Intel readying Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition for Q4

Intel is preparing a new flagship processor for Q4 2012, according to report by DonanimHaber. The upcoming Core i7-3970X is based on the 32nm Sandy Bridge-E architecture and will pick up where the current i7-3960X left off, offering the same six cores with a dozen threads but with slightly higher clock speeds at 3.5GHz stock and 4.0GHz turbo.

Being an Extreme Edition processor it will also ship with an unlocked base-clock multiplier for easy overclocking. The rest of its feature set is consistent with the 3960X, including the LGA2011 package, 15MB shared L3 cache, and quad-channel DDR3 controller supporting up to 64 GB of DDR3-1600 MHz memory. The new chip will likely replace the current 3960X flagship at the $1,000 price point.

Intel launched LGA 2011 as a replacement for LGA 1366 for the performance segment in November 2011. There are currently three Sandy Bridge-E processors available for the platform: an entry-level quad-core Core i7-3820, a mainstream Core i7-3930K with six cores and the top-of-the-line Core i7 Extreme 3960X.

Although Intel’s Ivy Bridge architecture was launched earlier this year, enthusiast-level Ivy Bridge-E parts are not expected to arrive until sometime in the first half of 2013. At that point they’ll likely overlap with new Haswell desktop parts, just like 22nm Ivy Bridge and Sandy Bridge-E platforms coexist right now.

Intel Desktop Board DX58SO2

SPECIFICATIONS

Essentials
Status	Launched
Launch Date	Q4' 10
Expected Discontinuance	2012
Board Form Factor	ATX
Socket	LGA 1366
Embedded Options Available	No
Supplemental SKU	No

Memory Specifications
Memory Types	DDR3 2000+
# of Memory Channels	3
# of DIMMs	6

Expansion Options
PCI Support	1
PCIe x1 Gen 2.x	2
PCIe x16 Gen 2.x	2

I/O Specifications
# of USB Ports	14
USB 2.0 Configuration (Back + Internal)	6+6
USB 3.0 Configuration (Back + Internal)	2
# of SATA Ports	10
# of SATA 6.0 Gb/s Ports	2
# of eSATA Ports	2
RAID Configuration	0,1,5,10
Audio (back channel + front channel)	8+2
Integrated LAN	Dual Gig LAN
Consumer Infrared Headers	Yes
S/PDIF Out Connector	1

Package Specifications
Max CPU Configuration	1
Energy Star	Yes
Halogen Free Options Available	No

Advanced Technologies
Intel® HD Audio Technology	Yes
Intel® Rapid Storage Technology	Yes

System Memory Features

The board has six DIMM sockets and supports the following memory features:

• 1.5 V, 1.3 V, and 1.25 V DDR3 SDRAM DIMMs
• Three independent memory channels with interleaved mode support
• Unbuffered, single-sided or double-sided DIMMs with the following restriction: Double-sided DIMMs with x16 organization are not supported.
• 24 GB maximum total system memory.
• Minimum total system memory: 1 GB
• ECC and non-ECC DIMMs
• Serial Presence Detect
• DDR3 2400 MHz, 2133 MHz, 1866 MHz, 1600 MHz, 1333 MHz, and 1066 MHz SDRAM DIMMs
• XMP version 1.2 performance profile support for memory speeds above 1600 MHz

Refer to : http://www.intel.com/

Intel X68 motherboards being tested by Intel and partners

Intel will launch its first family of Sandy Bridge processors starting next year, but only mid-range models and not until Sandy Bridge E and the Intel X68 chipset we will see the new architecture in the enthusiast and high-end segment.


The Intel X68 chipset has according to sources to NordicHardware started its journey toward the store shelves. Motherboards using the chipset starts their R&D phase (research and development) next week. Intel are more or less ready with its Sandy Bridge E processors, but the chipset and motherboards to accompany them have just started to take form.

Intel X68 and Sandy Bridge E has a planned launched date in Q4 2011, which means that the current enthusiast platform, LGA 1366 and the X58 chipset has more than a year to left to live. Longer than we had expected.

