TechPowerUp has discovered that there are NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards in retail circulation that come with too few render units, which lowers performance. Zotac's GeForce RTX 5090 Solid comes with fewer ROPs than it should—168 are enabled, instead of the 176 that are part of the RTX 5090 specifications. This loss of 8 ROPs has a small, but noticeable impact on performance. During recent testing, we noticed our Zotac RTX 5090 Solid sample underperformed slightly, falling behind even the NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition card. At the time we didn't pay attention to the ROP count that TechPowerUp GPU-Z was reporting, and instead spent time looking for other reasons, like clocks, power, cooling, etc.

Two days ago, one of our readers who goes by "Wuxi Gamer," posted this thread on the TechPowerUp Forums, reporting that his retail Zotac RTX 5090 Solid was showing fewer ROPs in GPU-Z than the RTX 5090 should have. The user tried everything from driver to software re-installs, to switching between the two video BIOSes the card comes with, all to no avail. What a coincidence that we had this card in our labs already, so we then dug out our sample. Lo and behold—our sample is missing ROPs, too! GPU-Z is able to read and report these units counts, in this case through NVIDIA's NVAPI driver interface. The 8 missing ROPs constitute a 4.54% loss in the GPU's raster hardware capability, and to illustrate what this means for performance, we've run a couple of tests.

Last month, Shuhei Yoshida announced his retirement from Sony Interactive Entertainment. His career at the company started back in 1986, and by 1993 he became involved with the corporation's nascent PlayStation division. The Japanese industry veteran has gone on a press appearance blitz over the past couple of weeks; many headlines have been generated by his candid musings. Most recently, Sacred Symbols+ engaged in a conversation with Yoshida—their (paywalled) two-hour long podcast episode (#347) was made available to subscribers this week. The former PlayStation chief divulged that he pushed hard for the conversion of first-party titles from console origins to PC platforms, but his colleagues were reportedly reluctant to adopt this practice (at the time). Yoshida-san outlined the benefits: "releasing on PC does many things: it reaches a new audience who do not own consoles—especially in regions where consoles are not as popular. The idea is that those people may become fans of a particular franchise, and when a new game in that series comes out, they may be convinced to purchase a PlayStation." Sony started readjusting its exclusivity model a few years ago; greater ambitions were revealed in 2024.

He continued with this thought process: "it also adds additional income, because porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title...So, it's almost like printing money. And that helps us to invest in new titles now that the cost of games has increased." The ex-SIE boss believes that emerging markets are best served with releases on PC. Yoshida mentioned a huge (almost untapped) market—his ex-colleagues could do well, by targeting said region in the near future: "China is a huge PC game market...And China is a growing but very small console market. In order to reach the audience in countries like China then it's crucial to release on PC. So, I believe PC versions really reach a new audience." PC gamers have largely welcomed an improved flow of ported first-party titles, but Sony has absorbed feedback flak in early 2025; namely an underwhelming reception to Marvel's Spider-Man 2. In late January, Team Sony announced a revised PlayStation Network account policy; backpedalling from a system that featured strict sign-in requirements.

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You heard us the first time! The demo is playable RIGHT NOW! GO GO! Welcome to Kaso-Machi, where chaos goblins and crime mysteries await! For the first time EVER, you can get hands on with our colourful, sentient (of course, why wouldn't they be?!) mascots, get behind the wheel of your truck, and start discovering the mysteries that await you in Promise Mascot Agency! GO GO GO!

Delve into this open-world, genre-bending, creature collector, RPG. Be the boss, turn a profit, and collect the most chaotic roster of bizarre mascots. Severed pinky fingers run businesses? Sobbing Tofu! A Very Innocent Cat!? Oh my! Experience the star-studded cast FOR THE FIRST TIME! Featuring the dulcet tones of Takaya Kuroda (Yakuza's Kiryu Kazuma), Ayano Shibuya (Zelda Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom), and introducing Nobuyuki Hiyama (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask) as Captain Sign! So what are you waiting for? Mascots of every variety are waiting to be put on your books in this epic new 80-minute demo, now available as part of Steam Next Fest!

On Wednesday (February 19), Apple announced the upcoming launch of its "budget-friendly" iPhone 16e smartphone model. The Cupertino, California-based company has refreshed its entry level product tier—starting at $599—with modernized internals. Apple's new design houses an A18 chipset, as well as their much-discussed debut modem design. The C1 is a custom 5G part; fully developed in-house. Previously, modern iPhone product ranges have been fitted with Qualcomm 5G modems. As expected, Apple contracted with TSMC for the production of A18 and C1 silicon—the A-type SoC is based on a 3 nm process node (TSMC N3E). Their proprietary modem baseband design utilizes 4 mm, while the receiver uses a 7 nm process—according to insiders.

Taiwan's Commercial Times reckons that TSMC will be the "biggest beneficiary" from the aforementioned agreement with Apple. Ctee TW's latest report cites industry analysis; soothsayers estimate annual shipments reaching roughly 22 million units annually. Additional whispers suggest that the C1 modem will turn up in non-iPhone devices—namely next-gen Watches and iPads, by next year. The report also mentions that upcoming Mac products are slated for C1 upgrades. Further leaks have linked project "Ganymede" to a "C2" custom 5G modem design—inside sources believe that a 3 nm TSMC process is on the cards. Another codename—"Prometheus"—was leaked by insiders; possibly referencing a future "C3" model.

Atelier games have been around since the late '90s, with more than two dozen titles shipped in that time - but you're forgiven some unfamiliarity the series, as Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land will be the very first to arrive on Xbox. After playing through the first few hours of the game and speaking with producer Junzo Hosoi, it's becoming clear that the first Atelier title on Xbox isn't simply the latest in the series, it's the most ambitious entry yet.

"As a huge Xbox fan, I'm thrilled to finally bring the series to the system," Hosoi told me via email, "But when I look at the game as a whole, I don't describe Atelier Yumia as the next Atelier game. I describe it as a completely new JRPG series that has Atelier features." My preview session bore that out; players will find familiar RPG elements aplenty - strategic, real-time battles, crafting, exploration - but they come together in way that feels altogether different from others in the genre. The secret ingredient, if you will, lies in the super deep crafting system.

Language proficiency is essential in today's globalized world, offering advantages in career growth, travel, and cultural connection. With Babbel's Lifetime Language Learning Subscription, you can gain fluency in 14 languages with a single purchase. For a limited time, use code LEARN40 to get lifetime access for just $129.99 (reg. $169.99)—a one-time payment for unlimited learning.

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An alleged AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card has posted an overall score of 7931 points in a Furmark v2.5 OpenGL test session. Earlier today, Tomasz Gawroński shared a hastily prepared screenshot, accompanied by his observations: "I found an AMD (RDNA 4) Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU and Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU with hacked drivers. Device ID (1002-7550) matches the recently leaked Geekbench entry. There are multiple benches with 9950X3D on Furmark. Scores are impressive: 41-48% higher than Radeon 7800 XT." VideoCardz believes that the Furmark leak points to the true potential of Team Red's upcoming Navi 48-based graphics cards. Recent Geekbench results—reportedly produced by Radeon RX 9070 XT and 9070 (non-XT) pre-release samples—have indicated underwhelming performance; closer to previous-gen mid-range levels.

The "hacked" Radeon RX 9070 XT sample's Furmark tally—of 7931—places it higher than previously perceived; when compared to Team Red's middle-to-high range portfolio of RDNA 3 offerings. VideoCardz posited that the leaked candidate's score: "puts it almost at the Radeon RX 7900 XTX's level, faster than the Radeon RX 7900 XT, RX 7900 GRE, and over 50% higher than the 7800 XT. Based on rumors we heard this week, AMD is said to be claiming over ~40% higher performance at 4K (games) than the 7900 GRE, so this would be in line with these claims."

Mogadishu, 1993. Operation Gothic Serpent. What began as a routine mission to capture enemy lieutenants descended into chaos when two Black Hawks were shot down. U.S. forces found themselves trapped and outnumbered, fighting for survival in the heart of enemy territory. Now, you can experience the intensity of that fateful day firsthand.

Black Hawk Down is coming completely FREE on February 21! As a gesture of gratitude to all the Operators for all the support during the Open Beta, one of the most iconic military operations will be available to all for free. Squad up, stay sharp, and overcome! Remember...no one gets left behind! Delta Force is a definitive free-to-play modern team-based tactical shooter coming to PC, consoles, and mobile. As the latest installment of the classic series that has defined the genre for 25 years, Delta Force is back with four main game modes: large-scale multiplayer PVP—Warfare, next-gen extraction shooter—Hazard Operations, PVE mode—Raid, and classic PVE campaign mode—Black Hawk Down.

Apple's unannounced M4 MacBook Air family is likely reaching market availability status at some point next month. Last December, slimline notebook enthusiasts started hearing about an updated lineup; macOS's Sequoia 15.2 update reportedly referenced upcoming MacBook Air M4 13-inch and 15-inch models. An early sample unit—named "Mac16,12"—has participated in a Geekbench 6.4.0 (macOS AArch64) gauntlet; results appeared online yesterday. The alleged "MacBook Air 13" candidate posted an overall Metal score of 54,806, and an overall OpenCL tally of 36,305. The two separate Geekbench Browser entries confirm that the sampled device makes use of a 10-core M4 processor, with Cluster 1 containing four performance cores. Cluster 2 consists of six power efficiency-oriented cores. Base frequency is listed at 4.41 GHz; reportedly the highest recorded for an M4 SoC. Said chip accessed 24 GB of unified memory, during its macOS 15.2 (Build 24C2101)-based test session.

Notebookcheck and Wccftech compared the aforementioned data points with slightly older M4-equipped hardware, including a premium model. Both outlets observed a "measly" five percent performance difference. Elaborating on their findings, Notebookcheck stated: "as always, we would recommend taking early benchmark results with a healthy amount of skepticism for the time being. With that being said, the MacBook Air 13 benchmarked falls about 5% short of the median Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Metal results we achieved so far when benchmarking the M4 versions of Apple's Mac Mini and MacBook Pro 14." The rumored next-gen MacBook Air is expected to operate with a fan-less cooling system—press outlets reckon that the MacBook Pro's air-cooled operation puts it at a slight advantage (in benchmarks).

Intel has updated its 18A node website with the message, "Intel 18A is now ready for customer projects with the tape outs beginning in the first half of 2025: contact us for more information." The contact hyperlink includes an email where future customers can direct their questions to Intel. Designed as a turnaround node for Intel, 18A carries industry-leading features like SRAM density scaling comparable with TSMC's N2, 15% better performance per watt, and 30% better chip density vs. the Intel 3 process node used in Intel Xeon 6, as well as PowerVia backside-power delivery to increase transistor density.

Other features like RibbonFET are the first to replace FinFET transistors, making gate leakage a tighter control. Interestingly, Intel's first products to use the 18A node are client CPUs "Panther Lake" and "Clearwater Forest" Xeon CPUs for data centers. External Intel Foundry customers using the 18A node include Amazon's AWS, Microsoft for its internal silicon for Azure, and Broadcom exploring 18A-based designs. The process of gaining customers for advanced manufacturing is complex, as many existing Samsung/TSMC customers are not risking their capacity and contracts with established advanced silicon makers. However, if Intel's first few customers prove successful, many others could flock over to Intel's fabs as geopolitical tensions are questioning whether the current models of the semiconductor supply chain are feasible in the future. If US companies and startups decide to move with Intel for their chip manufacturing, Intel could experience a complete recovery.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards—built on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture—are out now, ready to power generative AI content creation and accelerate creative performance. GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPUs feature fifth-generation Tensor Cores with support for FP4, doubling performance and reducing VRAM requirements to run generative AI models.

In addition, the GPU comes equipped with two ninth-generation encoders and a sixth-generation decoder that add support for the 4:2:2 pro-grade color format and increase encoding quality for HEVC and AV1. This combo accelerates video editing workflows, reducing export times by 8x compared with single encoder GPUs without 4:2:2 support like the GeForce RTX 3090. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU also includes 16G B of fast GDDR7 memory and 896 GB/sec of total memory bandwidth—a 78% increase over the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti GPU.

Amazon Canada has listed two new XFX Magnetic Air Edition designs, within the last day or so—as discovered by the VideoCardz overwatch. Mid-way through last week, the first signs of these premium customized AMD RDNA 4 graphics cards appeared online; courtesy of another Canadian leak. Within the same timeframe, XFX registered its "XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT QUICKSILVER Magnetic Air D6 16 GB" SKU at South Korea's National Radio Agency. Amazon.ca's two pre-order listings—likely prematurely published by accident—provide a first look at XFX's revised "Magnetic Air" modular fan system. The MERCURY Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Magnetic Air Black and White Editions appear to sport plenty of loud RGB lighting zones—contrasting greatly, when compared to understated sibling designs.

XFX's standard MERCURY Radeon RX 9070 XT OC Magnetic Air Edition seems to visually match with the manufacturer's "premium black" CES 2025 demonstration sample. TechPowerUp handled this powered-off unit at last month's trade event, alongside a "premium white" sample. Based on a leak—from two days ago—the pale candidate could be an XFX SWIFT model. Product and packaging imagery for Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) SWIFT and QUICKSILVER emerged online, allegedly sourced from Amazon South Korea. Returning to XFX's highly-anticipated top-tier Magnetic Air options; price points of CAD$1438.03 (black) and CAD$1277.51 (white) are presently displayed on Amazon Canada. VideoCardz reckons that fluctuations will occur up until release day—both third-party listings (Fennec, Inc) mention the exact same release date: March 6. Base GPU clock speed is set at 1870 GHz, while the card's boost capability takes matters up to 3100 MHz—possibly aligning with numbers generated by an unnamed test sample. An expected VRAM assignment—of 16 GB—is described by Amazon's Canuck branch. Three 8-pin power connectors are present in XFX's Magnetic Air product renders.

Numemory has introduced the NM101, a 64 Gb storage-class memory module that uses technology similar to Intel's now-discontinued Optane architecture. The device implements phase-change memory and crossbar technology in a 3D selector-only memory structure, matching Optane's 3200 MT/s transfer rate specification. The technical architecture diverges from Intel's implementation by using a single selector in its cross-point structure rather than the dual-selector approach of 3D XPoint memory. Operating at 1.2 V with an X8 bus width, the NM101 uses 3D stacking to achieve claimed performance metrics of 10x faster read/write speeds than NAND flash. Xincun Technology, which established the Numemory division in Wuhan in 2022, holds 273 patents related to the technology, including 60 international and 213 Chinese patents. The company's R&D team of 144 engineers has developed the architecture since 2019, three years before Intel ended its Optane program.

Production plans specify an initial manufacturing target of 10,000 units monthly by the end of 2025. Guao Technology has committed ¥10 billion to establish production facilities in Zhejiang province, with additional funding from the Anji county government. The NM101's operating temperature range spans 0-70°C, suitable for standard data center environments. While the device's specifications suggest the potential for data center deployment, specific IOPS and latency metrics remain unpublished. Initial production will serve domestic Chinese servers and storage manufacturers. The technology's viability in mass production remains to be demonstrated, particularly given the manufacturing challenges that contributed to Optane's market exit. The Chinese internal market is massive, so serving only domestic companies could be enough for Numemory at the beginning. If the company continues development, worldwide expansion could pick up where Optane stopped.

Just when you thought you'd seen everything, a Taobao seller has unleashed what might be the most over-engineered power connector solution yet: a 16-pin 12VHPWR power adapter complete with its own cooling fan and real-time monitoring display. Yes, you read that right—we're now actively cooling power connectors. The $30 adapter appears as manufacturers continue struggling with melting cable problems on NVIDIA's RTX 4090 series, despite the company's claims of resolving the issue. The adapter includes an LCD screen showing real-time temperature and power consumption readings, while its 180-degree design prevents sharp cable bends that are often blamed for connection problems. However, unlike more comprehensive solutions proposed by engineering experts, it doesn't address the fundamental issue of uneven power distribution across the connector's 12 power wires.

