Courtesy of serial leaker @momomo_us we now have an indication on potential pricing for AMD's upcoming 8000G-series of APUs for the AM5 socket. The Ryzen 8000G-series APUs are expected to use the same CPU cores as AMD's Zen 4 based Ryzen 7000-series CPUs, but paired with a new I/O design in a monolithic die. The leaker has provided pricing from what is said to be three different shops and for three different SKUs, with the Ryzen 5 7600 as the reference point in all three cases. All three shops list the Ryzen 5 7600 at a higher price than Amazon, so it's unlikely that we're looking at MSRP pricing here.

The Ryzen 5 8500G has a price range of US$190-240, followed by the Ryzen 5 8600G which comes in at US$240-310 and finally the Ryzen 7 8700G which is listed at US$340-440. The price span is rather large, which makes it impossible to draw any conclusions of what the MSRP will be. Tom's hardware managed to dig up a pair of retailers, including what appears to be the one with the lowest pricing in the leak, which is DirectDial. The other retailer that Tom's Hardware located was Zones, but that pricing doesn't match any of the initial leaks, but are somewhat towards the higher numbers. AMD is expected to announce the new series of APUs at CES early next year.

AMD continues to release new Ryzen 5000 series processor models for the Socket AM4 platform to this day, with new processors expected to launch next month. That's over 6 years of longevity for the platform, considering that AMD has extended official Ryzen 5000 series support all the way back to its first line of AM4 motherboards based on the 300-series chipset. The company plans a similar longevity for Socket AM5. In an interview with Overclockers UK, AMD's client channel business head David McAfee said "I think that we certainly recognized that the longevity of the AM4 platforms was one of the biggest reasons that led to the success of Ryzen and as we think and as we think about the future, 2025 and beyond, that decision to move to a next-generation of socket is one that's going to be really thought through really really carefully. We know the impact that moving to a new socket brings and we want to stay on AM5 for as long as we possibly can. We are firmly committed to 2025 and beyond and we will see how long that promise lasts beyond 2025."

AMD Socket AM5 is designed to deliver up to 230 W of package power, and has a contemporary I/O that includes a dual-channel DDR5 memory interface (4x 40-bit sub-channels); and 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes (x16 PEG, two x4 NVMe, and x4 chipset bus), besides the usual SoC connectivity. With the upcoming Ryzen 8000G "Phoenix" APUs, we could expect to see that the socket even wires out modern display I/O such as DisplayPort 2.1 with USB type-C, and the bandwidth for 12-bit HDR up to 68 billion colors. AMD debuted Socket AM5 with the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, with "Zen 5" expected to launch in 2024. It's conceivable that the company's 2025 client architecture, "Zen 6," could also see its desktop presence on AM5, given that DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5 will remain relevant till at least that time.

Market research by Korean publication Danawa DPG provides valuable insights to how desktop AMD Ryzen processor users are charting their upgrade paths given the long upgrade longevity of AMD sockets. The research follows a 10-month date range from December 2022 to October 2023, and tracks the sales of motherboards based on various AMD chipset models. We're shown that toward the turn of the year, AMD B550 chipset motherboards sell the most. This is when AMD Ryzen 5000 Socket AM4 processors top sales for the company, Given that the B550 fully supports CPU overclocking, and that there are plenty of feature-packed B550 motherboard models, it explains why the B550 covers a wide price-band.

AMD launched the Ryzen 7000 series "Zen 4" to lukewarm response in September 2022, mainly because the platform lacked DDR4 memory support that was relevant at the time, and hence wasn't as flexible to consumers as Intel's LGA1700. Its launch caused price-cuts for Ryzen 5000 series processors, clearing out some upgrade headroom for those on the AM4 platform still using Ryzen 3000. Off to a slow start, we see its successor from Socket AM5, the B650 chipset, rise steadily over the time period, and for two reasons—DDR5 memory became affordable over the course of 2023; and AMD breathed life into the Ryzen 7000 series with the introduction of the Ryzen 7000X3D series, which restored gaming performance competitiveness to Intel's 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake." The B650 has everything you need right now for a Ryzen 7000X3D build, given that both the GeForce RTX 40-series and Radeon RX 7000 series are PCIe Gen 4 graphics cards; and that the B650 has at least a Gen 5 NVMe slot. If you absolutely need a Gen 5 x16 slot, there's the premium B650E chipset to go with.

