Processor And CPU Cooling
CPU: Intel Core i7-970
Intel’s cheapest six-core (twelve thread) desktop processor, the Core i7-970 uses the same fundamental architecture as the company's Core i7-980X Extreme. It only lacks the flagship's unlocked multiplier and 133 MHz in stock clock rate, coming in at 3.20 GHz.
Read Customer Reviews of Intel's Core i7-970
We’re hoping to reach the same 4.46 GHz clock at 1.35 V that we previously saw from our Core i7-980X, though that goal might be a little high considering our cooling limitations. We didn’t have enough money left to buy the highest-end air cooling solution, let alone something more extreme like liquid cooling.
Additionally, Intel’s speed-binning might have left our particular processor with less overclocking capability than its upscale sibling.
CPU Cooling: Scythe Mugen 2 Revision B
Read Customer Reviews of Scythe's Mugen 2 Revision B
Listed at Newegg as part number SCMG-2100, the Mugen 2 Revision B is slightly more powerful and quieter at full force than the already-oversized Intel Boxed Cooler that comes with its Gulftown processors.
Compatible with a broader range of CPU interfaces than its previous version, this cooler's performance took second-place in our Big Air Roundup behind a unit that costs twice as much.
