Colorful unveiled the iGame B760M Ultra Z, a Socket LGA1700 motherboard in the Micro-ATX form-factor, with a distinctive white PCB, but that's hardly the story—this is Colorful's first motherboard with backside connectors, for more discretely cabled PC builds. The board doesn't use any marketing buzzwords such as "BTF" or "Project Zero," but has its onboard connectors aligned to support PC cases with motherboard tray cutouts for either of the two standards. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 4-pin ATX connectors (sufficient for Intel Performance Power Delivery profile). The processor is wired to a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 slot, and an M.2-2280 Gen 4 slot. Colorful used the region of the PCB next to the four DDR5 memory slots—where you'd normally have 24-pin and other connectors—to position an additional M.2 slot hidden behind a heatsink. There is yet another M.2 slot between the two PCIe slots.

The backside of the PCB has the board's power connectors, four SATA 6 Gbps ports, the USB- and HD audio headers, fan headers, and the front-panel headers. Networking connectivity include Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5 GbE. USB connectivity includes two 5 Gbps type-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, a 10 Gbps type-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, and four USB 2.0 ports. There are two additional 5 Gbps ports via an internal header. HDMI and DisplayPort make up the display connectivity. The motherboard offers the USB BIOS Flashback feature. Available now in the Chinese market, the Colorful iGame B760M Ultra Z is priced at RMB ¥1,199 or (converts to USD $167).

ZALMAN today introduced the P30 Air line of Micro-ATX mini-tower cases with a design focus on high airflow. The case comes in two color variants—black and white. Its design is characterized by panel perforations along not just the entire front-panel, but also the sides of the bottom half. The left side-panel only covers the upper compartment, the bottom compartment opens from the right side-panel that covers both compartments. ZALMAN included three ARGB-illuminated fans with this case, the front mesh intake has two pre-installed 140 mm spinners, while the rear exhaust is handled by a 140 mm fan. This presence of 140 mm rear exhaust also means that the motherboard tray has a high amount of clearance for tall graphics cards and CPU coolers.

A star attraction with the ZALMAN P30 Air is its motherboard tray, which has strategically located cutouts for motherboards with reverse-facing connectors, such as the ASUS BTF series, and MSI Project Zero series. The motherboard tray has room for graphics cards up to 39.2 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 181 mm in height. The bottom compartment has a single 3.5-inch drive tray, with an additional 2.5-inch mount on top. There are two additional 2.5-inch mounts along the motherboard tray. Besides the two 140 mm front intakes and 120 mm rear exhaust, the case features three 120 mm top exhausts, along which you can mount a 360 mm radiator. Due to its design, a radiator cannot be mounted along the front panel. Measuring 235 mm x 452 mm x 420 mm (WxDxH), the case dry weighs 7.6 kg. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Today, Phanteks, a leading innovator in PC chassis design, proudly unveils a new line of chassis - the XT series. Designed to meet the escalating demands of new hardware releases, the XT series promises exceptional cooling capacity and internal space while delivering outstanding value to tech enthusiasts. The XT Series will be available in three variants, the XT Pro, XT Pro Ultra, and XT View. The XT-Series represents a significant leap forward in chassis design, addressing the evolving needs of PC enthusiasts and gamers. Whether you are a seasoned professional or an avid gamer, the XT-Series ensures that your hardware is housed in a sleek and efficient enclosure.

Corsair today announced its re-entry into the dual chamber PC case market. Building on the direct airflow and impressive performance of the 680X and 280X cases, the new 6500 and 2500 Series deliver unprecedented levels of customization. Whether you need the spacious mid-tower chassis of the 6500 for a powerhouse desktop or the compact mid-tower design of the 2500 for a micro ATX build, their dual chamber layout makes building easier, promoting efficient cooling alongside a clean and professional look. With support for the latest reverse connector motherboards, options to convert from fully mesh airflow to tempered glass panels, and a range of functional and aesthetic accessories, these new cases mark a leap forward in dual-chamber case design.

