MSI announced that it will begin rolling out UEFI firmware updates for its Socket AM4 motherboards based on the AMD 400-series and 500-series chipsets, which incorporate AMD's latest AGESA Combo PI V2 1.2.0.0 microcode. These firmware updates will enable resizable BAR support for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series "Ampere" graphics cards, improvements for Ryzen 5000 series "Vermeer" desktop processors, and an assortment of board model-specific improvements or fixes.

The company will begin releasing these firmware updates for its AMD 500-series chipset motherboards, and its AMD 400-series "MAX" models in January 2021. In February, it will follow up with updates for AMD 400-series non-"MAX" models. The "MAX" model name suffix for an MSI AMD 400-series motherboard denotes a board with a 32-megabyte SPI flash ROM chip that allows MSI to cram in its feature-rich ClickBIOS setup program. Keep checking the "support" section of your motherboard's product page on the MSI website for these firmware updates.

Some eight years after the last AMD-based Mini-PC from Shuttle, a second processor manufacturer is once again being incorporated into the company's own product line. As an initial model to revive this segment, Shuttle is supplying a robust 1.3-litre PC for AMD Ryzen processors with Socket AM4.

The first product with the model name XPC DA320 is a Barebone from the "XPC slim" family which measures just 4.3 cm. It features the standard design of the range, but also supports the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs in Socket AM4 and up to 32 GB of RAM. Like all Shuttle products in a 1.3-litre format, this solution is also regarded as particularly robust. The AMD Radeon graphics unit which is integrated into the processor works well with up to three UHD displays which can be connected via HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort and used simultaneously.

DeepCool today updated its GAMMAXX line of all-in-one liquid closed-loop CPU coolers, with the new GAMMAXX L240 A-RGB and L360 A-RGB. These are functionally the same coolers as the GAMMAXX L-series, but with a handful updates, such as an ambient air pressure balancer, and new addressable-RGB LED lighting elements on the pump-block and the included 120 mm fans. Each of the included 120 mm A-RGB fans spins between 500 to 1,800 RPM, pushing up to 69.34 CFM of air-flow, at up to 2.42 mm H₂O static pressure, and up to 30 dBA noise output. The fans feature hydro-dynamic bearings. Among the CPU socket types supported include AM4, LGA1200, and LGA2066. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ENERMAX, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance PC hardware products, releases a new color option, white, for All-In-One CPU liquid cooler, LIQMAX III 360 ARGB, designed to display fascinating addressable RGB lighting effects by synchronizing with ASUS Aura Sync, ASRock Polychrome, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, and MSI Mystic Light Sync. LIQMAX III ARGB series is compatible with both Intel and AMD CPU sockets (except Socket TR4/SP3).

The white CPU AIO liquid cooler is composed of white fan frames, tubes, and radiator to show your system's uniqueness and addressable RGB lighting effects. It also has the luminous addressable RGB fan and Aurabelt water block to experience RGB lighting wonderland. The included control box provides 10 lighting effects for users to select light colors, which no need to install any software.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, announces BIOS updates for their AM4 400/500 series motherboards to support the AMD Smart Access Memory technology.

AMD Smart Access Memory (SAM) allows the CPU to get full access to the GPU memory, users will gain up to 11% in gaming performance. BIOSTAR consumers can now enjoy an extra performance boost with their 400/500 series motherboards pairing AMD Ryzen 5000 series processors and Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards.

ID Cooling has announced their latest Mega Coolers, a new moniker and lineup that announces the coolers' compatibility with the latest, greatest, highest performance, and most power-hungry CPUs. The coolers are designed to accompany CPUs with TDPs up to 280 W. ID Cooling said these new mega coolers in the SE-207-series, which are basically tower coolers in design, will be hitting market just in time to address AMD's new-generation enthusiast grade Ryzen 5000-series 'Vermeer' and Intel's upcoming 11th Generation Core 'Rocket Lake' processors.

There are two separate coolers in the family; the SE-207-XT Black is aimed at AMD's Ryzen processors as well as Intel CPUs in LGA1200/115x/20xx form-factors; if you need some more cooling oomph, however, the SE-207-TRX Black is aimed at AMD's Ryzen Threadripper processor in TR4 packaging. Both coolers offer the same 280 W TDP dissipation capabilities, and are built in a twin-tower design with twin fans (700 RPM ~ 1800 RPM, up to 76.16 CFM air pressure, up to 35.2 dBA). In the case of the Threadripper-loving SE-207-TRX, a copper baseplate with direct-touch heatpipe technology removes heat from your CPU and passes it through the large, black, dual fin-stack arrays which are then cooled by two 120 mm fans. The E-207-XT Black, on the other hand, makes do with a solid copper baseplate absent of that same direct touch technology.

