Chinese RISC-V developers Milk-V Technology and SOPHGO recently announced their collaborative open source Milk-V Pioneer developer motherboard and workstation based on the SOPHON SG2042 RISC-V server SoC. The SOPHON SG2042 is a 64-core, 2 GHz SoC based on T-Head Semiconductor's XuanTie C920 64-bit processor design which features clusters of one to four cores, each a 12-stage out-of-order multiple issue superscalar pipeline, and a 128-bit vector engine based on the preliminary RISC-V V Extension version 0.7.1. The SG2042 packs in 64+64 KB (I+D) L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core cluster, 64 MB of L3 system cache, a quad-channel DDR4 controller, and 32 lanes of PCI-E Gen 4. The SG2042 contains no integrated graphics solution.

The Milk-V Pioneer incorporates this highly threaded RISC-V SoC with a modular and expandable standard mATX motherboard featuring four DIMM slots with support for up to 128 GB of DDR4, three full-length PCI-E slots wired for Gen 4 x8, two M.2 M-Key PCI-E Gen 3 x4, one M.2 E-Key for PCI-E 3.0 x1 and USB 2.0, eight USB 3.2 10 Gbps ports, five SATA 6 Gbps ports, and a pair of 2.5G Ethernet ports. The bulk of this I/O runs off an ASMedia ASM 2824 PCI-E switch, however the PCI-E Gen 4 ports run directly off the SG2024 SoC. Milk-V Pioneer is also being offered as a prebuilt small form factor workstation which puts the board into a small portable chassis called the Pioneer Box. The Pioneer Box includes 64 GB of DDR4-3200, 1 TB M.2 SSD, an Intel X520-T2 10G network card, an AMD Radeon R5 230 graphics card for display, and a 350 W power supply.

Dutch social enterprise Fairphone is proud to announce the launch of its latest device, Fairbuds XL, once again pioneering more sustainable ways to make electronics. Fairbuds XL are the company's first modular audio device. The headphones are the next step in Fairphone's journey to develop fair and long-lasting audio
devices, after launching its first generation earbuds in 2021.

By introducing Fairbuds XL, Fairphone is applying its market-leading experience in making sustainable, repairable smartphones. The headphones are produced with the same values used to make all Fairphone devices - focus on people and planet. Like all Fairphone devices, the headphones are designed to last. The modular construction and spare parts make them easy to repair, which lets users enjoy and keep their device for longer. Fairbuds XL allow for the replacement of parts that can wear over time, such as the ear cushions. The long-term use of electronics isn't only great for the user experience, it also helps reduce their environmental footprint.

Opera is unveiling Opera One today. Opera One is the early access version of a completely redesigned browser that is planned to replace the flagship Opera browser for Windows, MacOS, and Linux later this year. Based on Modular Design, Opera One transforms the way you interact with your browser, delivering a liquid navigation experience which is more intuitive to the user. With today's release, Opera One also becomes the first major Chromium-based browser with a multithreaded compositor that brings the UI to life like never before. Opera One also introduces Tab Islands, a new, more intuitive way of interacting with and managing multiple tabs. This news from the company comes just weeks after announcing its first generative AI features, including AI Prompts, as well as access to ChatGPT and ChatSonic in the sidebar.

Introducing the first implementation of Modular Design
Opera has a history of reinventing itself to address the changing needs of its users as well as the evolving nature of the web. With Opera One, the browser has been redesigned according to Modular Design. The new design philosophy, which is being presented today for the first time, will allow Opera to over time build a more powerful and feature-rich browser that is ready for a generative AI-based future. The Opera browser is thus beginning its metamorphosis into a browser that will dynamically adapt to the user's needs by bringing only the key features to the foreground: the relevant modules within Opera One will adjust automatically based on context, providing the user with a more liquid and effortless browsing experience.

