Intel has created a self-contained watercooling unit that is capable of cooling an overclocked Pentium Extreme Edition CPU running at 5GHz.

It consists of a block unit which attaches to the processor. This contains the copper core which makes contact with the CPU, as well as a centrifugal pump which uses a DC brushless motor. This pumps the water up through solid metal tubing to a more traditional radiator, cooled by a 120mm fan. The integration of the cold plate improves thermal performance. The main body of the unit is made of injection-moulded plastic. Intel's R&D labs have the most outrageous equipment for measurements and designing, meaning that this has been designed to last for more than three years without leaking, failing or requiring a top-up of coolant.

Because of the unique elements of the design, such as the centrifugal pump, solid tubing, precise engineering etc, it is ludicrously powerful. We saw a unit up and running, cooling a 3.8GHz Extreme Edition chip to 5.01GHz (with the RAM and FSB overclocked). The temperature on the processor was 62 celcius, well within operating parameters. The unit will fit ATX and BTX boards. Intel is currently looking to work with a technology partner to developer commercial coolers around this design. Because Intel designed it to be assembled from commonly made parts, final retail coolers are expected to cost less than $50!