PC OEMs have revealed to market intelligence firm Trendfocus that Microsoft wants them to stop the use of hard-disk drives (HDDs, or mechanical hard-drives) as the main boot device in products powered by Windows 11, from 2023. It's not known how the company will go about enforcing this. One theory holds that it may amend the Minimum System Requirements for the operating system to specify a flash-based storage device, such as an SSD. If push comes to shove, the OS could even refuse to deploy on a machine with an HDD as the boot device.

What's also not known is how this affects SSHDs (hard drives with tiny flash-based storage media and an access-based data-juggling mechanism). Microsoft's decision should come as a boon for entry-level notebook and desktop buyers; as this segment sees OEMs use HDDs as the boot device, the most. There could be a push toward at least DRAMless QLC SSDs, or even single-chip SSDs. Regardless, it's clear that 2.5-inch HDDs are on their way out of the industry. HDD as a technology may still exist in the 3.5-inch form-factor, as they are in high demand from the data-center and surveillance markets as cold storage devices.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced the release of its latest encrypted USB drive, IronKey Vault Privacy 50 (VP50) with FIPS 197 certification and AES 256-bit hardware-encryption in XTS mode for data security. Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 50 supports Admin, User, and One-Time Recovery passwords with Complex or Passphrase modes. This multi-password option enhances the ability to recover access to data on the drive should one of the passwords be forgotten. While traditional Complex mode allows for passwords from 6-16 characters using 3 out of 4 character sets, the new passphrase mode gives users the ability to have a numeric PIN, sentence, list of words, or even lyrics from 10 to 64 characters long that's unique, yet memorable to them. To aid in password entry, the "eye" symbol can be enabled to reveal the typed-in password to reduce failed login attempts.

Admin can also enable a User and a One-Time Recovery password or reset the User password to restore data access. In addition, VP50 protects against Brute Force attacks by locking out User or One-Time Recovery passwords upon 10 invalid entries in a row and crypto-erases the drive if the Admin password is entered incorrectly 10 times in a row. So, while data is lost, there's no fear of a breach.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear and systems for gamers, content creators, and PC enthusiasts, today unveiled its innovative first gaming and streaming laptop, the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 AMD Advantage Edition. Combining a powerful AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processor, AMD Radeon RX 6800M mobile graphics with CORSAIR and Elgato's vast ecosystem of exclusive software and technologies, the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 is a laptop like no other. Whether you're an aspiring content creator, avid gamer, or a full-time streamer, the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 AMD Advantage Edition laptop can do everything you need and more.

Packing a wide array of state-of-the-art tech into an impressively thin 19.8 mm form-factor, the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 boasts up to an 8-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS processor and AMD Radeon RX 6800M mobile graphics to game at maximum settings and cruise through resource-heavy applications like Adobe After Effects or OBS Studio. Moreover, this combination of cutting-edge AMD components unlocks the suite of exclusive AMD smart technologies, such as AMD Smart Access Memory, which helps unlock high performance by providing select AMD Ryzen processors with address to the entire high-speed GDDR6 graphics memory, further enhancing the CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600's high-end performance. The CORSAIR VOYAGER a1600 stays cool thanks to an advanced compact vapor chamber cooling system that evenly spreads heat, achieving lower temperatures with a thinner profile than traditional cooling methods.

AMD and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, today announced a collaboration to optimize the Qualcomm FastConnect connectivity system for AMD Ryzen processor-based computing platforms, starting with AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series processors and the Qualcomm FastConnect 6900. With the FastConnect 6900 system, the latest AMD Ryzen processor-powered business laptops feature Wi-Fi 6 and 6E connectivity, including advanced wireless capabilities enabled with Windows 11.

In collaboration with Microsoft, next-generation Windows 11 PCs, such as the Lenovo ThinkPad Z Series and HP EliteBook 805 Series, can harness the full potential of Windows 11 Wi-Fi Dual Station through Qualcomm 4-Stream Dual Band Simultaneous. Multiple Wi-Fi bands outperform traditional single band connections for improved video conferencing experiences, reduced latency, and enhanced connection robustness. Leveraging the 6 GHz band, next-gen laptop users can take full advantage of its bandwidth and speed improvements without competing with any non-6E devices.