Insider sources at Microsoft have spoken of continued efforts to modernize the core of its operating system, with the work-in-progress Windows 12 cited as the ideal candidate for substantial updates. The engineering team is reported to be integrating a modular design, which will allow for a reduced operating system footprint - similar in principle to ChromeOS. According to a Windows Report article the operating system development team is hard at work on a spiritual successor to the abandoned Windows Core OS project. Their newest effort is reported to be called "Windows CorePC" and Microsoft is aiming to hit the same goals it set for its Windows 10X edition, which was cancelled in mid-2021, but they will also target native support for legacy applications on devices that require necessary access.

Windows Core OS was shutdown after years of development and internal testing - it was hoped that a modular Universal Windows Platform-first (UWP-F) operating system would be more lightweight and gain stronger security features, as well as greater access to regular updates. The inside sources stated that Windows Core OS will not be developed any further, at least not for desktop computer purposes. The Microsoft team is anticipating that its new CorePC project will lead onto new configurations of Windows that feature a capability of scaling up and down depending on hardware variations. Windows PCs and devices, in some user case scenarios, do not require full breadth of legacy Win32 application support. CorePC will enable different configurations of Windows to be installed on a custom basis.

What if you drastically changed the way that you play Forza Horizon 5? ESWAP X PRO CONTROLLER — the gold standard for professional gamepads - is heading to Mexico and sporting the colors of the game Forza Horizon 5. To celebrate the occasion, it includes a world-first feature: RACING WHEEL MODULE. Dubbed ESWAP XR PRO CONTROLLER FORZA HORIZON 5 EDITION, this gamepad provides next-level immersion and a truly exceptional racing experience. It's all about precision, speed and control!

A GAMEPAD CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FORZA HORIZON 5 DEVELOPER TURN 10
Officially licensed by both Forza Horizon 5 and Xbox, ESWAP XR PRO CONTROLLER FORZA HORIZON 5 EDITION is a true collector's-edition gamepad to be treasured. Customized with the official colors of Forza Horizon 5, you'll enjoy all of the precision and responsiveness that have made Thrustmaster's ESWAP X PRO CONTROLLER a worldwide smash hit.

Antec Inc., leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, broadens its Gold series with three models offering 650 W, 750 W or 850 W. The 80 PLUS GOLD rating and modular cabling make the Neo Eco Gold Modular a great and affordable choice to Antec's range of industry-leading power supplies. They are now commercially available from 109 € (suggested retail price including VAT).

The brand-new NeoECO Gold Modular series was born ready for the best DIY-PC experience, and it also serves exceptional performance and outstanding stability. Featuring 100% full modular design and 80 PLUS Gold certification, the NeoECO Gold Modular series keeps the PC hardware installation convenient and clean. It provides highly efficient power to your system and reduces your electricity bills.

It's scary how nobody else thought of this. Imagine a modular PSU whose connectors are not at its tail end, but one of the sides that usually face right side-panel of your case, vastly minimizing cable clutter. That's the new Corsair RMx Shift series. All of the PSU's modular connections, including a 24-pin ATX, a couple of 4+4 pin EPS, a 16-pin 12VHPWR, six-odd 6+2 pin PCIe power, and a dozen SATA power connections, all wire out from the longer right side panel of the PSU (when oriented with its intake fan facing down). In most "cases," this would open up the connectors right below the motherboard tray, from where you can easily access them, without having to wrestle with them as you would on conventional modular PSUs. The RMx Shift includes new Corsair type-5 modular cables, and we expect these to be right angled, so further minimize cable clutter from having to bend these cables against the side-panel of your case. Pictured below are the RM1200x Shift, a 1200 W model with 80 Plus Gold efficiency, and the shorter RM850x Shift, its 850-Watt sibling.

