good chance the
heatpipes will bend inward. Same goes if you handle the two halves of
the CNPS9900 Max from the outside flat faces and grip too tightly. We recommend holding
the heatsink by both round edges for the least likelyhood of heatpipe bending.
Heatsink Mounting Hardware
Zalman’s CNPS9900 Max heatsink can be installed on socket 775/1155/1156/1366 Intel processors and the full
range of socket AM2/AM2+/AM3 AMD processors.
Installation is pretty straightforward,
although you will need to gain access to the rear of the motherboard
to insert the special metal support plate and associated screw hardware.
Separate
upper brackets for both Intel and AMD platforms are supplied. These brackets
clip into the space between the copper base plate and aluminum base cap after
four screws are loosened slightly.
Small barbs hold the brackets in the proper position while the user is tightening the screws
back up. This new heatsink mounting system isn’t quite as elegant
as Zalman’s mostly tool-free solutions from years past, but it does firmly hold the 755gram heatsink
in place with all metal-to-metal fasteners.
FrostyTech’s Test Methodologies are outlined in detail
here if you care to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let’s move
forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics,
and of course its performance in the thermal tests!
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Review and testing of CPU cooler ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX GECID.com. Page 1
::>Cooling systems
>2012
> ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX
23-11-2012
Page 1
Page 2
One page
Not so long ago, our site published an article about a new, improved and corrected model of a processor cooler from a well-known computer enthusiast company ZALMAN — ZALMAN CNPS10X Quiet.
Today we will continue to tell about new developments and progress of Korean engineers on the example of the new «TOP» model of the CPU cooler ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX.
This model is a further development of the well-known ZALMAN CNPS9900 LED cooler, which we had the honor to test in our test lab. Let’s try to understand what is hidden behind the mysterious ending MAX in the name of the improved cooler. Let’s start with packaging and delivery set.
The ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX is supplied in a cardboard box familiar to ZALMAN CPU coolers with a plastic window in the middle. It allows, although not completely, but, nevertheless, to consider the cooling system without removing it from the package. In addition to the model name, the front side of the box notifies us of the presence of a 135mm blue LED fan.
Let’s note right away that the ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX cooler exists in two variations: with blue and red LED fan illumination, so modders and users with transparent panels on the case can choose the most suitable option for them. We also got a copy with a blue backlight.
The main features of this model are described on the back of the box.
The manufacturer refers to them:
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high thermal power dissipation — due to the special design of the heat pipes and radiator, the cooler is able to effectively dissipate up to 300 W of heat;
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quiet fan with 135mm impeller and blue LED light;
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support PWM fan speed control method and limiting resistor;
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Nickel plating of copper parts in a dark «Black Pearl» style — gives an original appearance and protects the cooler from oxidation;
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thermal paste ZALMAN STG-2 included;
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universal mount.
We will, of course, consider all these features in the current review. However, now let’s look at the side of the package, as the manufacturer notes a very interesting fact there.
One of the main advantages of ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX is the use of composite heat pipes. Their essence is very simple — the combination of two previously used methods for creating heat pipes in one.
This is clearly shown in the figure below.
The first type of heat pipes has relatively large radial incisions on the inner diameter of the copper pipe. The advantage of this approach is the high rate of heat transfer along the tube due to the high velocity of liquid vapor and their interaction with the inner surface of the tube, which looks like a small radiator. However, there is also a drawback — through relatively large notches, the capillary effect of fluid movement is poorly manifested and the working fluid relatively slowly returns to its original position. As a result of design features, the efficiency of heat pipes of this type is highly sensitive to the shape of the pipes themselves and their orientation in space.
The second type of heat pipes has completely opposite characteristics. Instead of large notches inside the tube, “foaming” of the metal is used — the application of a thin layer of a ceramic-metal coating that forms many micropores. That is, the inner surface of the copper tube looks like a pumice stone or washcloth with very small holes.
