Akasa today introduced the ALUCIA H4A, a low-profile air-type CPU cooler for AMD sockets AM5 and AM4. With its fan in place, the cooler has a Z-height of just under 30 mm, which it achieves using a highly compacted fin-stack heatsink, and a thin form-factor fan. The cooler can deal with AMD Ryzen processors with TDP of up to 95 W, which should make it fit for the majority of processor- and APU models. Its design involves a nickel-plated copper base located between a factory-fitted retention-module. From this base, four 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes pass through, conveying heat to an aluminium fin-stack heatsink, which is ventilated by a 92 mm fan.

The Akasa ALUCIA H4A measures 94 mm x 94 mm x 29.5 mm (WxDxH), weighing 232 g. Its 92 mm ball-bearing fan is rated for 40,000 hours by its designers. It takes in 4-pin PWM input, and turns at speeds ranging between 800-3,600 RPM. It pushes a maximum of 40 CFM of airflow, at 2.2 mm H₂O static pressure, and noise ranging between 17-35.8 dBA. The company didn't reveal pricing, but mentioned that the cooler is backed by a 2-year warranty.

AMD Socket AM4 platform gets yet another lease of life, as the company is planning another round of processor models for the platform. This was revealed by AMD in a meeting with its channel partners as part of the AMD Advantage Club event. The Ryzen 5000XT line of desktop Socket AM4 processors will be modeled along the Ryzen 3000XT series that formed the company's final refresh of the Ryzen 3000 "Zen 2" family before it launched the Ryzen 5000 series. The 3000XT series were criticized for being mere 100-200 MHz speed bumps that didn't offer tangible benefits over the parts they were replacing from the stack, but merely being a means for AMD to restore its presence at certain price-points. It remains to be seen what the 5000XT series looks like. In all likelihood, these will continue to be speed-bumps of the Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer" processors; but at attractive price-points. The slide revealing the 5000XT series also reveals two new SKUs—the Ryzen 7 8700F, and the Ryzen 5 8400F. Both are likely to be based on the 4 nm "Hawk Point" monolithic silicon, but with their iGPUs disabled.

Last week, the Professional Gamers League (PGL) announced an interesting overhaul of tournament hardware—new systems will be fitted with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards, then hooked up to BenQ ZOWIE XL2566K 24.5" 360 Hz gaming monitors. Their previous generation machines were (initially) designed around AMD's Ryzen 9 5950X processor, but the organization is leaving AM4 platforms behind: "PGL is excited to announce that our team has fully optimized upgraded gaming PCs in partnership with Afromnazareth, and we are ready to deliver an unparalleled esports experience at the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen 2024. At the heart of this cutting-edge setup is the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, explicitly chosen for its exceptional performance capabilities and ability to handle the demands of CS2. This processor is renowned for its superior gaming performance, offering players the speed, power, and efficiency required to perform at the highest levels of competition."

The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a more straightforward upgrade—as an easy drop-in for the PGL's older AM4 platform machines, but a leap into new ecosystems will grant a bit of future-proofing. Team Red is expected to support AM5 across a couple of processor generations. PGL did upgrade systems with 5800X3D CPUs, due to player feedback—according to Tom's Hardware: "there was some discontent among players with the previous configuration with the Ryzen 9 5950X because, while the chip sports 16 Zen 3 execution cores, Counter-Strike 2 doesn't exploit the processor's prowess. Some players criticized PGL's poor processor choice for previous events, claiming lousy frame rates." Performance connoisseurs will be pleased to hear about the tournament organizer's new push into modern platforms—Silviu Stroie, PGL CEO, stated: "we have meticulously optimized this bespoke gaming setup to ensure that every participant experiences CS2 in the highest fidelity without compromise. The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU stands out as a game-changer in the esports arena, promising to elevate the competitive play of CS2 to new heights."