Over the past decade, PC cases have grown increasingly compartmentalized, but rarely modular. A case could be partitioned horizontally, or vertically to accommodate the various purpose-built chambers, but why should you stick to a particular pre-set arrangement of the compartments? In Win has an answer to this question with Mod Free. This case can either be a tall full-tower, or a horizontal stack of compartments, depending on how you want it. You can reconfigure the case as many times are you like, to grow with your hardware upgrades. The detachable modules can even hold secondary ITX-based machines, entire DIY liquid-cooling setups, large arrays of storage devices, or dedicated to graphics cards. Reconfigure and reshape the case as you like.A video presentation by In Win follows.

Cougar today rolled out the GEX Snow line of premium modular PSUs, characterized by their all-white body. Matte-white makes up the PSU's body, its modular connectors; the set of modular cables, and even the impeller of its fan. The GEX Snow comes in 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W capacities. Under the hood, these PSUs offer 80 Plus Gold efficiency, a single +12 V rail design, DC-to-DC switching, and most common electrical protections. The 120 mm hydro-dynamic bearing fan is designed to be fanless up to 40% load. The connector loadout of a 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, six 4-pin Molex, and eight SATA power connectors; is common to all three models. The 650 W and 750 W models offers four 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, while the 850 W model offers six of these. The company didn't reveal pricing.

MOUNTAIN, creator of innovative, premium peripherals with user-centric design to enable gamers and content creators to perform at their best, expands its eco-system of premium peripherals with the launch of the MOUNTAIN Keypad series in the form of MOUNTAIN DisplayPad and MOUNTAIN MacroPad. True to the core pillars of MOUNTAIN, DisplayPad and MacroPad are packed with innovative features, deliver peak performance, feature a stylish and ergonomic design and offer unparalleled customization.

Modularity, flexibility, and freedom of choice are at the heart of MOUNTAIN's design philosophy, which is why DisplayPad and MacroPad were developed to be used either together with the Everest Max or Core keyboard to create a powerful command center, or standalone with the included sturdy anti-slip base. Following 4 years of meticulous software development, after the integration of dedicated controls for popular creative software and services such as Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, DaVinci Resolve, Twitch, and OBS Studio, MOUNTAIN opens a new chapter.Check out the TechPowerUp Review of the MOUNTAIN DisplayPad and MacroPad.

PlayNitride Display Co., Ltd (PlayNitride) will hold a virtual exhibition of MicroLED, the next generation of display technology at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2022 Las Vegas, from January 5 to 31, 2022. PlayNitride will be showcasing its latest technology online with four major application scenario demos including modular-large size display, transparent display, wearable display, and AR micro-display.

MicroLED is the ultimate new generation display technology with high brightness, ultra-high contrast ratio, transparent, flexible display, seamless tiling, and low power consumption. PlayNitride develops a distinctive MicroLED called PixeLED for high performance and more innovative display applications, such as TFT backplane, PCB, and the silicon chip.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear, and Enthusiast Memory solutions, is delighted to introduce the launch of the Toughpower GF1 650/750/850 W Snow - TT Premium Edition. After receiving positive feedback for the Toughpower GF1 series, we wanted to provide even more options for users to choose from. While delivering 80 PLUS Gold-certified efficiency, the new models of the Toughpower GF1 Gold series retains all the features of the original version but comes in the color White. With its standard ATX form factor, the Toughpower GF1 650/750/850 W Snow series feature a 140 mm hydraulic bearing fan with intelligent RPM controls delivering a superlative cooling result. The fan noise is minimized as the Smart Zero Fan will only operate when the load exceeds 30% of the total power.

Besides that, its fully modular low-profile flat cables also helps make cable management easier, and the white cables level up the overall visual aesthetic, looking clean and neat. Aimed at providing the highest performance with the best quality, the Toughpower GF1 Gold series adopts high quality Japanese main capacitors and passes many severe tests, such as ripples being lower than 30 mV on +12V, +5V, or +3.3 from 0% to 100% load, and the voltage regulation is set to no more than ±2% for major rails and is stricter than Intel's standard of ±5%.