The new reverse connector motherboards are a game-changer for PC builders. These motherboards, such as the ASUS BTF and MSI Project Zero, feature connections discreetly tucked away behind the motherboard tray. This layout, especially when combined with the Corsair iCUE LINK ecosystem, dramatically simplifies the building process and enables a nearly cable-free view within the main chamber of the case. iCUE LINK technology takes this a step further by enabling fans and other internal components to connect to each other seamlessly, reducing the need for multiple types of cables and connectors.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the Corsair 6500X case is now live]

In Win Development Inc. (InWin), a leading innovator in PC enthusiast and gaming hardware, has launched its D5 E-ATX mid-tower PC chassis for PC builders looking for optimized airflow, sensible layout, and versatile hardware installment. With tool-less quick-release panels, a rotatable PCI-E mounting bracket, and optimized cable management, the D5 offers a PC building experience that unlocks build convenience and unparalleled performance.

The full mesh front and top panels ensure optimal cooling for the internal components. Inside is a removable cable shield on the motherboard tray, which not only discretely and effectively manages cable clutter, but also is designed to channel and concentrate airflow towards the main hardware. Offering mounting areas for a total of three front fans, three top fans, and one rear fan. There are excellent air-cooling opportunities, and liquid cooling support for both 360 mm and 280/360 mm radiators. Matching the all-black chassis aesthetic, InWin bundles a Neptune AN120 ARGB fan as a starting point for PC builders that often prefer to choose their own fans. The AN120 offers an exceptional performance-to-noise ratio at just 20.5 dBA nominal and up to 60 CFM airflow.

Bitspower brought a large bag of new toys at the 2024 International CES. The first thing that caught our attention was a familiar-looking case with infinity reflection lighting. On a closer look, it turned out to be a Lian Li PC-O11D Evo XL that's been given a neat aesthetic uplift thanks to the new Enigma Light Panel kit by Bitspower. You arrange these along the edges of your side- and front panels, and the provide an impressive, infinity reflection effect. It works with standard 3-pin ARGB, so you can mix it with your regular lighting setup. Next up, are a slew of CR Slim series reservoirs that are designed in the distribution plate format, which they line up with one of your glass panels, providing a better view of your coolant. There are various sizes, ranging from 120 mm x 120 mm, going all the way up to 803 mm. x 140 mm, with fitting ports at strategic locations to align with your CPU and VGA blocks, and radiators. The reservoirs come with preparation for a standard D5 pump, and feature a side cover that has the ARGB LED lighting, the diodes aren't studded into the acrylic as such. Bitspower released a mounting brackets of various sizes to help you correctly mount the reservoirs and accessories in place.

CORSAIR had a brisk 2024 International CES announcements, and we begin our coverage with two new cases the gaming lifestyle brand debuted this year—the 6500X and the 2500X. The 6500X is a new vertically partitioned case with, or it looks that way from the front. The right-size partition begins from behind the motherboard tray, so the extra width toward the front of the case can be used to neatly slot in a 360 mm radiator in a manner that it doesn't obstruct long graphics cards; as shown in the example build below. There is no front-left pillar. There are plenty of fan vents, including three along the right side, along the bottom, the top, and the rear. As you can see, even an RTX 4080 ROG Strix can stretch itself without a side-facing radiator coming in the way—again, because the vertical partition begins behind the motherboard tray and doesn't extend all the way to the front.

The CORSAIR 2500X is a miniaturized version of the 6500X design concept, where the case is vertically partitioned, but the partitioning doesn't extend all the way to the front; creating space for the side-facing radiator, so it doesn't obstruct a long graphics card. This case is designed for Micro-ATX (or smaller) motherboards. The 2500X has a cozy, wood-like accents along the top, front-right, and top-right edges. It lacks a left pillar just like the 6500X. Perhaps the most interesting aspect about the 2500X and 6500X is that they support both MSI Project Zero and ASUS BTF motherboard types, with their backside connectivity. The 2500X has enough room for up to three 120 mm fans along the bottom and top panels; and two along the side panel. Corsair is expected to launch the 6500X and 2500X toward the end of February, 2024. The company hasn't finalized pricing. The company also showed off some user-replaceable body panels for these cases.