CaseKing.de has started to sell a gigantic Lamptron ST060 dual-tower CPU air cooler for €299.90 (~$325) with VAT added. Many PC hardware news sites have predicted that this sizable—153 × 152 × 120 mm (W x H x D)—cooling solution is worthy of taking on similarly proportioned competition. CaseKing's listing includes some hype material: "(the ST060) offers extremely high cooling performance thanks to its six heat pipes and two PWM RGB fans. With a 260 W TDP, the cooler is also very quiet and has immense cooling reserves for overclocked CPUs and, despite its size, can be installed even with the mainboard installed." The integrated 6-inch 1920x1080 screen is the ST060's other selling point—DeepCool's (recently TPU reviewed) AK620 dual-tower cooler sports a large-ish top-mounted mini monitor, although its functionality is quite limited. Lamptron states that their new model is prepped for full AIDA64 integration; a license for this software suite is bundled in.

The integrated screen requires connection to USB Type-A and HDMI ports—perhaps a major annoyance—fortunately mini USB to USB and HDMI cables are included in the box. Additionally, software and digital instructions are uploaded onto a bundled USB-A flash drive. The base Lamptron ST060 model is joined by ARGB equipped alternatives—CaseKing has a product page for a black fan version (LAMP-ST060AB, also priced at €299.90), but it is not available to purchase yet. Tom's Hardware believes that a white fan model (LAMP-ST060AW) is also incoming—they documented some basic aesthetic differences: "In addition to the fans being different, the ARGB versions have a silver heatsink as opposed to the black heatsink on the regular version." Lamptron's ST060 air cooler appears to be an Intel socket-centric product, with support for LGA1366, LGA1200, LGA115x, LGA1700, and LGA2011. Team Red enthusiasts will be disappointed about compatibility being limited to AM4. Overclocking.com expressed surprise regarding Lamptron's re-emergence with new products—many assumed that the company was in a dormant state for a long time.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, announces that its AMD AM4 series motherboards are now compatible with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors.With the official unveiling of the Ryzen 8000 Series desktop processors, AMD has further enhanced its Ryzen 5000 Series, first released in 2020, by introducing four new processors. These additions include the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, Ryzen 7 5700, Ryzen 5 5600GT, and Ryzen 5 5500GT, all built on AMD's efficient Zen 3 architecture. This expansion of the Ryzen 5000 Series offers users a broader range of options, from high-end to mainstream, demonstrating AMD's dedication to diversifying its CPU offerings.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and Ryzen 7 5700 processors are equipped with advanced technologies like AMD StoreMI, which enhances storage performance by combining SSDs and HDDs into a more efficient, single-tiered storage system. Additionally, they support AMD Ryzen VR-Ready Premium technology, offering greater immersion in virtual reality, even on older hardware. This combination of StoreMI and VR-Ready Premium technology ensures these processors deliver high storage efficiency and an enhanced VR experience, making them suitable for a wide range of demanding applications.

CORSAIR at the 2024 International CES unveiled three new air cooling products; the A115 air CPU cooler, the AF120 MAX fans, and the RX Series Fans. We begin our tour with the AF120 MAX. These 120 mm fans come with a thickness of 30 mm, above the 25 mm industry standard. This 5 mm increase allows for a significantly bigger impeller, which results in a static pressure of 4.14 mm H₂O at its top speed of 2,000 RPM. The company hasn't disclosed its airflow and noise numbers, yet. It is also planning such thick fans in the 140 mm size. The fan is recommended for applications such as liquid cooling radiators, where the high static pressure comes handy. Next up, is the RX Series, a set of mid-range fans that come in RGB and non-RGB variants, and in sizes of 120 mm and 140 mm. The RGB ones support iCUE Link.

The star attraction is the new A115 air CPU cooler. This is a high-end D-type (dual fin-stack) CPU cooler, which uses six 6 mm-thick copper heatpipes that make indirect contact with the CPU through a copper base; 90 nickel-plated fins, a pair of included AF140 Elite PWM 140 mm fans; and an innovative new fan-installation mechanism that puts the two fans on rails, and has them slide into place from the top, with the heatsink installed, so you don't wrestle with clips and get cut. This sliding mechanism also ensures clearance for memory near the first "push" fan. The company's "Hold Fast" retention module is designed for easy installation of the heatsink; among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700 (and by extension the upcoming LGA1851), AM5, and AM4.

