Zalman CNPS20X CPU Cooler Review vs. NH-D15, Arctic Liquid Freezer II
video description
Date: 2020-05-06
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 10
Blahorga
For those who wasn't there. The band of copper colored fins is something that came from the old flower style heat sinks that Zalman used to sell. Back then the CPU cores were very small, less than a cm square, so the heat was concentrated to the center of the heat sink. Zalman made a lot of coolers that were formed by bunching a stack of fins together using bolts and then spread the fins outer parts to form a huge surface area. The fin stack was so tightly bolted together that when the CPU contact area was machined flat it appeared to be a homogeneous piece of metal. For best performance they used copper fins which made the coolers heavy, rather expensive compared to the common extruded aluminium heat sinks and more expensive as copper costs much more than aluminium. So they added two more versions, one where they used a aluminium fin stack to save money, and one where they used copper fins in the center of the fin stack and aluminium fins on the outside of the stack. These different versions were identified by adding suffixes to the product name. For the copper version the suffix was Cu, Al showed it was the aluminium version and AlCu was the aluminium/copper hybrid. This later version actually came pretty close to the performance of the version with the all copper fin stack. This was possible as the copper fins were centered over the CPU core and the heat could then spread through the copper fins to the aluminium fins on either side over a large area. This made the copper and aluminium hybrid heat sinks a popular choice and the look was something that screamed Zalman to most users. The use of a segment of copper colored fins in this cooler doesn't make as much sense. In a cooler like this the heat is transported from the CPU through heat pipes to the fin stack. While it's true that copper is much better at transporting heat than aluminium it's also something that doesn't seem to make enough difference that other heat sink manufacturers to use copper fins on their big air coolers. This makes me believe that these most probably are aluminium fins treated to look like copper in an effort to make the cooler look a bit like the old Zalman heat sinks. Compared to the ridiculous marketing wank I think it's pretty harmless and even a bit charming.
reply
For those who wasn't there. The band of copper colored fins is something that came from the old flower style heat sinks that Zalman used to sell. Back then the CPU cores were very small, less than a cm square, so the heat was concentrated to the center of the heat sink. Zalman made a lot of coolers that were formed by bunching a stack of fins together using bolts and then spread the fins outer parts to form a huge surface area. The fin stack was so tightly bolted together that when the CPU contact area was machined flat it appeared to be a homogeneous piece of metal. For best performance they used copper fins which made the coolers heavy, rather expensive compared to the common extruded aluminium heat sinks and more expensive as copper costs much more than aluminium. So they added two more versions, one where they used a aluminium fin stack to save money, and one where they used copper fins in the center of the fin stack and aluminium fins on the outside of the stack. These different versions were identified by adding suffixes to the product name. For the copper version the suffix was Cu, Al showed it was the aluminium version and AlCu was the aluminium/copper hybrid. This later version actually came pretty close to the performance of the version with the all copper fin stack. This was possible as the copper fins were centered over the CPU core and the heat could then spread through the copper fins to the aluminium fins on either side over a large area. This made the copper and aluminium hybrid heat sinks a popular choice and the look was something that screamed Zalman to most users. The use of a segment of copper colored fins in this cooler doesn't make as much sense. In a cooler like this the heat is transported from the CPU through heat pipes to the fin stack. While it's true that copper is much better at transporting heat than aluminium it's also something that doesn't seem to make enough difference that other heat sink manufacturers to use copper fins on their big air coolers. This makes me believe that these most probably are aluminium fins treated to look like copper in an effort to make the cooler look a bit like the old Zalman heat sinks. Compared to the ridiculous marketing wank I think it's pretty harmless and even a bit charming.
reply
farbe123
I would like if companies would include RPM vs K/W charts or/and K/W vs dB or/and dB vs K/W. This would be easy to measure and also give really good informations about the overall noise vs heat performance. This is also something that you guys could do. K/W is the measurement that's decisive about performance, it describes the temperature rise per W dumped into the cooler, this number in conduction with noise in a chart would be enough to calculate the noise for a given cpu. To measure it you only need a bench power supply + load resistor and a dB meter. The fan would be controlled with a PC to read RPM and command RPM. Mount the resistor to the cold plate of the cooler, dump a known amount of power into it for example 50W. Now track the difference between ambient and cooler temperature for different RPM/Noise values. Calculate the K/W by dividing the temperature difference by the power dumped in the resistor: 10K/50W=0. 2K/W This would give many different values for K/W at different noise levels. These can be ploted in a graph. This graph would than show a sweet spot for K/W vs Noise. Sometimes you have coolers that can get much louder but don't get much cooler e. g. diminishing returns. This value can also be used to calculate temperature rise for given cpu power. But i think its only a dream and no manufacturer would pull there pants down and show the real deal.
