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.

IOGear unveiled a handful products relevant to content creators and creative professionals on the move, at the 2024 International CES. The star attraction here is the Quantum Thunderbolt 5 Dock Pro. It plugs into a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, putting out three Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, with display passthrough of dual 8K @ 60 Hz or triple 4K @ 120 Hz. The dock doesn't support the 120 Gbps Bandwidth Boost feature being mooted by Intel, but you'll definitely get 80 Gbps per direction. Also shown was the Quantum Thunderbolt 4 Mini Dock, which supports up to one 8K @ 30 Hz display stream or dual 4K @ 60 Hz, within its 40 Gbps switching bandwidth. Both docks are TAA compliant.

Next up, we have the IOGear Upstream Pro 4-port HDMI to UVC mixer, which mixed and captures non-DRM HDMI inputs to PGM UVC video at resolutions of up to 4K @ 30 Hz. The Upstream Pro Seamless 2-port webcam matrix lets you switch between multiple web cameras within a live stream, so you can change the shot while you're live. There are also some handy adapters and cables. IOGear specializes in ports, cables and adapters of all shapes and sizes.

Kensington, a worldwide leader of desktop computing and mobility solutions for IT, business, and home office professionals, today announced the expansion of its portfolio of innovative docking solutions for Microsoft Surface devices, with the launch of the SD5765T Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Docking Station. Kensington's portfolio of Designed for Surface (DfS) Thunderbolt 4, USB4 and USB-C docking stations enhance the usability of Surface devices to optimize the productivity of professionals and creatives.

Thunderbolt 4 Dock Adds Speed, Power, Video Options to Surface Devices
Designed to enhance the productivity of professionals using Thunderbolt based Surface devices running Windows, Kensington's new Plug-and-Play SD5765T Thunderbolt 4 Dual 4K Docking Station is an affordable, high-speed dock that enables users to connect multiple 4K monitors and accessories without using adapters.

The gaming scene changed dramatically last year with the implementation of HDMI 2.1, a new enhancement in connectivity supporting a range of higher video resolutions and refresh rates including 4K @ 120 Hz, a new level for console gamers. A few months ago, console enthusiasts welcomed the first model in the all-new range of Philips Momentum Designed for Xbox monitors, the 559M1RYV (55"/139.7 cm).

Philips Momentum Designed for Xbox console gaming monitors are built to provide the ultimate experience for next-gen console gamers by including the new HDMI 2.1 input, which enables next-gen console gaming with 4K resolution and a fast 120 Hz refresh rate for an ultra-clear and ultra-smooth gaming performance. Now, the Philips monitors portfolio has expanded to include the new 329M1RV (31.5"/80 cm) and 279M1RV (27"/68.5 cm) displays.

NVIDIA today released the GeForce 466.63 WHQL software. These drivers introduce support for the recently announced GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, which we reviewed here. The drivers also introduce optimization for "No Man's Sky" DLSS update, NVIDIA Reflex support for "Escape from Tarkov," "Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2," and day-zero optimization for "Chivalry 2." A couple of issues are also fixed. A bug that caused the system to hand when connected to a 4K UHD TV and launching a VR game, has been fixed. 4K @ 120 Hz not being available to machines running GeForce GTX 16-series and 10-series graphics cards, has been fixed. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 466.63 WHQL

Over three years after the launch of the HDMI Specification Version 2.1, major products are now widely available that support HDMI 2.1 features including 4K@120Hz, 8K@60Hz, Dynamic HDR and eARC. Instead of asking when HDMI 2.1-enabled products will be available, people are now asking for advice about which new HDMI 2.1-enabled products to buy.

"It's exciting to see so many new products available with these new features," said Rob Tobias, CEO and president of HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA). "And with the launch of the latest gaming consoles, consumers can now enjoy a thrilling HDMI 2.1 end-to-end experience with consoles, AVR's, cables, TVs and monitors. With shipments of HDMI products reaching almost 10 billion since it launched in 2002, HDMI technology continues to be the universal interface for consumer electronics products."