Akasa, a leading provider of thermal solutions, has launched the Smart Black SC12, a 120 x 120 x 25 mm PWM fan with a strong cost-performance ratio for system integrators and PC builders. Rated for up to 88 CFM, it is the highest-airflow HD bearing fan in the Akasa range. It is suitable for case intake and exhaust positions, CPU cooler heatsinks and radiators.

The Smart Black SC12 moves to a nine-blade sickle design with an improved blade curvature, delivering high-airflow of up to 88 CFM and strong aerodynamic efficiency. Together with a static pressure of up to 3.2 mm-H₂O, it helps keep component temperatures stable in dense chassis with restricted airflow.

Thermaltake, a leading brand in gaming PCs, AI workstations, and gaming PC components, offering a comprehensive portfolio of PC cases, power supplies, cooling solutions, gaming peripherals, memory, and racing simulators, today introduces the View 590 TG ARGB Mid-Tower Chassis, designed to showcase PC hardware through a curved tempered glass panel. Available in Black and Snow editions, the View 590 TG ARGB features five pre-installed Infinity ARGB PWM fans, a dual-chamber layout, and support for hidden-connector motherboards, bringing together a clean visual design and flexible hardware configurations.

Curved Tempered Glass for Panoramic Views
The View 590 TG ARGB features a 4 mm curved tempered glass panel covering the front and left side, offering a wide view of the components inside. The curved surface brings the hardware and lighting into focus, creating a complete presentation from different angles. A built-in pull tab allows the glass panel to be lifted easily, providing convenient access for installation, upgrades, and maintenance.

Chieftec has launched two compact CPU coolers, the CAC-S90PWM-T120 tower cooler and the CAC-S92PWM-LP45 low-profile model. Both were first previewed at Computex 2026, as we reported earlier. They follow the recent release of the taller CAC-S120PWM-T150 tower cooler, which stands 148 mm tall and features an all-black matte finish. The CAC-S90PWM-T120 measures 80 x 92 x 117 mm and uses four 6 mm heat pipes with an aluminium fin stack. Do not let yourself be fooled by the T120 suffix into thinking it uses a 120 mm fan. It instead uses a smaller 90 mm PWM model running at 800-2,400 RPM, with 40.48 CFM, 2.73 mm H₂O static pressure, and a noise level of 29.79 dBA.

For even more compact systems, the low-profile CAC-S92PWM-LP45 measures 110.8 x 93 x 45 mm. This model has five 6 mm heat pipes and a slim 92 mm x 92 mm x 15 mm PWM fan with 11 blades. The fan runs at 2,300 RPM, delivering up to 36 CFM of airflow, 3.2 mm H₂O of static pressure and a 38 dBA noise level. Both coolers have an all-black finish, support Intel and AMD CPU platforms and come with a 24-month warranty. Chieftec has not announced pricing or exact retail availability. More pictures and full specifications follow.

be quiet!, the German manufacturer for premium PC components and peripherals, is expanding its Light Wings portfolio with Light Wings Pro IO, its first high-end, software-controlled Light Wings fan series. Light Wings Pro IO launches in two sizes (420 mm and 360 mm) as regular and reverse versions, and is joined by 140 mm and 120 mm Expansion fans. The new series combines spectacular illumination, precise software control, and whisper-quiet cooling for high-end gaming and multimedia systems, black and white showcases, water- and air-cooling setups, and silent system builds.

Aaron Licht, CEO of be quiet!"Light Wings Pro IO brings together everything this series stands for: impressive illumination, quiet operation, and performance-focused engineering. With Light Wings Pro IO, we paid close attention to the details that shape the overall user experience. Whether it's the continuous rubber frame helping to reduce vibration and improve airflow efficiency, or the extensive ARGB customization options, every element was designed with purpose. The result is a cooling solution that gives users the freedom to create a system that looks exactly the way they want, delivering great performance while staying quiet under load."

