Intel Revises Heatsink Design For Desktop, Xeon CPUs

News
By Wolfgang Gruener
published

Intel said it is changing the heat sink and fan shroud design for the majority of its desktop and server processors.

Intel said it is changing the heatsink and fan shroud design for the majority of its desktop and server processors. The revision is made immediately. According to the company, this is a pure visual design change that transitions from a partial square to a round shape with no expected changes to the cooling function. The fan shroud will get "slightly larger" openings.

The products receiving the new heatsink include:

- Xeon E3-1200 series
- Xeon L3000 series
- Xeon X3000 series
- Core i7-800 series
- Core i7-2600/2700 series
- Core i7-3700 series
- Core i5-600 series
- Core i5-2300/2400/2500 series
- Core i5-3300/3400/3500 series
- Core i3-500 series
- Core i3-2100 series
- Core i3-3200 series
- Pentium G600/800 series
- Pentium G2000/6000 series
- Celeron G400/500 series

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Wolfgang Gruener
55 Comments Comment from the forums
  • geekapproved
    Now that's news!!
    Reply
  • phatboe
    why?
    Reply
  • mopman411
    why?

    Can't you tell, it's geekapproved
    Reply
  • KelvinTy
    Reverting back to the 775 platform design?
    Reply
  • chaz_music
    It's engineering: This is a cost reduction exercise on the heatsink and a user install improvement for the frame. They can take out a slight amount of metal from the heatsink fin area that has little effectiveness (saves metal), while also using a simpler manufacturing technique that is circular. The plastic change appears to help people install it easier. In reality though, the heatsink thermal resistance will go up, ever so slightly due to the total fin surface area reduction. But overall, a good move for Intel.
    Reply
  • Be0wulf22
    Journalism 101: Who, What, Where, Why, When, How.

    You failed.
    Reply
  • COLGeek
    If it still uses the nearly useless "push-pin" connectors, then the new ones will go where my old ones go.....to the recycling bin. I have found Intel OEM HSFs to be pure junk because they don't mount as securely as I require.
    Reply
  • freedom4556
    They can take out a slight amount of metal from the heatsink fin area that has little effectiveness (saves metal)

    I betcha the reason they did it now is that they upgraded the assembly robot so that it can now safely grab circles.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    Funny how Intel makes a "visual change" to stuff that is impossible to see once the HSF is mounted.
    Reply
  • tobydruHot
    I got the new design with my I5-2500k at around October.
    Reply