Terahard Studios is excited to announce its latest title, Dunebound Tactics, a turn-based tactics roguelite RPG set in a wasteland overtaken by the bonedry desert sand. The Steam page launched today and is ready to welcome some wishlists! Lead your band of survivors on a hazardous trek across unforgiving sands in search of a new home. Battle ruthless factions, scavenge dwindling resources, and make life-or-death choices to keep your sand-faring ship on the move, even if it requires sacrificing your own crewmates!

"Personally, I'm a huge tactics fanatic. We built our very own tactics engine with RPG elements from the ground up for Dunebound Tactics! I'm excited both for the technical innovations as well as the freedom we gave our game designers to create an amazing experience. The art in this game is the best we've managed so far connecting all the little details to squeeze performance and quality." - Aris Tsevrenis, CEO of Terahard Studios

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the exclusive launch of the Viper Mini Signature Edition in a new color, White. This new release continues to redefine state-of-the-art gaming technology with a stunning new color and exquisite craftsmanship.

The Viper Mini Signature Edition in White is a pinnacle of gaming elegance and performance, tailored for gamers who seek a lighter design to match their white battlestations. With a growing trend of full white minimalist setups, the Signature Edition was crafted to be the purest masterpiece for our most hardcore fans.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the IT industry's average growth is much higher than that of other industries, and the median wage is reported to be more than double the standard. If you're looking for a new or more lucrative career path, it may be smart to consider becoming an IT professional.

However, making the switch to IT from another industry can feel intimidating—but not if you have the proper training and certifications. Build a solid foundation with this cloud computing course bundle, which offers over 50 hours of content covering AWS, Azure, and cloud security for only $29.99 (reg. $179). Get it now to study for the industry certifications—or to land your dream job.

Learn the foundations and practical applications of cloud computing with this six-course bundle, now just $29.99 while inventory is available.

Today, Remedy Entertainment has unveiled FBC: Firebreak (formerly known as Project Condor), with players joining the enigmatic Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) in a three-player cooperative first-person shooter. As the Bureau's headquarters faces a deadly and prolonged siege by otherworldly forces, only Firebreak—its most adaptable response unit—has the skills and courage to restore order.

The mid-priced FBC: Firebreak will be the first self-published game from Remedy Entertainment and is scheduled to release in 2025 for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. FBC: Firebreak will launch day one on PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. It also launches day one onto the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, available for all Extra and Premium members.

Formovie, a leading innovator in laser TV and smart projector technologies, announces the upcoming release of their latest flagship product, the Formovie Theater Premium, set to launch on October 28, 2024 at 00:00 a.m. PDT / 3:00 p.m. CST / 9:00 a.m. CEST.

This groundbreaking 4K ultra-short-throw (UST) projector features enhanced ALPD RGB+ 4.0 triple-color laser technology, upgraded Dolby Vision for exceptional visuals and second generation Bowers & Wilkins acoustics for immersive sound. Its ultra-short throw ratio allows for a large screen in limited space, and integrated Google TV offers easy access to your favorite content, redefining your home cinema experience.

Intel's taking a different path with its Gaudi 3 accelerator chips. It's staying away from the high-demand market for training big AI models, which has made NVIDIA so successful. Instead, Intel wants to help businesses that need cheaper AI solutions to train and run smaller specific models and open-source options. At a recent event, Intel talked up Gaudi 3's "price performance advantage" over NVIDIA's H100 GPU for inference tasks. Intel says Gaudi 3 is faster and more cost-effective than the H100 when running Llama 3 and Llama 2 models of different sizes.

Intel also claims that Gaudi 3 is as power-efficient as the H100 for large language model (LLM) inference with small token outputs and does even better with larger outputs. The company even suggests Gaudi 3 beats NVIDIA's newer H200 in LLM inference throughput for large token outputs. However, Gaudi 3 doesn't match up to the H100 in overall floating-point operation throughput for 16-bit and 8-bit formats. For bfloat16 and 8-bit floating-point precision matrix math, Gaudi 3 hits 1,835 TFLOPS in each format, while the H100 reaches 1,979 TFLOPS for BF16 and 3,958 TFLOPS for FP8.

After the initial announcement at Computex 2024, Pro Gamers Group (PGG) is proud to announce the release of its most premium PC hardware brand to date - HAVN. The HAVN team has been assembled from all corners of the PC industry. Its members hail from the product design and engineering departments of brands such as Fractal, NZXT, Cooler Master, Sapphire, Wistron and Corning. Their first finished work is the result of over two years of development, thermal simulations, prototyping, and stress tests by the systems experts of PGG, with members from Caseking, Overclockers UK, PC Case Gear, and 8Pack. Pro Gamers Group has produced and sold over one million high-end gaming PC systems to date.

"We approach our products with the idea that there is no wasted design," said David Jarlestedt, HAVN Product and Brand Director. "Nothing is frivolous; every aspect of the product has been thought out, tested, and included because it has a specific function. We hope those who buy it will appreciate this kind of meticulous beauty, and the refined performance it brings."

Check out TPU's dedicated review of this case, which is now live.

Corsair (is excited to announce the launch of the iCUE LINK RX MAX series fans. These fans are 30 mm thick - 20% thicker than standard 25 mm fans. This increased thickness allows for superior airflow and static pressure, enabling the fans to move more air while running slower and quieter for optimal cooling performance. The RX120 MAX PWM fans feature a speed range of 400 to 2,000 RPM and an impressive 4.2 mm-H2O static pressure, making them ideal for pushing air through dense radiators. Similarly, the RX140 MAX fans operate between 300 and 1,600 RPM with a static pressure of 2.4 mm-H2O, providing powerful cooling for a wide range of high-performance components.

Corsair AirGuide Technology focuses airflow precisely where it is needed most, enhancing cooling efficiency and performance. The fans also feature a Magnetic Dome bearing for long-lasting performance and quiet operation, offering a balance between durability and reduced noise levels. Non-RGB fans are equipped with built-in temperature sensors, allowing users to fine-tune fan curves through iCUE software and customize their cooling profiles for peak performance.

ELECOM, a global leader in innovative gaming peripherals, is excited to announce the launch of the TK-VK720A gaming keyboard. This groundbreaking device is set to redefine the gaming experience with its advanced magnetic switch technology, offering unmatched speed, precision, and customization—all within a sleek, compact design. The keyboard will be available in two color options: black and white.

Unmatched Performance with Advanced Magnetic Switches
At the core of the TK-VK720A are its advanced magnetic switches, making ELECOM one of the first in the industry to adopt analog silent switches. These switches provide faster actuation and reset points than traditional mechanical switches, ensuring key presses register at the slightest touch for smoother, more responsive keystrokes. This technology offers a crucial edge in competitive gaming, where every millisecond counts.

Bundle up this fall with GeForce NOW and Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a special, limited-time promotion just for members. The highly anticipated role-playing game (RPG) leads 10 titles joining the ever-growing GeForce NOW library of over 2,000 games.

A Heroic Bundle
Fight for Thedas' future at Ultimate quality this fall as new and existing members who purchase six months of GeForce NOW Ultimate can get BioWare and Electronic Arts' epic RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard for free when it releases on Oct. 31. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age's newest hero. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own unique story, against a new evil rising in Thedas. The latest entry in the legendary Dragon Age franchise lets players customize their characters and engage with new romancable companions whose stories unfold over time. Band together and become the Veilguard. Ultimate members can experience BioWare's latest entry at full GeForce quality, with support for NVIDIA DLSS 3, low-latency gameplay with NVIDIA Reflex, and enhanced image quality and immersion with ray-traced ambient occlusion and reflections. Ultimate members can also play popular PC games at up to 4K resolution with extended session lengths, even on low-spec devices. Move fast - this bundle is only available for a limited time until Oct. 30.

Since its introduction in 2004, millions around the world have trusted WD My Passport drives to store and back up their lives' most precious memories and valuable data. To commemorate this milestone anniversary of its most popular drive, Western Digital Corp. is launching the WD My Passport Ultra, 20th Emerald Anniversary Edition. Over the lifetime of the My Passport drives, Western Digital has provided approximately 180 exabytes of data storage for users worldwide, equivalent to up to 18 billion hours of HD video, up to 46 trillion photos, or up to 35 trillion songs.

Prior to the initial introduction of the WD My Passport drive, users had limited options when it came to taking important files with them on the go, having to sacrifice a power outlet and downtime to add and transfer data. In 2004, My Passport delivered a streamlined solution: portable products that offered an impressive amount of storage for many types of digital files - including videos, music, photos, and documents. What started as a simple solution with 40 GB capacity has increased by up to 150 times to now having the world's highest capacity 2.5" portable hard drive with 6 TB of storage, meeting the needs of the modern digital consumer.

NEXiCONN Technology Corp. has launched an advanced game capture device—the AI Pixel-Plus CaptureX NV601/NV501, now available for purchase on Amazon in the U.S. This product utilizes the company's proprietary deep learning AI technology, which enhances game visuals to 4K ultra-high-definition resolution, delivering significantly improved image quality. It offers next-gen support for streamers and content creators. One of the standout features of the AI Pixel-Plus CaptureX NV601/NV501 is its capability to stream on four platforms simultaneously, a breakthrough that is revolutionizing the live streaming industry.

Feature 1: Supports Up to 4K144 Capturing & Pass-through
The AI Pixel-Plus CaptureX NV601/NV501 not only enhances resolution to 4K and boosts image quality but also features powerful capture functionality. It seamlessly integrates gaming devices like PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch with software such as OBS and Streamlabs OBS, making content creation easier than ever. Additionally, the NV601 supports pass-through and capturing in up to 4K144, ensuring high-frame-rate video while capturing through external monitors connected via HDMI.

TSMC today announced consolidated revenue of NT$759.69 billion (US$23.50 billion), net income of NT$325.26 billion (US$10.08 billion), and diluted earnings per share of NT$12.54 (US$1.94 per ADR unit) for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024. Year-over-year, third quarter revenue increased 39.0% while net income and diluted EPS both increased 54.2%. Compared to second quarter 2024, third quarter results represented a 12.8% increase in revenue and a 31.2% increase in net income. All figures were prepared in accordance with TIFRS on a consolidated basis.

In US dollars, third quarter revenue was $23.50 billion, which increased 36.0% year-over-year and increased 12.9% from the previous quarter. Gross margin for the quarter was 57.8%, operating margin was 47.5%, and net profit margin was 42.8%. In the third quarter, shipments of 3-nanometer accounted for 20% of total wafer revenue; 5-nanometer accounted for 32%; 7-nanometer accounted for 17%. Advanced technologies, defined as 7-nanometer and more advanced technologies, accounted for 69% of total wafer revenue.

