Friday 18th April 2008

Foxconn launches liquid nitrogen cooled motherboard

Posted at: 12:37pm 18th April 2008 by Ben Hardwidge

After numerous demos at tradeshows, the Blackops is finally launched, offering a variety of Northbridge cooling options, including the use of water and liquid nitrogen

We’ve already seen overclockers' motherboards featuring water-loop connectors on the Northbridge heatsink, but we’ve yet to see a one that goes the next step and allows you to cool the Northbridge with liquid nitrogen or dry ice, until now that is. Foxconn has finally officially launched its Blackops motherboard, which can be cooled by just about anything.

The motherboard’s most eye-catching feature is what Foxconn calls the ‘4in1 Quantum Cooler.’ This copper heatpipe construction that cools the motherboard’s Northbridge, Southbridge and VRMs can not only cool the motherboard passively, or via a fan, but Foxconn also claims that it can be ‘quickly adapted’ to be cooled by water, as well as extreme coolants such as liquid nitrogen and dry ice. Foxconn’s technical consultant at Quantum Force, overclocker Peter Tan, said that the cooler ‘is the most adaptable and effective cooling solution ever integrated onto a motherboard.’

The board will come with all the bits to do this, including a Northbridge fan, water cooling block and an extension tower for liquid nitrogen cooling. However, it will also come with variable resistors for easy volt-modding, and Foxconn’s Quantum Flow kit, which allow you to position a fan over your graphics card(s). As well as this, it also comes with Foxconn's Quantum Lap - a tray featuring high standoffs that allows you to work on the motherboard as you would on a workbench.

The motherboard itself is based on Intel’s X48 chipset, and comes with three PCI-E 2.0 graphics slots (two with 16 lanes, and one with four), which supports CrossFire X. Foxconn also says that it’s improved the Gladiator BIOS since the Mars, and promises a more user friendly interface, with menus organised into groups of related settings. This importantly includes the voltage options, which were pretty baffling on the Mars’ BIOS.

Foxconn first showed off the Blackops board at CES in January, and later at CeBIT. However, the company says that the board has since been ‘tried and tested by numerous overclocking teams and enthusiasts,’ and that it’s now ready for release. No details of pricing have been announced yet, but we can’t imagine that it will be cheap.

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Foxconn Blackops liquid nitrogen cooling tower

Foxconn Blackops

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Comments

Handling Liquid Nitrogen

Since I'm a chemist I've has several jobs over the years with access to liquid nitrogen. I would not handle it with out cyrogloves what cost ~$300 a pair and you need to carry it in a dewar. It will quickly boil way in a non insulated container. You can splash small drops of Liquid Nitrogen on you and the boil away without major harm. But get a big splash and you get a red burn. Wear eye protection. Glasses not good enough. I wear a full visor. To make your fingers drop off you would need to submerge them in a big vat. But splash it in your eyes and that may be the end of them..... Bottom line, don't touch it without protective equipment!!

Comment by katwomansz at 10:38pm 25th April 2008

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Handling Liquid Nitrogen

Comment by katwomansz at 10:38pm 25th April 2008

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As someone who uses liquid nitrogen on a weekly basis (for work) I can only hope that Foxconn release a ventilation advisory with this board!!! Although I would like to see what a LN2 X48 board could get too. I have the DFI Lanparty X48 and too be honest the northbridge doesn't get that hot although I may include it into my watercooling loop at some point if only to raise the temp of the water from 12C!!!

Comment by Leify77 at 11:43pm 21st April 2008

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they shouldnt advertise LN2 as a mainstream coolant - coz its not and shouldnt be... itll cut your fingers off if you touch it.

Comment by thegreat0mi at 1:07am 19th April 2008

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I agree that the LN2 option is excessive but the waterblock has potential, especially as it looks unrestrictive and has what looks like 1/4" threads which would allow straight conversion to 1/2" barbs that most of us use. The Fusion Block System on the Asus ROG Blitz, Maximus and Striker II boards looks less effective and has 3/8" barbs which you have to convert with the adapters.

Comment by combatus at 6:35pm 18th April 2008

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i totally agree with rickkemp on this!!!

Comment by NikoBellic at 3:44pm 18th April 2008

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i've said it once...

and i'll say it again. PC componenets are getting too gimicky. so, they supply you with something to LN2 your northbridge. what about the CPU? thats the part you want to LN2.... this is just another ridiculous, expensive gimmick. just take a look at the name- 'Black Ops'. its just there to appeal to kids who are wowed by names taken from their favourite games.

Comment by rickykemp at 3:19pm 18th April 2008

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Sorry 3-way post

Stupid refresh or Middle Eastern Terrorists already at work.

Comment by crazyceo at 3:15pm 18th April 2008

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This is great

The world is going cooler afterall! You can get it shipped to you and I don't think you need a license to use liquid nitrogen either. Unless you are a middle eastern dictator looking to overclock your 30 Playstations custom PC.