CaseKing.de has started to sell a gigantic Lamptron ST060 dual-tower CPU air cooler for €299.90 (~$325) with VAT added. Many PC hardware news sites have predicted that this sizable—153 × 152 × 120 mm (W x H x D)—cooling solution is worthy of taking on similarly proportioned competition. CaseKing's listing includes some hype material: "(the ST060) offers extremely high cooling performance thanks to its six heat pipes and two PWM RGB fans. With a 260 W TDP, the cooler is also very quiet and has immense cooling reserves for overclocked CPUs and, despite its size, can be installed even with the mainboard installed." The integrated 6-inch 1920x1080 screen is the ST060's other selling point—DeepCool's (recently TPU reviewed) AK620 dual-tower cooler sports a large-ish top-mounted mini monitor, although its functionality is quite limited. Lamptron states that their new model is prepped for full AIDA64 integration; a license for this software suite is bundled in.

The integrated screen requires connection to USB Type-A and HDMI ports—perhaps a major annoyance—fortunately mini USB to USB and HDMI cables are included in the box. Additionally, software and digital instructions are uploaded onto a bundled USB-A flash drive. The base Lamptron ST060 model is joined by ARGB equipped alternatives—CaseKing has a product page for a black fan version (LAMP-ST060AB, also priced at €299.90), but it is not available to purchase yet. Tom's Hardware believes that a white fan model (LAMP-ST060AW) is also incoming—they documented some basic aesthetic differences: "In addition to the fans being different, the ARGB versions have a silver heatsink as opposed to the black heatsink on the regular version." Lamptron's ST060 air cooler appears to be an Intel socket-centric product, with support for LGA1366, LGA1200, LGA115x, LGA1700, and LGA2011. Team Red enthusiasts will be disappointed about compatibility being limited to AM4. Overclocking.com expressed surprise regarding Lamptron's re-emergence with new products—many assumed that the company was in a dormant state for a long time.

Phanteks showed off premium versions of its latest Glacier C300-series CPU water blocks, with the Glacier C350iP and the Glacier C350AP. The two are nearly identical to each other, but differ with their CPU socket support, with the former supporting Intel LGA115x and LGA2011(v3)/LGA2066; and the latter supporting just AM4. These blocks themselves are identical to the Glacier C350-series, but come with acetal tops. The gunmetal-gray top replaces the clear-acrylic ones on the standard C350-series blocks, such as the C350a and C350i. The cold plate material is still nickel-plated copper, with mirror finish at the base. Both blocks are priced at USD $69.99, which is surprisingly $10 cheaper than their acrylic twins.

DeepCool have come forward to announce a slight variation on their Captain 240EX RGB AIO solution, which we've covered in the past. The new version offers the exact same features as the 240EX RGB (non white) version, such as software control of the RGB lighting (ASUS' Aura Sync, MSI's Mystic Light and Gigabyte's RGB Fusion), or through an included wired controller. All variants of the Captain 240EX RGB also come bundled with an additional LED strip for your case; it can be plugged in to the available RGB LED header, synchronizing the LED behavior via the motherboard (an in-line RGB LED controller is also bundled for users who don't have a LED header.)

The white variant of the Captain 240EX RGB AIO is compatible with all modern processors from AMD (including AM4) and Intel (including LGA2011-v3 and LGA1151), with both parts being rated for the same 150 W TDP. Tubing length comes in at 310~315 mm, and the fans are rated for 500 RPM at the lowest end (±200 RPM) to 1800 RPM on max speed (±10% RPM). The noise profile oscillates between a 17.6 dBA minimum and a 31.3 dBA maximum. The white version of the Captain 240EX RGB will be available starting September 2017. It will be the same price as the regular non-white Captain 240EX RGB at $129.99 USD.