Lenovo announced today its latest generation of stylish and savage gaming laptops: the Lenovo Legion 7i and 7 (16", 7) portable powerhouses, and the thin and light Lenovo Legion Slim 7 and 7i (16", 7) laptops. Sitting at the apex of gaming performance, the new Lenovo Legion 7i and 7 are now the world's most powerful 16-inch gaming laptops. And joining the 16-inch QHD gaming category are Lenovo Legion's thinnest and lightest gaming laptops yet - the new Lenovo Legion Slim 7i and 7 - now available in a taller 16:10 display for when productivity meets play. The new Lenovo Legion 7 series laptops exceed expectations with a number of innovation firsts that adapt to and balance the multi-dimensional needs of modern gamers and professional players. These new devices not only have the world's largest battery capacity on a 16-inch gaming laptop, they also reign as the world's first 16-inch gaming laptops with FHD webcams for better streaming, and as the first 16-inch WQXGA (2560×1600) gaming laptops. The Windows 11 laptops' minimalist design, long battery life, and whisper-quiet artificial intelligence (A.I.) tuned thermals are purpose-built for those who want performance and mobility.

"Lenovo Legion has always occupied a place at the pinnacle of gaming performance, complementing gamers' personal and professional lives to adapt to wherever they go, whether it's a tournament stadium, classroom, or boardroom," said Ouyang Jun, Lenovo's vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Segment, Intelligent Devices Group. "More stylish and savage than ever before, Lenovo's new Legion 7 series laptops are leveling up to push the limits of smarter, high-performance gaming."

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of premium gaming hardware, today announced the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6400 EAGLE 4G and Radeon RX 6400 D6 Low Profile 4G graphics cards, equipped with the excellent GIGABYTE cooling system and engineered to deliver great 1080p gaming performance with remarkable efficiency. Blaze a trail into tomorrow and enjoy vivid virtual worlds and elevated experiences with the power of next-generation graphics.

Built on the high-performance, energy efficient AMD RDNA gaming architecture, the new graphics cards feature high-bandwidth, low-latency AMD Infinity Cache memory technology and high-speed GDDR6 memory. They also support Microsoft Windows 11 and Microsoft DirectX 12 Ultimate, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and AMD Radeon Super Resolution (RSR) upscaling technologies, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, as well as other advanced features that provide visually stunning, high-refresh rate gaming experiences.

A Steam Deck enthusiast has done what Steam would not (at least not in the first rendition of its popular Steam Deck handheld console): he went and added an external GPU to the mix. The owner of the ETA Prime YouTube channel managed to increase the Steam Deck's APU-powered graphical oomph with a much more powerful AMD RX 6900 XT graphics card. To do so required sacrifices however: since the SteamDeck doesn't feature a proper Thunderbolt 3/4 connector, ETA Prime had to remove the Steam Deck's SSD from its M.2 port, instead mounting a special M.2 to PCIe adapter in the SSD slot itself.

This, of course, required that installed games be run off memory cards, which generally offer lower speeds (a less than stellar experience) than the onboard SSD. It also required butchering the Steam Deck's OS by replacing it with Windows 11. But it did allow the Steam Deck's APU to tap onto power otherwise unavailable to it, unlocking playable framerates with maxed out detail settings on games such as God of War, Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and others.

Although not yet available directly from AMD, its latest chipset drivers, version 4.03.03.624, have been released by Gigabyte and possibly other motherboard partners and it contains a couple of interesting additions. The first one is support for USB4, albeit only for 64-bit versions of Windows 10 at this point in time. This part really only applies to the Zen 3+ "Rembrandt" mobile Ryzen 6000-series CPUs so far, as they're the only products from AMD that supports USB4 at this point in time.

