Intel shows off 5GHz stock cooler

Intel has developed a self-contained watercooling unit that enables the current Pentium Extreme Edition processors to hit 5GHz with ease. The Intel Advanced Liquid Cooling prototype uses a block unit attached to the processor. This includes a copper core, a centrifugal pump that pumps water up through solid metal tubing to a traditional radiator, cooled by a 120mm fan.

The system has been designed to last for more than three years without leaking, failing or requiring a top-up of coolant.

The cooler has come out of Intel's engineering department, which is staffed with a bunch of enthusiasts who have been trying to push the envelope at Intel to try and get the firm to move away from its 'overclocking is bad, mmmkay' stance.

The team, led by thermal mechanical engineer Gavin Stanley, spent an awful lot of time looking at current watercooling kits and systems on the market. They all shared several flaws, he told us: that they were complex to assemble, had a short life, consisted of too many different parts and used flimsy tubing.

You can check it out over here.