At CES this year, UGREEN was showing off two new NAS models, the NASync iDX6011 and the iDX6011 Pro, with the i in the model name seemingly denoting that both models are using Intel Core Ultra processors. The basic design builds on last years NASync models and the UGOS Pro operating system, but with several added features that may or may not appeal to the target audience. The common feature set between the two models is six 3.5-inch drive bays and a pair of M.2 slots that can be used for either storage or as a cache for the mechanical drives. Both models are expected to ship with 32 GB of RAM as standard and can be expanded to 64 GB and both of them also supports a PCIe 4.0 x8 expansion card slot, although at this point it's not clear what that slot can be used for. As with the already launched NASync models, the two new SKUs will come with the OS installed on a 128 GB SSD.

Where things get interesting is on the connectivity side of things, as both models sports dual 10 Gbps Ethernet ports, what is said to be an 8K capable HDMI port, a pair of USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) ports, two USB 2.0 ports and an SD 4.0 card slot. However, the NASync iDX6011 comes with a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports around the front, although it's not clear if it can be used as a DAS using these ports, or if they simply act as virtual network ports. The iDX6011 Pro on the other hand, sports two USB Type-C ports around the front—as well as a small status LCD display—in favour of an OCuLink port around the back. The OCuLink port is capable of up to 64 Gbps of bandwidth, compared to 40 Gbps for the Thunderbolt 4 ports. It's currently not know what the OCuLink port can be used for, but it's more or less an external PCIe interface. It's also unknown what type of AI or LLM features the two new NASync devices will support, but it's clear they'll rely on the capabilities of the Intel processors they're built around. No pricing was announced at CES and the NASync iDX6011 is expected to launch sometime in the second quarter this year, with the NASync iDX6011 Pro launching in the third quarter. We should also note that the NASync iDX6011 Pro wasn't on display at CES, hence the renders below.

Patriot Memory brought an updated line of M.2 Gen 5 NVMe SSDs, and PC overclocking memory products that leverage CKD (client clock driver) technology to achieve high data rates. We begin our tour with the company's flagship OC memory, the Viper Xtreme 5 CKD. Patriot set up a demo build showing off a 48 GB (2x 24 GB) kit doing DDR5-9600 at 46-58-58-154; with the Core Ultra 9 285K running in Gear 4 mode. The memory OC is y-Cruncher stable, both for versions 0.8.5 and Pi-1b. It may come as a surprise, but Patriot Memory has been around for a while in the market. In 2025, the company is celebrating its 40th year in business. All memory products and packaging have a special "40 Years" logo. The Viper Xtreme 5 CKD comes in RGB and non-RGB variants.

Besides Viper Xtreme 5 series, the company unveiled other, more cost-effective CKDIMMs, such as the Signature series CKD. These are bare modules that lack heatspreaders. The CKD helps these modules offer speeds of up to DDR5-6400. Switching gears to non-volatile memory, and we have what is probably the most interesting SSD we've come across this CES—the Patriot Viper PV563. This drive lacks any heatsink or heat spreader, and looks like it belongs in the entry-mainstream market segment, but don't be fooled by its looks. It is the first M.2 NVMe Gen 5 SSD with a DRAMless controller to claim sequential speeds of up to 14 GB/s. Gen 5 drives with DRAMless controllers such as the Phison E31T tend to offer speeds of up to 12 GB/s, but the PV563 uses a Maxiotek MAP1806 the fastest market rival to the E31T.

ASUS today announced Master Thunderbolt 5 Dock DC510, a sleek 13-in-1 dock that offers seamless connectivity and enhanced productivity with three Thunderbolt 5 and comprehensive I/O. Designed for creators, this sleek dock offers an array of ports to connect and power multiple devices simultaneously, enabling users to create a neat and streamlined workspace. The Master Thunderbolt 5 Dock is able to support single 8K or dual 8K is at 60 Hz, or up to three 4K displays at 144 Hz for immersive visuals. Thunderbolt 5 connectivity delivers up to 80 Gbps transfer speeds and 140-watt fast charging. Plus, the dock includes four USB ports, RJ45 2.5G Ethernet, an audio combo jack, and dual card readers. The sleek chassis of Master Thunderbolt 5 Dock offers toolless access for easy installation of M.2 NVMe SSD and includes white atmospheric lighting to give the dock a look that suits any modern workspace.