The abundance of micropores makes it possible to manifest the effect of capillary movement of a liquid with practically any form of heat pipes and their orientation in space. However, as you may have guessed, the cermet layer impairs the longitudinal heat transfer in the heat pipe.
ZALMAN decided to combine both types of heat pipes in one and, according to its assurances, the efficiency of such a composite heat pipe has increased by 1.5 times. Well, testing will show if the new technology helped the ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX cooler achieve good cooling performance. And we continue the review and now it’s time to look at the full specification of the cooler.
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Model |
ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX |
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Support for processor sockets |
AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/ |
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Heat pipes |
Three ring-shaped composite tubes with a diameter of 6 mm. |
|
Radiator material |
All copper, Black Pearl nickel plating. |
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Cooler dimensions, mm |
94 x 131 x 152 |
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Radiator thermal resistance, 0 C/W |
0.072 |
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Heat dissipation area, cm 2 |
5402 |
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Thermal interface |
ZALMAN STG-2 thermal compound, 3.5 g tube. |
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Fan supply voltage, V |
12 |
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Fan speed (with additional resistor), rpm |
900 — 1700 (900 — 1500) |
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Air, CFM (m 3 /h) |
N.d. |
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Noise level (with additional resistor), dB |
18 – 30 (18 – 27) |
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Bearing type |
rolling |
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Power connector type |
4-pin |
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Fan impeller diameter, mm |
135 |
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MTBF, h |
N. |
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Weight, g |
755 |
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Manufacturer website |
http://zalman.ru/ |
d. Unfortunately, the official specifications of the cooler do not give us an idea about such important parameters as fan airflow or bearing MTBF. But the manufacturer gives other important characteristics that are often not advertised. These are the heat dissipation area and the thermal resistance of the heatsink. By the way, both of these indicators are at a very good level, especially considering the dimensions of the cooler.
with ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX cooler comes with the following set of accessories:
- universal thrust plate;
- thermal grease ZALMAN STG-2;
- additional resistor to reduce fan speed;
- knurled screwdriver;
- 4x golden screws for Intel Socket LGA1366 platform;
- 4x silver screws for Intel Socket LGA1156/LGA775 platforms and AMD platforms;
- 4x plastic bushing sleeves;
- 4x bushings;
- insert block for stop plate;
- two sets of metal brackets — for Intel platforms and AMD platforms;
- body sticker;
- double sided tape.
Honestly, the delivery set is very pleased. There is everything for successful installation of the cooler on all modern platforms, even a special notched screwdriver so that you can easily tighten the screws at an angle. The presence of an additional resistor will allow you to limit the maximum fan speed to 1500 rpm. It is also nice to see that the manufacturer supplies branded thermal grease in a syringe tube — it can be used repeatedly and not only for a CPU cooler, since the volume of the tube is 3.5 g.
The cooler itself is carefully packed in a plastic casing and securely fixed — damage during transportation is practically excluded.
The heatsink of the ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX cooler is structurally the same as those of the ZALMAN CNPS9900 LED or ZALMAN CNPS9900 NT models. It is built on the basis of three ring-like heat pipes connected at both ends to the base. One heat pipe forms the first (front) section of the radiator, and the other two form the second (rear).
A fan is inserted between the sections. This is where the first difference between ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX and its predecessors appears. If the previous models had a fan with an impeller diameter of 120 mm, then in the tested specimen the impeller diameter increased to 135 mm. Apparently, for this reason, the manufacturer abandoned the plastic casing that directs the air flow, as was the case with the ZALMAN CNPS9900 LED, because otherwise it would have been necessary to slightly alter the design of the radiator and increase the overall dimensions of the product.
The model of the applied fan is ZP13525BLM, however, this name did not help us shed light on its characteristics, other than those indicated in the specification. It can only be noted that the fan is equipped with a 4-pin power connector, and, therefore, supports the PWM method of speed control.
