Roundup: Six Sub-$40 Performance CPU Coolers Compared

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Remember when overclocking was all about getting more performance for less money? It's hard to do that when you're spending top dollar on premium heatsinks and fans. Today we round up six true value-oriented coolers that could help unleash hidden speed.

Zalman CNPS10X Performa

Zalman is better-known for quality than value, yet the firm surprised us by providing its high-end Performa cooler with a moderate $35 Web price.

Zalman’s finely-finished copper base connects five heat pipes to a uniquely-designed sink. Screws at the edge of the base clamp mounting brackets in place.

The CNPS10X Performa includes two sets of AMD hardware, in addition to a universal socket support plate and LGA 1156/1366/775 brackets. Four clips support up to two fans, and an optional resistor wire for the included fan reduces its speed and noise.

After attaching the proper brackets to the heat sink and nuts to the support plate, the CNPS10X simply bolts in place. The same procedure is used for bolt-through brackets on both Intel and AMD motherboards.

Bolt-through installation allows the proper cross flow orientation on AMD motherboards. Users with oddball bracket orientation or those who really want an updraft configuration can achieve the desired result using an included retaining clip, rather than bolt-on brackets.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
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84 Comments Comment from the forums
  • amk09
    i wished you included a cooler such as the coolermaster hyper 212, that seems to be a highly recommended cooler and it would have been nice to see how it squared up against these ones.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    amk09i wished you included a cooler such as the coolermaster hyper 212, that seems to be a highly recommended cooler and it would have been nice to see how it squared up against these ones.We did:
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lga-1156-heatsink,2535-4.html
    That's why the same system was used for both tests. It's all mentioned in the article, too.
    Reply
  • Twoboxer
    Its incomprehensible that the Hyper 212 was left out of this kind of review. That decision makes this article worthless.
    Reply
  • Wolygon
    "Its incomprehensible that the Hyper 212 was left out of this kind of review. That decision makes this article worthless."


    Read the article before posting please.
    Reply
  • Twoboxer
    Sorry, I read your Opening page, the thermal results page, and the conclusion page. Did I miss how these products compare to the Hyper 212?
    Reply
  • dogman_1234
    ^ Or water cooling. It was a great article but, How about comparing to Hydro cooling and add an AMD system too. Intel is great at generating heat, AMD is better thought!
    Reply
  • duk3
    How did the Zalman CNPS10X Performa get into this review at $35?
    Reply
  • sudeshc
    was waiting for this kind of article for some time now, thanks toms. Loved the article, thinking about to go with Zalman's Cooler.
    Reply
  • Crashman
    duk3How did the Zalman CNPS10X Performa get into this review at $35?It was $35. It went up at Newegg about a week ago, but if you look around enough you might find the launch price elsewhere.
    Reply
  • Just wanted to say thanks for the article. And I think it's extra awesome that you actually respond to the comments/questions (I just read through the other roundup from earlier this year).
    Reply