Triple 4K display support
ASUS Master Thunderbolt 5 Dock provides creative professionals with enhanced multitasking and productivity capabilities, enabling them to simultaneously work across three 4K displays at 144 Hz, two 8K displays at 60 Hz or one 8K display at 60 Hz.

Netgear, Inc., a leading provider of innovative, security-driven solutions for people to connect and manage their digital lives, today announced the launch of the Orbi 870 Series Mesh System - the latest addition to its growing portfolio of mesh networking systems delivering the enhanced power of WiFi 7 to homes of all sizes.

Building on nearly 30 years of WiFi innovation expertise, NETGEAR designed the Orbi 870 series to deliver high-performance mesh networking powered by WiFi 7. Created to meet the needs of today's connected homes, the Orbi 870 ensures exceptional speeds, reduced latency and ample capacity for even the most demanding households. Whether streaming ultra-high-definition content, working remotely, or gaming online, families can rely on Orbi 870's advanced WiFi technology to support a smooth experience across up to 150 connected devices. Meanwhile, Advanced Router Protection, only available from NETGEAR, helps ensure router security out of the box with advanced safety features and automatic security updates designed to help protect routers against cyberattacks and other security threats.

MSI, a global leader in computing solutions, is excited to announce the launch of its latest innovation in mini PCs: the Cubi NUC AI Series. This new lineup features the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M and the Cubi NUC AI 1UM, both carefully designed to deliver exceptional performance in impressively compact formats.

Cubi NUC AI+ 2M: The Ultimate Copilot+ PC
Measuring just 0.826 liters, the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M sets a new standard for mini PCs. Despite its compact size, it is powered by an Intel Core Ultra Processor from the Lunar Lake platform and comes with AI tools designed to enhance productivity and improve the user experience. Equipped with a dedicated AI Boost NPU, it functions as a Copilot+ PC, seamlessly integrating with AI-driven applications like CoCreator, Windows Studio Effects, Live Captions, and Live Translation—making it ideal for both professional and personal use. One of its standout features is the one-touch fingerprint power button, which provides both security and convenience. Additionally, a dedicated Copilot button offers instant access to AI assistance, streamlining workflows and daily tasks. The built-in microphone and speaker further enrich the user experience, enabling smooth communication and voice-activated commands. Connectivity is another strong point, with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one of which supports up to 100 W Power Delivery input. This means the Cubi NUC AI+ 2M can be powered directly through a monitor using a Type-C connection, minimizing cable clutter and simplifying your setup.

ORICO introduces the Mac Mini Upgrade Series, a suite of innovative solutions tailored to maximize the potential of Apple's Mac Mini M4. Loved for its powerful performance, compact design, and seamless macOS integration, the Mac Mini's capabilities are often limited by high storage and port expansion costs. ORICO's latest lineup offers stylish, cost-effective solutions designed for graphic designers, HD video editors, content creators, and professionals seeking enhanced productivity.

MiniMate provides a cost-effective external storage solution that enhances capacity while seamlessly blending with the Mac mini's sleek design, enabling users to work efficiently and unleash their creativity with ease, now on sale.

• Massive Storage Options: Up to 4 TB of solid-state storage, with flexible choices ranging from 512 GB to 4 TB.
• Sleek Design: Perfectly complements your Mac mini with identical dimensions for a seamless fit.
• Blazing Fast Transmission: Supports up to 40 Gbps for smooth external editing and ultra-fast file transfers.

Over the past few months, we've seen an explosion of magnetic NVMe SSD enclosures on the market and now Akasa has joined the fray with its own take on the topic and the accessory maker has of course added its own twists to the storage enclosure. The AK-ENU3M2-08 as it's known as, houses a standard M.2 2230 NVMe SSD and it's compatible with Apple's range of iPhones for direct video capture to the drive in ProRes 4K resolution and it does of course attach to the MagSafe connector on recent iPhones.

However, what makes the Akasa product stand out is the inclusion of a supercapacitor, which the company says takes 5-6 minutes to charge and it's included as a data loss safeguard in case of a sudden power loss. That said, it's a bit hard to figure how useful this would be in real world scenarios, since if the drive lost power, it most likely also lost its data connection to the host device. Another neat feature is that Akasa allows for 100 W USB PD passthrough, something we haven't seen on similar devices. The downside is the 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 data interface, which is slower than some competing devices, but the other features might make up for the slower speed, depending on your use case. No pricing was announced.

