Zalman CNPS20X ARGB

Monster by Zalman

To the Computex 2019 exhibition, Zalman, unexpectedly for many, brought a potentially flagship processor cooler, which not only showed off on the stands, but was already ready for mass production. The Zalman CNPS20X is a monster with two separate heatsinks that weighs almost 1.5 kilograms in the base configuration with a single fan and is capable of handling 300W of heat dissipation. If for some reason this is not enough, then the case provides for the possibility of installing a second turntable, which will raise the allowable TDP to 350 watts.

4D heatsink with six heatpipes and increased airflow area

The CNPS20X has a rather interesting design: six heat pipes pass through a massive heatsink with copper inserts, the heatsink fins create an unusual “4D” design, which, according to Zalman, increases the area for blowing and dissipating hot air. Spider brand spinners with a double impeller do not exceed 1500 rpm, so the noise level promises not to go beyond 29 dB.

Great but not perfect cooler for a powerful gaming system

Despite the fact that Zalman has lost its former positions in recent years, it turned out to be a really powerful, efficient and quiet cooler, which is rightfully in demand when assembling powerful gaming systems. During the tests, we did not like only two nuances. CNPS20X turned out to be really big, so when laying out the system, you will have to tinker with the calculation of the dimensions of all components. This is especially true of RAM, the bars will not rise above the usual. And the implementation of RGB backlighting is strange: it is hard to see it on a narrow fan frame, and for full backlight synchronization, you need either a motherboard with A-RGB connectors or an additional Zalman Z-Sync controller.