BIOSTAR today rolled out the B550M-Silver, a Socket AM4 motherboard in the Micro-ATX form-factor, based on the AMD B550 chipset. The board comes with out-of-the-box support for the latest Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer" processors, in addition to Ryzen 4000 "Renoir" and Ryzen 3000 "Matisse." It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 10-phase VRM that comes with heatsinks across all CPU VRM phases. Expansions slots on the BIOSTAR B550M-Silver include one PCI-Express 4.0 x16, a PCI-Express x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4 and wired to the B550 chipset), and a PCIe 3.0 x1.

Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports, and two M.2-2280 slots, from which one has PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring to the CPU socket; and the other PCI-Express 3.0 x4, wired to the B550 chipset. USB connectivity includes two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports on the rear panel (from which one is type-C), four 5 Gbps USB 3.2 ports (from which two are via headers), and six USB 2.0 ports (two on the rear panel, four via headers). Networking includes a 2.5 GbE wired interface handled by a Realtek 8125B controller, and preparation for a WLAN module (an M.2 E-key slot and mounts for antennas are provided), although one isn't included with the board. The onboard 6-channel HD audio solution is handled by a Realtek ALC1150 CODEC. The company didn't reveal pricing.

NZXT, a leading designer of intuitive software, hardware, and services for the PC gaming community, today announces an expansion of the Kraken X-3 RGB and Kraken Z53 expanding their existing line of AIO liquid CPU coolers. The NZXT Kraken X-3 family will introduce a new variant that will include NZXT AER RGB 2 fans for builders wanting to maximize RGB in their build. The Kraken X-3 series includes the improved iconic RGB infinity mirror design with an enlarged ring size. The cap is upgraded to be rotatable to ensure the correct orientation of the NZXT logo, accommodating more builders. With the newest 7th generation pump for Asetek, the Kraken X-3 RGB series has industry-leading cooling performance for your CPU.

The NZXT Kraken Z-3 series will now include the NZXT Kraken Z53 240 mm AIO in addition to the previously released 280 mm and 360 mm options. The NZXT Kraken Z-3 series is the perfect addition to any gaming battlestation. A beautiful 2.36"(60 mm) LCD screen provides unlimited visual customization, and is capable of displaying vital system health data as well as any custom image or animated GIF via NZXT CAM. With unparalleled aesthetics and performance, the Kraken Z-3 series is built with the 7th generation Asetek pump and provides builders the opportunity to express themselves in an all-new way while keeping their CPU temps cool.

EK, a leading computer cooling solutions provider, is proud to announce several Special Edition products that will mark the launch of the new AMD Radeon RX 6800 Series and Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics cards. As an official launch partner, EK has prepared, in close coordination with AMD, a special GPU water block, a heavy-duty AIO GPU cooling unit, and an entire liquid cooling kit. With the recent launch of the highly anticipated AMD Ryzen 5000 Series desktop processors that bring incredible IPC gains, EK made a special AM4 socket CPU water block as well.

"EK and AMD have combined forces to provide gamers with the liquid-cooled performance they are looking for with the new AMD Radeon graphics cards," said Scott Herkelman, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Graphics Business Unit at AMD. "EK's award-winning liquid cooling solutions are designed to offer a significant boost in thermal performance while staying silent, providing incredible gaming experiences for our customers."

Der8auer has picked up Intel's latest TEC cooler, built in conjunction with EKWB, and unceremoniously plopped it right into an AMD Ryzen 9 5950X CPU. Well, not completely unceremoniously - there were many accommodations that had to be made in order to achieve this. For one, as this is a solution designed specifically for Intel CPUs and sockets, Der8auer had to Frankenstein his way through a number of cooling parts to be able to adapt the TEC solution to the AM4 socket. Not only that, but Intel's TEC requires deep software control for it to work properly - software control which only works with Intel silicon, of course. Der8auer thus had to have a second machine running an Intel 10900K CPU to control the software on the Intel cryo cooler.