A prominent maker of smartphone and computer accessories, Satechi, has introduced yet another product to its lineup. The Satechi Mini NVMe SSD enclosure boasts an impressively compact design, with USB-C connectivity that allows it to be used with PCs, Macs, smartphones, etc. Interestingly, the product features a read-only mode, thanks to its physical write protection switch.

Owing to its diminutive form factor, the NVMe enclosure can only accommodate M.2 2230 drives. Satechi claims speeds of 10 Gbps, which is decently fast for most use cases, and a maximum capacity of 2 TB. Somehow, Satechi has also managed to pack active cooling into the product, which can spin up to a claimed 10,000 RPM when needed, thereby mitigating the woe of thermal throttling when the drive hits 50° C.

When the initial batch of AMD X870/E motherboards were announced, there were no signs of Mini-ITX motherboards, but now Gigabyte has launched its first X870 Mini-ITX board and it's a bit of a hit and miss in our opinion. The X870I Aorus Pro Ice comes in white, as per the Ice moniker that Gigabyte likes to use for its white products and this might really appeal to some and put others off. Feature wise, we're looking at a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot—as per most Mini-ITX boards—two NVMe M.2 slots, one PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0, but for some reason, Gigabyte decided that a single USB4 port was enough.

What makes the single USB4 port decision even worse is the fact that the board only has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps USB Type-C port and the front panel header is also limited to 10 Gbps. On a brand new board, this is really quite disappointing, but the Pro SKUs are usually feature limited models from Gigabyte. The rest of the ports around the back consists of an HDMI 2.1 port, although it too is limited to 4K 60 Hz output, which again is disappointing—the USB4 port is capable of 4K at 240 Hzvia DP Alt mode—two USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps USB Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 5 Gbps USB Type-A ports and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, a 2.5 Gbps RJ45 Ethernet jack, a WiFi antenna connector for the onboard RTL8922AE WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 module and a pair of 3.5 mm audio jacks mounted on a separate PCB. There's also a BIOS flashing button around the back.

M31 Technology Corporation, a leading global provider of silicon intellectual property (IP), today announced that its cutting-edge USB4 IP has achieved silicon validation on TSMC's 5 nm (N5) process. The newly validated IP enhances data transfer capabilities for a new wave of mobile and portable devices. The announcement coincides with M31's participation in TSMC's 2024 Open Innovation Platform (OIP) Ecosystem Forum in Taiwan. This milestone underscores the close collaboration between M31 and TSMC, reflecting M31's commitment to advancing high-performance IP solutions by leveraging TSMC's innovative platform to drive next-generation connectivity.

M31's USB4 IP is built on the latest USB4 specification and represents a major leap in the evolution of USB architecture. It supports multi-protocol tunneling, enabling simultaneous transmission of multiple data types—such as USB, DisplayPort, and PCIe—over a single connection. The USB4 IP achieves 40 Gbps data transfer rates, significantly enhancing bandwidth associated with previous USB standards. The IP is fully compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3, ensuring seamless integration with existing and future devices.

AAEON Technology Inc. (stock code: 6579), a leading designer and manufacturer of industrial and embedded computers, today announced the release of the BOXER-8642AI, a fanless embedded AI computer featuring eight independent 10 Gbps USB ports, powered by either a 32 GB or 64 GB NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module.
Built for the smart retail market, the BOXER-8642AI is able to support multiple Intel RealSense D405 3D cameras for high and wide bandwidth image processing to facilitate inferencing tasks conducive to applications such as AI-assisted self-checkout kiosks.

The BOXER-8642AI's design is suitable for reliable, around-the-clock operation in various retail environments, as indicated by its 12 V to 24 V power input range and -25°C and 55°C temperature tolerance. Moreover, AAEON claims the device's standout feature, its selection of 10 Gbps USB ports, have been tested to ensure they can withstand continuous on/off cycling while maintaining a drop-rate of less than 0.1%.

ORICO, an industry-leading brand in data storage solutions, is proud to announce the launch of Dual-Bay Dock for both an M.2 SSD and a SATA HDD, featuring up to 30 TB hybrid storage and two-way data duplication. The dock greatly streamlines the workflow of professionals, enterprises, DIY PC assemble teams and more who need to move and manage extensive data.

