Noctua today presented a new revision of its much acclaimed NH-U12DX and NH-U9DX quiet CPU coolers for Intel Xeon workstations and servers. The new i4 models support LGA2011 (both Square and Narrow ILM), LGA1356 and LGA1366 based Xeon platforms and now come with PWM fans for automatic speed control. Fitted with the professional SecuFirm2 mounting system and bundled with Noctua's industrial-grade NT-H1 thermal compound, the NH-U12DX i4 and NH-U9DX i4 form complete premium quality packages for quietly cooling Xeon based workstations and servers.

"Builders of quiet workstations and servers still have trouble finding quality cooling solutions for Intel's LGA2011 socket with Narrow ILM mounting", explains Mag. Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO), "so we've decided to update our DX line of coolers to work with both Square ILM and Narrow ILM based LGA2011 platforms. At the same time, we've added PWM control and switched the U12 version to the new, slimmer layout of the NH-U12S, which not only provides better performance but also ensures easier access to the RAM slots, which was another long time request from our industry partners."

Arctic announced the Alpine 20 Plus CO, a low-profile CPU cooler specifically designed for socket LGA2011. It could provide an inexpensive air-cooling option for Core i7 LGA2011 desktops, and Xeon LGA2011 workstations. The cooler is a fan-heatsink, with a dense aluminum heatsink being ventilated by a 92 mm PWM-controlled fan, which spins at speeds of 600-2,200 RPM. The cooler measures 99 mm x 95 mm x 80 mm (LxWxH), weighing about 440 g. Backed by a six-year warranty, the Alpine 20 Plus CO is priced at 14.50?.

PC enthusiast "Toppc" with the Coolaler.com, with access to a Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" sample clocked to match specifications of the Core i7-4960X, wasted no time in comparing the chip to a Core i7-3970X "Sandy Bridge-E." The two chips share a common socket LGA2011 design, and run on motherboards with Intel X79 Express chipset. An MSI X79A-GD45 Plus, with V17.1 BIOS was used to run the two chips. Among the tests Toppc put the chip through, are overclocker favorites SuperPi mod 1.6, CPU Mark '99, WPrime 1.63, Cinebench 11.5, 3DMark Vantage (CPU score), and 3DMark 06 (CPU score).

The Ivy Bridge-E chip outperformed its predecessor by roughly 5-10 percent across the board. In Cinebench, the i7-4960X scored 10.94 points in comparison to the i7-3970X' 10.16; SuperPi 32M was crunched by the i7-4960X in 9m 22.6s compared to the 9m 55.4s of the i7-3970X; CPU Mark scores between the two are 561 vs. 533, respectively; 3DMark Vantage CPU score being 38,644 points vs. 35,804, respectively; and 3DMark 06 scores 8,586 points vs. 8,099 points, respectively. In WPrime, the i7-4960X crunched 32M in 4.601s, compared to its predecessor's 5.01s. Below are the test screenshots, please note that they're high-resolution images, so please open each in a new tab.

Intel's Core "Haswell" processor family may be just around the corner (June 2013), but that isn't stopping enthusiasts from looking out for the next HEDT (high-end desktop) processor from Intel, codenamed "Ivy Bridge-E." The new lineup could look similar to the company's current Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E," in that it features a quad-core part in the $300-400 range, a six-core unlocked part in the $500-600 range, and an Extreme Edition six-core part around $1000. All three parts will be available in the LGA2011 package, and compatible with current X79 chipset-based motherboards (BIOS update could be needed). DDR3-1866 MHz could become the standard memory frequency for these chips.

The lineup will begin with Core i7-4820, a quad-core chip with a nominal clock speed of 3.70 GHz, Turbo Boost speed of 3.90 GHz, and 10 MB shared L3 cache. Moving on, there's the Core i7-4930K, a six-core chip with an unlocked BClk multiplier, nominal speed of 3.40 GHz, Turbo Boost speed of 3.90 GHz, and 12 MB shared L3 cache. The series will be topped off with the Core i7-4960X Extreme Edition, featuring an unlocked BClk multiplier, 3.60 GHz nominal clock speed, 4.00 GHz Turbo Boost speed, and 15 MB shared L3 cache. The Ivy Bridge-E silicon will be built on the 22 nm silicon fab process, and TDP for all three parts is rated at 130W. The three will be released some time in Q3, 2013.

