Zalman CNPS10X Flex CPU Cooler

Feb 23rd, 2010 | By Nivedh

I’ll be installing the CNPS10X Flex on my Asus M3A78 Pro motherboard, which has an AMD AM2+ socket. Zalman’s provided manual was very helpful. There is also an installation video available .

The first step is to slightly loosen the screws on the heatsink’s base in order to attach the metal mounting clips.

Looking at the backplate, four nuts are secured to each of the appropriate legs with the side caps.

The plastic loading block is then stuck to the backplate using the pre-installed double-sided tape.

Another piece of included double-sided tape is attached to the loading block and the adhesive is exposed on the other side.

After removing the stock retention module from the motherboard, the entire Zalman backplate with the plastic loading block is then stuck to the motherboard, making sure the nuts line up with the holes in the motherboard. In retrospect, using adhesive was a terrible idea by Zalman. I say this because after doing all the testing, I tried removing the backplate from my motherboard only to find that the glue was so sticky that it took a lot of force to remove. In the process, the backplate ripped off two SMT capacitors on my motherboard, rendering it useless. Here is a picture of the damage.

Flipping over to the front of the motherboard, the CPU is installed and a small amount of the provided thermal compound is squeezed on.

The heatsink is then placed over the CPU, making sure the holes line up.

The included screws are used to secure it to the retention module.

The heatsink towers over the motherboard but there are no clearance issues whatsoever.

Finally, two 120mm fans of your choice can be installed – I decided to use the Noctua NF-P12 fans. First I stuck the vibration-reducing strips along the edges of the heatsink. The fan clips can then be used to secure the fans, taking notice of the airflow direction. You want one fan to push air into the heatsink and another one to pull it out.