Zalman has launched two new mid-tower cases, the S6 Black and S6 V2 Black, with identical dimensions of 412 x 215 x 486 mm and the same core specifications. The only difference between them is that the V2 Black includes two additional 120 mm RGB fans mounted at the top. Both PC cases support ATX, microATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards, feature seven PCIe slots, up to 345 mm GPU clearance, and CPU cooler height up to 165 mm. For storage, there is one 3.5-inch HDD bay, three 2.5-inch SSD bays, and one combo bay. Fan support is generous, up to three 120/140 mm at the front, two 120/140 mm at the top, two 120 mm at the bottom, and one 120 mm at the rear. The S6 Black ships with three fixed-RGB 140 mm front fans and one fixed-RGB 120 mm rear fan. As already stated, the S6 V2 Black adds two fixed-RGB 120 mm fans at the top. Radiator support goes up to 360 mm at the front, 240 mm at the top, and 120 mm at the rear.

Both cases feature a mesh front panel, tempered glass side panel, magnetic top dust filter, and additional filters at the front and bottom. For cable management users gets 22 mm of clearance behind the motherboard tray. Front I/O includes USB-C, one USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, HD audio, and separate power and RGB buttons. The S6 Black is listed at $79.99 on Zalman USA. The S6 V2 Black doesn't have an official price yet, though the small difference in included fans suggests something around $89.

Thermalright has launched the AXP120-X77 low-profile CPU cooler, available in standard and AXP120-X77 BLACK variants, with the latter featuring an all-black finish. The AXP120-X77 is derived from the AXP120-X77R series, but adopts a shorter design with a total height of 77 mm, including the fan. Unlike the X77R, which allowed its 120 mm fan to be installed either above or below the heatsink, the new X77 only supports mounting the fan above the heatsink. The cooler measures 133.5 x 122 x 77 mm and uses six 6 mm heat pipes connected to a nickel-plated C1100 pure copper base. It is paired with Thermalright's TL-B12015 EX 120 mm slim fan, which measures just 15 mm thick.

The TL-B12015 EX fan achieves speeds of up to 3150 RPM, with up to 83.61 CFM of airflow and 3.4 mm H₂O of static pressure. It has a maximum noise level of 37.07 dBA, uses dual bearings, and a 4-pin PWM connector for power. The cooler is compatible with Intel LGA115X, 1200, 1700, 1851, 2011, 2066, and AMD AM4, AM5 CPU sockets. Thermalright AXP120-X77 came with a six-year warranty, the company has yet to disclose pricing.

The TechPowerUp team visited the Chieftec booth at IFA 2026, with some interesting offerings on display. Chieftec brought its case lineup to the show, mixing an unannounced E-ATX tower with two chassis it already launched earlier this year. The new one is the Atlas, an E-ATX case supporting up to 420 mm radiators in the front or top. It has room for three 120 mm fans behind the power supply shroud, one rear fan, and an extra 120 mm unit near the PCIe brackets meant to pull hot air away from the graphics card. There are eight expansion slots and up to 420 mm of GPU clearance. This case is really meant for workstation or server builds, and its clean, functional design makes it ideal for that purpose.

The TechPowerUp team is on the ground at IFA 2026, and the Chieftec booth had some interesting offerings. Chieftec used the floor to show off a new air cooler alongside its case and PSU lineups: the CAC-S120PWM-T150. It's a tower-style air cooler with an all-black matte finish, standing 148 mm tall. Socket support is broad, covering Intel's LGA 1851, LGA 1700, LGA 1200, and LGA 115X, plus AMD's AM5 and AM4, so it should slot into current and slightly older builds without issue. I spotted five heatpipes running through the heatsink array, which should give it enough grunt to handle some serious CPUs.

The single 120 mm PWM fan spins between 500 and 2,400 RPM (±10 percent), pushing up to 74.54 CFM of airflow at 3.51 mm H₂O of static pressure. That puts it in a similar performance bracket to Chieftec's Single Tower CAC-SI2-BLK from Computex 2025, though this new model trims one heat pipe and adds a bit more height. Chieftec hasn't announced pricing or availability yet, but we'll know more soon. The company has been steadily expanding its air and liquid cooling range this year, following the announcement of the Iceberg PRO series AIOs earlier.

