Intel has officially introduced its new motherboard codenamed DX79SR. According to the company's developers, this board is the most functional one among all models ever released by Intel. One won't find it difficult to guess that the release of DX79SR is devoted to the announcement of a flagship processor Intel Core i7-3970X EE which breaks all records in terms of power-efficiency: its TDP level is estimated at 150W.



Motherboard Intel DX79SR is developed in ATX form-factor. It is compatible with LGA2011 socket and operates under Intel X79 Express chipset. The manufacturer alloted eight 240-contact slots for SDRAM memory of DDR3-2400+ type; the overall capacity of system memory might achieve 64 GB. Intel HD Audio is represented by 10-channel subsystem (7.1+2 channels with independent current transfer) with five analog outputs and optical S/PDIF output.


Motherboard extension facilities include three slots for PCI-e 3.0 x16 expansion cards, a couple of PCI-e x1 slots, and a …

Zalman has gladdened all devotees of liquid cooling by introducing a pair of new solutions: the HQ720 & the HQ740. Both models are targeting all modern as well as outdated platforms, including Intel LGA 115x/LGA 1366/LGA 2011/LGA 2011-v3 & AMD FM1/FM2/FM2+/AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+. The first model comes equipped with a single fan, while the second one – with two fans.



Zalman HQ720 & HQ740 feature a high-performance heatsink, made of aluminum. It is accompanied by a copper pump (62x62x35 mm) that operates at 12V voltage. Its MTBF makes up 75.000 hours. The integrated water pump consists of micro-channels and a pair of hoses.


The fans (120 mm) are based on fluid bearing, estimated for 60.000 hours of fool-proof operation. They support PWM technology that allows for varying the rotational speed from 800 to 2000 RPM. Besides, they employ 4-pin connectors.


The fans are able to deliver up to 107.41 CFM airflow, whereas the noise level remains within the range of 18-24.8 dB. If …

Taking into account an ever increasing demand for USB 3.0 interfaces, SilverStone has elaborated a dedicated PCI expansion card, entitled ECU01. The card is designed in a low-profile form-factor with the support for PCI Express 2.0 x2 bus. It features a pair of 19-contact USB 3.0 sockets, each of which offers two USB 3.0 ports.



In keeping with the manufacturer, this comprehensive model is called to satisfy the need for high-speed interfaces, absent with old-fashioned systems. For sure, the amount of connectivity ports integrated within the motherboards (usually of entry-level/budgetary standard) is not always enough for enthusiasts and gamers. Hence, there can appear an acute need for additional expansion cards, like ECU01.


SilverStone ECU01 is based on Etron EJ198 controller, featuring an additional SATA interface that is responsible for an efficient power supply. Moreover, the model supports UASP protocol that accelerates data transfer speed. If the current OS does not …