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Maingear launches liquid-cooled Epic series with 4th-gen Intel Core-i7 CPUs
Liquid-cooled PCs are de rigueur for serious gamers, but Maingear knows there are plenty who'd rather crowbar headcrabs than fiddle with plumbing. To that end, the company's just buttressed its water-chilled desktop lineup with the Epic Series, consisting of the full-tower Force and mid-sized Rush models. Each pack a "BiTurbo" pump design that keeps things cool in the event of a single pump failure, along with the latest Intel 4th-generation Core i7 or AMD FX processors. As for graphics, you'll get four-way SLI NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan or Radeon HD 7970 GPUs if you opt for the Force model, while the Rush offers two-way GeForce GTX Titan SLI or dual Radeon HD 7990 graphics. There are also numerous memory, storage and static pressure fans using Corsair parts, and custom touches like lighting and Glasurit paint with an "automotive finish." Prices start at $3,259 for the Force and $3,059 for the Rush and go way up from there -- if that doesn't phase you, check the source for more.
NEC's Medias X smartphone for DoCoMo features first-ever liquid-cooled CPU
NEC's just broken some new ground with the Medias X, the world's first liquid-cooled smartphone that was launched as part of DoCoMo's summer lineup. Rather than aiming it at the propeller-heads usually associated with that tech, though, NEC and DoCoMo are marketing it toward women in the same patronizing manner as the infamous HTC Rhyme and Fujitsu Arows Kiss F-03D. But back to the handset itself: cooling for the quad-core Snapdragon 600 CPU works via a liquid-charged tube from the processor to a graphite "radiator" along the system board that disperses heat. We're not exactly sure why the phone needs it, though, as the rest of the specs don't exactly scream overheating: Android 4.2, a 4.7-inch 720p display, LTE and a 13.1-megapixel Exmor RS camera. Though NEC claims the phone runs much cooler than a standard model (see the graphic after the break), we haven't heard too many complaints about hot phones lately -- but perhaps we're hanging with the wrong crowd.
Custom PC desk / case combo ditches glass, metal for wood
Desk case PC mods have lit up our radar before, but a modder by the name of Pirate -- who's no stranger to us -- has dropped the typical glass and metal enclosure for medium-density fiberboard. Though the material choice was an effort to avoid buying a new desk, it created a need for a robust cooling system. Five fans (three exhaust, two intake), a radiator and a liquid-cooling system keep the rig at roughly 88 F (31 C) with ambient temperatures hovering around 79 F (26 C). As for horsepower, the workstation features a Core-i5-2500k processor and a Radeon HD 7950 graphics card sporting a water cooling block on an Asus Gene IV microATX motherboard. Visuals are piped to three displays in an Eyefinity configuration that are held by a modded ergonomic stand. Pictures of the build process in excruciating detail await you at the source. Update: Ben Willock commented to let us know that it's sporting a Core-i5-2500k processor, not a Core-i5-2000k. We've updated the post.
IBM's water-cooled supercomputer saves energy and helps with your heating bill (video)
IBM's SuperMuc has had a good week. Not only has the three petaflop machine been listed as Europe's fastest supercomputer, but it's also apparently the first high performance computer that's entirely water-cooled. Rather than filling rooms with air conditioning units, water is piped around veins in each component, removing heat 4,000 times more efficiently than air. The hot water is then used to heat the buildings of the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre where it lives, saving the facility $1.25 million per year. After the break we've got a video from Big Blue, unfortunately narrated by someone who's never learned how to pronounce the word "innovative."
Digital Storm launches Aventum range with Cryo-TEC cooling system
The last thing you want when things are getting hot in the battlefield, is for things to start heating-up under your desk too. Digital Storm's been back in the lab, looking for ways to prevent just that, and thinks it's cracked it with the new Aventum system. It's the first to be kitted out with the PC-maker's Cryo-TEC liquid cooling mechanism, and boasts a thermal exhaust, five software-regulated "zones" and no less than 13 configurable fans. The range starts with an Intel i7 2700K core, 16GB RAM, 120GB SSD (1TB HDD) and a GeForce GTX680 for $3,859. If your pockets are even deeper, then you might fancy the 2x dual Xeon E5-2630 hexacore-totin' system with 32GB DDR RAM, and three-way SLI (with the same GeForce GTX680) for a jaw dropping $7,856. With a price like that, however, it's probably your credit card that'll need cooling down. Digital Storm is taking orders as of today, and full details of the range in the PR after the break.
