G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is delighted to announce the launch of an extremely low-latency, high-speed DDR5-6400 CL32 32 GB (2x16 GB) memory kit under the Trident Z5 family memory series, designed for the latest 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processors and Intel Z690 chipset motherboards.

Dedicated to developing ever-faster memory modules, G.SKILL is launching an ultra-low latency DDR5-6400 CL32-39-39-102 memory kit at 1.40 V with 32 GB (2x16 GB) kit capacity. Equipped with exceptionally tight timings, this extreme memory specification represents the next step of the Trident Z5 family flagship performance. The screenshot below shows this memory kit validated on the Intel Core i7-12700K processor and ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard. The DDR5-6400 CL32 32 GB (2x16 GB) memory kits under the Trident Z5 and Trident Z5 RGB series is available now via G.SKILL worldwide distribution partners.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is thrilled to announce the achievement of a new overclocking world record for fastest memory frequency at DDR5-8888 CL88-88-88-88, in cooperation with ASUS. This amazing frequency speed was achieved by the extreme overclocker "lupin_no_musume" with G.SKILL Trident Z5 DDR5 memory, ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 APEX motherboard, and Intel Core i9-12900K processor. To see the moment this amazing overclocking world record was set, please click the following video link: https://youtu.be/OgQFbUOs6i8

DDR5-8888 CL88-88-88-88 - Pushing the Speed to the Limit
At the dawn of the DDR5 era, G.SKILL and ASUS have been constantly exploring the memory speed limitations of the latest Intel Z690 platform. Surpassing the previous DDR5-8704 world record in November 2021, a new memory frequency world record is achieved at DDR5-8888 under liquid nitrogen extreme cooling. The memory speed has been validated by CPU-Z. Please refer to the screenshot and validation link below: https://valid.x86.fr/qgvylc

You may, or may not have noticed that in certain parts of the interweb, groups of people that are generally referred to as "Overclockers" have managed to get their cheap Celeron G6900's and Core i3-12100's to run at much higher clock speeds than Intel intended and now the company is unhappy about it, as they're anticipating that they're going to lose sales of more expensive CPUs. As such, Intel has issued a warning via Tom's Hardware
"Intel's 12th Gen non-K processors were not designed for overclocking. Intel does not warranty the operation of processors beyond their specifications. Altering clock frequency or voltage may damage or reduce the useful life of the processor and other system components, and may reduce system stability and performance."

Jokes aside, the lower end SKU's of Intel's 12th gen Alder Lake CPUs seem to be phenomenal overclockers, if you have the right motherboards. If the motherboard doesn't have an external clock gen, plus support for adjusting the BCLK on non-K CPUs, then you're not going to have much luck. This means, at least at the moment, that you're looking at fairly pricey Z690 motherboard, although there are rumors that we can expect the odd B660 motherboard that will get an external clock gen, with at least three models already reported to have BCLK adjustment support via beta UEFI updates. Pro Overclockers have already managed to hit speeds in excess of 5.3 GHz with the Celeron G6900 and that is only by adjusting the BCLK and the Voltage, which is no mean feat, as the CPU has fixed clock speed of 3.4 GHz, which makes this a 57 percent boost in clock speed. Intel is said to be looking into this unintended ability to overclock these CPU SKUs and is apparently looking at locking down this ability with a new microcode update in a future UEFI release.

Update: Added a screenshot from TPU's upcoming Core i3-12100F review, showing 5.2 GHz at 130 MHz BCLK.

Introducing the EVGA Z690 CLASSIFIED - The latest addition to EVGA's most-respected line of motherboards. This motherboard fully supports the latest 12th Gen Intel Core Series Processors and takes full advantage of PCIe Gen5 and PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSDs. The EVGA Z690 CLASSIFIED provides unbeatable power, performance and stability via a 19-phase VRM and 10-layer PCB. Moreover, this board supports up to 128 GB of DDR5 memory, 2x 2.5 Gbps NIC + Wi-Fi 6E / BT 5.2, 7.1 HD audio, and multiple USB options. The EVGA Z690 CLASSIFIED is designed for nothing less than the ultimate gaming experience.