The adapter works with RTX 4090, 4080, and 4070 graphics cards. Still, it shouldn't be used with newer RTX 50 series cards, as the sales listing doesn't mention any GeForce RTX 50 series compatibility, and the latest "Blackwell" GPU design uses an updated 12V-2x6 power connector, which still appears riddled with issues. While adding a fan to a power connector may seem excessive, an intriguing possibility is that we may soon find water-cooler power connectors for the newer 12V-2x6, so users can prevent their $2000 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs from melting their power connectors. Irony aside, power delivery safety is a growing concern, and no clear resolution exists. NVIDIA has reassured users in the past that these problems are now solved, but the issues are piling up as more users get ahold of their RTX 5090 GPUs.

We're proud to reveal Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids, a new action-packed strategy game that combines thrilling third-person action with the strategic depth of real-time strategy (RTS) gameplay - all set in a colorful, comic book-style world brimming with a unique cast of characters. Whether strategizing in battle or diving into the action firsthand, you will find a uniquely engaging and heroic adventure that keeps you coming back for more.

PLAY THE DEMO
As part of Steam Next Fest: February Edition from February 24 to March 3, the first-ever demo of Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids will be available for you to experience this exciting heroic action RTS adventure before it launches on PC, Xbox and PlayStation this spring with cross-platform play support at launch. The demo will give you plenty of Chip 'n' Clawz action to dive into, as it'll feature online and local campaign co-op and PvP multiplayer support, four Mission levels, two Challenge levels, two PvP maps, and plenty of weapons, mods, collectibles and base building options! If you want to join the Chip 'n' Clawz community and find fellow Earthlings to adventure with or challenge in PvP, join the official Chip 'n' Clawz Discord!

Over the past three weeks, press outlets and the buying public have levelled heavy criticism at NVIDIA board partners. The launches of three GeForce RTX 50-series "Blackwell" GPUs have—so far—been problematic; based on news reports and community feedback. Prior to release (on February 20), VideoCardz anticipated major price fluctuations for an all-custom portfolio of GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards. The publication did not hold back with its targeting of ASUS; one of Team Green's big time AIBs. Only a small selection of baseline MSRP ($749) conformant models were available on day one, and VideoCardz posited that manufacturers would implement price hikes soon after launch. A follow-up report continues their investigation into a lack of baseline MSRP options, as well as so-called "fake promotions."

VideoCardz repeated its belief that ASUS will jack-up the asking price for its PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti model. When looking at Newegg's listing of baseline MSRP cards, the intrepid investigator stumbled up another notable absence: "we wrote three articles about the ASUS RTX 5070 Ti PRIME model not being listed as an MSRP card by retailers, which finally led ASUS to intervene (most likely for a limited time) to sell this card at the promised price. What we can immediately notice is the lack of the VENTUS 3X model from MSI, which was basically 90% of the MSRP card review coverage yesterday, as NVIDIA had no Founders Edition card for this launch and relied on board partners. In fact, the VENTUS 3X non-OC is not even included in the official launch, meaning that the card you saw yesterday in reviews is simply not available anywhere." It should be noted that TechPowerUp received an MSI GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3X OC sample unit for evaluation purposes (review guide pricing was $749); Newegg lists this particular model with a current $829.99 price point, but stock is unavailable (at the time of writing).

On March 4, Grand Theft Auto V on PC is getting a free upgrade with sought-after features previously only available in the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of GTA Online—including all the latest vehicles and performance upgrades available at Hao's Special Works, animal encounters, and access to purchase a GTA+ Membership—along with improved graphics options, faster loading times, and more. All players who currently own GTAV on PC will be able to upgrade to this new version for free, with the ability to migrate your Story Mode and Online progress.

New Features on PC
Once upgraded, current PC players—along with anyone playing the game for the first time—will have access to a full suite of much-requested GTA Online upgrades previously only available on the latest consoles. This upgraded version of GTA V on PC also features all of our recent player experience improvements for GTA Online, including kernel-based anti-cheat protections and proactive voice chat moderation to help keep GTA Online fun for everyone.

TechPowerUp today released the latest update to TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the graphics sub-system information and monitoring utility for PC gamers and enthusiasts. Version 2.63.0 comes with support for new GPUs that include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, RX 9070, and RX 7650 GRE. We have introduced the ability to save or upload the video BIOS of NVIDIA RTX 50-series "Blackwell" GPUs. A bug that caused the GPU vendor logo to incorrectly scale on systems with high-DPI displays, has been fixed. DPI scaling of top-right action buttons on high-DPI monitors has also been fixed. Grab GPU-Z from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.63.0

ASUS today announced ASUS Fragrance Mouse, a stylish and ergonomic mouse that's available in distinctive Iridescent White or Rose Clay finishes, and boasting an internal fragrance compartment with a refillable vial for aromatic oils. The mouse features PTFE feet and adjustable DPI for smooth glides and precise control. Its durable switches boast a 10-million-click lifespan. Plus, 2.4 GHz wireless and Bluetooth technologies ensure seamless dual-mode connectivity.

Distinctive aesthetic
Available in Iridescent White or Rose Clay, ASUS Fragrance Mouse has a distinctive style that adds a dash of elegance into any home workspace or office setup. Additionally, this ergonomic mouse offers a gently-curved thumb rest along its right side to give users a proper and comfortable grip.

Senao Networks Inc., a global leader in advanced networking and computing solutions, proudly announces the launch of its AI PC, AC121, an ultra-compact intelligent PC that combines next-generation performance, AI-driven intelligence, and a sleek, space-saving design. Tailored for modern professionals, enterprises, and technology enthusiasts, the AC121 establishes a new standard in compact computing.

Unparalleled Performance
At the heart of the AC121 is the Intel Arrow Lake-S processor, offering 65 W/35 W TDP and integrated NPU to power AI-enhanced workloads. This makes the AIPC ideal for multitasking, content creation, and AI-enhanced applications.

According to a well-known AMD hardware leaker, Hoang Anh Phu, AMD held a brief press conference where it confirmed that the upcoming Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070 will carry a 304 Watt and 220 Watt total board power (TBP), respectively. While the post, originally on X is deleted, VideoCardz managed to read the information. AMD's TBP rating is similar to NVIDIA's total graphics power (TGP) metric, which measures both the chip and the memory and other components that the graphics card could contain under full load. So the TBP, and hence TGP, metrics are basically a rough outline of how much power the GPU will draw under full load.

AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 non-XT variants will consume 304 and 220 Watts, respectively, meaning that RDNA 4 IP will be relatively efficient. Interestingly, AMD settled on a 304-watt number instead of rounding it to 305, which usually happens. For reminder, the RX 9070 XT features 4,096 cores at 2.97 GHz boost clock, while the RX 9070 has 3,584 cores at 2.52 GHz. Both cards use a Navi 48 SKU, with 16 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus running at 20 Gbps, achieving 640 GB/s bandwidth. Both utilize PCIe 5.0×16 and are rumored to be released on March 6, following their January announcement.

Manli Technology Group Limited is proud to announce the Manli GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card. Get game-changing performance with the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, powered by NVIDIA Blackwell. Game at high frame rates with DLSS 4, supercharge your creativity with NVIDIA Studio, and enable new experiences with the power of AI.

Manli Design
There are 8,960 CUDA cores onboard powering the RTX 5070 Ti. It also has 16 GB of memory, and GDDR7 memory speeds of up to 28 Gbps, with 5th Gen Tensor Cores, AI TOPS 1406.

LG Electronics (LG) is bringing its Gaming Portal to a wide range of screens and platforms in 2025. Currently available on LG Smart TVs running webOS 23 and above in 19 markets, the service will extend to additional markets, platforms and devices - including LG Smart Monitors and StanbyME lifestyle screens - by the second quarter of the year. This expansion aims to enhance the overall game streaming experience by providing seamless access to popular and new titles.

The Gaming Portal serves as a central hub for gameplay options, offering an effortless way to discover new titles and enjoy the ones gamers already love. Through partnerships with leading cloud gaming services like NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Amazon Luna, Boosteroid, Blacknut and soon Xbox Cloud, along with many native webOS app games, LG delivers a wide variety of games across different genres.

Cincoze will showcase its full range of embedded computing solutions at Embedded World 2025 (Hall 1, Booth No.: 1-407) in Nuremberg, Germany, on March 11-13. Cincoze will display world-class industrial embedded computing products around the theme of "Edge AI, Smart Integration," encompassing the full spectrum of industrial application environments in four dedicated zones, including GPU embedded computers, DIN-Rail computers, rugged embedded computers, and industrial panel PCs and monitors.

GPU Embedded Computers: AI Application Solutions
The GPU Computing - GOLD product line combines powerful CPUs and GPUs to meet the ultimate performance requirements for edge AI applications. The three-series lineup covers Light, Medium, and Heavy AI use cases. The GJ series features an NVIDIA Jetson SoM GPU with a low-power design specially designed for Light AI applications. The GM series supports MXM GPUs and can meet mobile or Medium AI application requirements. The flagship GP series supports up to two 250 W full-length GPU cards and has patents for heat dissipation, scalability, and securing, making it the best choice for Heavy AI applications. The entire product line has passed EN50121-3-2, E-mark, and MIL-STD-810H to ensure reliability across applications in different industries.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is thrilled to announce the introduction of an enhanced revision of DDR5 R-DIMM memory to the market. Based on the newly released JEDEC revision standards for DDR5 R-DIMM, the new G.SKILL R-DIMM memory features a 16-layer PCB for improved signal integrity, as well as adding two transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes and a fuse for voltage protection. Designed for enterprise servers and professional workstations, the new DDR5 R-DIMM memory brings cutting-edge advancements to performance and protection.

Improved Signal Integrity with 16-Layer PCB
These new DDR5 R-DIMM memory modules feature an advanced 16-layer PCB, a significant upgrade from previous 8- or 10-layer designs. The increase in the PCB layer count improves signal integrity for better reliability and stability in data transmission, even under high-performance or overclocked workloads - making it an ideal DDR5 R-DIMM memory choice for high-performance computing applications on servers or workstations.

More than 700 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Following the release of DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation for Avowed (via NVIDIA app DLSS Overrides) and Star Wars Outlaws, this week sees the addition of the performance multiplying tech to Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and Marvel Rivals. Additionally, DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Frame Generation are available at launch in Legend of Ymir, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. For all the details, read on.

Marvel Rivals DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation Update Launches Tomorrow
NetEase Games' Marvel Rivals is one of the top 5 most played games on Steam. If you're unfamiliar with Marvel Rivals, it's a Super Hero, team-based PvP shooter set in the Marvel universe. Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills, and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields.

GIGABYTE, a global leader in computing innovation and technology, will showcase its full-spectrum AI computing solutions that bridge development to deployment at MWC 2025, taking place from March 3-6.

"AI+" and "Enterprise-Reinvented" are two of the themes for MWC. As enterprises accelerate their digital transformation and intelligent upgrades, the transition of AI applications from experimental development to democratized commercial deployment has become a critical turning point in the industry. Continuing its "ACCEVOLUTION" initiative, GIGABYTE provides the comprehensive infrastructure products and solutions spanning cloud-based supercomputing centers to edge computing terminals, aiming to accelerate the next evolution and empower industries to scale AI applications efficiently.
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MSI is pleased to announce support for the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors, built on the Zen 5 architecture and featuring AMD's cutting-edge 2nd generation AMD 3D V-Cache technology. This innovative technology is designed to significantly increases the cache size, allowing faster data access and improved performance. Engineered to deliver exceptional performance, these processors meet the demands of even the most intensive gaming and content creation workloads.

At the heart of this experience is the MSI MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, which sets a new standard with its innovative design and robust features. The Dynamic Dashboard III, a 3.99-inch full-color LCD, offers real-time hardware monitoring, troubleshooting, BIOS update status, clock display, and personalization options, enhancing user experience and system control. MSI's EZ Link design complements this, streamlining cable management by consolidating the front panel, fan, and RGB headers into the EZ Bridge and EZ Control Hub, ensuring a cleaner build and simplified installation process.

Leading provider of industrial PC solutions AAEON (stock code: 6579), has introduced the BOXER-6647-MTH, a fanless embedded computer powered by the Intel Core Ultra platform. Available with either the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 155H or Intel Core Ultra 5 processor 125H, the BOXER-6647-MTH sports a broad variety of interfaces tailored for industrial robotics use.

The system hosts LAN ports providing up to 2.5GbE speed, six USB (four USB 3.2 Gen 2, two USB 2.0), and three serial ports that include dual RS-232/422/485 signals and an 8-bit DIO, the BOXER-6647-MTH's I/O provides a strong foundation with which systems integrators can install cameras, sensors (LIDAR, IMUs), and actuators for advanced robotics applications like AGVs and AMRs. Moreover, the system boasts a wealth of expansion options to accommodate Wi-Fi, 5G, and NVMe storage modules.

In the world of evolving sound engineering, Baseus has always had its finger on the pulse. With a longstanding commitment to being the best consumer electronics brand, Baseus is set on creating innovative, flexible, and minimalist products that center around customer needs before anything else. After all, the name 'Baseus' originates from our core value "Base on User". Now, Baseus is thrilled to introduce the Bowie MC1 Open-ear Earbuds - a genius feat of sound engineering that prioritizes comfort, adaptability, and sound quality.

The Baseus Bowie MC1 Open-ear Earbuds were crafted to fit seamlessly into any lifestyle. From the daily work schedule and sports sessions to the student life and fashion industry. These earbuds are equipped to inspire creative storytelling and ensure a fresh perspective on how you see - and hear - the world. Let's take a look at some of the main highlights of the Baseus Bowie MC1 Open-ear Earbuds:

Moore Threads has released version 290.100 of its MTT S Series Windows desktop driver; today's freshly published patch notes describe "performance and experience optimizations" for multiple modern games titles. Press coverage of the Chinese graphics card manufacturer's hardware portfolio has concentrated mostly on deficiencies, relative to Western offerings. Despite being the first desktop gaming graphics card to arrive with a PCI Express Gen 5 bus interface, Moore Threads' MTT S80 model has consistently struggled to keep up with mainstream competition. Most notably, their current 200 W TDP-rated flagship—packing 4096 "MUSA" cores—trailed behind AMD Radeon iGPUs, according to March 2024 benchmarks.

The latest Moore Threads driver improvements were tested out internally, prior to public release. Patch notes claim that Infinity Nikki (DirectX 12-only) average frame rates "increased by more than 40%." Another DX12 title was benched—Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding: "average frame rate has increased by more than 50%." The largest upgrade was observed when playing A Plague Tale: Requiem; the MTT engineering team claims that average in-game frame rates climbed by more than 120%. We hope that independent outlets will publish results based on their own testing methodologies, in the near future. Going back to September 2023, Moore Threads boasted about driver update 230.40.0.1 producing a 40% gaming performance uplift for MTT S80 and S70 cards. Outside the gaming sphere, Moore Threads has hinted about its MTT S80 GPU being a high achiever with DeepSeek's R1-Distill-Qwen-7B distilled model.

MSI is excited to partner with SEGA for an exclusive limited-time offer! From February 20 to March 20, 2025, customers who purchase selected MSI Z890 Series Motherboards will receive a FREE Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii game key. Dive into the pirate adventure and level up your gaming experience today!

About Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Step into the boots of a pirate with no memory and a fierce desire to uncover your past. Sail the dangerous, treasure-filled seas of Hawaii, battling ruthless enemies and forging alliances. Every decision shapes your journey - recruit a crew, hijack ships, and explore the lawless island of Madlantis. With thrilling combat, a gripping story, and unforgettable characters, this is a world where danger and treasure await at every turn. The fate of the seas is in your hands - will you conquer the waves, or be lost to the tides forever?