Water-cooled, luggable PS3 offers semi-convenient gaming for your on-the-go lifestyle
We've seen plenty of handheld console mods, but only a few laptops -- most impressively, Ben Heck's sleek PlayStation 3 -- and PS3Hax admin Pirate recently finished his water-cooled take on the notebook PS3. The cooling system replaces the stock heatsinks, allowing for a slimmer design, and one much more polished than the last water-cooled version we saw. Weighing in at 15 pounds, it's also got a built-in keyboard and speakers, a 500GB hard drive, and a 720p / 1080i screen. If this sounds like your type of machine, Pirate's put it on eBay, where it's currently heading north of $1,500. He's not looking to make a profit, promising that after costs a portion of the selling price will go to server expenses at PS3Hax, with another portion dedicated to tornado relief efforts in Joplin, Missouri. Check out the video after the break to see this beast in action. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Dutchman integrates a 4.5GHz water-cooled rig into his d3sk
Cooler Master's 2011 Case Mod Competition looks to be the gift that keeps on giving. After serving up a Tron lightcycle and an architectural marvel, it's now playing host to a mod that redefines the idea of an all-in-one PC. Peter from the Netherlands has managed to fit a pretty bombastic set of components -- 4.5GHz Core i7-980X, two ASUS GeForce GTX 580 graphics cards in SLI, over 12TB of storage with an SSD boot disk, and two PSUs providing 1,500W of power in total -- together with a water-cooling setup and the inevitable glowing lights inside one enclosure, which just so happens to also serve as his desk. The three-piece monitor setup is also a custom arrangement, with a 27-inch U2711 IPS panel being flanked by two 17-inchers. Admittedly, this isn't the first water-cooled and over-powered desk we've laid eyes on, but that shouldn't prevent you from giving the links below a bash and checking out the amazingly neat design of Peter's l3p d3sk.
Liquid-cooled Wii takes console mods to a ridiculous extreme
There are console mods and there are console mods... and then there's this -- a completely custom Nintendo Wii built from steel and cooled by two liquid-filled containers that would look more at home in a mad scientist's laboratory. Not surprisingly, this mod took a long time to complete. Bit-tech forum member Angel OD began the so-called "UNLimited Edition" project way back in December, 2009 and, after a few diversions, finally finished it this past weekend. Be sure to hit up the links below for a look at the complete build process, and a few more shots of the finished product.
Digital Storm's liquid-chilled gaming PC includes 4.6GHz Core i7-980X, equally chilling price
Mmm, overclocking. If you've been looking to treat yourself this holiday season, there's hardly a better way than with a shiny new gaming PC. Better still, a shiny new gaming PC with a liquid-chilled processor... one that just so happens to be warrantied with a 4.6GHz clock speed. Digital Storm's Hailstorm desktop is now available with a so-called Sub-Zero cooling system, which is described as a series of TEC peltier coolers that work in conjunction with other high-end liquid cooling components to keep Intel's Core i7-980X from boiling over. On the high-end rig, you'll also get 6GB of DDR3 memory, a trio of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (1.5GB) GPUs, a 1200-watt power supply and a bank-breaking $6,903 price tag. Cost-conscious consumers can opt for two lesser systems, with a $4,390 build being equipped with a Core i7-950 and the $3,899 unit creeping by with only a single GTX 460 GPU. But hey, what's a few grand among friends? Promo vid is after the break. %Gallery-108029%
iBuyPower debuts AMD-powered Mage XLC M1 gaming desktop
Who says Intel deserves to have all the fun, huh? If you're looking to go a little counter-culture, or you just genuinely prefer AMD's silicon, iBuyPower has a new rig for you to consider. The outfit's Mage XLC X1 has been introduced into its range of liquid cooled solutions, packing a NZXT Phantom enclosure (in black or white, mind you) and a host of configuration options. AMD's Phenom II X6 1055T, 1075T or 1090T can be selected, and the whole lot of 'em will be cooled by Asetek's maintenance-free 240mm large radiator liquid cooling system. Prospective customers can also load it up with 8GB of DDR3 memory, AMD's Radeon HD 5770 graphics card, 1TB of storage space and Windows 7 Home Premium -- among other niceties, of course. Hit the source link if you're looking to say goodbye to (at least) $1,099.