SK hynix is showcasing its leading AI and data center memory products at the 2024 Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit held October 15-17 in San Jose, California. The annual summit brings together industry leaders to discuss advancements in open source hardware and data center technologies. This year, the event's theme is "From Ideas to Impact," which aims to foster the realization of theoretical concepts into real-world technologies.

In addition to presenting its advanced memory products at the summit, SK hynix is also strengthening key industry partnerships and sharing its AI memory expertise through insightful presentations. This year, the company is holding eight sessions—up from five in 2023—on topics including HBM and CMS.

MSI proudly announces the launch of its latest gaming peripherals: the VERSA 300 ELITE WIRELESS and VERSA 300 WIRELESS gaming mice. Built with a focus on comfort, precision, and performance, these new models are designed to enhance gaming and professional experiences.

VERSA 300 ELITE WIRELESS - Brilliance Meets Comfort
The VERSA 300 ELITE WIRELESS delivers top-tier performance with its advanced PixArt PAW3395DM Optical Sensor, offering up to 26,000 DPI for pinpoint accuracy and speed. With a 1000 Hz / 1 ms polling rate, gamers can experience ultra-responsive input, ensuring every movement is fast and precise. The ELITE model is equipped with OMRON micro switches rated for 60 million clicks, providing a durable and tactile response that enhances gameplay. Weighing just 65 grams, it is engineered for a lightweight and agile feel, perfect for long gaming sessions without causing fatigue. Paired with its ergonomic, symmetrical shape, the mouse is comfortable for all hand sizes and grip styles, ensuring a snug fit for every gamer. Featuring the exclusive MSI Diamond Lightgrip which combines a grippy texture with gorgeous, fully customizable RGB lighting through MSI Center, allowing users to create an immersive, personalized setup.

TrendForce reports that the OLED monitor market is set to receive a boost with the introduction of new 31.5-inch OLED models. Panel makers are focusing on product differentiation and improved specifications, while several gaming brands are aggressively launching new models to capture market share. OLED monitor shipments are projected to reach 1.44 million units in 2024—representing YoY growth of 181%—with strong growth expected to continue in the coming years.

Samsung is expected to secure the top spot owing to strong sales of its 49-inch OLED monitors and a steady pipeline of new product releases. Its 2024 market share is forecast to expand to 31%. LGE, leveraging ample panel resources and continuous product line expansion, is poised to take second place with a projected 19% market share.

NVIDIA has officially released its Llama-3.1-Nemotron-70B-Instruct model. Based on META's Llama3.1 70B, the Nemotron model is a large language model customized by NVIDIA in order to improve the helpfulness of LLM-generated responses. NVIDIA uses fine-tuning structured data to steer the model and allow it to generate more helpful responses. With only 70 billion parameters, the model is punching far above its weight class. The company claims that the model is beating the current top models from leading labs like OpenAI's GPT-4o and Antrophic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet, which are the current leaders across AI benchmarks. In evaluations such as Arena Hard, the NVIDIA Llama3.1 Nemotron 70B is scoring 85 points, while GPT-4o and Sonnet 3.5 score 79.3 and 79.2, respectively. Other benchmarks like AlpacaEval and MT-Bench spot NVIDIA also hold the top spot, with 57.6 and 8.98 scores earned. Claude and GPT reach 52.4 / 8.81 and 57.5 / 8.74, just below Nemotron.

This language model underwent training using reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF), specifically employing the REINFORCE algorithm. The process involved a reward model based on a large language model architecture and custom preference prompts designed to guide the model's behavior. The training began with a pre-existing instruction-tuned language model as the starting point. It was trained on Llama-3.1-Nemotron-70B-Reward and HelpSteer2-Preference prompts on a Llama-3.1-70B-Instruct model as the initial policy. Running the model locally requires either four 40 GB or two 80 GB VRAM GPUs and 150 GB of free disk space. We managed to take it for a spin on NVIDIA's website to say hello to TechPowerUp readers. The model also passes the infamous "strawberry" test, where it has to count the number of specific letters in a word, however, it appears that it was part of the fine-tuning data as it fails the next test, shown in the image below.

MSI, a leading global provider of high-performance server solutions, proudly announced it is showcasing new AI servers powered by the NVIDIA MGX platform—designed to address the increasing demand for scalable, energy-efficient AI workloads in modern data centers—at the OCP Global Summit 2024, booth A6. This collaboration highlights MSI's continued commitment to advancing server solutions, focusing on cutting-edge AI acceleration and high-performance computing (HPC).

The NVIDIA MGX platform offers a flexible architecture that enables MSI to deliver purpose-built solutions optimized for AI, HPC, and LLMs. By leveraging this platform, MSI's AI server solutions provide exceptional scalability, efficiency, and enhanced GPU density—key factors in meeting the growing computational demands of AI workloads. Tapping into MSI's engineering expertise and NVIDIA's advanced AI technologies, these AI servers based on the MGX architecture deliver unparalleled compute power, positioning data centers to maximize performance and power efficiency while paving the way for the future of AI-driven infrastructure.

ASUS today announced the ProArt PA602 Wood Edition, a PC case that bolsters the aesthetics and sustainability of the original creator-focused PA602 chassis with parts constructed of durable and eye-catching wood.

A classic material for contemporary luxury
The ProArt PA602 Wood Edition seamlessly integrates wooden pieces into three locations. It starts with long handles along the top edge of the chassis, each sturdy enough to hold 30 kg. A second wood piece provides an eye-catching backdrop for the front I/O panel. Finally, long wood pieces are used for the ventilated front panel of the chassis. The wood used for the ProArt PA602 Wood Edition is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), so users can trust that it was sourced from responsibly managed forests. Ash is the wood of choice because it offers superior hardness and durability, versus wood such as walnut. After selecting ideal pieces of lumber, the material's durability is enhanced with a thermowood treatment. Shaping and surface grinding refine each piece to exact specifications, and a two-step coating process highlights the natural appearance of the wood grain and applies a low-sheen finish. The wood elements of the ProArt PA602 Wood Edition elevate its sophisticated, professional look. With its minimalist design rooted in clean lines and pleasing symmetry, the ProArt PA602 Wood Edition chassis has an aesthetic that is never out of place.

In the era of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics, creators and professionals require workstations that can handle vast amounts of data with efficiency. Precisely capturing the trends in AI technology, Team Group proudly announces that its T-CREATE brand has been honored with Japan's Good Design Award 2024 for the MASTER Ai DDR5 workstation memory module. This product offers a perfect combination of stability and durability, with a single memory capacity of up to 48 GB, making it ideally suited for AI-driven creative tasks. Its minimalist design, featuring a discreet logo and all-in-one porous heat dissipation, not only ensures a stable computing environment but also delivers a sleek, professional look. Once again, T-CREATE has demonstrated its prowess in product design and robust R&D capabilities on the global stage.

Founded in 1957, Japan's Good Design Award is one of the four most prestigious and influential design honors, evaluated based on human, industrial, societal, and temporal perspectives. The T-CREATE MASTER Ai DDR5 workstation memory made its global debut at the COMPUTEX TAIPEI earlier this year, attracting considerable media attention. Its performance, large capacity, and stable computing environment essential for AI applications, along with its all-in-one porous heat dissipation design, have earned its recognition from the Good Design Award 2024, further solidifying Team Group's international standing.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced it has developed the industry's first 24-gigabit (Gb) GDDR7 DRAM. In addition to the industry's highest capacity, the GDDR7 features the fastest speed, positioning itself as the optimum solution for next-generation applications. With its high capacity and powerful performance, the 24 Gb GDDR7 will be widely utilized in various fields that require high-performance memory solutions, such as data centers and AI workstations, extending beyond the traditional applications of graphics DRAM in graphics cards, gaming consoles and autonomous driving.

"After developing the industry's first 16 Gb GDDR7 last year, Samsung has reinforced its technological leadership in the graphics DRAM market with this latest achievement," said YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. "We will continue to lead the graphics DRAM market by bringing next-generation products that align with the growing needs of the AI market." The 24 Gb GDDR7 utilizes 5th-generation 10-nanometer (nm)-class DRAM, which enables cell density to increase by 50% while maintaining the same package size as the predecessor.

KLEVV, the leading consumer memory and storage brand introduced by Essencore, today announces its first-ever CU-DIMM & CSO-DIMM memory modules, which work seamlessly with the latest Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) "Arrow Lake-S" Processors/ Z890 platform to unleash the true DDR5 performance. KLEVV's next-generation DDR5 memory lineup receives a substantial performance boost with the integration of advanced Client Clock Driver (CKD) technology. Incorporated via a small integrated circuit (IC) directly on the DIMM, CKD IC enhances the module's speed and efficiency for both desktop and laptop applications. By regenerating the memory chips' clock signal, it improves stability, supports higher operating frequencies, and minimizes electrical interference and signal degradation—pushing the boundaries of memory performance.

Designed for both performance desktop and laptop systems, KLEVV's new Standard CU-DIMM and CSO-DIMM memory modules combine the brand's renowned quality with cutting-edge DDR5 technology, making them ideal for both casual and professional users. Leveraging the innovative CKD architecture, these modules deliver exceptional stability and reliability, even at high speeds, effectively mitigating electrical interference that could otherwise hinder performance. With this advanced design, users can count on smooth, efficient operation, even under heavy workloads.

Intel has released an updated version of its eXtreme Tuning Utility (XTU). The newest version, officially carrying the v10.0.0.76 moniker, is available to download. However, this version is designed exclusively for Intel's upcoming Core Ultra 200S series "Arrow Lake" processors. There are now two versions of Intel XTU: version 7.14.2.14, which supports unlocked Intel 14th Core and older processors, and version 10.x, which supports unlocked Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2) and newer. The XTU clocking utility only works on high-end Z-series boards like Z690, Z790, and the upcoming Z890 for "Arrow Lake-S." Below is a list of changes with XTU drivers now being replaced with Intel Innovation Platform Framework (IPF), which we are still trying to figure out what it is supposed to do. Many more features are listed below. However, we cannot decipher them until "Arrow Lake" reviews appear.

Today, Fractal Design announced a new retailer partnership with Best Buy, one of the world's largest specialty computer and hardware retailers. Starting today, Best Buy customers will be able to find Fractal's award-winning PC cases online at BestBuy.com. This new retail expansion ensures gamers and enthusiasts have ready access to the Scandinavian design, user-centric innovation, and premium quality that Fractal infuses into each of its products.

"We're excited to expand the retail options available to customers throughout the US by making Fractal gaming products purchasable at BestBuy.com." said Keith Washo, Fractal Design Senior Director of Sales. "We believe that combining our highly acclaimed gaming hardware and equipment with Best Buy's first-rate ecommerce platform will ensure greater access to our best-selling products and a quality shopping experience for Fractal customers and new shoppers alike."