All in all, the results were interesting, to say the least. The 16-core, 32-thread Ryzen 9 5950X saw single-core-load CCD temperatures in the 90 °C department with the TEC solution disabled - which promptly dropped down to only 50 °C with the cryo cooler actually operating. With a game load, the 5959X achieved up to 5.050 GHz in single-cores on its automatic boost profile. The entire chip often boosted to 4.8 - 4.9 GHz on all cores at once (with variances between the CCDs) whilst under this cooling solution and workload. With the TEC operating in its unregulated mode - which means, with no considerations for CPU operating temperature and power usage for the cooling process - saw the Ryzen 9 5950X achieving 2 °C core temperature results, and boosted frequencies up to a staggering 5323 MHz on all cores - before crashing. An interesting piece of work which you catch on video after the break; one can rest assured that most PC cooling specialists are already working on their own TEC-based cooling solutions following Intel's achievement in this field.

Jonsbo today introduced the CR-2100, an aluminium dual fin-stack CPU cooler. Its design involves six 6 mm-thick copper heat-pipes, which draw heat directly from the base, conveying it to two aluminium fin-stacks, which are ventilated by a pair of included fans in push-pull fashion. Both fin-stacks are capped by a plastic top-plate that features a Jonsbo logo ornament. The cooler just about makes it under the 160 mm cooler height limits of most mid-tower cases, measuring 120 mm x 159 mm x 134 mm (WxHxD), weighing 900 g. Each of the two included 120 mm fans spins between 700 to 1,500 RPM, pushing up to 62.8 CFM of air, with up to 29.5 dBA noise output. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1200, AM4, LGA115x, and LGA2066. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Arctic today expanded its Liquid Freezer II line of all-in-one, closed-loop, liquid CPU coolers, with its largest variant—Liquid Freezer II 420. This cooler uses a 38 mm-thick 420 mm x 140 mm radiator, which is ventilated by a trio of 140 mm fans, with the coolant pressure of the pump-block adjusted to match the large radiator. The pump-block features a tiny 40 mm fan that spins between 1,000-3,000 RPM, to maintain airflow near the CPU VRM area. The pump's impeller does 800 to 2,000 RPM. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1200, AM4, LGA115x, and LGA2066 (no sTR4/sTRX4 support). Arctic includes three Arctic P14 PWM fans, which feature fluid-dynamic bearings, spin between 200 to 1,700 RPM, pushing 72.8 CFM of air, each. Available now, the Liquid Freezer II 420 is priced at 120€ (including VAT).

In a somewhat puzzling trend, this is yet another launch from CORSAIR's Hydro X series of custom watercooling components that has not been marketed by the company. It took a careful set of eyes to see the new CPU block, the Hydro X Series XC5, on their website and evidently this is a new release targeting even more a budget-friendly build compared to the Hydro XC7 and Hydro XC9 blocks. The XC5 block is a cost-down version of the XC7, with support for Intel LGA 115x/1200 and AMD AM4 CPU sockets depending on the SKU you go with. Gone is the transparent top, and instead we see a black nylon top with a patterned cutout for RGB lighting. The nickel-plated copper cold plate is replaced with passivated copper, which may also please all you pure copper folks out there, and the 16 RGB LEDs are now set up in 8 lighting zones (two LEDs per zone) as opposed to fully addressable 16 dRGB LEDs on the XC7. This means that the Hydro XC5 blocks can be had for $60/€60 before applicable taxes, which is $20 less than the XC7 on street pricing at the moment.

MSI, a world-leading gaming motherboard manufacturer, proudly announces the new flagship AMD B550 motherboards - MEG B550 UNIFY and MEG B550 UNIFY-X. The spirit of the UNIFY series consists of modest and pure black design, emphasizing the real value of the motherboard that can be brought to the demanding gamers and power users instead of fancy LED decorations. By eliminating all the redundant RGB LEDs and adopting the UV black printing, the heatsink shows the gleam and the shining reflection of the dragon that symbolizes a mysterious and high-quality image. For the UNIFY series motherboard, MSI put great efforts into those essential parts concerned by those enthusiast gamers, enhancing not only the thermal but also power solution to run with the AMD Ryzen processors.

Emphasizing the ultimate performance, MEG B550 UNIFY brings astonishing overclocking records to enthusiast gamers. With AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT processor, it is an incredible result to push CPU frequency to 6155.35 MHz, becoming the world's record breaker once again.

ASUS today announced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Crosshair VIII Dark Hero, TUF Gaming X570 Pro (WiFi) and ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming WiFi—three gaming motherboards designed for gaming builds featuring the latest-generation AMD Ryzen Zen 3 architecture processors. In addition to the latest X570 and B550 motherboards, all ASUS 500 series motherboards (X570, B550 and A520) are ready for AMD Ryzen Zen 3 architecture processors.

ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
The AMD X570 platform features extensive PCI Express 4.0 connectivity ripe for the latest graphics cards and SSDs. The chipset's copious bandwidth necessitates a robust cooling solution to deliver sustained performance, and that challenge is typically tackled by neatly pairing a heatsink with an embedded fan that spins up on demand. ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is the first ASUS X570 board to implement a completely passive cooling design, featuring a sizeable heatsink that extends from the chipset zone to the space between the PCIe slots. The additional surface area helps keep thermals under control even when the motherboard is loaded with a full complement of hardware, laying a compelling foundation for enthusiast PC builds.

Thermaltake today introduced the Pacific MX1 Plus, a CPU water block for DIY liquid cooling setups which bears a strong resemblance to AIO CLC pump-blocks, with its characteristic puck-shape. The block features an acrylic top with a silicone ARGB LED diffuser that's studded with LEDs. The block uses a standard 3-pin ARGB header for its lighting. The inlet and outlet are located toward the center-top (fittings not included). The primary material is nickel-plated copper, with a mirror finish at the cold plate, and a 0.15 mm micro-fin lattice for heat dissipation to the coolant. The block also includes a thermal diode (2-pin). Among the CPU socket types supported are AM4, LGA1200, LGA115x, and LGA2066. The block weighs about 670 g, measuring 93.4 mm x 93.4 mm x 52.2 mm (LxWxH). The company didn't reveal pricing.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces that their AM4 400 series motherboards will support the latest generation AMD Ryzen 5000 Vermeer series Zen 3 processors. BIOS updates supporting the AMD Ryzen 5000 Vermeer series processors on BIOSTAR AM4 400 series motherboards will be available starting January 2021. The details will be subject to BIOSTAR official website announcement.

Here's the first picture showing AMD's Ryzen 5000 series "Zen 3" desktop processors in the flesh. The first wave of Ryzen 5000 series for the retail channel include the Ryzen 5 5600X, the Ryzen 7 5800X, the Ryzen 9 5900X and the 5950X. All four chips are shown sitting on a tray. All four chips are compatible with existing Socket AM4 motherboards based on the AMD 500 series chipset motherboard with a BIOS update; and with the 400-series using a special beta BIOS which will be released in January 2021. The four should be available for purchase in the retail channel by November 5, 2020, with the 6-core/12-thread 5600X priced at USD $300, the 8-core/16-thread 5800X at $450, the 12-core/24-thread 5900X at $550, and the flagship 16-core/32-thread 5950X at $800.

be quiet!, the market leader for PC power supplies in Germany since 2007, announces Shadow Rock 3 White. Instead of the silver/black bi-color scheme of the original version, the new cooler sports a white/black design that will feel right at home in fitting color-themed builds. Shadow Rock 3 White boasts a similar cooling capacity as the original silver version, which was released in March 2020. It is rated at an impressive 190 W TDP thanks to its advanced heat sink design and heat pipe layout, and the included Shadow Wings 2 high-speed fan.

Shadow Rock 3 White implements five 6 mm heat pipes with heat pipe direct touch (HDT) technology. The heat pipes are in direct contact with the processor surface, which results in fast heat transfer from the CPU to the heat sink. Shadow Rock 3 White comes with a black fan, offering a neat contrast to the white electrophoretic coating of the heat pipes and heat sink. This Shadow Wings 2 120 mm PWM high-speed fan is decoupled from the heat sink and offers a silent operation at no higher than 24.4 dB(A), even at maximum speed. Combined with a high fin pitch this results in a cooling performance capability of up to 190 W TDP, enough to enable trouble-free overclocking of mainstream desktop processors. Users who are looking for even higher cooling performance have the option to attach a second fan to the heatsink.

AMD is announcing its next-generation Ryzen 5000 series desktop processors in the Socket AM4 package. These 7 nm processors see the implementation of the company's new "Zen 3" microarchitecture, and are expected to push the performance envelope. AMD CEO Dr Lisa Su takes centerstage in a pre-recorded launch event stream which we are live-blogging. These are facts as they appear, along with our analysis.Update 16:01 UTC: Looks like this is a pre-recorded stream made to look live (a premiere).

