Cooler Master has gone full cylinders with innovation for the design of the V10 Hybrid TEC, a variant of the V10 cooler that employs a 70W TEC (Thermo-electric couple) element to indirectly cool the processor. The principle on which it works is fairly simple: A set of heatpipes propagate through the CPU contact block. The same heatpipes make contact with the cold-plate of the TEC. The hot-plate of the TEC is cooled by a dedicated aluminum fin array which is subjected to air flow. The heatpipes that cool the CPU propagate into two additional, independent aluminum fin arrays. All this, neatly packed into the shroud. The TEC part of the cooler has its own Molex power input, and is regulated by a temperature control module. The two fans in place to cool the fins use standard 3~4 pin fan connections. TweakTown put this cooler to test against most common high-end air coolers.

In theory, this is a good concept, though the indirect cooling the TEC element provides, isn't going to send temperatures down to sub-zero levels. Instead, the estimates on its spec. sheet shows it to maintain temperatures between 25 and 70 degrees Celsius. The cooler however, is rated for CPUs with TDPs of up to 200W (a figure achieved during overclocking). The findings of the review, however, show the cooler to be not much of an improvement over most high-end air coolers. The review can be read here.

Cooler Master has a new flagship CPU air-cooler in the making: the V10. This V8 successor with its peculiar design and size is sure to catch some attention. With the way in which the V8 was designed, it became clear than Cooler Master has a new direction with its product design, and that they looked to give their CPU coolers a somewhat industrial look. Measuring 236.5 x 129 x 161.3mm, this definitely is a large cooler and could have problems fitting in all cases.

Its peculiarity lies in its aluminum fin arrays, three in number. While two of them propagate vertically, the third one propagates horizontally, along the plane of the motherboard. A 120mm fan pushes air through two of those arrays, while a second 120mm fan blows air onto the third array. Ideally, this third array should hang above the memory modules to provide active cooling, that is, if the modules aren't tall enough. A total of four heat-pipes convey heat to the fins. The two PWM-controlled fans spin at speeds between 800 and 2400 rpm, while the noise levels are maintained around 17 dBA. The V10 will be announced during the ongoing CES event, and will be priced around 100~150€ according to French website Case&Cooling.