It's "time to pull" as HYTE, a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge PC components and peripherals, is thrilled to share the new product line-up inspired by the popular HONKAI: STAR RAIL character Silver Wolf, which includes officially licensed Silver Wolf-branded PC cases is now available for purchase on HYTE.com. HYTE is also celebrating its first HoYoverse collaboration with various global in-store debuts of the Silver Wolf product line worldwide, which includes the official launch party at Micro Center's Tustin, CA storefront.

HONKAI: STAR RAIL fans can upgrade their gaming set-ups with the Official HYTE Y70 Silver Wolf Limited Edition Case. The case stunningly displays the hacker and gamer girl, Silver Wolf, on the front and side tempered glass panels, with iconography, signature marks, lore-accurate easter eggs, and lavender accents adorned across the entire case.

UGREEN has recently unveiled its latest innovation in fast-charging technology: the UGREEN Uno Charger 100 W USB C Charger. Designed for gamers and tech enthusiasts alike, this compact, four-port charger ensures that gaming never has to stop, offering rapid power delivery to handheld consoles like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally, alongside other devices. The flagship UGREEN Uno Charger 100 W is available to buy for $59.99 from Amazon with UK availability expected shortly on Amazon UK.

The UGREEN Uno Charger stands out with its 100 W fast charging capability, allowing users to charge a MacBook Pro 16-inch to 43% in just 30 minutes, making it equally powerful for gaming consoles and everyday tech. Equipped with three USB-C ports and one USB-A port, the charger can fast-charge up to four devices simultaneously—perfect for those juggling multiple gadgets during extended gaming marathons.

At Lenovo Tech World 2024, we announced new Supercomputing servers for HPC and AI workloads. These new water-cooled servers use the latest processor and accelerator technology from Intel and NVIDIA.

ThinkSystem SC750 V4
Engineered for large-scale cloud infrastructures and High Performance Computing (HPC), the Lenovo ThinkSystem SC750 V4 Neptune excels in intensive simulations and complex modeling. It's designed to handle technical computing, grid deployments, and analytics workloads in various fields such as research, life sciences, energy, engineering, and financial simulation.

Last week, we got a preview of Microsoft's Azure production-ready NVIDIA "Blackwell" GB200 system, showing that only a third of the rack that goes in the data center is actually holding the compute elements, with the other two-thirds holding the cooling compartment to cool down the immense heat output from tens of GB200 GPUs. Today, Google is showing off a part of its own infrastructure ahead of the Google Cloud App Dev & Infrastructure Summit, taking place on October 30, digitally as an event. Shown below are two racks standing side by side, connecting NVIDIA "Blackwell" GB200 NVL cards with the rest of the Google infrastructure. Unlike Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud uses a different data center design in its facilities.

There is one rack with power distribution units, networking switches, and cooling distribution units, all connected to the compute rack, which houses power supplies, GPUs, and CPU servers. Networking equipment is present, and it connects to Google's "global" data center network, which is Google's own data center fabric. We are not sure what is the fabric connection of choice between these racks; as for optimal performance, NVIDIA recommends InfiniBand (Mellanox acquisition). However, given that Google's infrastructure is set up differently, there may be Ethernet switches present. Interestingly, Google's design of GB200 racks differs from Azure's, as it uses additional rack space to distribute the coolant to its local heat exchangers, i.e., coolers. We are curious to see if Google releases more information on infrastructure, as it has been known as the infrastructure king because of its ability to scale and keep everything organized.

Amazon today launched an entirely new lineup of Kindle devices—introducing the first-ever color Kindle, a re-imagined Kindle Scribe, the fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever, and a new entry Kindle in a fun, new Matcha color. To learn more about the new Kindle family, visit amazon.com/kindlefamily.

"Customers continue to love Kindle, and are reading on their devices more than ever—sales last year hit a decade high with the majority of purchases going to first time Kindle device owners," said Kevin Keith, vice president of Amazon Devices. "We are excited to bring our customers a completely new Kindle lineup, including our first color Kindle and a re-imagined Kindle Scribe with even better in-book writing experiences and a more powerful notebook with generative AI built-in."

Yesterday, Arm has announced significant progress in its Total Design initiative. The program, launched a year ago, aims to accelerate the development of custom silicon for data centers by fostering collaboration among industry partners. The ecosystem has now grown to include nearly 30 participating companies, with recent additions such as Alcor Micro, Egis, PUF Security, and SEMIFIVE. A notable development is a partnership between Arm, Samsung Foundry, ADTechnology, and Rebellions to create an AI CPU chiplet platform. This collaboration aims to deliver a solution for cloud, HPC, and AI/ML workloads, combining Rebellions' AI accelerator with ADTechnology's compute chiplet, implemented using Samsung Foundry's 2 nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) FET technology. The platform is expected to offer significant efficiency gains for generative AI workloads, with estimates suggesting a 2-3x improvement over the standard CPU design for LLMs like Llama3.1 with 405 billion parameters.

Arm's approach emphasizes the importance of CPU compute in supporting the complete AI stack, including data pre-processing, orchestration, and advanced techniques like Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG). The company's Compute Subsystems (CSS) are designed to address these requirements, providing a foundation for partners to build diverse chiplet solutions. Several companies, including Alcor Micro and Alphawave, have already announced plans to develop CSS-powered chiplets for various AI and high-performance computing applications. The initiative also focuses on software readiness, ensuring that major frameworks and operating systems are compatible with Arm-based systems. Recent efforts include the introduction of Arm Kleidi technology, which optimizes CPU-based inference for open-source projects like PyTorch and Llama.cpp. Notably, as Google claims, most AI workloads are being inferenced on CPUs, so creating the most efficient and most performant CPUs for AI makes a lot of sense.

The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) has signed a purchase agreement with IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), a global leader in designing, building, and selling superconducting quantum computers. Under the agreement, IQM will deliver two advanced Radiance quantum systems of 54 qubits and 150 qubits in the second half of 2025 and by the end of 2026, respectively.

The two distinct systems, featuring high-quality qubits and industry-leading fidelities will play a pivotal role in executing quantum algorithms across a range of application domains.

Synaptics Incorporated today launched the Veros Seamless Intelligent Connectivity brand with high-performance systems on chip (SoCs) for Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, and 802.15.4. Signifying leadership and innovation, Veros encapsulates decades of field-hardened technology and IoT connectivity expertise. It encompasses Synaptics' entire wireless portfolio of proven solutions characterized by superior performance, interoperability, coexistence, power efficiency, and bill of materials integration.

The new high-performance SoCs, the SYN4383 and SYN43756E, add to Veros by explicitly targeting devices that demand the highest Wi-Fi throughput and range with seamless network interoperability. The SYN4383 extends Synaptics' award-winning "Triple Combo" Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/802.15.4 series with real simultaneous dual-band (RSDB) operation and greater system integration. The SYN43756E fortifies Synaptics' widely adopted 2x2 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combo SoCs with a 6E Wi-Fi band and LE Audio.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was a special guest at Lenovo Tech World 2024, the computing giant's annual showcase of its latest innovations. The opening keynote address saw Gelsinger make a special appearance to greet Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing, but he wasn't alone. In his pocket was a next-generation "Panther Lake" processor. This chip appears to be an H-segment package for mainstream notebooks, which makes the chip a direct successor to the "Arrow Lake-H" mobile processor that comes out in Q1-2025.

According to leaks from reliable sources, "Panther Lake-H" is said to come in CPU core-counts of up to 18. That's 6P+8E+4LP. It sees the reintroduction of low-power island E-cores located in the SoC tile. The six P-cores are "Cougar Cove," which could feature a generational IPC uplift over the current "Lion Cove," while the current "Skymont" E-cores are carried forward into "Panther Lake." The SoC tile could see an upgrade to a newer foundry node from its current 6 nm on "Arrow Lake," to accommodate the low-power island E-cores, and possibly a faster NPU. The iGPU of "Panther Lake" is allegedly based on the next-generation Xe3 "Celestial" graphics architecture. This faster iGPU, along with a faster NPU, low-power island E-cores, and slightly faster P-cores, could be what "Panther Lake-H" brings to the table. Given that "Arrow Lake-H" sees an early-2025 introduction, we don't expect "Panther Lake-H" out till at least 2026.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Thor III series of power supplies, which includes the ROG Thor 1600 W Titanium III, ROG Thor 1200 W Platinum III and ROG Thor 1000 W Platinum III. Featuring gallium nitride (GaN) MOSFETs, GPU-FIRST voltage sensing, high-performance copper pins, upgraded PCIe connectors, a detachable magnetic OLED display, etched modular cables, ATX 3.1 compatibility and much more, an ROG Thor power supply is an excellent backbone to your next gaming rig. ASUS is so sure of that fact that it includes a 10-year warranty with these PSUs, so users know they are set for incredible, long-lasting performance.

ROG Thor III Series: next-gen premium PSU components
The GaN MOSFETs inside the ROG Thor III series can deliver up to 30% more power efficiency than standard MOSFETs. Since these MOSFETs offer the same performance in a smaller size, Thor III PSUs benefit from an optimized internal layout that keeps units cool, no matter the load.

The first quarter of 2025 (January thru March) will see back-to-back launches of next-generation GeForce RTX 50-series "Blackwell" graphics card, according to the latest rumors. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is confirmed to take center stage for the 2025 International CES keynote address, where he is widely expected to kick off the GeForce "Blackwell" gaming GPU generation. CES is expected to see NVIDIA launch its flagship GeForce RTX 5090 (RTX 4090-successor SKU), and its next-best part, the GeForce RTX 5080 (RTX 4080 successor).

February 2025 is expected to see the company debut the RTX 5070, and possibly the RTX 5070 Ti, if there is such a SKU. The RTX 5070 succeeds a long line of extremely successful SKUs that tended to sell in large volumes. Perhaps the most important launches of the generation will come in March 2025, when the company is expected to debut the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti, which succeed the current RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti, respectively. The xx60 tier tends to be the bestselling class of gaming GPUs in any generation. In all, it's expected that NVIDIA will release six new SKUs within Q1, and you can expect over a hundred graphics card reviews from TechPowerUp in Q1.

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D has hit end-of-life, according to a ComputerBase.de report. Introducing the new 3D V-cache technology, the 5800X3D breathed life back into the Socket AM4 platform as Intel debuted its 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake" processors, while there was still some time to go before AMD could mount up a defense with Ryzen 7000 "Zen 4." AMD figured out a way to augment the 32 MB on-die L3 cache with an additional 64 MB stacked cache that appears as a contiguous 96 MB addressable block to software. Having such a large fast cache next to the CPU cores greatly enhances performance in gaming workloads.

