AMD takes to CES 2020 to further detail the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, the gigantic 64-core, 128-thread desktop processor first leaked back in November 2019 before the company officially announced it a month later.

Described as nothing less than "one CPU to rule them all in 2020," the Threadripper 3990X is essentially a consumer version of the Epyc 7702P server processor. As the first 64-core high-end desktop processor, it offers 128 threads of processing power and clock speeds reaching 2.9GHz with a boost of up to 4.3GHz. As such, it is aimed less at regular customers and more at professionals working on video editing and 3D rendering.

CES 2020 sees the launch of a range of additions to the Corsair CPU cooler lineup-- specifically the iCue RGB Pro XT series, all-in-one coolers promising both quiet cooling and dynamic RGB lighting in radiator sizes up to 360mm.

According to Corsair, the iCue RGB Pro XT coolers can handle even thermally intensive CPUs such as the 3rd generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper series. The first product on offer in the line is the A500, a dual-fan air cooler featuring four direct-contact heat pipes and two ML120 magnetic levitation bearing fans. The fans are controllable via PWM for precise speed adjustments between 400 and 2400RPM, and sit on a ratcheting slide-and-lock mount allowing for variable fan heights to accommodate a wide range of DRAM. A HoldFast retention system holds the cooler in place. It is compatible with AM4, AM3, FM2, LGA115x, and LGA20xx CPUs with up to 250W TDP.

The current shortage of 14nm chips forces Intel to bring an old CPU out of retirement-- specifically the Pentium G3420, a 22nm processor offering all of 2 cores and 3.2GHz base frequency released way back in 2013.

The news comes with a Product Change Notification (PCN) announcing the Haswell-era Pentium processor is no longer being discontinued. Dated 5 December 2019, it announces a "new roadmap decision" bringing the Pentium G3420 back in the long term. In fact, it will be produced until May 2020,  and the last shipment date is set for December 2020. Not too shabby for a 6-year old lower-tier processor featuring no hyperthreading and support for up to GDDR3 1600 RAM.

A leaked presentation slide reveals AMD plans to release the first Threadripper CPU with 64 cores and 128 threads-- the 3990X, featuring a doubling of both core and threads of the 2nd generation Threadripper flagship, the 2990WX.

First revealed by Videocardz.com, the 3990X features the same 280W TDP as the 32-core 3970X and even the 24-core 3960X. Further details are scant, other than a mention of 288MB of total cache. In fact the slide does not mention anything regarding clock speeds (the current guess is of 4.5GHz boost speed) or the thermal solution involved, something one can safely assume will be truly massive.

PC peripheral maker Corsair announces the iCue QL RGB PWM fans, available in 120 and 140mm sizes featuring quad light loops lit by 34 individually addressable RGB LEDs allowing for "incredible visuals" from either side.

QL RGB multi-fan kits include an iCue Lighting Node Core RGB lighting controller, a means to control the lighting for up to 6 RGB fans at once through iCue software. The fans feature inner and outer loops on both front and back, making them "uniquely capable" of bright and detailed lighting effects, regardless of use for intake or exhaust.

A semi-transparent fan blade allows the lighting to shine through, while the hub cover is in aluminium. The 120 and 140mm fans spin at up to 1500 and 1250RPM respectively, with PWM control via iCue Commander Pro (available separately) or 4-pin motherboard fan heater. Anti-vibration rubber dampers promise to keep noise low, even at maximum RPM.

Back at Computex 2018, MonsterLabo presented a high-performance passive-cooled PC system dubbed The First. Now the company announces the standalone availability of the massive cooler inside the machine, and names it The Heart.

The Heart is possibly one of the biggest PC coolers around, measuring 200 x 185 x 265mm and weighing 3kg. As one might imagine it does not fit inside regular PC cases, being designed around the aforementioned The First, but enthusiast customers might find it useful for custom builds. According to MonsterLabo, The Heart can cool up to a 100W CPU and 120W GPU in a fanless configuration, and the addition of a slow-turning 140mm fan boosts the totals by 40W.

Intel presents the full details of the 9th gen Core i9-9900KS-- a special edition processor Chipzilla says offers no less than 5GHz turbo frequency out of the box for "the ultimate gaming experience."

First seen back at IFA 2019, i9-9900KS ships unlocked and boasts 8 cores and 16 cores. It offers up to 4GHz base frequency (with the aforementioned 5GHz turbo frequency), with 127W TDP, 16MP Intel Smart Cache and up to 40 platform PCIe lanes for gaming and overclocking. The result, Intel claims, is a Z390 motherboard-compatible processor offering 27% more "mega-tasking", or simultaneously gaming, streaming and recording, compared to a 3-year old PC. Performance Maximiser features allow for easy custom performance tuning.

Noctua announces black versions of the NH-D15, NH-U12S and NH-L9 CPU coolers, with black fans and black coated heatsinks making somewhat striking change from the brown/beige colour schemes the company is known for.

Dubbed the chromax/black series, the fan claim to deliver "the same signature quiet cooling performance with a sleek stealth look." Apparently the change in look was long awaited, but Noctua says it took "a lot of time and engineering" to find a coating it could combine with the process it uses to solder fins to the heatpipes.

Other than the colour, the  NH-D15 chromax.black, NH-U12S chromax.black and NH-L9i chromax.black are identical to the regular models. Every component, from the heatsinks to the fan screws and mounting parts, is black, and offers the same cooling performance as the non-coated counterparts.