Fancy some extra RGB lighting to make your home pop just a little bit more than your PC can provide? Then the Nanoleaf Lines might be what you've been waiting for, as these modular RGB LED strips are wall mountable and customisable to your liking.

They serve as much purpose as RGB lights in your PC, although they could obviously be used for mood lighting, albeit a very expensive set of mood lighting. The Lines feature a built-in controller, but can also be controlled by an app, or via most of the popular home assistants through voice. It's also possible to sync the lighting effects with both music and what's being displayed on your screen. Finally there's Razer Chroma Connect integration.
Each Line has two LED zones that can display individual colours and the starter kit comes with a total of nine Lines, which will set you back US$199.99, with a set of three extra Lines going for US$69.99.

Enter the SuperNOVA P+, the new and improved fully-modular power supply line-up from EVGA with an 80+ Platinum Efficiency rating. These power supplies pick up where the award-winning EVGA 1600 P2 and 1200 P2 power supplies left off and continue the tradition of EVGA quality and performance.

Additionally, the SuperNOVA P+ power supplies feature a cleaner internal layout to increase airflow, a Variable Resistor module (to increase voltage stability), two DC to DC modules for more efficient power switching on all models, EVGA ECO Mode, a full suite of power supply protections, and EVGA's World-Leading Global 10-Year Warranty on all P+ power supplies.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear, and Enthusiast Memory solutions, is delighted to bring out an expansion to the Toughpower GF1 Gold series power supply - the Toughpower GF1 1000/1200 W Gold - TT Premium Edition. Delivering 80 PLUS Gold-certified efficiency, the new models of the Toughpower GF1 Gold series remain all merits but come with higher wattages to let users have more options to choose from. With the standard ATX form factor, the Toughpower GF1 1000/1200 W Gold power supplies feature a 140 mm hydraulic bearing fan with intelligent RPM controls providing a superior cooling result. In addition, the Smart Zero Fan will not operate until the load exceeds 30% of the total power, which helps minimize fan noise.

To reach a zero cable platform, a copper plate connecting the back panel and the PCB, delivers better heat dissipation; at the same time, its fully modular low-profile flat cables also help make cable management easier. Aimed at providing the highest performance with the foremost quality, the Toughpower GF1 Gold series adapts high quality Japanese main capacitors and passes many severe settings, such as ripples being lower than 30 mV on +12V, +5V, or +3.3 from 0% to 100% load, and the voltage regulation is set to no more than ±2% for major rails and is stricter than Intel's standard of ±5%. If you are a fan of the Toughpower GF1 Gold series or you are looking for a power supply with higher wattages, the Toughpower GF1 1000/1200 W Gold - TT Premium Edition is the right fit for you.

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of aluminium chassis and PC accessories, announces the SP750, a fully modular SFX size PSU. Perfect for power-hungry small form factor builds, the new 750 watt PSU features reliable Japanese capacitors, an 80 PLUS Gold certification, and a 5-year warranty. Built in a sleek and classic brushed aluminium housing with braided cables, the SP750 also runs quietly with its ZERO RPM mode under 40% load.

LIAN LI features an elegant and classic-looking SFX PSU with a brushed aluminium finish and braided modular cables, giving users the flexibility to utilize only the necessary cables to power their PC components, the flexible and braided motherboard, CPU, and PCIe cables enhance the system's aesthetics.

Sonnet Technologies today announced the DuoModo line of professional, modular Thunderbolt expansion systems for the desktop and for rack installation, the latest entries in its award-winning lineup of Thunderbolt products. The DuoModo line is comprised of three interchangeable expansion modules—a three-slot PCIe card system, an eGPU card system, and a Mac mini mounting system with integrated 40 Gbps Thunderbolt storage dock—and three enclosures consisting of two dual-module housings (one desktop and one rackmount) and a single-module desktop housing. Sonnet will also offer four preconfigured systems to simplify the order process for the most popular combinations of modules and enclosures. All modules are Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 compatible.