Xeron, the PC hardware company that recently launched at Computex 2026, whose cases and AIO liquid coolers we've already seen at Gamescom, has also launched the NEX A61 ARGB, a new CPU tower cooler designed for AMD's AM5 socket. The CPU tower cooler integrates noise-damping rings on the fan mounts and uses 120 mm ARGB fans mounted to either side in a push-pull orientation in order to maximize the cooling density. The cooling tower measures just 148 mm tall and has an offset design for memory compatibility.

Xeron made its global debut at Computex 2026 earlier this year, and now it is showing the full lineup at Gamescom 2026, giving European audiences their first look at the complete portfolio spanning cases, coolers, power supplies, thermal compounds, and accessories. Here at Gamescom, our team on the ground was able to see one of the new products, the Xeron NEX L360 ARGB, a 360 mm AIO CPU liquid cooler. The aluminium radiator measures 396 x 120 x 27 mm, includes 400 mm of tubing, and is rated for up to 300 W TDP. The 3-phase, 6-slot pump runs at speeds between 800 and 2500 RPM, has a maximum noise of 30 dB(A) and measures 72.9 x 72.9 x 67 mm. The pump head is fully ARGB illuminated and connects to a standard 5 V motherboard header.

The three 120 mm fans use a connected-blade design to reduce resonance, with a hollowed frame for better ARGB light diffusion and daisy-chain cables routed through the frame for cleaner management. The three 120 mm radiator fans run at 800-2400 RPM, with up to 75.39 CFM and 2.71 mmH2O static pressure at a maximum of 34.9 dB(A). The cooler is compatible with Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115X and AMD AM5/AM4 platforms. For AM5, an offset bracket is included to optimize cold plate positioning.

Corsair (Nasdaq: CRSR) is delighted to announce the launch of the iCUE LINK TITAN II Series of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers, available as the iCUE LINK TITAN II RX LCD and iCUE LINK TITAN II RX RGB. Building on the success of the acclaimed iCUE LINK TITAN Series, iCUE LINK TITAN II combines a new FlowDrive 2 pump and next-generation iCUE LINK RX II RGB fans to boost cooling efficiency at lower noise levels.

Corsair is also expanding the iCUE LINK ecosystem with standalone iCUE LINK RX II RGB fans and the new iCUE LINK 5" LCD Screen Module.

Thermalright has introduced the Assassin X 120-A Dark, an updated version of its Assassin X 120 V2 series. The single-tower cooler keeps the slim design of the original, but uses an all-black finish across the heatsink, top cover, base, and four 6 mm copper heat pipes. It also changed from a nickel-plated copper base to a heatpipe direct-touch base. The heatpipes run through the fin stack in a square-pattern layout to provide an even heat distribution. The heatsink measures 120 x 46 x 151 mm and is paired with a single Thermalright TL-NT12-R9 V2 120 mm PWM fan that replaces the TC-C12C V2 from the older model. The new fan uses an S-FDB (fluid-dynamic) bearing, has a top speed of 2,400 RPM, offering up to 85.35 CFM airflow, a static pressure of 2.95 mm H₂O, and a maximum noise of 33.3 dBA.

The Assassin X 120-A Dark CPU cooler supports Intel LGA 1851, 1700, 1200, and 115x sockets, as well as AMD AM5 and AM4 platforms. Thermalright has not announced pricing or availability.

The CNPS CPU cooler series from Zalman spans more than a decade and recently the company has silently introduced four new dual-tower CPU air coolers, the CNPS15X BP and CNPS12X BP, each available in standard and ARGB variants. The CNPS15X BP cooler measures 126 x 135 x 159 mm and weighs 1,170 g. It uses six reverse direct-touch black-coated heat pipes, a 104-fin aluminium radiator with 9,997 cm² heat dissipation area, and is rated for 285 W TDP. The included dual 120 mm ZM-XF120 (ARGB) fans run between 600 and 2,000 RPM with up to 32.9 dB(A) noise level and 71.14 CFM. For RAM clearance, Zalman says it is 44 mm for standard memory modules and up to 52 mm for RAM modules with the cut-out fin design.