The retail version of MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE, the company's flagship Socket LGA1700 motherboard, will include an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler, and DDR5 memory sticks. Snapped at a PC retailer, the front-face of the retail box of the motherboard reads that the contents include an MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360 cooler, and Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 memory. The size and speed of the memory is not mentioned. What's also unknown at this point, is whether the board comes in retail packages that don't bundle the cooler or memory. Assuming the bundled memory is a 32 GB (2x 16 GB) kit of decent specs, such as DDR5-6000, this motherboard could easily command a four-figure price, with speculative prices averaging $1,500.Update Jan 17th: MSI has informed us, that the price for this bundle, consisting of the motherboard, 360 mm AIO, and 32 GB of DDR5 memory, will be around $2,099 in retail.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions today announced AORUS RGB DDR5 6000 MHz 32 GB Memory Kit, which uplift frequency to 6000 MHz with RGB lighting for performance boost and striking accents. Enhanced by DDR5 XMP Booster and XMP 3.0 User Profile of GIGABYTE Z690 motherboards, and copper-aluminium heat spreaders with nano-carbon coating thermal design, the new memory kit promises the next-level performance with stability while dissipating heat efficiently under high-speed operation.

AORUS RGB DDR5 6000 MHz 32 GB Memory Kit features high clock speed and low power consumption by two 16 GB DDR5 XMP 6000 MHz dual-channel designs with 40-40-40-76 timings, which fit the support of DDR5 memory on Intel Z690 platform. Along with GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS motherboards, AORUS RGB DDR5 6000 MHz 32 GB memory kit can enable "DDR5 XMP Booster" function which detect the brand of memory IC in the BIOS setting to allow users to choose promptly from multiple built-in memory overclocking profiles, boosting the native DDR5 or XMP DDR5 memory speed. Furthermore, "XMP 3.0 User Profile" enables users to create and store XMP profiles of their own to unleash the extreme performance of memories.

At the launch of the Z690 chipset, ASRock didn't reveal its flagship Aqua model, but now the company has finally announced not just one, but two Z690 Aqua models, one "regular" SKU and one OC SKU. The main difference between the two is that the OC SKU only has two DIMM slots, since as we know, DDR5 is extra finicky when it comes to running at high clock speeds and two DIMM boards allow for higher DRAM clock speeds, This also means that all the major board makers have now launched a two DIMM product geared towards overclockers.

The two boards are mostly identical in terms of features otherwise, but there are some minor differences that we'll point out later. As expected, both boards feature a large, nicely integrated liquid cooling plate for the CPU and the 20 phase 105 A SPS VRM setup. ASRock has gone for a 12 layer PCB, not something you see in a lot of consumer motherboards and it's unclear if it'll bring any real benefits, but as this is a premium motherboard, it's a nice touch. The heatsink of the top-most M.2 drive is home to a small OLED display, but ASRock hasn't listed the size on its website.

EK, the leading premium liquid cooling solutions manufacturer, will be virtually and physically present at CES 2022, the world's biggest tech show. The event, held in Las Vegas, will be the perfect platform for EK to showcase some of the latest liquid cooling products and collaborations to tech enthusiasts from around the world.

As an industry-renowned player, EK is committed to broadening their water-cooling portfolio while making solutions more affordable, powerful, and performance-focused. Customers are at the heart of product design, which makes CES such an important opportunity to present their latest solutions directly to end users. At CES, EK will physically present their next-generation products in the following Suite: Venetian Tower - Exhibit Suites, Floor 29, #29-112. Products will be available to be viewed online during our virtual event, EK Expo CES22, which will be held on Jan 5. at 19:00 CET on the official EK YouTube channel.

The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, reveals Z690 Taichi Razer Edition, a Razer Chroma RGB integrated motherboard paired with innovation and craftsmanship, poised to perfect Chroma RGB ecosystem on the latest 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processors, and illuminate the strong relationship between ASRock and Razer.

Razer Chroma RGB is the world's largest lighting ecosystem for gaming devices which supports over 500 devices, 150 natively integrated games and over 15 million users worldwide. The integration with ASROCK enables universal compatibility with thousands of addressable RGB (ARGB) components directly into the ecosystem.

