360° View - Zalman CNPS10X Performa Heatsink Information on Frostytech's test methodology is available here.
A single 120mm PWM fan ships with the Zalman CNPS10X Performa heatsink and it spins at 900-1350RPM by default. If the RC24P PWM-resistor is detached from the power cord fan speed increases to 2000RPM. Power is supplied by a 4-pin motherboard fan header. Five 6mm copper heatpipes are packed closely at the base and extend up the full 105mm tall aluminum fin section.
Each aluminum fin on the CNPS10X Performa measures 0.3mm thick, fins are spaced 2.0mm apart. There is 37mm clearance at the base of the heatsink for adjacent motherboard components. The copper base block measures 3-5mm thick, the entire base 10.5mm. With the 120mm PWM fan removed you can see how five 6mm diameter copper heatpipes are positioned towards the outside of the cooling fins in a staggered arrangement.
Update: The photo incorrectly shows the fan on the opposite side of the heatsink Zalman specify, the fan should be mounted on the bottom side of the aluminum fins where the heatpipes are closer to the edge. All aluminum fins are raw metal. The satin finished copper base plate measures 39x37mm in size and is perfectly flat in both directions. All five heatpipes are soldered in place to the form-fitting copper base plate to decrease thermal joint resistance and improve heat conduction. The four screws loosen here to allow steel mounting brackets to slip in between the copper and aluminum base components.

Base Finish and Flatness

Flipping a heatsink over to inspect the business end is often a simple indicator of overall cooler quality. More practically speaking, a heatsink is in many ways only as effective as the contact it makes with the processor - the flatter and smoother the better. Base finish is one of the criteria that Frostytech measure in the course of evaluating heatsinks, and it involves two distinct aspects. Surface Finish is the first; calculated with the aid of Surface Roughness Comparator that has a cross section of common machine surface finishes and their numerical surface roughness equivalents in microinches. The second is Surface Flatness. This is tested with an engineers straight edge or proven flat surface, in two axis.

The base of the Zalman CNPS10X Performa heatsink is perfectly flat in both axis and has a satin (lapped) surface finish which is very smooth. Surface roughness is at or better than ~16 microinches, which is considered excellent. Next up, sound level measurements and then AMD and Intel thermal test results!