Zalman has come a long way with the preparations for the launch of Core i5 where the new LGA1156 platform will create a new market for cooling manufacturers. Zalman CNPS X10 Extreme isn’t news but it is the first LGA1156 compatible cooler. This was a pretty extreme cooler costing more than $60. Pictures of the smaller sibling has been supplied, pictures of the more held back Zalman CNPS X10 Quiet.
As you might have suspected it is not about squeezing the very last Megahertz from the processor but creating a pleasant atmosphere.
Zalman CNPS X10 Quiet has a design similar to the Extreme model but weighs nearly 200g less (750g), since Zalman has used smaller heatsinks with less fins. Five copper heatpipes transfer the heat from the base to the aluminum heatsink and the cooler ships with Zalman’s own ZM-STG2 cooling paste.
The fan measures 120mm and is of course speed regulated with max noise level of 26dBA.
The cooler supports all current processor platforms including Intel’s LGA1156 socket and the price is set to around $50. Availability uncertain.