The other interesting part is that AMD has included a 3D V-Cache Performance Optimizer Driver for both the 64-bit version of Windows 10 and Windows 11. As to what this driver does, is anyone's guess at this point in time, but it's likely to be some kind of cache scheduler, or possibly a means for AMD to allocate software that can't take advantage of the 3D V-Cache to the CPU native cache. We should be finding out in a couple of weeks time, as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is scheduled for retail availability on the 20th of April.

Microsoft is giving final touches to a what it refers to as a groundbreaking new security feature update for the Windows 11 operating system, which should significantly improve application-level security, and safeguard you from malicious apps based on the way they behave. Trouble is, to use the feature, you will have to reinstall your operating system (i.e. a clean reinstall), if you're on the current release of Windows 11, or any build that's older than the one that carries this update.

The Smart App Control feature by default blocks untrusted or uncertified applications from running on your PC, and unlike browser-level protections such as Smart Screen, is baked directly into the OS, and monitors application code at a process level, to detect potentially malicious application behavior. It does this using a combination of code-signing by the application publisher and an AI model for trust within the Microsoft cloud. The OS keeps in touch with the cloud 24x7 (whenever the PC is up), to receive the latest threat intelligence and AI model updates from the cloud. It's very likely that Smart App Control will be part of the next significant version milestone of Windows 11 (such as "22H2"), which means everyone on 22H1 or older will be made to reinstall to use it.

Ringing in a new era of premium business computing, Dynabook Americas, Inc., formerly Toshiba PC Company, today announced the all-new, ultra-premium 14-inch Portégé X40-K. Benefitting from new hybrid-architecture 12th Gen Intel Core P-Series 28 W processor options, Windows 11 Pro and a skillfully crafted dark blue aluminium chassis that is both stylish and durable, this new laptop boasts greater performance, uncompromising portability and robust security. "With a more dispersed workforce becoming the norm for businesses, IT departments are challenged with procuring computing solutions that offer the best mix of portability, performance, and productivity features. Our premium 14-inch Portégé X40-K was designed specifically for this," said James Robbins, general manager, Dynabook Americas, Inc. "This new laptop checks all the right boxes for customers. It's lightweight, powerful, secure, and loaded with features. Furthermore, it is very stylish, which is something modern buyers demand, and comes reinforced with a durable aluminium chassis and a warranty that ensures these laptops continue fostering years of worry-free productivity."

"With a more dispersed workforce becoming the norm for businesses, IT departments are challenged with procuring computing solutions that offer the best mix of portability, performance, and productivity features. Our premium 14-inch Portégé X40-K was designed specifically for this," said James Robbins, general manager, Dynabook Americas, Inc. "This new laptop checks all the right boxes for customers. It's lightweight, powerful, secure, and loaded with features. Furthermore, it is very stylish, which is something modern buyers demand, and comes reinforced with a durable aluminium chassis and a warranty that ensures these laptops continue fostering years of worry-free productivity."

The VAIO FE Series is now available exclusively at Walmart.com in the U.S. VAIO, the premier Japanese computer brand known for exceptional quality notebooks equipped with the latest technology, launches laptops starting at an affordable $699. The FE Series offers the high-performance and superior quality consumers have come to expect from the VAIO brand for a fraction of the cost of comparable devices. The VAIO FE Series has an impressive, ultra-sleek design, and is built with state-of-the-art technology including 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, Microsoft Windows 11, and THX Spatial Audio to provide unsurpassed performance and entertainment experiences.

"We are very excited to introduce VAIO to more customers in the United States through the new distribution at Walmart. I hope our ingenious laptops will give exceptional performance and experience to our new customers," said Masaki Yamano, President & CEO of VAIO Corporation. "Bringing the VAIO FE Series to the US market makes premium notebooks more accessible to help meet the demand for high-performance laptops."