We're happy to share that Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is Steam Deck Verified! Experience two playable Spider-Men, traverse an expanded Marvel's New York and battle iconic Marvel Super Villains on your handheld device now! Be Greater. Together. The incredible power of the symbiote forces Peter Parker and Miles Morales into a desperate fight as they balance their lives, friendships, and their duty to protect in an exciting chapter of the critically acclaimed Spider-Man franchise on PC.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PC—Patch 3 Release Notes
Patch 3 is available now for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC! This week's update includes stability improvements and bug fixes based on player feedback. We've also implemented the latest version of the NVIDIA Streamline SDK and included dozens of small visual bug fixes related to various aspects such as reflections, ray-traced shadows and textures. We are actively working on more updates with additional bug fixes and performance optimizations. Thank you to everyone for playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on PC and for providing feedback to help us continue to improve the game!

The late 2024 news cycle suggested that Samsung's semiconductor business was going through tough times. Alleged yield problems—affecting the 3 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process—were highlighted last November. Fast-forward to January 2025; the South Korean megacorp has launched its cutting-edge Galaxy S25 smartphone series. The entire lineup of newly unveiled flagship smartphones contains Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chipsets; the Southern Californian chip designer is reportedly pulling in a tidy sum from this partnership. Fresh reports from South Korean news outlets indicate that Samsung System LSI employees have received an "encouraging" email from their boss, regarding current production predicaments.

Businesskorea and Sedaily reports include quotes extracted from the (apparently) leaked internal memo. LSI division president, Park Yong-in, reportedly stated: "we are currently in a situation where we have to develop two flagship products at the same time." Both articles allege that Samsung's semiconductor teams are expected to "cultivate roots and withstand storms." Industry watchdogs believe that the aforementioned "flagship products" are the Exynos 2500 mobile chipset, and Samsung Electronic's next-gen Galaxy S26 smartphone family. Earlier this month, we heard whispers about the much-delayed in-house chip design being readied (with a 2 nm process) for a possible late 2025 launch, inside unannounced Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Fold 7 devices. Park disclosed anticipated incoming obstacles in 2025: "last year's business division profit was higher than expected, but this was a temporary phenomenon...Looking at the entire business division, there will be monthly surpluses and deficits." Last month, inside sources proposed the notion that foundry investments were slashed in half.

MSI proudly announces its latest lineup of graphics cards powered by the newly unveiled NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU, including the VANGUARD, GAMING TRIO, INSPIRE, and VENTUS series. Built with advanced graphics technology and enhanced thermal solutions, these cards cater to a wide range of users, from high-performance gaming to AI applications and content creation. Designed for efficiency, they deliver powerful performance while maintaining low temperatures and quiet operation, ensuring an optimal experience.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, the GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs revolutionize gaming and creativity with unprecedented AI horsepower. Unlock next-level performance and graphics fidelity with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at record-breaking speeds, and unleash creative potential with NVIDIA Studio.

The wait is finally over. Play Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii now, and embark on an over-the-top, modern-day pirate adventure with an ex-yakuza, now pirate captain and his crew. A new legend begins as you step into the steel toe boots of Goro Majima, a man who has lost his memory and reinvents himself as a pirate on the open sea.

PIRATE YAKUZA ADVENTURE AHOY!
Goro Majima, a notorious ex-yakuza suddenly finds himself shipwrecked on a remote island in the Pacific. Unable to remember even his own name, he sets sail in search of clues to his lost memories, accompanied by a boy named Noah who saved his life. Before long, they're caught up in a conflict between cutthroat criminals, modern-day pirates, and other scoundrels over a legendary treasure.

SCUF Gaming, creator of the high-performance gaming controller category and part of the Corsair family of brands, today announced the SCUF Valor Pro Wired Performance Controller for Xbox and PC, available now starting at $99.99. The SCUF Valor Pro Wired embodies over a decade of collaboration with esports pros and creators, refining every feature for peak performance. Built on SCUF's legacy of innovation, this pro controller empowers gamers with unmatched precision and control to dominate the competition.

Offering an unprecedented level of speed and control, the SCUF Valor Pro Wired gives Xbox and PC gamers a decisive competitive advantage, with every aspect of the controller built to the highest SCUF standards. With remappable paddles, a dedicated wired connection with ultra-fast 1000 Hz polling rate response time on PC, a compact and ergonomic shape, and all of the game changing features SCUF is known for, including longer lasting anti-drift Hall Effect thumbsticks, the SCUF Valor Pro Wired will improve any dedicated gamers performance.

Satechi has announced a new USB-C hub with a premium aluminium housing. The product is priced at just under $100, which is an acceptable price considering the specifications on offer. Both macOS and Windows-based systems are supported, although macOS systems are limited to SST (Single-Stream Transport) mode for display output. At just under 150 grams, the Satechi hub measures 6.2 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches, which makes it just as compact as other products in its category. Getting to the port selection, the USB-C hub sports dual USB 2.0 Type-A, triple USB 3.0 Type-A, dual USB-C (PD, 85-watt output), dual HDMI 2.0, single USB 3.1 Type-A, DisplayPort 1.4, as well as a gigabit ethernet jack. The product is already available to order from Satechi's official website, with the aforementioned $99.99 price tag.

Press outlets have spotted two new B650M motherboard models on ASRock's product site; the B650M Pro X3D and B650M Pro X3D WiFi (6E). The latest additions are clearly based on previous-gen AMD chipset (B650)—according to the manufacturer's descriptions, both are advertised as: "optimized for AMD Ryzen X3D processors, delivering superior stability, compatibility, and enhanced performance, making it ideal for gaming and creating." The "Pro X3D" SKUs have not launched at retail, so pricing information is not available at the time of writing. ASRock could publish a dedicated press release in the near future, but we are looking at a very quiet reveal. Curiously, the Taiwan-based motherboard and graphics card specialist has seemingly "downcycled" its fairly new B850M Pro "Race Sport" RS board design.

VideoCardz's coverage of the Pro X3D series includes a handy image comparison tool. When lined up against each other (visually), the B650M Pro X3D and B850M Pro RS designs are nigh identical. Two of the images (below) show a minor difference in printed-on model names. As expected, the ASRock website comparison tool reveals only minor disparities between respective specification sheets. The standard B850M Pro RS variant is currently on sale for $148 (normally $180). The B650M Pro X3D (non-WiFi 6E) equivalent could arrive at retail with a slightly lower price point. ASRock has signalled that its "Pro X3D" mainboard series will only be available within certain regions. According to VideoCardz, a comprehensive global rollout is not planned.

The $3,499 Apple Vision Pro AR/VR headset is certainly not the kind of device that Apple expects to be mass-adopted. Since its launch in 2023, the luxurious gadget is yet to witness a single hardware refresh. The gadget's aging M2 SoC paired with 16 GB of memory is almost three years old, but despite that, respected analyst Mark Gurman expects the device to soon sport Apple Intelligence features alongside the upcoming VisionOS 2.4 update that is scheduled for April. Considering that a hardware update is not expected to hit the scene for at least the rest of the year, a major software update is welcome news for the select few of us who have invested in the product.

The fact that the Vision Pro will support Apple Intelligence features is actually not much of a shocker, since Macs as old as the M1-generation also boast support for Apple's AI features. As such, the Vision Pro will soon receive support for Apple's writing tools with ChatGPT-integration, genmoji, image playground, as well as a bunch of other features with debatable efficacy. Moreover, the report also adds that the device will also get a new app for spatial experiences - which was undoubtedly one of the key selling points of the device. A 'revamped' guest mode is also on the cards, which will allow buyers to share the device with their family and friends - a factor that Apple considers important in order to drive sales. That said, the Vision Pro had abysmal sales to begin with, which indicates that a lower-end variant with a reasonable price tag might be the only way to make even the most ardent of Apple disciples to hop on the VR/AR hype train.

Today, Funcom finally lifted the veil on Dune: Awakening's release date. The open world, multiplayer survival game set on Arrakis will come to Steam on May 20! Players can begin their journey today by diving into the brand-new Character Creation & Benchmark Mode, available now through Steam. Created characters can then be imported into Dune: Awakening at launch.

Inspired by Frank Herbert's legendary sci-fi novel and Legendary Entertainment's award-winning films, Dune: Awakening is crafted by Funcom's veteran developers to deliver an experience that resonates with both Dune enthusiasts and survival game fans alike. Get ready to step into the biggest Dune game ever made with today's trailer.

Overclockers UK, one of the largest PC retailers in the UK, has shared insights on their X account about the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for GPU restocking. Starting with the newest GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPUs, the OCUK post notes that RTX 5070 Ti is sold out, and pre-orders are open now, with more GPU stock arriving in two to four weeks. Next up is the GeForce RTX 5080, which is sold out with limited stock arriving weekly, with an ETA of one to three weeks. However, the worst ETA stock re-supply is for the RTX 5090. OCUK notes that the RTX 5090 is sold out, and pre-orders have ceased. The ETA schedule ranges between 2-14 weeks, which is almost 100 days of waiting for RTX 5090 in the UK.

We previously reported that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 have faced some production issues with NVIDIA working on it to push out new stock in the coming weeks. However, the situation is not exclusive to these upcoming GPUs, as the stock of the current GPUs is getting grabbed by each minute. OCUK also noted that: "If you have purchased any RTX 50 series GPU but not yet received a dispatch confirmation email, your order is now in a pre-order queue and we are working with our supply chain to fulfil within the ETAs above, or sooner if possible. As always, anyone who does not wish to wait is welcome to cancel for a full refund."

Lee "Faker" Sang-Hyeok's name transcends League of Legends. Over a storied 12-year career, he has amassed five World Championship titles (2013, 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024), ten LCK championships, and two Mid-Season Invitational trophies - a feat accomplished by no other. Recognized universally as the Greatest of All Time, Faker's dominance is unrivaled, earning him a collection of individual accolades, including multiple MVP awards.

From the moment a devoted fan gifted him his very first Razer DeathAdder, Faker's journey and Razer's commitment to esports performance became deeply intertwined. The faithful mouse accompanied him on four World Championship triumphs and inspired the creation of the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro Faker Edition. However, everything changed in 2024. In a bold move before Worlds, Faker switched to the Razer Viper V3 Pro and stormed to yet another World Championship victory.

Goblinz is super proud to launch this project—not just because the game is great, but also because the devs at Cordyceps Collective have poured their hearts into it. After your awesome feedback on the demo and the enthusiasm of content creators, we're beyond excited to bring you the full version of Microtopia! We hope you'll love it and can't wait to read your reviews and comments!

The devs also have a message for you all:
We're super excited to share this passion project with you, and we hope you have as much fun as we had making it. Microtopia's development always revolved around organic growth together with player feedback. Even though this is a full release, we intend to keep it growing and make it the best game it can be. So please don't hesitate to share your feedback online!

Intel has unveiled some interesting advances in semiconductor manufacturing at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), showcasing the capabilities of its highly anticipated Intel 18A process technology. The presentation highlighted significant improvements in SRAM bit cell density. The PowerVia system, coupled with RibbonFET (GAA) transistors, is at the heart of Intel's node. The company demonstrated solid progress with their high-performance SRAM cells, achieving a reduction from 0.03 µm² in Intel 3 to 0.023 µm² in Intel 18A. High-density cells showed similar improvement, shrinking to 0.021 µm². These advancements represent scaling factors of 0.77 and 0.88 respectively, which are significant achievements in SRAM technology, once thought to be done with scaling benefits.

Implementing PowerVia technology is an Intel-first approach to addressing voltage drops and interference in processor logic areas. Using an "around the array" scheme, Intel strategically applies PowerVias to I/O, control, and decoder elements while optimizing bit cell design without a frontal power supply. The macro bit density of 38.1 MBit/mm² achieved by Intel 18A puts the company in a strong competitive position. While TSMC reported matching figures with their N2 process, Intel's comprehensive approach with 18A, combining PowerVia and GAA transistors, could challenge Smausng and TSMC, with long-term aspirations to compete for premium clients currently served by TSMC, including giants like NVIDIA, Apple, and AMD.

We have noticed an uptick of AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D-related leaks in mid-to-late February; suggesting an imminent launch. Officially, a Q1 release window was set by Team Red leadership during their CES 2025 presentation, and further disclosures pointed to a loose March window. Earlier today, Golden Pig Upgrade disclosed NDA-busting information—the veteran leaker believes that AMD will be lifting global Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU review embargoes on March 11. VideoCardz jumped on this unofficial announcement, and reached out to industry insiders. The anonymous contacts reported back; they allege that a March 12 retail release is on the cards.

It is believed that the 16-core and 12-core X3D-equipped "Granite Ridge" Ryzen 9 desktop chips will roll out on the same day (March 12). Coincidentally, Golden Pig Upgrade reckons that Intel's Core Ultra 200HX "Arrow Lake" mobile processor series will launch alongside Team Red's high-end gaming duo. The latter two are touted to attract the majority of press attention on day one. As pointed out by VideoCardz, the release of Radeon RX 9070 GPUs is—speculatively—scheduled a week in advance of AMD's expansion of its Ryzen 9000X3D lineup. Early last week, price points were leaked—courtesy of accidental Newegg listings: $699.99 for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and $599.99 for the 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X3D.

Out of all the screens that I have on hand for gaming—monitors, televisions, tablets, smartphones, even a portable projector—none feel quite as decadent as the ASUS AirVision M1. When I lean back into the overstuffed pillows of my couch, put my feet up on the chaise longue, and plug these smart glasses into my ROG Ally, I feel like I'm enjoying a luxury that would make Hedonismbot blush. These smart glasses put my game up on a giant virtual screen, right in front of my eyes at the perfect viewing angle. Watching a television from such a position would either involve a ceiling mount or crick in my neck, but the AirVision M1 gives me a big-screen gaming experience in a lightweight package that works whether I'm lounging on the couch, lying in bed, or leaning back in my gaming chair.

Gaming isn't the only trick up the AirVision M1's sleeve. It's a productivity champ, too, adding multiple virtual screens to my on-the-go setup and keeping prying eyes from looking over my shoulder as I get some work done at the coffee shop. It's the lie-in-bed-and-binge-watch-Parks-and-Recreation device of my dreams. It even makes it tolerable to stay entertained and productive during long flights. Versatile, lightweight, and easy to use, the AirVision M1 slipped into my digital life as easily as it slips into my laptop bag.

ENDORFY is expanding its product portfolio with two low-profile microphone arms: ENDORFY Broadcast Low Profile Boom Arm and ENDORFY Broadcast Low Profile RGB Boom Arm. Designed with professionals and tech enthusiasts in mind, they combine functional design, aesthetic looks and solid workmanship making it a perfect combo for content creators, gamers, streamers, podcasters and remote employees.

Comfort and Broad Compatibility
Both microphone arms provide functionality and comfort of use. Their simple, yet solid construction saves valuable space when placed on a desk or table, ensuring the stability of mounted equipment. To simplify content creation and framing, the ENDORFY Broadcast Low Profile Boom Arm and the ENDORFY Broadcast Low Profile RGB Boom Arm can be locked in almost any position - including the space right below a monitor.

Three weeks after the launch of its GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 "Blackwell" GPUs, NVIDIA has introduced a "Verified Priority Access" scheme for North American customers. Approximately eighteen hours ago, the Tim@NVIDIA account posted an announcement on the company's official GeForce discussion forum: "we know it's challenging to purchase a GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics card...It will give a limited number of verified GeForce gamers & creators in the United States the opportunity to purchase one GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card from the NVIDIA Marketplace." Team Green graphics card enthusiasts have experienced less than ideal buying conditions since the end of January (2025)—Jensen & Co. have likely absorbed a massive dose of feedback and reacting accordingly, but many pundits will question the relatively late rollout of an anti-scalping system.

