Maximum PC

Noctua did it before with LGA 1366 and they're doing it again with LGA 1156. Noctua's free NM-I3 Mounting-Kit supports "all Noctua CPU coolers compatible with Intel's LGA1156 & LGA1366 sockets."

I have to search, wait, and probably pay $15 if/when I can find an 1156 kit for my old Socket 755 Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme. I'm definitely not going to buy the castrated 1156 Thermalright MUX 120, which doesn't support 1366. The 1366 kit cost even more. It almost makes me wish I purchased a Noctua NH-U12P instead of the Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme. I'll remember it in the future when buying and recommending CPU Coolers.

Intel sucks for putting us in these situations, and its a shame AMD can't make a decent chip.

Intel sucks for offering options?

They can't (can not ... no choice available) put a tri-channel chip into the same socket as a dual-channel chip. They can't (can not .. no choice available) put a chip with an on-board memory controller into the same socket as a chip with an external memory controller.

You're offering Intel two choices: do not evolve your chips, or offer less choice for the consumer. Neither of those options appeals to me. Thankfully, neither of those options appears to appeal to Intel either.

WHAT I didn't write anything about my i7 860 working on my P35-DS3L. That's just stupid. My little rant was about the need for different CPU cooler mounting kits. On-board memory controllers aren't the reason. Maybe an excuse for some, but I call BS. ASRock figured out a way to do both.

1156 and 775. C.C.O. (Combo Cooler Option)


Its nice to see motherboard companies taking matters into their own hands and companies like Noctua providing the kits for free, but like I said before.... Intel sucks for putting us in these situations. If they gave 2 shits about consumers they would have made 775 dimensions standard for 1156.