Introduction

Corsair launched the Hydro Series H50 high-performance CPU cooler in June 2009, and since then it has taken the cooling market by storm. It has won worldwide critical acclaim for its superior cooling performance, quiet operation, and ease of use. Installing a Corsair H50 in place of your existing CPU cooler will significantly reduce CPU temperatures and allow for higher overclocking flexibility, and will provide better cooling at lower noise levels. But, as good as the H50 is out-of-the-box, it is possible to increase its performance even further with a simple fan upgrade known as ‘Push-Pull’, which uses two identical fans to increase airflow. We will compare the cooling performance of the H50 in single-fan and push-pull mode to that of a Noctua NH-U12P HSF, also in single- and dual-fan configurations. The test system will use an Intel Core i7-870 (Lynnfield) processor at stock settings, overclocked to 4133MHz with Hyper-Threading Off (max frequency) and overclocked to 4GHz with Hyper-Threading On (max multi-threaded performance). The results, summarized below, show that the Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 in a push-pull configuration outperforms the standard H50 by up to 4^oC in the overclocking tests. In addition, it significantly outperforms the Noctua NH-U12P, with temperature reductions of up to 12^oC. This is a significant reduction that will increase overclocking headroom, as well as allowing for minimal noise levels while maintaining low CPU temperatures.

Our new Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 Intel® back plate design is similar to the old one, but has been changed somewhat to make it more versatile. It's an easy installation, as seen below.

First, the parts:

Back Plate with Socket 1366, 1156, and 775 Positions and Adjustable Threaded Insert

The Retaining Ring

Upgrading the memory inside a PC is not a difficult task. However, for some the plethora of BIOS settings related to the memory can be daunting. This is especially true for users that do not have the requisite experience to make these settings with confidence. And, quite frankly, many users simply do not want to spend a great deal of time tuning and tweaking their system when they could instead be fragging their buddies.

Enter, Intel® XMP or Extreme Memory Profiles. From the Intel XMP product page:

Intel XMP is a performance-packed expansion of the standard DDR3 memory specification, enabling a robust, overclocking solution designed to take advantage of the mega-gaming features built into Intel® technology-based PCs. If you like to overclock and squeeze every possible ounce of performance from your PC, then memory based on Intel XMP is the solution you need to destroy your enemies and save the universe without breaking a sweat. Designed for ultimate flexibility, Intel XMP-based platforms offer major advantages for pro gamers, novices, and everyone in between. With predefined and certified memory optimizations built into Intel XMP, overclocking on Intel technology-based PCs is easy right out of the box. Expert users still have the option of manually changing specific parameters for personalized fine-tuning.

http://www.intel.com/Consumer/Game/extreme-memory.htm

If you want to see how easy it is to set a password and unlock the brand new Flash Padlock 2 USB flash drive, watch this!

Microsoft has provided a simple tool that enables users to make a USB flash drive bootable and to place an image of Windows 7 onto this drive. This is an excellent convenience and a leap ahead of using DVDs when you have the option. Users can now install Windows 7 from a USB drive quickly and easily and the media fits into your pocket!

Corsair Flash Voyager Mini

In early February 2010 Ton Khowdee (www.IronMods.com) and I got the chance to put on a live overclocking demonstration at The Exploratorium museum in San Francisco. Ton was there also showing off his custom case mods along with other case modders for the Rods and Mods exhibit.   In order to get the most out of both systems we were overclocking we used liquid Nitrogen on our setups. Ton ran not only his processor but his three ATI ®5770 video cards on liquid Nitrogen. The liquid nitrogen allowed both CPUs to almost double the stock frequencies.

Since late 2003 and the announcement of the Intel® Pentium® 4 EE, having an unlocked processor multiplier used to mean shelling out almost $1,000 USD. While Intel previously launched an Intel Pentium Dual-Core E6500K processor that was unlocked it was not widely available. However, the new Intel Core™ i5 655K and Intel Core i7 875K processors, will be widely available as part of the “K” series of unlocked processor. Two benefits of having an unlocked multiplier include the fine tuning frequencies and higher overclock potential, which can really be seen when using extreme cooling.

