ENERMAX, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance PC hardware products, confirms compatibility with the upcoming Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake CPU and announces the availability of LGA 1700 mounting kits for its current and future multi-socket desktop CPU coolers.

ENERMAX's LGA 1700 mounting kits will offer full compatibility with the new LGA 1700 socket for its CPU cooler lineups. In addition to LGA 1700, the coolers will continue to include mounting hardware for the previous generation Intel platform (LGA 2066, LGA 2011, LGA 1156, LGA 1155, LGA 1151, LGA 1150, LGA 1200) as well as AMD (AM4/AM3+/AM3/AM2+/AM2/FM2+/FM2/FM).

AMD's upcoming desktop processor Socket AM5 could retain cooler compatibility with the outgoing Socket AM4, according to a leaked technical document related to the socket. If true, this would be the first time that two fundamentally different sockets—one a PGA, and the other an LGA—are designed for cooler cross-compatibility. The document reveals that with a processor installed, Socket AM5 would align with the retention clip and mount-hole spacing identical to that of Socket AM4. This could mean you can carry over your expensive liquid-cooling setup or pricey AIO CLC over from your current Ryzen desktop build.

New renders of Socket AM5 also reveal that the socket locking mechanism is mostly similar to that of Intel sockets, such as the LGA1200, and isn't a downscale of TR4/sTRX4 as was feared in social media. The top retention brace swings along a hinge, and held in place by pressure from a lever that locks into a hook. Depending on the model, AMD Socket AM5 processors could come in TDP values of 45 W, 65 W, 95 W, 105 W, 125 W, and 170 W.

Today Logitech announced its new MX Anywhere 3 and MX Anywhere 3 for Mac Wireless Compact Mice, low-profile mice designed for advanced creators, developers and anyone who seeks performance, portability and comfort anywhere they need to work. The mouse is built to track on virtually any surface, including glass, as you move it with you to varied work spaces around the home or office. Featuring the next-generation MagSpeed wheel, MX Anywhere 3 quietly scrolls up to 1,000 lines per second and auto-shifts between ratchet and hyperfast mode, giving you the highest precision in a compact mouse.

"MX Anywhere 3, the latest addition to the premium MX family of products, is purpose-built for creating, making and doing at the speed of thought so you can master whatever you need," said Delphine Donne-Crock, general manager of creativity and productivity at Logitech. "Designed to enhance your workflow anytime and anywhere you need to be productive, MX Anywhere 3 is comfortable and fits well for smaller hand sizes."

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the release of the Razer THX Spatial Audio App for Windows 10. Featuring advanced 7.1 surround sound with adjustable virtual speakers for superior positional accuracy, the Razer THX Spatial Audio App enhances gameplay and is available for use with all headphones and earbuds. Now, every gamer can upgrade to the very best spatial audio experience, using their existing 3.5mm, Bluetooth or USB headphones.

"Together with THX, we have developed an immersive audio solution that addresses the core gamers' needs - dynamic and accurate positional audio," said Alvin Cheung, senior vice president of Razer's peripherals business unit. "We've achieved this by drawing on THX's cinematic audio expertise, then adding a wide range of customization tools, to fine tune and personalize the listener's soundscape."

Antec Inc., the leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade, and Do-It-Yourself market, is happy to announce that all current 115x compatible CPU water blocks and air coolers are also compatible with the new Intel LGA 1200 socket, utilized on motherboards supporting the 10th generation of Intel Core processors. The new socket was very recently launched along with the Z490 motherboards that support the latest Comet Lake-S Intel processors.

LGA 1200 was designed as a replacement for the LGA 1151. The LGA 1200 has 1200 protruding pins to make contact with the pads on the processor. It uses a modified design of LGA 1151 with 49 extra pins on it, improving power delivery and enabling support for future incremental I/O features. Pin 1 position remains the same as it was in previous generation processors.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced the release of refreshed HyperX Pudding Keycaps for mechanical gaming keyboards. Available in both black and white "pudding" color editions, the new HyperX Pudding Keycaps use a translucent dual-layer design to enhance LED and RGB lighting, allowing more light to radiate for extra brilliance.

The new dual-layer "pudding" design uses double shot construction with PBT material to provide style and reliability, ensuring long-lasting durability, resilience and keycap legends that won't fade like standard keycaps. The new pudding keycaps also feature a signature HyperX font to provide added style and optimal shine-through capabilities, improving the look and feel of the ultimate professional gaming keyboard. Compatible with all HyperX mechanical gaming keyboards and keyboards featuring Cherry MX style switch stems, the HyperX Pudding Keycaps also include a keycap removal tool.