ID-Cooling today unveiled the IS-30 line of low-profile CPU coolers. With their fans installed, these coolers have a height of just 30 mm. There isn't enough room for a multi-socket retention module, and so there are socket-specific variants. The IS-30I Black is designed for Socket LGA1700 and LGA1200/115x, while the IS-30AMD is designed for Sockets AM5 and AM4. A key difference in design between the two is what while the IS-30I Black has all-black fins and heatpipes, while IS-30AMD uses bare aluminium fins, and nickel-plated copper heatpipes.

The design for the IS-30 series is pretty straightforward—four 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes make indirect contact with the processor through a copper base, conveying heat through a thin aluminium fin-stack, which is ventilated by a thin 92 mm fan. This fan features a sleeved bearing, turns at speeds between 800 to 3,600 RPM, pushing up to 40 CFM of airflow, with noise levels ranging between 17 to 35.8 dBA. With the fan in place, the cooler measures 94 mm x 94 mm x 30 mm (not including the retention module, so it's 30 mm up from the point of contact with the processor. ID-Cooling claims that the cooler can take thermal loads of up to 100 W. The company didn't reveal pricing.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, now offers white upgrade kits for EK-Quantum Velocity² as separate products. These kits can be used to change the color of the stand-out to white so they better match white-themed builds and overall aesthetics. The users now don't need to buy a whole new water block if they want a white build. Instead, they can simply use this kit to upgrade their existing Plexi Velocity² water block and transform it into a white one.

EK-Quantum Velocity² D-RGB - AM5/1700 White Upgrade Kit
As the Velocity² CPU water block is socket-specific, separate upgrade kits are made for the AM5 and LGA 1700 sockets. This was necessary due to the size difference of the water blocks. The kit contains a white stand-out, a white Velocity² label, and a new EK badge. This exclusive series allows you to seamlessly transform the appearance of your Nickel + Plexi Velocity² by replacing the original components with pristine white alternatives.

ASRock is announcing the support of 64 GB DDR5 memory module across Intel 700 Series and AMD AM5 Series motherboards. This enhancement boosts the maximum memory capacity to 256 GB with 4 DIMMs, offering increased performance and compatibility for enthusiasts. Additionally, we are committed to expanding support for the 64 GB DDR5 memory module across more motherboards with various chipsets, enhancing productivity for memory-intensive multitasking applications.

Here is our first look at the higher end of AMD's Ryzen 8000G series Socket AM5 desktop APU lineup. The company is planning to bring its 4 nm "Phoenix" and "Phoenix 2" monolithic silicon to the socketed desktop platform, to cover two distinct markets. Models based on the larger "Phoenix" silicon cater to the market that wants a sufficiently powerful CPU, but with a powerful iGPU that's fit for entry-level gaming, or graphics-intensive productivity tasks; whereas the smaller "Phoenix 2" silicon ties up the lower end of AMD's AM5 desktop processor stack, as it probably has a lower bill of materials than a "Raphael" multi-chip module.

The lineup is led by the Ryzen 7 8700G, a direct successor to the Ryzen 7 5700G "Cezanne." This chip gets the full 8-core/16-thread "Zen 4" CPU, along with its 16 MB shared L3 cache; and the full featured Radeon 780M iGPU with its 12 compute units worth 768 stream processors. The CPU features a maximum boost frequency of 4.20 GHz. This is followed by the Ryzen 5 8600G, which is based on the same "Phoenix" silicon as the 8700G, but with 6 out of 8 "Zen 4" cores enabled, and a maximum CPU boost frequency of 4.35 GHz, and the 16 MB L3 cache left untouched. It's likely that the Radeon 780M is unchanged from the 8700G.Update 13:59 UTC: A CPU-Z screenshot of the Ryzen 7 8700G surfaced, which confirms that it features the maxed out Radeon 780M iGPU

ASUS began rolling out beta UEFI firmware updates for its Socket AM5 motherboards that contain the latest AMD AGESA 1.1.0.1 microcode. If you recall, ASRock had recently released its own firmware updates last month that feature AGESA 1.1.0.0. This would be the first widely released firmware from ASUS to support the upcoming Ryzen 8000G "Phoenix" and "Phoenix 2" desktop APUs; and the 4th AGESA release to do so. Version ComboAM5PI 1.1.0.1 contains a newer version of the system management unit (SMU) for "Phoenix" and "Phoenix 2," with SMU version 76.75.0, compared to version 76.72.0 with the older ComboAM5PI 1.1.0.0 that ASRock released in November.

