Thermaltake, leading thermal solutions provider, is introducing several advanced cooling solutions for the new and upcoming Intel LGA1156 processors, ensuring users have the best choice right from day one.

The brand new Silent 1156 CPU cooler from Thermaltake is specifically designed for Intel Socket 1156 processors. Installation to the motherboard is easily done with a convenient push-pin mechanism, which for the user is an entirely tool-free procedure. For its silent operation, the 9 cm PWM fan is a treat to the users' ears. Through the PWM function the fan speed is automatically adjusted between 800 RPM to 1700 RPM according to the actual work load of the CPU. Furthermore, the side flow design makes the cooler's air flow an integral part of the overall system air flow inside the chassis. With two 8 mm heatpipes and a mirror copper base heat is transferred away from the CPU to the aluminum fins, dramatically reducing heat development.

Zalman is readying another CPU cooler in its 10 series, a successor to CNPS-9900. The company broke away from the trademark copper-fin ring design it used for CNPS-9300, 9500, 9700, and until lately, 9900. After the introduction of the CNPS-10X Extreme, the company disclosed the CNPS-10X Quiet. The differences between the two lie in the construction. The CNPS-10X Quiet uses lesser number of aluminum fins, a good 33% of which are anodized with the Zalman blue theme colour, and holds a simpler PWM controlled fan. The cooler measures 135 x 100 x 160 mm, and weighs 750 g. The 120 mm fan attached to it uses a simpler clip-based retention mechanism, it spins at speeds between 700 and 1400 rpm, with a maximum noise level of 26 dBA. The cooler constuction involves a pre-lapped copper CPU contact block, from which five copper heatpipes convey heat to a vertical aluminum fin array - the design standard of today. Its retention module consists of a bolt-through kit. The package includes a tube of Zalman's ZM-STG2 thermal compound. The cooler is compatible with all standard desktop sockets of today, including Intel LGA-1366, LGA-1156, LGA-775, AMD AM3/AM2+/AM2, and 939. The cooler will hit stores at an estimated price of under 50 Euro.

Intel is on a golden path, showing no signs of a slowdown as far as technology development is concerned. After having pushed its 32 nm manufacturing node and its derived Westmere architecture to production grade, Intel seems to have already made a prototype on the 32 nm node, which will serve a technology leap on 32 nm. The company uses a "tick-tock" model of process development, where each processor architecture gets to be made in two manufacturing processes, while each process gets to build two succeeding architectures. The current Nehalem architecture meets 32 nm with the Westmere architecture, while the 32 nm node meets its next architecture with the SandyBridge.

SandyBridge is characterised by a larger level of integration of components. While Nehalem and Westmere "Lynnfield" and "Clarksfield" mainstream processors use a multi-chip module that holds the CPU and north-bridge dice, SandyBridge will see an integration of both into a monolithic, rectangular die spreading across an area of around 225 sq. mm. Significant portions of the die will be occupied with a DirectX 11-compliant integrated graphics processor, the "SandyBridge System Agent" (a component which includes a PCI-Express hub, and DMI. The L3 cache is the largest component on the die. It will have a large 256-bit ring-topology, which lets it not only perform cache operations, but also as a fast transport medium between the various components.

Having released the 120 mm copper monstrosity, the CNPS9900, Zalman is looking to give the NVIDIA-branded CNPS9700-NT an update, only this time, there's no NVIDIA branding to be seen. The CNPS9900-NT is decked with nickel-plated copper, which gives it the chrome appearance. Between the two copper-fin blocks, is nested a 120 mm green LED lit fan, which gives the same illumination as the older NT versions of Zalman's coolers. It measures 94 x 131 x 152 mm (LxWxH), and weighs in at 730 g. The fan spins at speeds between 1000 and 2000 rpm. The cooler supports all current CPU socket types, including LGA-1366, LGA-1156, LGA-775, and AM3/AM2(+). It packs a tube of the company's ZM-STG2 thermal compound. When released in Europe, it is expected to sell for 70 EUR.

ASUS' P7P55 series includes the company's mainstream-thru-premium motherboards based on Intel P55 chipset, supporting LGA-1156 socket processors. Following the recent exposé of its little sibling the P7P55 Pro, XFastest took the higher-end P7P55 EVO for a photo-shoot. This motherboard retains its lesser sibling's feature-set for the most part, except for additional connectivity. The CPU is powered by a 14-phase power circuit. Additional power management is provided by the ASUS EPU chip. The expansion slots include three PCI-Express x16 slots.

