Biostar's coveted TPower brand makes a comeback with TPower X79, Biostar's premium overclocking motherboard for the Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" platform. TPower motherboards have been known to be a part of some record-setting CPU OC feats right from the days of LGA775. The TPower X79 is another product that's meant for record-setting feats, with its strong VRM and slim feature-set that does away with everything overclockers don't need and adds to the bloat of the motherboard.

The CPU is powered by an 8-phase DuraMax VRM with active phase control and direct FETs. It draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, apart from the 24-pin ATX and an optional 4-pin Molex for PCIe slot stability. Apart from a strong VRM, the board makes use of POSCAP capacitors in the CPU area, and a high-quality clock generator. The VRM and chipset heatsinks are connected with a 6 mm heat pipe, the heatsinks are made of a ceramic surface material for better dissipation. The CPU is wired to just four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per channel, which shouldn't be an issue for overclockers. It gives you shorter memory traces. Apart from JEDEC speeds of up to DDR3-1600 MHz, the board supports DDR3-2400 MHz by overclocking.

Foxconn's latest premium gamer-overclocker segment motherboard, the Quantum Force X79, has finally taken shape. Foxconn's Quantum Force motherboards are designed to offer good overclocking features at a great value. The Quantum Force X79 uses a 14-phase VRM to power the LGA2011 "Sandy Bridge-E" processor, plus a 2-phase VRM for the memory. There are four DDR3 DIMM slots, one per memory channel. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (PCI-E1_x16, PCI-E3_x16, and PCI-E4_x16. The second black slot (PCI-E2_x16) is electrical PCI-Express 2.0 x8.

The board is packed with features that help overclockers, starting with triple redundant BIOS, voltage measurement points for manual voltage measurements (with a wide range of voltage domains), manual overclocking buttons on board, power, reset, clear-CMOS buttons, POST speaker, and plenty of fan headers.

Thermaltake, being the industry pioneer brand in thermal solutions with the mission of "delivering the perfect user experience," carrying the corporate vision of "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology, and lifestyle," featured the Contac CPU air cooling Series that aids in fulfilling various needs in the market as well as the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience." This fall adding the shimmering Thermaltake Contac 39 and Contac 30 CPU air cooling to the series, providing a wider range of solution for bargain hunter who desire value and performance equally.

A couple of weeks ahead of its worldwide launch, Intel's much talked about "Sandy Bridge-E" Core i7 processors and compatible motherboards are beginning to surface on an online store in China. Listings include all three of the Core i7 LGA2011 processors Intel will launch in November, that includes the quad-core Core i7-3820, six-core Core i7-3930K and six-core Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition (details on the three here. Apart from these, a few compatible motherboards such as the ASUS ROG Rampage IV Extreme and MSI X79A-GD65 8D, were also listed.

Before getting into the pricing, it's important to note that prices of components in mainland China, in general, are more or less consistent with those in the US. The top-of-the-line Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is priced at RMB ¥7,800 (converts to US $1,227). The next best LGA2011 offering, Core i7-3930K, is priced at ¥5,800 (US $912). The most afforable of the three, Core i7-3820, goes for ¥3,500 (US $550).

As Intel's Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors in the LGA2011 package inch closer to their mid-November launch, there is already hectic activity among manufacturers of related components such as motherboards, memory, and coolers. By now, a large section of the industry has engineering samples to help design and test their components. OCWorkbench was witness to one such pre-release setup on which a Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" (unknown model, could even be quad-core for all we know), overclocked to 4.92 GHz with a "regular" air-cooler. The chip was idling at 45°C.

Sandy Bridge-E, as we know, can be effectively overclocked by increasing its base clock (BClk). On this particular setup, the BClk was set at 120 MHz, with a multiplier value of 41X, and core voltage of 1.51V. The memory used was DDR3-2400 MHz with CAS latency of 10T. This is particularly encouraging, not just to enthusiasts on a tight budget, but also the cooling products industry in general. Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" retail boxes don't contain a cooling solution, and Intel has been showing off its branded closed-loop water-cooling solution (to be purchased separately) as something that's "recommended" for Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E". This gave many an impression that you need at least closed-loop water coolers for any hope of achieving decent overclocked speeds with these chips, and that perhaps these chips are bad overclockers in general. The likes of Xigmatek, Thermalright, Noctua, and Scythe can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

The process and anticipation of upgrading to the latest processor has always been some of the most exciting times for every PC enthusiast. But along with the excitement, users are often faced with various decisions such as which motherboard to get, is a memory upgrade needed or will a new CPU cooler have to be purchased? While Thermaltake cannot make most of those decisions for you, if you currently own or are planning to purchase any of the following Thermaltake performance coolers listed below, you will be in good hands. In order to better serve our customers, Thermaltake is proud to announce the Thermaltake FreeUp Program.