Wonderful news can't come sooner at the beginning of the new year. MSI launched the latest mainstream H670, B660 and H610 Series motherboards that everyone has been looking forward to ever since Intel released the 12th Gen Core processors. After MSI received high praises for the new Z690 motherboards last year, it's the B660 Series motherboards' turn to come under the spotlight. Some benefits of the B660 Series motherboards include affordable prices and remarkable performance. What else do MSI B660 motherboards use to draw our attention?

As promised to all of our fans and users, MSI is dedicated to offering a huge selection of choices. For the latest platform, MSI launched MAG and PRO segments and most of them are available in both DDR4 and DDR5 versions. The overclocking memory frequency of MSI B660 DDR5 motherboards can achieve 6200 MHz as a result of MSI OC LAB's tuning and MSI Memory Boost. All MSI B660 Series motherboards support PCIe 4.0, which provides 64 GB/s of transfer bandwidth. Equipped with up to 12 DrMOS with Duet Rail Power System, MSI MAG B660 motherboards have 6 layers PCB with 2-oz copper to guarantee stable current delivered to the core processors.

ASUS today announced a new lineup of Z690, H670, B660, and H610 motherboards to support 12th Gen Intel Core processors, offering the latest technologies to a broader audience. The Z690 lineup expands with new ROG Strix and TUF Gaming models: the ROG Strix Z690-A Gaming WiFi, TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi, and TUF Gaming Z690-Plus. The new Z690 additions arrive with support for DDR5 memory modules.

ASUS full lineup of B660, H670, and H610 motherboards brings the Intel 12th generation platform to the mainstream. The B660 lineup features a PCIe 5.0 slot, memory overclocking, and support for DDR5 or DDR4 memory modules. The H670 chipset includes one PCIe 5.0 slot, multiple PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and support for DDR4 memory modules. Lastly, the H610 lineup provides an affordable option for all PC builders.

With the current short supply and maybe more importantly, the rather insane pricing for DDR5 memory, ASUS is working on what could be called a quick fix for the problem, an adapter that would allow DDR5 motherboard owners to put DDR4 memory in their motherboards. It's not what we'd call an elegant solution at this point, but it's said it'll be refined before it's ready for retail—if it ever enters the market—since apparently the engineer that developed the adapter doesn't always get to see his projects hit retail, as from our understanding he's responsible for a lot of the more unusual products from ASUS' ROG brand.

That said, considering that a lot of high-end Z690 motherboards only support DDR5, this might be an interim solution that makes sense for a lot of people until availability of DDR5 improves. There's some complexity in making the adapter work though, as not only does it need its own power regulation, since DDR4 memory doesn't have onboard power conversion components unlike DDR5, but there's also the 2x 32-bit vs 64-bit bus to take into consideration as well. On top of this, the DRAM traces are obviously extended, which could lead to instabilities, which is why it's apparently only tested with one type of memory right now, which appears to be G-Skill's Tridentz Royal. A further limitation of the adapter is that it requires a special UEFI version to be installed that allows DDR4 memory to be used, but this might be the smallest issue in this "skunk works" project from ASUS' ROG team.

ASUS is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. We have recently received incident reports regarding the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard. In our ongoing investigation, we have preliminarily identified a potential reversed memory capacitor issue in the production process from one of the production lines that may cause debug error code 53, no post, or motherboard components damage. The issue potentially affects units manufactured in 2021 with the part number 90MB18E0-MVAAY0 and serial number starting with MA, MB, or MC.

You can identify your part number by referring to the product packaging: Please reference the attached image. As of December 28, 2021, there have been a few incidents reported in North America. Going forward, we are continuing our thorough inspection with our suppliers and customers to identify all possible affected ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboards in the market and will be working with relevant government agencies on a replacement program.

There has been a lot of discourse about the cost of Z690 motherboards, so we decided to ask around to find out what has changed compared to the previous generation of Intel motherboards. There are obviously several factors that have come together to create something like the perfect storm, as the simple answer is that all parts combined have resulted in more expensive motherboards, but there are a few key components that are major contributing factors.

