Japanese cooling expert Scythe announces the successor of Big Shuriken CPU Cooler. Big Shuriken 2 had to undergo further development on the heatsink and axial-fan side to provide better even performance and compatibility.

Applied improvements of heatsink are not obvious at first sight because main heatsink structure was inherited from Big Shuriken (1) CPU Cooler. Total amount of copper-heatpipes was increases from four to five pieces. Curved heatpipes are connecting the nickel-plated copper-base with the two upper layers of aluminum fins. Big Shuriken (1) was equipped with a solid heatsink on top of the copper-base which has been removed in the new version.

In 2012, it's curtain's for Intel's iconic Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, with the company issuing the Intel X58 chipset a schedule for discontinuation. The chipset has exactly 12 more months to attain EOL (end of life) status. Intel will continue to take orders for Intel X58 till April 27, 2012, the last of these orders will have shipped by October 12, 2012. Intel X58 + ICH10/R is the de facto chipset for Intel's Core i7 client processors in the LGA1366 package.

To motherboard vendors, the X58 I/O Hub (northbridge) is priced at US $39, and another $14 for the ICH10R southbridge. In November 2011, Intel is releasing the proper successor for the Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, the Sandy Bridge-E/Patsburg, consisting of Core i7 processors in the LGA2011 package, and Intel X79 chipset.

Back in August, it was reported that the retail packages of some, if not all, Intel's Sandy Bridge-E Core i7 LGA2011 processors will not pack the certified cooling solution like Core i7 LGA1366 processors do. It was also reported that Intel will sell its own-branded cooling solutions separately. It became a little obvious right then, that Intel won't selling dinky-little heatsinks that cost a couple of dozen Dollars. At the ongoing IDF event, Intel displayed its first retail-packaged cooling solution that's not only LGA2011-compatible, but also supports older socket types such as LGA1155, LGA1156, and LGA1366.

The cooling solution is a closed-loop (self-contained) liquid cooler made by water cooling OEM Asetek. Called the RTS2011LC, the cooler is rated to cool processors with TDP of up to 130W. The cooler consists of an exposed-copper block that also houses the pump, tough and flexible tubing that runs to the radiator assembly, which houses a reservoir, and a fancy-looking 120 mm fan. Along with the fan, the Intel logo on the block lights up blue. The radiator used looks similar to that on the Hydro Series H70, a popular cooler by Corsair, which is also made by Asetek. Expected to be available around the same time as Core i7 LGA2011 processors, the Intel RTS2011LC could command a price over $99.

Phanteks announced the launch of its Premier CPU cooler PH-TC14PE with patented C.P.S.C and P.A.T.S. technology. The PH-TC14PE will be available in four models, standard color and Blue/Red/Orange Edition

Phanteks coolers are designed with patented Cold Plasma Spraying Coating Technology (C.P.S.C), a brand new technologic forming deposit that displaces heat onto corresponding metals at a quicker rate. With this technology, Phanteks coolers enhances thermal conductivity on the soldered surfaces of the heatpipes through the copper deposits.

Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions reveals the GX-7 CPU cooler of its GAMER product line. Engineers at GELID Solutions have created an outstanding new CPU cooler with 7 power heat pipes. Contrary to traditional heat pipe arrangement for this GAMER CPU cooler "GX-7", a special array of heat pipes was used to take full advantage of all 7 heat pipes heat transfer capacity. Further V-shaped aluminum fins were used in the center of the heat sink to allow airflow to reach the heat sink more evenly. Openings inside of the heat sink and near the heat pipes let fresh-air flows in from the top and the bottom to zones normally poorly ventilated, and eliminate the creation of hotspots. The unique heat sink shape supports dual fans.

Included in the GX-7 is the multi-award winning Wing 12 PL fan, allowing the cooler to reach remarkable temperature. The Wing 12 PL Blue features blue LEDs and unique Nanoflux bearing which ensures a friction-free and silent operation. Thanks to the clever design and magnetic bearing, the impeller can be detached for easy cleaning. Additionally, fan blade winglets were designed to achieve larger airflow and greater static pressure. The fan also includes a premium PWM control, so the temperature can be controlled precisely by the BIOS.