AMD Socket AM4 continues to be relevant even in 2024, nearly seven years since its introduction, with the company announcing several new processor models at CES. AMD has extended Ryzen 5000 series "Zen 3" support across all three desktop chipset series, including the oldest AMD 300-series, and since all Socket AM4 motherboards feature USB BIOS Flashback, users have the full spread of Socket AM4 processors to upgrade to. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D continues to be a popular final upgrade destination for gamers on Socket AM4 who may have spent a pretty penny building a high-end gaming desktop in 2020-21. The 5800X3D offers gaming performance comparable to an Intel Core i9-12900K "Alder Lake," despite being based on the older "Zen 3" microarchitecture, since it enjoys a large 96 MB L3 cache, thanks to AMD's innovative 3D Vertical Cache technology. The 5800X3D commands a $360 street price, which may be a little steep for some users, and so AMD is increasing choice, with the introduction of the new Ryzen 7 5700X3D.

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is an 8-core/16-thread Socket AM4 processor, which is practically the same silicon as the 5800X3D, but with lower clock speeds, and more importantly a 30% lower price. While the 5800X3D commands $360 in the market, the new 5700X3D is coming in at an attractive $250. The 5700X3D comes with a base frequency of 3.00 GHz, and maximum boost frequency of 4.10 GHz. In comparison the 5800X3D has a 3.40 GHz base frequency, and 4.50 GHz boost. Both chips enjoy the same power limits, with a TDP of 105 W. The 5700X3D gets the same 96 MB of L3 cache that includes 64 MB of 3D Vertical Cache; and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. The I/O is identical, too, with a 24-lane PCI-Express Gen 4 interface, and dual-channel DDR4 memory, with DDR4-3600 being the sweetspot frequency.Update Jan 9th: AMD clarified the specs of the Ryzen 5 5500GT in an updated slide. It is indeed a 6-core/12-thread processor.

ASRock proudly announce its AM5 motherboards now support the latest AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors with a BIOS update. AMD Ryzen 8000 series processors are built on Zen 4 and AMD RDNA 3 architecture, offering improved performance and computing efficiency per watt, thus providing enhanced gaming experience for consumers.

Additionally, the newest AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and 5700 processors as well as AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT/5500GT processors now can also be supported on ASRock AMD 500/400 series AM4 motherboards with a BIOS update. The latest BIOS is already available to download on ASRock website, be sure to update to the latest BIOS to enjoy the ultimate gaming experience.

The AMD Ryzen 8000 and 5000 series desktop processors have been released, broadening system build options. Notably, they are respectively compatible with MSI AM5 and AM4 motherboards, offering enthusiasts expanded possibilities for powerful and customizable setups. The latest AMD Ryzen 8000 series desktop lineup includes the powerful Ryzen 7 8700G, Ryzen 5 8600G, and Ryzen 5 8500G processors. These processors come equipped with built-in AMD Radeon graphics solution, ensuring an exceptional gaming experience for all gamers. Compatible with MSI AM5 platform, including X670E, X670, B650, and A620 series motherboards.

MSI is diligently working to release the official BIOS version for gamers. The first wave of supported beta BIOS is already available on the MSI official website. More choices for system builds on the AM4 platform as AMD introduces the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, Ryzen 7 5700, Ryzen 5 5600GT, and Ryzen 5 5500GT processors, extending the portfolio for system builds. The MSI AM4 motherboards are fully compatible with the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors. With the current AGESA ComboAm4v2PI 1.2.0.B official BIOS, users can seamlessly upgrade their processors hassle-free.

