Zalman Reveals Upcoming Lineup: Cases and Coolers

[SKYMTL]

Zalman Reveals Upcoming Lineup

CNPS10X Performa, VF3000 series and Z7 PLUS​

At the upcoming CES 2010 show, Zalman will be showing a number of their new products which include cases, coolers and even some new 3D products. In this article, we take a quick, pictorial look at some of the more exciting announcements they will be making over the coming days. All in all, Zalman's lineup looks strong so let's get this show on the road.

CNPS10X Performa CPU Cooler

Click on image to enlarge​

Following in the footsteps of the Quiet, Extreme and Flex products within their CNPS10X family, Zalman is set to release a brand new, cost conscious heatsink.

Click on image to enlarge​

Zalman has been long known for their innovative and unique-looking coolers so when the tower-like CNPS10X series was first released, people took notice. However, as they were priced between $40 (CNPS10X Flex) for a bare bones cooler without the fan and about $70 (CNPS10X Extreme) for the best of the best, it was obvious that Zalman was still missing out on the lucrative entry market. This is where the CNPS10X Performa cooler comes into play.

Click on image to enlarge​

With the Performa, Zalman is basically taking the high-performance design of the "10X" series and cutting down on non-essentials like nickel plating on the heatpipes and base along with using a slightly less dense fin array. That being said, the smaller number of fins is balanced out by a unique ridged face which should improve upon the efficiency of the included 120mm fan. It should also be noted that the Performa will come with the new backplate which was previously only found on the CNPS10X Flex along with mounting clips for a second 120mm fan.

Click on image to enlarge​

This really looks to be like Zalman taking steps to compete directly with the OCZ Vendetta 2, Cogage TRUE Spirit and other firmly planted products in this range.


On the next page, we have the VF3000 series of GPU coolers.

 

[SKYMTL]

VF3000 Series VGA Cooler

VF3000 Series VGA Cooler

Click on image to enlarge​

While Zalman may be known first and foremost for their CPU heatsinks, they have also released some successful coolers for graphics cards as well. With the VF3000 series, they are hoping to capitalize on the lessons from the past and release a high performance heatsink for the most current cards on the market.

Click on image to enlarge​

Decked out with a quartet of large-diameter copper heatpipes and a pair of high performance 92mm fans, the VF3000 series seems to be ready for some massive heat loads. Judging from the mounting brackets we have seen, we believe that it will be compatible with most past, present and future cards which includes ATI's 5000, 4000 and 3000 series along with NVIDIA's 200 and 9000 series. Whether it will be compatible with the upcoming Fermi architecture is anyone's guess but we wouldn't put any money on it.

Click on image to enlarge​

One of the most interesting things about this cooler is the fact that it comes in two colors: black and red. As you probably already guessed, the VF3000N is black and destined for NVIDIA GPUs while the VF3000A is decked out in red for ATI cards.

Click on image to enlarge​

 

[SKYMTL]

Z7 PLUS Case

Z7 PLUS Case

Click on image to enlarge​

With an already over-crowded case market, one must wonder where another high-priced Zalman case will fit into things. However, the Z7 PLUS is targeting the mid-range enclosure market with quality craftsmanship and some interesting features.

Click on image to enlarge​

This case makes use of a trio of pre-installed 120mm fans located in the front, back and side. The back fan is your standard 120mm affair but front unit uses a blue LED while the side fan sports a manual control and LED that gets brighter as the fan speed is increased.

Click on image to enlarge​

Zalman is also touting some other items which are normally reserved for cases in higher price ranges than the Z7 PLUS. Things like mesh drive covers, quick-install drive rails, pre-installed dust filters and support for 162mm high CPU coolers are definitely pluses though the interior looks like it's painted a standard grey. Unfortunately, little more is know about this case and we are anxious to see its interior layout.

Click on image to enlarge​