Zalman CNPS10X Optima Shark’s Fin Blade Review

As we mentioned at the beginning the Zalman CNPS10X Optima Shark’s Fin Blade CPU Cooler costs just £20.57, yet currently it is on sale at £17.99 although we are not sure how long this will last but all I can say is at £17.99 it is an absolute steal! I think the results from my testing really speak for themselves and the CNPS10X Optima performs much better than I’d of expected considering its price.

The Zalman CNPS10X Optima Shark’s Fin Blade matches the slightly more expensive SilverStone AR01 CPU cooler and the equivalently priced Evercool Venti. Yet I think the Zalman CNPS10X has something over both of these in that the aggressive fan design makes it look really cool and refreshingly different yet it is still well priced and performs very well indeed. Even without results I can tell you from experience that this product is offering a similar level of performance to the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO, the budget CPU cooler king. Yet it is actually about 10-15% cheaper because perhaps the Zalman name isn’t as prestigious or in-demand as that of Cooler Master. Yet there is no reason for this to be the case as the CNPS10X Optima is an excellent budget CPU cooler. It certainly isn’t unique or a one-of-a-kind, in the current market there are quite a lot of similar products that are done equally as well yet there are countless more that are not – I am glad to see Zalman fit into the former.

Pros

• The price
• The performance
• RAM clearance
• High quality thermal compound
• Super strong mount
• Rather cool fan design
• Generally quiet
• Slightly smaller than most tower heatsinks at 152mm

Cons

• Mounting system is a bit fiddly
• Thermal paste is only a sachet, tube would of been nicer for easier application and more uses
• Fan cable stands out like a sore thumb

eTeknix says: Zalman’s CNPS10X Optima Shark’s Fin Blade CPU cooler doesn’t bring anything revolutionary in terms of its design but it joins the ranks of some of the best bang-for-buck sub £25 CPU coolers on the market and easily out performs many much more expensive CPU cooler options. What’s more the slightly quirky looking fan gives it a real edge over some of the more normal looking competition. With an attractive price, a two year warranty, an excellent mounting system, great bang for your buck, good RAM clearance and a compact design the Zalman CNPS10X Optima Shark’s Fin is a no brainer if you’re looking for a cheap but powerful CPU cooler.

We would like to say a special thank you to Quiet PC for providing this review sample.