The 5800X3D was able to match the gaming performance of Intel's flagship Core i9-12900K despite being based on the generationally older "Zen 3" microarchitecture, and being restricted with older DDR4 memory. It would go on to be an incredible upgrade option for those still on the Socket AM4 platform, giving them performance in league with Intel's 12th- and 13th Gen processors. As of this writing, US retailer Newegg no longer has the 5800X3D in stock. Amazon has it, and so do some of the smaller retailers. Across the pond, the chip is vanishing from European retailers. In the absence of the 5800X3D, users still have the option of the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and the 6-core 5600X3D, which were both launched in the last year.

AVX-512 was proposed by Intel more than a decade ago—in 2013 to be precise. A decade later, the implementation of this instruction set on CPU cores remains wildly spotty—Intel implemented it first on an HPC accelerator, then its Xeon server processors, then its client processors, before realizing that hardware hasn't caught up with the technology to execute AVX-512 instructions in an energy-efficient manner, before deprecating it on the client. AMD implemented it just a couple of years ago with Zen 4 with a dual-pumped 256-bit FPU on 5 nm, before finally implementing a true 512-bit FPU on 4 nm. AVX-512 is a microcosm of what's wrong with the x86 ecosystem.

There are only two x86 CPU core vendors, the IP owner Intel, and its only surviving licensee capable of contemporary CPU cores, AMD. Any new additions to the ISA introduced by either of the two have to go through the grind of their duopolistic competition before software vendors could assume that there's a uniform install base to implement something new. x86 is a net-loser of this, and Arm is a net-winner. Arm Holdings makes no hardware of its own, except continuously developing the Arm machine architecture, and a first-party set of reference-design CPU cores that any licensee can implement. Arm's great march began with tiny embedded devices, before its explosion into client computing with smartphone SoCs. There are now Arm-based server processors, and the architecture is making inroads to the last market that x86 holds sway over—the PC. Apple's M-series processors compete with all segments of PC processors—right from the 7 W class, to the HEDT/workstation class. Qualcomm entered this space with its Snapdragon Elite family, and now Dell believes NVIDIA will take a swing at client processors in 2025. Then there's RISC-V. Intel finally did something it should have done two decades ago—set up a multi-brand Ecosystem Advisory Group. Here's what it is, and more importantly, what it's not.

After recently announcing PS5 and PC cross-play, Airship Syndicate announced that its co-op, indie, ARPG dungeon crawler, Wayfinder, will officially exit early access on October 21. Along with the full version 1.0 release, Wayfinder will introduce both a new playable area, called The Crucible, and a new vertical traversal tool, called a Hookshot, specifically designed to explore the ruins of the ancient city. The announcement comes with gameplay footage (see on the PlayStation Blog) of the overgrown, gloomy mega-mech that was built by the ancients to fight a war but has since been reclaimed by nature. The new map adds an extra degree of verticality to the game, giving the developers an opportunity to expand the player experience and arsenal.

In addition to the new region and extended mobility options, Airship Syndicate is teaming up with Critical Role for a paid DLC that will add The Legend of Vox Machina characters to Wayfinder as playable characters. Although exact pricing of the DLC is unknown both the Critical Role DLC Supporter Pack and The Crucible will be available on October 21. After the update, players will still be able to play in both single-player and co-op modes, just like before.

Leading gaming accessories maker Turtle Beach Corporation today revealed the latest accessory to join its award-winning line of VelocityOne simulation products. The Turtle Beach VelocityOne Multi-Shift now steps into the spotlight as racing simulation's new, groundbreaking three-function gear shifter and handbrake. VelocityOne Multi-Shift is a premium universal racing sim shifter and handbrake module that's expertly designed with high-end materials and innovative versatility to deliver enhanced realism to most racing sim setups. Multi-Shift is the perfect expansion to Turtle Beach's VelocityOne Race Wheel & Pedals for Xbox and PC, plus it can be used with other compatible PC racing simulation kits. Turtle Beach's VelocityOne Multi-Shift Universal Gear Shifter & Handbrake is available for pre-order at www.turtlebeach.com and participating retailers worldwide for $129.99/£119.99/€129.99 MSRP.

"Turtle Beach once again revolutionizes gaming simulation, this time with VelocityOne Multi-Shift, our innovative three-function gear shifter and handbrake," said Cris Keirn, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. "Multi-Shift's ability to be used as a sequential gearbox, H-gate gearbox, or precision hand brake is impressive on its own. The flexibility to be used on Xbox or PC with our VelocityOne Race Wheel & Pedals kit and with other PC racing sim products, combined with its attractive sub-$150 price point, makes Multi-Shift a must-have accessory for fans looking to take their racing sim setup to the next level."

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is fast approaching its October 25 launch date on the PC Microsoft Store, Battle.net and Steam. In partnership with Treyarch Studios, Call of Duty PC lead developer Beenox is developing a cutting-edge PC experience with 4K graphics and Ultrawide support plus a huge number of options across a variety of settings so players can dial in the best playing experience possible.

Get the Ultimate Performance Boost with AMD FSR 3.1
Some of the major features include:

• AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution
  • AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 transforms your gaming experience with faster, more responsive framerates in Black Ops 6 using super resolution temporal upscaling and advanced frame generation.
• Advanced Frame Generation Technologies
  • The FSR Frame Generation toggle found in your graphics settings allows you to enable Frame Generation, which significantly increases your framerate and works seamlessly with other upscaling solutions.
• AMD FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening (CAS)
  • An overhead sharpening slider can help bring more details to edges of weapons, players, and environments.

AMD FSR 3.1 is compatible with a wide range of graphics cards from AMD and other vendors, delivering exceptional upscaling image quality and massive performance boosts when gaming at 4K or 1440p.

Despite the recent successful launch of Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, which sold 3 million units in 24 hours, it looks as though Bandai Namco is pressuring 200 of its 1,300 employees in Japan to voluntarily resign in what is being called a short-sighted move to boost profits. According to a recent Bloomberg report, the Japanese game developer is skirting strict labor laws in Japan by removing all work responsibilities from 200 of its employees. Allegedly, nearly 100 of those staff being pressured into resignation have already left the company. Along with the layoffs, Bandai Namco has apparently cancelled three new games that were in development, namely, new Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto games.

This shift at Bandai Namco comes in spite of a booming Japanese game industry, which will reportedly grow by 6.66% annually until 2029. Game Developer attributes Bandai Namco's coerced "voluntary" layoffs to the losses generated by the consistently underwhelming performance of the company's online division, which supposedly generated a net loss of an equivalent to $51.35 million in the last fiscal year. If our recent reporting is any indication, there seems to be a shift in the overall gaming market, in which younger audiences predominantly seem to prefer multiplayer (specifically PvP) games. Second to PvP is single-player gaming, which was consistently the preferred game type for more than 30% of gamers, regardless of age groups. This latter niche is seemingly where Bandai Namco's strengths and audience seem to lie, along with many of its other Japanese game studio competitors, like From Software, Nintendo, and Capcom.

MSI, a leading global provider of high-performance server solutions, is excited to showcase its comprehensive lineup of motherboards and servers based on the OCP Modular Hardware System (DC-MHS) architecture at the OCP Global Summit from October 15-17 at booth A6. These cutting-edge solutions represent a breakthrough in server designs, enabling flexible deployments for cloud and high-density data centers. Featured innovations include CXL memory expansion servers and AI-optimized servers, demonstrating MSI's leadership in pushing the boundaries of AI performance and computing power.

DC-MHS Series Motherboards and Servers: Enabling Flexible Deployment in Data Centers
"The rapidly evolving IT landscape requires cloud service providers, large-scale data center operators, and enterprises to handle expanding workloads and future growth with more flexible and powerful infrastructure. MSI's new rage of DC-MHS-based solutions provides the needed flexibility and efficiency for modern data center environments," said Danny Hsu, General Manager of Enterprise Platform Solutions.

Micro Center, a leading national computer and electronic device retailer, has relaunched the online presence of its PowerSpec brand, a trusted name in high-performance desktop PCs. The newly redesigned PowerSpec.com offers an enhanced user experience tailored to meet the needs of gamers, professionals, and tech enthusiasts alike.

Since 1992, PowerSpec has been at the forefront of delivering powerful, adaptable, and upgradeable PCs backed by Micro Center's industry-leading customer service. The revamped website reflects PowerSpec's commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction by offering streamlined navigation, detailed product information, and easy access to essential drivers and support resources.

Emteq Labs, the market leader in emotion-recognition wearable technology, today announced the forthcoming introduction of Sense, the world's first emotion-sensing eyewear. Alongside the unveiling of Sense, the company is pleased to announce the appointment of Steen Strand, former head of the hardware division of Snap Inc., as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Over the past decade, Emteq Labs - led by renowned surgeon and facial musculature expert, Dr. Charles Nduka - has been at the forefront of engineering advanced technologies for sensing facial movements and emotions. This data has significant implications on health and well-being, but has never been available outside of a laboratory, healthcare facility, or other controlled setting. Now, Emteq Labs has developed Sense: a patented, AI-powered eyewear platform that provides lab-quality insights in real life and in real time. This includes comprehensive measurement and analysis of the wearer's facial expressions, dietary habits, mood, posture, attention levels, physical activity, and additional health-related metrics.

Supermicro, Inc., a Total IT Solution Provider for AI, Cloud, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is accelerating the industry's transition to liquid-cooled data centers with the NVIDIA Blackwell platform to deliver a new paradigm of energy-efficiency for the rapidly heightened energy demand of new AI infrastructures. Supermicro's industry-leading end-to-end liquid-cooling solutions are powered by the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 platform for exascale computing in a single rack and have started sampling to select customers for full-scale production in late Q4. In addition, the recently announced Supermicro X14 and H14 4U liquid-cooled systems and 10U air-cooled systems are production-ready for the NVIDIA HGX B200 8-GPU system.

"We're driving the future of sustainable AI computing, and our liquid-cooled AI solutions are rapidly being adopted by some of the most ambitious AI Infrastructure projects in the world with over 2000 liquid-cooled racks shipped since June 2024," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "Supermicro's end-to-end liquid-cooling solution, with the NVIDIA Blackwell platform, unlocks the computational power, cost-effectiveness, and energy-efficiency of the next generation of GPUs, such as those that are part of the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72, an exascale computer contained in a single rack. Supermicro's extensive experience in deploying liquid-cooled AI infrastructure, along with comprehensive on-site services, management software, and global manufacturing capacity, provides customers a distinct advantage in transforming data centers with the most powerful and sustainable AI solutions."

Today, ASML Holding NV (ASML) has published its 2024 third-quarter results.