The CNPS12X BP is a smaller variant measuring 120 x 120 x 153 mm and 750 g. It uses six nickel-plated copper heat pipes with a direct-touch design and is rated for 260 W TDP. The two 120 mm fans spin between 800 and 1,800 RPM, reaching up to 74.62 CFM at 32.2 dB(A), slightly quieter and with higher airflow than the 15X model despite the lower TDP rating.

Cooler Master, a global leader in PC components and thermal management solutions, today launched its MasterFan A Series and MasterFan M Series fans, which have received strong evaluations from Cybenetics Labs, with recognition for excellent airflow and static pressure. Among all 120 mm fans evaluated by Cybenetics to date, MasterFan A120 and MasterFan M120 ranked among the strongest performers, especially in static pressure generation, earning the highest Diamond rating. MasterFan A Series and MasterFan M Series are available now in 120 mm formats, 140 mm will be available at a later date. Pre-orders for A120 and M120 are available now on Amazon.

The MasterFan A Series was developed around Cooler Master's continued focus on its Thermal Authority: solving harder cooling challenges through material science, mechanical precision, and system-level performance. Unlike conventional plastic fans, the MasterFan A Series uses die-cast aluminium blades and an aluminium frame to achieve near-zero deformation at high RPM. This allows a precise 0.6 mm blade-to-frame clearance, helping reduce air leakage and improve cooling efficiency through dense radiators, heatsinks, and obstructed case intakes.

Thermalright today introduced the Peerless Assassin 120 SE V3 and Peerless Assassin 140 V3 CPU coolers. Both are design improvements over the Peerless Assassin V3 series, and come with improved fans and aluminium fin-stack patterns. Both coolers are dual fin-stack (type-D) towers. The Peerless Assassin 120 SE V3 is the smaller of the two, and uses six 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heatpipes to transfer heat drawn from the base through the fin stacks. The base is made of C1100 copper. This cooler measures 125 × 135 × 155 mm (excluding fans), weighing 608 g. The fans add about 200 g to the weight. Each of the two TL-P12 fans features fluid dynamic bearings, take in 4-pin PWM connections, turn at speeds of up to 2,000 RPM, pushing up to 70.84 CFM of airflow at 2.63 mm H₂O static pressure, and 29.8 dBA noise output, each.

The Peerless Assassin 140 SE V3 is the larger cooler among the two. Without the fans, the heatsink measures 132 × 140 × 158 mm, weighing 840 g. The cooler uses a 140 mm fan as a conveyor between the two fin-stacks, and a 120 mm intake. The 120 mm intake fan is a Thermalright TL-C12C-X28 V2, while the conveyor is a TL-D14CB. The intake fan turns at up to 1,850 RPM, pushing up to 88.89 CFM of airflow at 2.21 mm H₂O static pressure, and 29.5 dBA maximum noise. Meanwhile, the 140 mm conveyor turns at up to 1,500 RPM, pushing up to 77.84 CFM of airflow at 2.09 mm H₂O static pressure, and 25.6 dBA of noise. Both coolers support all modern desktop socket types, including AM5, LGA1851, LGA1700, AM4, and LGA1200/115x. The company didn't reveal pricing.

DeepCool showed off a number of slick new CPU coolers at Computex 2026, which we already covered previously, but some of the company's new fans might be even more interesting to PC builders—especially those looking for silent and clutter-free PC builds. The update to DeepCool's fan line-up sees the brand update its daisy-chain FL12 fans with the INF versions, which now feature ARGB-illuminated infinity mirrors on the edges of the fans that would normally be visible in a daisy-chain setup. The FL12 INF will, like the other fans in the FL12 series, be available in black or white and with both regular and reverse fan blade orientations.

DeepCool has also announced a revised version of the FD12 and FD12 ARGB fans, called the FD12 ARGB V2 and FD12 V2. With the update, DeepCool has redesigned the FD12 fan blades with an integral design that it calls a "closed fan wheel design," which is essentially just a ring that connects the exteriors of all the fan blades. DeepCool says this allows the FD12 V2s to deliver higher airflow, more static pressure, and lower noise, with claims of a 7% increased effective cooling area. The new FD12 ARGB V2 fans feature the same second-generation eight-pin daisy-chain connection, and they have nine ARGB LEDs for color-matching purposes, while the non-RGB FD12 V2s forego both RGB and daisy-chaining in favor of a regular four-pin PWM connector. Like the new FL-series fans, the FD12 V2 fans will be available in both black and white and in forward and reverse configurations.

