Arctic Freezer 13 and Zalman CNPS9900 MAX Coolers

jmke · 28th March 2011, 13:52

Air-based CPU coolers have progressed as far as to practically reach their limits. The manufacturers find it very hard now to improve their characteristics further, yet new coolers keep on being rolled out. Why? Well, some firms do hope they can release a more efficient product by implementing some special features and others just try to attract users with an original exterior design. And there are also companies that update their CPU cooler series so rarely that we nearly forget about their earlier products when new ones are released.

The Swiss firm Arctic Cooling (or simply Arctic) is a good example of that as it has not produced any CPU coolers since its Freezer Xtreme which was released more than 2 years ago. But now, in early 2011, the company unveils two new coolers at once: the Freezer 13 and the Freezer 13 Pro. The latter seems to be intended for computer enthusiasts as, besides larger dimensions and weight, it has one special feature which is perhaps questionable but certainly unique. I haven't seen it in any other cooler. I am already preparing a review of that model, but today I'm going to talk about the Freezer 13.

The Korean Zalman has a different approach and updates its cooler line-up on a regular basis. Having finally developed a series of high-performance CNPS10X coolers, Zalman also continues with its coolers that have radial heatsinks. To be exact, Zalman seems to put a full stop in the development of this product line by releasing the CNPS9900 MAX. I find it hard to grasp the marketing logic of it but the company positions that model as a flagship of the entire fleet of Zalman’s coolers. Sounds optimistic, but let’s see how it performs in practical tests.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...s9900-max.html

28th March 2011, 13:52	#1
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	Arctic Freezer 13 and Zalman CNPS9900 MAX Coolers Air-based CPU coolers have progressed as far as to practically reach their limits. The manufacturers find it very hard now to improve their characteristics further, yet new coolers keep on being rolled out. Why? Well, some firms do hope they can release a more efficient product by implementing some special features and others just try to attract users with an original exterior design. And there are also companies that update their CPU cooler series so rarely that we nearly forget about their earlier products when new ones are released. The Swiss firm Arctic Cooling (or simply Arctic) is a good example of that as it has not produced any CPU coolers since its Freezer Xtreme which was released more than 2 years ago. But now, in early 2011, the company unveils two new coolers at once: the Freezer 13 and the Freezer 13 Pro. The latter seems to be intended for computer enthusiasts as, besides larger dimensions and weight, it has one special feature which is perhaps questionable but certainly unique. I haven't seen it in any other cooler. I am already preparing a review of that model, but today I'm going to talk about the Freezer 13. The Korean Zalman has a different approach and updates its cooler line-up on a regular basis. Having finally developed a series of high-performance CNPS10X coolers, Zalman also continues with its coolers that have radial heatsinks. To be exact, Zalman seems to put a full stop in the development of this product line by releasing the CNPS9900 MAX. I find it hard to grasp the marketing logic of it but the company positions that model as a flagship of the entire fleet of Zalman’s coolers. Sounds optimistic, but let’s see how it performs in practical tests. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coo...s9900-max.html __________________