It is curtains for as many as 20 Intel processor models in H2 2011, according to a slide detailing the product lifecycle of Intel processors in the market. The 20 models will reach EOL (end of life) stage of their market-life. When a product is marked EOL, Intel stops taking orders for it from OEMs and channel vendors, clears outstanding orders, and stops its production. Intel will honor warranties on those products in accordance with its warranty policies.

Up for EOL are the socket LGA1366 Core i7-970, socket LGA1156 Core i7-880, Core i7-875K, Core i7-870S, Core i5-760, Core i5-750S, Core i5-655K, Core i3-530; and most socket LGA775 processor currently in the market. LGA775 models include Core 2 Quad Q9650, Q9550/Q9550S, Q9500, Q8400/Q8400S, Q8300; Core 2 Duo models E8600, E8500, and Pentium E5400. Several other products are marked PDN (product discontinuation notification), a stage that precedes EOL, which formally notifies OEMs and channel-vendors that they should place their last orders (and so they should choose quantities wisely).

Slides of a key presentation to Intel's partners was leaked to sections of the media, which reveal Intel's own performance testing of the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition, the top-model of the socket LGA2011 "Sandy Bridge-E" processor series. Meet the family here. In its comparison, Intel maintained the Core i7-990X Extreme Edition socket LGA1366 processor as this generation's top offering. It was pitted against the Core i7-3960X in a battery of tests that included some enthusiast favourites such as Cinebench 11.5, POV-Ray 3.7, 3DMark 11 physics, Pro-Show Gold 4.5, and some OEM favourites such as SPECint_rate base2006, SPECfp_rate base2006, and SiSoft SANDRA 2011B multimedia and memory bandwidth.

From these test results, the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is pitched to be about 47.25% faster on average, compared to Core i7-990X Extreme Edition. Intel is attributing the performance boost, apart from the normal IPC increase, to the 33% higher bandwidth thanks to the quad-channel DDR3 IMC, and the new AVX instruction set that accelerates math-heavy tasks such as encoding. The Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is an upcoming socket LGA2011 six-core processor that is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with Turbo Boost speed of up to 3.90 GHz, with 12 threads enabled by HyperThreading technology, and 15 MB L3 cache. It will release by either late 2011 or early 2012.

GELID today announced a revision of its Tranquillo CPU cooler. Revision 2 of this aluminum fin tower-type cooler comes with three major changes, an updated heat pipe profile; a new AMD socket clip that allows 4x 90° installation; and an improved heatsink shape. To begin with, the four exposed-copper heat pipes project out of the fanned out better, with the heat pipes almost reaching the periphery of each of the fins. Next, a new AMD socket clip allows you to orient the heatsink in the same way you can with the square bolt layout of Intel sockets (90° in any direction). Lastly, in the space between the CPU base and the bottom of the aluminum fin stack, GELID put a larger heatsink than the one found on the original Tranquillo. The Tranquillo Rev. 2 is certified to work on Intel sockets LGA1366, LGA1156, LGA1155, and LGA775; AMD sockets AM3, AM2+, and AM2. The company did not give out pricing information, but usually revised SKUs carry the same market prices as the originals they're revisions of.

As reported last week, Intel released its new Core i7-980 six-core processor to the retail channel. The new chip is priced at US $583 in 1000-unit tray quantities, displacing the Core i7-970 from this exact price point it previously held. It is expected that the i7-970 could eventually become cheaper while the platform is still in the market. The Core i7-980 is a socket LGA1366 six-core processor based on the 32 nm "Westmere" silicon. It is clocked at 3.33 GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds of up to 3.60 GHz. Unlike the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition, this chip has an upwards locked BClk multiplier, and its QPI link runs at 4.80 GT/s instead of 6.40 GT/s on the 980X Extreme Edition. As a trade off, the new chip is a little over half the price of the 980X Extreme Edition, which retailed for around US $999.