The UEFI firmware updates by ASUS containing AGESA ComboAM5PI 1.1.0.1 are only being released for AMD B650/E and X670/E chipset motherboards, and only spanning the company's ROG, ROG Strix, TUF Gaming, and ProArt product lines, we haven't come across one for the Prime series, yet. It's important to reiterate here, that these are beta updates, and those with Ryzen 7000 "Raphael" processors don't stand to benefit from them, as the SMU for "Raphael" hasn't changed since ComboAM5PI 1.0.8.0. Check for the firmware updates in the Support section of the product pages of your motherboard on the ASUS website.

Jonsbo unveiled what is possibly the most "compact" CPU cooler in the D-type (dual fin-stack) design. The new CR-1400 DV2 by Jonsbo is just 136 mm tall with its fans in place, but rocks two aluminium fin-stacks, a shrouded fan-mound, and uses a pair of 92 mm fans to ventilate its heatsink in a push-pull arrangement. The cooler has some decent specs despite its supposedly diminutive height. Six 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heatpipes make direct contact with the CPU at the base, with their ends passing through the two aluminium fin-stacks, which are ventilated by two 92 mm fans, one of which pushes fresh air through the first fin-stack, and the second positioned between the two fin-stacks, conveying air onto the second stack. Both stacks are covered by a cooler shroud that holds onto the fans, and comes with an ARGB illuminated top-plate.

Each of the two included 92 mm fans features a fluid-dynamic bearings rated for over 40,000 hours, turns at speeds ranging between 800 to 2,500 RPM, pushing between 11.95 to 38.2 CFM of airflow, at 0.25 to 2.00 mm H₂O static pressure, and a noise output ranging between 22.3 to 33.8 dBA. The fans each take in 4-pin PWM input for the main function, and 3-pin ARGB for the lighting. Only the "push" fan features ARGB lighting through LEDs located in the impeller hub. The hub features an infinity reflection design element. With its fan in place, the cooler measures 92 mm x 144 mm x 136 mm (WxDxH), the company didn't mention weight. The cooler comes in two variants based on color, Black and White (which changes the color of the shroud and fan frames. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700, AM5, LGA1200, and AM4. The company didn't reveal pricing information.

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, and storage solutions innovator, today unveiled the new high-capacity TS-hx77AXU-RP ZFS NAS series, including 12-bay TS-h1277AXU-RP and 16-bay TS-h1677AXU-RP rackmount models powered by AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors based on the cutting-edge AMD Socket AM5 platform. By integrating robust hardware and diverse I/O including DDR5 RAM, M.2 PCIe Gen 5, PCIe Gen 4 slots, and redundant power supplies, the TS-hx77AXU-RP series unleashes enterprise-level performance and delivers ultra-high bandwidth, futureproof expandability, and trusted reliability for performance-demanding Tier 2 storage, virtualization, 4K video editing, and PB-level storage applications.

"The whole new TS-hx77AXU-RP series ZFS NAS provides enterprises with superb performance and large storage capacity to tackle business-critical workloads and storage-demanding applications. The AMD Ryzen 7000 Series multi-core processors further unlocks the key performance of DDR5 and M.2 PCIe Gen 5," said Alex Shih, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "Paired with the ZFS file system that's most suited for business applications, the TS-hx77AXU-RP series stands out as the top choice for storage solutions that require uncompromising data integrity."

Noctua today introduced its new NM-M1 enthusiast-grade multi-socket mounting kits. Available for Noctua coolers with 83 and 78 mm mounting pitch, the NM-M1-MP83 and NM-M1-MP78 represent an ideal upgrade for users who want to migrate their Noctua CPU coolers to the new, Torx based SecuFirm2+ standard or to the latest sockets that their cooler did not yet support at the time of purchase. On AMD AM5, the offset mounting option can significantly improve performance with typical reductions in CPU temperatures of 1-3°C.