The first two arrange as (x8, x8) electrically, while the third one is electrical x4. Two PCI-E x1 and two legacy PCI slots make for the rest of the expansion. The connectivity options of this board will include support for SATA III. Apart from the six SATA ports the P55 PCH provides, an additional Marvell 88SE9123 two-port PCI-E SATA III controller is present, which also provides an IDE connector. Apart from the 8-channel audio, Firewire, and 14 USB ports in all, there are two gigabit Ethernet controllers. More pictures can be found at the source.

Earlier today, we were tipped off about the high-end MSI P55-GD80 motherboard. Looking a little eastwards, we were able to get information on its little brother, the P55-GD65, a low-frills motherboard based on the Intel P55 chipset, supporting LGA-1156 socket CPUs. This board concentrates on the feature-set the P55 chipset alone provides. The CPU is powered by a 7-phase circuit, with the active-phase switching power management feature, that turns off redundant phases when the power demand is low.

The board provides two PCI-E x16 slots (electrically x8 when both are populated), one open-ended PCI-E x4, and two PCI-E x1 slots. Two legacy PCI slots neighbour them. The PCH provides six SATA II ports, while an external JMicron controller gives out one internal SATA port, an eSATA port, and an IDE connector. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory. On the connectivity front, there are two gigabit Ethernet connections, 8-channel audio, Firewire, and USB.

MSI's lineup of LGA-1156 motherboards has a new high-end entry in the making, apart from a seeming higher-end G9P55-DC which was recently pictured. The P55-GD80 fills the lineup, perhaps a notch below it, and the other MSI LGA-1156 motherboards that lack an NVIDIA nForce 200 chip and 3-way SLI support. The P55-GD80 was pictured in all its glory (read: release grade chipset cooling), sourced by SAV-Computer. The picture reveals a PCB layout very similar to the G9P55-DC, with differences in the CPU power circuit, overclocker-friendly features, and the storage connectivity.

The board uses a 10-phase CPU power circuit with standard solid-state capacitors, compared to the 11-phase circuit with flat-bed ML capacitors on the G9P55-DC. This board surprisingly has more overclocker-friendly features, such as on-board controls for clock-speeds, clear-CMOS, OC-Genie, a DIP switch to control voltages, and voltage-sensing points that make measuring voltages convenient. Apart from the Intel P55 PCH, it uses an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip that broadcasts 16 PCI-Express lanes (from the processor root complex) to 32 lanes on the PCI-E x16 slots. Apart from the six SATA II ports the PCH provides, an additional controller provides two internal and one external SATA ports, and one IDE connector. Two gigabit Ethernet connections, 8-channel audio, Firewire, and around 13 USB ports make for the rest of the package. The board supports Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale processors.

Foxconn is ready with a socket LGA-1156 motherboard under its high-end Quantum Force series, a product line that includes popular models such as X58 Blood Rage for the Core i7, and X48 Black Ops for Core 2 series. This full-featured board is expected to pack a companion NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip alongside the Intel P55 chipset, which expands the board's PCI-Express capabilities by providing two PCI-Express x16 slots. The second x16 slot can divert 8 lanes to a third (black) PCI-Express x16 slot, giving this board 3-way SLI capability.

The CPU is powered by a 12-phase circuit. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support dual-channel DDR3 memory, while an additional NVRAM slot provides support for Intel Braidwood platform technology. Its six internal SATA II ports are wired to the P55 PCH, while additional controllers drive an IDE connector, and two eSATA ports. Gigabit Ethernet, Firewire, and 8-channel audio make for the rest of the mix. The board lacks display outputs, and hence doesn't support Intel Flexible Display Interface.

Most motherboard vendors chose Computex as the ideal platform to showcase their upcoming products for the upcoming Intel LGA-1156 processors. The Intel booth was decked up wall-to-wall with Intel 5-series motherboards, some of which, made it to cameras for their unusual designs. Take for instance, the Shuttle SP55H7. This board uses a custom form-factor to fit into the company's bare-bones systems. The socket is slanted, and surrounded with an unusual mount-hole arrangement for the cooler, which again, could be of Shuttle's own design. This is, perhaps to make the most out of the available PCB area.

A more popular motherboard vendor, MSI showcased the first M-ATX motherboard for the platform we have seen so far, the H57-ED65. Based on the Intel H57 chipset. The socket is powered by an 8-phase DrMOS power circuit. MSI takes care of the basics for this platform, providing a PCI-E 2.0 x16, one PCI, and two PCI-E x1 slots. The dual-channel DDR3 memory slots neighbour one NVRAM slot. Apart from the six SATA II ports the H57 provides, a second controller drives the IDE connector, and perhaps, one or more eSATA ports. The rest of the 'wall' can be viewed here. By the looks of it, Intel made sure a full-fledged lineup of motherboards are available to the consumers when it kicks off the series of LGA-1156 processors, and there is every indication that the new platform won't have much trouble replacing the current LGA-775 series.