Prolimatech released a new variant of its iconic Megahalems CPU heatsink, called the Black Series Megahalems. With the same exact dimensions as the original at 130 x 158.7 x 74 mm (LxWxH), the new variant uses black colored aluminum fins. The coating doesn't make for a polished, glossy surface, but a grainy one, which increases surface area. The design remains the same: six nickel-plated copper heat pipes pass through a base, conveying heat to two aluminum fin stacks that are arranged along each arm of the U-shape the heat pipes make. The Black Series Megahalems is compatible with all the current CPU socket types, including AMD AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2; Intel LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, and LGA775. The Prolimatech Megahalems Black Series is listed on Caseking.de for €54.90.

Japanese cooling expert Scythe is announcing today the successor of popular Mugen 2 CPU Cooler. Mugen 2 CPU Cooler was awarded many times and is well known world-wide to mainstream users, Overclocker and Enthusiasts. During the development process main focus was set on improvement of performance and mounting mechanism as well as shrinking the heatsink dimensions. New Mugen 3 CPU Cooler is ready to take on the legacy.

While optimizing the performance the whole heatsink design of Mugen 3 CPU Cooler was re-worked which resulted in creation the improved fin-structure M.A.P.S. (Multiple Airflow Pass-Through Structure). Enhancements were achieved by reducing the aerodynamic resistance as well as improving of the overall heatsink stability. Furthermore Mugen 3 is equipped with total of six high-quality copper-heatpipes where the predecessor had only five. Typical for Scythe is the excellently processed and flat surface of the copper base which was refined by a thin nickel layer to prevent corrosion.

Intel's newest socket LGA1366 processor, the Core i7-980, will reach stores by June 26. The i7-980 (BX80613I7980), is a non-XE variant of Core i7-980X Extreme Edition, it has its BClk multiplier locked at 25.0x. The six-core chip features a nominal clock speed of 3.33 GHz, which can jump to 3.60 GHz with Turbo Boost technology. Unlike with the Extreme edition, the i7-980 uses 4.8 GT/s QPI speed. With HyperThreading technology enabled, the chip provides the operating system with 12 logical CPUs to deal with. The chip features 256 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and a shared 12 MB L3 cache. It holds a massive triple-channel DDR3 memory controller. The Core i7-980 is expected to be priced at US $583, displacing the Core i7-970 from that price-point.

Weren't we all both surprised and touched that Noctua gave away free mounting kit upgrades to all owners of compatible Noctua coolers, when the industry was waking up to LGA1366 from LGA775? Noctua plans a similar move, giving away LGA2011 mounting kits to owners of Noctua coolers (any cooler released after 2005). The company showed off its LGA2011 mounting kit prototype at Computex. The kit builds on the SecuFirm 2 design, and lets you install Noctua heatsinks on socket LGA2011 motherboards that seat Sandy Bridge-E processors. Any user of a Noctua CPU heatsink released after 2005 with a proof of purchase will get the kit free of charge. Even otherwise, the kit will be sold at a nominal price, like it did with the LGA1366 mounting kit.

G.Skill International Co. Ltd., manufacturer of extreme performance memory and high performance solid-state storage, has released its latest SATA 3 6gbps SSD, Phoenix II Pro, based on the latest SandForce SF-2200 controller with the whopping random write speed up to 60K IOPS, and numerous ultra high performance memory series designed for the latest released platforms at Computex 2011.

In Q4 2011, Intel will unveil its new Sandy Bridge-E (enthusiast) platform, consisting of new multi-core processors in the 2011-pin LGA package, and Intel X79 Express chipset. A roadmap slide leaked to the Chinese media reveals an interesting way in which Intel will approach the platform to monetize it best. To begin with, it appears like Sandy Bridge-E will keep up with the trend set by LGA1155 processors where only certain models can be overclocked, while others are greatly limited. Among those that can be overclocked (or "unlocked", as Intel puts it,) there will be two classes.

The first class are the 6-core chips at the very top of the pile, probably branded "Extreme Edition", which feature both unlocked BClk multipliers, and have 15 MB of L3 cache, among several other features enabled. Traditionally these processors cost around US $1000. The first of such chips will be clocked at 3.30 GHz. The second class of "unlocked" chips are those which make overclocking more accessible at lower price points (we're thinking under $600), probably branded with the "K" brand identifier extension (eg: 2600K). These 6-core chips will feature unlocked multipliers, while having 12 MB of cache enabled. The first of these chips will be clocked at 3.20 GHz.