• Q3 total net sales of €7.5 billion, gross margin of 50.8%, net income of €2.1 billion
• Quarterly net bookings in Q3 of €2.6 billion of which €1.4 billion is EUV
• ASML expects Q4 2024 total net sales between €8.8 billion and €9.2 billion, and a gross margin between 49% and 50%
• ASML expects 2024 total net sales of around €28 billion
• ASML expects 2025 total net sales to be between €30 billion and €35 billion, with a gross margin between 51% and 53%

CEO statement and outlook
"Our third-quarter total net sales came in at €7.5 billion, above our guidance, driven by more DUV and Installed Base Management sales. The gross margin came in at 50.8%, within guidance. While there continue to be strong developments and upside potential in AI, other market segments are taking longer to recover. It now appears the recovery is more gradual than previously expected. This is expected to continue in 2025, which is leading to customer cautiousness. Regarding Logic, the competitive foundry dynamics have resulted in a slower ramp of new nodes at certain customers, leading to several fab push outs and resulting changes in litho demand timing, in particular EUV. In Memory, we see limited capacity additions, with the focus still on technology transitions supporting the HBM and DDR5 AI-related demand."

Intel Corp. (INTC) and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced the creation of an x86 ecosystem advisory group bringing together technology leaders to shape the future of the world's most widely used computing architecture. x86 is uniquely positioned to meet customers' emerging needs by delivering superior performance and seamless interoperability across hardware and software platforms. The group will focus on identifying new ways to expand the x86 ecosystem by enabling compatibility across platforms, simplifying software development, and providing developers with a platform to identify architectural needs and features to create innovative and scalable solutions for the future.

For over four decades, x86 has served as the bedrock of modern computing, establishing itself as the preferred architecture in data centers and PCs worldwide. In today's evolving landscape - characterized by dynamic AI workloads, custom chiplets, and advancements in 3D packaging and system architectures - the importance of a robust and expanding x86 ecosystem is more crucial than ever.

Supermicro, Inc., a Total IT Solution Provider for AI, Cloud, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is launching a new optimized storage system for high performance AI training, inference and HPC workloads. This JBOF (Just a Bunch of Flash) system utilizes up to four NVIDIA BlueField-3 data processing units (DPUs) in a 2U form factor to run software-defined storage workloads. Each BlueField-3 DPU features 400 Gb Ethernet or InfiniBand networking and hardware acceleration for high computation storage and networking workloads such as encryption, compression and erasure coding, as well as AI storage expansion. The state-of-the-art, dual port JBOF architecture enables active-active clustering ensuring high availability for scale up mission critical storage applications as well as scale-out storage such as object storage and parallel file systems.

"Supermicro's new high performance JBOF Storage System is designed using our Building Block approach which enables support for either E3.S or U.2 form-factor SSDs and the latest PCIe Gen 5 connectivity for the SSDs and the DPU networking and storage platform," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "Supermicro's system design supports 24 or 36 SSD's enabling up to 1.105PB of raw capacity using 30.71 TB SSDs. Our balanced network and storage I/O design can saturate the full 400 Gb/s BlueField-3 line-rate realizing more than 250 GB/s bandwidth of the Gen 5 SSDs."

To drive the development of open, efficient and scalable data center technologies, NVIDIA today announced that it has contributed foundational elements of its NVIDIA Blackwell accelerated computing platform design to the Open Compute Project (OCP) and broadened NVIDIA Spectrum-X support for OCP standards.

At this year's OCP Global Summit, NVIDIA will be sharing key portions of the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system electro-mechanical design with the OCP community — including the rack architecture, compute and switch tray mechanicals, liquid-cooling and thermal environment specifications, and NVIDIA NVLink cable cartridge volumetrics — to support higher compute density and networking bandwidth.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced upcoming raw card designs currently in development in JEDEC's JC-45 Committee for DRAM Modules in collaboration with the JC-40 and JC-42 Committees. These raw card memory device standards are intended for use in client computing applications such as laptops and desktops and will be supported by related appendix specifications. The forthcoming raw cards will also complement two DDR5 Clock Driver standards published earlier this year: JESD323: DDR5 Clocked Unbuffered Dual Inline Memory Module (CUDIMM) Common Specification and JESD324: DDR5 Clocked Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module (CSODIMM) Common Specification.

Integrating a Clock Driver (CKD) into a DDR5 DIMM provides numerous advantages, particularly in memory stability and performance, and enhances signal integrity and reliability at high speeds. By regenerating the clock signal locally on the DIMM, a CKD ensures stable operation even at elevated clock speeds. With a DDR5 CKD, DIMM data rates can be increased from 6400 Mbps to 7200 Mbps in the initial version of the standard, and targeting up to 9200 Mbps in future versions.

With Industry 4.0, the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digitized manufacturing and the age of IoT everything, the demand for wireless connectivity in commercial and industrial applications is growing at an exceptional pace. These applications typically require reliable connectivity that can withstand extreme environments that are exposed to high temperatures, background noise and obstructions. To help meet this need, Microchip Technology has added 20 products to its Wi-Fi portfolio. Expanding one of the industry's most extensive wireless connectivity product lines, Microchip offers high-performance Wi-Fi microcontrollers (MCUs), network and link controllers and plug-and-play modules designed to simplify development and speed time to market.

The company's Wi-Fi solutions are designed to support various application needs and developer skill levels. The selection ranges from modules that are regulatory certified in several countries that require no Radio Frequency (RF) expertise and little programming to robust Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) with industrial-level features.

NVIDIA today released the latest version of its GeForce Studio drivers. These are drivers with optimization targeting creators and creative professionals that use GeForce GPUs at work. The new NVIDIA GeForce Studio 565.90 WHQL is based on the GeForce Game Ready 565.90 WHQL drivers that the company released a couple of weeks ago. Version 565.90 WHQL of the Studio drivers come with support for AI-accelerated features of Adobe Creative Cloud suite announced at Adobe MAX 2024. NVIDIA has been working with Adobe to get all its creativity applications to benefit from the AI acceleration capabilities of GeForce RTX GPUs. Apps such as Premiere Pro, After Effects, and the Substance 3D should benefit the most. The drivers also add support for CUDA 12.7. The drivers also include some of the game-specific fixes introduced in the Game Ready version of GeForce 565.90 WHQL. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA Studio Drivers 565.90 WHQL (October 2024 Update)

Sonos (Nasdaq: SONO) announced today the introduction of Sonos Arc Ultra, a new premium soundbar that also debuts the brand's revolutionary transducer technology called Sound Motion. A significant breakthrough in audio engineering, Sound Motion drastically reduces the size of the transducer while supercharging the bass, opening a new chapter in sound innovation where bigger, better sound can be delivered from smaller products. Arc Ultra delivers up to double the bass of its predecessor, with an unprecedented 9.1.4 spatial audio experience in a sleek, sophisticated design.

Sonos is also introducing Sonos Sub 4, the next generation of our iconic subwoofer with a refreshed design and internals that elevate your favorite movies, hit shows and more with rumbling bass.

According to TechNews Taiwan, Intel has made significant progress in implementing ASML's cutting-edge High-NA EUV lithography technology. The company has successfully completed the assembly of its second High-NA "Twinscan EXE" EUV system at its Portland facility, as confirmed by Mark Phillips, Intel's Director of Lithography Hardware. Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, highlighted that the new assembly process allows for direct installation at the customer's site, eliminating the need for disassembly and reassembly, thus saving time and resources. Phillips expressed enthusiasm about the technology, noting that the improvements offered by High-NA EUV machines have surpassed expectations compared to standard EUV systems. Given the massive $380 million price point of these High-NA systems, any savings are valuable in the process.

The rapid progress in installation and implementation of High-NA EUV technology at Intel's facilities positions the company strongly for production transition. With all necessary infrastructure in place and inspections of High-NA EUV masks already underway, Intel aims to have its Intel 14A process in mass production by 2026-2027. As Intel leads in High-NA EUV adoption, other industry giants are following suit. ASML plans to deliver High-NA EUV systems to TSMC by year-end, with rumors suggesting that TSMC's first system will possibly arrive in September. Samsung has also committed to the technology, although recent reports indicate a potential reduction in their procurement plans. Additionally, this development has sparked discussions about the future of photoresist technology, with Phillips suggesting that while Chemically Amplified Resist (CAR) is currently sufficient, future advancements may require metal oxide photoresists. This provides a small insight into Intel's future nodes.

More than 600 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players.

This week, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead and MechWarrior 5: Clans both launch with day-one support for DLSS 3, featuring DLSS Super Resolution and DLSS Frame Generation. We're also highlighting Forgive Me Father 2, which recently added support for DLSS 3, and you can check out another incredible custom GeForce RTX PC, this time themed around FINAL FANTASY XVI.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the availability of a brand-new category of clock driver memory with the launch of its Crucial DDR5 clocked unbuffered dual inline memory modules (CUDIMM) and clocked small outline dual memory modules (CSODIMM), which are now shipping in volume. The JEDEC-standard solutions run at speeds up to 6,400 MT/s (megatransfers per second), more than twice as fast as DDR4 and 15% faster than traditional non-clock-driver-based DDR5. Designed to provide more speed stability, faster downloads and better refresh rates, these solutions represent a completely new frontier of memory form factors for next-generation PCs. Micron's CUDIMM and CSODIMM solutions are the industry's first commercially available JEDEC-standard DDR5 CUDIMM and CSODIMM solutions to hit the market since JEDEC standardized the specification earlier this year.

In addition, Intel has validated Micron DDR5 CUDIMM and CSODIMM solutions up to capacities of 64 gigabytes (GB) for use with its Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2), which were launched last week on Oct. 10.

Marvell Technology, Inc., a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, demonstrates its industry-leading 3 nm PCIe Gen 7 connectivity at the OCP Global Summit, October 15-17, at the San Jose Convention Center. PCIe Gen 7 doubles data transfer speeds, enabling continued scaling of compute fabrics inside accelerated server platforms, general-purpose servers, CXL systems and disaggregated infrastructure. Building on its widely deployed PAM4 technology and utilizing its industry-leading accelerated infrastructure silicon platform, Marvell has developed the industry's most comprehensive interconnect portfolio addressing all high-bandwidth optical and copper connections in AI data centers. This innovative portfolio empowers cloud data center operators to optimize their infrastructure for their specific architectures and workloads to meet the exponential demands of AI.

Marvell pioneered PAM4 technology over a decade ago and leads the industry in PAM4 interconnect shipments. Today, most of the optical interconnects used in data center backend and frontend networks are based on PAM4 technology. As compared to PCIe Gen 5, which was based on NRZ modulation, PCIe Gen 6 and 7 require the use of PAM4 modulation. With its recent PCIe Gen 6 retimer announcement and this PCIe Gen 7 demonstration, Marvell extends its industry-leading PAM4-based optical and copper interconnect portfolio beyond Ethernet and InfiniBand into copper and optical PCIe, CXL and proprietary compute fabric links.

