4-in-1 Quantum Cooler

We would like to specifically dwell on the Foxconn BloodRAGE cooling system. Upfront there is an individual heatsink for the three-phase memory voltage regulator components. In fact, I doubt that it is really necessary there. If you do not exceed the maximum allowed memory voltage of 1.65V, you won’t even notice the heatsink warming up. All other heatsinks starting with a small one on the chipset South Bridge and finishing with two additional ones over the processor voltage regulator transistors are connected into a single system with heatpipes.

All heatsinks use very secure and reliable screw-retention, no weak plastic clips of any kind. There are metal backplates attached to the reverse side of the PCB.

Two additional heatsinks over the processor voltage regulator transistors are not there for any decorative purposes. They heat up pretty tangibly during work. However, Foxconn’s biggest price is certainly in the unique chipset North Bridge heatsink. It can be used in passive mode, but if the airflow around it is insufficient for proper cooling, you can top it with a 40-mm fan attaching it with wire clips. Both, the fan and the retention clips, are included with the mainboard. Moreover, you can take the heatsink off and install a water block instead.

The mainboard is also bundled with special clamps for water pipes and a set of aluminum heatsinks. Extreme users may wish to replace the water block with a plastic stack for dry ice or liquid nitrogen.

Now I understand why they called it “4-in-1”: it can be used in four different ways.

However, systems like that are mere anachronisms already, just like the gigantic additional heatsink included with Gigabyte GA-EX58-Extreme, for example. Successful overclocking of Core i7 processors doesn’t call for extremely high voltage on the chipset North Bridge that is why its extreme cooling may also be excessive.