As we explained in our older article about the new ASUS ROG Crosshair XII Dark Hero, AMD's Ryzen 5000 series Socket AM4 processors based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture are unlikely to be accompanied by a new chipset, presenting motherboard makers with the opportunity to refresh their AMD 500-series chipset product stacks with new products. ASUS has a new premium product based on the AMD X570, in the form of the ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. The company also unveiled a premium product based on the AMD B550 chipset—the ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming. While the Dark Hero is an incremental upgrade over the original Crosshair VIII Hero while retaining the PCB design, this particular board appears to be largely based on the ROG Strix B550-E Gaming.

ASUS has traditionally used the "XE" brand extension for ROG Strix series motherboard refreshes to denote improved CPU VRM, and this appears to be the case with the B550-XE Gaming, too. The board features a meatier 16-phase CPU VRM, with a more elaborate VRM cooling solution that uses larger heatsinks, which are interconnected by a flat heat-pipe, and unless we're mistaken, a 40 mm fan underneath the rear I/O shroud. The rest of the board's feature-set appears to be identical to that of the B550-E Gaming.

AMD is expected to announce its 5th Gen Ryzen Socket AM4 processors based on the "Zen 3" microarchitecture later today, and it's rumored that these chips will not be accompanied by a new chipset. Motherboard vendors aren't missing the opportunity to refresh their product-stacks with new boards based on existing AMD X570 and B550 chipsets. ASUS has a new premium Socket AM4 product in the works, the ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero. We know this board is based on the X570 from its unchanged generation number "VIII," for this chipset.

From what we can tell, the ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is based on an identical PCB design to the original Crosshair VIII Hero/WiFi. The changes appear to be cosmetic, with all of the board's heatsink design and color schemes aligning with the company's latest ROG generation (eg: the Maximus XII Hero). Another interesting spot by our readers is that the board lacks a chipset fan, and makes do with passive cooling for the X570. Dark, diagonal ridges replace the smooth brushed metal with chrome-like accents of the original. It remains to be seen if the new wave of AM4 motherboards come with out-of-the-box support for Ryzen 5000 series, since the data-sheet for the Dark Hero only mentions 2nd- and 3rd-Gen Ryzen chips. In any case, the board supports USB BIOS Flashback, and all AMD 500-series chipset motherboards are expected to receive Ryzen 5000 support through BIOS updates.Update 12:32 UTC: ASUS mentions the two key areas of development for the Dark Hero are a completely fanless chipset cooling solution, and the use of 90 A DrMOS in the CPU VRM (compared to 60 A on the original).

AMD's Socket AM4 platform accommodates PC builders of all stripes. Those who need the latest connectivity and features can choose an X570 or B550 motherboard to enable the next-gen PCI Express 4.0 interconnect for the graphics cards and storage devices. Not every PC builder needs to be on the cutting edge, though, and the attainable B450 platform is tailor-made for systems where value is the most important consideration. We're boosting the bang-for-the-buck of this platform with a refreshed family of ASUS B450 motherboards.

Going with one of our refreshed B450 boards for the foundation of your build gives you more flexibility in how you allocate resources in your next Ryzen system. You might be able to choose a faster processor, a boosted graphics card, a bigger, future-proof power supply, or quieter, more robust CPU cooling. The latest Ryzen 3000-series processors will be right at home in our buffed-up B450 boards, and you can still install first- and second-generation Ryzen CPUs in these boards if need be.

MSI, the world leading gaming motherboard brand, releases optimized BIOS updates for AMD 500-series motherboards. Combo PI V2 1.1.0.0 BIOS has been released and it will be able to download in the coming days.

Highlights include: Optimized compatibility for AMD Ryzen 3000-Series and Ryzen 4000 G-Series Desktop Processors and future AM4 socket processors, solve some specific OC failure issues, updated SMU module, and optimized DDR4 memory overclocking. MSI will keep announcing BIOS news. Please find the latest information of the complete product list and more details about the Combo PI V2 1.1.0.0 and newer BIOS update on this blog.

TechN unveils the most powerful CPU water coolers for three platforms at once. AMD's AM4 sockets and the Intel sockets LGA 1200 and 2066 will each receive their own high-end water block with the most advanced cooling technology and sophisticated manufacturing - Made in Germany.

Superior performance and build quality
A compact, reduced design language, the high-quality material mix and hidden mounting elements form the puristic character of the high-performance cooling blocks. Both the mirror-polished acrylic and matte anodized surfaces demonstrate the highest level of care. The perfection in manufacturing achieves a flush composition for a modern industrial look, which incorporates the extensive technological innovations of the TechN CPU water coolers.