European cooling expert Phanteks expands its product portfolio with the PH-TC14CS C-Type CPU Cooler. The PH-TC14CS measures 160 x 151 x 140.5 mm ( with dual fans), it weighs 900 grams, has five nickel-plated 8mm copper heat-pipes, and supports the latest LGA 2011/ 1155/ 1156/ 1366/ 775 and AMD FM1/ AM3+/ AM3/ AM2/ 2+/ AM3 micro-processors. Featuring Phanteks patented Physical Antioxidant Thermal Shield ( P.A.T.S) and Cold Plasma Spraying Coating Technology (C.P.S.C), PH-TC14CS provides a perfect cooling solution for low profile setups. Enthusiasts with HTPC's or multimedia cases can achieve maximum cooling while maintaining quiet performance.

Japanese cooling expert Scythe announcing a new revision of the Top-Flow CPU cooler Grand Kama Cross. New Rev. B of the x-shaped cooler comes with reliable quality and performance for the same price as prior version. Main improvement is the compatibility to the new enthusiast socket LGA2011 from Intel. Furthermore Socket compatibility list includes latest Intel socket LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA775, LGA1366 as well as AMD socket 754, 939, 940, AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+ and FM1.

Well-proven Top-Flow design of grand Kama Cross Rev. B utilizes the created airflow to additionally cool surrounding components on the motherboard. Curved aluminum fin structure deflects the airflow, which has a positive influence on temperatures of Voltage regulator modules, chipset and RAM. Efficient airflow is achieved by the pre-assembled 140 mm axial fan. Scythe Slip Stream 140 PWM fan comes with PWN support and allows stepless fan speed adjustments from 500 to 1.300 RPM.

Sapphire released the new Pure Platinum A55V motherboard to the market. The board offers a value socket FM1 platform based on AMD A55 FCH chipset, in the ATX form-factor. The motherboard supports AMD A4, A6, A8, and Athlon II "Llano" APU/CPUs in the FM1 package. This model is not exactly designed to be "no-frills", as it does pack an interesting mix of features that could help it grab a comfy price-point in the market.

The FM1 socket is powered by a 6-phase VRM, which uses a simple whine-free choke + DPAK MOSFET design, but throws in a heatsink to cool the MOSFETs. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory, with speeds of over DDR3-1600 MHz with overclocking. The APU is also wired to a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots. Apart from these, you get three legacy PCI slots, wired to the FCH.

AMD is close to launching a new value accelerated processing unit (APU) in the FM1 package, the A4-3420. This model has been available in OEM/tray package to system manufacturers since January, but now AMD is releasing it to the retail channel, in the PIB (processor in a box) package. This chip has two x86-64 cores clocked at 2.80 GHz, and Radeon HD 6410D graphics with 160 stream processors, with its engine clocked at 600 MHz. The L2 cache size is 512 KB per core. It packs an integrated memory controller supporting dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory, and a PCI-Express 2.0 root hub for discrete graphics. Its rated TDP is 65W. Expect a US $65 price.

To finish off the week in style Thermalright announced the Silver Arrow SB-E, a new, high-end CPU cooler based on the Silver Arrow model introduced back in 2010.

The Silver Arrow SB-E features a dual tower/dual fan design and has eight (nickel-plated) 6 mm copper heatpipes (the old Arrow comes with four 8 mm pipes), a tweaked heatsink, two TY PWM fans - one 140 mm and one 150 mm (the SA packs two 140 mm spinners), and a mounting kit offering support for Intel LGA 2011 / 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD AM2(+) / AM3(+) / FM1 processors.

The Silver Arrow SB-E also makes use of some more 'discrete' fan clips that won't interfere with taller memory modules. The cooler is expected to become available at the end of this month. No price tag was announced but we found it on pre-order at about $103 / 78 Euro.

Cooler Master has just announced the European arrival of the GeminII SF524 CPU cooler. This model features the same specs as the GeminII S524 released in August except it comes equipped with a different fan, one that operates at 1300 RPM or 900 RPM when using the silent mode adapter (the S524 has a PWM fan going at 800 to 1800 RPM).