Evercool announced the HPR 9225EA entry-level tower-type CPU cooler. It uses a stack of 43 aluminium fins, to which heat is conveyed by two 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes, which make direct contact with the CPU at the base. The stack is ventilated by a 92 mm fan that spins at speeds up to 2,200 RPM, pushing 35.6 CFM of air, with 26.3 dBA noise output. Measuring 97 x 73 x 118 mm (WxDxH), the cooler weighs about 400 g. It supports most modern CPU socket types, with the exception of LGA2011. Among the socket types supported are LGA115x, LGA775, AM3+/AM3/AM2+, and FM2/FM1. The company did not give out pricing information.

After giving its Dark Knight SD1283 a pitch-black color-scheme with the Nighthawk Edition released last April, XIGMATEK announced availability of its polar opposite color scheme, the Frostbourne Edition. The aluminum-alloy fin tower-type heatsink's fins, three 8 mm-thick U-shaped heatpipes that make direct contact with the CPU, and the included fan, bear a matte white finish. The fins feature XIGMATEK's Stealth ceramic coating, which works to increase surface area for heat dissipation. The cooler is designed to handle TDP of up to 160W.

Measuring 120 x 50 x 159 mm (WxDxH) heatsink-only, and weighing 406 g, the Dark Knight SD1283 Frostbourne Edition includes an XOF-F1251 120 mm fan with 4-pin PWM connector. It spins in the range of 800 and 1,400 RPM, pushing up to 60 CFM of air, with a company rated noise output under 16 dBA. The cooler supports nearly all modern client CPU socket types, including Intel LGA2011, LGA1155/LGA1156, LGA775; AMD AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM2/FM1. The Dark Knight SD1283 is expected to be priced around the $50 mark.

MSI launched the X79A-GD45 PLUS socket LGA2011 motherboard, targeting the US $200~250 price-range. The board uses a 9-phase DrMOS VRM to power the CPU socket, which is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR3-2400 MHz memory; and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (gray). The other two PCI-Express x16 slots (black) are electrical gen 2.0 x4, and wired to the X79 PCH. A lone PCI-Express 2.0 x1 finds some room in there.

The X79A-GD45 PLUS sticks to the chipset's feature-set, with very little third-party controller functionality. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s and three SATA 3 Gb/s, all of which are internal ports. The board features four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two by headers), 8-channel HD audio with optical and coaxial SPDIF outputs, gigabit Ethernet, PS/2 mouse/keyboard, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports making up the rest of the connectivity. It is driven by an AMI UEFI BIOS, with a few overclocker-friendly features such as diagnostic LEDs, POST state display, accessible CMOS reset button, etc.

Eurocom Corporation (www.eurocom.com), a leading developer of high performance Mobile Workstations and Fully Customizable Notebooks is now shipping a computer system with full server capability combined with full mobility. The EUROCOM Panther 5.0 Server Edition is the 4th generation of Eurocom Mobile Server powered by Intel Xeon processors, continuing the tradition of highly capable, stable, upgradeable and expandable server grade hardware from Eurocom.

The EUROCOM Panther 5.0 SE provides fast deployment right out of the box, combined with easy relocation. The ability to hand carry the system make the EUROCOM Panther 5.0 SE an extremely easy system to travel with while providing server capabilities.

TechPowerUp's World Community Grid (WCG) team is on a roll. It currently generates the fourth highest production of BIONC points in the world, and is growing. To help accelerate its growth further, our WCG community is announcing the February Challenge. The contest requires you to net at least 25,000 WCG points for TPU's WCG team in the contest period (08/Feb/2013 to 08/Mar/2013).

