Zalman CNPS3000 FHS Heatsink

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There are two variety of copper fined heatsinks from the Korean company, Zalman. The first, the CNPS3100 has about 50 fins, and weighs in at 296 grams, the second is this heatsink the CNPS3000. With only 40 fins, and weighing in at 238 grams, it is the younger brother of the CNPS3100. When faced with the choice of which heatsink to get based on price (there is a difference of about $5 between the two), can the CNPS3000 hold its' own? Is there a significant performance gain by those 10 extra sets of copper fin?

Time to find out! First, for those of you who have never seen the Zalman heatsinks before a bit of background. The heatsinks are classed as FHS or Flower Heatsinks because of their unique construction methods.

What makes this a Flower-type heatsink is how the CNPS3000 is constructed. Where typical extruded heatsinks are one-piece affairs, this heatsink is made up of about 50 individual aluminum patterned fins. Two aluminum blocks hold everything together with couple of stainless steel bolts. The base of this heatsink is milled absolutely flat, and is perfectly smooth.

Designed for: AMD Athlon, Duron, K6-2. Intel FC-PGA, PGA. VIA Cyrix III.	The Zalman CNPS3000 FHS Model: CNPS3000 (~40) 0.3mm thick copper fins. 80mm fan case-mounted Fan Dim: 20x80x80mm, 12V, 2.04W FHS Dimensions: 100x52x65mm LxWxH Weight: 238 grams Surface area: .23m2 Thermal resistance: 0.30C/W Machine milled base Made & Sold by: Zalman Tech Co. Cost: ~$35USD
Comes in a box with the following: 80mm fan, heatsink clip, syringe of thermal compound, (6) screws for attaching the fan to the case, the "silent mode" adapter cable and Instructions.

More than just a heatsink: Noise Reduction System

The main thoughts behind the design of this type of heatsink is the reduction of noise from the computer. Noise can be a big problem for anyone who leaves their computer running 24x7, run DVD's off of it in an entertainment room, or use big noisy fans on small inefficient heatsinks. In situations like those, the quieter the computer, the better.

The "CNPS" in CNPS3000 is an acronym for Zalman's philosophy of a "Computer Noise Prevention System". They actually offer low noise power supplies and hard drives in addition to the range of heatsinks. The goal they state is to cut traditional computer system noise from 30dB or higher, to 20dB or lower.

The FHS heatsink uses a patent-pending design which works so well that you can use it without a fan if really necessary because it has a short path for heat to travel, and a large surface area. The surface area is upwards of 3 to 10 times larger than traditional coolers at .23m^2. Lets take a look at this unique flower heatsink with a closer perspective!