Noctua has released their first cooler for the Intel 1366 processor in the form of the NH-U12P SE. The U12P-SE is a revamped version of the U12P which was one of the best performance coolers we had ever tested at Pro-Clockers. In order to tame the heat that is put out by the Core i7 processor, Noctua has opted for a new mounting assembly and dual NF-P12 120mm cooling fan. Besides the upgrades offered on the NH-U12P, the cooler retains the four nickel plated heat pipes and its handsome good looks. But is the NH-U12P enough to remain in the top range of coolers like it was in the past? We will spend a few days with the cooler and see how well it performs.

Coolermaster has never been one to only cater to the enthusiast market. Like any good company they cover all based and in the case of our next Coolermaster product we are covering. The market projected is the class that wants good performance at not a high price point or better yet entry level. The $19.99 MSRP is a great target price for anyone looking to upgrade from their old stocker cooler to something that promises to be much better and at the same time support cross platforms including the upcoming Intel 1156 socket.

Evercool is back with another cooler that takes aim at the middle market segment like the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. The segment dedicated to winning the hearts of people on tighter budgets or who don't need any form of extreme air cooling. The best thing about the new Buffalo CPU cooler is that it can be had for about $20 online and has the ability to offer much better cooling than the stock Intel cooler. Is the Buffalo enough to tackle the biggest issue inside a computer tower, heat? We will find out.

The ISGC-300 from Thermaltake is the biggest of the five coolers under this series. The ISGC-300 is based heavily on the commonly used tower design. Granted the tower arrangement offers the best cooling to date when it comes to air and the ISGC-300 should fall in there with this belief. But what else the cooler offer is a new take on fan and fan blades. All new fan motor and redesign blades is what the ISGC series is all about. And we get to take our first look at one.

For many, Coolermaster is the only choice for computer cases and cooling products. I am a big fan as well. Some may not know it, but they offer more than desktop components and cooling. They have ventured into the world of laptop cooling as well. We saw this in the Choiix review we did a few months ago. A perfect fit for netbook cooling. We enjoyed reviewing it, but with the explosion of laptop sfales in past few years cooling products for portables are becoming an important need. Coolermaster realizes this and developed the NotePal X2 cooling pad. Is it enough to cool the beast that I work with everyday? We will see.

 The 212 Plus is the larger brother of the TX3, though there are several differences between the two. The 212 Plus is aimed at the individual who is looking for a little bit more performance, but doesn't want to give up the bank to do it. Coolermaster accomplished this by giving the 212 Plus more surface area and four heat pipes to conquer the dreaded enemy named heat. We know this is enough to outperform the smaller brother, but is it enough to compete against the other big dawgs on the market?

 

The new Baram from Thermolab has all the signs of being one of the better coolers on the market. It has five heat pipes, support for dual 120mm cooling fans and even the what I believe to be the proper size and weight. The Baram is compatible with current CPU sockets from Intel and AMD, except for socket 1366. What impresses me the most is the build quality of the cooler. Will size and build quality make this a good performer? We will see.

 

 The Aeolus is Enermax's attempt to bring high performance cooling to laptops. When I say high performance, I refer to the massive 250mm cooling fan the cooler is built around. Yes, you heard it right, 240mm. This has to be the largest fan on a laptop ever. Besides the fan, the Aeolus shares the same theme we saw in the Aurora keyboard. Smooth and flowing aluminum is the binding structure that supports the cooler. When I first read the specifications on the cooler, I thought it would look grotesque because of a over-sized fan. Yet, the aluminum brings the cooler back down to earth and in a fashionable way.

 

The CNPS line takes chances in idea and design, especially when it comes to the new CNPS9900 cooler. Not that I am not a fan of the typical flower design we have seen from Zalman, but there is a time when one must move forward. With the competitive nature of the market, this is most definitely true with cooling technology. The new cooler keeps the usual heat pipes we're accustomed to seeing, but the fins surrounding the pipes are now split in half, resulting in two half coolers with a PWM controller in between them. But is this semi-new look enough to be fitted in your plans for your next rig build? We shall see.

Today's review sample was originally a pretty good cooler in its earlier days. The Mugen cooler was a favorite of many reviewers that had the pleasure of reviewing it. Performance was right there with the Noctua NH-U12P, Tuniq Tower 120 and many others we regarded as very good coolers. However, the new version is not only compatible with the new Intel i7 processor, but is heavier, taller and comes with a better performing cooling fan. Is it enough to put it at the top of the list with the likes of the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme and the new Zalman CNPS 9900 LED? We shall see.