In their briefing leading up to today's Ryzen 3 3100 and 3300X review embargo, AMD disclosed that its upcoming "Zen 3" 4th generation Ryzen desktop processors will only support AMD 500-series (or later) chipsets. The next-gen processors will not work with older 400-series or 300-series chipsets. This comes as a blow to those who bought premium X470 motherboards hoping for latest CPU compatibility running into 2020. At this time only B550 is available, but we expect more news on enthusiast chipsets as the Zen 3 launch date comes closer. AMD B550 is a fascinating new mid-range chipset by AMD. Launching today as a successor to the popular B450 chipset, B550 is a low-power silicon with roughly the same 5-7 W TDP as the older 400-series chipset. Although AMD won't confirm it, it's likely that the chipset is sourced from ASMedia. It brings a lot to the table that could draw buyers away from B450, but it also takes some away.

The AMD B550 currently only supports 3rd generation Ryzen "Matisse" processors. Ryzen 3000 "Picasso" APU are not supported. What's more, older Ryzen 2000 "Pinnacle Ridge," "Raven Ridge," and first gen Ryzen 1000 "Summit Ridge" aren't supported, either. The Athlon 200 and 3000 "Zen" based chips miss out, too. AMD argues that it ran into ROM size limitations when trying to cram AGESA microcode for all the older processors. We find that hard to believe because B450 motherboards with the latest ComboAM4 AGESA support 2nd gen and 3rd gen processors, including APUs and Athlon SKUs based on the two. On the bright side, AMD assured us (within its marketing slides for the B550), that the chipset will support upcoming processors based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture. The company also came up with a new motherboard packaging label that clarifies that the processors won't work with the 3400G and 3200G.

Noctua confirmed that Intel's upcoming 10th generation Core "Comet Lake-S" processor's LGA1200 CPU socket has an identical cooler compatibility with LGA115x-series sockets, such as LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1155, and LGA1156. Most of Noctua's LGA115x-compatible coolers will seamlessly fit on LGA1200 motherboards. A selection of Noctua's older coolers can be made compatible for LGA1200 by requesting Noctua for a free NM-i115x upgrade kit. Some of the really old (think pre-Lynnfield) Noctua coolers can be made to support LGA1200, but are not eligible for the free NM-i115x upgrade kit offer. Yet another list of Noctua coolers, such as those tailor-made for SP3, won't support LGA1200 at all, since they don't support the NM-i115x module. The rule of the thumb hence is "if it supports LGA1151, it will support LGA1200."

The list of Noctua coolers that seamlessly support LGA1200 include NH-C12P SE14, NH-C14, NH-C14S, NH-D15, NH-D15 chromax.black, NH-D15S, NH-D14, NH-L12, NH-L12S, NH-L9i, NH-L9i chromax-black, NH-L9x65, NH-U14S, NH-U12A, NH-U12S, NH-U12S chromax.black, NH-U12P SE2, NH-U9S, NH-D9L, and NH-U9B SE2. The coolers eligible for a free NM-i115x upgrade kit are: NH-C12P, NH-D15 SE-AM4, NH-L9x65 SE-AM4, NH-U12, NH-U12F, NH-U12P, NH-U12P SE1366, NH-U12S SE-AM4, NH-U9, NH-U9F, and NH-U9B. Among the older coolers that support LGA1200 though a NM-i115x module purchased separately, are NH-U12DO (except A3 variant), NH-U12DX, NH-U12DX 1366, NH-U12DX i4, NH-U9DX i4, NH-U9DX 1366, and NH-U9DO.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories is pleased to announce that ADATA and XPG DDR4 memory modules are compatible with latest 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen and Ryzen Threadripper HEDT (High-end Desktop) platforms. Whether for creators that demand high-capacity modules or gamers and overclockers seeking high-performance modules, ADATA and XPG offer memory products that meet their specific needs.

ADATA and XPG have always strove to ensure high compatibility of their memory modules through the use of high-quality, rigorously tested IC chips and PCB boards. With the recent launch of AMD's most powerful desktop processors- Ryzen 9 3950X processor with X570 platform and AMD HEDT Ryzen Threadripper 3960X/3970X processor with TRX40 platform, ADATA's and XPG's commitment to high compatibility remains a key consideration, in addition to robust performance and sufficient capacity.