reply
I would like if companies would include RPM vs K/W charts or/and K/W vs dB or/and dB vs K/W. This would be easy to measure and also give really good informations about the overall noise vs heat performance. This is also something that you guys could do. K/W is the measurement that's decisive about performance, it describes the temperature rise per W dumped into the cooler, this number in conduction with noise in a chart would be enough to calculate the noise for a given cpu. To measure it you only need a bench power supply + load resistor and a dB meter. The fan would be controlled with a PC to read RPM and command RPM. Mount the resistor to the cold plate of the cooler, dump a known amount of power into it for example 50W. Now track the difference between ambient and cooler temperature for different RPM/Noise values. Calculate the K/W by dividing the temperature difference by the power dumped in the resistor: 10K/50W=0. 2K/W This would give many different values for K/W at different noise levels. These can be ploted in a graph. This graph would than show a sweet spot for K/W vs Noise. Sometimes you have coolers that can get much louder but don't get much cooler e. g. diminishing returns. This value can also be used to calculate temperature rise for given cpu power. But i think its only a dream and no manufacturer would pull there pants down and show the real deal.
reply
Beowulf
To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Zalman. The engineering is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the design will go over a typical user s head. There's also the company s nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into its marketing- its personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of this cooling, to realise that they're not just efficient- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Zalman truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the genius in Zalman s existential catchphrase A global company that pursues consumer trust and happiness which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Zalman s genius wit unfolds itself on their product displays. What fools. how I pity them. And yes, by the way, i DO have a Zalman tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid.
reply
To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Zalman. The engineering is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the design will go over a typical user s head. There's also the company s nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into its marketing- its personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of this cooling, to realise that they're not just efficient- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Zalman truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the genius in Zalman s existential catchphrase A global company that pursues consumer trust and happiness which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Zalman s genius wit unfolds itself on their product displays. What fools. how I pity them. And yes, by the way, i DO have a Zalman tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid.
reply
HimouraTheBatosai
hearing you rant about zalman and deepcool reminds me of Peter Griffin who hurt you? who hurt you? who hurt you? while i get and agree with the history you had with Zalman and the marketing for both companies, please don't downplay the performance by saying it's average it's clearly tying or slightly beating the market leaders in the TOP air cooler market. you have to realize after criticizing zalman for their marketing that your words like it's average is encroaching in the same territory of shady. like i said, i get you were personally hurt and zalman WAS a bad company for the consumer. this to me however is a redemption and based on your objective review by numbers, they are tied for class leading in their market and should be described using such words. don't let your subjective word cloud your objective numbers that being said, i completely agree zalman WAS a p. o. s. company and anti-consumer in their behaviour. p. s. i don't see you harsh on intel or amd nearly as much for their shady marketing and anti-consumer behaviour for years! including literally buying what's said in the media, shady court tactics to bulldoze competition etc. but that's my two cents.
reply
hearing you rant about zalman and deepcool reminds me of Peter Griffin who hurt you? who hurt you? who hurt you? while i get and agree with the history you had with Zalman and the marketing for both companies, please don't downplay the performance by saying it's average it's clearly tying or slightly beating the market leaders in the TOP air cooler market. you have to realize after criticizing zalman for their marketing that your words like it's average is encroaching in the same territory of shady. like i said, i get you were personally hurt and zalman WAS a bad company for the consumer. this to me however is a redemption and based on your objective review by numbers, they are tied for class leading in their market and should be described using such words. don't let your subjective word cloud your objective numbers that being said, i completely agree zalman WAS a p. o. s. company and anti-consumer in their behaviour. p. s. i don't see you harsh on intel or amd nearly as much for their shady marketing and anti-consumer behaviour for years! including literally buying what's said in the media, shady court tactics to bulldoze competition etc. but that's my two cents.
reply
Mike
What that term means is. . somebody got a word of the day toilet roll for Christmas: ) The bendy fins are to some extent a good idea, although I would imagine its more expensive to make and whether the few % of extra surface area justifies the cost is hard to know without making one that is exactly the same but with straight fins then compare them with the exact same fans on the exact same system and compare the differences Change ANYTHING except for the physical metal main body of the cooler and all comparisons become meaningless So if its good then that would have been the way for them to prove its good, but to be fair, I do think visually its a nice metal cooler main body, but would have preferred something like the Seasonicc Air penetrators attached to it for a more directed air flow
reply
What that term means is. . somebody got a word of the day toilet roll for Christmas: ) The bendy fins are to some extent a good idea, although I would imagine its more expensive to make and whether the few % of extra surface area justifies the cost is hard to know without making one that is exactly the same but with straight fins then compare them with the exact same fans on the exact same system and compare the differences Change ANYTHING except for the physical metal main body of the cooler and all comparisons become meaningless So if its good then that would have been the way for them to prove its good, but to be fair, I do think visually its a nice metal cooler main body, but would have preferred something like the Seasonicc Air penetrators attached to it for a more directed air flow
reply
Matthew
okay, a bit disappointed with how you are representing this product. You are clearly bashing the dogshit out of it because of their past (which was very shitty we know that. You are not being clearly subjective here. Noctua, known for hands down the best air cooling got beat here but you state that the fan only did meh okay. Most of the video you spent talking about how slimy Zalman as a company was (and they were) but then act like a complete hypocrite when talking about the performance. Thats just as slimy. Could the marketing fr the product be better? yes. But we all know that all companies have a massive disconnect with this. Thats why consumers look to reviewers to cut through the marketing bs and show us the true performance and be subjective about it.