SilverStone's Computex 2026 cooling showcase leaned heavily into server, workstation and industrial applications. The HailStone 420 is a 420 mm AIO targeting workstation platforms including AMD Threadripper PRO. With an 84 × 73 × 65 mm copper base waterblock and 140 mm fans spinning between 800 and 2500 RPM it reaches up to 123.8 CFM. The XE420 extends the well-received XE360 server AIO lineup to a larger 420 mm format (140 × 28 × 456 mm), built for server and industrial environments with a radiator-integrated pump, industrial 140 mm LCP blade fans, and a vibration-reducing design. The fan speed and airflow specs are the same as the HailStone 420.

The FHL120 and FHL140 are high-airflow fans. The 140 mm version runs at 800 to 2500 RPM at 123.8 CFM and 38.8 dB(A), while the 120 mm reaches 95.1 CFM at 39.6 dB(A). Both run on dual ball bearings while measuring 27 mm (FHL120) and 34 mm (FHL140) thick.

Renowned PC case maker, Lian Li, has officially unveiled its next-gen case line-up at Computex 2026, with updates to both its full- and mid-tower cases, including popular series, like the O11 and Lancool cases. The new Lancool cases consist of the Lancool 207XL, which takes a pragmatic approach and aims for maximum performance and compatibility, and the Lancool 4, which prioritizes aesthetics without compromising too much on thermal performance. The Lancool 207XL is an ATX mid-tower case launching sometime in Q4 2026 for $109.99, and it will feature support for up to ATX motherboards, 360 mm liquid cooling radiators, and ATX PSUs. The most notable feature of the Lancool 207XL is the dual cross-flow fans installed in the bottom of the case, which increase GPU airflow with minimal impact on the case's dimensions. The Lancool 207XL will ship with two pre-installed 170 × 30 mm fans in the front intake, which is covered by a front plastic front panel with vertical slats that should allow for decent airflow.

Alongside its new AI workstation-oriented NU-series cases, Cougar has also debuted new additions to its line-up of airflow-focused gaming PC cases at Computex 2026. The new CVF220 and Duoair RGB cases feature large cutouts and overhangs that not only serve to generate visual interest, but are also meant to increase airflow and cooling capacity, because they separate the PSU from the main system components and create more room for fresh air intake. The new Cougar CVF220 RGB case is a slightly more compact version of the existing CVF235, and it moves the PSU to the front of the case and has a fan intake cutout between the PSU and the rear of the case. Both CVF cases feature fan intakes on the bottom panel, right above the intake cutouts, in order to bring in fresh air from the outside of the case via that cutout. The older CFV235 has three fan mounts on the top and bottom intake panels, along with a pre-installed Cougar Unity 240 PWM fan kit (dual 120 mm fans in one frame), next to the motherboard. The CVF220, on the other hand, keeps the space in front of the motherboard completely clear, with tempered glass on all three sides of the case until the motherboard tray, instead relying only on two bottom intakes that draw air in via the cutout in front of the PSU compartment and three top fan mounts, where it can mount up to a 360 mm radiator.

The Duoair takes a more conservative approach with the chamber separation, but it makes up for that with two 140 mm intake fans behind a mesh front panel, as opposed to the motherboard-adjacent option. That mesh front panel can also be replaced with a tempered glass front panel for those more concerned with aesthetics. There are still two fan mounts above an empty space behind the PSU compartment in the front portion of the case, where the case fans can still draw in fresh air from the outside of the case to feed the GPU directly. The Duoair supports GPUs up to 410 mm long, while the CVF220 can fit longer 420 mm GPUs. Both the CFV220 and Duoair will also receive their own pre-built PC options. The Duoair A1 will feature up to an Intel Core i7-14700F, 16 GB of G.Skill Ripjaw DDR4-3200 memory, and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU, with a mix of 2× 140 mm ARGB and 3x 120 mm non-RGB PWM fans handling airflow. Meanwhile the CVF220 will be powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32 GB of G.Skill Ripjaw DDR5 memory, and an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU. The Duoair X1 will launch at $1,499, while the CVF220 X1 will launch at $2,599.