A previous iteration of NVIDIA's "Verified Priority Access" program was tested soon after the launch of GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada Lovelace" GPUs. Founders Edition cards are (normally) offered at baseline MSRP, but scalpers have swiftly depleted initial stock allocations. Team Green's revived program presents some strict conditions: "users who have an NVIDIA Account created on or before January 30th, 2025 at 6AM Pacific Time can submit their interest for Verified Priority Access through this form. If selected, users will be notified at the email address of the NVIDIA account they enrolled with. Invites will begin rolling out next week." The Team Green staffer stated that the scheme is—"at this time"—limited to GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Founders Edition cards. It should be noted that the just launched GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU will not arrive in Founders Edition form; potential buyers will have to navigate a jagged landscape of AIB custom designs.

NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5070 Ti today goes on sale, and we have reviewed a few of them. However, the RTX 5070 non-Ti variant has reportedly faced some production issues. According to CTEE reports, volume production was pushed back by one month, with manufacturing expected to reach full capacity by mid-March. Given that RTX 5070 is officially coming on March 5, we are left to wonder if enough capacity will be available for the launch day or if it will follow the same footsteps of scarcity that current RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 have experienced.

The unannounced RTX 5060's mass production has been pushed to mid-April, with both models requiring additional debugging due to unexpected issues. NVIDIA's engineers are ironing out all bugs to ensure stable GPU and drivers arrive on time. With the RTX 5070 using the GB206 GPU, the RTX 5060 is expected to implement a GB206 variant, with the in-development RTX 5060 Ti featuring a slightly larger GB205 GPU. For memory, RTX 5070 is expected to utilize 12 GB of GDDR7, and RTX 5060 should come with an 8 GB GDDR7 configuration.

A Bloomberg report said Silver Lake Management, a large private equity firm, has begun exclusive talks to buy a controlling stake in Intel's Altera division. Altera focuses on versatile chips that are widely used in telecommunications networks. The size of the stake is still being worked out, but negotiations have moved forward, people familiar with the deal said, speaking on condition of anonymity. They caution that things could slow down or the deal might not happen. When asked, people speaking for Intel and Silver Lake did not comment.

The news jolted the market, sending Intel shares up as much as 17% on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, marking their biggest single-day gain in nearly five years. The surge was driven in part by separate speculation about a potential spinoff involving Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). By late afternoon trading in New York, Intel shares were up 15%, valuing the company at about $117 billion. If the sale goes through, it would mark a major shift for Intel as it tries to reshape its business. While there is no information on the size of the deal, last November Lattice Semiconductor Corp. and a group of buyout firms expressed interest in Altera. Some insiders said that potential buyers valued Altera at just $9 billion, a big drop for Intel, which bought Altera in 2015 for about $17 billion. Intel faces continued challenges following Gelsinger's departure, as the company searches for both a new CEO and a replacement for its Data Center and AI division head, who recently left to become Nokia's chief executive.

GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand, announced the GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards powered by NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, including the GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, which are now available, while the RTX 5070 will be available on March 5th. With cutting-edge cooling innovations and AI-powered performance enhancements, GIGABYTE delivers superior thermal efficiency and optimized airflow for an elevated gaming experience. By integrating an innovative fan design and advanced thermal interface materials, these new graphics cards ensure long-lasting durability and top-tier performance for enthusiasts, gamers, and AI computing professionals alike.

GIGABYTE offers GeForce RTX 50 air-cooled and water-cooled variants, ensuring a solution for every gaming setup. Both variants are applied with server-grade thermal conductive gel for better heat dissipation efficiency without shifting for long-term usage. The AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE series provides enthusiasts with high-performance liquid cooling, available in all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling and water block configuration, while AIO solution is applied with liquid metal thermal grease to enhance heat dissipation. Meanwhile, air-cooled models incorporate advanced thermal technologies, featuring composite metal grease, the new Hawk Fan design which results in up to a 53.6% increase in air pressure and a 12.5% increase in air volume without compromising acoustics. Additionally, the AORUS RTX 5090 MASTER integrates superconducting heat pipes, while the AORUS RTX 5080 above MASTER models come with Screen Cooling Plus for superior airflow and cooling balance.

Wield magic and steel as GeForce NOW's fifth-anniversary celebration summons Obsidian Entertainment's highly anticipated Avowed to the cloud. This first-person fantasy role-playing game is ready to enchant cloud gamers, leading the charge of six titles joining the over 2,000 games in the cloud gaming library. GeForce NOW day passes are available to purchase again, in limited quantities each day. Members can currently purchase one day at a time, based on available capacity. Day pass users get 24-hour access to powerful cloud gaming with all the benefits of a GeForce NOW Ultimate or Performance membership. Stay tuned for updates as more membership options become available.

Choose Your Own Adventure
Embark on a thrilling adventure in Avowed, set in the captivating world of Eora. As an envoy of Aedyr, explore the mysterious Living Lands, an island teeming with ancient magic and shifting secrets, as a dire threat looms over the realm: a mysterious plague that defies nature and reason, spreading chaos across the sprawling wilderness. The Living Lands offer a diverse array of environments to explore, each with a unique ecosystem. Engage in visceral combat by mixing and matching swords, spells, guns and shields. Companions of various species, each with their own abilities and quests, will join the adventure, their fates intertwined with the players' choices. As the story unfolds, every decision will ripple across the Living Lands, shaping the future of its inhabitants and testing the players' resolve in the face of intrigue, power and danger.

Navigating AMD's various modern processor model naming schemes is tricky business, and another layer of complexity has been added this week; with newly revealed "Strix Point" and "Krackan Point" CPUs. Three previously unannounced SKUs have appeared on AMD's Chinese website: Ryzen AI 9 H 365, Ryzen AI 7 H 350, and Ryzen AI 5 H 340. At first glance, these models codes seem to be familiar—after a double take, we see a small difference in nomenclature. The addition of a middle-placed/detached "H" has press outlets and hardware enthusiasts scratching their collective heads. After discovering Team Red's Ryzen AI 9 H 365 APU listing, Lonely City Hardware posted a humorous observation on social media: "for the Chinese market. No one can remember the full name."

Frustratingly, Western search engines (at the time of writing) just point you to the non-H equivalents. The "H" designation denotes Chinese market exclusivity; TechPowerUp has covered previous-generation examples in the recent past. When comparing technical details and specification sheets to Western equivalents, VideoCardz noted that there were no apparent differences—platform and packaging are the same (FP8). A cross-reference—of clock speeds, thermal ratings, and core architecture (Zen 5/Zen 5C)—points to spec parity across East and West variants.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, the company's third graphics card from its GeForce RTX 50-series "Blackwell" generation, started selling. Although it comes with a starting price of $750, there are very few models actually at the price, which are marked up by retailers. Premium custom-design cards by NVIDIA add-in card (AIC) partners are priced as much as 33% higher than the baseline, even crossing the $1,000-mark in some cases, which are further scalped by another 20%. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is on paper a performance-segment GPU recommended by NVIDIA for 1440p high refresh-rate gaming, although it's capable of 4K Ultra HD with nearly maxed out settings or DLSS.

The RTX 5070 Ti is based on the same 5 nm "GB203" silicon as the RTX 5080, with 70/84 streaming multiprocessors (SM), across 6/7 GPCs enabled, along with 48 MB out of the 64 MB of on-die L2 cache. These work out to 8,960 CUDA cores, 280 Tensor cores, 70 RT cores, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The memory configuration is largely carried over from the RTX 5080, with 16 GB of 28 Gbps GDDR7 across a 256-bit wide memory bus (the RTX 5080 uses slightly faster 30 Gbps memory). The GPU ticks at 2452 MHz boost, and is given a total graphics power (TGP), a de facto power limit, of 300 W.

Check out our six reviews of the card: MSI RTX 5070 Ti Gaming OC+ | MSI RTX 5070 Ti Vanguard SOC | ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 5070 Ti OC | Palit RTX 5070 Ti GameRock OC | MSI RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3X OC | Galax RTX 5070 Ti 1-Click OC

The images below show a timeline of supply levels at Newegg, at 6:04 AM, 6:19 AM, 6:35 AM and 6:49 AM—all gone now.

Martians have been visiting Earth for decades, abducting animals and humans and harvesting their atomic essence to create bizarre Martian-creature hybrids. This time they're here to claim our planet. In this turn-based strategy game, an unlikely group of commanders will lead Earth's military as they face an overwhelming Martian invasion. Fight high-tech saucers, grav-tanks and elite alien warriors in a battle for the planet's survival. Your secret weapon is the "Splice-O-Tron." With it, you can combine human "volunteers" with animals to create powerful hybrid super soldiers to fight alongside Earth's regular military.

Rain acid from the skies with the fast-moving cheetah-fly. Charge through enemy lines with devastating human-rhino hybrids. Or strike from the forests with your deadly squirrel-cow infantry. As the campaign progresses, you'll unlock new types of creatures, powerful unit upgrades and game-changing commander abilities. But as your army evolves, so will your enemy's, and you'll face everything from the sentient organic weapon known only as "The Creep" to the Martian's own mutant creations.

NVIDIA today released the latest version of its GeForce Game Ready drivers. Version 572.47 WHQL comes with support for the new GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card that goes on sale from today. The drivers also add optimization for "Marvel's Rivals," including support for DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. The update also addresses a driver stability issue when the PC wakes up its monitor from an extended sleep time.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 572.47 WHQL

The European Commission today approved funding under the European Chips Act for the Infineon Technologies AG Smart Power Fab in Dresden. The official funding approval from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), which is responsible for the disbursement of EU Chips Act funding, is still pending and is expected within the next few months. Additionally, the Smart Power Fab is already receiving support under the European Commission's IPCEI ME/CT ("Important Project of Common European Interest on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies") innovation program. The total funding for the Dresden site amounts to around one billion euros. Construction began in March 2023 and is progressing successfully. The Fab opening is planned for 2026.

"This government-supported investment by Infineon strengthens the position of Dresden, Germany and Europe as a semiconductor hub and promotes a state-of-the-art innovation and production ecosystem for microelectronics," says Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. "We are increasing semiconductor capacity in Europe and thus helping secure stable supply chains in automotive, security and industrial fields."

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, is unveiling its next generation of proprietary technologies for higher-performing optical interconnect in datacenters and AI clusters. With the exponential growth of AI computing needs, challenges arise in performance and energy efficiency across computing, memory, power supply, and the interconnections linking them. ST is helping hyperscalers, and the leading optical module provider, overcome those challenges with new silicon photonics and next-gen BiCMOS technologies, scheduled to ramp up from the second half of 2025 for 800 Gb/s and 1.6 Tb/s optical modules.

At the heart of interconnections in a datacenter are thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of optical transceivers. These devices convert optical into electrical signals and vice versa to allow data flow between graphics processing unit (GPU) computing resources, switches and storage. Inside these transceivers, ST's new, proprietary silicon photonics (SiPho) technology will bring customers the ability to integrate multiple complex components into one single chip, while ST's next-gen, proprietary BiCMOS technology brings ultra high-speed and low power optical connectivity, which are key to sustain the AI growth.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solutions innovator, has released the QSW-3205-5T, an entry-level, full 10GbE unmanaged switch. With a compact desktop form factor and ultra-quiet cooling, the QSW-3205-5T provides five 10GbE RJ45 ports and automatic network optimization features such as Jumbo Frame and loop detection. Whether for small businesses, video production teams, or homes, the QSW-3205-5T allows users to quickly achieve smooth high-speed data transmission, quick file sharing, and multi-user collaboration and editing of 4K/8K video files.

"The QSW-3205-5T is a high-performance, cost-effective 10GbE switch that requires no complicated setup or additional investment. By using existing network cables, upgrading to a 10G network is as simple as replacing your switch," said Ronald Hsu, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "Users, such as offices or video studios, can connect the QSW-3205-5T to 10GbE NAS and multiple workstations to boost work and collaboration efficiency. It can also be paired with Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 routers, and APs to efficiently deploy high-speed wireless LAN."

Alphacool International GmbH, based in Braunschweig, has been a pioneer in PC water cooling technology for over 20 years. With one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry and over 20 years of experience, Alphacool is now expanding its portfolio with the new Core graphics card water coolers for the Palit GeForce RTX 5080/5070Ti GamingPro (OC).

The GPU water coolers have been completely redesigned. Precise adjustments to the spacing between the cooler and the PCB, along with optimized water flow simulations and extensive practical testing, have resulted in significant improvements to the cooler base and jetplate. These enhancements ensure maximum cooling performance for the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX generation.

Today, Philips Monitors is launching its first-ever TCO Certified, generation 10 business monitor: the Philips 34B2U3600C, a 34" curved VA display with USB-C docking that combines high-performance technology with sustainable features.

The Philips 34B2U3600C is part of Philips Monitors' ongoing focus on sustainability, meeting global standards for environmental responsibility throughout the product lifecycle and responding to the growing demand for sustainable products. TCO Certified, generation 10 is a global sustainability certification for IT products covering environmental, social and circular economy criteria. Philips Monitors has also introduced a 5-year warranty, which applies to this monitor, reflecting ongoing efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of electronics through product longevity.

Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY), together with its subsidiaries ('the Group'), today announced Q3 results for fiscal year 2024/25, reporting significant increases in overall group revenue and profit. Revenue grew 20% year-on-year to US$18.8 billion, marking the third consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Net income more than doubled year-on-year to US$693 million (including a non-recurring income tax credit of US$282 million) on a Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards (HKFRS) basis. The Group's diversified growth engines continue to accelerate, with non-PC revenue mix up more than four points year-on-year to 46%. The quarter's results were driven by the Group's focused hybrid-AI strategy, the turnaround of the Infrastructure Solutions Group, as well as double-digit growth for both the Intelligent Devices Group and Solutions and Services Group.

Lenovo continues to invest in R&D, with R&D expenses up nearly 14% year-on-year to US$621 million. At the recent global technology event CES 2025, Lenovo launched a series of innovative products, including the world's first rollable AI laptop, the world's first handheld gaming device that allows gamers free choice of Windows OS or Steam OS, as well as Moto AI - winning 185 industry awards for its portfolio of innovation.

Kioxia Corporation and Sandisk Corporation have pioneered a state-of-the-art 3D flash memory technology, setting the industry benchmark with a 4.8 Gb/s NAND interface speed, superior power efficiency, and heightened density

Unveiled at ISSCC 2025, the new 3D flash memory innovation, together with the companies' revolutionary CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) technology, incorporates one of the latest interface standards, Toggle DDR6.0 for NAND flash memory, and leverages the SCA (Separate Command Address) protocol, a novel command address input method of its interface, and PI-LTT (Power Isolated Low-Tapped Termination) technology, which is instrumental in further reducing power consumption.

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, is excited to introduce the Pacific F-Pro Fitting - Chrome series and the Pacific PCTG Hard Tube series. Combining aesthetics with functionality, the F-Pro Fittings feature a sleek mirror-polished design, while the PCTG Hard Tubes provide high-temperature resistance. These new cooling components enhance durability and precision, making installation effortless and giving PC enthusiasts the freedom to create with confidence.

Pacific F-Pro Fitting - Chrome
The Pacific F-Pro Fitting Series stands out for its mirror-polished design, meticulously crafted to deliver a flawless, mirror-like finish. This treatment elevates the aesthetics of custom liquid cooling setups, offering a refined look. With six different fittings, this series provides a range of options, enabling you to build ideal liquid cooling systems for the ultimate performance and style.

MSI proudly announces the release of its first branded Google TV Smart Monitor - Modern MD272UPSW. The Smart Monitor supports Multi Control and KVM functions, making it a versatile choice for both entertainment and work. Equipped with 4K UHD resolution, IPS panel, and wide color gamut coverage of 94% Adobe RGB and 98% DCI-P3, delivering vibrant and lifelike visuals. In addition, the monitor includes a USB Type-C port with 65 W Power Delivery and an ergonomic stand that tilts, swivels, rotates and is height adjustable for seamless connectivity and comfortable use while working.