At the CeBIT event, Gelid showed off its latest CPU cooler, the GX-7. This medium-sized aluminum fin tower-type CPU heatsink makes use of over 40 aluminum fins to which heat is conveyed by as many as seven copper heat pipes (probably in multi-layer stacks at the base). Ventilation is care of two Gelid Wing 12 fans in push-pull configuration, with 1500 RPM speeds. The cooler supports all modern socket types, including LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, LGA775, and AM3/AM2+/AM2.

Overclockers Elmor and kinc last gathered to set a singl-card 3DMark Vantage world record, the duo and SF3D got together in Sweden to set another record, of the highest multi-GPU 3DMark Vantage score with a single processor. Vantage multi-GPU records are lead by multi-processor (dual LGA1366) setups. The team achieved a Vantage score of P75892 points. For this feat, the team used a single Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition processor 6213 MHz (177.5 MHz x 35.0) with all cores and threads enabled, backed by 4 GB of dual-channel memory by ADATA clocked at 887.5 MHz (actual), running on ASUS Rampage III Extreme motherboard with ROG Xpander to enable 4-way SLI capability.

Leading the graphics department were four ASUS GTX 580 DirectCu graphics cards clocked at 1105/1301/2210 MHz (core/shader/memory). The setup was powered by two Antec HCP 1200W PSUs. Liquid nitrogen cooling was the weapon of choice, the CPU was cooled by SF3D OC Inflection Point LN2 evaporator, and four Kingpin Tek-9 6 Slim evaporators for the graphics cards.

Intel today restructured its high-end LGA1366 Core i7 processor lineup for the better. To begin with, it "released the Kraken" with Core i7-990X Extreme Edition, a new high-end six-core processor based on the 32 nm Westmere silicon. The 990X comes with an unlocked BClk multiplier, and carries nominal clock speed of 3.46 GHz. The Core i7-990X Extreme Edition displaces the existing i7-980X Extreme Edition from its US $999 price-point, which will be gradually phased out.

The non-XE Core i7-970 six-core chip received a welcome price-cut, it will soon be priced at $583 from its current $880. Apart from the six-core leviathans, the quad-core Core i7-960, which is clocked at 3.20 GHz, is now priced at $294, displacing i7-950, and providing an alternative to Core i7-2600K, which is effectively MIA till the LGA1155 chipset issue is resolved.

Japanese cooling specialist Scythe hereby officially announces the launch the new high-end CPU Cooler Mine 2. The Mine 2 CPU Cooler is based on a twin cooler Layout. Eight copper heatpipes transport heat to two generously dimensioned cooling blocks. By placing the fan in between the 2 heatsink towers, intake as well as exhale airflows are optimized to provide high performance. Furthermore, the lower part of the installed fan is designed to cool the devices around the CPU socket, such as voltage regulators and RAM. The structure of the heat sink makes it possible to use a total of up to three fans by purchasing separately sold fan clips. In this manner, the air flow and thus the cooling capacity of the Mine 2 will be significantly increased by using the push / pull principle.

By default, the Mine 2 will be delivered with a centrally placed, adjustable 140 mm Slip Stream PWM & VR fan. Although the fan supports the PWM feature, the user can manually adjust the PWM bandwidth between 470 to 1,370 rpm and 740 to 1,900 rpm. Despite the changed bandwidth, the fan is still controlled by the PWM signal from the motherboard, allowing an individual but also dynamic fan control. Alternatively it is possible to disable the PWM function. Instead the fan can be controlled manually in a range of 500 to 1,700 rpm. This gives every user the option to optimize the Mine 2 CPU cooler for performance or low noise according to own preferences.

Scythe Corporation, a renowned cooling manufacturer, today announced the release of its third version of the Universal Retention Kit. This enhanced version comes with several improvements and wide multi-socket compatibility for both AMD and Intel sockets. The list of compatible sockets contains Intel Socket T / LGA775, LGA1156 LGA1366 and the brand-new socket LGA1155. It furthermore supports the AMD Sockets 754, 939, AM2, AM2+, AM3 and 940. Universal Retention Kit 3 is once again based on a backplate mounting system and allows firm contact pressure as well as secure mounting of even big and heavy CPU Coolers.