Phanteks today updated the compatibility of their RTX water blocks with the recent announcement of the new NVIDIA's RTX Super cards. With the RTX water blocks being designed to offer the best compatibility from the start, the RTX Super cards are also fully supported by the current lineup. The new RTX Super cards feature more cores, higher clocks and faster memory for ultimate performance and with this, needs more cooling power. Phanteks water block features innovative design and cooling performance and are designed with high versatility for ultimate compatibility of many different cards including the new RTX Super cards.

Update April 4th: This post has been corrected based on new information provided by ASUS, EKWB, as well as other parties. The original story mentioned a silent change to the glue used on the PCB which, as we now believe, is no longer the case in that ASUS is not to blame.

Update April 5th: ASUS has confirmed to us that there has been no PCB change (in terms of components and their heights), it's only a problem of tolerances due to the glue being liquid during production.

ASUS has glued the GPU die to the PCB for many generations, which helps ensure contact and avoids microfractures in the solder balls from physical force or thermal expansion. The nature of this glue, typically an epoxy resin, means that aftermarket cooling solutions, such as full cover or die-only water blocks, have to accommodate for this around the holes around the die. Previous graphics cards had no issue here, because the mounting holes were far away from the GPU die. With RTX 2080 Ti and its super large GPU chip this has changed, and there's only a few millimeters of space left. If a waterblock uses wider standoffs than the design merits, or if the glue spreads out farther than intended, it can result in poor/inconsistent contact between waterblock and the GPU, which in turn can lead to worse thermal performance than ideal.

This time, EK Waterblocks alerted us that the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti had poor contact and fitting issues with their GPU water block for the same, as seen in images below provided by their customer T. Hilal, which interferes with the four standoffs surrounding the package. EK recommends removing these standoffs to ensure a good fit and thermal paste spread, and this does not affect water block performance much in their internal testing. In previous such occasions, EK and others have had to come up with a second version of the block for added compatibility, however it remains to be seen if the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 2080 Ti will merit a similar treatment this time round. As an external reference, Phanteks has separately confirmed to us that their water block remains compatible.

Leading gaming headset and audio accessory brand Turtle Beach (Nasdaq: HEAR) today announced that the Turtle Beach Battle Buds - a high-performance in-ear headset designed for gamers on the go - are now available internationally. The Battle Buds' standout feature is the removable high-sensitivity boom microphone which delivers crystal-clear in-game chat with other players. When not gaming, the boom mic can be easily detached, and the inline mic can be used for taking calls and chatting on the go. Additionally, Battle Buds have 10mm speakers that deliver full-range sound, as well as a standard 3.5 mm connection to ensure compatibility with nearly all mobile devices, Nintendo Switch , Xbox One, PS4 , and PC. Battle Buds arrive with two color combinations - bright white with teal accents, or sleek black with silver accents, and are available today at for just £24.99.

"The Battle Buds use our renowned mic technology to deliver a great multiplayer chat experience, just in a smaller, more portable package created for gamers playing on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices," said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach. "Battle Buds sound great whether gaming or listening to music, and both mics pick up your voice loud and clear, whether you're coordinating with your squad to ensure you get the next win, or on a call with a friend talking about your next match."

It has been confirmed by Seasonic that their FOCUS PLUS power supplies are experiencing potential conflict with a select number of graphics cards. In regards to NVIDIA, the compatibility issue is currently limited to the ASUS GeForce GTX 970 STRIX. In limited instances, this particular graphics card can encounter a black screen under heavy load. Testing by Seasonic has determined that the issue is caused by higher than normal ripple when the GPU is heavily stressed. They also determined that solving the problem simply required using modified PCIe cables that feature enhanced shielding.

When it comes to AMD GPUs things are a bit more problematic. Both of AMD's Vega 56 and Vega 64 series of graphics cards with serial numbers before January 2018, can experience system shutdowns when paired with a FOCUS PLUS power supply. The issue is caused by higher than normal peak current being emitted by these graphics cards when under heavy load. This results in the power supply's internal protection safety being triggered. Considering Seasonic's popularity the fact these power supplies are encountering problems is likely going to be a hit to their brand image. At least they are stepping up to the plate having admitted to the problem while also investigating the root causes. They are also encouraging anyone that is encountering issues to contact them for assistance.

