Zalman CNPS10X Extreme CPU Cooler Review
Introduction (Cont'd)
Contents
The top part from CNPS10X Extreme is covered by a (black, of course) plastic cap with a simple logo showing the cooler model. At the center we can see the "PWM Mate", the fan rotation speed controller. This controller has two LEDs, one push-button and a potentiometer.
Figure 5: Top view.
An amazing feature of this controller is that it can be removed from the cooler, as you can see in Figure 6. The cooler comes with an extension wire and a double-sided adhesive tape that allows you to put PWM Mate wherever you want, inside or outside your case.
Figure 6: Rear view with PWM Mate removed. In Figure 7, you can see PWM Mate. It works very easily: pressing the push button, the cooler changes the working mode between manual or three auto modes. The LEDs show which is the current mode. In manual mode, a green LED lights and the fan speed is controlled by the potentiometer found on controller edge. In auto mode, the other LED lights in blue, purple or red, indicating low, medium or high mode, respectively.
On the automatic modes, the motherboard controls the speed of the fan, but you can limit the maximum rotation in order to find the best balance between performance and noise according to your personal taste or needs. On the three automatic modes the fan spins at a minumum of 1,000 rpm, with a maximum of 1,500 rpm on low mode, 1,950 rpm on medium mode and 2,150 rpm on high mode. The best part is that you can do all this very easily and intuitively.
Figure 7: PWM Mate.
Figure 8: Nickel-plated base.