"The mounting system might seem like a sideshow when looking at a CPU cooler as a whole, yet in fact, it's one of the key factors not only for the customer's overall user experience but also for product safety and performance - poor contact pressure or contact quality can easily ruin your results even if the heatsink as such is working great", explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "At Noctua, we have always taken pride in refining our mounting systems unremittingly, and the NM-M1 kits are a testament to this strive: integrating the latest SecuFirm2+ standard as well as our offset mounting option for improved performance on AMD AM5, they keep raising the bar."

AMD today announced at Smart Production Solutions 2023 the AMD Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processor family, optimized for the high-performance requirements of industrial markets. By combining "Zen 4" architecture and integrated Radeon graphics, Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processors deliver performance and functionality not previously offered for the embedded market. With its expanded features and integration, Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processors are ideal for a wide range of embedded applications, including industrial automation, machine vision, robotics and edge servers.

The Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processor is the first embedded processor to use next-generation 5 nm technology with a 7-year manufacturing availability commitment. The new embedded processor integrates AMD Radeon RDNA 2 graphics that eliminates the need for a discrete GPU for industrial applications. And because embedded applications require additional operating system software options, Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processors include support for both Windows Server and Linux Ubuntu, on top of Windows 10 and Windows 11. Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processors also include up to 12 high-performance "Zen 4" CPU cores, which combined with its integrated features and wide operating system choices, offers unparalleled ease of integration for system designers.

Noctua today expanded its chromax.black line with all-black versions of the award-winning NH-D9L and NH-L9x65 CPU coolers: Staying true to the successful formula of the original models, the new chromax.black versions with their black fans and black coated heatsinks combine the same signature quiet cooling performance with a sleek stealth look. "Many users who build Small Form Factor systems value build-aesthetics just as much as performance and quietness of operation", says Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "Our NH-D9L and NH-L9x65 are highly popular among Small Form Factor builders, so we're excited to introduce them in all-black chromax versions!"

The new NH-D9L chromax.black and NH-L9x65 chromax.black are identical to the award-winning regular models except for the colour: Featuring black coated heatsinks, black fans with black anti-vibration-pads, black fan clips and black mounting parts, they are literally black from head to toe. Thanks to thoroughgoing optimisations of the coating material and process, the chromax.black models provide the same, renowned quiet cooling performance as their regular, non-coated counterparts.

ASRock began rolling out UEFI firmware updates for its Socket AM5 motherboards that encapsulate AMD AGESA 1.1.0.0 ComboAM5PI microcode. This would be the second release of AGESA to support AMD's upcoming Ryzen 7000G "Phoenix" and "Phoenix 2" desktop APUs that the company reportedly plans to launch later this year. The AGESA 1.1.0.0 microcode comes with the SMU version 76.72.0 for "Phoenix" and "Phoenix 2," and continues with version 84.79.223 for "Raphael" and "Raphael-X" processors.

Unlike several past generations of Ryzen branded desktop APUs that only had 2-3 processor models in the retail channel, AMD is reportedly planning a slightly bigger lineup of APUs for the Socket AM5 platform, consisting of Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, and possibly Ryzen 7 processor models, and their Ryzen PRO variants. The Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 models are expected to be based on the "Phoenix 2" silicon that has a combination of two "Zen 4" and four "Zen 4c" CPU cores and an iGPU with 4 compute units; while it is rumored that at least one Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processor model will be built on "Phoenix," which has up to eight "Zen 4" cores, and a large iGPU with up to 12 compute units. So far we haven't seen reports of AMD bringing Ryzen AI to the desktop platform.

AMD is giving final touches to its Ryzen 7000G series desktop APUs that bring the 4 nm "Phoenix" monolithic processor silicon to the Socket AM5 desktop package. The star attraction with these processors is their large iGPU based on the latest RDNA3 graphics architecture, featuring up to 12 compute units worth 768 stream processors, and full DirectX 12 Ultimate feature-set support. These processors should be able to provide 720p to 1080p gaming with entry-medium settings, where you take take advantage of FSR for even better performance. At this point we don't know whether the Ryzen AI feature-set will make its way to the desktop platform. "Phoenix" features an 8-core/16-thread CPU based on the latest "Zen 4" microarchitecture.

