Thermaltake prepares Taiwanese sandwich? Frio Extreme

Computex 2011 saw a lot of emphasis on new, high-end coolers. This will almost certainly be tied into Intel's upcoming socket 2011 products which, if clocked correctly, should make every chip that's gone before look positively ordinary. So what's Thermaltake been up to?

The launch of the original Frio marked a turning point for Thermaltake in terms of cooler design. Previous efforts like the V1 had fallen into the tragic trap of looking amazing – but failing to deliver the biscuits when it came to keeping your CPU cool. The original Frio design was rated (by Thermaltake) at 200w capability.

Earlier this year, the Taiwanese manufacturer launched the Frio OC Max. While early reports (from inside Tt's own labs)  indicated that it was now rated at 220w and could beat Noctua's best, the final product was marginally better than the previous Frio, but could not beat Noctua's Austrian sandwich.

Back to the drawing board then.

At Computex 2011, among a whole host of new ‘Contac' coolers, Thermaltake revealed the design for its Frio Extreme.

In the absense of test results, what can we say about this cooler?

Well, for one thing, there seem to be 2 sets of cooling fins ‘sandwiched' by fans. Will it deliver on its promise to dissipate heat from up to 25% more wattage?  We'll see in the KitGuru Lab. For now, here's some pics.

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KitGuru says: The Austrian sandwich is still the air-cooler to beat. While that might be a daunting task, it also means that Noctua's competitors know exactly what they need to achieve in order to win. Beat the brown stuff and you will be victorious. Let the brown come out on top and you lose. Simples.

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