A New 4.50 GHz i7-990X Computer

5.50 GHz i7-990X Orders Are On Hold: The New 4.50 GHz Firehawk Model Takes Its Place

June 6, 2011
Due to the high demand for the 5.50 GHz i7-990X models, and the relatively long build time associated with them, we must place a temporary hold on these orders while we hire and train new staff. We are offering a new FireHawk model in its place...

Shown above: The Firehawk Mach IV, water-cooled and overclocked to 4.50 GHz

Over the past several months, several clients of ours noticed a certain "price migration" and asked us why the $6500 Firehawk Mach V was listing for $7000, then $7500 not long after. The short answer was: the demand spike.

Building a system that is capable of maintaining 5.50 GHz for long periods of time while remaining 100% stable is not an easy task. It requires a great deal of hand-tuning, and there is no "Betty Crocker" recipe: every system must be approached differently, and only the most experienced overclockers are aware of this phenomenon. Not every 2000 MHz RAM module is exactly the same, not every FSB/QPI behaves exactly the same, and not every chip generates the same heat load running the same benchmarks and stress tests.

Once "news got out" about the 5.50 GHz Firehawk and the 5.50 GHz Lightning III models, the orders came pouring in, and we only had three members of our staff who could build these units. Their days stretched to 10 hours, then to 12 hours, and most recently we had them coming in on Saturdays even as we trained more of our boxbuilders on the construction and tuning of this model.

West coast Chief Technical Officer William Harmon explains:

As the "ship date" for these units moved beyond the 3-week mark [from the time the payment was received], we had to apply the brakes. Orders are still coming in faster than we can build them at the present time. Again, this is due to the complexity associated with creating a stable 5.50 GHz system that will last for years, and not having the human resources capable of delivering such systems. This really is comparable to rocket science, and despite having several recruiting firms helping us in our search for new talent, we haven't been able to locate the right candidates to add to our staff.

Chief Executive Officer Ed Trice went back to the drawing board. Citing the cooler heat profile of the 990X chip vs. the 980X, he elected to go with Corsair's new H100 cooling unit, bypassing the need for phase change cooling. The H100 is a step up from the H70 unit that Corsair makes, but it doesn't provide nearly the cooling that a phase unit would. Quoting Ed Trice:

Because of the lower heat output of the 990X chip, you can still get decent overclocks using water cooling. However, the H70 cooler by Corsair would be underpowered, and could not deliver the overclocks we were seeking for the newly proposed Firehawk model. We didn't want to use the Swiftech triple-radiator cooling solution, because that involves a fair amount of periodic maintenance and we wanted to make this system more attractive for the every day end user. The Corsair H100 self-contained water cooler was the answer. Still maintenance free, yet providing a much greater cooling capacity than the older H70, it will be used in our new Firehawk model.

We are now offering a slower model that is still incredibly fast. The new Firehawk Mach IV will use the Corsair cooler rather than the more complex Vapor Phase Change unit sold with the Lightning product line. This simplifies the build process, and literally all of our trained staff know how to fine tune water-cooled systems. With an i7-990X chip overclocked to 4.50 GHz , this system will still be the envy of every computer geek you know.

Customization options are available for all of our models, so call 610.818.5063 or send an email today to discuss how you would like your dream machine configured.