Unlike another drive dock, this ORICO dock brings complete compatibility and multi-functionality. It supports an 8 TB M.2 SSD and a 22 TB HDD (total of 30 TB). For professionals, it effectively addresses the hardware upgrade from hard drives to solid-state drives while enabling the fast transfer of hot data to cold data, and provides users with great convenience in cross-protocol data backup.

Details of what is claimed to be Google's upcoming Tensor G5 and G6 SoCs have popped up over on Notebookcheck.net and the site claims to have found the specs on a public platform, without going into any further details. Those that were betting on the Tensor G5—codenamed Laguna—delivering vastly improved performance over the Tensor G4, are likely to be disappointed, at least on the CPU side of things. As previous rumours have suggested, the chip is expected to be manufactured by TSMC, using its N3E process node, but the Tensor G5 will retain the single Arm Cortex-X4 core, although it will see a slight upgrade to five Cortex-A725 cores vs. the three Cortex-A720 cores of the Tensor G4. The G5 loses two Cortex-A520 cores in favour of the extra Cortex-A725 cores. The Cortex-X4 will also remain clocked at the same peak 3.1 GHz as that of the Tensor G4.

Interestingly it looks like Google will drop the Arm Mali GPU in favour of an Imagination Technologies DXT GPU, although the specs listed by Notebookcheck doesn't add up with any of the specs listed by Imagination Technologies. The G5 will continue to support 4x 16-bit LPDDR5 or LPDDR5X memory chips, but Google has added support for UFS 4.0 memory, something that's been a point of complaint for the Tensor G4. Other new additions is support for 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 and PCI Express 4.0. Some improvements to the camera logic has also been made, with support for up to 200 Megapixel sensors or 108 Megapixels with zero shutter lag, but if Google will use such a camera or not is anyone's guess at this point in time.

Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for 40 years, today announced the launch of its latest innovation, the Connect USB-C 11-in-1 Pro GaN Dock 150 W. Designed for businesses and professionals, this all-in-one docking station integrates Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology to create a compact yet powerful and efficient workstation solution.

With its sleek, space-saving design, the 11-in-1 Pro GaN Dock provides seamless connectivity, offering up to 150 W of power in a compact, clutter-free form. The dock features a wide array of ports, including support for up to three external displays, making it an ideal choice for professionals who demand multi-screen setups and fast data transfer speeds.

ASRock has unveiled a full lineup of Z890 motherboards, led by the new Taichi series flagship models. This series offers a powerful mix of options for extreme enthusiasts, including the ASRock Z890 Taichi AQUA, Taichi OCF, Taichi, and Taichi Lite. Other ASRock Z890 motherboards include the gaming-focused Phantom Gaming series, featuring the Nova, Riptide, and Lightning models, as well as the popular Steel Legend, LiveMixer, and Pro series for mainstream users. The new Z890 motherboards support the latest Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors, offering more high-speed expansion such as PCI-Express 5.0 support for a graphics card, as well as M.2 SSD, and more importantly up to two Thunderbolt 4 ports for all Z890 motherboards.

The New Era of Taichi
The white-styled ASRock Z890 Taichi AQUA introduces a unique hybrid thermal design developed in collaboration with Alphacool, which combines air and water cooling for the VRM and M.2 block. The Z890 Taichi AQUA also features the first detachable M.2 water block for Gen-5 SSDs, simplifying and streamlining installation.

Realtek Semiconductor will participate in Network X 2024 (October 08~10, 2024), an event being held in Paris, France, that will bring together over five thousand people from all over the world to include senior network infrastructure and service professionals from telcos, leading vendors, industry bodies, governments, analysts, and media to showcase the latest trending products, solutions, and services. Realtek will exhibit its highly integrated 2.5G Ethernet switch solutions and complete xPON broadband solutions to meet various bandwidth application needs.