Noctua showed off protoypes of variants of its various high-end CPU coolers, which come with support for Intel's Core X family socket LGA2066 processors. While LGA2066 has a higher pin-count, it has the same exact CPU cooler mount-hole spacing as LGA2011(v3), and as such, any LGA2011-compatible cooler should run on LGA2066. All Core i7 LGA2011(v3) chips are either 140W or below. Noctua on its part, is confident that that all its LGA2011(v3)-compatible coolers run on LGA2066 by default, and is willing to giveaway LGA2066-supporting SecuFirm 2 retention modules for free, for users of older Noctua heatsinks which can handle such high thermal loads.

Swiftech today released the Apogee Drive 2 CPU water-block with integrated pump, which now comes with support for AMD socket AM4. A successor to the second-generation Apogee HD pump-block, the Apogee Drive 2 features increased surface area for heat dissipation to the coolant, and features a higher flow MCP35X integrated-pump, with hydraulic bearings. The G1/4 inlet and exhausts can turn within a 90° angle. The Swiftech logo ornament on top of the block features an RGB lighting element (simple 3-color). Besides AM4, the Apogee Drive 2 supports LGA2011(v3), LGA115x, LGA1366, and LGA775, besides other AMD sockets, such as AM3(+) and FM2(+). Available now, it is priced at US $138.95.

MSI expanded its Gaming series CPU cooler family with the new, larger, Core Frozr XL CPU cooler. This tower-type air cooler features a simple aluminium fin-stack heatsink covered by an ABS plastic shroud, and two 120 mm fans in push-pull configuration. The cooler features a nickel-plated copper base, from which eight 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes pass, conveying heat to the aluminium fin-stack. MSI innovated in giving the cooler motherboard clearance on two fronts - the heatsink itself is off-center, so it adds clearance to the topmost expansion slot on the motherboard.

Further, the fan can be elevated slightly, to add clearance to the memory slots or large VRM heatsinks. The fin-stack is capped off by a detachable cooler shroud, with an MSI Gaming dragon logo that's lit by RGB LED, controllable using MSI Mystic Light RGB software. The included fans feature 4-pin PWM inputs, fluid-dynamic bearings, spin between 500 to 1,500 RPM, pushing 19.79 to 71.27 CFM of air, with a noise output ranging between 17.2 and 33.6 dBA. The cooler supports all modern CPU socket types, including AM4, AM3(+), FM2(+), LGA2011(v3), LGA115x, LGA1366, and LGA775. Measuring 150.4 mm x 170.0 mm x 129.8 mm (WxHxD), the cooler weighs about 1,295 g. It is designed for thermal loads of up to 250W. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability information.

ASUS today unveiled the X99-E 10G WS workstation motherboard. Although based on the X99 Express chipset, this board supports Intel Xeon E5-1600 and E5-2600 (v3 and v4) processors, besides Core i7 "Haswell-E" and "Broadwell-E" processors in the LGA2011v3 package. The board's eight DDR4 DIMM slots support up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory. The board is built in the SSI-CEB form-factor (305 mm x 267 mm). The board features seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, and uses PLX PEX-8747 x48 bridge chips to provide either two x16 slots with direct wiring to the CPU, or four x16 slots running at full x16 bandwidth, or seven x16 slots in x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8 configuration.

Storage connectivity includes one 32 Gb/s U.2 port, a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, and a total of ten SATA 6 Gb/s ports. The board derives its name from support for 10 Gbps Ethernet, and features a pair of 10 Gbps connections driven by an Intel X550-AT2 controller. Other modern connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (of which one is type-C), eight USB 3.0 ports, and 8-channel HD audio with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC. The board draws power from a 24-pin ATX, a 6-pin PCIe, and two 8-pin EPS connectors, and uses an 8-phase VRM to condition power for the CPU. ASUS didn't reveal pricing.

At its PAX East booth, GIGABYTE showed off three of its upcoming socket LGA2011v3 motherboards, which it plans to launch alongside Intel's Core i7 "Broadwell-E" processors. The three include the X99-Designare EX, the X99 Phoenix SLI G1, and the X99 Ultra Gaming (pictured in that order). The running theme on these boards, apart from their design-language that's similar to GIGABYTE's Z170-series motherboards, is 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, even U.2 slots in some cases, reinforced PCIe - and in some cases even memory - slots, and USB 3.1, besides out of the box support for the latest CPUs.