A lot of speculation has been about the cost of the PCB itself and although it's correct that the PCB is a contributing factor, we're talking about a couple of dollars in extra cost, not only for the higher quality PCB materials themselves but also the fact that boards with DDR5 memory are more costly to produce, as more care needs to be taken with the overall design. However, the big surprise to us is that the single part that has driven up the cost the most is the physical LGA-17xx CPU socket and retention mechanism, which is apparently around four times as expensive as the LGA-12xx socket.

Intel is preparing to significantly expand its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" desktop processor series next January, alongside more motherboard chipset choices for the client-desktop segment. These include the H670, the B660, and the H610. The H670 offers most of the I/O features of the top Z690 chipset, but you lose out on CPU overclocking. The B660 is the mid-tier option, and while you still get a formidable I/O feature-set, the chipset bus is narrower. The H610 is the entry-level chipset with very basic I/O, and no CPU-attached NVMe slots. The interesting thing is that all these chipsets support PCI-Express 5.0 x16 (PEG) from the CPU, but leave it to the motherboard vendors whether they want to implement it. There do exist Z690 motherboard that lack Gen 5 PEG (and only feature Gen 4).

The chipset-attached downstream PCIe also varies greatly across the lineup. The top Z690 part puts out 12 Gen 4 lanes besides 16 Gen 3 lanes; while the H670 puts out 12 each of Gen 4 and Gen 3. The B660 puts out 6 Gen 4 lanes and 8 Gen 3 lanes. The H610 completely lacks downstream Gen 4, and only puts out 8 Gen 3 lanes. The H670 and B660 put out up to two 20 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports; while the H610 lacks 20 Gbps ports. All chipset models put out at least two 10 Gbps Gen 2x1 ports; and at least four 5 Gbps Gen 1x1 ports. An interesting aspect of the lineup is that Intel is allowing memory overclocking across H670 and B660 chipsets, provided the CPU supports it.

Intel's next entry-level processor for the Socket LGA1700 platform is the Core i3-12100. Carved out of the "Alder Lake-S" H0 silicon, this processor features 4 "Golden Cove" performance cores with HyperThreading enabling 8 logical processors, and no E-cores. The processor ticks at 3.30 GHz, with 4.30 GHz Turbo Boost 2.0 frequency. Each of the four cores has 1.25 MB of L2 cache, and they share 12 MB of L3 cache. The i3-12100 gets a Gen12 Xe LP-based iGPU, while a variant of the processor, the i3-12100F, lacks integrated graphics. Intel is rating the processor base power value at 60 W, with 77 W maximum turbo power.

XFastest scored an i3-12100 engineering sample, and wasted no time in comparing it with the Ryzen 3 3300X. The i3-12100 was tested on an ASRock Z690 Steel Legend motherboard that has DDR4 memory slots. 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3600 memory and RTX 3060 Ti were used on both the Intel and AMD test-beds. A Ryzen 3 3100 was also used on the AMD side. Right off the bat, we see the i3-12100 take a significant lead over the AMD chips at PCMark, posting a roughly 15% performance lead. Cinebench R23 is another test where the little "Alder Lake" scores big, posting a roughly 26% performance lead in the multi-threaded test, and 27% in the single-threaded test. This is mainly because the 3300X is based on "Zen 2" while the i3-12100 uses the cutting-edge "Golden Cove" cores. AMD hasn't bothered with "Zen 3" based Ryzen 3 desktop processors in the retail market.

Here are some of the first pictures of the 12th Gen Intel Core "Alder Lake" desktop processor models that are expected to join the lineup in January 2022. Intel debuted the series with unlocked "K" and "KF" SKUs, with "locked" SKUs saved for next year. Pictured here are the Core i9-12900, the Core i5-12600, the i5-12500, and the i5-12400. The S-SPEC codes for these processors are SRL4E, SRL4F, SRL4G, and SRL4P, respectively. Our older article details their possible specifications. The lineup isn't limited to these models. Others include the Core i7-12700, and the "F" variants of many of these SKUs, which lack integrated graphics, allowing those with discrete graphics cards to save a little.