An interesting development here is that not only is AMD bring the "Phoenix" silicon to the desktop platform, but the processor models highlighted in this leak reference the smaller "Phoenix 2" silicon. This chip is physically smaller, features a CPU with two "Zen 4" and four "Zen 4c" cores; and an iGPU that has no more than 4 compute units worth 256 stream processors. The OPN codes of at least three processor models surfaced on the web. These include the Ryzen 5 PRO 7500G (100-000001183-00), the Ryzen 5 7500G (100-00000931-00), and the Ryzen 3 7300G (100-000001187-00). No specs about these chips are known at this point. The PRO 7500G and regular 7500G are expected to feature the full 2+4 core configuration, while the 7300G could probably feature a 2+2 core configuration. If the company does plan a 7600G and 7700G, those would likely be based on "Phoenix" with 6 or 8 regular "Zen 4" cores.

AMD is preparing to launch its first APUs on the Socket AM5 desktop platform, with the Ryzen 7000G series. While the company has standardized integrated graphics with the Ryzen 7000 series, it does not consider the regular Ryzen 7000 series "Raphael" processors as APUs. AMD considers APUs to be processors with overpowered iGPUs that are fit for entry-mainstream PC gaming. As was expected for a while now, for the Ryzen 7000G series, AMD is tapping into its 4 nm "Phoenix" monolithic silicon, the same chip that powers the Ryzen 7040 series mobile processors. Proof of "Phoenix" making its way to desktop surfaced with CPU support lists for the latest AGESA SMUs (system management units) compiled by Reous, with the AGESA ComboAM5PI 1.0.8.0 listing support for "Raphael," as well as "Phoenix." Another piece of evidence was an ASUS B650 motherboard support page that listed a UEFI firmware update encapsulating 1.0.8.0, which references an "upcoming CPU."

Unlike "Raphael" and "Dragon Range," "Phoenix" is a monolithic processor die built on the TSMC 4 nm foundry node. Its CPU is based on the latest "Zen 4" microarchitecture, and features an 8-core/16-thread configuration, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The star attraction here is the iGPU, which is based on the RDNA3 graphics architecture, meets the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature requirements, and is powered by 12 compute units worth 768 stream processors. Unlike "Raphael," the "Phoenix" silicon is known to feature an older PCI-Express Gen 4 root complex, with 24 lanes, so you get a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 PEG slot, one CPU-attached M.2 NVMe slot limited to Gen 4 x4, and a 4-lane chipset bus. "Phoenix" features a dual-channel (4 sub-channel) DDR5 memory controller, with native support for DDR5-5600. A big unknown with the Ryzen 7000G desktop APUs is whether they retain the Ryzen AI feature-set from the Ryzen 7040 series mobile processors.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, is excited to introduce the mid-range gaming combo with AMD AAA solution, the BIOSTAR AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics card, and B650MT motherboard, the perfect solution for casual and mid-range gamers and individuals who relish a premium home entertainment experience.

Built around the AMD B650 single-chip architecture with support for the AMD AM5 socket, the B650MT motherboard is an ideal choice to run the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors with its innate ability to extract maximum performance at any instance. The B650MT motherboard is BIOSTAR's latest offering for gaming and home entertainment, meticulously crafted to meet the demands of both casual and mid-range gaming enthusiasts. This motherboard epitomizes efficiency and stability, boasting top-shelf BIOSTAR technology such as Super Hyper PWM for reliable, steady power delivery and innovative A.I Fan, with an automatic detection system designed to ensure optimum cooling performance while intelligently conserving energy.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is excited to announce new DDR5 memory kit specifications at DDR5-6400 CL32-39-39 in kit capacities of 32 GB (16 GB x2) and 48 GB (24 GB x2) under the Trident Z5 Neo RGB series, which also now comes in a new white version. Designed for AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors and AMD X670 chipset motherboards with AGESA 1.0.0.7c BIOS updates, and programmed with AMD EXPO overclock profile technology, these new specifications enable PC enthusiasts, overclockers, and DIY builders to build an ideal AMD system.