The GeminII SF524 measures 144 x 144 x 105 mm, it weights 592 grams, has five 6 mm copper heatpipes, and offers support for Intel LGA 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 and AMD FM1 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 processors. The cooler can be found selling for 37 Euro.

AMD may be busy building up hype for its Trinity-generation APUs (accelerated processing units) but it's still churning out new chips, the latest releases being the rather low-profile Athlon II X4 641 and X4 638. Both of these models are made on 32 nm technology, have an FM1 packaging, and boast four 'Stars' x86 cores just like those found in Llano APUs (but unlike Llano, these Athlons don't have integrated graphics).

The Athlon II X4 641 comes with a core clock of 2.8 GHz, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a 100 W TDP, while the Athlon II X4 638 features a 2.7 GHz clock, 4 MB of L2 cache, and a TDP of 65 W. Both CPUs are priced at $81 (pricing is for 1000-unit tray quantities).

Titan Technology unveiled its latest Siberia CPU Cooler, the TTC-NC55TZ(RB). The cooler has an asymmetric aluminum fin tower design, which cools other hot components on the motherboard along with the CPU. The design consists of a nickel-plated copper base, from which five copper heat pipes pass. One end of these heat pipes pass through an aluminum fin stack that propagates along the plane of the motherboard, while the other passes though a stack that propagates perpendicular to this plane.

The stack that's along the plane of the motherboard is the larger of the two, and is ventilated by a 140 mm fan. The perpendicular stack is ventilated by a smaller 120 mm fan. The 140 mm fan spins at 700 ~ 1,800 RPM, pushing 34.78 ~ 89.43 CFM of air, with a noise output of 8.3 ~ 28.8 dBA. The 120 mm fan, on the other hand, spins at 800 ~ 2,200 RPM; pushing 24.23 ~ 66.2 CFM, with 15.0 ~ 35.0 dBA noise output. Both fans have 4-pin plugs and support PWM control. The heatsink itself measures 200 x 130 x 162 mm (WxDxH), weighing 755 g. All current sockets, including LGA2011, LGA1366, LGA1155/LGA1156, AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM1 are supported. It is priced at 6,980 JPY (US $91.6).

Catering to the HTPC crowd, JEHE has developed and now launched (for starters in Japan), a Giada-branded Mini-ITX motherboard powered by AMD's A75 (aka Hudson D3) chipset, the MI-A75. This board supports FM1 processors (with a TDP of up to 65W) and features two DDR3-1600 memory slots (for up to 16 GB of RAM), four SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, one PCIe x16 slot (that's x8 electrical), one Mini PCIe port, and an mSATA connector.

The MI-A75 also has two USB 3.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, plus DVI and HDMI outputs, and is available for pre-order @ 10,300 yen (~ $133.7).

At CES, AMD is grabbing some eyeballs with a fascinating real-world capability demo of the AMD "Trinity" accelerated processing unit. At the same booth, AMD displayed the Trinity silicon in three different packages, for three different form-factors. The first one (to the left), also pictured in the earlier article, is a compact FP2 BGA (ball-grid array) package, designed for ultra-compact notebooks, ultrabooks, etc.

The second one (center) is the FS1r2 uPGA package for mainstream notebooks with slightly relaxed space and board footprint constraints. Unlike the FP2 BGA package, the FS1r2 uPGA is socketed, with extremely tiny pins. The FS1r2 uPGA is significantly bigger than FP2 BGA. The third, more familiar-looking package is the FM2, for desktops. FM2 is an updated version of FM1, on which current Llano A-series desktop APUs are based. Unfortunately, FM1 and FM2 are not compatible in any way. Learn more about the FM2 package in our older article detailing it, here.

The colored coolers from Zero Infinity are now available for pre-order at Caseking.de. The violet fan blades and accents define the look and feel of these new cooling units. The top model by the name "Free Flow+" impresses with three fans in combination with direct touch heatpipes and dual tower design, allowing it to cool even the hottest and fastest processors with ease.

Based in Hong Kong, the new brand aims to turn the heads of the enthusiast crowd. The name: Zero Infinity. "Zero" and "Infinity" present two opposite aspects for many mathematician, physicists and philosophers , while still distinctively connected to each other.