The entertainment you love. With a little help from Google
No more jumping from app to app. Google TV brings together 400,000+ movies, TV episodes, and more from across your streaming services - organized in one place. Need inspiration? Get curated recommendations and use Google's powerful search to find shows across 10,000+ apps or to browse 800+ free live TV channels and thousands of free movies. Ask Google Assistant to find movies, stream apps, play music, and control the monitor - all with your voice. Simply press the Google Assistant button on the remote to get started.

This new generation of PCs, introduced in December 2023 with the Intel Core Ultra processor family, combines the power of a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and neural processing unit (NPU) to elevate user productivity, creativity, gaming, entertainment, security and more.

Powerful hardware that delivers the performance needed for modern-day artificial intelligence (AI) workloads is only part of what makes a great PC an AI PC. The big opportunity for the PC industry is clear: develop new AI software and new user experiences that take advantage of this modern hardware. Finding fast, efficient ways to create new AI assistants that help with everyday tasks is the next frontier for making AI PCs deliver the best AI experience. At CES Las Vegas in January, Intel unveiled Intel AI Assistant Builder (code-named Project SuperBuilder). It's a fuss-free solution that enables computer makers and software vendors to create tailored AI assistants for any use case in minutes.

COUGAR, a global leader in PC cases, gaming furniture, peripherals, tech lifestyle and esports solutions, is excited to introduce the all-new Airface ECO RGB mid tower PC case with built-in eco-conscious cooling.

Sustainability is hardwired into the Airface ECO RGB's design ethos, ensuring cooling efficiency at reduced energy costs. At its heart is a forward-thinking venting system designed to maximize cooling while minimizing environmental impact. Its coned vents taper inward from a wide opening to funnel cooler air more efficiently. This innovative structure maintains lower internal temperatures, reducing the workload of powered cooling. Paired with dual 180 mm PWM fans, this design delivers exceptional airflow while keeping energy consumption to a minimum.

Yesterday, Nintendo's Hong Kong office announced the establishment of a new subsidiary company in Taiwan—specifically, in Taipei City. Their official statement mostly outlines upcoming improved service benefits for local customers. The House of Mario has relied on contracted partners to take care of smaller regional markets. Evidently, their Taiwanese audience has relied on a third party company for over a decade. An older subsidiary—Nintendo Phuten—was shuttered back in 2014. The successor is chaired by Hiroyuki Matsumoto—on February 18, the new company representative delivered a message: "Thank you for your long-term support and love, I would like to express my sincere thanks. In order to further strengthen the business foundation in the Taiwan market and improve the service quality of customers, the company will establish a new local legal person 'Taiwan Nintendo Co., Ltd.' as one of the subsidiaries of Nintendo Co., Ltd. Starting from April 1, 2025, we will officially transfer our business in Taiwan to 'Taiwan Nintendo Co., Ltd.', and adhere to the business philosophy of Nintendo Group to continue to promote business development." As reported by Nintendo Life, the veteran video game house has made serious inroads in the region—Taiwanese fans were greeted by a larger than expected (current-gen) Switch console showcase at Taipei Game Show's 2024 edition.

On a surface level, Nintendo's reestablished operation in Taiwan seems to be a customer-focused initiative. Certain gaming news outlets have disclosed more elaborate theories; based on reported problematic market conditions in China. The Chinese Nintendo eShop will be phased out by mid-May 2026, likely in reaction to the government's introduction of new rules that: "limit the encouragement of spending in online games and battle video game addiction among young people." Coincidentally, Shuntaro Furukawa (Nintendo's President) recently new announced "contingency plans"—with a manufacturing model that will become less reliant on Chinese factories. The company chief discussed revised strategies in an interview with Reuters: "Nintendo Switch is not only manufactured in China, but in places such as Vietnam and Cambodia as well. We are predicting various geopolitical risks and establishing ways to respond...While we anticipate a certain impact, the influence on this year's financial results is expected to be minimal. We will continue to observe the trends, and thoroughly consider how to respond."

Hello everyone, I'm Yonghe Wang—Creative Director at Pollard Studios, I am very excited to announce on behalf of my team and our publisher Wired Productions that Karma: The Dark World will be launching on PC, PlayStation, XBOX, and Nintendo Switch on March 27. The game will also support PS5 Pro enhancements. To celebrate, we thought we would share a breakdown of how the team is making the most of the PS5 Pro features to enhance the games visuals and performance—and to share the second in a trilogy of trailers—showcasing some of the surreal environments and characters in the game hinting at their relationship to you - the player. Please Enjoy!

What Is Karma: The Dark World?
Karma: The Dark World is a first-person cinematic psychological thriller which takes place in a cassette future alternate timeline set after World War II. In our game, a company known as Leviathan obtained unfathomable technology that allowed them to wrestle Eastern Germany under their control, installing a regime that oppresses the citizens and places productivity and obedience as gospel.

Loongson Technology has announced its next-generation 3B6600 processor—according to recent Chinese press reports, early details were disclosed in "investor relations activity" documentation. Their eight-core design is still in development, with the fabless company (allegedly) setting some lofty performance goals. According to a MyDrivers report (citing Fast Technology), the 3B6600 processor's single-core and multi-core "high level" performance is touted to match that of Core i5 and i7 offerings from Intel's 12th and 13th Generation portfolios. In the past, Loongson has compared its older products to Western equivalents. Last year, their 3A6000 chip design was mentioned in the same sentence as "AMD Zen 4 and Intel Raptor Lake" processor families. Around November 2023, reports had it approximating Team Blue Core i3-10100 "Comet Lake" CPU performance.

The next-gen 3B6600 CPU is supposedly using its predecessor (3A6000) as a springboard; MyDrivers believes that the same in-house LoongArch ISA design (fabricated on 12 nm/14 nm) will be revisited. The publication highlighted a significant area of optimization: "single-core performance of 3B6600 is expected to be in the world's leading ranks...Loongson 3B6600 will continue to use mature technology, and the architecture core will be upgraded to the new LA864. The same frequency performance is greatly improved by about 30%, compared with the Loongson 3A6000's LA664 architecture." Loongson engineers are reportedly targeting a maximum turboboost frequency of 3.0 GHz, but under normal operation the 3B6600 chip is predicted to offer a main frequency of 2.5 GHz. The new design will integrate a new "LG200 GPGPU" graphics computing core—additionally, supported standards include: DDR5 memory, PCIe 4.0 bus, and HDMI 2.1.

Amazon announced that eero is expanding its Wi-Fi 7 portfolio to include eero 7, delivering multi-gigabit speeds at a more affordable price, and eero Pro 7, offering premium performance for bandwidth-demanding networks. Thanks to the company's TrueMesh, TrueRoam, and TrueChannel networking technologies, and the latest Wi-Fi 7 capabilities, eero 7 and Pro 7 will improve overall wifi performance, reliability, and latency; and help keep customers connected even as network conditions become more complex and demanding.

"For ten years, eero has obsessed over delivering exceptional wifi because we know it is as important as our electricity and running water. Back in my apartment in San Francisco, our ambition was to deliver an experience that's easy to use, is so reliable you don't have to think about it, comes with world-class security, and is thoughtfully designed to blend into any environment," said Nick Weaver, CEO and co-founder of eero. "We've continued to innovate and have gone well beyond our first home mesh wifi system—there are tens of millions of eero devices that power homes and businesses across 24 countries. Today, I'm excited for the eero 7 and Pro 7 to join the Max 7 and Outdoor 7 and expand our Wi-Fi 7 portfolio to meet every internet need."

In nearly every corner of our lives, the buzz about AI is impossible to ignore. It's destined to revolutionize how we work, learn, and play. For those of us immersed in the world of gaming—whether as players or creators—the question isn't just how AI will change the game, but how it will ignite new possibilities.

At Xbox, we're all about using AI to make things better (and more fun!) for players and game creators. We want to bring more games to more people around the world and always stay true to the creative vision and artistry of game developers. We believe generative AI can boost this creativity and open up new possibilities. We're excited to announce a generative AI breakthrough, published today in the journal Nature and announced by Microsoft Research, that shows this potential to open up new possibilities—including the opportunity to make older games accessible to future generations of players across new devices and in new ways.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley has estimated that an astonishing 77% of all globally produced silicon wafers dedicated to AI accelerators will be consumed by none other than NVIDIA. Often, investment research by large investment banks like Morgan Stanley includes information from the semiconductor supply chain, which is constantly expanding to meet NVIDIA's demands. When looking at wafer volume for AI accelerators, it is estimated that in 2024, NVIDIA captured nearly 51% of wafer consumption for its chips, more than half of all demand. With NVIDIA's volume projected to grow to 77%, this represents more than a 50% year-over-year increase, which is incredible for a company of NVIDIA's size. Right now, NVIDIA is phasing out its H100 accelerators in favor of Blackwell 100/200 and the upcoming 300 series of GPUs paired with Grace CPUs.

NVIDIA is accelerating its product deployment timeline and investing a lot in its internal research and development. Morgan Stanley also projects that NVIDIA will invest almost $16 billion in its R&D budget, enough to endure four to five years of development cycles running three design teams sequentially and still delivering new products on an 18-24 month cadence. The scale of this efficiency and development rivals everyone else in the industry. With all this praise, NVIDIA's Q4 revenue report is coming in exactly a week on February 26, so we have to see what its CEO, Jensen Huang, will deliver and show some estimates for the coming months.

Last week, graphics card industry watchdogs alerted the wider hardware public to a registration of XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 custom design SKUs in South Korea. The recent leak points to an upcoming release of unannounced RDNA 4 -based SWIFT and QUICKSILVER models; XFX's official website does not list anything newer than its current Radeon RX 7000 series offerings. Based on a fresh momomo_us social media post, Amazon's South Korean branch has accidentally published product pages for Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) 16 GB SWIFT and QUICKSILVER cards. Related imagery and a single screenshot were preserved and then shared online; we are looking at very minimal black shroud and backplate designs.

TechPowerUp handled a similarly dark-tinted XFX demonstration sample at CES 2025, but the latest leaked models do not visually match with this "premium black" preview unit. The Radeon RX 9070 QUICKSILVER's backplate appears to utilize the exact same backplate design, but its shroud's aesthetic setup is more elaborate (lots of angular surfaces). The CES "premium white" sample's overall shape and profile align with the leaked SWIFT model. XFX's black and white options were listed by a Canadian e-tailer, a week ago. momomo_us's single screen capture points to alleged XFX Radeon RX 9070 SWIFT SKU clock speeds—apparently, its Amazon page was adorned with the following info points: 1400 MHz (base), 2210 MHz (game), and 2700 MHz (boost). As interpreted by VideoCardz, this is a factory-overclocked unit—PowerColor's Red Devil RX 9070 card shares the exact same clock settings.

The wait is finally over - Apple has lifted the curtains off its widely anticipated budget iPhone, the iPhone 16e. The smartphone was previously rumored to arrive with the SE 4 moniker, but it appears that Apple wanted to give its entry-level budget smartphone a fresh naming scheme. This is not the first time that Apple has introduced a new name for a budget iPhone - the company famously introduced the iPhone XR in 2018, and never bothered to give it a refresh. With a starting price of $599, the iPhone 16e will start reaching customers on the 28th of February.

For those keeping up with the rumor mill, a major portion of the leaked information turned out to be accurate after all. For instance, the iPhone 16e is indeed called, well, the iPhone 16e, and boasts a binned A18 SoC with four GPU cores instead of five - likely paired with 8 GB of memory - to allow for Apple Intelligence support. As expected, the design is identical to the iPhone 13-era in many ways. At the front, a 6.1-inch OLED display with a pixel density of 460 sits beneath a 12 MP TrueDepth camera that brings FaceID support. The mute toggle switch is abandoned in favor of the Action Button. Moreover, the device also boasts Apple's first-ever 5G modem, the C1, which is said to bring substantial efficiency improvements.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Acer CEO and chairman Jason Chen said that its products made in the PRC will see a price increase of 10 percent as direct results of the new tariffs that the US will levy on electronics. However, Mr Chen is quoted as saying "We think 10 percent probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax." which doesn't mean it will be exactly 10 percent, as it might vary a bit between product segments. That said, what's clear is that Acer and most likely every other company that manufactures hardware in the PRC aren't going to eat any of the tariffs, as the companies appear to be shifting the burden of the new tariffs straight over to the end consumers. Mr Chen also suggested that some companies might be increasing their pricing by more than 10 percent.

The price increase will happen over time, as the new tariffs won't affect products that have left the PRC before the end of February. Alongside Acer, which is the fifth-biggest computer brand in the US market, it's likely that Dell, HP and Lenovo, as well as Apple, are going to hike their prices by the same 10 percent or more. Acer moved the assembly of its desktop computers out of the PRC during Trump's previous term, when a 25 percent tariff was imposed. Now Acer is looking at moving at least some additional parts of its productions out of the PRC and the US is on the table for some of its products. Considering that some 80 percent of all laptops imported to the US are made in the PRC, the Consumer Trade Association is expecting the new tariffs to cost US consumers some US$143 billion, which it assumes will lead to a slump in sales of consumer electronics.

The telecom industry's efforts to drive efficiencies with AI are beginning to show fruit. An increasing focus on deploying AI into radio access networks (RANs) was among the key findings of NVIDIA's third annual "State of AI in Telecommunications" survey, as more than a third of respondents indicated they're investing or planning to invest in AI-RAN.

The survey polled more than 450 telecommunications professionals worldwide, revealing continued momentum for AI adoption—including growth in generative AI use cases—and how the technology is helping optimize customer experiences and increase employee productivity. Of the telecommunications professionals surveyed, almost all stated that their company is actively deploying or assessing AI projects.

Chuwi is a pretty decent brand of competent mini PCs which have received positive reviews. The brand's latest offering, the AuBox mini PC, combines a powerful AMD APU with an attractive design that is not only commendably compact, but also quite premium looking. The product measures 15 x 15 cm with a height of only 4.5 cm that gives it a genuinely sleek appeal, unlike other mini PCs available on the market which are going for a somewhat tall form factor ever since the M4 Mac Mini has hit the scene. At its core, the AuBox is powered by the Ryzen 7 8745HS APU with eight Zen 4 cores and sixteen threads. Apart from not having an NPU, the 8745HS is basically a slightly down clocked version of the Ryzen 7 8845HS that results in a 6-7% performance drop in synthetic benchmarks.

That said, the APU is plenty performant for the vast majority of workloads that are likely to be thrown its way, provided that they are not overly demanding GPU-wise, since the compact AuBox mini PC lacks discrete graphics, which is hardly out of the ordinary for mini PCs. The integrated RDNA 3-based Radeon 780M iGPU with 12 CUs is perfectly potent for lightweight tasks, however, and entry-level gaming with modest settings should not be much of a hassle either. The AuBox ships with 12 GB of DDR5-5600 memory, which can be upgraded to a healthy 64 GB down the road courtesy of user-accessible SODIMM slots.

Microsoft has launched Majorana 1, the world's first quantum processor powered by a Topological Core architecture, marking a significant step toward fault-tolerant, utility-scale quantum computing. The chip leverages tetron qubits—topological qubits built on Majorana zero modes (MZMs)—to achieve stability and scalability, with a roadmap to one million qubits, a threshold critical for solving industrial challenges like microplastic degradation and self-healing materials. At the heart of Majorana 1 lies a superconductor-semiconductor heterostructure combining indium arsenide and aluminium. This "topoconductor" material enables precise control of MZMs, exotic quantum particles that encode information non-locally, inherently resisting noise and errors. The design, detailed in the latest paper, arranges MZMs in H-shaped nanowires, forming two-sided tetrons that suppress errors exponentially via three factors: topological gap-to-temperature ratio, wire length-to-coherence length, and high-fidelity microwave readout. Microsoft claims that thopoconductor can "create an entirely new state of matter - not a solid, liquid or gas but a topological state."