reply
okay, a bit disappointed with how you are representing this product. You are clearly bashing the dogshit out of it because of their past (which was very shitty we know that. You are not being clearly subjective here. Noctua, known for hands down the best air cooling got beat here but you state that the fan only did meh okay. Most of the video you spent talking about how slimy Zalman as a company was (and they were) but then act like a complete hypocrite when talking about the performance. Thats just as slimy. Could the marketing fr the product be better? yes. But we all know that all companies have a massive disconnect with this. Thats why consumers look to reviewers to cut through the marketing bs and show us the true performance and be subjective about it.
reply
Poul
02: 13 Oh! missed opportunity to take the money, shoot a showcase video rotating the item so much it gets the viewers dizzy, put a bunch of light on it (preferably rgb ofc) so powerful the electric company sends trucks to the neighborhood to investigate what's going on in that grid sector and editing a video (10 minutes for the ads) that scientifically states 'I like this product' but without any measurements. ps. the email signature misses the word influencer, write that down in any about section possible jk: P If you google patent 10-1342746 like it says on the picture there are only 5 results found. One was a pdf that loaded once (slowly) but the 2nd time through google translate the page broke.
reply
02: 13 Oh! missed opportunity to take the money, shoot a showcase video rotating the item so much it gets the viewers dizzy, put a bunch of light on it (preferably rgb ofc) so powerful the electric company sends trucks to the neighborhood to investigate what's going on in that grid sector and editing a video (10 minutes for the ads) that scientifically states 'I like this product' but without any measurements. ps. the email signature misses the word influencer, write that down in any about section possible jk: P If you google patent 10-1342746 like it says on the picture there are only 5 results found. One was a pdf that loaded once (slowly) but the 2nd time through google translate the page broke.
reply
George
I've got a 3960x in a Corsair Carbide 450 case. I'm using a Noctua NH-U14s cooler with two fans running at full speed. Should my temperatures be as low as the chart? My Idle temperature is between 35-55 degrees. At full load, depending on the application (but always 3D and Video rendering, my temperature has gotten as high as 93 degrees after ten or so minutes. My temperatures have never been as low as 12 degrees, and definitely not 55 at full load (most commonly 85 degrees. Am I misunderstanding something, or have I done something very wrong?
reply
I've got a 3960x in a Corsair Carbide 450 case. I'm using a Noctua NH-U14s cooler with two fans running at full speed. Should my temperatures be as low as the chart? My Idle temperature is between 35-55 degrees. At full load, depending on the application (but always 3D and Video rendering, my temperature has gotten as high as 93 degrees after ten or so minutes. My temperatures have never been as low as 12 degrees, and definitely not 55 at full load (most commonly 85 degrees. Am I misunderstanding something, or have I done something very wrong?
reply
Tri-Tra-Troppa
4: 46 What it means is not that hard to understand. Zalman basiclly uses black holes on the tips of the fins to limit the degrees of freedom of the strings in the air on the holes' event horizons down to 8 from 11-35 dimensions according to the string theory of your liking. Some say there are only 8 or even less dimensions to begin with and according to GNs test results here this might be the case. I definitely would like to hear Zalmans Marketing response to GNs findings. Maybe they 20XD their offering in advertising as well. ;)
reply
4: 46 What it means is not that hard to understand. Zalman basiclly uses black holes on the tips of the fins to limit the degrees of freedom of the strings in the air on the holes' event horizons down to 8 from 11-35 dimensions according to the string theory of your liking. Some say there are only 8 or even less dimensions to begin with and according to GNs test results here this might be the case. I definitely would like to hear Zalmans Marketing response to GNs findings. Maybe they 20XD their offering in advertising as well. ;)
reply
3SCORPION
Good morning, good video. A question which graphic card would they choose: -Sapphire Nitro + SPECIAL EDITION RGB Rx 5700 XT 440 dollars -EVGA SC Ultra Gaming RTX 2060 SUPER 432 dollars I do not know if it is worth buying the RX 5700 XT with the disadvantages of AMD drivers or buying the NVIDIA although less powerful but more stable. I was looking for an RTX 2070 SUPER but it costs at least 170 more than the RX 5700 XT. I hope you can leave me your opinion and those who have this AMD card can leave me their experience. Thank you.
reply
Good morning, good video. A question which graphic card would they choose: -Sapphire Nitro + SPECIAL EDITION RGB Rx 5700 XT 440 dollars -EVGA SC Ultra Gaming RTX 2060 SUPER 432 dollars I do not know if it is worth buying the RX 5700 XT with the disadvantages of AMD drivers or buying the NVIDIA although less powerful but more stable. I was looking for an RTX 2070 SUPER but it costs at least 170 more than the RX 5700 XT. I hope you can leave me your opinion and those who have this AMD card can leave me their experience. Thank you.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