The upcoming Intel Sandy Bridge-E processors will be based on socket LGA-2011 as evident from the recent Intel Developer Forum (IDF) conference. Thermaltake is here to ensure that our current and future customers of Thermaltake cooling solutions will have access to the newest technology without the hassle of trying to mock up new mounting or purchasing a new cooler entirely. The LGA-2011 upgrade mounting hardware will be provided free of charge to anyone who has purchased a qualified cooler on or after September 1st 2011. Thermaltake will be incorporating the new LGA-2011 kit into all LGA-2011 compatible coolers in both retail and e-tail space once the Intel Sandy Bridge-E processor launch is confirmed, but this program is to ensure that anyone who supports Thermaltake brands by choosing the qualified cooler as their solution will have the LGA 2011 mounting available to them when they make their purchase or in the case that the cooler may have been in store before the changeover. Thermaltake wants to ensure you can upgrade and use your recently purchased cooler with no worries about future compatibility.

Just as its detractors thought they were done with it, and just as people started to think that attrition among some of its "popular" designers cost EVGA dearly, the company hit back with teaser pictures of the Super Record 3 or SR3, it promised back in June, it would deliver to the enthusiast community. And yes, it matches its description! The SR3 is a dual socket LGA2011 2P enthusiast desktop/workstation motherboard in the E-ATX form factor. Socket 0 is wired to eight DDR3 DIMM slots (two DIMMs/channel), while socket 1 to four slots (1 DIMM/channel).

In LGA2011 2P systems, the processor sitting on socket 0 is wired to the PCH (SR3 looks to have Patsburg-T), while the processor on socket 1 is wired to the one on socket 0 using two QPI links, closing the daisy-chain. Socket 0, apart from its 4 GB/s DMI link, has a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 (another 4 GB/s) link to supplement the DMI link, so the storage controllers don't get bottlenecked with just DMI. Both processors contribute to the PCI-Express lane budget of the motherboard. There are seven PCI-Express x16 slots, among which four are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 capable, every slot is PCI-Express 3.0 x8 capable. NVIDIA 4-way SLI is supported. This board will support Sandy Bridge-EP Xeon processors, though we don't know at this juncture if Core i7 Sandy Bridge-E is 2P capable.

Noctua today announced its new NM-I2011 mounting kit for LGA2011. Continuing Noctua's tradition of supplying its customers with SecuFirm2 mountings free of charge, the NM-I2011 kit allows Noctua users to upgrade to Intel's upcoming LGA2011 socket for Core i7-3000 (Sandy Bridge-E) processors. The new mounting is backwards compatible with all Noctua retail coolers since 2005 and will be supplied to Noctua users free of charge after uploading a proof of purchase on the company's website.

"We feel that product quality and service quality should always go hand in hand, so we're determined to give the best possible support to our customers. Having provided free mounting upgrades for the last generations of Intel and AMD platforms, we're happy to announce that we will continue this tradition with the NM-I2011 kit for LGA2011", says Mag. Roland Mossig, Noctua CEO. "We always like to think of our coolers as safe long-term investments, and even if you bought one of our first models six years ago, you'll still be able to upgrade it to the latest socket technology free of charge."

Intel's next generation "Ivy Bridge" Core processors slated for 2012 will mark the beginning of Intel's transition to the brand new 22 nanometer fab process. It looks like Ivy Bridge will significantly benefit from this transition, since Intel will raise the bar in terms of energy-efficiency. Even the fastest P1 (performance 1) tier quad-core chips will have TDP rated as low as 77W, down from the 95W Core i7 2600K, for example, has.

The punters at Intel marketing have sliced the market down to finer segments, to better address it. The market is sliced in terms of price-segments (vertical), and in terms of target users (horizontal). The two markers are independent of each other, yet they complement each other in pin-pointing areas of the market Intel can address. Ivy Bridge LGA1155 is restricted to P1 (performance tier 1) segment on the top, with higher tiers, along with HEDT (high-end desktop) being reserved for Sandy Bridge-E LGA2011, and future "Ivy Bridge-E". Horizontally, Intel will have "K" quad-core parts for Enthusiast, standard (locked) quad-core vPro for the Standard, "T" quad-core for Performance-optimized lifestyle, and "S" for Power-optimized lifestyle. Chaotic as it looks, the table below lays out the lineup perfectly.

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.