Thermaltake showed off some of its upcoming CPU coolers at the ongoing Computex event. A star attraction was the Thermaltake Frio (pictured below, first to the left). The design is of the popular perpendicular aluminum fin array type. The cooler ships with one 120 mm fan, although it can hold one fan on either side. It measures 130mm x 92mm x 160 mm. The cooler packs retention modules to support almost every current CPU socket type: LGA-1366, LGA-1156, LGA-775, AM3/AM2+/AM2, s939, etc. Another cooler spotted was the SpinQ VT. This cooler is near-identical to the SpinQ in terms of its features, except for that the aluminum fins propagate perpendicular to the plane of the motherboard, while the fan blows air on to the motherboard.

Earlier today, we covered ECS coming up with two motherboards, based on Intel P55 (LGA-1156), and AMD 785G (AM3). Coincidentally, ASRock has a similar pair which is gearing up for launch at the upcoming Computex event. The P55 Deluxe could be the company's premium LGA-1156 motherboard, while the M3A785GXH/128M a rather high-end board, especially looking at its feature-set, that expands that of the the chipset typically offers.

The P55 Deluxe supports LGA-1156 processors sans the Flexible Display Interface feature (FDI), since it looks devoid of common display connectors. It supports four DDR3 DIMMs, with the Dual-Channel DDR3 memory interface, advertising support for DDR3-2000 (probably by overclocking). The board provides three PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, (x16, NC, x4) or (x8, x8, x4, when the slots are populated). Apart from ATI CrossFireX, NVIDIA 3-way SLI support is advertised.

Over to the M3A785GXH/128M, and there is an interesting feature here. Although AMD 785G isn't specified to support CrossFire, ASRock used an external lane switch card to support it. The first two PCI-Express x16 are eletrically (x16, NC) or (x8, x8, when both are populated). The third slot seems wired to the southbridge and is electrically x4. The board supports AM3 socket processors, with four DDR3 DIMM slots offering support for dual-channel DDR3-1600 memory. The Radeon HD 4200 IGP makes use of 128 MB of DDR3 SidePort memory. Standard display connectors such as DVI, D-Sub and HDMI apply. An external storage controller ups the number SATA channels, by providing an internal, and an eSATA port. ASRock wasn't very generous with its photography.

ECS is dressing up two new motherboards for a gala launch at Computex 2009. The A785GM-M and P55H-A were recently announced by the company to be heading for display and launch at the event, in its Computex booth invitation press-release. AlienBabelTech published exclusive pictures of the two.

To begin with, the A785GM-M is a micro-ATX motherboard based on the new AMD 785G chipset. The chipset features a Radeon HD 4200-class IGP. It is possibly based on the new RS880 core. The board supports AMD AM3 socket CPUs, and provides four DDR3 DIMM slots. Its display connectivity options include D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. The rest of its connectivity includes FireWire, eSATA and one gigabit Ethernet interface.

The P55H-A on the other hand, is one of the company's first offerings that support the upcoming LGA-1156 socket processors. This is another of the motherboards we have seen so far, that lack display connectors, and hence, lack Intel Flexible Display Interface support, that connects integrated graphics processors on some CPUs to their output. It provides two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots (electrically dual x8 when both populated). Four DDR3 DIMM slots support dual-channel DDR3 memory, 8 channel audio, gigabit Ethernet, and 6 SATA II ports make for the rest of it.

In the run up for the launch of Intel's newest line of desktop CPUs - the Core i5 series, companies with related products such as motherboards and coolers are in full swing gearing up Core i5. Spire is ready with two new coolers CoolWave 5 and CoolWave 5 Pro, that support LGA-1156, the socket Core i5 uses. The two are identical except for that the former features pre-applied S350 thermal grease, while the latter comes with a tube of superior-grade S420 thermal grease. The cooler doesn't leave out support for LGA-775, or interestingly, AMD AM3/2+/2 either. Measuring 90x90x80 mm (LxWxH), the CoolWave 5 makes use of a silent 90 mm, UV-reactive fan. The coolers will be available in late-June at prices of $9.95 for the CoolWave 5, and $14.95 for the CoolWave 5 Pro.