The X99-Designare EX features five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, from which three can function at x16 speed and two U.2 ports. GIGABYTE is probably betting on NVMe SSDs with U.2 connectors heavily. The X99 Phoenix SLI G1 appears to be a slightly more toned down board in terms of features. It features just four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, wireless networking, and just one U.2 connector. Unlike the Designare, which is slotted in the company's mainline Ultra Durable lineup, this board is the company's new G1 Gaming offering for this platform. Then there's the X99 Ultra Gaming. This board is based on the same PCB as the X99 Phoenix SLI G1, lacks wireless networking, but features reinforced memory slots. The three boards could launch alongside Intel's new CPUs.

Intel over the weekend, leaked its upcoming Core i7-6950X processor in the change-log of its latest Management Engine software, on the company's Support website. In its CPU support list, the entry for "Intel Core i7-6950X Processor Extreme Edition" stands out. It also leaks two key specifications - 25 MB of L3 cache, and a clock speed of up to 3.50 GHz. The Core i7-6800 and i7-6900 series are a family of six-, eight-, and ten-core processors based on the 14 nm "Broadwell-E" silicon, and built in the LGA2011v3 package, compatible with existing Intel X99 Express chipset motherboards, with BIOS updates.

It's being speculated that the i7-6950X will be the first client-platform CPU with 10 cores. Intel could position this product at a new price-point that's above even the $999 it traditionally reserved for its high-end client chips. At $999, the company could offer an 8-core Core i7-6900K; followed by 6-core Core i7-6850K and i7-6800K at the traditional $600 and $400 price points, respectively. Intel could launch these chips some time within Q2-2016.

Intel is breaking away from its tradition of three Core i7 HEDT (high-end desktop) processors per generation, capturing price points of $400, $600, and $1000; with its upcoming Core i7 "Broadwell-E" HEDT lineup. According to leaked documents accessed by BenchLife.info, the company is readying four SKUs based on the 14 nm "Broadwell-E" silicon, these include the Core i7-6800K, the Core i7-6850K, the Core i7-6900K, and the Core i7-6950X.

The Core i7-6800K and i7-6850K are six-core chips, with HyperThreading enabling 12 logical CPUs, and 15 MB shared L3 cache. The i7-6800K is clocked at 3.40 GHz, with a 3.60 GHz Turbo Boost frequency. The i7-6850K is a notch above, with 3.60 GHz core, and 3.80 GHz Turbo Boost frequency. The slide doesn't mention if either of the two parts feature a limited PCIe root complex, like the one on the i7-5820K.

The next update to Intel's high-end desktop (HEDT) platform will arrive no sooner than Q2-2016 (April-June), according to a leaked company roadmap slide for its client computing platforms. These chips will be based on Intel's 5th generation Core "Broadwell" micro-architecture, although in the lineup, they will be sold as Core i7-6800 and i7-6900 series.

Core i7 "Broadwell-E" will see Intel release its first consumer 10-core processor, besides 6-core and 8-core. The cheapest ($400-ish) part will likely be 6-core, the mid-tier part ($600-ish) will likely be 8-core, and the top-dog $1000 part 10-core. The TDP for these parts will continue to be rated at 140W. These chips will be supported by existing LGA2011v3 motherboards, with a firmware update, just like Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" were supported by existing LGA2011 motherboards of the time. Elsewhere on the roadmap, we see Core "Kaby Lake" desktop processors making an entry in Q4-2016.

Scythe is close to launching its latest high performance CPU cooler, the Fuma (SCFM-1000). This aluminium dual-stack (D-type) heatsink features two fin-stacks with a slanted fin pattern that maximizes heat dissipation by exposing more metal to the air-flow. Heat to the two fin stacks is led by six 6 mm thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes. These pipes pass through a nickel-plated copper base with mirror finish. A pair of 120 mm PWM fans come included, the heatsink itself supports up to three fans - intake, conveyor, and exhaust. The included fans support 4-pin PWM input, and spin between 300 and 1,400 RPM, pushing up to 79 CFM of air, each, with up to 28 dBA noise output, each. Measuring 137 mm x 130 mm x 149 mm, the cooler weighs about 920 g (including fans). All modern CPU socket types are supported, including LGA115x, LGA2011v3, LGA1366, LGA775, AM3+, and FM2+. The cooler is expected to launch later this month, beginning with Scythe's home market of Japan, on the 21st.