Besides these processors, Intel is expected to expand its motherboard chipset options. Currently, Z690 is the only chipset option for the LGA1700 socket. Upcoming chipset models are likely to include the H670, W680, B660, and perhaps even the H610. Intel could use platform I/O for segmentation of these chipsets, besides lack of CPU overclocking support. A big change with the 12th Gen desktop processor lineup concerns Core i5. While the i5-12600K and i5-12600KF feature 6 P-cores and 4 E-cores, the other Core i5 SKUs, including the i5-12600, lack E-cores. The source installed these processors to confirm that the i5-12600 is indeed based on the "H0" silicon and lacks E-cores.

Intel debuted its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake-S" desktop processor family late last month with only the unlocked "K" and "KF" SKUs targeting gamers and PC enthusiasts, alongside only the top Z690 chipset motherboards. The company is preparing to expand the lineup early next year with the addition of at least seven more SKUs (excluding additional "F" variants that lack integrated graphics). These processors could also introduce more value-conscious motherboard chipsets, such as the B660 and H670. momomo_us on Twitter, a reliable source with hardware leaks, predicts specs and a possible mid-January launch date for these chips.

The lineup possibly includes the Core i9-12900 and i9-12900F at the top, followed by the i7-12700 and i7-12700F, and the meaty Core i5 lineup that includes the i5-12600 and i5-12600F; the i5-12500, and the i5-12400/F. At least two Core i3 series SKUs could also be launched. The possible clock-speeds, and L3 cache sizes for the SKUs are tabulated below. What stands out from these SKUs is the specs of the Core i5-12600. We earlier thought it would be based on the larger "C0" silicon, with 6 P-cores and 4 E-cores, but it turns out, that the SKU is based on the smaller "H0" silicon with just 6 P-cores and no E-cores. Read more about the two silicon variants of "Alder Lake-S" in our older article. The i5-12600 will have significantly different performance and energy efficiency numbers than the i5-12600K.

With Intel's Alder Lake processors released, the company introduced a rather interesting concept of mixing high-performance and high-efficiency cores into one design. This hybrid approach combines performance P-cores based on Golden Cove architecture with high-efficiency E-cores based on Gracemont design. While Intel dedicated a lot of effort to optimizing software for Alder Lake, there are sometimes issues that persist when playing older games. At the heart of ADL processors, a thread scheduler decides which task is running on P or E-cores and ensures the best core gets selected for the job.

However, many users know that E-cores can be recognized as another system by DRM software and cause troubles on the latest 12th Generation machines. GIGABYTE has designed a software tool for its Z690 motherboards to fix this issue, which allows on-demand enablement of E-cores. Users can easily "park" or "unpark" E-cores and enable some older game titles to run efficiently with the help of P-cores. This DRM Fix Tool is a lightweight utility that unfortunately runs exclusively on GIGABYTE motherboards. It is less than a megabyte in size and requires no particular installation. However, it is an excellent addition to GIGABYTE's customers, and all that it needs is the latest BIOS update to run. Here you can download the tool, and below, you can see the list of the latest BIOS versions of GIGABYTE Z690 motherboards that support this tool.

The 3DMark Port Royal single card benchmark has a new record of 20,014 set by South Korean overclocker biso biso for Team EVGA. The overclocker used an Intel Core i9-12900K running at 5.4 GHz on an EVGA Z690 Dark Kingpin motherboard paired with the EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Kingpin overclocked to 2,895 MHz. The system also featured 16 GB of DDR5 memory running at 6000 MHz from SK Hynix along with liquid nitrogen for cooling and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme thermal paste on the CPU and GPU. This new record beats the previous record of 19,600 also from biso biso which featured the Core i9-10900K and RTX 3090 Kingpin.

EVGAArmed with the latest hardware, including an EVGA Z690 DARK K|NGP|N motherboard, and an EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 K|NGP|N running at a blistering 2,895 MHz GPU clock, extreme overclocker "biso biso" set a new single-GPU standard for 3DMark Port Royal with a score of 20,014! This marks the first ever 3DMark Port Royal (single card) score over 20,000 and a testiment to the capabilities of the highest performing EVGA products.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, announces the brand-new RACING Z690GTA motherboard. Enter the battlefield in confidence with BIOSTAR's renowned RACING series Z690GTA motherboard. Designed based on the Intel Z690 chipset with the latest LGA1700 socket, the new RACING Z690GTA motherboard is the best choice to run the latest Intel 12th gen Alder Lake processors.