Overclocked Memory Speed Up to DDR5-6400
With the introduction of the AGESA 1.0.0.7c update, G.SKILL is updating the Trident Z5 Neo RGB series with DDR5-6400 memory kits, designed for use on compatible AMD platforms. Refer to the screenshot below to see the DDR5-6400 CL32-39-39 32 GB (16 GB x2) memory kit validated on the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X desktop processor and the ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO motherboard with the 1602 BIOS update. Memory performance and results may vary depending on the motherboard model, CPU model, and BIOS version used.

ID-Cooling introduced the IS-67-XT, a low-profile CPU cooler, which gets its name from its Z-height of just 67 mm, with its fan in place. The cooler comes in all-black, and all-white variants. Its design involves a C-type aluminium fin-stack heatsink, with a top-flow ventilation. Six 6 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heatpipes draw heat from a copper base, which is then conveyed to an aluminium fin-stack that's arranged along the plane of the motherboard. This is ventilated by a 15 mm-thick 120 mm fan. ID-Cooling claims a cooling capacity of 150 W, which means you should be able to run most mainstream desktop processors at stock speeds, taking advantage of the lower noise figures than stock cooling solutions.

The included 120 mm fan takes in 4-pin PWM input, turns at speeds ranging between 500 to 2,200 RPM, pushing up to 67.58 CFM of airflow at 1.54 mm H₂O static pressure, and a maximum noise output of 35.2 dBA. The cooler measures 120 mm x 120 mm x 67 mm, weighing 500 g (including fan). Among the CPU socket types supported by the ID-Cooling IS-67-XT are LGA1700, AM5, LGA1200, AM4, and LGA115x. Backed by a 3-year warranty, both color variants of the cooler are priced at USD $44.99 a piece.

ASUS today announced the TUF Gaming LC II 360 ARGB AIO liquid cooler, armed with a beefy 360 mm radiator and offering dazzling Gen 2 ARGB lighting and compatibility with a wide variety of chassis and CPU sockets.

The TUF Gaming LC II ARGB series delivers the performance and features users need to bring out the best in any mainstream gaming build. Coolant flows through an illuminated coldplate to reinforced sleeved tubing that arrives at a high-capacity radiator chilled by three 120 mm ARGB fans - which have grooved fins for optimal airflow and reduced noise. Meanwhile, Aura Sync ARGB elements illuminating the radiator fans and the TUF Gaming logo on the pump cover ensure unmatched style.

The TUF Gaming LC II 360 ARGB also features a new cooling design where the pump head and motor are separated for less noise and vibration, while a new place-and-twist retention mechanism makes installation a snap by eliminating the need for tools. As a nod to premium durability, each cooler comes with a class-leading six-year ASUS warranty.

According to a post by @g01d3nm4ng0 on Twitter/X, we now know that AMD is readying yet another AGESA update for AM5 motherboards. The new version is, based on information from our own sources, a minor update to the current version. As such, AMD will be moving from 1.0.0.7b to 1.0.0.7c. @g01d3nm4ng0 didn't reveal any details of the new AGESA apart from the screenshot below, but we asked around and managed to find out what the new AESA addresses.

The update is specifically for those with Samsung DDR5 memory in their AM5 motherboards and it addresses multiple memory related stability issues. We weren't given the full details as to what those are, but there have been some reports about there being issues specifically with Samsung DDR5 memory in some AM5 boards and hopefully this will solve all those problems. We don't have a release time frame for the updated AGESA, but with 1.0.0.7b barely out the door, it might take a few weeks before this one makes it through all the internal testing at the motherboard makers.

Thermalright has taken yet another low-key approach to announcing new products—the Taiwan hardware cooling specialist has updated its website with Heilos thermal pads. The model name looks to be a typo—should they have used "Helios" instead? A prominent sun graphic is placed on the bottom left of Thermalright's packaging for both of the Intel and AMD variants. It is unfortunate that something got lost in translation, or a spellcheck did not pick up on the small error before going to print/publication. Anyway...Thermalright is offering two sizes, with an identical 0.2 mm thickness—40x40 mm for AMD's AM4/AM5 CPU platforms, and a smaller pad (40x30 mm) for Intel LGA115X/1200/1700 CPUs. Pricing and availability is TBD.