DuoModo Echo III Module: This module (the same one used in Sonnet's Echo III Desktop and Echo III Rackmount systems announced at the end of 2020) features one x16 and two x8 PCIe 3.0 slots; accommodates full-height, full-length (up to 12.28 inches long) PCIe cards; and connects them to a computer's Thunderbolt port via the included 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbps) cable. The module integrates a universal 400 W power supply and includes a 75 W auxiliary power connector for non-GPU cards that require extra power. The module includes a mode switch that enables the use of three Avid Pro Tools|HDX PCIe cards, and features Noctua cooling fans for ultra-quiet operation.

Antec Inc., leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, broadens their offer of power supplies with the new line NeoEco Platinum series. The 80 PLUS PLATINUM rating and the Continuous Power with 650 W, 750 W and 850 W make this modular PSU line an efficient and affordable choice.

The PSU line is now commercially available from USD $134.99 for 650 W, USD $144.99 for 750 W and USD $164.99 for 850 W.

The power supplies achieve up to 94 per cent efficiency, so users can reduce their electricity bill significantly. The series features a server-class LLC design with a synchronous rectification based on a DC-DC topology. Japanese capacitors ensure the tightest DC stability and regulation, for reliability that the system can count on. Four PCI Express port connectors enable for multi-GPU support.

Introducing the new EVGA SuperNOVA GM line. Available in 850 W and 750 W, these new power supplies are engineered to bring the power, prestige, and performance of EVGA's award-winning power supplies into an SFX-Standard form factor. Featuring 80 PLUS Gold certified efficiency, fully-modular cables, and 100% Japanese capacitors, the GM's cast a long shadow over its competition. Pint-sized, affordable, and packed with everything you need, the EVGA SuperNOVA GM power supplies make short work of tight spaces.

be quiet!, the market leader for PC power supplies in Germany since 2007, is announcing three new power supply series. The Pure Power 11 FM is a fully modular version of the Pure Power 11, available in 550, 650, and 750 watts and aimed at mainstream computer users who appreciate the versatility of modular cables and 80 PLUS Gold efficiency up to 93.9 percent. Fans of small form factor builds can now upgrade their systems with the SFX Power 3 or TFX Power 3, which offer high performance in compact SFX and TFX form factors.

At be quiet!, Pure Power stands for peerless dependability and a comprehensive feature set at a competitive price point. The Pure Power 11 FM series is no exception: by exclusively using fully modular instead of fixed cables, only cables that serve a purpose are installed, resulting in a smoother airflow, lower temperatures, and easier handling inside the case. Pure Power 11 FM comes equipped with black flat cables for all common connections and a black sleeved 20+4-pin ATX power cable. With two independent 12 V rails for signal stability and up to four PCI-Express connectors (two for the 550 W model), Pure Power 11 FM is fully suited for silent PC configurations, workstations or even gaming systems with a powerful graphics card.

FSP, the world's leading power supply manufacturer, has announced the launch of its new Twins PRO Series power supply. It is available in three different wattages: 500 W, 700 W, and 900 W. The Twins PRO is a redundant power supply mainly designed for the standard ATX or PS2 chassis. The Twins PRO Series does not require a front-end bracket, which makes it an ideal power supply for home cloud server systems or web/mail server systems, and for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Thanks to the over current protection, short circuit protection, over voltage protection, and fan failure protection, the Twins PRO Series PSU maintains stable power at all times. The Twins PRO Series' two modules share the load for optimum efficiency during normal operation. This means users do not need to worry about their servers or PCs unexpectedly powering off. If one module fails, the second functioning module will take the additional load immediately to guarantee system stability.