Dynabook Americas, Inc., formerly Toshiba PC Company, today announced that it has refreshed its performance-rich 14-inch Tecra A40-K and 15-inch Tecra A50-K laptops to benefit from new hybrid-architecture 12th Gen Intel Core P-Series 28 W processor options and Windows 11 Pro. "With more than 35 years of experience creating powerful, feature rich laptops for businesses, our engineers take the time to truly understand the computing pain points faced by professionals, as well as what they need and want in their laptops," said James Robbins, general manager, Dynabook Americas, Inc. "While productivity and portability remain top priorities, we've paid extra attention to making our Tecra laptops feel premium while maximizing their performance, durability and available features without compromising price competitiveness."

From the corner office to the local café, the 14-inch Tecra A40-K is a performance-rich laptop for today's work-from-anywhere professionals. Measuring just 18.9 mm thin, this laptop delivers a productivity-maximizing workspace with a vibrant 14-inch narrow-bezel display, webcam with privacy shutter, backlit keyboard, and large ClickPad with optional fingerprint reader. Offering next-level productivity with matching speed, and style, the 15-inch Tecra A50-K from Dynabook makes any place a productive workspace. Designed for the modern hybrid workplace, this laptop features a 19.9 mm thin chassis that houses an expansive 15.6-inch thin-bezel display, full-size backlit keyboard with 10-key, large ClickPad with optional fingerprint reader and webcam with privacy shutter.

Besides Radeon Super Resolution, AMD announced Radeon Image Sharpening (RIS) for desktop applications (non-gaming applications). When enabled in AMD Software (or through the Overlay), RIS attempts to improve quality though image sharpening, of whatever is on screen. This would benefit media playback, office, and web-browsing, and not just for accelerated video playback. This should prove particularly useful when trying to view low-resolution assets on a web-page, or a video live-stream, or pretty much anything you feel could so with some image quality improvement. RIS requires Windows 10 or Windows 11, and a Radeon RX 5000 series (or later) graphics card. AMD is releasing RIS for desktop applications with the AMD Software Adrenalin 22.3.1 suite, which you can grab today.

"Join us on March 30th at 8 A.M. Pacific Time to see Intel Arc graphics take center stage and get a first look at our new discrete graphics for laptops." - is the statement that Intel posted on its website regarding the launch of its upcoming Arc Alchemist GPUs for laptops. While we await the final reveal of the desktop Arc Alchemist graphics cards, it looks like team blue will give us a very first look at Arc discrete graphics cards for laptops. Regarding the performance numbers, Intel's Lisa Pearce, Vice President and General Manager for the Visual Compute Group, posted a quick performance claim stating that the Intel Arc A370M mobile GPU will feature two-fold performance improvement over integrated GPU designs found in Intel Core i7-12700H processor.

Lisa PearceWhat performance can we expect from the first product to make it to market, the Intel Arc A370M?
The first Intel Arc discrete graphics products to enter the mobile market will enable up to a 2X improvement in graphics performance vs. integrated graphics alone while maintaining similar form factors.
2x performance claim based on average FPS at 1080p Medium with Metro Exodus (DX12) as of March 3, 2022 as the beginning of the disclosure. Intel Arc system: Intel Core i7-12700H processor 14C/20T, 32 GB 4800Mhz system memory, Intel Arc A370M graphics, Windows 11 Pro v10.0.22000, Preproduction driver as of March 2022, total system TDP 40 W. Intel Core system: Intel Core i71280P 14C/20T, 32 GB 4800 MHz system memory, Iris Xe integrated graphics, Windows 11 Pro 21H2 22000.493, Driver version 30.0.101.1029, total system TDP 28 W.

Microsoft officially launched the DirectStorage API on the Windows PC platform, on Monday. The API enables direct data interactions between the GPU, graphics memory, and a storage device, so games have a more direct path to stream game assets to the graphics hardware. The API is compatible both with Windows 10 and Windows 11, although Microsoft is recommending the latter, for "in-built storage optimizations." Also, unlike previously reported, you don't necessarily need an NVMe-based storage device, such as an M.2 SSD with PCIe/NVMe interface. Even a SATA SSD with AHCI protocol will do. Microsoft is, however, recommending the use of an NVMe SSD for the best performance.