Guest Post: Building an epic-level computer
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider. Today's post is the third of a three-part series on preparing your computer for Cataclysm. In our first post, we covered upgrading your current system; last week, we discussed how to assemble a hot gaming rig. Today, we'll look at building a high-end system that will last. Today, I will cover building a high-end system for under $2,000 that will last you many expansions into the future. In this article, I will be listing specific parts as opposed to making general suggestions. Computer geek opinions vary drastically; this is just my two cents. When you're considering a rig that will last you for years to come, you need to consider key components including the case, the power supply, the motherboard, a processor, heatsinks, hard drives the video card and more.
Kingston dives headfirst into water-cooling with HyperX H2O memory
Even in the niche world of PC overclocking, liquid-cooled memory never achieved popularity, but don't tell Kingston that -- the vendor's now selling premium sticks of DDR3 where water is a prerequisite. Unlike OCZ's fin-tastic Flex series, the new Kingston Hyper H20 modules keep their cool via tube alone, which admittedly means more space in your case as you carefully bump their clocks up from the stock 2,000MHz (or 2,133MHz) and CL9-11-9-27 timings at 1.65 volts. While you can't (yet) get them in a lovely shade of 2.4GHz blue, the modules do come in both dual-channel (4GB) and triple-channel (6GB) kits starting at $157 and $235 respectively, and we imagine if the above cooling design is marginally successful, you'll soon see it for sale on its own. PR after the break, memory available to purchase at our source link.
IBM's zEnterprise architecture makes mainframes cool again, also efficient (video)
There's a good chance you think mainframes are about as cool as pocket protectors, your parents on Facebook, and COBOL... the latter of which, of course, is largely executed on mainframes. If so, stand still while IBM blows the doors (and the dust) off of your mainframe misconceptions with its new zEnterprise 196, offering 96 5.2GHz cores, 3TB of RAM, and hot swappable I/O drawers for when you need to change pants in a hurry. All this is said to boost performance by 60 percent compared to its predecessor, the z10, while also reducing energy consumption by a claimed 80 percent -- though that could be compared to people sitting in tanning booths performing calculations with abacuses for all we know. However, you can drop consumption a further 12 percent by opting for the water cooling system, nice if your AC unit is already struggling. IBM will start shipping these behemoths sometime in the last quarter of this year and didn't mention pre-orders, so get ready to rent the biggest truck you can find and camp out in Armonk if you want yours on release day.
Water-cooled Aquasar supercomputer does math, heats dorm rooms
Not that we haven't seen this trick pulled before, but there's still something magical about the forthcoming Aquasar. Said supercomputer, which will feature two IBM BladeCenter servers in each rack, should be completed by 2010 and reach a top speed of ten teraflops. Such a number pales in comparison to the likes of IBM's Roadrunner, but it's the energy factor here that makes it a star. If all goes well, this machine will suck down just 10KW of energy, while the average power consumption of a supercomputer in the top 500 list is 257KW. The secret lies in the new approach to chip-level water cooling, which will utilize a "fine network of capillaries" to bring the water dangerously close to the processors without actually frying any silicon. While it's crunching numbers, waste heat will also be channeled throughout the heating system at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, giving students and dorm room crashers a good feel for the usefulness of recycled warmth.
Liquid-cooled desk contains full-fledged PC, won't be sold at Ikea
We've heard of productive work spaces, but this thing has feng shui written all over it. The geeks and gurus over at Popular Mechanics were able to mix their construction and PC building skills in order to create the rather astounding desk that you see above. Aside from serving a purpose as a desk, looking fantastic and being next to impossible to keep clean, it's also a full-fledged computer. Packed within is a half-gallon of glycol, twin 300GB VelociRaptor hard drives, a GeForce GTX 280 GPU, seven fans, a Sony Blu-ray drive, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 3GHz Core 2 Quad processor and copious amounts of "win." Check the read link for a how-to guide... if you dare. [Thanks, Jay]
Project Monolith case mod takes water cooling to unbelievable extremes
It's not often that pictures truly are worth a thousand words, but this is one of those rare exceptions. We won't even bother explaining what kind of hardware is packed within Project Monolith, but it's clear that its creator is at least partially off his rocker -- not that said condition is a bad one. Hit the read link for loads more images, but don't expect it to get any easier to comprehend.