Keen-eyed Linux and Valve uses have noticed what could seemingly be a big reveal and shake-up to games' compatibility with the Linux platform. If you're a die-hard Linux fan, or even if you're just a curious dabbler in that operating system, you know that there aren't many concerted efforts of bringing game experiences to that operating system. A good port requires many more hours than game developers are willing to put into it - let alone compiling a native implementation of their game for that OS.

However, Valve, being the most important digital games distributor through their Steam platform, know there's an untapped source of income in that part of the market. And if developers won't do it themselves, then Valve seem to be willing to take the matter into their own hands. This speculation arises from Steam's GUI files, which when looked at with SteamDB's Steam Tracker, include a hidden section with unused text related to an (as of yet) unannounced Steam Play system, which "(...) will automatically install compatibility tools that allow you to play games from your library that were built for other operating systems."

ASRock's 300 series motherboards now support the new support Intel Core 9000 series processor family. via new BIOS update. With the outstanding and no compromise CPU VRM design of every ASRock motherboards, current ASRock Z370, H370, B360 and H310 series motherboards users can now experience the extreme performance of the new processor with only a few clicks. For every ASRock motherboard we're currently selling that supports this new CPU will have a "8Core CPU Support" sticker on the product box, it may adopt the new CPU right out of box.Visit this page for links to your motherboard's BIOS update.

Tech Day slides leaked to the web by Kitguru provide a confirmation of how AMD is wiring out the additional two dies on the 24-core and 32-core Ryzen Threadripper 2000-series MCMs on the socket TR4 platform. We had speculated that because the quad-channel DDR4 memory and PCIe interfaces are wired to two diagonally-opposite dies on AMD X399 chipset motherboards; in the interest of backwards compatibility, AMD could wire out memory and PCIe from just two out of four dies on the multi-chip module, and have the two additional dies seek memory and PCIe over the InfinityFabric interfaces.

The obvious trade-offs with this design choice is that latencies to the dies with indirect memory/PCIe access are higher, and that reflects heavily in AMD's own performance figures for comparing the 32-core 2990WX with the 16-core 2950X from the same generation. The 2990WX is "only" up to 64 percent faster than 2950X at Cinebench R15 nT, despite having double the number of cores. To its credit, the 2950X has higher clock-speeds (3.50 GHz nominal with 4.40 GHz boost) than the 2990WX (3.00 GHz nominal with 4.00 GHz boost). The presentation also puts out interesting bits of information such as AMD's own performance numbers showing 10-15 percent performance gains between the 2950X and the 1950X; and performance gains of the 2990WX over Intel Core i9-7980XE.

MSI has put up a news item announcing support for Intel's 9000 series CPUs on their Z370 motherboards. The announcement has, in the meantime, been promptly pulled, for whatever reason. Alongside the announcement for MSI's Z370 motherboards being "Optimized for Intel 9000 processors", the company released a list of 15 motherboard models in its lineup that sport the Z370 chipset which will receive BIOS updates to bring them up to speed, support-wise, with Intel's 9000 series.

Of course, there's a small hitch here: the wording in the promotional image isn't quite clear-cut in regards to exactly up to which core counts will actually be supported. The promo image speaks of "next-gen six-core CPU support", which may mean that only up to six-core, i5-tier Intel 9000 series CPUs will be supported, with the 8-core, 16-thread i9 lineup being a premium, Z390-only product. That would certainly play into Intel's usual way of doing things - they do have to justify the introduction of a new chipset, anyway. We'll have to wait and see - likely for some time, if the latest Intel roadmaps are any indication.

Like many other manufacturers, Fractal Design isn't sleeping under the proverbial palm tree with their products. They too have sought to keep after the most promising high performance platforms for their Celsius AIOs, and have announced compatibility with Intel's latest X299 platform and AMD's X399. The S24 is one of the best 240 mm AIO coolers out there, apparently; models of this lineup feature a 12 V ceramic bearing water pump equipped with a copper cold plate. The Celsius line of coolers also come equipped with an integrated fan hub that allows end users to plug the cooler fans directly into the radiator instead of the motherboard - leaving those fan headers free for other pieces of hardware.

The compatibility will be achieved, as usual, through a separate bracket. AMD Threadripper users will be able to rest assured, since their purchase of a Threadripper CPU will already come with a Asetek retention kit inside the box (compatible with Fractal Design's coolers, naturally.) Intel X299 users will find full compatibility for the socket via the included 2011-v3 kit inside the Fractal Design Celsius AIO packaging.