Intel have finally confirmed that they will be including water cooling as an enthusiast solution for their upcoming Core i7-3000 series Sandy Bridge-E processors due for release on November 14 - a first for Intel and something for AMD to match. They have gone with Asetek due to their high quality products and good reputation, which will be branded with the distinctive Intel blue logos. The 12cm radiator fan will actually be illuminated in Intel Blue, giving a classy look to the kit. On top of that, they will actually sell the kit separately, so no one need feel left out. The E-series chips are already significantly faster than the current Sandy Bridge offerings, but water cooling will be able to stretch that lead even further and should make for some exciting overclocking achievements. Perhaps 6GHz or more 24/7 reliable operation is within reach? No prices as yet.

In 2012, it's curtain's for Intel's iconic Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, with the company issuing the Intel X58 chipset a schedule for discontinuation. The chipset has exactly 12 more months to attain EOL (end of life) status. Intel will continue to take orders for Intel X58 till April 27, 2012, the last of these orders will have shipped by October 12, 2012. Intel X58 + ICH10/R is the de facto chipset for Intel's Core i7 client processors in the LGA1366 package.

To motherboard vendors, the X58 I/O Hub (northbridge) is priced at US $39, and another $14 for the ICH10R southbridge. In November 2011, Intel is releasing the proper successor for the Nehalem/Tylersburg platform, the Sandy Bridge-E/Patsburg, consisting of Core i7 processors in the LGA2011 package, and Intel X79 chipset.

PC enthusiast customers and companies running corporate datacentres looking to buy into the new Sandy Bridge-E platform may want to wait a little while before handing over their hard-earned money to Intel. The initial batch of C1 revision Sandy Bridge-E processors have a bug - "errata" in Intel terminology - in them with VT-d, which means that hardware accelerated virtualization doesn't work properly with them (software only mode is unaffected). The feature when working properly, allows all hardware acceleration to work on the hosted operating system (virtual machine). This would allow things such as hard drive controllers to work, plus applications such as high-powered 3D games, typically First Person Shooters, to run at nearly full speed and the full Windows Aero desktop to be displayed on the hosted OS, as the hardware features of the graphics card can be used. Therefore, working VT-d is a critical feature for these kinds of applications.

Last week, ECS showed off its top-of-the-line HEDT (high-end desktop) segment motherboard in the making, the X79R-AX Black Series. This socket LGA2011 motherboard based on the Intel X79 chipset is expected to be launched along with the Core i7 "Sandy Bridge-E" processors. It targets the gamer-overclocker market, providing support for up to four graphics cards in 4-way SLI and CrossFire. The LGA2011 socket is powered by a 14-phase VRM, is is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots on its either sides, supporting up to 32 GB of quad-channel DDR3 memory.

Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16, that can be electrically configured as x16/NC/x16/NC (single card or 2-way), x16/NC/x8/x8 (3-way), and x8/x8/x8/x8 (4-way). Other slots include two PCI-Express x1. Storage connectivity includes 12 internal SATA ports, and two eSATA. The data-rates of the internal ports are not known, but it most likely has two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports wired to the X79 PCH, while the remaining six ports are driven by additional SATA 6 Gb/s 2-port controllers. The eSATA ports run at 6 Gb/s.

Here are the first pictures of Intel Desktop Board Extreme Series DX79SI. This is the first socket LGA2011 we've seen that has eight DDR3 DIMM slots (four on either side of the socket, two DIMMs per channel), every other board has barely enough room for four. LGA2011 supports quad-channel DDR3 memory, yielding 33% bandwidth gain over triple-channel DDR3 and 100% gain over dual-channel DDR3. Despite its large memory area, the DX79SI sticks to standard ATX board dimensions. This is thanks to some smart engineering.

While on other LGA2011 boards, the CPU VRM is concentrated to the north of the socket, on this board, it is split between the north and south of the socket. Both areas have heatsinks, and the VRM area to the south is located where older generations of motherboards would typically have the northbridge chip. X79 is a single-chip chipset, located where the PCH/southbridge typically is.

Back in August, it was reported that the retail packages of some, if not all, Intel's Sandy Bridge-E Core i7 LGA2011 processors will not pack the certified cooling solution like Core i7 LGA1366 processors do. It was also reported that Intel will sell its own-branded cooling solutions separately. It became a little obvious right then, that Intel won't selling dinky-little heatsinks that cost a couple of dozen Dollars. At the ongoing IDF event, Intel displayed its first retail-packaged cooling solution that's not only LGA2011-compatible, but also supports older socket types such as LGA1155, LGA1156, and LGA1366.