There is, however, a wrinkle. Microsoft isn't launching a killer feature of the DirectStorage API yet, which is GPU-accelerated asset decompression. This feature allowed GPUs to use compute shaders to decompress game assets that are stored in compressed asset libraries on the disk. Most games store their local assets this way, to conserve their disk footprint. Without this feature, unless there's special game code from the developer's end to utilize GPGPU for asset decompression; compressed game assets still have to rope in the CPU, and lengthen the pipeline. Microsoft stated that enabling GPU-accelerated decompression is "next on their roadmap."

Does it take ages for the taskbar calendar and notification center to load on your Windows 11 PC powered by an AMD Ryzen processor? Notice random stutters in performance? Chances are, the lag is caused not due to user-interface bugs by Microsoft, but hardware. AMD discovered that certain Ryzen-powered Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs experience intermittent performance stutters when running with fTPM (firmware TPM) enabled.

The performance stutter is caused due to background memory transactions between Windows and the fTPM, to authenticate an action, as the fTPM serves the function of a hardware root of trust. Since the fTPM is part of the UEFI firmware that resides on the SPI flash EEPROM chip, the performance stutter is caused due to fTPM-related memory transactions with this chip.

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Today, during Mobile World Congress 2022, Qualcomm Incorporated President and Chief Executive Officer, Cristiano Amon highlighted how Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is continuing to bring best-in-case experiences to enterprise PCs and drive the convergence of the PC and mobile to increase productivity, connectivity, and security from anywhere. During last month's Consumer Electronics Show, the Company announced that over 200 enterprise customers were testing or deploying Windows 11 on Snapdragon laptops and 2-in-1 devices. Today, Amon outlined how strategic relationships with Microsoft, Lenovo, and many other ecosystem leaders are helping deliver the next generation of enterprise-ready PCs, powered by Snapdragon. Utilizing its global relationships, Qualcomm Technologies continues to lead the PC industry's inevitable transition to innovative and modern solutions from the portfolio of Snapdragon compute platforms.Quotes from key collaborators that Qualcomm Technologies is working with to drive innovation for always on, always connected enterprise PCs through Snapdragon Compute Platforms can be found here.

Today, Intel expands the 12th Gen Intel Core mobile processor lineup with the official launch of 12th Gen Intel Core P-series and U-series processors. Engineered for blazing performance and superior productivity, these 20 new mobile processors will power the next generation of thin-and-light laptops. The first devices will be available in March 2022, with more than 250 coming this year from Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, LG, MSI, NEC, Samsung and others.

"Following our launch of the fastest mobile processor for gaming, we're now expanding our 12th Gen Intel Core processor family to deliver a massive leap forward in performance for thin-and-light laptops. From the ultra-thin form factors to enthusiast-grade performance in a sleek design, we're providing consumers and businesses with leadership performance and cutting-edge technologies."

NVIDIA on Tuesday released the latest version of its GeForce Game Ready software. Version 511.65 WHQL comes with support for the new GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU and RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU. The drivers also come with optimization for "Dying Light 2: Stay Human," and "Sifu." The drivers also add a few security updates, improvements to the interoperability between OpenCL and Vulkan APIs, an updated NVIDIA OpenCL compiler; and application profile for "Dead by Daylight Epic Games version."

Among the bugs fixed are geometry corruption for "Far Cry 6" in Windows 11, stuttering noticed in multiple apps; a black screen noticed in notebooks with Advanced Optimus configured for dGPU mode; DLDSR causing black screens on certain 3440 x 1440-pixel displays; GeForce Experience filters causing flickering in certain DirectX 12 games; and "Forza Horizon" game freezing noticed when applying certain trims on cars. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 511.65 WHQL

TUL Corporation, a leading and innovative manufacturer of AMD graphic cards since 1997, today announced its Radeon RX 6500 XT line up. The latest graphics cards are built on AMD RDNA2 gaming architecture and designed to make incredible 1080p gaming experiences for popular AAA and esports titles accessible to more gamers.

Every gamer has different needs and PowerColor is offering its Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics cards in two- and single-fan configurations for those looking to build a small form factor gaming PC. With high-efficient cooling and PowerColor's Mute Fan Technology, PowerColor Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics cards are cool and quiet, ideal for anyone looking to game without distractions.