CORSAIR proudly presents the next generation of award-winning VIRTUOSO gaming headsets: VIRTUOSO MAX. Featuring state-of-the-art 50 mm Graphene drivers, VIRTUOSO MAX joins innovative engineering with cutting-edge audio technology, for spectacularly clear, precise audio. From the lightest footstep to the heaviest rainfall, VIRTUOSO MAX enriches every in-game sound for unbreakable immersion, on any platform. The result is a headset that sounds so good, it's worth obsessing over.

Also launching today is an officially licensed VIRTUOSO MAX for Xbox consoles. Immersive, clear gaming audio from the CORSAIR sound experts is now available on the Xbox as well as PC. In addition to seamless wireless connection between platforms, the VIRTUOSO MAX for Xbox also offers intuitive on-ear audio/chat mix controls.

Apple today introduced the new iPad mini, supercharged by the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence, the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. With a beloved ultraportable design, the new iPad mini is available in four gorgeous finishes, including a new blue and purple, and features the brilliant 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. A17 Pro delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini, and support for Apple Intelligence. The versatility and advanced capabilities of the new iPad mini are taken to a whole new level with support for Apple Pencil Pro, opening up entirely new ways to be even more productive and creative. The 12MP wide back camera supports Smart HDR 4 for natural-looking photos with increased dynamic range, and uses machine learning to detect and scan documents right in the Camera app.

The new iPad mini features all-day battery life and brand-new experiences with iPadOS 18. Starting at just $499 with 128 GB—double the storage of the previous generation—the new iPad mini delivers incredible value and the full iPad experience in an ultraportable design. Customers can pre-order the new iPad mini today, with availability beginning Wednesday, October 23.

THQ Nordic is excited to announce that a remastered and enhanced version of Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition is now available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X! While many of you are eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the Darksiders saga, teased during our August 2024 showcase, today we're turning our focus to something you can get your hands on immediately—an enhanced and remastered version of the critically acclaimed action-adventure. Fulfill your apocalyptic destiny with Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition—available now at an SRP of $29.99 / €29.99. If you already own Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition on PlayStation 4, you will receive a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version.

Rambus Inc., a premier chip and silicon IP provider making data faster and safer, today unveiled industry-first, complete memory interface chipsets for Gen 5 DDR5 RDIMMs and next-generation DDR5 Multiplexed Rank Dual Inline Memory Modules (MRDIMMs). These innovative new products for RDIMMs and MRDIMMs will seamlessly extend DDR5 performance with unparalleled bandwidth and memory capacity for compute-intensive data center and AI workloads.

"The voracious memory demands of AI and HPC require the relentless pursuit of higher performance through continued innovation and technology leadership," said Sean Fan, chief operating officer at Rambus. "With our 30-plus years of renowned high-speed signal integrity and memory system expertise, the Rambus Gen5 RCD, and next-generation MRCD, MDB, and PMIC will be critical enabling chips in future-generation servers leveraging DDR5 RDIMM 8000 and MRDIMM 12800."

Corsair announced today the availability of the 9000D RGB AIRFLOW case, an update to the massively popular OBSIDIAN 1000D Super-Tower case. Widely known as the ultimate case for custom water-cooling builds, the 9000D improves upon its predecessor in expansion, cooling, and buildability features across the board, while simultaneously incorporating a refreshed industrial design aesthetic.

"The 9000D builds on the successful base of the 1000D to deliver a modern feature set with even more cooling potential and expansion capability" said Mitch Podlaha, head of the Case Product Marketing team at Corsair. "We've developed a new variable fan mounting system named InfiniRail that allows you to cool your build with any fan or radiator setup for the ultimate flexibility and performance potential. One of my favorite features is that front panel I/O has a built-in USB 3.2 hub that gives you full use of the USB Type-C and USB Type-A ports using just a single internal USB Type-E port for data and a PSU connector for power."

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the Corsair 9000D is now live]

More than just storage, Western Digital HDDs are key enablers for businesses looking to optimize their infrastructure, lower TCO and future-proof their data strategies. Constantly innovating to meet the needs of our data-driven world, Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) today announced that it is now shipping the world's highest capacity UltraSMR HDD with up to 32 TB leveraging the time-tested, reliable energy-assisted PMR (ePMR) recording technology for hyperscalers, CSPs and enterprises. For those who want a drop-in ready HDD for today's data-intensive workloads, the company is also now shipping the world's highest-capacity ePMR CMR HDD with up to 26 TB for enterprise and channel customers. With the world's first commercially available 11-disk design and field-proven technology, these new drives reinforce Western Digital's commitment to delivering HDD technology that raises the bar on capacity, reliability and innovation.

The AI Data Cycle has emerged as a growth driver for the storage industry. As AI systems become more sophisticated, they process and generate vast amounts of data that must be stored efficiently. HDDs play a crucial role in this ecosystem, handling both the input side, where data is gathered, ingested and stored, and the output side, where AI content is generated and preserved. This dual role positions HDDs as a linchpin in the AI Data Cycle, ensuring that data is available when needed and stored with the lowest TCO.

Created for young listeners, JBL launches three new junior headphones featuring next-generation JBL Safe Sound. With volume and playtime limits, activity reports, and a personalized countdown reminder, kids can now enjoy JBL Sound tailored for little ears with the wireless JBL Junior 470NC and JBL Junior 320BT.

Hearing health is at the heart of the new JBL Junior range, with new parental app control innovations taking JBL Safe Sound beyond simply an 85dB volume limit. Available in vibrant, playful colors to suit every kid's preference, and new, larger child-friendly controls, the new headphones combine clear, safe sound with all-day comfort and durability.

TrendForce's latest findings reveal that NAND Flash products have been impacted by weaker-than-expected seasonal demand in the second half of 2024, leading to a decline in wafer contract prices in Q3. This downward trend is projected to deepen, with prices expected to drop by more than 10% in Q4.

Enterprise SSDs are the only segment likely to see modest price growth—supported by stable order momentum—with contract prices forecast to rise by 0-5% in Q4. However, PC SSDs and UFS will see more cautious procurement strategies from buyers, as weaker-than-expected sales of end products drive buyers to adopt a conservative approach. As a result, TrendForce projects overall NAND Flash contract prices will decline by 3-8% in Q4.

BenQ today premiered the GP520, a groundbreaking 4K all-in-one home entertainment projector designed specifically for modern open-plan living spaces. Perfect for young families who value quality time together, the GP520 delivers the onboard cinema experience of Netflix and Google TV with premium 2600 ANSI-lumen HDR picture quality and ambient adaptive technology, coupled with smart auto setup for stunning viewing quality, regardless of the wall color, lighting conditions, or room layout.

"Families often struggle to achieve high-quality projection in open living spaces," said Peter Huang, President of BenQ Corporation. "The GP520 addresses three critical issues: color distortion from ambient light, optimization to different wall colors, and auto-setup without constant adjustment when the projector is moved into different corners. With the GP520, families can enjoy flawless 4K visuals no matter where or how it is set up."

We're thrilled to announce the next Xbox Partner Preview - our no-fluff, all-games broadcast - is coming this Thursday, October 17. In the latest installment, we'll feature a mix of new and upcoming games for you from incredible partners like Remedy Entertainment, Sega, 505 Games, and many more, with over a dozen new trailers over the course of around 25 minutes. During Xbox Partner Preview, you'll get a first look at gameplay from Alan Wake II's next expansion, The Lake House, an action-packed new trailer for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, a peek at multiple bosses in dark-fantasy action game Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, multiple world premieres, and other great titles coming to Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and Game Pass.

As always, Xbox Partner Preview is all about sharing exciting games news from our talented partners across the globe: you'll get new game reveals, release date announcements, and fresh new gameplay from upcoming games. And to sweeten the deal, during the broadcast, Xbox Wire will post exclusive behind-the-scenes stories about select titles shown. This event will be broadcast digitally on Thursday, October 17, at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK across our Xbox channels on YouTube and Twitch.

BenQ, a global leader and pioneer of professional display technology, today announced the unveiling of its newest additions to the award-winning DesignVue PD monitor series at the upcoming Adobe MAX event, a global creativity conference bringing together creators, developers, and technology partners to learn about Adobe products, discover new tools, and connect with other creatives. While the new 5K PD2730S is geared toward designers and content creators utilizing either Mac or PC platforms, the new 4K PD3226G features a high refresh rate (144 Hz), ideal for designers, illustrators, game developers, and content creators, especially those who create 3D creatures or draw their creations on a tablet.

"BenQ has meticulously gathered feedback from professionals to design monitors that precisely meet their requirements with always accurate and consistent colors," said Houston Wei, senior director of BenQ North America. "The new PD2730S and PD3226G were designed with both Mac and PC users in mind to provide unparalleled color features with invaluable new software including Display ColorTalk and Palette Master Ultimate."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the launch of the Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme, a new ROG Ryujin all-in-one cooler introduced during Gamescom 2024. The ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme is specially optimized for the heat zones of Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) via a movable bracket design that effectively reduces CPU heat.

The cooler is also equipped with an Asetek Emma Gen 8 V2 pump for optimal cooling performance, and its embedded pump fan assists in cooling a motherboard's voltage regulator modules (VRMs). Meanwhile, 30 mm daisy-chainable ROG ARGB fans provide high airflow and static pressure with noise optimization, and users can connect lighting and fan control with one cable for easy installation and cable management. The ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme also boasts a full-color 3.5-inch display with a 640x480 resolution which can be customized through Armoury Crate to display exclusive ROG wallpaper, real-time system information or personalized content.

AMD is allegedly announcing its Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor on October 25, with availability in the first week of November 2024. This according to leaky taps among Chinese tech forums with a track record of getting such details right. We've been hearing about an October launch of the 9800X3D in late-September, which puts the announcement just a month after the 9800X3D's early launch first hit the radar. We've since seen a couple of performance or specs leaks, such as this one, which talks about a significant increase in clock speeds over past generations of X3D processors, this one which points to its Cinebench scores, and this one, which confirms a 5.20 GHz all-core boost frequency. Perhaps the biggest leak of them all, which is quasi-official, as it comes from a major PC hardware manufacturer, is this one, with some performance testing. When you cross-reference these numbers with Intel's first party gaming performance claims for its upcoming Core Ultra 9 285K "Arrow Lake-S" processor, you get the hint that AMD is set to win this round for gaming performance.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, a leading brand in gaming PC components, gaming laptops, and Hi-fi audio products, announces its participation at GITEX GLOBAL 2024 on October 14 to 18. Come and check out Colorful latest products launched at Booth H15-D10 this year! Winner of various awards at COMPUTEX 2024, the iGame Neptune Series is designed with liquid cooling as the primary thermal solution. Its liquid cooling components use high-quality aluminium for CNC integrated molding, with a fully sealed water channel for cooling the processor. The motherboard and SSD are passively cooled with the large full-cover heatsink. A stacked water cooling design is employed for secondary cooling, featuring an adjustable bracket.