The AMD Socket AM4 platform is still alive and kicking, with AMD releasing new processor models in its 7th year. Many of these chips started selling online in Europe. The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is a slightly lower clocked version of the 5800X3D, which for many of those still on AM4 is the final upgrade to their platform. The 5800X3D may be based on the older "Zen 3" microarchitecture, but thanks to its 3D Vertical Cache technology, offers gaming performance comparable to the Core i9-12900K "Alder Lake," making even 7-year old AM4 gaming desktops contemporary. To cash in on this exact market, AMD released a more cost-effective option, the Ryzen 7 5700X3D.

The 5700X3D is an 8-core/16-thread Socket AM4 processor that features 96 MB of L3 cache thanks to the 3D V-cache technology, just like the 5800X3D, but comes with a maximum boost frequency of 4.10 GHz, compared to the 4.50 GHz of the 5800X3D. Store listings do not mention its TDP or base frequency. The 5700X3D is being listed at 271€ including taxes, or about 15-20% cheaper than the 5800X3D. A word of caution when choosing the 5700X3D would be its close to non-existent overclocking headroom, so this probably isn't a chip that you can manually overclock to performance levels of a 5800X3D while saving some 40€ on the side.

AMD is preparing to update its desktop processor lineup not just with new Ryzen 8000G series APUs for the Socket AM5 platform, but also a handful new SKUs for AM4. Possible pricing of many of these chips is detailed in our recent report. Among the chips listed is a mysterious new Ryzen 7 5700 Socket AM4 processor. Although we don't have its pricing, AMD sneakily put up its product information on its website. On the product page, the company says that the product came out in April 2022, but it never did, at least not in the retail channel.

The Ryzen 7 5700 is an 8-core/16-thread processor that lacks integrated graphics, and yet is based on the 7 nm "Cezanne" monolithic silicon, with similar clock speeds to the Ryzen 7 5700G APU. Think of this as the 5700G with its iGPU disabled. The chip comes with a CPU base frequency of 3.70 GHz compared to the 3.80 GHz of the 5700G, although the two have an identical maximum boost frequency of 4.60 GHz. Each of the eight "Zen 3" CPU cores has 512 KB of dedicated L2 cache, and share a 16 MB L3 cache. The processor's TDP is set to 65 W, and the retail package includes a Wraith Stealth cooling solution. One pitfall of choosing the 5700 over something like the 5700X would be its lack of a PCIe Gen 4 interface (it's limited to the older Gen 3), which would mean a slower NVMe storage sub-system.

AMD continues to release new Ryzen 5000 series processor models for the Socket AM4 platform to this day, with new processors expected to launch next month. That's over 6 years of longevity for the platform, considering that AMD has extended official Ryzen 5000 series support all the way back to its first line of AM4 motherboards based on the 300-series chipset. The company plans a similar longevity for Socket AM5. In an interview with Overclockers UK, AMD's client channel business head David McAfee said "I think that we certainly recognized that the longevity of the AM4 platforms was one of the biggest reasons that led to the success of Ryzen and as we think and as we think about the future, 2025 and beyond, that decision to move to a next-generation of socket is one that's going to be really thought through really really carefully. We know the impact that moving to a new socket brings and we want to stay on AM5 for as long as we possibly can. We are firmly committed to 2025 and beyond and we will see how long that promise lasts beyond 2025."

AMD Socket AM5 is designed to deliver up to 230 W of package power, and has a contemporary I/O that includes a dual-channel DDR5 memory interface (4x 40-bit sub-channels); and 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes (x16 PEG, two x4 NVMe, and x4 chipset bus), besides the usual SoC connectivity. With the upcoming Ryzen 8000G "Phoenix" APUs, we could expect to see that the socket even wires out modern display I/O such as DisplayPort 2.1 with USB type-C, and the bandwidth for 12-bit HDR up to 68 billion colors. AMD debuted Socket AM5 with the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, with "Zen 5" expected to launch in 2024. It's conceivable that the company's 2025 client architecture, "Zen 6," could also see its desktop presence on AM5, given that DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5 will remain relevant till at least that time.