At the end of the contest, winners will be picked completely at random, who will stand to win one each of thirty (30+) prizes, ranging from Radeon HD 7770 graphics cards to Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors, LGA2011 motherboards, PSUs, memory kits, other enthusiast PC hardware, games (Steam/Origin/U-Play keys), gift cards, and consumables (such as TIM tubes), all of which are community sourced.

For more information, and to get crunching, visit this thread.

Deepcool, the leading manufacturer of desktop CPU cooler, VGA cooler, DC case fan and Notebook cooler, officially released a new member for the well-known CPU cooler GAMMAXX family-GAMMAXX S40. The S in the name means to say small size, but this cooler also excels in cooling performance.

The bowl shaped 120mm fan successfully help GAMMAXX 300 achieve the superb cooling performance, and it will do the same on GAMMAXX S40. With PWM function, it runs at between 900 and 1600RPM, which offers big airflow to cool the heatsink at very low noise level. The unique D.A.C. design on the fan frame helps to cool the surrounding components such as the MOSFET, thus the overall platform temperature drops by over 10%.

It looks like the void left by lack of socket LGA1150 motherboards is being filled by new LGA2011 HEDT ones, with ASUS joining in with the P9X79-E WS. The board is so big and feature-packed that its designers labeled it a workstation board that's built in the SSI-CEB form-factor (should fit in full-ATX cases that have room for EATX). The board features a 10-phase CPU VRM, seven PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, which are wired to the CPU through a couple of 48-lane PCI-Express bridge chips, support for 128 GB quad-channel DDR3 memory, six SATA 6 Gb/s ports (two from the X79 PCH, four from third-party controllers), four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, a couple of eSATA 6 Gb/s ports, four USB 3.0 ports, FireWire, 8-channel HD audio, and two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, which are each backed by Intel-made PHYs.

With Ivy Bridge-E expected to make its debut this year (Q3 according to roadmap leaks) EVGA has decided to take another look at the LGA2011 platform. This in turn led to the making of a new motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset, the X79 Dark.

Seen at CES 2013, EVGA's new LGA2011 board bears a black and red color theme and features an E-ATX form factor, 12+1 phase PWM, eight DDR3 memory slots (supporting up to 64 GB of RAM), ten SATA ports (six are SATA 6.0 Gbps), five PCI-Express x16 slots (accompanied by switches that disable/enable them), dual Intel Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 3.0 connectors, Bluetooth, two eSATA ports, and 7.1-channel audio.

The X79 Dark also has an angled 24-pin power connector, a debug LED, EVBot support, plus Power, Reset and Clear CMOS buttons. The motherboard is expected to arrive towards the end of Q1, or in early Q2.

After a long sabbatical, MSI unveiled a new socket LGA2011 motherboard, the X79A-GD45 Gaming. Over-simplistic naming aside, the board is practically identical to the X79A-GD45 (8D), albeit with a more dull yet intuitive color scheme. Black and bright blue make way for black and gray, with fancy die-cast covers over the MOSFET and chipset heatsinks. The only other feature that makes it stand apart from its older twin is Creative Sound Blaster Cinema audio driver for existing HD audio CODEC, which enhances sound quality over Realtek's driver, and adds a few DSPs of its own.

Scythe released the Apsalus entry-level liquid CPU Cooler (model: APSALUS3-120). Based on an Asetek platform, the pre-assembled (maintenance-free), closed-loop cooler uses an exposed copper base with pump assembly, joined the the 1U 120 mm radiator that packs the reservoir, which is ventilated by a 120 mm Scythe-made fan. The base measures 72.3 x 72.3 × 27.3 mm, the radiator 120 x 150 x 27 mm (excluding the fan), and the coolant pipes are about 326 mm long. The cooler supports all modern CPU socket types, including LGA2011, LGA115x, LGA1366, FM2/FM1, and AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2. It is priced around 6,980¥ ($84).