In its 20th year of service, Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, power supply, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, today announced the successor to a world renowned chassis line, the Cosmos II. Incomparable in design and specifications, the Cosmos II comes in as among the first of its type. It is an Ultra Tower; a benchmark for all enclosures that exist and all that follow.

Inspired by luxurious supercars, the exterior of the Cosmos II melds aluminum, steel, and mesh into an elegant artistic piece. It utilizes a high-grade aluminum for its primary construction and form. This is supplemented by steel and mesh to add to strength, stability, and overall appeal. It maintains its trademark Cosmos profile and outlook with its reinforced aluminum rails while being further refined for today's advancements in air/water cooling, peripheral support, and styling. Following the supercar feel, the large aluminum side panels swing wide open with a small press of a button. Aluminum sliding doors adorn the well equipped fan and LED control and I/O ports function panel on the top of the case along with the front drive bays. These serve to obscure unsightly cabling and protect drive bays and devices.

After extensive development work our newest product is on the market available. The Coollaboratory ALPHEOS Liquid Cooler offers by its perfectly co-ordinated aquifer system a brilliant cooling efficiency.

By the multiplicity of the superfine lamellas, which have a small distance too each other, results an extreme flow rate which dissolves the warm-restraining boundary layers. Thereupon the Coollaboratory ALPHEOS Liquid Cooler catapults itself into the best regions of all available water cooler at the market in the matter of cooling performance. It was provided on basis of computational fluid dynamics, therefore all death water zones were eliminated, which additionally affects the cooling performance positively.

Zalman took its first dip into water cooling after a while, with the CNPS20LQ, a self-contained (closed loop) CPU cooler. Designed and made originally by Asetek, a well-established brand name in OEM water cooling solutions, the CNPS20LQ uses a single-fan (dual-fan capable) radiator design. Its radiator measures 120 (W) x 158 (L) x 25 (H) mm. The radiator houses a small reservoir. The block houses a pump, which draws power from standard 4-pin CPU power header, and supports PWM control. The two are connected by flexible tubing. The block features a copper base with pre-applied thermal interface material. The CNPS20LQ supports all current socket types, including Intel LGA2011, LGA1155/1156, LGA1366, LGA775; AMD AM3+, FM1, and AM3/AM2+/AM2. It is priced at €69.90.

December thru January looks to be a busy time for AMD. Along with a few new graphics products, AMD will launch new CPUs and APUs. The company has chosen December 26 to launch its A8-3870K and A6-3670K Black Edition "Llano" accelerated processing units (APUs) in the FM1 package, which feature unlocked base clock multipliers for the processor component, making overclocking a breeze. In two of its presentation slides to distributors, it unveiled the swanky new box art of these unlocked APUs.

These chips pack four x86-64 cores based on the "Stars" K10.5 architecture with 1 MB dedicated L2 cache per core, dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz integrated memory controller, PCI-Express 2.0 root complex, and a "discrete-class" graphics processor that packs 400 VLIW5 stream processors, DirectX 11 support, and the ability to pair with similarly specc'd discrete GPUs. The A8-3870K Black Edition features x86 core clock speed of 3.00 GHz, and Radeon HD 6550D graphics that features all 400 of those stream processors, with 600 MHz GPU clock speed. The A6-3670K Black Edition, on the other hand, has its x86 component clocked at 2.70 GHz, it features Radeon HD 6530D graphics that has 320 out of the 400 stream processors enabled, and a GPU clock of 433 MHz.

Sapphire is working on two new entry-level motherboards for AMD FM1 and Intel LGA1155 platforms. The FM1 board, called the Pure White A55, is a budget micro-ATX board based on the AMD A55 FCH; while the LGA1155 board is the Pure Platinum H61P, an ATX board based on the Intel H61 chipset. The Pure White A55 uses a simple 5+1 phase VRM to power the AMD A-Series APU or Athlon II FM1 CPU. The FM1 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel DDR3 memory. The "Memory Free" feature stabilizes memory clock speeds, voltages, and timings if wrong settings make the system fail POST, at the push of a button.