Cougar today rolled out the Auric line of premium modular PSUs targeted at performance-segment gaming desktops. Available in 650 W and 750 W capacities, the Auric series offers a fairly premium feature-set, including 80 Plus Gold efficiency, full modular cabling, an RGB LED illuminated fan, and a user-controllable semi fanless mode. At the push of a switch, the PSU can be made to maintain complete silence until 40% of load. Another switch lets you toggle the RGB illumination presets (one of which is a dark mode). The lighting can be synchronized to the rest of your lighting via a 4-pin RGB input.

Under the hood, the Cougar Auric series PSUs feature single +12 V rail design that complies with the latest ATX12V v2.53 specification, active PFC, LLC resonant converter, DC-to-DC switching, and protection against over/under-voltage, overload, overheat, and short-circuit. Both the 650 W and 750 W models offer two 4+4 pin EPS, seven SATA power, three Molex, and one 24-pin ATX. The 650 W model offers four 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors, while the 750 W model offers six of these.

During CES 2020, way back in January of this year, Razer had shown off a quite interesting concept. Called a modular gaming desktop, the concept has a goal to allow users to just swap-out parts on the fly and have no trouble doing so. Today, the company has officially decided to launch the Tomahawk gaming desktop. Designed for small-form-factor computing, the case of the Tomahawk PC is coming in at just 10L volume, with measurements of 210 mm x 365 mm x 150 mm. The case is an all-black aluminium silhouette with the signature Razer logo and Chroma lighting around the base. That gives it a simple look that can blend in with any environment.

When it comes to the insides, the PC features a power supply of 750 Watts that powers one of Intel's NUC Element boards that is a house for a 45 W Core i9-9980HK Coffee Lake processor with eight cores and 16 threads. When it comes to memory, it has 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of PCIe M.2 NVMe SSD storage, paired with a 2 TB hard drive. Razer offers users to upgrade memory and storage, while the CPU is soldered to the board. You can pre-order the Razer Tomahawk PC at a price starting at $2,399.99, while if you want to equip it with something like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, you will be paying $3,199.99. If you already have a GPU to install, then you should just order the base.

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of aluminium chassis and PC accessories, is proud to launch the PC-O11D MINI, the newest and most compact addition to the O11D series. Available in white with aluminium accents, and black with a glossy finish, the O11D MINI takes on a highly modular approach to accommodate Mini-ITX, mATX, ATX, and E-ATX motherboard sizes while still offering high-performance water cooling configurations. With its modular and interchangeable back panel, and included pump mounts, the O11D MINI brings a new level of DIY to the PC industry while keeping a minimalist and modern design.

The O11D MINI supports a wide range of configurations with a modular rear panel. Adjustable into 3 positions, the I/O shield rear panel can be positioned at the top with 7 expansion slots, in the middle with 5 expansion slots, and at the bottom with 3 expansion slots. Each bracket can be easily removed and relocated to support either large E-ATX to M-ATX motherboards (with the addition of an included extension bar next to the motherboard tray) or small ITX motherboards, which offer the most room for custom water cooling.

SilverStone today introduced the DA1650, a 1650 W high-end PSU. With a length of 180 mm, the DA1650 has some of the highest power densities on the market, more so given that it's a fully modular PSU (modular cabling adds to the length of a PSU). The extreme Wattage enables the PSU to run completely fanless up to 30% of its capacity or 495 W. Under the hood, the DA1650 features a single +12 V rail design, with a gargantuan 137.5 A rail. It features DC-to-DC switching, active PFC, and most common electrical protections, against over/under-voltage, overload (if you try to crank a truck with this thing), overheat, and short-circuit.

The SilverStone DA1650 offers 80 Plus Gold efficiency, along with ETA A and Lambda S+ certifications. The PSU is designed for 24/7 continuous operation in an environment with up to 50 °C ambient temperature. It uses a 135 mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan to keep cool. Connectors include one 24-pin ATX, four 4+4 pin EPS, twelve 6+2 pin PCIe power, sixteen SATA power, six Molex, and a Berg.Update Aug 27th: SilverStone informed us that the DA1650 will be backed by a 5-year warranty, and priced at USD $330.