The graphics card of the iGame Neptune Gaming PC is vertically mounted for open display, and the PCIe adapter supports both water-cooled and air-cooled graphics cards. It comes in a pre-assembled kit, including the open-frame chassis with liquid cooling components, Neptune motherboard, processor, SSD, and power supply. Users can customize the other components such as the graphics cards, memory, SSDs, and others.

Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty demanding title. From the very high-performance system needed for ideal system specifications, the game now uses up to 180 Mbit/s of internet bandwidth while the user is in flight and the terrain is loading. This is equivalent to as much as 81 GB per hour of internet data, which is a nightmare for users with a data cap. Data caps are often standard in US homes, with internet providers imposing their own rules on up to 1 TB of uncapped traffic, which considerably slows down after that. The new Flight Simulator 2024 may be a bit much for users who don't have powerful systems and data plans.

The Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 requires 30 GB of storage for the game. The alpha version comes in at only 9 GB, meaning that it is pulling much of its resources from Microsoft's servers, thus requiring this massive bandwidth to operate smoothly. Microsoft recommends a 50 Mbit/s internet connection for the final game, meaning that the final 30 GB install will pack more textures, thus lowering the massive load on Microsoft's servers. Of course, the 180 Mbit/s is the peak load, and the lowest measured load is around 10 Mbit/s. The game typically runs below 50 Mb/s, but this peak value is quite noticeable.

Patriot, a leading provider of storage solutions, unveils its latest innovation, the iLuxe for Apple series, centered around advanced flash memory technology. The first product in this lineup, the iLuxe Cube smart backup solution, seamlessly integrates charging and backup functions, offering users a convenient and secure way to manage their photos and videos. With no subscription fees required, iLuxe Cube provides a cost-effective alternative for long-term data storage, helping users avoid hefty monthly cloud storage fees.

The iLuxe Cube smart backup solution features advanced smart backup technology that stores only new, unbacked-up content, ensuring efficient use of storage space. It preserves the original date, time, location tags, and file formats from the time of capture, allowing for accurate and complete restoration. The device supports multiple users, with each member having their own dedicated iPhone ID folder for individual backups, eliminating the risk of data overlap and ensuring data integrity. Its intuitive and efficient design makes the iLuxe Cube an ideal solution for seamless device backups.

Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRVL), a leader in data infrastructure semiconductor solutions, today announced the development of FBNIC, a custom 5 nm network interface controller (NIC) ASIC in collaboration with Meta to meet the company's infrastructure and use case requirements. The FBNIC board design will also be contributed by Marvell to the Open Compute Project (OCP) community. FBNIC combines a customized network controller designed by Marvell and Meta, a co-designed board, and Meta's ASIC, firmware and software. This custom design delivers innovative capabilities, optimizes performance, increases efficiencies, and reduces the average time needed to resolve potential network and server issues.

"The future of large-scale, data center computing will increasingly revolve around optimizing semiconductors and other components for specific applications and cloud infrastructure architectures," said Raghib Hussain, President of Products and Technologies at Marvell. "It's been exciting to partner with Meta on developing their custom FBNIC on our industry-leading 5 nm accelerated infrastructure silicon platform. We look forward to the OCP community leveraging the board design for future innovations."

Flex today announced new reference platforms for liquid-cooled servers, rack, and power products that will enable customers to sustainably accelerate data center growth. These innovations build on Flex's ability to address technical challenges associated with power, heat generation, and scale to support artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads.

"Flex delivers integrated data center IT and power infrastructure solutions that address the growing power and compute demands in the AI era," said Michael Hartung, president and chief commercial officer, Flex. "We are expanding our unique portfolio of advanced manufacturing capabilities, innovative products, and lifecycle services, enabling customers to deploy IT and power infrastructure at scale and drive AI data center expansion."

As autumn arrives, Valve's Steam platform is heating up the gaming world with its latest Steam Next Fest. From now until October 21st, gamers can dive into hundreds of free demos from upcoming indie titles, turning their homes into a virtual gaming convention. Steam Next Fest spotlights indie projects and games from smaller development teams, offering various genres, from action RPGs to building strategies and visual novels. Valve compares the event to traditional gaming fairs, with one key advantage: players can try out demos at their leisure, without the time constraints and crowds typically found at physical events. To help users navigate the vast selection, Steam's homepage features an algorithmically curated discovery list tailored to each user's gaming preferences. Additional sorting options include lists of the most popular games, soon-to-be-released titles, and the most requested games participating in the fest.

For those seeking specific experiences, games can be filtered by categories such as action, adventure, strategy, and more. One of the event's unique aspects is that developers can only participate once with a particular game, ensuring that most demos are available to the public for the first time. This exclusivity adds to the excitement, giving players a first look at upcoming releases. Enhancing the interactive experience, Steam Next Fest also features numerous live streams where developers showcase their games, provide behind-the-scenes insights, and engage with the audience through Q&A sessions. These streams offer a personal touch, mimicking the developer interactions one might have at a physical gaming convention.

GPU chip packages of the "Navi 4x" generation of GPUs could be generationally smaller than their predecessors, according to leaked package dimensions of the "Navi 44" chip put out by Olrak29_. With its next-generation Radeon RX gaming GPUs based on the RDNA 4 graphics architecture, AMD has decided to focus on gaining market-share in the performance and mainstream segments, ceding the enthusiast segment to NVIDIA. As part of its effort, the company is making RDNA 4 efficient at every level—architecture, process, and package.

At the architecture level, RDNA 4 is expected to improve performance, particularly the performance cost of ray tracing, through a more specialized ray tracing hardware stack. At the process level, AMD is expected to switch to a more efficient foundry node, with some reports suggesting the TSMC 4 nm, such as the N4P or N4X. For a mid-range GPU like the "Navi 44," which succeeds the "Navi 23" and "Navi 33," these mean a rather big leap from the 7 nm or 6 nm DUV nodes. The leak suggests a smaller package, measuring 29 mm x 29 mm. In comparison, the "Navi 23" package measures 35 mm x 35 mm. The smaller package could make these GPUs friendlier with gaming notebooks, where mainboard PCB real-estate is at a premium.

AMD is readying a new mainstream graphics card positioned based on its current RDNA 3 graphics architecture, the Radeon RX 7650 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition). The company has had great success in selling graphics card SKUs with the "GRE" brand extension in China, with the RX 6750 GRE being a popular SKU there; and it even has an enthusiast-class SKU with the RX 7900 GRE, which saw a global launch earlier this year. The company is hoping for the "GRE" moniker to compete better against the GeForce RTX 4060, at least in specific markets. A new Benchlife.info report says that the RX 7650 GRE will be based on the 6 nm "Navi 33" monolithic silicon, and not the 5 nm "Navi 32" chiplet-based GPU previously reported.

AMD has already maxed out the "Navi 33" for both the RX 7600 and RX 7600 XT, with the latter only seeing its memory size doubled over the former, so it remains to be seen where AMD goes with the RX 7650 GRE. The "7650" numbering suggests a faster SKU, so it's possible that AMD increases the engine clock speeds of the "Navi 33" by as much as it can. The RX 7600 comes with a 2.25 GHz Game clock, which the RX 7600 XT slightly bumps up to 2.47 GHz. If we were to guess, the RX 7650 GRE could focus on increasing the Game clock, not the memory size; and so it could have the power configuration of the RX 7600 XT, and room for Game clocks either on-par or higher than the RX 7600 XT, while retaining the 8 GB memory size of the RX 7600.

Thrustmaster is thrilled to reveal its new sim racing base/wheel rim/pedal set ensemble, ushering in a new Direct Drive motor technology: Direct Axial Drive. With its slogan "DRIVE INTO A NEW ERA", at Gamescom 2024 Thrustmaster had announced a new era to come in its range and, more broadly, in the sim racing market. After publishing an article explaining the limitations of the current generation of Direct Drive motors (available here), followed by a second article unveiling Direct Axial Drive, the new Axial flux motor technology (available here), Thrustmaster is now making available the world's first racing wheel to incorporate this brand-new technology. Its main feature: XXL performance for a particularly low price. T598 is a complete base/wheel rim/pedal set ensemble, officially licensed for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, and compatible with PC.

DRIVE INTO A NEW ERA
A new era has dawned in the world of sim racing. After the advent of Direct Drive motors, the Direct Axial Drive technology designed by Thrustmaster is ushering in new standards. More efficient and less expensive, this Axial flux motor represents the future for tomorrow's racing wheels. T598 is the first to feature it.

Super Flower, a leader in high-performance power supply units (PSUs), is excited to expand its range of power solutions with the launch of the Combat FG ATX 3.1. Building on the successful release of the Leadex III ATX 3.1, the Combat FG ATX 3.1 offers PC enthusiasts even more choices for their custom builds, combining performance with durable design. As part of Super Flower's commitment to innovation, this release adds to their broad product lineup, which includes air coolers, water coolers, case fans, and chassis, catering to gamers, content creators, and tech aficionados.

The Combat FG ATX 3.1, available in 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W models, is designed to meet the demands of modern systems with a focus on efficiency and reliability. This new PSU ensures top-tier performance under high load, making it an ideal choice for those looking to optimize their systems for intense gaming or content creation. With this release, Super Flower continues to solidify its reputation as a top choice for those who demand quality and power from their components.

In close cooperation with hyperscalers and server OEMs, Rittal has developed a modular cooling distribution unit (CDU) that delivers a cooling capacity of over 1 MW. It will be the centerpiece exhibit at Rittal's booth A24 at 2024 OCP Global Summit. The CDU uses direct liquid cooling based on water - and is thus an example for new IT infrastructure technologies that are enablers for AI applications.

New technology, familiar handling?
"To put the technology into practice, it is not enough to simply provide the cooling capacity and integrate the solution into the facility - which also still poses challenges," says Lars Platzhoff, Head of Rittal's Business Unit Cooling Solutions: "Despite the new technology, the solutions must remain manageable by the data center team as part of the usual service. At best, this should be taken into account already at the design stage."

MONTECH a leading PC components and peripherals brand is excited to announce the launch of the KING 65 PRO, the newest addition to the premium lineup of PC cases. This latest model epitomizes the commitment to quality, innovation, and user-friendly design, making it an ideal choice for both novice builders and experienced enthusiasts.

Build with Ease: Quick Release Mechanism for Hassle-Free Setup
The KING 65 PRO features a revolutionary tool-less quick-release mechanism for all outer panels, ensuring seamless access to your components. Whether you're adding new hardware, performing routine cleaning, or making adjustments, this innovative design allows you to do so quickly and effortlessly, eliminating the need for additional tools.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the MONTECH KING 65 PRO is now live]

Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (Credo), an innovator in providing secure, high-speed connectivity solutions that deliver improved energy efficiency as data rates and corresponding bandwidth requirements increase throughout the data infrastructure market, is excited to announce the company's first Toucan PCI Express (PCIe) 6, Compute Express Link (CXL) 3.x and Magpie PCIe 7, CXL 4.x retimers and OSFP-XD 16x 64GT/s (1 Tb) PCIe 6/CXL HiWire AECs. Credo will demonstrate the Toucan PCIe 6 retimers and HiWire AECs at the upcoming Open Compute Project (OCP) Summit October 15-17 in Booth 31 and the OCP Innovation Center.