The cooling solution is a closed-loop (self-contained) liquid cooler made by water cooling OEM Asetek. Called the RTS2011LC, the cooler is rated to cool processors with TDP of up to 130W. The cooler consists of an exposed-copper block that also houses the pump, tough and flexible tubing that runs to the radiator assembly, which houses a reservoir, and a fancy-looking 120 mm fan. Along with the fan, the Intel logo on the block lights up blue. The radiator used looks similar to that on the Hydro Series H70, a popular cooler by Corsair, which is also made by Asetek. Expected to be available around the same time as Core i7 LGA2011 processors, the Intel RTS2011LC could command a price over $99.

Even as AMD struggles to get its FX series processors out, and into to the market, Intel seems to be doing the opposite: trying to get Sandy Bridge-E (enthusiast) out as quickly as possible. The new high-end desktop/workstation platform was slated for December, and then there was news that chipset delays could push it into 2012. Fresh news pin-points the launch date to Week 46 of 2011, more specifically, November 15. On that day, Intel will have processors as well as compatible Desktop Board products (Intel-branded motherboards) out in the markets, ready for purchase. Ideally, motherboard vendors should have their socket LGA2011 products stocked up by then, too.

Intel will begin the Sandy Bridge-E platform with Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition 6-core Unlocked processor, Core i7-3930K 6-core Unlocked processor, and Core i7-3820 4-core processor. Intel X79 Express is the De facto desktop chipset. The first compatible Intel Desktop Board products include DX79SI, and DX79TO.

Intel's upcoming Core i7 processors in the LGA2011 package, codenamed "Sandy Bridge-E," will come in a unique package that's completely different from what's being reported as AMD's, in which self-contained liquid CPU coolers will be bundled with some FX-series processors. Intel's upcoming Core i7-3820, Core i7-3930K and the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition processor boxes will lack Intel's certified (stock) heatsink-fan (HSF). Instead, Intel plans to sell the certified coolers separately, probably having the same market reach and availability as the processors themselves.

The idea behind this is that the target users of Sandy Bridge-E will most likely use third-party cooling solutions. Hence it makes sense to save them of a chunk of metal they'll probably never use. For those who do use stock cooling, seldom/never overclock, and rely on the Intel certification to go with the cooler, Intel will have the certified cooler available separately for purchase, with its retail partners. Sandy Bridge-E processors have a rated TDP of 130W, though tests by those having access to engineering samples have shown that it can reach as much as 180W on load, even without overclocking. It is expected that PC cooling products manufacturers will have entire lines of LGA2011-ready coolers in time for the launch of Sandy Bridge-E.

Here are some of the first motherboards by Intel's Desktop Board brand of consumer motherboards. Towards the end of 2011, Intel will release its Sandy Bridge-E high-end desktop platform. Like with the launch of any new chipset or desktop platform, Intel will have its Desktop Board products in place, that follow the chipset and branding specifications to the letter. With Sandy Bridge-E, Intel will launch two Extreme Series motherboards, the DX79SI and the DX79TO. In the second half of 2011, Intel will also launch a variety of Intel Atom boards, including one codenamed "Marshaltown".

Then in the first half of 2012, Intel will launch its next-generation 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" desktop processors in the LGA1155 package (compatible with Sandy Bridge). To back its launch, Intel will release a new chipset called Z77 Express. There will be no discrete graphics chipsets. H77 is the client desktop chipset that lacks overclocking features. Z77 has them, and support for Smart Response technology. Q77 adds a few enterprise management features. Intel's Z77 based motherboards include two Extreme series models, and two top-end Media Series models.

Last month, there reports of Intel pushing its Sandy Bridge-E enthusiast desktop platform to 2011. It was originally scheduled for 2011, but was reportedly delayed to 2012 because of issues Intel was facing with its flagship desktop chipset, codenamed Patsburg-D. Intel will be launching Sandy Bridge-E this year, but the first wave of motherboards will feature Patsburg-A/B chipsets, which have fewer SATA 6 Gb/s ports than Patsburg-D.

Intel put its launch plans on paper with its latest desktop platform roadmap, that shows the first three models of socket LGA2011 Sandy Bridge-E processors, the six-core Core i7-3960X, Core i7-3930K, and the quad-core Core i7-3820, featuring in the Q4 2011 column. The roadmap shows that the three processors will hold their market-positions till Q2-2012, when Intel will release faster models to displace them. The roadmap slide also shows that Ivy Bridge, Intel's next-generation socket LGA1155 processors that are built on the 22 nm fab process, will be released in March or April 2012, and not early 2012 as speculated earlier.