Market research by Korean publication Danawa DPG provides valuable insights to how desktop AMD Ryzen processor users are charting their upgrade paths given the long upgrade longevity of AMD sockets. The research follows a 10-month date range from December 2022 to October 2023, and tracks the sales of motherboards based on various AMD chipset models. We're shown that toward the turn of the year, AMD B550 chipset motherboards sell the most. This is when AMD Ryzen 5000 Socket AM4 processors top sales for the company, Given that the B550 fully supports CPU overclocking, and that there are plenty of feature-packed B550 motherboard models, it explains why the B550 covers a wide price-band.

AMD launched the Ryzen 7000 series "Zen 4" to lukewarm response in September 2022, mainly because the platform lacked DDR4 memory support that was relevant at the time, and hence wasn't as flexible to consumers as Intel's LGA1700. Its launch caused price-cuts for Ryzen 5000 series processors, clearing out some upgrade headroom for those on the AM4 platform still using Ryzen 3000. Off to a slow start, we see its successor from Socket AM5, the B650 chipset, rise steadily over the time period, and for two reasons—DDR5 memory became affordable over the course of 2023; and AMD breathed life into the Ryzen 7000 series with the introduction of the Ryzen 7000X3D series, which restored gaming performance competitiveness to Intel's 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake." The B650 has everything you need right now for a Ryzen 7000X3D build, given that both the GeForce RTX 40-series and Radeon RX 7000 series are PCIe Gen 4 graphics cards; and that the B650 has at least a Gen 5 NVMe slot. If you absolutely need a Gen 5 x16 slot, there's the premium B650E chipset to go with.

AMD Socket AM4 users are in for a treat, as the company plans two more processor models in the Ryzen 5000X3D series, according to chi11eddog, a reliable source with AMD leaks. Although based on the older "Zen 3" microarchitecture, these chips feature 3D Vertical Cache technology, which helps shore up their gaming performance to levels comparable at least to 12th Gen Intel Core "Alder Lake," giving Socket AM4 platform users a cost-effective upgrade path to prolong their gaming PC builds that could be as old as 5 years now. If you recall, AMD has formally extended "Zen 3" and 3D V-cache support to all Socket AM4 chipset generations, including AMD 300-series.

Among the two new processor models are the Ryzen 7 5700X3D, and the Ryzen 5 5500X3D. The 5700X3D is an 8-core/16-thread processor with 100 MB of total cache (that's 512 KB of L2 cache per core, plus 96 MB of L3 cache); while the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core/12-thread chip with 99 MB of total cache. What sets the 5700X3D and 5500X3D apart from the 5800X3D and 5600X3D are lower clock speeds, and possibly, lower TDP. Both chips come with a base frequency of 3.00 GHz, compared to the 3.30 GHz of the 5600X3D and 3.40 GHz of the 5800X3D. The 5700X3D boosts up to 4.10 GHz compared to the 4.50 GHz of the 5800X3D; while the 5500X3D boosts up to 4.00 GHz when compared to 4.40 GHz of the 5600X3D. Both the 5800X3D and 5600X3D have their TDP rated at 105 W, so it's possible that AMD is using lower TDP and PPT values for the 5700X3D and 5500X3D. There's no word on when the two new chips are coming out, although AMD continues to release updates to the Socket AM4 AGESA microcode, with the latest version ComboAM4v2 1.2.0.B being released as recently as September 2023.

Thermalright has taken yet another low-key approach to announcing new products—the Taiwan hardware cooling specialist has updated its website with Heilos thermal pads. The model name looks to be a typo—should they have used "Helios" instead? A prominent sun graphic is placed on the bottom left of Thermalright's packaging for both of the Intel and AMD variants. It is unfortunate that something got lost in translation, or a spellcheck did not pick up on the small error before going to print/publication. Anyway...Thermalright is offering two sizes, with an identical 0.2 mm thickness—40x40 mm for AMD's AM4/AM5 CPU platforms, and a smaller pad (40x30 mm) for Intel LGA115X/1200/1700 CPUs. Pricing and availability is TBD.

