It's no secret that Intel is soon going to release a high-end desktop chip called Sandy Bridge Extreme. Word on the street is we'll see this six-core, 12-thread chip launch before year's end. Based on the second-generation Sandy Bridge architecture prevalent throughout most of Intel's 2011 range of processors, the top-line part is going to be fast, really fast.
Fitting into an all-new LGA2011 socket and equipped with an industry-standard 130W TDP, enthusiasts who plonk for the $999 Core i7 3960X will undoubtedly look to push it farther.
Cooling help is hand from an unexpected source. You see, Intel is going to release a liquid-cooling system to coincide with the release of the super-quick chip, though the cooler won't be bundled with the processor, unfortunately.
The retail-boxed RTS2011LC uses a base Asetek design that we've since seen on Corsair's Hydro range of liquid coolers, yet Intel has redesigned the fan area for, it says, better performance. Packing a PWM-controlled blue LED-lit fan (120m x 120mm x 25mm) spinning between 800rpm to 2,200rpm, there's a potential 74cfm of airflow on tap. Intel states a noise profile ranging from 21dBA to 35dBA.
A 150mm-wide radiator should fit into most chassis and the 820g weight means it won't impose too great a load on the motherboard or chassis. Compatible with LGA2011, 1366, 1155 and 1156 sockets - thereby covering all modern Intel desktop chips - the only unknown is the price.
Speaking of the LGA2011 socket, at IDF 11, Intel overclocked a Core i7 3960X chip to 4.72GHz. The cooling used was, well, the RTS2011LC. We'll be looking to get into review very, very soon.