Antec introduced V4 series design updates for its Kuhler H2O 620 and H2O 920 closed-loop CPU coolers. The new coolers are outfitted with a higher-pressure pump, and split-flow copper fin design in the radiators. The company claims the two innovations work to drop temperatures down a further 2-4°C, over temperatures previous versions achieve. Lastly, the coolers are labeled with guaranteed support for current and upcoming CPU socket types, including LGA2011, LGA115x, LGA775, FM2/FM1, and AM3+/AM3/AM2+. Prices remain unchanged.

EUROCOM Panther 4.0 supercomputer laptop delivers unmatched 2D/3D capabilities for heavy duty 3D and 2D applications, like CAD (Computer-Aided Design), CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering), DCC (Digital Content Creation), visualization, and simulation. It is ideal for Engineering on the Go, Rapid Engineering Deployment Teams and for Server on the Go applications.

Sapphire officially launched the Vapor-X CPU cooler it talked about at trade shows earlier this year. It uses a vapor-chamber plate to draw heat from the CPU, and convey it to four 7 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes, which then pass through a dense aluminum fin stack, that's ventilated by two 120 mm PWM controlled fans (replaceable) in push-pull configuration. Spinning at speeds ranging between 495 and 2,200 RPM, the fans push 77 CFM of air, each. Measuring 135 x 110.4 x 163.5 mm, the heatsink weighs about 925 g. Nearly every modern client CPU socket type is supported, including Intel sockets LGA2011, LGA115x, LGA775, and AMD sockets AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, and FM2/FM1. Expect a sub-$80 price.

Reeven unveiled the Arcziel 12 CPU cooler. Classified in the large category, the Arcziel 12 is a top-flow air-cooler that uses an aluminum fin stack arranged along the plane of the motherboard, to which heat is conveyed by six 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes that make indirect contact with the CPU over a nickel-plated copper base that's polished to a mirror-finish. The six heat pipes pass through the aluminum fin stack at two points, to even heat distribution. The heatsink is then ventilated by a 120 mm PWM fan that spins at 500 to 1900 RPM, with noise-output of up to 35 dBA. Measuring 140.5 x 131 x 126 mm, the cooler weighs about 557 g. It supports all modern CPU socket types, including LGA2011, LGA115x, AM3+, and FM2. It is slated for November 21.

Intel's 2011-launched Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" HEDT platform is based on a 32 nm silicon that's common with Xeon E5 series processors. While the silicon physically packs eight CPU cores and 20 MB last-level cache (LLC, or L3 cache), client Core i7 processors are configured with only a maximum of six cores, and up to 15 MB L3 cache. According to a MyDrivers.com report, the maximum core count won't change with next-generation 22 nm Ivy Bridge-E Core i7 processors.

Ivy Bridge-E will be an upscale of Ivy Bridge. Similar to Sandy Bridge-E, the silicon will feature up to eight cores and 20 MB L3 cache. In its Core i7 avatar, however, the chip will be configured with no more than six cores, and no more than 15 MB L3 cache. The new chip will introduce IPC improvements, PCI-Express Gen 3.0 certified root complex (one which NVIDIA will approve of), higher CPU core clock speeds, and support for faster memory.

Intel's newest flagship desktop processor, the Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition, started selling. In Singapore, the chip is being sold at S$ 1,425 (US $1,167), including local taxes. Based on the 32 nm "Sandy Bridge-E" silicon, and built in the LGA2011 package, the i7-3970X is a six-core processor clocked at 3.50 GHz, with maximum Turbo Boost frequency of 4.00 GHz. The six-core chip is bolstered by HyperThreading, enabling 12 logical CPUs, 256 KB L2 cache per core, 15 MB shared L3 cache, and a quad-channel DDR3 integrated memory controller, supporting up to 128 GB of memory. Surprisingly, the chip's 200 MHz speed bump over the Core i7-3960X affected its TDP, which is rated at 150W, up from 130W of the i7-3960X.