Remember EPoX? A reminiscent of that company now operates under the name SUPoX, and seems to have an entire range of PC motherboards including the Core i7 compatible AP58+ GTR. The company is gearing up to cater to the LGA-1156 socket processors with a new feature-rich motherboard based on the Intel P55 chipset called AP55+ GTR. The socket supports Core i5 series processors, along with support for Intel Flexible Display Interface (FDI), that relays display handled by embedded graphics controllers on Intel processors to their DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI outputs. The PCI-Express x16 slots (electrical configuration not known) support ATI CrossFireX, although NVIDIA SLI support for most LGA-1156 motherboards largely remains unknown. Along with support for as much as 16 GB of DDR3 memory, the motherboard provides connectivity in the form of gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1, and WiFi. The motherboard should release towards the end of Q3 2009.

Surprisingly, VR-Zone today posted pictures of the LANPARTY UT P55 board, a twin of the recently spotted DFI LANParty Dark P55 T3eH6, that packs several interesting features. Quick introduction, the board uses Intel's P55 chipset for the upcoming LGA-1156 socket processors. The board has a total of four DDR3 DIMM slots, three PCI-E x16 slots, digital power circuit and DFI's usual color theme. Also note, that there's a slot on the motherboard for NAND flash installation. Additionally, a mini USB port is located on the I/O backpanel. For now the presence of this NAND flash slot remains mystery. DFI will showcase the motherboard at Computex Taipei 2009 where we hope they will say what is it for.

DFI seems to be almost ready with a motherboard based on Intel's P55 chipset, that supports the company's upcoming LGA-1156 socket processors. This motherboard did not get the limelight at this year's CeBIT event. It doesn't seem like DFI finalized the board's cooling, hence the pictures don't show coolers over the chipset and VRM areas. The rest of the board's features are pretty visuals:

• 6+2 phase CPU power circuit,
• Four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel DDR3 memory
• P55 chipset used without any additional PCI-Express bridge chip
• Three PCI-E x16 slots, most likely two of them are routed to the CPU, arrange as x8, x8 with both populated, while the third is routed to the P55 chipset's 8-lane PCI-E hub
• Six SATA II ports from the PCH, two from an onboard controller, the same controller also provides an IDE connector

The rest of its features seem pretty standard for motherboards of its class. DFI may introduce this motherboard in some of the first waves of product launches following Intel's launch of compatible processors.

During the ongoing CeBIT event, ASUS has two of its newest motherboards on display. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that they are based on the Intel P55 chipset, and have the LGA-1156 CPU socket, supporting the upcoming Intel Core i5 series processors. ASUS chose the "P6T" prefix for naming its first generation of LGA-1366 motherboards based on the Intel X58 chipset. With LGA-1156 and Intel P55 chipset, the company plans to use the "P7U" prefix. The two motherboards on display are the P7U and P7U Pro.

Both motherboards have identical PCB layouts, except for the P7U having a few features toned-down. Both use a (3+1)+2 phase CPU power circuit. Both feature 4 DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Six SATA ports, a PCI-E x4 and a number of PCI-E x1 slots make for the rest of the mix. While the P7U Pro features two PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots (which arrange as x8, x8 when both are populated), the P7U features a single PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot. Both models feature ASUS-exclusive features such as Turbo-V that allows on-the-fly overclocking, ExpressGate that is a basic instant-on OS, and the EPU power management feature.

It looks like motherboard vendors aren't missing the opportunity CeBIT provides to display their upcoming motherboards, notably those based on Intel's LGA-1156 supportive P55 chipset. One of the first ones from the house of Gigabyte is the GA-IBP. "IBP" refers to "Ibex Peak", the platform codename. Featuring most common components of a motherboard of its kind, that include four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory, connections for Intel's Felxible Display Interface (FDI), three PCI-E x16 (electrical x16, x8, x8, rearranges based on slot population), and the single-chip P55 chipset, the board supports both ATI CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI technologies. six internal SATA ports, HDCP-compliant onboard audio and dual-Gigabit LAN make for the rest of the offering. We will learn more about this basic design from Gigabyte as we get closer to the launch of Intel's upcoming LGA-1156 processors.

ECS showcased yet another upcoming motherboard during the ongoing CeBIT event: the LFH-A. Based on Intel's P55 chipset, the motherboard supports LGA-1156 socket. Featuring all the essentials the Ibex Peak platform provides, that includes two support for dual-channel DDR3 memory, six internal SATA ports, two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots and one PCI-E x4, the board also extensively supports Intel's Flexible Display Interface that links the IGP on the processor die to the connectors on the board: DVI, D-Sub and HDMI.