Traditionally, we will continue to inspect the cooler and move on to the base. It consists of two plates, between which heat pipes are clamped.
Special grooves are made in the lower part of the base (top in the photo) to increase the contact area of the heat pipes with it.
The surface in contact with the processor is perfectly flat and smooth to the touch. It is polished almost to a mirror finish. It should be noted that the quality of base processing at ZALMAN has always been at a very high level. This CPU cooler is no exception. Pay attention to the four screws at the corners of the base — by unscrewing them, you can remove the insert with the fan.
Together with the top base plate, we take out the fan. We will not see anything supernatural here, however, we needed such a maneuver in order to take a closer look at the structure of the bottom plate.
As you can see, the heat pipes are tightly packed in the grooves, and their contact is improved by solder. We have already mentioned that two heat pipes form the back section of the radiator (pictured left), and one — the front (pictured right).
Each of the heat pipes starts and ends at a base, which is why we see six ends. The overall build quality is top notch — no backlashes or gaps. Also, in order to avoid corrosion, the base and heat pipes are covered with a layer of nickel.
The heatpipes are stamped with copper fins, also plated with nickel. The contact between them is also improved by solder, which should have a positive effect on the overall efficiency of the cooler.
Installation
The ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX installation process is a bit confusing, but not particularly difficult. To begin with, we need to insert the required set of metal brackets into the special grooves on the base, depending on the platform used.
Next, use double-sided adhesive tape (supplied) to stick the insert into the stop plate. This move is not entirely clear to us. Apparently, the manufacturer has put a certain margin into the mounting design for the future and will be able to expand its functionality by replacing plug-in blocks.
The bushings must then be installed. Again, depending on your platform, you use different footprints. For AMD platforms, this is one seat, and for Intel platforms, three.
A plastic cap will help you select the desired hole and fix the sleeve.
Further, everything is simple. On the reverse side of the motherboard, we install the thrust plate …
… and on the front side we tighten the screws into the bushings. Here you will need a complete screwdriver with notches — it will allow you to tighten the screw at a certain angle.
The ZALMAN CNPS9900 MAX cooler does not protrude beyond the top edge of the motherboard, so there should be no conflicts with the power supply in the vast majority of systems. And, of course, blue backlighting — it looks very stylish, so owners of cases with a transparent side panel will be very pleased. Recall that there is a version of this cooler with a red backlight. Let’s move on to the tests.
Testing
Cooler Zalman CNPS9900 LED
For more than 7 years, products of the Korean company Zalman Tech have been present on the Russian market — absolutely all computer enthusiasts have come into contact with this name, which has become a household name and elevated almost to the rank of a religious cult. Fortunately, unlike some other iconic brands in the IT industry, the veneration of Zalman today is perceived as a completely justified phenomenon, because even among the recognized “bison” of cooler building there is still not a single player who can boast the same capacious luggage of bold and original solutions. Take, for example, the very first series of Zalman coolers — CNPS2000 and CNPS3000, which, in fact, were the pioneers of the premium class in the sector of computer cooling systems and then, at the turn of the 21st century (2000-2001), made a splash, offering the consumer a whole range of unique technical qualities. Many enthusiasts also liked the famous CNPS7000 model series, whose descendants live to this day, not only in authentic modifications (for example, CNPS7500), but also in the form of various kinds of “imitations” that flooded the market with the light hand of ingenious Chinese manufacturers. Again, the VF700 and VF9 video coolers left an indelible (and very positive) imprint on the “general portrait” of cooling systems.00 — being truly avant-garde products for their time, even by today’s standards they retain an enviable good spirits, acting on a par with much «younger» rivals.
Naturally, moving at such a pace, trying to stay on the cutting edge of technological progress with a sensitive perception of current market trends, is hard and sometimes thankless work. Especially when it comes to modern realities, which do not really favor innovative activities aimed at demanding customers. But, despite the global troubles and fierce competitive pressure, Zalman specialists do not give up their former enthusiasm in storerooms — the brand continues to develop in several directions at once, actively cultivating new products both in the traditional segment (cooling systems, cases, power supplies) and in the field of newfangled «chips» (3D monitors, game controllers). That is, figuratively speaking, they still have plenty of gunpowder in their flasks!