What a crazy week. To an outsider, it probably seems like not a whole lot is going on as far as Corsair is concerned. But trust me, this is just the calm before the storm. I'll leave it at this — Computex starts next week. There will be plenty of news to go around. Until then, check out these reviews...  

Up first is a round-up review that ZDNet UK did of five different SSD drives, including our Nova Series V128. Here's a snippet:

"If you factor in price, then the Intel X25-M starts to look expensive for its 80GB capacity, whereas the Corsair Nova [Series] really shines. It's by no stretch of the imagination a cheap drive in a market where £70 buys you 1.5TB of conventional disk drive. But among its peers, the 128GB Corsair Nova [Series]hits the right capacity/price/performance point and so is our overall choice."  

Hot Hardware also had a SSD round-up but this time it was the Force Series F100 bringing home their Editor's Choice award.

"Taking all things into consideration, the Corsair Force Series F100 and OCZ Agility 2 drives would be our preferred all-around choices, for obvious reasons. The Corsair F100 offers better overall performance than the Agility 2 thanks to its firmware..."  

I really wish I could spill the beans about what we're showing at Computex. It's so exciting! We've been working real hard on these products and I think you'll be seeing a lot more awards being handed out when they get reviewed. I'm going to leave you all with this food for thought. If you had a dream product for us to announce at Computex next week, what would it be? Post your answer in the comments.

Have a great weekend!

Tomorrow is a pretty significant day in geek history. No, I'm not talking about the Windows 3.0 release in 1990. Thirty years ago tomorrow, Pac-Man hit the arcades of Japan. Just a few years later, I got my first game console, an Atari 2600, for Christmas with a Pac-Man cartridge and I was hooked. Never played Pac-Man? Shame on you. You should head over to Google's home page and click on the "insert coin" button and get your game on!

But you didn't come here looking for information on antiquated video games, did you? On to the reviews!  

Our friends to the north, Hardware Canucks, were busy this week with a couple of reviews. First up, we have their video review of the Obsidian Series™ 700D full-tower case. 

In addition to getting a Dam Good award for the 700D, we also received one for the 32GB Flash Voyager® GTR along with an Innovation Award.

"In both synthetic and real world testing the [Flash Voyager] GTR simply destroyed the competition and even gave our lone USB-equipped solid state drive a run for its money. The fact that you can get all this speed in a package which is only slightly bigger than your average run of the mill flash drive is simply a testament to miniaturization."  

Before we go, you simply must check out this awesome luggage mod we found. You heard me right. Luggage. Why do we care? Did I mention it's a luggage mod? In all seriousness though, they're using our Hydro Series H50 CPU cooler and we think this has to be the coolest application of the H50 we've seen yet.

Have a mod we MUST see? Leave it in the comments!

Have a great weekend everyone.

What a crazy week for Corsair products! First, they broke the dual-channel memory frequency world record and then they go and travel around the world. Already, our products have accomplished more and traveled more this year than I have!  

Hot off the press is a review from Hexus of the Corsair Obsidian Series™ 700D full-tower case and it pulled in their Recommended award.

"The good is bountiful, including cavernous interior; the best cable-management system we've seen; well-thought-out cooling zones; cutout for through-the-motherboard heatsinks and decent airflow. Perhaps most importantly of all, it's an absolute doddle to build into, and it's practically impossible to have an ugly-looking installation."  

If you're looking for a fast USB flash drive, the guys over at Everything USB enjoyed the performance of the 32GB Flash Voyager® GTR.

"With synthetic read and write speeds reaching up to 34.1MB/s and 31.7MB/s respectively, the Flash Voyager GTR series stands head and shoulders above its USB 2.0 brethren. Real-world writes were also at least 70% faster than another 32GB flash drive from a reputable maker."

 
Finally, Vortez Hardware reviewed the Corsair Hydro Series H50 CPU cooler and gave it their Silver award after testing it in numerous different environments.

"Performance wise, it matched many of the high end air coolers such as the Noctua NH-U12P, Alpenföhn Nordwand, Prolimatech Megahalem and the Thermolab Baram. When a push/pull configuration was employed, the H50 delivered even better results pitting it against the like of the Thermalright Ultra Extreme."  

That's enough of me for this week. Have a great weekend everyone!