Intel’s latest IDF Forum in San Francisco, California last week brought many interesting surprises to the computing industry for developers, analysts, consumers and a broad range of aggregate industries. In the enthusiast consumer bubble that most of our readers are usually concerned about, Intel’s PR team unveiled working 22nm Sandy Bridge chips as well as a new heatsink design for its upcoming flagship Extreme Edition LGA 1366 processor in 2010.

The company’s 32nm six-core Gulftown monster that several refer to as “Core i9” has undergone a heatsink redesign, moving from the top-mounted placement of the fan on the fins to a vertical design which carries hot airflow out the back of the chassis.



Intel engineers also saw the need to replace the abysmal pushpin design with a threaded screw design that all the other heatsink manufacturers use. This will obviously provide the heatsink with firmer mounting security and durability.



Judging by the pictures, it looks as if the fan size increased to a 120mm, but exact airflow specifications are unknown. Overall, Intel’s redesign reminds us of the Thermalright TRUE Spirit and a multitude of other designs that have been relatively successful in the heatsink business.



The high-end enthusiast Core i7 + 2 chip known by its codename Gulftown is expected to arrive in the first half of 2010. While Intel’s new heatsink won’t necessarily give you the 6.4GHz results that Shamino can achieve, it should be able to give a more noticeable amount of legroom when overclocking on stock cooling.