Carrying forward the legacy of its predecessors the new RACING Z690GTA motherboard looks and feels otherworldly. Style, power, and grace packed in an exciting new armor design; the motherboard is tastefully designed to make any PC build stand out from the rest. Featuring a 17-phase power design and Active cooling armor gear with fins heat sink, BIOSTAR has actively focused on stable power management and heat dissipation this year, greatly enhancing the performance and durability of its components.

A rather big chunk of Intel Core i5-12400 "Alder Lake" engineering samples (ES) hit eBay. The i5-12400 is an upcoming mid-range processor Intel is planning to release in Q1-2022. The 6-core/12-thread processor only features 6 "Golden Cove" performance cores, and lacks Efficiency cores (which is probably a good thing for gamers). Each of the six cores has 1.25 MB of L2 cache, while they share an 18 MB L3 cache.

VideoCardz warns that the ES chips out in the wild could be riddled with compatibility issues with Z690 motherboards that are in the market. Apparently, there are two revisions of i5-12400 unreleased doing rounds, C0 and B0, with the former being a QS or qualification sample, and the latter an ES or engineering sample. The two differ in maximum boost frequency—4.40 GHz vs. 4.00 GHz. They also differ with S-SPEC codes of QXDY and QYHX. Even with production versions of firmware and Intel ME, retail Z690 motherboards don't seem to guarantee compatibility with these samples. You are probably better off waiting for retail versions of these chips.

Although we did mention the MSI MEG Z690 GODLIKE in our Z690 motherboard roundup piece, until now, we didn't really know what the board looked like, since MSI has been very shy when it comes to sharing details of the board. However, now the company has released a couple of pictures of the board, courtesy of the board winning a pair of CES 2022 Innovation Honoree awards.

We're still short on details of this monster board, as it'll measure 305x310 mm, which almost puts it in SSI EEB territory. The board has what can only be described as a full cover, since outside of the CPU socket and some of the components near it, you really can't see anything. On top of the memory modules, MSI has gone for a display of some kind that seems to display some system information, such as the CPU type and current clock speed. The location of the display doesn't seem to be ideal though, but it's said to measure in at 3.5-inches.

KLEVV, an emerging memory brand introduced by Essencore, today announced the latest addition to its lineup of computer memory upgrades with new DDR5 memory series, including DDR5 standard memory and signature DDR5 series of overclocking/gaming RGB memory. KLEVV DDR5 memory offers assurance of QVL testing with major motherboard brands' Z690 platforms that support the latest Intel 12th Generation 'Alder Lake' Core Processors.

KLEVV DDR5 standard desktop memory (U-DIMM) will adopt SK Hynix chips and will first launch in a 16 GB capacity with JEDEC standard frequencies of 4,800 MHz CL40-40-40 at a power-efficient 1.1 V. KLEVV DDR5 standard desktop memory kits have passed QVL testing with Z690 motherboards from leading partners including ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI, assuring outstanding compatibility for PC builders. Larger capacity 32 GB modules and standard memory for laptops (SO-DIMM) will follow soon.

Noctua today introduced new, LGA1700-specific revisions of its award-winning NH-L9i and NH-L9i chromax.black low-profile CPU coolers. The new NH-L9i-17xx and NH-L9i-17xx chromax.black are ideal for building ultra-compact HTPCs and Small Form Factor (SFF) systems using Intel's brand new 12th generation Core processors such as the Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K or Core i5-12600K. The new, optional NA-FD1 fan duct makes it possible to further improve the performance of the coolers by bridging the gap between the fan and perforated case panels in order to enable the coolers to draw in fresh air from the outside.

"We're very happy with the performance of the NH-L9i-17xx coolers on Intel's new LGA1700 CPUs", says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "We have managed to dissipate up to around 160 W on the Core i9-12900K, pushing it to over 4.2 GHz, and up to 125 W on the Core i5-12600K running at 4.3 GHz. These are excellent results for such small coolers, making them fantastic options for highly compact Intel Z690 builds that pack a lot of processing power!"