Fujitsu's water-cooled LifeBook N7010 with secondary 4-inch touchscreen now shipping
When you pack a 16-inch laptop so full of technology that it requires water cooling, well, you have to expect some compromises. First, the Fujitsu LifeBook N7010 is nearly 2-inches thick and weighs 7 and a half pounds. Then there's the little limitation of that 1 hour battery life. In return for your suffering you do get a built-in Blu-ray drive, a digital television tuner, 1.3 megapixel webcam, HDMI output, 4x USB, Firewire, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, ExpressCard/54, fingerprint scanning security, and multi-touch touchpad. Oh, and it run Vista atop a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo P8600 processor, up to 4GB of memory, a 320GB disk, and 256MB of ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics. As for that multi-function (media control, application launcher, etc.) 4-inch LCD touchscreen sporting 480 x 272 pixels, Akihabara News says it "seems responsive." So there. Shipping December 26th in Japan.P.S. The US version is shipping immediately (starting at $1,499) but without a TV tuner (naturally) or water cooling (odd). %Gallery-39317% [Via Akihabara News]
NEC and Hitachi roll out water-cooled hard drives
Modders, you'd better watch your backs, because NEC and Hitachi are creeping up from the backside with some funky-fresh new hard drive cooling technology that will make you feel embarrassed and / or insignificant. The two Japanese powerhouses have developed a technology which knocks down the temperature of standard hard drives using a water-cooled plating, and also reduces noise levels of the storage devices to five decibels quieter than a whisper. The new technique employs noise absorbing, heat conducting plates which surround the drive, and a low-speed radiator fan to keep air moving. The companies say that the material used for the housing is the most efficient ever for conduction of heat, and that the drives are cooled more quickly and with less power. PCs will soon be made available with the drives (at least in Japan) for around ¥20,000 more than standard models -- no word on when or if this technology is coming Stateside. [Warning: Read link requires subscription][Via Ars Technica]
OCZ intros "world's fastest" 1200MHz PC2-9600 Flex XLC RAM
Champs don't stay that way long in the computer hardware biz, but one way to ensure that the crown stays in the same camp is to one-up yourself before another firm can beat you to the punch. OCZ seems to be feelin' said mantra, as the company's latest Flex XLC RAM overtakes the previous rendition to claim the "world's fastest" title at 1,200MHz. Of course, we've seen quicker memory stuffed onto graphics cards, but the new motherboard-ready PC2-9600 Flex XLC modules sport a svelte hybrid cooling system that melds passive air and liquid injection systems to give you all the bragging rights you'd ever need. The DDR2-1200 modules are currently available in 2GB (2 x 1,024MB) kits, come with a lifetime warranty, and will run you right around $250.[Via Gearlog]
OCZ kicks out liquid-cooled PC2-9200 FlexXLC Edition memory
Sure, liquid-cooling your gadgetry is oftentimes done to prove your 1337-ness, but in cases like Apple's oh-so-toasty Dual G5 PowerMac and Microsoft's notoriously warm Xbox 360, we consider the task quite appropriate. In OCZ's case, however, we're leaning towards the unnecessarily flashy side, as the company's PC2-9200 FlexXLC (Xtreme Liquid Convention) Edition memory touts both air and water cooling possibilities. Dubbed the "world's fastest DDR2 RAM" at 1,150MHz, the modules feature an eight-layer PCB which hinders crosstalk and improves signal integrity, and sports a "fin-like heatsink" to waft warmth away from the components. Moreover, it also boasts liquid-dispersing units that pass water across copper lines to cool things off when taxing your system. While we're not sure how much this showstopping memory will run you, it does feature a lifetime warranty in case the liquid decides to boil over and create a bonafide disaster.[Via Electronista]