Meanwhile, our optimism is stimulated not only by Zalman’s strong position on the world stage, but also by a very specific «device» called CNPS9900 LED — the successor to the very interesting CNPS9500 LED and CNPS9700 LED coolers. It is precisely this “fellow” that we are taking into test circulation today, having previously recorded the traditional terms of reference, which includes the study of the constructive and functional qualities of the experimental subject with a thorough check of its purely practical effectiveness. So let’s get started!
Complete set
The starting point of the review is the complete set an important thing both from a technical and consumer point of view.
As befits a high-end product, the CNPS9900 LED comes in a neat package with a clear description of the internal contents, a listing of technical specifications and colorful photographs. The cooler itself, dressed in a plastic blister, is also clearly visible.
After opening the package, we find a set of multi-platform fasteners (including installation tools for Intel LGA1366), proprietary ZM-STG1 thermal grease (a bottle with a brush applicator) and a quick technical guide.
In other words, we get a quite traditional kit — no frills, but with all the components necessary for the normal operation of the cooler. Not bad for a start!
Design features
Let’s turn to the hero of the occasion — CNPS9900 LED. In ideological construction, it really adopts a lot from its predecessors — this is a radial «fan» of finning plates (a technique familiar to us from the products of the CNPS9500/9700 series), and an almost identical heat sink with dimensions of 55x40x5 mm, and an intricate configuration of heat transport (a group of three heat pipes, which are virtually transformed into 6 tubes, forming 6 sections of thermal contact with the heat sink).
However, under a closer look, the CNPS9900 LED design reveals a number of modifications aimed at enhancing the functional characteristics of the cooler. First of all, cardinal changes can be traced in the structure of the fins: instead of a single “working body” characteristic of the progenitors, we have two independent sections with dense placement of plates (134 pieces in each section, thickness 0.2 mm, pitch 1 mm on the inner radius and 2, 5 mm along the outer contour, the effective dimensions of the plates are 35 × 25 mm for the “front” section, and 40 × 35 mm for the “rear” section, the total heat exchange surface area is about 5500 cm²).
An absolutely fair addition to this «sandwich» is an «interface» fan (an impeller with a standard size of 120x120x25 mm), placed not at the end of the fins, as usual, but in the center between the sections. Such a disposition contributes to a good coordination of all components in the air path we get a pronounced flow both in the section at the “output” and in the section at the “inlet” of the impeller, ensuring acceptable heat transfer coefficients.
The formatting of the heat pipes is not without cunning. Their main “duet” is brought to the rear section of the fins, behind the fan in the direction of flow — that is, exactly where the strongest blowing of the interfin channels is created, which is accompanied by a natural increase in the intensity of heat transfer. Moreover, the heat-removing elements of the tube closest to the fan (which is under maximum airflow) are placed directly in the center of the sole, with an obvious focus on effective unloading of the hottest parts of the processor cover. The third tube is connected «in front» of the fan — there the conditions for heat exchange are somewhat different, there are more stringent requirements for hydraulic resistance in the front section, so the plates are slightly truncated in size and are «served» by only one tube (piling up additional tubes in this fragment of finning has no practical meaning).
The on-board fan itself (marked ZD1225BTR) is also quite remarkable. It features an aggressive aerodynamic configuration — we find an almost straight blade (without a pronounced crescent) and cocky angles of attack (55° at the hub and 40° at the outer edge). By the way, the general parametric complex ZD1225BTR clearly signals the “sharpening” of the impeller for the imperative of static pressure, which seems to be a reasonable and expedient measure within the framework of CNPS9900: dense sections of fins need enhanced blowing, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to cope with this task without pumping pressure. The electromechanical equipment also looks worthy here — the fan has a double rolling bearing of quite good quality and boasts a neat control circuit that dampens side electro-acoustic overtones (the so-called “motor crackle” in the voice of CNPS9900 is not heard).