Unlike conventional qubits requiring analog tuning, Microsoft's architecture uses digital voltage pulses for error-resistant, measurement-based operations. This approach simplifies scaling, with the current chip housing eight tetrons and supporting protocols for quantum error detection, such as the Hastings-Haah Floquet codes and ladder codes outlined in Microsoft's technical roadmap. These codes rely on single- and two-qubit Pauli measurements, native to tetrons, to detect and correct errors without complex gate sequences. DARPA's US2QC program validated that Microsoft's topology-first strategy minimizes overhead, enabling a future million-qubit system compact enough to fit in Azure datacenters. The chip's quantum capacitance measurement system detects parity shifts in microseconds, achieving a signal-to-noise ratio critical for fault tolerance. Applications span designing catalysts to break down pollutants, optimizing enzymes for agriculture, and simulating novel materials. Microsoft aims to merge quantum, AI, and high-performance computing into Azure, accelerating discoveries once deemed decades away. Majorana 1 proves that topological qubits—once a high-risk bet—are now the cornerstone of scalable quantum systems.

Last December, details of NVIDIA's RTX GeForce 50-series of mobile GPUs leaked online—fast-forward to the present day; Team Green and hardware partners are touted to release higher-end devices at some point next month, following a pre-order period. Lower-end offerings seem to be distant prospects; industry moles suggest a May launch window. Last week rumors emerged online; notebook supply chain insiders reckon that a "significant delay" will affect initial shipments of GeForce RTX 50-equipped laptops. It is not clear whether these issues will impact the rumored GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5050 mobile models, but HP has accidentally confirmed that an updated Victus laptop will utilize the aforementioned budget-friendly GPUs.

VideoCardz has preserved an intriguing screenshot. Their report alleges that a refreshed HP Victus 15 laptop variant (FA2) utilizes Intel 13th Gen "Raptor Lake" processors, paired with unannounced "hybrid graphics" options. HP's product component list includes last-gen Core 7 240H, Core 5 230H, Core i7-13620H, and Core i5-13420H processor SKUs. Older configurations of this 15.6" gaming laptop sported mobile GeForce RTX 4050, RTX 3050, RTX 3050A, and RTX 2050 GPUs. The leaked document suggests that modernized graphics packages are in the pipeline, but HP has not confirmed any concrete timelines.

According to a recent report by Joost van Dreunen - founder of SuperData research firm - the Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to boast a price tag roughly around $399. This would make the highly awaited gaming handheld $100 more expensive than its direct predecessor, and $50 more expensive than the OLED variant of OG Switch. According to van Dreunen, the pricing would allow Nintendo to have a net positive margin on its hardware, while also undercutting other handhelds in price that are 'distinctly' a few tiers above the Switch 2 in terms of performance, as well as capabilities. Of course, considering Nintendo's primary selling point for the Switch - the ecosystem of family-friendly Switch games - the pricing is unlikely to hold back customers who are already knee-deep in Switch games.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is almost confirmed to launch on the 2nd of April, with a larger display and improved magnetic, hall-effect Joy Cons. Like its predecessor, the Switch 2 does not intend to be a powerhouse, and will settle for an NVIDIA Tegra T239 SoC with an Ampere iGPU that should be good for up to 3.1 TFLOPS of raw performance. With the help of DLSS, the Switch 2 should be able to pull off a decent gaming experience at 1080p, or perhaps even at 4K. A fee patents and rumors have indicated that the Joy Cons will have some sort of mouse-like functionality, which was also hinted at by the device's trailer, although no confirmations exist for now. Of course, all of this is mere speculation at this point, but van Dreunen is a respected name in the industry, and his reasoning certainly does make sense.

The AI Pin - Humane's first, and last product - received an overwhelmingly negative reception at launch, and that's putting it mildly. The device was hindered by poor usability and an extremely laggy operating system that made even the simplest of tasks an absolute chore. The product, unsurprisingly, was criticized by almost every reviewer who touched it, and rumors regarding a potential acquisition of Humane soon began to circulate. Now, HP has seemingly finalized a $116-million acquisition offer for the startup that once raised over $230 million, and valued itself at $1 billion. It appears that HP wants almost all of Humane's assets - with the notable exception of one key product, the AI Pin.

As such, once the calendar reaches the 28th of February, the AI Pin will cease to function. The servers that the AI Pin utilized for communications will be shut down, rendering the AI Pin unable to access customer's cloud data, make phone calls, send AI queries, or text messages. Customers who bought the Pin in the last 90 days will be eligible for a full refund, whereas those who bought the ill-fated gadget before that will soon have an arguably good-looking fashion accessory that will probably still be able to tell them the time. After all, the product's build quality and design was the lone aspect of the AI Pin that received praise. It remains to be seen how HP puts Humane's R&D to use, although considering the AI hype that is engulfing the consumer tech industry, it wouldn't be surprising to see HP leverage Humane's tech to carve out its own niche in the AI-assisted personal computing space. Of course, that is contingent on HP's implementation being better than what Humane pulled off the last time around.

The wait is finally over—Avowed, Obsidian Entertainment's highly anticipated fantasy RPG has officially launched! Step into the breathtaking Living Lands, a wild and mysterious island located in the Pillars of Eternity world of Eora, and embark on a journey filled with danger, discovery, and adventure. Play today on Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox app for Windows PC, Battle.net, Steam, and cloud, to experience Obsidian's latest RPG adventure. Also available on Game Pass!

A Land in Turmoil
The Living Lands is a frontier unlike any other. This rugged and untamed island has become a haven for exiles, dreamers, and adventurers seeking a fresh start. Its vibrant regions and scattered settlements pulse with life, each hiding untold stories and ancient secrets waiting to be uncovered. But this land of promise is fraught with peril. The Dreamscourge, a devastating soul-plague, is driving settlers to madness and turning them against one another. The very land itself resists colonization, haunted by echoes of lives long past. As an envoy chosen by a foreign emperor and blessed by a mysterious god, you are thrust into the heart of this chaos. With divine powers at your fingertips and the will to shape your own destiny, you'll confront ancient threats, unravel mysteries, and decide the fate of the Living Lands. Will you unite its people or watch as their struggles tear them apart? The choices you make will define the future of the Living Lands—and the person you become.

Last month, ASUS revealed its refreshed ROG XG Mobile design at CES 2025. The latest iteration of their premium external GPU dock is prepped for NVIDIA's "Blackwell" GeForce RTX 50 Mobile GPU-series. According to an ITHome report, the new model will be released next week; the manufacturer's Chinese office has seemingly produced marketing material that teases a launch on February 25. The redesigned ROG XG platform leverages an improved vapor chamber system; offering "150% more cooling surface area," and features "pioneering" Thunderbolt 5 connectivity (max. 80 Gbps bidirectional bandwidth). Press material from January indicated that a top configuration would house Team Green's GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile 24 GB GPU.

An updated official product page also lists support for NVIDIA's "GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop" 12 GB GPU. ASUS will bundle in a 330 W AC adapter, according to its spec sheet. The off-black translucent enclosure weighs in at 0.952 kg, and dimensions are listed as: "20.8 x 15.5 x 2.96 cm." ITHome expects ASUS to reveal regional pricing (for China) on February 25; Western markets will be charged $2199.99 (US MSRP) for the flagship configuration, if price hikes do not go into effect at launch. The less potent variant—powered by a GB205 GPU—is priced at $1199.99.

Ale Abbey is now released in Early Access! Enjoy a 10% launch discount until March 4th, and you can enjoy the Brewmaster Edition with the entire game soundtrack. We hope you'll enjoy the game to its fullest. If you did, don't forget to leave us a review—it helps us a lot!

The game was announced in 2022 and was covered every week on IndieDB. It then joined Steam in 2024, and after last year's Next Fest and the first demo becoming available. We are happy to count you as one of our brewers! It was a long time in the making, and no matter when you joined the journey, we have built this abbey, and now it's finally time for you to brew something in it.

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D "Zen 5" processors are due for launch next month, but an exact date has not been announced. Currently, Team Red's 3D V-Cache-equipped Ryzen 9000 CPU series is composed of a single SKU: the popular eight-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D model. A new leak points to a possible imminent lineup expansion; the sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D and twelve-core Ryzen 9 9900X3D CPUs have finally popped up on Geekbench Browser. Both candidates seemed to be tested on the same PC platform; utilizing a GIGABYTE X670 AORUS ELITE AX motherboard and 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) of DDR5-4800 MT/s RAM. Notebookcheck

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D sample scored overall with 3363 (single-core) and 20,465 points (multi-core) in Geekbench 6.3. As expected, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D candidate's overall tallies came in slightly lower—it achieved 3274 (single-core) and 19,227 points (multi-core) overall. Press outlets were quick to compare these figures to prior generation outputs (refer to Wccftech's chart, below). On average, the incoming "Zen 5" parts surpass "Zen 4" equivalents by an average of 15%—in terms of single-core performance. Multi-core performance improvements are less significant; coming in at an average of 7%. The range-topping Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU's multi-core performance score is "lower than expected," but closer-to-launch optimizations could rectify this matter. Geekbench results often do not reflect the true potential of tested silicon; gamers tend to dismiss or completely ignore these data points. Last month, an AMD executive revealed that the two upcoming X3D Granite Ridge desktop chips: "will provide similar overall gaming performance to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D." Speculative price points—of $699 (16-core) & $599 (12-core)—leaked online last week.

It's that time again! 3DExperience World 2025 kicks off on February 23 and runs through February 26 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. The show is hosted by Dassault Systèmes and highlights annual advances and improvements throughout its product ecosystem. It's a great opportunity to meet the engineers, students, and industry professionals who use SolidWorks and other Dassault Systèmes applications across browsers, local workstations, and the cloud.

One of the best parts of the event for me is showcasing how advances in silicon engineering can lead to transformational products - systems that offer performance, features, and efficiency that wasn't possible before. In 2024, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7000 WX-Series processor stole the proverbial show with its excellent single-thread performance, support for multi-GPU configurations for AI training, and up to 96 cores and 2T B of memory for the largest and most demanding projects. This year, AMD has complemented these full-size tower systems with compact and mobile workstations based on the new AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO Series processors. Drop by booth #919 and see the array of systems and demos on exhibit.

EK, the premium liquid cooling manufacturer, is proud to announce the latest generation of EK-Quantum Velocity³ CPU water blocks. Offering universal compatibility for both AMD AM5 and Intel LGA 1700 / 1851 sockets, the EK-Quantum Velocity³ features a fully customizable configuration that allows you to rotate, adjust, and reposition the internal components, heat spreader, and ports - ensuring high-performance liquid cooling that's perfectly optimized for your build.

Universal Intel & AMD Platform Compatibility
The EK-Quantum Velocity³ offers a new level of compatibility with design that allows you to interchange between Intel LGA 1700 / 1851 & AMD AM5 with a few simple adjustments. When choosing your platform, simply align the jet plate alignment based on the Intel or AMD socket, reposition the cold plate and attach the LGA or AM5 mounting bracket - it's that simple. This design ensures universal compatibility, offering high performance liquid-cooling that's future proofed should you wish to change platform when upgrading your PC.

Senao Networks Inc. (SNI), a global leader in AI computing and networking solutions, will be exhibiting at 2025 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. At the event, SNI will showcase its latest AI-driven innovations, including AI Servers, AI Cameras, AIPCs, Cloud Solutions, and Titanium Power Supply, reinforcing its vision of "AI Everywhere."

Senao Networks continues to advance AI computing with new products designed to enhance security, efficiency, and connectivity.

TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that global LCD gaming monitor panel shipments (>144 Hz) reached 32.42 million units in 2024, marking a 12% YoY increase. However, due to a lack of major demand catalysts and struggling profitability in mainstream gaming monitors, 2025 shipments are expected to grow at a slower rate of 5%, reaching approximately 34 million units.

TrendForce notes that Chinese panel makers were the primary force behind LCD gaming monitor panel growth in 2024. In a bid to improve profitability, many have aggressively expanded into the gaming monitor segment and increased production capacity. Additionally, the release of the highly anticipated game Black Myth: Wukong in late 2024 further boosted demand in China, driving YoY shipment increases of nearly 50% for HKC, 40% for CSOT, and over 20% for BOE.

Advantech, a leader in edge computing solutions, is excited to announce the launch of the UBX-330M, a compact NUC-sized edge computer designed to power intelligent city services with advanced AI capabilities.

The UBX-330M is powered by Intel Core Ultra Processors (Meteor Lake H and U), which integrate a CPU, GPU, and NPU to deliver exceptional AI performance in a small form factor. Built as an AI-ready platform, the UBX-330M is perfect for applications requiring robust processing power across industries such as smart retail, hospitality, public spaces, education, entertainment, enterprise, and smart buildings.

The days of 32-bit software support in NVIDIA's drivers are coming to an end, and with that, so does the support for the once iconic PhysX real-time physics engine. According to NVIDIA's engineers on GeForce forums, the lack of PhysX support has been quietly acknowledged, as NVIDIA's latest GeForce RTX 50 series of GPUs are phasing out support for 32-bit CUDA software, slowly transitioning the gaming world to the 64-bit software entirely. While older NVIDIA GPUs from the Maxwell through Ada generations will maintain 32-bit CUDA support, this update breaks backward compatibility for physics acceleration in legacy PC games on new GPUs. Users running these titles on RTX 50 series cards may need to rely on CPU-based PhysX processing, which could result in suboptimal performance compared to previous GPU generations.

A Reddit user reported frame rates dropping below 60 FPS in Borderlands 2 while using basic game mechanics with a 9800X3D CPU and RTX 5090 GPU, all because 32-bit CUDA application support on Blackwell architecture is depreciated. When another user booted up a 64-bit PhysX application, Batman Arkham Knight, PhysX worked perfectly, as expected. It is just that a massive list of older games, which gamers would sometimes prefer to play, is now running a lot slower on the most powerful consumer GPU due to the phase-out of 32-bit CUDA app support.

The Lenovo Legion Pro 9i is a powerhouse gaming and professional workstation laptop built for extreme performance, featuring cutting-edge hardware designed to tackle the most demanding games and professional workloads. However, power limitations can restrict its full potential. Many high-performance laptops, including the Legion Pro 9i, ship with limited 330 W AC adapter that doesn't provide sufficient sustained wattage, leading to throttling, performance drops, and even battery drain under heavy loads.

The Legion Pro 9i is equipped with the 14th Generation Intel Core i9-14900HX Processor, featuring 24 cores (8P + 16E), 32 threads, a 36 MB cache, and clock speeds reaching up to 5.80 GHz (P-Core Max) and 4.10 GHz (E-Core Max) with Turbo Boost. The CPU has a maximum turbo power draw of 157 W. This powerhouse CPU pairs with two high-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU options:

• RTX 4090 Laptop GPU (16 GB GDDR6, 175 W TGP)
• RTX 4080 Laptop GPU (12 GB GDDR6, 150 W TGP + 25 W Boost)

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of IPC solutions, motherboards, graphics cards, and PC peripherals, is set to showcase its latest industrial computing and edge AI computing solutions at upcoming Embedded World 2025. The event will take place from March 11-13, 2025, at Nurnberg Messe, Nurnberg, Germany, with BIOSTAR's booth located at 2-321, Hall 2.

At Embedded World 2025, BIOSTAR will spotlight its edge computing solutions powered by Intel CPUs, including AI-driven platforms tailored for industrial automation, smart cities, and HMI (Human-Machine Interface) applications. Key highlights will include 3.5" SBCs, NVIDIA Jetson Orin platforms, and industrial-grade systems engineered for scalable, efficient, and robust performance.

Under normal circumstances, Grand Theft Auto VI-related leaks have emerged from nefarious sources. Mid-February news reports have pulled information from an unlikely, yet fairly legitimate announcement. GTA franchise fans would not expect a leak to emerge from a company dealing in peripherals, but Corsair Gaming's Ronald van Veen disclosed a slightly surprising prediction during a recent company call with investors. The organization's financial VP believes that incoming AAA-blockbuster title will launch on PC mere months after an exclusive debut on home gaming consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series). Famously, Rockstar Games reserves a sizable time gap between its console and PC rollouts. An official statement—made back in December 2023—revealed a potential repeat of this release cadence; PC-bound GTA players feared another agonizing two to three year wait.