Korean enthusiast PC components major Zalman announced a trio of closed-loop liquid CPU coolers, the LQ310, LQ315, and LQ320; which are designed to handle maximum thermal loads (Qmax) of 300W, 330W, and 340W, respectively. The USP for all three is an extremely dense copper micro-fin structures inside the main block, where heat is dissipated to the coolant. The three feature what is essentially the same block and pump, and differ with the size of the radiator.

The Radiator component of the LQ310 measures 153 x 120 x 25 mm, that of the LQ315 is slightly thicker, at 35 mm, and LQ320 at 51 mm. A Zalman-made 120 mm fan, with 900 to 2,000 RPM speed range, long life bearing, and 4-pin PWM control, is standard issue for all three models. All modern CPU socket types are supported by the three, including LGA2011, LGA115x, AM3+/AM3, and FM2/FM1. The LQ310, LQ315, and LQ320, are priced at US $85, $100, and $120, respectively.

DeepCool announced a new variant of the Big Frost dual-tower CPU cooler which made its debut at this year's Computex event, held in June. Called the Big Frost Extreme Edition, the cooler features six nickel-plated copper heat pipes (the original uses bare copper), its base is polished to a mirror finish. Lastly, it uses a pair of UF120 PWM-controlled fans with blue impellers, and black frames. The cooler is ready for all current CPU socket types, including LGA2011, LGA115x, LGA1366, AM3+/AM3/AM2+, and FM2/FM1. In some markets, the cooler will be sold as "Neptwin Extreme Edition." The company did not finalize pricing.

Cooler Master's new line of liquid CPU coolers include the Seidon 120M. The self contained (closed-loop) cooler combines a 150.3 x 118 x 27 mm aluminum fin radiator with a copper micro-channel block. The radiator and block+pump unit are factory fitted with flexible tubes. The radiator makes use of a 120 mm 600~2400 RPM PWM-controlled fan with 19~40 dBA noise output. The pump, on the other hand, can be as loud as 17 dBA. The cooler will include retention modules for all popular CPU socket types, including AMD AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2, FM2/FM1, Intel LGA1155/1156, LGA2011, LGA1366, and LGA775. Pricing and availability information is not available.

The fastest client computing platform, Sandy Bridge-E, won't be seeing successors for a long time now, according to a Bright Side of News report. The next-generation "Ivy Bridge-E" lineup, which will carry processor model number series Core i7-49xx, aren't due until the third quarter of 2013. Ivy Bridge-E will build on the existing Sandy Bridge-E HEDT platform with Intel X79 Express chipset. Existing LGA2011 motherboards will be able to run the i7-4900 series chips with BIOS updates.

Meanwhile, the closest addition to Intel's socket LGA2011 Core i7-3900 series is the Core i7-3970X, which displaces the Core i7-3960X from the top spot. This chip will hit the shelves in a few weeks' time. According to a leaked specs sheet, the i7-3970X ships with a nominal clock speed of 3.50 GHz, with maximum Turbo Boost speed of 4.00 GHz. The specs sheet also confirms that i7-3970X will be a six-core chip, with HyperThreading enabling 12 logical CPUs, allaying rumors that Intel will unlock two additional cores and the full 20 MB L3 cache on the Sandy Bridge-E silicon, making it an eight-core chip.

EK-Supremacy Elite, the premium bundle containing the best CPU water block on the market and the best thermal interface on the market - the EK-TIM Indigo Xtreme - is now finally shipping. Please note that due to high demand this product may be shown as out of stock at the time of purchase. These water blocks are therefore manufactured on daily basis to ensure adequate supply and daily re-stock.

EK-Supremacy Elite is the premium bundle containing the best CPU water block on the market - the EK-Supremacy - Full Nickel - and the best thermal interface on the market - the EK-TIM Indigo Xtreme. EK-Supremacy is a universal CPU water block that fits all modern CPU sockets with a universal mounting mechanism that offers error-preventing, tool-less installation. The result is a perfect installation which results in perfect performance every time. EK-Supremacy is truly the best product for performance seeking enthusiasts.