The process of assembling a computer is a great joy for gamers, but cable management can be complex and troublesome. MSI's newly introduced PROJECT ZERO series aims to eliminate these issues. The PROJECT ZERO motherboards relocate most of the cable connectors to the back of the motherboard, allowing cables to hide behind it. This not only enhances the cleanliness and aesthetics in the front but also reduces the difficulty of cable management, making the assembly an enjoyable experience. At the same time, we have introduced the PROJECT ZERO compatible chassis that complements the design philosophy, emphasizing simplicity and elegance when used together.

The PROJECT ZERO series motherboards feature a silver-white design with an extensive heatsink, exuding a clean and sleek appearance. You can choose from a variety of chipset options: Z790 PROJECT ZERO, an ATX motherboard with a 14+1 Duet Rail Power System, Lightning Gen 5 PCIe slot, 4x M.2 slots, and Wi-Fi 7. B760M PROJECT ZERO, a Micro-ATX motherboard with a 12+1 Duet Rail Power System, Lightning Gen 5 PCIe slot, 2x M.2 slots, and Wi-Fi 6E. B650M PROJECT ZERO features a 10 + 2 direct out power system, Lightning Gen 4 PCIe slot, 2x M.2 slots, and Wi-Fi 6E.

MSI in its Computex 2023 booth demonstrated its inverted cabling motherboard concept dubbed "Project Zero." The idea behind this is that all the connectors and headers of the motherboard are located on the reverse side of the PCB, and compatible cases have cutouts at just the right places, so all the cabling—including power—is routed to the motherboard in the crawl-space behind the motherboard tray. No cable is visible on the obverse side of the case (with notable exceptions being the CPU cooler cables, and the power cables of your graphics card). The prototype motherboard MSI showed off has Socket AM5, and is based on the AMD B650 chipset. The demo build reveals that it's preferable to have individually stranded EPS and 24-pin ATX cables, versus sleeved/braided ones that are tougher to bend and route.

Google's internal team Project Zero, dedicated to the discovery and patching of zero-day vulnerabilities in mobile hardware, software, web browsers and open source libraries disclosed a series of vulnerabilities in Samsung's Exynos chipsets featured across a wide range of mobile devices. Four of these critical vulnerabilities allow for internet-to-baseband remote code execution, and testing conducted by Project Zero confirmed that an attacker can compromise a phone at the baseband level with only the victim's phone number. They believe that with sufficient skill an attacker could exploit these vulnerabilities completely silently and remotely. The fourteen other vulnerabilities are related but considered to not be as critical as they require a more extensive setup including a malicious mobile network operator or local access to the targeted device.

Due to the severity of the main four critical vulnerabilities Project Zero has delayed full disclosure on how the exploit works stating:

Due to a very rare combination of level of access these vulnerabilities provide and the speed with which we believe a reliable operational exploit could be crafted, we have decided to make a policy exception to delay disclosure for the four vulnerabilities that allow for Internet-to-baseband remote code execution.

(Update 1: It seems that Logitech has launched an updated version of their Options software with a fix for the vulnerabiity - but this only happened after the vulnerabiiity became public. You can go on over Logitech's own webpage to download the updated version, which includes the fix in its changelogs, from here. Safe browsing.)

Adding to the critical vulnerability galore that's been coming out of Google's Project Zero, a researcher has demonstrated how an inherent bug in the "Logitech Options" software renders users vulnerable when visiting web pages. Tavis Ormandy, with Google Project Zero, found that Logitech Options opens a local Websocket port that doesn't require authentication for external commands. Attackers could exploit this issue by sending simulated keystrokes from any website - and thus execute pretty much anything on affected systems.