Cooling specialist Zalman has just announced the introduction of a new CPU cooler, dubbed the CNPS10X Optoma, featuring direct touch heatpipes and support for a wide range of processors from both AMD’s and Intel’s camps.

The cooler itself is designed as a pretty standard tower heatsink, with four U-shaped copper heatpipes that are destined to draw the heat away from the CPU and into a large aluminum fin array, topped by a 120mm fan.

Like most other fans used for today’s coolers, this one also is PWM controlled and its speed varies between 1000 and 1700 RPM, depending on the CPU temperature.

According to Zalman, the noise level should never go above 28dBA, while, at the minimum rotation speed supported, this generates only 17dBA of noise, in part thanks to its Shark Fin blade design.

To further improve the cooler’s performance when paired with low-speed fans, the CNPS10X Optoma sports a specially designed base featuring the DTH technology which places the four heatpipes included in direct contact with the CPU’s heatspreader.

Performance freaks should be glad to know that Zalman’s latest creation can also be fitted with a secondary 120mm in a push-pull configuration.

Outside of the 120mm fan, the CNPS10X Optoma is also shipped together with a tube of high-performance Zalman ZM-STG2M thermal grease and with the required AMD and Intel CPU mounting clips.

Speaking of the mounting clips, these are compatible with FM1, AM2/AM2+, and AM3/AM3+ AMD sockets as well as with Intel’s LGA 1155/1156, 1366 and 775 processors.

According to Zalman, pricing for the CNPS10X Optoma cooler is set at 27.50 EUR (including VAT, which translates into approximately $36 US. Availability is scheduled for the end of January, but no specific date was mentioned.

• Friday, December 23rd, 2011 • Techno • RSS 2.0