Intel QX9650 Quad Core Extreme has a new cooling solution

We are in the process of putting a system together based on the following high performance components:

• Intel X38BT Extreme Edition Motherboard
• Intel QX9650 Quad Core Extreme CPU
• Zalman CNPS9700 LED CPU Heat Pipe Cooler
• Dual (2x) ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 1GB Graphics PCI-E
• Dual (2x) 150GB Western Digital Raptor 10K SATA 150 RAID 1
• Dual (2x) 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 300 RAID 1
• Creative SoundBlaster X-Fi Elite Pro
• Antec P180B Chassis
• 1200Watt (1.2KW) ThermalTake ToughPower 4 Rail
• Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1

We just received the QX9650 CPU from our supplier.

We were surprised by the size of the box: It is at least twice the size of a regular Core 2 CPU box. Not only that, it weighs less than the standard Core 2 CPU box too.

Core 2 Extreme QX9650 Packaging

Once we had the packinging open, the tray holding everything has changed.

The reason for this packaging change?

Intel is trying to give Zalman a run for their money! ;)

But seriously folks, Intel is packaging a new CPU cooler for their new 45nm Extreme processors.

Here are a number of screenshots:

Intel QX9650 CPU Cooler - Top

Intel QX9650 CPU Cooler - Side

Intel QX9650 CPU Cooler - Top - No Fan

Intel QX9650 CPU Cooler - Bottom

The cooler unit itself is very light. It looks as though there is a single heat pipe within the large hollow barrel below the fan motor.

While it is a huge step in the right direction for Intel CPU cooling in that it is light weight, capable of greater cooling due to the heat pipe, and quieter because of the larger fan it will not discourage avid users from purchasing a product like the Zalman.

This is one area where Intel should learn a lesson from AMD: Package the Extreme series processor in a small environmentally friendly box and leave the CPU cooler up to us.

This way costs for packaging the CPU go down significantly and those savings can be passed along to us in the form of a price reduction on the CPU.

For the Extreme series CPU purchaser, it is pretty much a given that they already have a cooling method in mind from a good air based cooler such as the Zalman, to a water based method, or the exteme of liquid nitrogen (Live search).

UPDATE: Missed this one in the inital post:

Intel Core 2 Extreme Processor Cooling Solution

This little sheet came with the processor in the box.

Note their qualifier under Thermal performance to spare:

Designed to meet and exceed thermal performance needs for the Intel Core 2 Extreme Edition processors under normal user conditions.

This further reaffirms the need for an aftermarket CPU cooling product for those who are looking to tweak their CPU performance or are looking for optimal thermal qualities in a CPU cooler.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Windows Vista x64 - Creative X-Fi Driver update 2.15.0004 fixes a lot of issues.

When we first setup this workstation with Windows Vista x64, we received a real big surprise from our speakers. The full experience can be read about here:
Windows Vista - Creative X-Fi Snap, Crackle, & Pop Noises on Vista x64 with 4GB+.

Because of the nature of the issues and the fact that Creative has issued an updated driver that seems to fix many of the issues we were experiencing, the subject bears a new post.

The drivers can be found here:

• Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro and Windows Vista 64-bit (Canadian)
• Creative Support Site Downloads (US)

There is a "Change your region" drop down box in the top right corner of the Support Download site for you to bring things closer to home.

All of the X-Fi products have the same driver to download and install.

Once the drivers are downloaded, it would be a good idea to add them to the Technician's Thumb Drive since they are a bit bulky.

All in all, the new drivers are a marked improvement over the previous driver iteration which was temperamental at best.

Now if Creative could get the IE click sounds to work flawlessly, all would be good! ;)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

Windows Vista - Creative X-Fi Snap, Crackle, & Pop Noises on Vista x64 with 4GB+

No, we are not talking about the breakfast cereal! ;)

It seems that there is an issue with the Creative X-Fi sound cards and their drivers on Windows Vista x64 with 4GB of RAM or more.

After installing the drivers, the sound coming up right the first time, it was a complete and utter shock to have this incredibly rude sound screaming from the speakers. Good thing no one was holding their tea or coffee at that point! :O

So, after a great deal of searching, we came up with this: Vista X64, released drivers, scratchy / snap / crackle sound - XFI. The Creative Forum posts are dated in March or thereabouts. Apparently there were a number of people with the sound problem if they had 4GB of RAM or more.

Fast forward to May: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi series Vista Driver 2.15.0002 - 30th May. These are the drivers that are still available via Creative's Windows Vista x64 download page. Guess what? Still the huge snap-crackle-pop and static noises from the card on boot up. This is not the case for everyone however. For some, the noise went away and the card started to produce the proper sounds.

BTW, Creative has pulled out native support for digital sound decoding, such as Dolby and DTS Digital signals, at the driver level. One has to go out and purchase some sort of video player that can do it. Not too sure about the ability to pass digital out of the system for decoding on an audio/video receiver yet.

For now, a workaround is to hit the Device Manager and uninstall the card after a reboot, rescan for new hardware, and allow itself to install again. For the most part, it works almost every time. When it doesn't, it is pretty shocking.

It means turning those speakers off before leaving, or they could be damaged.

Hopefully, Creative will get their stuff together and work out what the problem is, and update their drivers accordingly.

UPDATE 2007-11-12: There is a new driver set for the X-Fi on Windows Vista x64. They are dated November 5, 2007.

This is the Canadian Link: Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro on Windows Vista x64.

The drivers make a huge improvement on the sound card's performance. MSN pings actually work now, the click sounds in IE are working for the most part, and the sound is way better.

Good on Creative!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.