We've already covered Cougar's latest NU-series modular full-tower cases, which support multiple GPUs and PSUs, but the brand has also debuted a number of new cooling products that take a slightly different approach than the typical LCD-on-waterblock designs we've seen from the likes of Cryorig and DeepCool with its latest tower CPU air coolers—although there are also LCD-clad AIOs for those interested. Instead, Cougar has designed its new line-up of FRZ ARGB air coolers with a digital dot matrix display on the top, which enables CPU temperature read-out with a more minimalist aesthetic, while ARGB fans and an ARGB strip on the top of the cooler enable further customization if so desired.

Cougar's FRZ air cooler line-up consists of three versions. The dual-tower FRZ 612 ARGB is the most premium of the lot, with six heat pipes, two ARGB fans, and a digital display and ARGB strip on the top of the cooler. Meanwhile, the FRZ 412 ARGB takes the same formula and slims it down to a single-tower, single-fan cooler with four heat pipes for less demanding workloads. Where the other two FRZ coolers feature an ARGB strip and a digital dot matrix display on the top, the FRZ 412 Elite eschews both the display and the ARGB strip and swaps out the fan for a more basic version without the metal embellishment on the fan hub. The Elite version also has an unpainted heat sink in order to cut costs. All the aforementioned coolers will be available in white and black.

Cryorig previously showed off its Lull silent PC case at Computex 2025, and at Computex 2026, the brand has debuted a more refined version of the Lull PC, with neater hose routing and apparent expanded active cooling support. The new Lull chassis still uses the same left-side-panel cooling solution, but this time, the radiator has been expanded to 450 × 475 × 19 mm, which actually works out to less volume than the previous iteration, however, it increases the surface area, which likely results in increased cooling capacity. The case itself weighs in at a whopping 15.8 kg. As with the previous version, there is an AIO pump block on the CPU that pumps water through the loop, so the system is unlikely to be entirely silent. However, the pump runs at a constant 2700 RPM, which is slower than many commercially available AIO coolers.

One of the biggest changes to the case design is that the tubing for the water cooling block connects to the pump via ports mounted to the inside of the case behind the motherboard tray. Previously, the Lull case had space for the tubing to exit the case and enter the radiator externally, so this change makes the whole build cleaner. The new case also has room for three 120 mm fans behind a ventilated case front panel, where the old model had a tempered glass panel curving around the front and right side of the case. This is a notable change, because it means users can install low-RPM fans in the front of the case to provide direct front-to-back airflow through the case for cooling VRMs and non-passively cooled components, like the PSU. The case itself supports up to ATX motherboards, and there appears to be ample room behind the motherboard tray for things like cable management, SSD installation, and even two 3.5-inch HDD trays in the bottom of the case.

At Computex 2026, NZXT has debuted its latest Ultra RGB Fan series, which upgrades the materials and design of the existing RGB fan frame with a focus on premium aesthetics and customization. The NZXT Ultra fans come in four sizes: F120U with a single 120 mm fan, F140U with a single 140 mm fan, F360U with three 120 mm fans, and F420 with three 140 mm fans. Each fan frame features a single eight-pin NZXT combo header that serves as both RGB and PWM control, and the single-fan versions have two RGB zones, while the three-fan F420U and F360U frames have three zones each. Pricing on the new NZXT Ultra Fans comes in at $29.99 for the F120U, $34.99 for the F140U, $89.99 for the F360U, and $99.99 for the F420U. The new fans use the same fluid dynamic bearings as the original frame fans, but this time, there is a metallic accent on the fan hubs for a more premium touch.