Highly Integrated 2.5G Ethernet Switch Solution
With breakthroughs in large language model technology, generative AI has ushered in a new era of AI applications. The demand for AI applications is no longer confined to high-end cloud applications but has extended from the cloud to edge computing and is becoming increasingly widespread. Consequently, the high bandwidth requirements at the edge have become more critical. Currently, edge network speeds commonly use 1GbE. To address the growing bandwidth demands of AI applications, Realtek has developed a 2.5G Ethernet switch solution that integrates various technologies to provide 2.5GbE downstream bandwidth and 10GbE upstream bandwidth. This solution is designed to support future AI-enabled endpoint devices, such as AI PCs and AI notebooks, to meet their high bandwidth needs. Additionally, this 2.5G Ethernet switch solution can be used in Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 wireless routers, supporting high bandwidth applications to meet user demands for high bandwidth at the edge in AI applications.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announced the launch of its revolutionary Z890 motherboards. These next-generation motherboards are set to redefine the standards in performance, AI integration, and user experience for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, these motherboards push the boundaries of what's possible in computing.⁠

Infinite Memory Performance
GIGABYTE Z890 lineup equips the D5 Bionic Corsa technology to create phenomenal new peaks in memory performance to DDR5 XMP 9500 and above. A true marvel of AI-enhanced overclocking technology for DDR5 memory, D5 Bionic Corsa boasts four key technologies from software, hardware to firmware side. The AORUS AI SNATCH and AI SNATCH Engine present AI-overclocking for ultimate performance, while AI-Driven PCB Design and HyperTune BIOS deliver AI-design for signal enhancement on motherboards. The AORUS AI SNATCH is an auto-overclocking software by AI model, and enables users to unleash utmost performance with one-click activation. The AI SNATCH Engine is the AI model served as the core of AORUS AI SNATCH software, trained by AI TOP on diverse overclocking datasets to improve precision and optimize performance with stability. The AI-Driven PCB Technology employs AI algorithms to optimize vias, routing and stackups, while the Hypertune BIOS uses AI to optimize MRC and adapt to signals for peak efficiency, significant memory clock boost, and enhanced overall performance.

ORICO, a leading innovator in data storage solutions, is proud to introduce a huge storage and expansion upgrade solution for Apple Mac users, called StudioLink. It's a powerful Apple desk setup for video creators, designers, filmmakers, professionals. 52 TB of combined SSD and HDD storage, a versatile array of high-performance inputs and outputs are designed to revolutionize creative workflow. Mac users, whether they are engaged in office work, graphic design, video audio editing and rendering, learning programming, music production, or video game development, often face challenges when it comes to storage capacity and
connectivity. For example, for a designer working with 4K materials at 30 FPS and 50 Mbps, one hour of footage can generate 22 GB of data.

It is calculated that every additional 256 GB upgrade costs over USD 200. The high storage cost and limited capacity options can deter many users from initial purchase decisions for larger capacities, and hinder productivity. ORICO StudioLink is a dream teammate for Mac devices to tackle the core challenges. It's a new generation of Apple storage expansion solutions that balances capacity, style, I/O ports, connectivity, and component size. Unleash the Mac's productivity.

MSI unveils the X870E and X870 motherboards, designed to harness the full power of AMD's Ryzen 9000 Series desktop processors. The lineup includes four models: MEG X870E GODLIKE, MPG X870E CARBON WIFI, MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI, and PRO X870-P WIFI. These motherboards deliver exceptional value and performance with cutting-edge features and exclusive MSI innovations. Offering top components, innovative features, and easy DIY options, MSI's X870E and X870 motherboards make building and using your PC seamless.

Introducing MSI's Ultra Connect feature in the X870E and X870 motherboards, offering next-gen networking, storage, and expansion. With built-in 5G LAN and Wi-Fi 7, users can enjoy lightning-fast speeds, reaching up to 5.8 Gbps. As well as TriLink Connectivity, Expansion is made to future-proof with PCIe Gen 5.0 for next-gen graphics cards and SSDs. The USB4 ports, which are Thunderbolt compatible, enable fast data transfers and support a wide range of next-gen devices, including display output through USB-C.

Detailed specifications and a somewhat blurry slide showing off all the details of MSI's upcoming high-end MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard have leaked courtesy of @ChamberTech_ on X/Twitter. The motherboard is likely to appeal to those looking to squeeze every extra bit of performance out of their new Ultra 200K series CPU when they launch next month. You get support for memory speeds of up to 10,000 MT/s and with only two DIMM slots, it might be able to go even higher with the latest DDR5 CUDIMMs. The board also sports a 110 Ampere 20+1+1+1 VRM design on an eight layer PCB, and it also ships with what MSI calls an OC Tuning Controller, suggesting the board is targeting overclockers.