These easy-peel away applicators provide an alternative route for users who fret about the best way to deal with traditional tubes of thermal paste. Tom's Hardware has pored over the Heilos specs—these pads offer thermal conductivity performance (8.5 W/mK) and resistance (0.04°C cm²/W), comparable (in their opinion) to "inexpensive" tubes of Arctic MX-4 and MX-5. The latter ranks at number four on the publication's "list of the best thermal pastes." Older thermal pads from other manufacturers have been criticized for falling short in terms of cooling performance, when cross-referenced against market leading thermal pastes—it is encouraging to see Thermalright addressing these concerns (specs-wise). We hope that evaluation samples have been sent out to review outlets.

The Puget Systems benchmark database outed AMD's Ryzen 5 7500F 6-core/12-thread processor last week—industry experts proposed that it was the first example of a Ryzen 7000 SKU with a disabled iGPU. A South Korean retailer indicated unit pricing of around $170-180, with a possible local launch date on July 7. It seems that retail units have not hit the market (at the time of writing), but Geekbench 6.1 results have since appeared online. According to an entry on the Geekbench database—that was spotted by Olrak29 earlier today—the Ryzen 5 7500F has a base clock of 3.7 GHz. It can boost up to 5.0 GHz on a single core, while all cores can reach a maximum of 4.8 GHz. The listing confirms that this new SKU sits firmly in the AMD "Raphael" CPU family.

The processor was tested on a system running Microsoft Windows 11—partial specifications of the evaluation build include an ASUS TUF Gaming A620M-PLUS WIFI motherboard and 32 GB of DDR5-6000 RAM. The tested Ryzen 5 7500F CPU achieved scores of 2782 points (single-core) and 13323 points (multi-threaded), which places it slightly ahead of the Ryzen 5 7600X in multi-thread performance. It trails slightly behind with its single-core result, but these figures are impressive considering that the Ryzen 5 7500F will likely be offered at a more budget friendly price when compared to its closest iGPU-enabled siblings.

Gigabyte has updated the CPU support list for its X570 AORUS XTREME motherboard, and the usual internet hardware sleuths spotted the addition of an intriguing unreleased AMD CPU—compatible with said board when updated to BIOS version F35. Team Red could be readying the quad-core/eight-thread "Cezanne" Ryzen 3 5100 processor for a forthcoming market launch—the AM4 platform and Zen 3 continue to live on—co-existing with the 7000-series lineup—the "Vermeer-X" Ryzen 5 5600X3D arrives later this week as a Micro Center retail exclusive, and another Cezanne-based unit (an eight-core Ryzen 7 5700) has been added to motherboard support lists.

The Ryzen 3 5100 and Ryzen 7 5700 CPUs were included in SKU manifests from last spring, but did not end up launching in 2022. Both appear to be monolithic die APUs with their iGPUs disabled—the Cezanne CPU microarchitecture is based on TSMC's 7 nm process node. Other news sources posit that these processors have occasionally cropped up as OEM parts on e-commerce platforms, but AMD has (so far) kept very quiet about possible retail releases.

Gamers Nexus has uploaded a video feature dedicated to the history of AMD's Zen CPU architecture—editor-in-chief and founder Stephen Burke ventured to Team Red's Austin, Texas-based test and engineering campus. Longer and more in-depth coverage of his lab tour will be released at a later date, but today's upload included an interesting segment covering unreleased hardware. The Gamers Nexus crew spent some time looking at several examples of current and past generation AMD 3D V-Cache CPUs. Prototype Ryzen 7000-series Zen 4 designs were shown off by principal engineer Amit Mehra and technical team member Bill Alverson. They also brought out older 5000-series Zen 3 units that never reached retail—the 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X3D was demonstrated as having a 3.5 GHz base clock, and it can boost up to 4.1 GHz. The 12-core Ryzen 9 5900X3D had 3.5 GHz base and 4.4 GHz boost clocks.