EVGA is giving finishing touches to the X99 Micro2, is latest socket LGA2011v3 motherboard, in the micro-ATX form-factor. The board is characterized by support for two USB 3.1 ports, including a type-C port. Most of the feature-set from the original X99 Micro, is carried over. This includes a 10-phase CPU VRM, three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (full-time x16/x16/x8), a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, with NVMe BIOS support, making up its expansion area. The board supports up to 64 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory. Storage connectivity on the X99 Micro2 includes ten SATA 6 Gb/s ports, apart from the 32 Gb/s M.2 slot. Other modern connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (at least one of which is type-C), six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by header), 8-channel HD audio with ground-layer isolation, and a headphones amp; and gigabit Ethernet. EVGA didn't announce pricing or availability.

Here's the first picture of ASUS X99M-WS, an upcoming workstation-grade socket LGA2011v3 motherboard based on the Intel X99 Express chipset, which the company claims will be the "most powerful" motherboard of its kind in this form-factor. The board draws power from 24-pin ATX, and two 8-pin EPS power connectors, with an optional 6-pin PCIe power input to stabilize power to add-on cards. The socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory; and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 connectors.

Other expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4) and a PCI-Express 2.0 x1. Storage connectivity includes eight SATA 6 Gb/s, and a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot. Other connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces (Intel-made controllers); 802.11 ac WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, 8-channel HD audio with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors. The board supports certain 1P Intel Xeon models in addition to Core i7 ones.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce EK-Supremacy EVO X99 water block, optimized for use on Intel socket LGA-2011-3 series processors. EK-Supremacy EVO X99 is the highest performance CPU water block for Intel X99 / LGA-2011-3 platform and comes with pre-assembled, error-preventing mounting mechanism. The result is a perfect installation which results in optimal performance every time.

EK Supremacy EVO X99 is truly the only product for performance seeking enthusiasts. It brings unmatched thermal performance with more than 2.2°C better performance on most popular LGA-2011-3 processors. Very high-flow design with low hydraulic restriction allows this product to be used in setups using weaker water pumps. Fine-tuned specifically for LGA-2011-3 it unleashes maximum performance by ensuring the optimal contact with the CPU integrated heat spreader (IHS).

They've done it! After building the first LGA2011v3 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, letting you cram up to 8 "Haswell" cores into a lunchbox-sized PC, albeit having to make do with just dual-channel memory; ASRock developed the first mini-ITX motherboard with not just LGA2011v3, but also its full quad-channel memory interface, called the EPC612D4I. There's just one rider, which shouldn't really be a dealbreaker - this is a server-grade motherboard, and is bound to be expensive.

The EPC612D4I achieves its quad-channel memory chops by using smaller DDR4 SO-DIMM slots instead of standard-sized DIMM slots. Availability of aftermarket DDR4 SO-DIMM memory is close to non-existent, but that could change with 6th Generation Core processor notebooks hitting the shelves by Holiday 2015. As an enterprise board, it also supports Xeon E5-1600 V3 and E5-2600 V3 processors.

Here are some of the first pictures of Scythe's latest flagship CPU heatsink, the Ninja 4. The fourth generation Ninja gets a unique new symmetrical square fin design, which is split in a way that makes it look like the heatsink has four fin stacks, with a nice four-edged shuriken pattern in the center. The fin stack is fed by six 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes, making for 12 ends, three-each for the four lobes of the fin-stack.