When it comes to technical quality, one more important detail cannot be overlooked — the thermal contact of the structural elements of the radiator. As in the case of parental coolers, our test subject approaches this issue with all responsibility, trying to observe the rules of good manners as correctly as possible — both in the “heat sink-tube” joints and in the “tube-fin” interfaces, the CNPS9900 demonstrates accurate soldering ( moreover, with particular diligence, the soldering was performed just in the most capricious places — the contacts of the fins and tubes, where the radiator exposes a thin and uniform layer of solder). So the productive interaction of the heat sink, tubes and fins is 100% guaranteed here, and we have every reason to expect from CNPS9900 is exactly the kind of performance that befits its high-end status.
So, we have dealt with the individual design features of today’s test object. It is time to turn to the next point of the study operational ergonomics.
Operating properties
As we have repeatedly noted in our reviews of avant-garde cooling systems, the «Achilles’ heel» of almost any modern high-end cooler is labor-intensive fasteners. Alas, CNPS9The 900 also largely corresponds to this paradigm — in fact, its mounting system, with all the efforts of the developers, is not distinguished by true friendliness and convenience.
So, for installation on the Intel LGA775 platform, it will be necessary to remove the motherboard from the case, then you will need to fix the auxiliary mounting frame with four screws, attaching the complete arch support to the back of the socket, and only then will the specialized a mounting plate with spring-loaded screw fasteners, which is responsible for fitting the radiator into the socket. Moreover, these screw fasteners interact with the auxiliary frame, and not with the arch support — in other words, there is still an “intermediary” in the configuration that complicates installation procedures.
A similar situation is observed on the Intel LGA1366 platform (with the only difference that the auxiliary frame is fixed there without an instep support by means of screws seasoned with plastic washers).
And although the complete fastener oriented to the AMD platform is a much more ergonomic solution in terms of design (for these purposes, the CNPS9900 provides a traditional two-pin clip — with mounting directly in the AM2 socket frame itself), its purely practical applicability again does not look too optimistic. Here, the main object of criticism is the weight parameter — if in the «portrait» of CNPS9 coolers500 (weight about 540 g) the screwdriverless clip was in its place, then with the weighted heatsink CNPS9900 (which weighs almost 800 g) it is hardly possible to achieve truly harmonious load matching. This means that gaps cannot be ruled out both in the density of the clamp and in the reliability of this fastening system.
Meanwhile, in terms of other operational aspects, today’s test subject is already acting quite smoothly and skillfully — he takes a kind of revenge, rehabilitating himself in our eyes. First of all, the regular thermal paste ZM-STG1 deserves special attention, which is distinguished by a verified composition of the filler and demonstrates high-end thermophysical properties (running a little ahead, we note that, according to the results of additional verification tests, this paste in terms of thermal performance is almost as good as our new reference thermal interface — Noctua NT-h2).
The CNPS9900 should also include PWM fan speed control — given the ubiquity of four-pin controlled connectors, now this is no longer a whim or a special «feature», but a real norm of life. As usual, the speed control range here is quite wide (the impeller rotation speed varies from 600 to 2000 rpm) — accordingly, under conditions of low or medium thermal load on the processor, the on-board fan is able to guarantee almost silent operation of the cooler while maintaining optimal thermal conditions. And those categories of citizens who pay close attention not only to the technical, but also to the modding components of cooling systems, will surely like the local illumination — bright blue LEDs, carefully stocked up by the cheerful guys from Zalman.
On this purely optimistic note, we bring the final line to the descriptive part of today’s review. It’s time to turn to the test results!
Test results
To understand the issue, we strongly recommend that you refer to our new testing methodology for premium cooling systems before viewing the results list.