We have received information that several major motherboard manufacturers will actually launch a new wave of Intel X58 motherboards during this period and we can conclude that even if Intel launches new sockets and processor platforms all too often it is actually the LGA 1366 users that can sit safe and feel good about their purchase. The platform launched back in 2008 and will thus live almost three years. This was uncounted for at launch, since we Intel usually replace high-end platforms faster than the rest.

Intel X68 is a part of Intel's new Patsburg platform where the LGA 2011 socket will be used to hold Sandy Bridge E processors, which in turn houses a quad-channel DDR3 memory controller but no graphics. The processors supports 40 PCIe 3.0 lanes and is geared toward enthusiasts and workstations with demands for maximal performance.



the above pic is of the current 1366 socket

Until Sandy Bridge E launches Intel will keep updating the selection of processor for the LGA 1366 platform. The next model will be Intel Core i7 990X that is based on Gulftown and six processor cores clocked at 3.4 GHz each. The launch is slated for early 2011.

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 CPU Cooler

Corsair continues its trend of offering excellent products at decent prices

Corsair is best known for its memory and power supplies, but recently the company has taken to rebadging excellent OEM products for retail. First came a rebadged edition of Samsung’s blazing-fast 256GB MLC solid state drive. Now Corsair is continuing the trend by scooping up Asetek’s all-in-one liquid CPU cooler and rebranding it as the Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50. It’s not just a straight-up rebadge. According to Corsair, it worked with Asetek to modify the latter’s OEM-only version, adopting a universal design and reportedly improving performance. We can’t verify how Corsair’s H50 compares to the OEM version, as the OEM version isn’t available for consumer purchase.

We were more interested to see how the H50 did against CoolIt’s similarly pricedDomino (reviewed June 2009). Like the Domino, the Corsair H50 consists of a CPU heat exchanger/pump unit that fits atop the CPU and is connected to a radiator, which mounts in place of your case’s rear 12cm fan. The H50 includes its own 12cm fan, which sits between the radiator and the case wall and pulls air through the radiator fins. The pump uses a three-pin power lead, which needs to plug into the CPU fan power port on the motherboard, and the 12cm fan, confusingly, has a four-pin connector, which plugs into any other fan control port. We originally tried running the pump off a direct-power Molex and the fan off the CPU PWM port, but saw miserable performance. Only after reversing the two did we achieve the expected performance.

The Corsair H50 is quiet, classy, maintenance-free, and gets the job done.
The heat exchanger mounts to the mother-board using a backplate/clamp mechanism, which is held on by spring screws. It’s not the easiest install we’ve ever undertaken, and the fact that the pump is permanently attached to the radiator means you’ll be dealing with that bit of inconvenience during the whole process, but it’s not terribly arduous, either.

Once installed, the H50 performed admirably. Unlike the CoolIt Domino, there’s no rpm monitor or adjustable-speed fans (unless you control yours from the motherboard), but the H50 performs extremely well (and quietly) on its single setting. The H50 lowered full-burn temperatures nearly 35 degrees from the stock cooler, and almost five degrees below the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme , our champion air cooler (reviewed July 2009). Idle temps were barely two degrees higher than with the Thermalright, but still nearly 15 degrees cooler than stock.

The Corsair H50 retails for $80—comparable to the CoolIt and most of our favorite air coolers. It’s quiet, classy, and works like a charm.

Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50

H20

Quiet; great cooling; competitively priced; no-maintenance closed-loop cooling.

H2SO4

Idle temps could be lower; install could be easier.

Corsair

Benchmarks

	Corsair H50	Thermalright U120-E	Stock Cooler
Idle (C)	31.25	29.25	44.75
100% Burn (C)	40	44.5	73.75

Best scores are bolded. Idle temperatures were measured after an hour of inactivity; load temperatures were measured after an hour's worth of CPU Burn-in (four instances). Test system consists of a stock-clock Q6700 processor on an EVGA 680i motherboard inside a Cooler Master ATCS 840 case with stock fans.