MSI has included a pair of PCIe 5.0 x16 slots for GPUs that presumably operate in dual x8 mode when both slots are in use, and a third PCIe 4.0 x16 slot that operates in x4 mode, as well as a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot. There's also no less than six M.2 slots, of which two are PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0, as well as six SATA ports. Where things get a bit interesting is in the network connectivity, as the slide claims that the board features a 5 Gbps Intel Killer Ethernet interface, which is the first we've heard of such a thing, as well as an Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 module for wireless connectivity.

ASUS today announced the TUF Gaming GT502 Horizon, a mid-tower PC case with a seamless panoramic view, exceptional cooling and unbeatable style. The front pillar that separated the front and side tempered glass panels on the original GT502 has been removed to give users a seamless window into a build that stretches nearly halfway around the entire case.

Advanced reinforcement techniques strengthen the TUF Gaming GT502 Horizon to maintain its structural integrity without the support of a front pillar. It can comfortably withstand up to 30 kg of weight from above, and its sturdy fabric handles are perfectly capable of helping users adjust the position of their PC, as they could with the original GT502. The TUF Gaming GT502 Horizon is also available in two colors: Classic Black and Snowy White, with color-matched modular cables.

ASUS over the weekend introduced the XG-C100C V3, a client-segment 10 GbE PCIe network interface card. The card features a ubiquitous RJ-45 connector that supports 803.2an (10 Gbps), and slower standards, such as 5 GbE, 2.5 GbE, 1 GbE, and 10/100 Mbps. The single-slot, half-height (low-profile) card features a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 host interface, and uses a Marvell AQtion AQC113 controller, with a heatsink. The card features dual-color link/activity LEDs. OS support includes Windows 11, Windows 10, and most recent desktop Linux distributions. The company didn't announce pricing.

Rambus Inc., a premier chip and silicon IP provider making data faster and safer, today announced the industry's first HBM4 Memory Controller IP, extending its market leadership in HBM IP with broad ecosystem support. This new solution supports the advanced feature set of HBM4 devices, and will enable designers to address the demanding memory bandwidth requirements of next-generation AI accelerators and graphics processing units (GPUs).

"With Large Language Models (LLMs) now exceeding a trillion parameters and continuing to grow, overcoming bottlenecks in memory bandwidth and capacity is mission-critical to meeting the real-time performance requirements of AI training and inference," said Neeraj Paliwal, SVP and general manager of Silicon IP, at Rambus. "As the leading silicon IP provider for AI 2.0, we are bringing the industry's first HBM4 Controller IP solution to the market to help our customers unlock breakthrough performance in their state-of-the-art processors and accelerators."

GIGABYTE just released its second AMD 800-series chipset motherboard following last week's debut of the X870E AORUS Master, the more affordable X870 AORUS Elite WIFI7. This board is based on the slightly more affordable AMD X870 (non-E) chipset, which offers connectivity nearly identical to that of the previous-generation AMD B650E, but with the addition of USB4. The board is built in the ATX form-factor, and features a 6-layer PCB. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS power connectors. The CPU VRM solution consists of a 16+2+2 phase setup, with the vCore side of it being 8-phase with phase doubling. The Socket AM5 is wired to four DDR5 DIMM slots for up to 256 GB of memory.

Expansion slots include a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 wired to the CPU, a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 (electrical Gen 4 x4), and a third PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical Gen 3 x2). The main Gen 5 x16 PEG slot gets a quick-release lever. You press a button, and it ejects the graphics card. Storage connectivity includes three M.2 Gen 5 x4 slots, two of these are wired to the CPU's dedicated Gen 5 x4 NVMe lanes, while the third slot subtracts 8 lanes from the Gen 5 x16 PEG slot. There is a fourth M.2 slot, which is Gen 4 x4, and wired to the X870 FCH. All four slots get heatsinks. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports make for the rest of the storage connectivity.

Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock has announced that its W790 series workstation motherboards, including the W790 WS and W790 WS R2.0, now support the newly released Intel Xeon W-3500 series and Xeon W-2500 series processors. This enables consumers to experience the superior performance of the latest Intel Xeon series processors.

The ASRock W790 WS series workstation motherboards feature up to 2 TB DDR5 ECC RDIMM support, PCI-Express 5.0 expansion slots, USB4/Thunderbolt 4 and Dual 10 Gbps Ethernet. A flagship-class 14-layer PCB and 20+2 phase CPU VRM ensures ultimate performance and superb reliability, even when subjected to the most demanding sustained workloads.