Building on Credo's renowned Serializer/Deserializer (SerDes) technology, the new PCIe 6 and PCIe 7 retimers deliver industry-leading performance and power efficiency while being built on lower cost, more mature process nodes than competing devices. Credo will also include enhanced diagnostic tools, including an embedded logic analyzer and advanced SerDes tools driven by a new GUI designed to enable rapid bring up and debug of customer systems.

Western Digital Corp. today announced that its PCIe Gen 5 DC SN861 E.1S enterprise-class NVMe SSDs have been certified to support the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 rack-scale system.

The rapid rise of AI, ML, and large language models (LLMs) is creating a challenge for companies with two opposing forces. Data generation and consumption are accelerating, while organizations face pressure to quickly derive value from this data. Performance, scalability, and efficiency are essential for AI technology stacks as storage demands rise. Certified to be compatible with the GB200 NVL72 system, Western Digital's enterprise SSD addresses the growing needs of the AI market for high-speed accelerated computing combined with low latency to serve compute-intensive AI environments.

AMD today announced the AMD Alveo UL3422 accelerator card, the latest addition to its record-breaking family of accelerators1 designed for ultra-low latency electronic trading applications. AMD Alveo UL3422 provides trading firms, market makers and financial institutions with a slim form factor accelerator optimized for rack space, cost and designed for a fast path to deployment in a wide range of servers. The Alveo UL3422 accelerator is powered by an AMD Virtex UltraScale+ FPGA that features a novel transceiver architecture with hardened, optimized network connectivity cores, custom built for high-speed trading. It enables ultra-low latency trade execution, achieving less than 3ns FPGA transceiver latency and breakthrough 'tick-to-trade' performance not achievable with standard off-the-shelf FPGAs.

"Speed is the ultimate advantage in the increasingly competitive world of high-speed trading," said Yousef Khalilollahi, corporate vice president & general manager, Adaptive Computing Group, AMD. "The Alveo UL3422 card provides a lower-cost entry point while still delivering cutting-edge latency performance, making it accessible to firms of all sizes that want to stay competitive in the ultra-low latency trading space."

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced the availability of its new KIOXIA XD8 Series PCIe 5.0 Enterprise and Datacenter Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) E1.S SSDs. The new drives are the third generation of E1.S SSDs from KIOXIA and are compliant with PCIe 5.0 (32 GT/s x 4) and NVMe 2.0 specifications, and support the Open Compute Project (OCP) Datacenter NVMe SSD v2.5 specification.

Designed for cloud and hyperscale environments, the KIOXIA XD8 Series meets the growing demand for higher performance, enhanced efficiency, and greater scalability in data centers. The new drives empower cloud providers and hyperscalers to optimize their infrastructure, delivering superior performance while maintaining operational efficiency.

Jabil Inc. announced today that it is expanding its server portfolio with the J421E-S and J422-S servers, powered by AMD 5th Generation EPYC and Intel Xeon 6 processors. These servers are purpose-built for scalability in a variety of cloud data center applications, including AI, high-performance computing (HPC), fintech, networking, storage, databases, and security — representing the latest generation of server innovation from Jabil.

Built with customization and innovation in mind, the design-ready J422-S and J421E-S servers will allow engineering teams to meet customers' specific requirements. By fine-tuning Jabil's custom BIOS and BMC firmware, Jabil can create a competitive advantage for customers by developing the server configuration needed for higher performance, data management, and security. The server platforms are now available for sampling and will be in production by the first half of 2025.

ASUS today unveiled a lineup of Z890 motherboards from the ROG Maximus, ROG Strix, TUF Gaming, Prime and ProArt families, supporting Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2). ASUS is marking the occasion with all-new motherboard features that accelerate performance and streamline the build process. ASUS AI Advisor is a new natural-language build assistant powered by AI. AEMP III, NitroPath DRAM Technology and DIMM Fit unleash DDR5 memory kits. NPU Boost provides overclocking of the integrated NPU in an Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) CPU for accelerated AI performancei. ROG M.2 PowerBoost provides more M.2 slots on a motherboard than ever before. On top of all that, there is Thunderbolt 5, WiFi 7 and new PC DIY features to discuss.

Primed to perform with Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) in a new socket
Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) use the new LGA 1851 socket. Users of these processors will need an Intel 800 series motherboard to use one, and a Z890 motherboard specifically to take advantage of CPU overclocking. These options feature up to 24 cores in a new disaggregated architecture. Performance-cores, aka P-cores, take center stage with their high clock rates, while a cluster of Efficient-cores, aka E-cores, provide high-end multithreaded performance.

Lenovo Group announced today the Lenovo ThinkSmart Core Gen 2, one of the first AI-optimized compute device purpose built to run video conferencing room systems. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor with an integrated NPU, the ThinkSmart Core Gen 2 is ready for AI-heavy meeting room workloads to deliver unparalleled performance for intuitive collaboration and enhanced productivity, all in a protected and user-friendly solution.

Smarter AI for All Means Smarter Collaboration
Under Lenovo's vision of Smarter AI for All, the company is dedicated to empowering organizations and individuals to put AI to work for them. While the role of collaboration technology has never been more critical, many customers are continuing to redefine meeting spaces and how work is done. The integration of AI into collaboration tools presents a transformative opportunity to connect people and improve productivity. Lenovo, the global leader in PCs, is bringing more compute power to collaboration.

Advantech, a global leader in embedded computing, is excited to announce the release of the SQRAM CXL 2.0 Type 3 Memory Module. Compute Express Link (CXL) 2.0 is the next evolution in memory technology, providing memory expansion with a high-speed, low-latency interconnect designed to meet the demands of large AI Training and HPC clusters. CXL 2.0 builds on the foundation of the original CXL specification, introducing advanced features such as memory sharing, and expansion, enabling more efficient utilization of resources across heterogeneous computing environments.

Memory Expansion via E3.S 2T Form Factor
Traditional memory architectures are often limited by fixed allocations, which can result in underutilized resources and bottlenecks in data-intensive workloads. With the E3.S form factor, based on the EDSFF standard, the CXL 2.0 Memory Module overcomes these limitations, allowing for dynamic resource management. This not only improves performance but reduces costs by maximizing existing resources.

MAXSUN has officially launched 12 new Z890 series motherboards, designed to support Intel's next-generation Core processors. These motherboards, crafted with cutting-edge technology, deliver exceptional performance for gaming, content creation, and high-end computing tasks. As a key Intel partner, MAXSUN has developed this line with the Z890 chipset, covering four main series: iCraft, Terminator, eSport, and Challenger, providing users with a diverse selection tailored to their needs.

The Z890 series offers a variety of form factors to accommodate different user preferences. Whether you're a hardcore gamer seeking top performance, a fan of clean white builds, or someone looking to build a compact mini PC, MAXSUN's Z890 motherboards deliver powerful solutions with both aesthetic appeal and technical prowess to meet various demands.

MSI, a leading brand in gaming hardware, is thrilled to announce an exciting collaboration with SEGA, a prominent Japanese game publisher, to bring gamers on an epic journey through the expansive world of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Embark on an epic journey in Metaphor: ReFantazio with MSI's Cutting-Edge Motherboards
From 2024 October 11th to November 11th, MSI is offering a special promotion: purchase an X870(E) motherboard and receive a Metaphor: ReFantazio Standard Edition PC digital game key for free.

Leading white box provider AAEON has released the FWS-2290, its most powerful desktop network appliance to date. The FWS-2290 is the first from the company's Network Security Division to feature Intel Processor N-series CPUs, with the Intel Processor N97 being the chosen default processor, but the full Intel Processor N-series range being supported.

This choice of CPU platform lends the FWS-2290 to use in Unified Threat Management (UTM) and Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications, given its inclusion of integrated security features such Intel Control-Flow Enforcement Technology (CET), Intel Advanced Encryption Standard Instructions (AES-NI), and Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O.

According to a study by William M. Volckmann II from the University of North Carolina, we have received an insight into the financial consequences of digital rights management (DRM) breaches in the PC gaming industry. The research, titled "The Revenue Effects of Denuvo Digital Rights Management on PC Video Games," offers valuable insights into the relationship between piracy and game sales. The study's most striking finding reveals that when Denuvo, a popular anti-piracy technology, is quickly compromised, game publishers face an average revenue decline of 20%. Interestingly, the research suggests that long-term DRM implementation may be unnecessary. Volckmann's analysis indicates that games cracked after the first three months of release or those from which publishers voluntarily removed DRM protection after this period experienced negligible revenue loss.

The study also explored potential predictors for quick DRM breaches but found no conclusive indicators based on game characteristics. This unpredictability poses a challenge for publishers in assessing the risk of piracy for individual titles. Volckmann acknowledges gamers' concerns about DRM's technical drawbacks, recommending that publishers consider removing such protections after the critical initial three-month window. This approach could balance piracy prevention with user experience optimization. The findings present a compelling case for publishers to reconsider their DRM strategies. While protecting games during the launch period remains crucial, extended DRM usage may offer diminishing returns.

Intel's new Core Ultra processor model nomenclature is significantly different from the Core i7 series that held for 14 generations, since its 2008 debut. The desktop Core Ultra 2-series "Arrow Lake-S" desktop processor family is led by the Core Ultra 9 285K, which is positioned as a successor to the Core i9-14900K. The choice of numbering the top SKU "285K" instead of something like the "290K," which even caused the top Core Ultra 7 SKU to be numbered the "265K," raises a few questions. The biggest of these is if Intel is creating room for a near-future SKU to go with "295K."

In the classic Intel Core series nomenclature, the digit following the first two, designates a position in the product stack. For example, in the i9-14900K, "14" points to the processor generation, followed by "9" as the top-spec SKU. If you wind the clocks back to the 10th Gen Core "Comet Lake," there was a top-spec Core i9-10900K, but there was also a Core i9-10850K. Both the i9-10900K and the i9-10850K are unlocked 10-core/20-thread parts with identical TDP, set apart only by their stock clock speeds. Could it be possible that the Core Ultra 9 285K is a distant descendant of the i9-10850K, and that Intel's top "Arrow Lake-S" part is the "295K?" Momomo_us recently dug out an inconspicuous Intel Support webpage listing out Core Ultra desktop processors without an included fan-heatsink. This is very likely a typo, but the page mentions a "295K" SKU instead of the Core Ultra 9 285K. This caused us to wonder if the "295K" is being reserved for an i9-14900KS successor.