During an earnings call, Corsair's finance chief discussed the impact of high-profile franchises: "in terms of new games, I mean, there's been a steady stream of games. What we really haven't had for the last year or two is what we could call a 'Fortnite moment' or 'PUBG moment.' So, people are typically playing older games. And I think for our component business and for people looking at new cards, obviously, that tends to depend on new games that are super demanding that you need high-performance graphics in order to get 60 frames a second...If you actually look at the numbers across the last five years, peripheral sales are substantially up, like 50% or 60% up compared to pre-COVID. So, more people are gaming, but not all are gaming on new games. The activity around PC builds or gaming PC builds is roughly on par with pre-COVID now....GTA VI is probably the one everyone is talking about. And we'll get a glimpse of that, I think, later in the year for console. My understanding now it's going to come out in the fall for console, and then early 2026 for PC." Take-Two's CEO—Strauss Zelnick—believes that Grand Theft Auto VI will boost consoles sales upon launch.

Edifier, the award-winning manufacturer of premium sound systems, has announced the LolliClip Earbuds. These earbuds feature adaptive noise cancellation, a secure multi-curve ear hook, and immersive spatial audio with head-tracking. Certified for Hi-Res Wireless Audio, the LolliClip earbuds deliver rich sound via a 13 mm dynamic driver with a titanium-coated diaphragm. Equipped with 3+3 microphones and AI algorithm for clear calls, the buds are IP56-rated for durability. Multipoint connection enables seamless device switching, and the EDIFIER ConneX App offers extra features like heart rate detection and personalized controls."

Adaptive Noise-Cancelling and Secure Fit
Advanced adaptive active noise cancellation customizes sound based on your fit and surroundings, delivering a clear, immersive experience even in noisy environments - all while maintaining the comfort of the LolliClip open-ear design. The innovative multi-curvature ear hook, wrapped in skin-friendly silicone, ensures a secure, comfortable fit for daily use—perfect for workouts, outdoor adventures, or your workday routine.

For those of you that have been exploring the Living Lands in Avowed, thank you for taking a break to check out the latest Game Pass news! We have some exciting new reveals and exclusive Perks to tease your install buttons. Also, mark your calendars and check out the ID@Xbox Showcase during IGN Fan Fest 2025 on Monday, February 24 at 10am PT for even more Game Pass announcements. Let's get to the games!

Available Today
Avowed (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) - February 18. Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass
Available on day one! Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment. Check out Xbox Wire for Starting Tips to Help You on Your Adventure in the Living Lands.

Inside sources—familiar with goings-ons at leading DRAM manufacturing firms—have predicted the end of DDR3 and DDR4 production lines. According to a DigiTimes Asia report (citing Nikkei), industry observers have noticed that the DRAM market is undergoing a so-called "shift." They believe that pricing trends are decreasing due to weak demand. Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron are named as major players; allegedly involved in devising new strategies—in reaction to fluid market circumstances. The DigiTimes insider network proposes that the big three: "may phase out DDR3 and DDR4 by 2025...by the end of 2025...anticipating a future focused on advanced memory technologies." Older standards are falling out of favor, with DDR5 and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) on the ascent. Industry watchdogs reckon that possible DDR3 and DDR4 supply shortages could occur "post-summer 2025."

Taiwan's Nanya Technology has predicted that the overall DRAM market will "bottom out" within the first half of 2025. An eventual recovery is envisioned by the second quarter; AI-related demands could help drive up demand by a large margin. Additionally, Nanya points to improved inventory management and global economic stimulus. Taiwanese DRAM production houses are expected to pick up some slack, but an unnamed "key component distributor" anticipates serious after-effects. An anonymous source believes that the: "anticipated halt in production could lead to significant supply constraints, challenging market dynamics and impacting pricing strategies." Nanya Technology and Winbond Electronics produce specialized DRAM-types; therefore are not touted to be great gap fillers. The latter is reportedly reacting to weak demand for "mature" DDR products—DigiTimes commented on this development: "Winbond Electronics is advancing its manufacturing by transitioning to a 16 nm process in the latter half of 2025. This upgrade from the current 20 nm process, primarily used for 4 Gb DDR3 and DDR4, will enable Winbond to produce 8 Gb DDR memory."

AMD's "Strix Halo" APU, marketed as Ryzen AI Max+, has just been exposed in die-shot analysis. Confirming the processor's triple-die architecture, the package showcases a total silicon footprint of 441.72 mm² that integrates advanced CPU, GPU, and AI acceleration capabilities within a single package. The processor's architecture centers on two 67.07 mm² CPU CCDs, each housing eight Zen 5 cores with a dedicated 8 MB L2 cache. A substantial 307.58 mm² I/O complements these die that houses an RDNA 3.5-based integrated GPU featuring 40 CUs and AMD's XDNA 2 NPU. The memory subsystem demonstrates a 256-bit LPDDR5X interface capable of delivering 256 GB/s bandwidth, supported by 32 MB of strategically placed Last Level Cache to optimize data throughput.

The die shots reveal notable optimizations for mobile deployment, including shortened die-to-die interfaces that reduce the interconnect distance by 2 mm compared to desktop implementations. Some through-silicon via structures are present, which suggest potential compatibility with AMD's 3D V-Cache technology, though the company has not officially confirmed plans for such implementations. The I/O die integrates comprehensive connectivity options, including PCIe 4.0 x16 lanes and USB4 support, while also housing dedicated media engines with full AV1 codec support. Initial deployments of the Strix Halo APU will commence with the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 launch on February 25, marking the beginning of what AMD anticipates will be broad adoption across premium mobile computing platforms.

We spotted via IT Home a fresh PC case just released by GALAX under the name "Metal Master Dark Guard", a new case that works with both ATX and microATX (back connectors supported) motherboards. The case keeps the look of the Metal Master series, with clean lines and a nice beveled design. It also has a big tempered glass side panel that gives you a clear view of internal components. The case internal design shows special attention to cooling, as GALAX mentions that they put it through multiple airflow tests. It can fit up to eight 120 or 140 mm fans, and one 240/260/280 mm radiator which makes it great for high-end gaming PCs. The design has a smart air duct system to keep things cool, and there's plenty of room inside to make cable management easy. One cool thing about the design is that the USB 3.0, and Type-C connectors are placed at the front-bottom. This helps keep the overall look clean by hiding cables away from the user's eyes while keeping the airflow clean.

The case can fit the latest hardware components, including the new RTX 50 series graphics cards or any graphic card up to 400 mm long, and standard power supplies. GALAX has priced the Metal Master Dark Guard at 249 yuan about $35, at least that's the price on Asian markets. If it reaches Western markets around $50 it can be considered a viable option for those on a tight budget.

Welcome to the mission! Hi, I'm Will Doyle, the director of Directive 8020 at Supermassive Games. We revealed our action-packed story trailer during State of Play, and announced that the game will launch on October 2. I'm thrilled to take you deeper into the dangers that you'll face onboard the Cassiopeia. The team at Supermassive Games has worked tirelessly to craft a narrative experience that melds sci-fi exploration with spine-chilling horror, where every choice could lead to a disastrous death. We're unveiling some new layers to our story, exploring fragile alliances, unseen threats, and the limits of human resilience when faced with our deepest fears. We're venturing into uncharted territory: the unsettling abyss of space.

A deadly mission
Earth is dying, and humankind is seeking a new home in the stars. The Cassiopeia is the initial survey ship sent to scout our chosen planet. Think of it as a test run: the Cassiopeia is fully outfitted as a colony craft but is flying with a vastly reduced crew. Their mission is to test every procedure onboard without ever touching down on the planet they've been sent to orbit. However, people familiar with our games will know that our characters never have it easy and in Directive 8020 it will all start to go wrong very quickly and with very deadly consequences.

Well, the wait is over and early reviews for AMD's Strix Halo APUs have finally dropped. For those who kept up with the leaks and rumors, the high-end RDNA 3.5 Radeon 8060S iGPU was repeatedly rumored to features up to 40 CUs, allowing for raw performance that keeps up with several discrete-class mobile GPUs. Now that we have concrete information, it appears that the Strix Halo iGPU does indeed trade blows with mid-range mobile GPUs, which is an undeniably impressive feat for an integrated unit. Some of the fastest x86 iGPUs - the Arc 140 V, Radeon 890M, are all left in the dust, although Apple's highest-end offerings are unsurprisingly well ahead.

Starting off with 3D Mark Time Spy, the 40-CU Radeon 8060S, housed in the 13-inch ROG Flow Z13, managed an impressive score of 10,200 points according to Notebookcheck. This puts the iGPU in close proximity to other RTX 4070-powered 14-inch gaming laptops, such as the Zephyrus G14 which managed to rake in around 10,300 points. Compared to the previous iteration of the ROG Flow Z13, which boasts a 65-watt RTX 4070, the Radeon 8060S-powered Z13 pulls ahead by around 5%. Laptops with more substantial power envelopes do race ahead significantly, such as the 140-watt RTX 4070 Laptop-powered Razer Blade 14 which managed over 13,000 points. In the Steel Nomad benchmark, however, the Radeon 8060S appears less impressive, trailing behind not only the RTX 4070 Laptop, but also systems with the RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (110 W).

A leaked document has revealed an alleged review release date of March 5; occurring the day before a rumored global market release of AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 graphics cards. VideoCardz has reported on its inspection of "NDA materials" intended for members of the press. Team Red has officially announced a proper RDNA 4-themed event; February 28 is an important date on their calendar. Fresh reportage suggests that hardware media outlets and online influencers will be briefed next week, mere days away from AMD's highly-anticipated presentation.

Following head-scratching delays and a secretive marketing strategy (earlier on in 2025), Team Red and its AIB co-conspirators are expected to deliver full specifications, performance data, and pricing during next week's special event. Leaks have pointed to a possible March 6 launch; VideoCardz did not spot any mentioning of this specific date in leaked Radeon RX 9070 NDA documents. A steady flow of insider knowledge has already hinted at speculative "Navi 48" technical details and pre-release performance figures. Will AMD confirm (rumored) PCIe 5.0 connectivity, or acknowledge leaked "Pro" 32 GB variants (with less sarcasm)?

In Assassin's Creed Shadows, players will explore feudal Japan as the fierce samurai Yasuke and stealthy shinobi Naoe. Ubisoft and gaming-peripheral maker Lexip have teamed up to help you play Assassin's Creed Shadows in style with a gaming accessory collaboration featuring six custom items and unique bundles that will include the game itself when it launches on March 20 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, macOS, and PC via Steam, the Ubisoft Store, and Epic Games Store.

Engraved Wireless Headset
Enter a new era with Lexip and Ubisoft's immersive headset. Proudly embody the very essence of feudal Japan, with its ancestral motifs and superior sound quality. Ultra-low latency and cross-platform compatibility.

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards are due to hit international markets this Thursday (February 20), only in custom design form. NVIDIA will not be rolling out a Founders Edition model for this mid-to-high GPU product tier. Yesterday, an NDA-busting leak emerged online; hinting at a mixed bag of synthetic benchmark scores. When compared to new-gen and past-gen siblings, the incoming GB203 GPU-based family's "price-to-performance ratio" was greeted with plenty of online community skepticism. Considering that only a minority of AIB companies are reportedly engaged in the supply of cheaper offerings, the early outlook for overall GeForce RTX 5070 Ti launch pricing is generating further dissatisfaction. Team Green's first wave of "Blackwell" gaming GPUs launched late last month, straight into chaotic market conditions.

At CES 2025, NVIDIA set a baseline MSRP of $749. Fresh reports suggest that hardware review outlets will be delivering comprehensive verdicts tomorrow. VideoCardz believes that the lifted review embargo will be "exclusively for MSRP cards," based on information gleaned from their network of press contacts. The GPU specialist publication has kept tabs on fluctuating GeForce RTX 50-series prices for a while—several recent reports have levelled criticism at prominent Team Green board partners; namely ASUS and MSI. Plenty of venom was directed at the former, due to last month's launch of the: "GeForce RTX 5080 PRIME non-OC model at MSRP, and it was covered in the first reviews...Except, it was increased by 26% the following week. This way, ASUS has cheated the system and got both the early coverage and was still able to sell cards at a higher price." VideoCardz predicts a similar pattern for this week's release of custom GeForce RTX 5070 Ti designs, in particular ASUS PRIME and TUF Gaming SKUs. Their latest report directed additional ire toward the source of all things Blackwell: "unless NVIDIA has no problem with this, this is not how MSRP cards should be announced. It is very misleading for customers and puts reviewers in a very bad light. Their conclusions might be completely different if the card is said to cost much more."

Some people say old legends never die. We fully agree with them, as we're willing to give a helping hand to those that wish to rise again. X-Out Resurfaced is a full-blown, high-definition remake of the old Commodore 64 classic X-Out. Featuring gorgeous visuals and a reworked control scheme, this new version is the perfect way to experience this incredible shoot'em up in all its glory. The game starts with a unique loadout screen, revolutionary for its time, allowing you to choose your craft, weaponry and option types, before submersing yourself in frantic, underwater shmup action.

The challenge will be tough and the enemies numerous, but Captain Granger and his faithful craft Trilobite are definitely up to the task. He is after all the last line of defense against the alien horrors that are trying to invade Earth through the ocean depths. These cosmic horrors sound like they might be too much for you to handle alone? Nothing to worry about, as X-Out Resurfaced features a brand new two-player mode. Sharing the underwater terror is caring after all.

According to a recent tidbit shared by the reliable tipster Evan Blass, Lenovo is gearing up to introduce a ThinkBook laptop with a foldable OLED screen. We already know that the company is also preparing to launch a laptop with a rollable display, but the ThinkBook Flip is intended to provide customers with even more screen real estate - when unfolded, of course. That said, it might be somewhat cumbersome to visualize what a foldable display-equipped laptop might look like. Unsurprisingly, the provided images sure do make the task a lot easier.

Basically, the Lenovo ThinkBook Flip will boast an impressively tall screen that folds in half backwards, allowing the laptop to function as a tablet when it is in the clamshell mode. When unfolded, the extra-tall display provides an absolute metric ton of screen real estate - though, only if customers are willing to stack their windows vertically. I am quite certain there a plethora of workflows that can take advantage of the abundance of vertical space, even though ergonomics will remain a point of contention. The screen can also be unfolded partially to create a propped-up display - according to the images - allowing for a 'tent' mode of sorts which can come in handy during presentations or one-on-one meetings. We do not have any information regarding pricing, but it would be safe to say that the ThinkBook Flip will most likely arrive with a hefty price tag.

GIGABYTE introduced its STEALTH series motherboard design at last summer's Computex event; where TechPowerUp staffers inspected a B650E AORUS STEALTH ICE sample model. The Taiwanese manufacturer was readying new board SKUs with backside connectors (power and I/O); destined to take on similar products from rival companies. GIGABYTE's debut wave of STEALTH did not include any AMD X670 chipset-based options, but a recent ECC filing points to possible forthcoming X870-based models. A weekend sleuthing session—performed by harukaze5719—unearthed multiple registrations of X870 and B850 boards. Two unannounced STEALTH ICE models were highlighted in the regional registry.

The X870 and B850 AORUS STEALTH ICE models are expected to arrive within the coming months, reportedly sporting familiar white designs—as seen on GIGABYTE's current-gen option. Insiders believe that a high-end X870E-based offering will not emerge, due to STEALTH occupying a very niche market segment. According to a Chinese leaker, B850 models could arrive in ATX and microATX form factors. Further up in product hierarchies, they reckon that the X870 AORUS STEALTH series: "comes standard with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 overclocking support. The flagship model comes with dual Thunderbolt 4 interfaces." GIGABYTE's back-connected X870 and B850 board designs could demand high asking prices; their current B650E AORUS STEALTH ICE is not readily available, but in some regions it is selling for $320+.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced that the 2025 ROG Flow Z13 is now available for pre-order. This versatile gaming 2-in-1 can feature up to AMD's newest AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Processor with Radeon 8060S Graphics and a unified memory structure, allowing for incredible performance and power efficiency. A new stainless steel and copper vapor chamber, larger intake vents, and 2nd Gen Arc Flow Fans offer 70% more airflow for quiet and efficient cooling.