The Ninja 4 heatsink can mount 120 mm fans on each of its four sides. It measures 130 mm x 130 mm x 155 mm (LxDxH) without fan, weighing 900 g. Without any fan installed, the Ninja 4 can handle CPUs with TDP of up to 65W. With one of more fans installed, it's game for most high-end CPUs. Sockets supported include LGA2011v3, LGA1366, LGA115x, AM3+ and FM2+. A Scythe Hayabusa 120 PWM fan is included. This 120 mm fan spins between 300-1500 RPM, pushing between 12.93-84.64 CFM of air, with 12.5-29.5 dBA of noise output, taking power input from a 4-pin PWM header. The Ninja 4 is launched in Scythe's home market of Japan.

ASRock unveiled its latest socket LGA2011v3 motherboard for Core i7 "Haswell-E" processors, the X99M-Killer USB 3.1. Characterized by its micro-ATX form-factor and two 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports, the board offers a pretty tight feature-set. To begin with, the board draws power from 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and an optional 4-pin Molex. A 12-phase VRM conditions it for the CPU, which is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel memory. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 wired to the CPU, and one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), wired to the PCH.

Storage connectivity on the X99M-Killer USB 3.1 include ten SATA 6 Gb/s, from which two turn into SATA-Express 10 Gb/s, an eSATA 6 Gb/s, and one Ultra M.2 (PCI-Express 3.0 x4 physical-layer). Modern connectivity includes ASRock's Purity Sound 2 onboard audio solution, featuring a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade capacitors, a headphones amplifier, and ground-layer isolation on the PCB; two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one driven by a Killer E2205, and another by Intel i218-V controller; two USB 3.1 ports (type-A connectors), six USB 3.0 (four on the rear panel, two by header), and a pair of low-latency, power-stabilized USB 2.0 ports, meant for gaming mice or keyboards. Also featured is dual-BIOS, with manual switching between two physical EEPROMs. ASRock didn't announce pricing or availability.

ASRock achieved the impossible, by innovating the world's first socket LGA2011v3 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, letting you give your mini-ITX build the muscle of an eight-core Intel Core i7-5960X processor, with DDR4 memory. The new X99E-ITX/ac from ASRock is a standard mini-ITX motherboard, with a bulk of its precious PCB real-estate occupied by the large LGA2011v3 CPU socket. This socket features an unconventional cooler mount, which is comparable to the 2088-pin socket found on "Haswell-EP" system boards. ASRock has included an copper heat pipe-fed aluminium fin heatsink with this board, although its ability to cool a 140W TDP chip looks suspect.

A major sacrifice ASRock had to make, to achieve this contraption, is halve the memory bandwidth. Due to space limitations, the board features only two DDR4 DIMM slots, and will support only dual-channel memory, even as the platform supports quad-channel memory. Storage connectivity includes one Ultra M.2 (PCIe gen 3.0 x4 physical layer), one 10 Gb/s SATA-Express, an eSATA 6 Gb/s on the rear panel, and four other SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 3.0 x16, and one mPCIe 3.0 x1, holding the board's included 802.11 ac WLAN + Bluetooth 4.0 card. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, both driven by Intel-made controllers, a 2-port USB 3.1 controller (type-A ports), four other USB 3.0 ports, and an 8-channel HD audio make for the rest of it. ASRock didn't announce pricing or availability.

ASRock announced its latest high-end socket LGA2011v3 motherboard for enthusiast PC/workstation builds, the X99 WS-E. Built in the EATX form-factor, this board is driven by Intel X99 Express chipset, and can run the company's Core i7 "Haswell-E" HEDT, and Xeon E5-2600 series "Haswell-EP" processors, out of the box. The board draws power from a 24-pin ATX, an 8-pin EPS, and two optional 4-pin Molex connectors. It offers a 12-phase CPU VRM, and a 4-phase memory VRM. The CPU socket is wired to eight DDR4 DIMM slots, which can seat up to 128 GB of quad-channel memory.

Expansion slots include seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16. The board features two PLX PEX-8747 bridge chips, which take in two x16 links from the CPU, and turn them into a total of four Gen 3.0 x16 slots that run at x16 bandwidth all the time. A third PCIe 3.0 x8 slot from the CPU is directly wired out. Both these PEX-8747 chips have bypass slots, so if you have just two VGA cards and want direct paths between them and the CPU, you can have it your way. Storage includes a total of 10 SATA 6 Gb/s ports driven by the PCH, from which two convert to a single SATA-Express connector, two additional 6 Gb/s ports from a Marvell-made controller, and an M.2 (physical PCIe 2.0 x4) slot.