Team Red only sells one AM4 3D V-Cache model at the moment, in the form of its well received Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU. It was released over a year ago, but recent price cuts have resulted in increased unit sales—system builders looking to maximize the potential of their older generation Ryzen 5000-series compatible mainboards are snapping up 5800X3Ds. AMD could be readying a cheaper alternative, with previous reports proposing that a "Ryzen 5 5600X3D" is positioned to take on Intel's 13th Gen Core i5 series (with DDR4). The unreleased Ryzen 9 5950X3D and 5900X3D have 3D V-Cache stacks on both of their CCDs (granting 192 MB of L3 cache), which is unique given that all retail 3D V-Cache CPUs (released so far) restrict this to a single CCD stack. Apparently AMD decided to stick with the latter setup due to it offering the best balance of performance and efficiency, plus gaming benchmarks demonstrated that there was not much of a difference between the configurations.

AMD is finally coming around to the idea of a 6-core processor with 3D Vertical Cache technology, only this time it's for the older Socket AM4 platform. The new Ryzen 5 5600X3D could be positioned competitively against the lower end of Intel's 13th Gen Core i5 processor series, so it could attract a class of DIY gaming PC builders that can take advantage of cheap Socket AM4 motherboards and DDR4 memory to build formidable mainstream gaming PC builds.

The Ryzen 5 5600X3D is based on the same "Vermeer" 3DV cache MCM as the 5800X3D. It is a 6-core/12-thread processor with a base frequency of 3.30 GHz, and 4.40 GHz boost, which are both 100 MHz less than those of the 5800X3D. The processor gets the full 96 MB of last-level cache (that's 32 MB of on-die L3 cache + 64 MB of 3DV cache), which the 5800X3D offers. It bears the OPN "100-000001176." The company didn't reveal pricing, but given that the 5800X3D can be had for as low as $290, the 5600X3D could possibly target a $200-225 price, making it an attractive option, given that you can pair it with even cheap B450 chipset motherboards priced well under $100, and 32 GB of DDR4 memory that can be had around the $60-mark. The 5600X3D could also provide an affordable upgrade path to those still on the AM4 platform, with Ryzen 3000-series processors.

DeepCool debuted its Assassin IV Dual Tower CPU cooler earlier this year at the CES 2023 trade show - as covered by TPU at the time - its very eye-catching design was described as looking: "like (a) big dark cube inside your case, with a shroud covering all its sheet-metal." The flagship high-performance CPU cooler seems to ready for an imminent launch, with press material and product images being released today for the Chinese market. Early impressions indicate that hardware enthusiasts are appreciative of the almost all-black monolithic aesthetic, with some folks predicting that DeepCool is going to win computer hardware product design awards.

DeepCool press material states (via translation) that its Assassin IV CPU cooler provides super silent operation while dealing with up to 280 W of heat - Intel's latest high-end Core i9 CPUs could be tamed with relative ease. The heatsink is comprised of 7 heat pipes with a dual fan attachment that includes 120 and 140 mm FDB fans - said to operate silently at high RPMs. The fans are rated at 500 - 1700 RPM, with an airflow delivery of 79.1 / 58.06 CFM in performance mode, and 63.76 / 46.75 CFM airflow for the gentler quiet mode. Deepcool's specifications indicate that these cooling fans produce less than or equal to 29.3 dB(A) noise at peak performance, and less than or equal to 22.6 dB(A) noise in quiet mode. The entire cooling solution consumes 2.88 W in performance mode.

GELID today announced the largest variant of its Liquid Ultimate line of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers. The series that had debuted in February 2023 with 120 mm and 240 mm radiator size variants, is now being joined with one that uses a 360 mm radiator, hence the name Liquid 360 Ultimate. Its pump-block is characterized by an infinity-mirror ornament that's framed by addressable-RGB, and which features a tiny 2-digit seven-segment display that shows you coolant temperature in real-time.