Expansion slots of the Pure White A55 include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, two PCIe 2.0 x1, and a legacy PCI. All six SATA 3 Gb/s ports of the A55 FCH are assigned as internal ports. Display outputs include HDMI, DVI, and D-Sub. Other connectivity features include 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. The board uses redundant BIOS on separate ROM chips, that protect it against bad BIOS updates. The Pure Platinum H61P uses a 6 phase VRM to power the LGA1155 processor. The socket is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory.

Later this month, AMD will finally launch its much overdue unlocked A8 and A6 series APUs in the FM1 package, that are geared for overclocking. The A8-3870K is clocked at 3.00 GHz, and the A6-3670K at 2.60 GHz. The two are quad-core APUs, and differ by the core clock speeds and integrated GPUs. While the A8-3870K packs Radeon HD 6550D graphics with 400 stream processors, the A6-3670K has Radeon HD 6530D graphics with 320 stream processors. The two were listed for pre-order on ShopBLT, with the A8-3870K priced at US $143.77, and the A6-3670K at $121.50. It is expected that prices of A8-3850 and A6-3650 will drop after the launch of these two chips.

AMD, along with launching several new Opteron processors, retouched prices of its socket FM1 accelerated processing units (APUs), across its A-Series. These include tiny price hikes for its lower-end APUs, A4-3300 and A4-3400; a minor price cut for the A6-3500; a price-cut for the FX-6100; and introduction of the new Athlon II X4 651. To begin with, the dual-core A4-3300 and A4-3400 got hiked by $2, sending their prices from $64 and $69, respectively, to $66 and $71, respectively.

On the other hand, the price of A6-3500 is cut from $89 to $85. The six-core FX-6100 socket AM3+ processor saw a $10 price-cut, sending its price down from $165 to $155. Lastly, AMD introduced a new Athlon II processor in the FM1 package, the Athlon II X4 651, AMD's second, after Athlon II X4 631. This quad-core chip has 1 MB L2 cache per core, and is clocked at 3.00 GHz, 400 MHz higher than the Athlon II X4 631.

Here is the first picture of AMD accelerated processing units in the existing FM1 package and future FM2 package on which the next-generation Trinity APU will be based on. Both packages are very similar, follow AMD's favourite yet archaic PGA design. The pins are physically arranged in a mostly similar fashion, though we don't have a pin map at hand. The difference comes with some of the blanked pins in the sub-central portion of the pin array. The FM2 package has 904 pins, compared to 905 on FM1. One pin is blanked, while a pair of blanked pins are arranged further away from the central cutout.

This makes FM1 and FM2 clearly incompatible. Neither will you be able to use today's A-Series APUs in the FM1 package on future socket FM2 motherboards, nor will you be able to run future FM2 APUs on today's FM1 motherboards. Yet, AMD will port the A75 FCH chipset to the next-generation "Virgo" platform. The FCH or Fusion Controller Hub, like Intel's PCH (Platform Controller Hub), is not much more than a glorified southbridge, and is portable between Fusion platforms as it's essentially a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 device. In the picture below, "Llano" FM1 APU is on the left, and "Trinity" FM2 on the right.

Gigabyte released its newest premium HTPC motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, the A75N-USB3. As the name might suggest, this is a socket FM1 motherboard based on the AMD A75 chipset, and features USB 3.0 connectivity. Despite its compact dimensions, the board crams in everything a HTPC can benefit from. First, the FM1 socket seats AMD A-Series accelerated processing units (APUs), which pack up to four x86-64 cores with up to 4 MB cache, dual-channel DDR3-1866 integrated memory controller, and more importantly, a very powerful integrated graphics processor in the Radeon HD 6500 class. The FM1 socket on this board is powered by a 3+1 phase VRM that makes use of driver-MOSFETs. Power is drawn by a 24-pin ATX and a 4-pin CPU power connector.