This 13-inch tablet boasts a stunning ROG Nebula Display, a 2.5K resolution 180 Hz touchscreen with 500 nits of peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The Flow Z13 now also features a larger 70Wh battery, a larger touchpad and keycaps, and a convenient Command Center button for quick access to vital system functions. With dual USB-C ports, both of which support USB4 and power delivery, as well as a dedicated HDMI 2.1 port, the Flow Z13 lets gamers leave their dongles at home.

The global semiconductor manufacturing industry closed 2024 with strong fourth quarter results and solid year-on-year (YoY) growth across most of the key industry segments, SEMI announced today in its Q4 2024 publication of the Semiconductor Manufacturing Monitor (SMM) Report, prepared in partnership with TechInsights. The industry outlook is cautiously optimistic at the start of 2025 as seasonality and macroeconomic uncertainty may impede near-term growth despite momentum from strong investments related to AI applications.

After declining in the first half of 2024, electronics sales bounced back later in the year resulting in a 2% annual increase. Electronics sales grew 4% YoY in Q4 2024 and are expected to see a 1% YoY increase in Q1 2025 impacted by seasonality. Integrated circuit (IC) sales rose by 29% YoY in Q4 2024 and continued growth is expected in Q1 2025 with a 23% increase YoY as AI-fueled demand continues boosting shipments of high-performance computing (HPC) and datacenter memory chips.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the Micron 4600 PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSD, an innovative client storage drive for OEMs that is designed to deliver exceptional performance and user experience for gamers, creators and professionals. Leveraging Micron G9 TLC NAND, the 4600 SSD is Micron's first Gen 5 client SSD and doubles the performance of its predecessor.

The Micron 4600 SSD showcases sequential read speeds of 14.5 GB/s and write speeds of 12.0 GB/s. These capabilities allow users to load a large language model (LLM) from the SSD to DRAM in less than one second, enhancing the user experience with AI PCs. For AI model loading times, the 4600 SSD reduces load times by up to 62% compared to Gen 4 performance SSDs ensuring rapid deployment of LLMs and other AI workloads. Additionally, the 4600 SSD provides up to 107% improved energy efficiency (MB/s per watt) compared to Gen 4 performance SSDs, enhancing battery life and overall system efficiency.

Nexa AI, today, announced NexaQuants of two DeepSeek R1 Distills: The DeepSeek R1 Distill Qwen 1.5B and DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 8B. Popular quantization methods like the llama.cpp based Q4 K M allow large language models to significantly reduce their memory footprint and typically offer low perplexity loss for dense models as a tradeoff. However, even low perplexity loss can result in a reasoning capability hit for (dense or MoE) models that use Chain of Thought traces. Nexa AI has stated that NexaQuants are able to recover this reasoning capability loss (compared to the full 16-bit precision) while keeping the 4-bit quantization and all the while retaining the performance advantage. Benchmarks provided by Nexa AI can be seen below.

We can see that the Q4 K M quantized DeepSeek R1 distills score slightly less (except for the AIME24 bench on Llama 3 8b distill, which scores significantly lower) in LLM benchmarks like GPQA and AIME24 compared to their full 16-bit counter parts. Moving to a Q6 or Q8 quantization would be one way to fix this problem - but would result in the model becoming slightly slower to run and requiring more memory. Nexa AI has stated that NexaQuants use a proprietary quantization method to recover the loss while keeping the quantization at 4-bits. This means users can theoretically get the best of both worlds: accuracy and speed.

Yesterday, the ASUS Chinese office announced a special event—on February 25—dedicated to launching a next-gen AMD APU-powered premium notebook model: "ROG Magic X (or Illusion X) is the first to be equipped with the Ryzen AI MAX+ three-in-one chip, which can efficiently coordinate multiple modes, provide combat power and computing power on demand, and can handle e-sports, creation and AI with one chip!" The manufacturer's Weibo post has generated plenty of buzz; industry insiders reckon that reviews could be published today (February 18)—HXL/9550pro informed VideoCardz with a not so cryptic message: "STX-Halo NDA: Feb 18th 2025."

Western press outlets point out that the ROG Magic X is a local variant of the familiar ROG Flow Z13 design; a 2025 refresh brings in AMD's much anticipated "Strix Halo" APU design. Team Red-authored marketing material and pre-release evaluation leaks have hinted about impressive integrated graphics solution performance; equalling or even exceeding that of previous-gen dGPUs. Well-known North American hardware review outlets have dropped hints (NDA permitting) about AMD's Ryzen Al Max+ 395 and Max 390 processors. Hardware Canucks could barely contain their excitement regarding the potent Zen 4 and RDNA 3.5 combo package; to the point of wish listing a potential direct successor: "Strix Halo is one of the most exciting things launched into the PC space in the last half decade. Full stop...AMD can't keep this as a one-off. If it's followed up with Zen 6 and RDNA 4 next year...watch out." Naturally, Team Red's cutting-edge mobile CPU technology is arriving in devices with high asking prices. The aforementioned ROG Flow Z13 2025 model—configured with top specs—is priced at $2699. Notebookcheck reckons that ASUS has tacked on an extra $500, since an announcement of initial pricing at CES 2025.

Morse Micro, the world's leading provider of Wi-Fi HaLow chips, today announced the general availability of the world's first Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi HaLow gateway - certified by Wi-Fi Alliance. Featuring FCC, IC, and RCM certification, this breakthrough device enables developers, system integrators, and manufacturers to harness the power of long-range, energy-efficient Wi-Fi HaLow combined with traditional Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) connectivity in a single, compact gateway.

"The certification of the HaLowLink 1 reinforces the growing importance of reliable, interoperable Wi-Fi HaLow products in the connectivity ecosystem," said Maureen Gallagher, VP of Marketing at Wi-Fi Alliance. "With its extended range and low-power capabilities, Wi-Fi HaLow is a powerful solution for IoT applications, and Morse Micro is committed to accelerating adoption by delivering high-quality products through the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED program."

GameSir is excited to introduce its latest multi-platform gaming controller, the Super Nova. The Super Nova redefines gaming comfort and precision with its noise-free, responsive controls. Featuring noise-free ABXY buttons and advanced GameSir Hall Effect sensing sticks, it ensures smooth, precise feedback while minimizing distractions. Whether you're playing on PC, Switch, Android, or iOS, the Super Nova's tri-mode connectivity and full customization options make it the perfect choice for gamers seeking a flexible, immersive experience. Available for pre-order on GameSir's official website.

The Super Nova offers versatile connectivity, working flawlessly with PC, Switch, Android, and iOS devices via Bluetooth, wired, and wireless dongle connections. It features GameSir Hall Effect sensing sticks, providing a durable lifespan of up to 5 million cycles, offering precise and responsive feedback. The anti-friction glide rings ensure super-smooth stick control, reducing stick grinding and extending usage time.

Transcend Information, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of memory storage solutions, announced the release of the MTE255S, a PCIe M.2 solid-state drive. Featuring a PCIe Gen 4 x4 interface, it delivers impressive read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s and write speeds of 6,500 MB/s. This SSD offers exceptional storage experiences for gamers, content creators, and business users. Whether it's high-performance gaming, advanced video editing, or rapid data processing, the MTE255S significantly boosts desktop and laptop performance to meet demanding application needs.

Experience Unmatched Speed and Capacity
The MTE255S combines a PCIe Gen 4 x4 interface with a multichannel controller to achieve blazing-fast data transfer speeds. Users experience smooth gaming performance, accelerated video editing and rendering, and seamless processing of large business datasets. With storage options up to 2 TB, the MTE255S offers generous space for extensive game libraries, media projects, and enterprise workloads.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading innovator in computing, networking, and storage solutions, today officially launched the QDA-UMP4A adapter. This adapter allows users to install an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD into a 2.5-inch U.2 (SFF-8639) PCIe NVMe SSD slot of a QNAP NAS.

QNAP Product Manager Andy Chuang stated: "The QDA-UMP4A is ideal for users who need versatile drive options for various scenarios, from enterprise applications to multimedia workloads. Users can boost data-heavy applications with QNAP's U.2 SSD-based flagship all-flash NAS models."

AMD's openSIL project, aimed towards open CPU silicon initialization code, continues progressing despite a slight delay in its development timeline. The initiative, which will eventually replace the current AGESA system across AMD's client and server processors, received a new update. The company initially targeted the end of 2024 to release proof-of-concept code for Phoenix client SoCs and Turin server hardware. However, as we move through the first quarter of 2025, AMD has acknowledged a slight deviation from this schedule. In a recent statement, AMD representatives assured the developer community that work continues steadily on both Phoenix and Turin proof-of-concept releases.

"We are hard at work preparing the Phoenix and Turin POC's for public release," stated an AMD representative, emphasizing that these releases will serve as sample code previewing future production-worthy implementations. The company clarified that these initial releases are not intended for production environments. The delay has minimal impact on AMD's plan, as the primary goal remains focused on achieving full production readiness with the upcoming Zen 6 architecture. The openSIL project promises to enhance Coreboot support and provide developers with full access to low-level system components. Though limited to select reference motherboards, the proof-of-concept releases will serve as the first milestones in AMD's journey toward more open hardware solutions.

LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it has officially begun mass production of a 45-inch Gaming OLED monitor panel with ultra-high 5K2K resolution. By producing the world's highest-resolution Gaming OLED panel, the company is seeking to seize the growth potential of the high-end gaming display market.

This product not only features key gaming monitor specifications such as top-tier resolution, refresh rate, and response time, but it also delivers perfect black levels in any environment, providing the ultimate gaming experience.

Hot off their debut from Sony's State of Play, Eclipse Glow Games has released a new gameplay video for their highly-anticipated, action-adventure title Tides of Annihilation. The 11-minute gameplay walkthrough video showcases the combat system where spectral knights can be summoned to perform devastating combo attacks. Watch Gwendolyn traverse an environment constantly shifting from powerful magical forces where modern London and mythical Avalon collide. And learn more of Gwendolyn's story in Tides of Annihilation as she faces off against the alluring Mordred in an epic boss confrontation.

Tides of Annihilation is a single-player, narrative-driven title set in a twisted version of modern London cataclysmically altered by an otherworldly invasion. Taking on the role of Gwendolyn, humanity's lone survivor, players embark on a legendary quest through London's iconic environs to unravel a mystery that will determine the fate of reality itself. Battling alongside summonable spectral knights, players will encounter hordes of enemies, unforgettable bosses, and vertical levels in the form of gigantic knights roaming the landscape.

EIZO Corporation (TSE: 6737) today introduced the 24.1-inch ColorEdge CG2400S color management monitor, the successor to the ColorEdge CG2420. It is the first 24.1-inch monitor in the CG series to feature HDR workflow support for professional creatives, as well as the first monitor in the ColorEdge lineup to have its housing made from recycled plastic for reducing environmental impact.

Designed to meet the diverse needs of professional creatives in fields such as photography, video editing, design, and print, the CG2400S features WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution on a 24.1-inch screen. With a typical contrast ratio of 1800:1, the highest in the ColorEdge CG series, the monitor produces true blacks to ensure shadows are rendered in high detail and lifelike accuracy. It is also equipped with a retardation film to overcome color distortion from optical shifts, allowing tones to retain their depth even when viewed from an angle.

ASUSTOR Inc. today is announcing the enterprise-grade Xpanstor 12R JBOD expansion unit and the SAS HBA AS-SAS8e. ASUSTOR NAS devices supporting the AS-SAS8e support the Xpanstor 12R JBOD expansion unit to provide convenient and robust file sharing, remote access, and backup functionality. When expansion of storage capacity is required, pair your NAS with the ASUSTOR Xpanstor 12R to allow additional hard drives to be connected to an ASUSTOR NAS through a SAS connection to create a robust enterprise storage environment for managing large volumes of data.

Effortless Configuration
Storage Manager in ADM enables easy management and configuration between an ASUSTOR NAS and an attached ASUSTOR expansion unit. Storage Manager also supports the creation of multiple volume types and snapshot features, further enhancing data security and reliability.

PowerColor, a trusted name in high-performance gaming hardware, is proud to introduce the ALPHYN AM10 Wireless Gaming Mouse, the latest addition to the ALPHYN series. Designed for gamers and content creators seeking the perfect balance of comfort and high-end specifications, the ALPHYN AM10 delivers cutting-edge technology in an ergonomic, lightweight form. With a powerful 26,000 DPI sensor, an 8,000 Hz polling rate in wired mode, Omron optical switches, and hybrid wireless connectivity, the AM10 is built to provide an exceptional user experience without compromise.

Designed for Performance & Comfort
The ALPHYN AM10 is built to offer precision tracking and responsive control, making every task—from intense gaming sessions to detailed creative work—effortless and fluid. Equipped with a PAW3395 sensor, it provides a DPI range from 100 to 26,000, allowing users to fine-tune sensitivity to their exact needs. With an 8,000 Hz polling rate in wired mode and 1,000 Hz in wireless mode, every movement is accurately registered, ensuring smooth and natural cursor motion. The Omron optical switches (rated for 70 million clicks) provide instant actuation and long-lasting durability, making every click crisp and reliable while reducing fatigue during extended use.

Functional and stylish: The AK4W RGB Strip has plenty of space for modern hardware, room for up to eleven fans, and a tempered-glass side panel that provides a clear view of the installed hardware inside. The front panel has an integrated RGB strip along the base of the air-permeable mesh grille, providing a visual highlight in 16.7 million colors. On the top panel, the case is rounded off with up-to-date ports for a wide range of mobile and peripheral devices.

Apart from the front panel with its air-permeable mesh grille and RGB strip, the AK4W RGB Strip also has a side panel made of tempered glass to showcase the hardware build and the atmospheric illumination inside. Four 120 mm fans are already pre-installed in the AK4W RGB Strip - three behind the front panel and one 120 mm RGB PWM fan on the rear panel. Up to eleven fans will find room in the case.

GAMDIAS Technology, a leading brand in high-performance PC gaming hardware, is excited to unveil the new CHIONE P5 Series LCD display liquid cooler, as part of GAMDIAS's 2025 vision, embodied by the annual slogan "GAMING REIMAGINED." Available in sleek black and white color options, it comes in two sizes: 240mm and 360 mm. This cutting-edge cooler delivers exceptional CPU cooling, featuring a 3.4" customizable IPS LCD display, a high-performance PWM pump with speeds up to 2600 RPM, and ARGB PWM NOTUS fans. "The CHIONE P5 embodies our values and beliefs: through the combination of high-end technologies and the aesthetic design, GAMDIAS enables gamers at all levels to perform at their best," said Stimson Wang, CEO of GAMDIAS, making it the ultimate cooling solution for gamers and enthusiasts.

The CHIONE P5 Series features a brilliant 3.4-inch IPS LCD display with a high resolution of 480x480, allowing you to monitor real-time system performance statistics while offering full personalization by setting custom images or animated GIFs as the background. Below the LCD display, an ARGB lighting strip adds a vibrant glow, enhancing your system's aesthetics with dynamic lighting effects.

FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme 7.60 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Engineer 7.60 software, a professional diagnostic and benchmarking solution for corporate IT technicians and engineers; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business 7.60 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Network Audit 7.60 software, a dedicated network audit toolset to collect and manage corporate network inventories. The latest AIDA64 update introduces green and purple dark themes, support for Turing LCD screens, and supports the latest graphics and GPGPU computing technologies by AMD, Intel and NVIDIA.

DOWNLOAD: FinalWire AIDA64 Extreme v7.60