Each of the three included Smart ARGB PWM 120 mm fans features an infinity-mirror on the impeller hub, which also puts out ARGB LED illumination that's diffused by the frosty-white impeller. Each fan provides an airflow of up to 61.9 CFM, with a speed range between 750 to 1,800 RPM; up to 1.67 mm H₂O static pressure, and 29.6 dBA maximum noise. The fans feature hydro-dynamic bearings that are rated for 50,000 hours. The GELID Liquid 360 Ultimate offers cooling capacity of over 300 W. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA115x, AM5, and AM4. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Air-based CPU cooling maestros Thermalright are expanding their liquid-based cooler portfolio with the addition of two white color-schemed coolers under the Frozen Prism White series. These include two models based on the radiator size—the Frozen Prism White 360, and the Frozen Prism White 240. Their design sees white cover everything from the radiator frames, to the radiator fins, the fiber sleeving of the coolant tubes, the included fans, their frames and impellers; and of course the pump-block itself.

An illuminated ARGB ornament on top of the pump-block; and the illuminated fans, make up their lighting setup. These use standard 3-pin ARGB headers. Each of the included TL-E12W-S V2 fans turns at speeds of up to 1,850 RPM, pushing up to 70.4 CFM of airflow, at 2.64 mm H₂O static pressure. Among the CPU socket types supported by the Frozen Prism series are Intel Socket LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA2066, and LGA115x; and AMD Socket AM5 and AM4. The company didn't reveal pricing.

AMD's entry-level Ryzen 3 4300G APU, which was being sold in the OEM/SI channels, is sneaking its way into the retail PIB space, with Japanese retailers listing it as a retail part. Until now, you could only get the 4300G as part of a pre-built, or as part of a retail "bundle," where they would simply pull one of these chips out of a tray, install it on an entry-level A520 or A320 chipset motherboard, and sell along with a stick of memory. The 4300G is commanding a roughly $100 (equivalent) price, which could make sense for entry-level mom-and-pop PCs.

The Ryzen 3 4300G is based on the 7 nm "Renoir" silicon, and is a Socket AM4 processor with integrated graphics. The processor has one of its two CCXs disabled, leaving you with a 4-core/8-thread CPU based on the "Zen 2" microarchitecture, that has 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 4 MB of L3 cache shared among the four cores. The processor also features a dual-channel DDR4 memory interface, a PCI-Express Gen 3 interface, and an iGPU based on the Radeon "Vega" graphics architecture. It has a TDP of 65 W.

Thermalright introduced the Ryzen Mounting System upgrade kit that lends support for Socket AM5 and AM4 to many of its legacy coolers, letting you orient them the correct way. There are two types of these upgrade kits, that support two different kinds of Thermalright's coolers. The TR-AM5-A kit is meant for TRUE Spirit 90 series, Archon IB-E X2 series, Silver Arrow ITX, TRUE Spirit 140 series, and TRUE Spirit 90 series. The TR-AM5-B kit, on the other hand, is meant for the Silver Arrow SB-E series, AXP-200 R, AXP-200 Macho, Archon SB-E, and Silver Arrow ITX-R. These kits aren't free, and when they go on sale later this month, they will be priced around $9.99.

Raijintek today introduced the Forkis DDC Ultra, a CPU water block with an integrated pump, with which you can connect a DIY liquid cooling loop using your own fittings. With its retention module in place, it measures 80 mm x 84 mm x 45 mm (WxDxH), and features a nickel-plated copper cold-plate. Right above it is the POM+aluminium casing, which contains a DDC Ultra pump with 150 kPa (21.7 PSI) pressure, and 3.8 m (13 ft) head, and 750 L/h discharge rate; along with a ceramic bearing that's rated for 50,000 hours. The cold-plate features a large microfin lattice throughout its inner surface, so the block is even optimized for MCMs such as the Ryzen 7000 "Raphael." The block has threads for standard G 1/4" (fittings not included). Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1700, LGA1200, AM5, and AM4. The company didn't reveal pricing.