The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The CPU is wired to two full-length DDR3 DIMM slots, which can take in up to 32 GB (that's right, future 16 GB DIMMs are supported) of dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory. The AMD A75 chipset gives out four internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and one eSATA 6 Gb/s port on the rear panel. Display outputs include HDMI 1.4a and DVI. Analog outputs are done away with. Audio is handled by a high-quality Realtek ALC889 HD audio codec. Although this codec supports 8+2 output channels, it is wired to a 5.1 channel shared audio jack cluster, apart from the internal HDA_FP header. Those needing 7.1 channel output can still use the TOSLINK connector, that supports 7.1 channel output with 24-bit, 192 kHz resolution and Dolby Home Theater support. If even that's not enough, the HDMI connector gives you 7.1 channel HDMI audio with Dolby Prologic support.

The high-end CPU-Cooler from the newcomer PHANTEKS is available immediately at Caseking.de. This cooler with the name "TC14PE" already managed to receive numerous awards for its excellent performance. PHANTEKS employs multiple features to achieve such extraordinary results: a patented surface at the nano-level, twin tower design and two high-performance 140 mm fans. For the perfect looks to go with the installed hardware, the cooler is available in blue, orange red or silver.

The young company PHANTEKS has invested more than two years into the development of the TC14PE CPU coolers, as their goal was not simply to produce a good CPU cooler, but to lead the performance charts. Instead of focusing on the best heat dissipation of an open test bench, PHANTEKS has made sure that the TC14PE performs best in its intended setting - a closed system.

AMD detailed its upcoming "Virgo" PC platform that consists of next-generation "Trinity" APU (accelerated processing unit), and current-generation AMD A75 "Hudson-D" chipset. A notable revelation here is that the next-gen APUs will be compatible with AMD A75, although it will be designed for a new socket called FM2. It remains to be seen if FM1 and FM2 are pin-compatible.

"Trinity" packs four x86-64 cores based on the next-generation "Piledriver" architecture, arranged in two Piledriver modules. A module is a closely-knit group of two cores, with certain shared and dedicated resources. Each Piledriver module has 2 MB of L2 cache shared between the two cores. In all, Trinity, with its two modules, has 4 MB of L2 cache without any L3 cache.

With clever ideas and technical novelties, Enermax brings a breath of fresh air into the CPU cooler market - in the true sense of the word, because the innovative construction of the Enermax CPU coolers significantly enhances the air stream conduction and heat dissipation. The manufacturer integrated small spoilers, the so-called Vortex Generators, on the fins of the new ETD-T60 cooler to lead the air stream closely along the heat pipes and to avoid the development of hot spots in the back of the heat pipes (so-called Vortex Generator Flow/VGF).

By utilizing the difference in pressure between the warm air inside the heat sink and the colder air outside, Enermax further improved the air supply: The CPU cooler sides are not fully closed, so that additional fresh air can be sucked into the heat sink (so-called Vacuum Effect Flow/VEF). Both effects, VGF and VEF, have been proved successfully with the side-flow series ETS-T40.

Zalman announced its latest high-end CPU air cooler, the CNPS12X. This beast was first shown to public at this year's Computex trade-show, back in early June. Between then and now, the CNPS12X got some important retention module changes that make it fully compatible with the upcoming LGA2011 socket on which "Sandy Bridge-E" Core i7 processors are based, as well as AMD AM3+ and FM1. Measuring 151 x 132 x 154 mm (L x W x H), and weighing exactly 1 kg, the CNPS12X uses a design that's essentially identical to that of the NH-D14 from Noctua, that of two fin stacks. It's just that the stacks here are somewhat circular in shape, and that the CNPS12X uses three fans: an intake (before the first stack), a conveyer (between the two stacks), and an exhaust (after the second stack). All three fans are 120 mm in size, and are illuminated by blue LEDs.

The fans seem to be using 3-pin (voltage) method of speed control. Supplied with the cooler are three RC5 intermediate resistors, which make the fans spin at speeds between 850 and 1100 RPM with as low as 22 dBA noise output. Without the RC5, the fans spin between 950 and 1200 RPM, with at least 24 dBA noise output. The heatsink is made almost entirely of dark nickel-plated copper, with certain aluminum parts. Heat is conveyed to the two copper fin stacks by six nickel-plated copper heat pipes, that make direct contact with the CPU at base. Zalman did not give out pricing and availability information.

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.