DeepCool rolled out the second generation of its GamerStorm Assassin type-D twin-stack CPU cooler. The Assassin II is huge, measuring in at 143 mm x 158 mm x 167 mm (WxDxH), weighing 1.48 kg (including fans). Its design consists of a large nickel-plated copper base, from which eight nicke-plated copper heat pipes pass through, conveying heat to two aluminium fin stacks. The two stacks are not of the same shape.

One of the two fin stacks features an edge that's pointing towards the rear of your case, and hence you can't strap three fans onto this heatsink, just a push fan, and a conveyor between the two fin-stacks, but not a pull fan. The push fan is a 120 mm spinner, running between 300 and 1,400 RPM, pushing up to 68.06 CFM of air, with a noise output ranging between 17.8 to 27.3 dBA. The conveyor fan is a 140 mm spinner, clocking 300 to 1,200 RPM, pushing up to 70.08 CFM of air, with a noise output ranging between 17.8 and 27.3 dBA. The Assassin II can handle all modern CPU socket types, including LGA2011v3, LGA1150, AM3+, and FM2+. DeepCool didn't mention if the cooler is good enough for 220W TDP chips such as the AMD FX-9000 series.

MSI is planning to give its socket LGA2011v3 motherboard lineup a refresh, replacing the X99S series, with the new X99A series. The X99A series will feature USB 3.1, the new 10 Gb/s USB standard. One confirmed model from the new lineup is the X99A Gaming 9 ACK. This board offers two USB 3.1 type-A ports, which are 100% backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, and are driven by an ASMedia ASM1352R controller. This chip is wired to the X99 PCH over PCI-Express 2.0 x2, which is just enough bandwidth for 10 Gb/s downstream. At CES, MSI displayed the first motherboard to feature a USB 3.1 type-C port, the Z97A Gaming 6.

ID-COOLING, a cooling solution provider focusing on thermal dissipation and fan technology research and production for over 10 years, releases a newly developed Vapor Chamber CPU Cooler for Mini-ITX system: IS-VC45.

When small PC systems get more and more power hungry and house much more top-tier hardware including the CPU, effective CPU cooling is in demand. With a vapor chamber base to draw heat immediately from the processor, IS-VC45 is able to handle TDP 130W CPUs. Measuring 94×92×45mm, this cooler can fit into Mini-ITX systems easily.

Noctua today announced three new 92mm class CPU coolers. Whereas the NH-U9S and NH-D9L are retail models that suceed the popular NH-U9B SE2, the NH-D9DX i4 3U targets Intel Xeon LGA2011 based workstations and servers. All three models use the recently announced NF-A9 PWM 92mm premium fan to achieve class-leading quiet cooling performance.

"Providing a great balance between high efficiency and compact size, the NH-U9B SE2 is still one of our most popular models", says Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "The NH-U9S and NH-D9L stay true to this proven formula but now offer even better performance, better compatibility and PWM support for automatic fan speed control."

MSI updated its flagship Gaming series socket LGA2011V3 motherboard portfolio with an upgraded variant of the X99S Gaming 9 AC, the X99S Gaming 9 ACK. The "K" in the "ACK" stands for "Killer," denoting the board's Killer DoubleShot Pro feature, which lets you team up your wired gigabit Ethernet, with WLAN, to produce a staggering 1.866 Gbps of bandwidth, at low latency. In other words, the board features a Qualcomm Killer WLAN controller, instead of the Intel-made one on the standard X99S Gaming 9 AC. The wired gigabit Ethernet interface is care of a Killer E2205 controller, whereas the WLAN interface is handled by a Killer 1525 chip, which supports 802.11 ac, in addition to Bluetooth 4.0. The rest of this board's feature-set is identical to that of the X99S Gaming 9 AC. MSI will formally announce the board later this month.