The P55 chipset is cooled by a small pre-production heatsink. It should also indicate that the P55 chip indeed runs cool enough to warrant a heatsink of that size, and that since most of the traditional chipset machinery has migrated to the CPU, there's very little the vendors need to do as far as chipset cooling goes. ECS LFH-A might feature in some of the first waves of motherboards to launch along with the launch of the platform itself.

PC component cooling major Arctic Cooling is readying a revision for the Freezer XTREME CPU cooler. The new cooler, simply called Freezer XTREME Rev. 2, retains the basic design, while having a reworked retention module. Due to the size and cooling efficiency of the cooler, it was found of it to be capable of supporting the entire range of desktop processors based on Intel's Nehalem architecture.

The new, reworked retention module provides support for Intel sockets LGA-1366 and LGA-1156. That aside, standard features and design of the cooler remain: copper CPU contact block, four copper heatpipes, large aluminum fin array, and a central 120 mm fan to circulate air. Arctic Cooling is expected to announce this cooler soon. Whether it comes up as a separate SKU or it replaces the existing Freezer Xtreme model from the lineup remains to be seen.

MSI will be one of the first motherboard manufacturers to design one based on Intel's upcoming P55 chipset, supporting Intel's upcoming Core i5 series processors, using the LGA-1156 socket design. Boy, is this one interesting board. Pictured by Hardware-Aktuell, the MSI G9P55-DC picture shows perhaps the first picture of a fully-assembled LGA-1156 socket, with its complete retention mechanism in place.

The CPU is fuelled by two independent 6-phase power circuits. Four DDR3 DIMM slots support dual-channel memory. Storage comes in the form of six SATA II ports routed to the P55 chip, with four (blue) SATA II ports and an IDE connector courtesy of an additional controller. The board features two PCI slots, a PCI-E x1 slot to hold a "hardware" sound card (part of the package), an open-ended PCI-E x4 slot and three PCI-E 2.0 x16 slots. In case you're wondering how the 16 PCI-E lanes the CPU ends up sparing for graphics ends up into a 3-Way SLI supportive solution, take a look at what would trick you for a southbridge. That, infact is the NVIDIA BR-03 chip. It can provide two PCI-E x16 links, or PCI-E x16, x8, x8 connections to the three slots, much like in the nForce 780a SLI solutions for the AMD platform. Let the puny chipset heatsinks not fool you either. This board is pre-production and its release-grade version will feature an MSI-made cooling solution that cools the chipset and the rather crowded VRM area. We will learn more about this board as CeBIT progresses.

German cooling specialist Alphacool released two new CPU water blocks that boast support for all existing and upcoming Intel sockets, the HF 14 series. Its two members are Livingstone and Yellowstone. While both have an identical retention mechanism design, the block design itself is where the differences lie. The Livingstone uses a bilateral-symmetric design, while for the Yellowstone block, the inlet is positioned in the center, to gush right onto the heat-exchange fins.

The company is yet to publish data-sheets for the water blocks, so we could tell you more, though they have been listed on the company store. The Livingstone block sells for 59.95 €, while the Yellowstone is priced significantly higher at 74.95 €. Both blocks support Intel LGA-775, LGA-1366 and promise support for the upcoming LGA-1160/LGA-1156 socket. Pictured below, in order are Livingstone and Yellowstone (red RM brace).

Intel's mainstream market implementation of the Nehalem architecture will come in the form of monolithic quad-core a dual-core chips that have northbridge machinery integrated. Based on the Lynnfield (quad-core) and Arandale (dual-core) designs, Intel will place the processors on a common system design dubbed the "Ibex-Peak". The processors are likely to be branded as Core i5, Core i4 or even Core i3 depending on a lot of factors. Additionally, Intel plans enterprise variants of the said chips.

To seat these chips, Intel is designing new sockets: LGA-1155, LGA-1156 the two can be classified into the sockets for the desktop variants, with another LGA-1167 socket most likely to be exclusive for the Xeon variants. PCGH sourced some images from Intel's Design Development Tools (DDT) portal (found here), which tell that Intel names its new series of sockets as "socket H". Pictured below is a processor package viewed from its business-end. The other three you can see, are interposer-boards. These are devices that resemble the actual product packages that sit on the sockets. You can see a grid of leads over the "IHS" of the package. The leads serve to help in the technical development of products based on the package design, hence it is found on the DDT portal. It should give you an idea of what an LGA-1155, LGA-1156 and LGA-1167 processor should look like, sans the leads on the IHS. The images below in the same order. Finally, pictured much earlier, is the Ibex-Peak platform motherboard that demonstrates the design.