Components and Design
The Zalman CNPS9900 LED uses its entire structure to do its part in cooling and removing heat from the CPU. This heatsink uses three heatpipes that actually act as the frame for the fin arrays and fan. Instead of adding another 120mm fan to the heatsink, Zalman went the other route and added another fin array around the back of the fan.
Here’s a quick shot of the back of the heatsink. The back shows how the fan is connected to the back fin array. They used a plastic clip to attach the fan, which hopefully will work well and not become loose after extended use.
This heatsinks is made of 100 percent copper and usually what Zalman calls an “aerodynamically optimized tunnel design to maximize cooling efficiency.” I’ve never seen a dual-heatsink designed around one fan before so it should be interested how it performs during testing.
The base on this heatsink has a mirror finish and shows no signs of milling at all. This is what a heatsink base is supposed to look like.
After reviewing the heatsink from top to bottom, I have to say I’m pretty impressed with its uniqueness and creativity. It’s rare to see something completely original when it comes to heatsinks, but Zalman has cornered the market in that department with the CNPS9900 LED heatsink.