First, let’s see how the CNPS9900 realizes itself in the most silent operating mode (conditionally silent domain), putting forward several competitors of a related class for comparison.
Diagram 1. Temperature indicators (processor core temperature, conditionally silent domain)
Diagram 2. Thermal resistance (conditionally silent domain)
Alas, the functionality of our test subject in this mode is more disappointing than encouraging lagging behind the leading coolers Noctua NH-U12P and Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme, with performance at the level of far from the most avant-garde and, in fact, highly specialized rivals (Thermaltake DuOrb). Apparently, a “duet” of an on-board fan and a two-section CNPS9 radiator900 turns out to be unbalanced at minimum speed, which leads to the actual «turning off» of the heat exchange of the front section of the fins and creates a shortage of blowing in the rear section. A negative result, as we see, is not long in coming.
Let’s look at the balance of power in the low-noise domain, where, in addition to high-end products, several mid-range coolers have been added as favorite rivals — Cooler Master Hyper TX2, GlacialTech Igloo 5750 PWM and Scythe Mine Rev. b.
Diagram 3. Temperature indicators (processor core temperature, low noise domain)
Diagram 4. Thermal resistance (low noise domain)
representative, by high-end standards, the company, where not only «classmates» are noted (Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B, Thermaltake MaxOrb EX), but also strong «middle peasants» (GlacialTech Igloo 5750 PWM, Scythe Mine Rev. B). That is, the real efficiency of the interaction between the fins and the fan at low noise speeds is an obvious omission of our test subject. And it is possible that a fan with a sparing aerodynamic design in such conditions could be more productive, showing a better combination of performance and noise characteristics.
Let’s take a look at the values registered in the ergonomic domain (noise benchmark 31-32 dBA).
Diagram 5. Temperature indicators (processor core temperature, ergonomic domain)
Diagram 6. Thermal resistance (ergonomic domain) and already demonstrates truly high-end performance, closely approaching the performance of today’s race leaders — ASUS Lion Square, Noctua NH-U12P and Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme. As you can see, it is this mode that is the most optimal in the functional portrait of CNPS9900, which is also confirmed by a quite respectful disposition in the final rating, compiled according to the values of the efficiency-to-noise ratio. However, some emotional sediment still remains, because the CNPS9900 constructive has thermal potential, which, in theory, does not mean limiting effective performance to only ergonomic noise mode. So, Zalman specialists still have something to think about here!
At the end of this section, we present comparative diagrams of temperature indicators and thermal resistance for standard / reference configurations of today’s test participants (maximum speed of on-board fans), a diagram of temperature indicators of near-socket inductive elements (low noise domain), as well as a rating compiled by the values of the ratio efficiency — noise (low noise and ergonomic domain).
Chart 7. Temperature readings (processor core temperature, standard/reference modes)
Chart 8. Thermal resistance (standard/reference modes)
Diagram 10. Efficiency/noise ratio rating
Conclusions suitable for all current platforms (Intel LGA1366, LGA775 and AMD Socket AM2), but on the other hand, it turns out to be unable to show true high-end performance in the most noise-free operating modes.
Essentially, CNPS9900 LED is still a fashion product, which is more focused on Zalman fans who value quality and comfort than on overclocker enthusiasts who squeeze extra degrees and count every cent. Nevertheless, even with the traditionally overpriced price tag ($80-$90 in retail is a clear overkill, in our opinion), it can be safely taken into account when choosing ergonomic cooling for the top quad-core processors of the Intel LGA1366 and LGA775 platform.
So, according to the results of today’s inspection, for original developments in the design of the radiator cooler Zalman CNPS9900 LED wins the Original Design award.
It remains to wish Zalman Tech new success in updating and improving high-end coolers, bred, if possible, on the field of truly avant-garde and revolutionary ideas, when they were the «general line» of the brand — there are definitely all the prerequisites for this ! And we will continue to follow the developments on the front of top-end cooling systems.