Commonly supplied retention bracket of AMD Mainboards are made of plastic which has a downside of giving risk of breaking when using with an on-market High-End CPU Cooler. This problem doesn't accrue with the supplied retention bracket of the Universal Retention Kit 3 which is made of solid steel and thereby provides the necessary sturdiness even for big High-End CPU Coolers. For Intel architecture this kit allows pushpin mounting to be converted to backplate mounting, thereby providing high mechanical stability hence also providing the necessary sturdiness even for big High-End CPU Coolers with a pushpin solution. In order to ease the detachment process of Push-Pins, a convenient Push-Pin Removal Tool is supplied along in the accessory.

EverCool announced its latest CPU cooler, part of its Transformer series, the Transformer 3. It features similar design and styling as the Transformer 4. As the number next to "Transformer" indicates, this cooler uses three heat-pipes compared to 4 on its bigger sibling. Measuring 130 x 161 x 78.5 mm, the heatsink weighs 630 g. The three 6 mm thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes are evenly spread along the plane of the aluminum fins, and make direct contact with the CPU at the base. A 120 mm chrome-plated fan is in charge of ventilation, it spins at speeds between 800 and 2200 RPM, is PWM-controlled, and has a rated noise output of 15~34 dBA. It is compatible with all current sockets including LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, LGA775, AM3/AM2+/AM2. The company did not give out pricing.

Cooler Master displayed its next performance CPU cooler, the H-B6. It features an aluminum fin tower design, but with its heat-pipes passing along the length of the fins rather than breadth (like on most tower-type heatsinks). This approach spreads heat more evenly, and adds to the turbulence. The heatsink measures 136 x 127 x 163 mm; the fan is a typically-sized 120 mm spinner with S-shaped blades. All modern CPU sockets are supported, including LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, LGA775, AM3/AM2+/AM3.

Zalman showed off its latest mid-range CPU cooler, the CNPS7X LED. The CNPS7X sits between the value CNPS5X and the high-performance CNPS10X. It uses an aluminum fin tower design, making use of trapezoid aluminum fins to which heat is conveyed by three 8 mm thick copper heat pipes. It makes use of an LED-lit 130 mm high-flow fan. The CNPS7X is suited for all modern socket types, including AM3+/AM3/AM2+, LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, and LGA775.

Gigabyte is readying a new line of motherboards geared for extreme overclocking - well, there already are such motherboards in its ranks, but apparently not very "boutique" so to speak, or optimized for heavy LN2 coolers. In comes the new unnamed motherboard series that sports the "OC Orange" color scheme. Gigabyte is designing these motherboards in collaboration with renowned overclocker "hicookie".

The socket LGA1366 motherboard shown in its CGI form is said to be devoid of all features that overclockers won't need. It sticks to just the essentials as far as connectivity goes, but makes up for it with every feature that will help overclockers make, break, and chase world records. The board is loaded with heatsinks to cool all critical components. It probably uses digital PWM and/or high-C capacitors to keep the CPU socket area as less-crowded as possible (for heavy LN2 pots). Expansion includes four PCI-E 2.0 x16 for 4-way SLI and CrossFireX.

The third in the G1-Killer series of motherboards by Gigabyte to woo the high-end gamer after G1.Guerrilla and G1.Assassin is the G1.Sniper, an LGA1366 motherboard in the ATX form-factor, based on the Intel X58+ICH10R chipset. The G1.Sniper strikes a middle-ground between the relatively-slim G1.Guerrilla, and the fully/over-loaded G1.Assassin. It packs Creative SB X-Fi CA20K2 hardware audio processor with dedicated memory that the G1.Assassin has; but can accommodate up to three graphics cards for 3-way multi-GPU only. It retains the 8+2 phase VRM of the Guerrilla, and is hence still leaning towards being a force-multiplier for gamers than for overclockers. Rest of the feature set is identical to the Guerrilla. You'll either love or loathe the green+black color scheme and the heatsink that looks like an ammo-clip.