Spring is around the corner, and it is a time to bring in the new. On the occasion of the season, GEEKOM launched its latest Mini PC-GEEKOM Mini IT8 and a pro-gaming laptop-GEEKOM ｜Intel BookFun 11. The portable yet powerful Mini PC has been available on Amazon since January 19, 2022. Powered by a high-performance 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor (4 Cores, 8 Threads, up to 3.8 GHz, 6 MB Intel Smart Cache) and Iris Plus Graphics 655 GPU (up to 2350 MHz), this pocket-sized small desktop PC has super processing power to cope with all of your daily PC needs smoothly.

We rely on our PCs today to get things done. The GEEKOM Mini PC can do anything a PC does and takes up a lot less space. Its compact size, incredible performance, and plenty of ports make it perfect for a surprising range of uses. The GEEKOM Mini IT8 Mini PC can drive multiple 4K displays and projectors, each one with different content. With a GEEKOM Mini PC for home, you can build a 4K home theater. Just tuck this small form factor desktop on a shelf or mount it out of sight behind your TV. With its compact, quiet, and sleek form, it can fit anywhere in your home. Stream your favorite movie in 4K brilliance, view photos in stunning clarity, or try new games-all without leaving the couch, via the built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and 4K video capabilities.

Acer today announced that it will begin carrying PCs which run on Windows 11 SE, starting with the Acer TravelMate B3 and Acer TravelMate Spin B3 laptops. The portable 11.6-inch laptops were built to survive the school-day, boasting military-grade durability certifications and a 10-hour battery life, and now come pre-installed with Windows 11 SE or Windows 11 Pro Education. Additionally, the devices' chassis have been constructed with over 14% post-consumer recycled plastic.

Acer has been working closely with Microsoft in order to provide devices for pilot programs that bring Windows 11 SE to schools around the world. It is one of the first brands to carry devices featuring the new operating system.

Although not available in retail quite yet, Intel has officially launched its NUC 11 Essential models built around its Jasper Lake SoCs and thanks to the new processor options, Intel's entry level NUC models are looking quite promising. Not only are we looking at much better GPUs, with a 78 percent increase of execution units at the high-end, but even the low-end CPUs have had a 33 percent increase, when comparing Jasper Lake to Gemini Lake, which some older NUC models were based on. This is quite a jump, but it's hardly surprising, as Gemini Lake was launched at the tail end of 2017.

There's also official support for up to 32 GB of RAM and a boost in memory speed from 2400 MHz to 2933 MHz. Processor speeds have obviously been bumped somewhat as well between the processor generations, alongside with the GPU speeds, but we're mostly looking at a few hundred MHz here, depending on the CPU model. All the new NUC models appear to be using the 10 W TDP Jasper Lake CPU SKUs and all of them should also come with 64 GB of eMMC soldered down, plus an M.2 2280 SATA and NVMe capable slot for SSDs.

It took a while for this discovery as it's probably rare for people with modern PCs to also have Blu-ray optical drives. Apparently PCs with Intel 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake," and older 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake" processors, as well as the latest Windows 11 OS, are unable to playback protected 4K Blu-ray video discs, as the DRM component is broken in the absence of Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX). Intel introduced SGX with 6th Gen Core "Skylake," and deprecated it with "Rocket Lake." To be clear, playback of Blu-ray discs at 1080p isn't affected.

CyberLink, makers of the PowerDVD software that's bundled as an OEM application with optical drives to play back protected Blu-ray video; put out a statement on its website confirming that they're unable to help with this situation, as they don't control the DRM, the Blu-ray Association does. "The removal of the SGX feature, and its compatibility with the latest Windows OS and drivers, has caused a substantial challenge for CyberLink to continue supporting Ultra HD Blu-ray movie playback in our player software," it stated. Just to clarify, this only affects playback of Blu-Ray content at 4K—1080p is not affected.Many Thanks to Steevo for the tip.