As with previous NZXT Fan Frame designs, the Ultra Fan series aims to minimize cable clutter and streamline both physical installation and software management of case fans. The Ultra Fans take use standard 120 mm and 140 mm fan screw spacing, but there are only four screws per frame on both the small and large frames. The Ultra fans also feature an RGB-illuminated loop around the fans, in addition to the typical fan hub lighting effects, and you can run different effects on the hub and loop. The RGB addressable RGB zones in the Ultra Fan series are customizable in NZXT Cam, but there is an optional 5 v ARGB header for native motherboard control instead. NZXT claims that the frames with 120 mm fans offer noise levels of 32.2 dBA per fan, while the 140 mm variant bumps it up to 36.9 dBA per fan. Both fan frames are available in black and white. NZXT also showed off the RGB Reverse Fan single-fan frame, which takes the original 360 and 420 mm Frame designs and flips the fan orientation for more diverse PC build options.

Announcing Dynamic 3, the evolution of a fan series engineered to deliver strong cooling performance in a stylish, modern form.

Crafted for PC builders seeking reliable airflow, quieter acoustics, and a refined system aesthetic, Dynamic 3 offers PWM control and a considered design suited to a wide range of gaming setups. Each fan uses a rifle bearing for smooth, stable rotation and features swept blades for quieter, more efficient performance. At the same time, its refined appearance, molded center cap, and daisy-chainable cables make it easy to achieve a tidy, cohesive build.

Austrian fan maker Noctua has published a technical blog explaining why it sometimes takes a long time for the company to release the dark-edition chromax.black fans after the initial beige and brown design is out. The company compares the level of engineering required for a new color code to painting a Formula 1 car, rather than a simple color change like you would typically do with a wooden fence. Noctua is known for its scientific testing, rigorous performance evaluations, highly detailed lab experiments, and more, which make its fans worthwhile. This has created a massive fan base within the enthusiast community over the years, who now eagerly await each new product release. When it comes to manufacturing, the company applies that same rigor everywhere, and a simple color change is not taken lightly. For example, Noctua produces its fans using injection molding, where plastic is melted and forced into a steel mold. However, when a new pigment is used, the entire calculation can be disrupted.

Noctua designs its fans with high precision to maximize airflow performance. This means that blade impellers have a tip clearance before hitting the fan frame of only a few tenths of a millimeter, about 0.5 mm for 120 mm fans and about 0.7 mm for 140 mm fans. Introducing any third-party pigment into this process could disrupt the structure of this fan tip clearance and potentially interfere with Noctua's Sterrox liquid-crystal polymer (LCP) material used in its fans. Specifically, color pigments have particles that directly affect how the injection mold behaves, as they carry their own particle imperfections. This negatively impacts the hundreds of thousands of performance tests that Noctua conducts in the lab and significantly delays the chromax.black product launch.

Intel is accelerating its advanced packaging push with a major move in Malaysia. According to reports from The Edge Malaysia, the company's new complex there, part of Project Pelican, is now 99% complete and set for full operations later this year. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim confirmed he met with Intel CEO Tan Lip-Bu and executives to review the project progress. The first phase will launch assembly and testing capabilities for advanced packaging, marking a key step in Intel's foundry expansion strategy. The facility is designed to handle die sort, prep, and full production flows across both EMIB (Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge) and Foveros technologies, critical for supporting high-volume chiplet-based designs. As we reported in December last year, Intel values the project at approximately $7 billion and aims to transform Malaysia into a major regional hub for its advanced packaging operations. An additional $200 million investment has already been committed to finish the site.

Intel continues to advance its EMIB packaging approach. Unlike traditional silicon interposers used by NVIDIA in Blackwell, EMIB embeds conductive bridges directly into the substrate. This approach is cheaper, more efficient, and more suited for high-density chips. Intel is now aiming for 120 x 120 mm packages from the current 100 x 100 mm. These larger dies can support up to twelve HBM stacks, compared with eight in current designs. By 2028, Intel plans 120 x 180 mm packages capable of handling twenty-four HBM stacks. The company has also upgraded EMIB-T, its latest version incorporating through-silicon vias (TSV), to support next-gen HBM4 memory, now entering mass production. That is critical as AI chipmakers demand higher bandwidth and tighter integration. However, bigger isn't always easier. Scaling up package size increases warpage risk and yield challenges during manufacturing.