These easy-peel away applicators provide an alternative route for users who fret about the best way to deal with traditional tubes of thermal paste. Tom's Hardware has pored over the Heilos specs—these pads offer thermal conductivity performance (8.5 W/mK) and resistance (0.04°C cm²/W), comparable (in their opinion) to "inexpensive" tubes of Arctic MX-4 and MX-5. The latter ranks at number four on the publication's "list of the best thermal pastes." Older thermal pads from other manufacturers have been criticized for falling short in terms of cooling performance, when cross-referenced against market leading thermal pastes—it is encouraging to see Thermalright addressing these concerns (specs-wise). We hope that evaluation samples have been sent out to review outlets.

Thermalright introduced the Assassin X 120 PLUS V2 tower-type CPU cooler. This is a spruced up version of the company's Assassin X series coolers, featuring a thicker fin-stack compared to the original Assassin X; four nickel-plated copper heatpipes that disperse in a unique "square" pattern through the fin-stack; a fancy die-cast aluminium top-plate for the heatsink; and two included 120 mm fans intended to be installed in a push-pull configuration (most of the Assassin X series coolers include just one).

The cooler uses a nickel-plated copper base, from which four 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes make their way through the aluminium fin-stack. The two included fans are of different types. The TL-C12B V2 fan meant for the "push" arrangement features a fluid-dynamic bearing, takes in 4-pin PWM input, turns at speeds of up to 1,500 RPM, pushing up to 66.17 CFM of airflow, at 1.53 mm H₂O static pressure, and a maximum noise output of 25.6 dBA. The TL-C12RB V2 meant for the "pull" has mostly the same specs, except 58 CFM airflow. With its fans in place, the Thermalright Assassin X 120 PLUS V2 measures 120 mm x 100 mm x 153 mm (WxDxH), weighing 815 g (545 g heatsink + 2x 135 g fans). Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700, AM5, AM4, LGA1200, and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing.

AMD's recently added Ryzen 5 7500F for the AM5 socket was initially said to only be available in the PRC, but according to AMD, it will apparently be available globally. That said, AMD apparently only seeded review units to select Asian media, among them Quasar Zone in Korea, who put the six core, 12 thread CPU through its paces. Overall performance is very close to the Ryzen 5 7600, which isn't really all that strange, considering the two only differ by 100 MHz in both base and boost clock. In most of the benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7500F is around two to three percent slower than the Ryzen 5 7600 on average.

When compared to the slightly more pricey Intel Core i5-13400, AMD falls behind multithreaded apps but comes out on top in most of the games tested, with the usual odd exception as would be expected. On average, the Ryzen 5 7500F is some 13 percent faster in the game benchmarks at 1080p, although this is using an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card. It even beats the overall much faster Intel Core i5-13500 in gaming by around nine percent on average. However, the Ryzen 5 7500F system loses out to the two Intel systems when it comes to power efficiency, drawing around 20 Watts more on average when gaming. At US$179.99 it seems like AMD finally has a budget friendly CPU for the AM5 platform, if you're willing to lose the integrated GPU. It's unknown when the CPU will be available outside of Asia at this point in time.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, proudly unveils the A620MT motherboard, designed to run the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors. Perfectly balanced to meet the needs of various users, from office applications and system integration businesses to home entertainment systems, the A620MT motherboard offers an impressive array of advanced features and top-tier performance, setting the standard for modern-day computing.

Utilizing the AMD Socket AM5 based A620 single-chip architecture, the A620MT motherboard supports AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors, including the brand new AMD Ryzen 5 7500F processor. The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F processor features six cores and twelve threads, operating with a 65 W TDP. While the Ryzen 5 7500F processor does not feature integrated graphics capability, BIOSTAR's Radeon RX 7600 graphics card is a great partner to it, and the combined trio of A620MT motherboard, Ryzen 5 7500F processor and BIOSTAR's RX 7600 graphics card is a recipe for success. With excellent synergy between all devices that ensures an unparalleled computing experience with higher performance, superior data integrity, and lower power consumption.