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.

SilverStone today rolled out the IceGem line of all-in-one, closed-loop, liquid CPU coolers. The IceGem comes in three variants based on radiator size, the IceGem 360 (360 mm x 120 mm), IceGem 280 (280 mm x 140 mm), and the IceGem 240P (240 mm x 120 mm). It's pertinent to note here, that while the radiators of the 360 and 280 variants are 28 mm thick, the 240P stands out with a thicker 38 mm radiator. The IceGem series is characterized by a large, somewhat octagonal pump-block unit with a crystal crown-like acrylic ARGB diffuser ornament on top; Nylon sleeved tubing, the latest-generation 3-phase, 6-pole pump-block design, and a large rectangular cold-plate that has enough surface area to cover even the largest AMD Threadripper processors. All three variants in the series support sockets TR4 and sTRX4, besides LGA1200/115x, AM4, and LGA2066.

The radiator features aluminium finnage, and depending on the model, two or three pressure-optimized fans with ARGB lighting. The 240P and 360 variants include 120 mm fans that turn at between 600 to 2,200 RPM, pushing up to 93.4 CFM of airflow, 3.18 mm H₂O static pressure, and 7.3 to 36.6 dBA noise output, each. The 140 mm fans included with the 280 variant turns at 600 to 1,600 RPM, pushing up to 99.20 CFM of airflow, at 3.1 mm H₂O static pressure, and 9.8 to 23.4 dBA noise output. SilverStone rates the 240P variant as being capable of handling thermal loads of up to 280 W, the 280 variant up to 320 W, and the top 360 variant up to 350 W. All three variants are backed by 3-year warranties, although in some markets the warranty could be as high as 5-year. The IceGem 240P is priced at USD $139.99, the IceGem 280 at $159.99, and the IceGem 360 at $169.99.

GELID Solutions have recently unveiled a new 1U low profile cooler for the AMD AM4 socket. The SLIM SILENCE AM4 is a product of GELID Solutions SILENT product line. The SLIM SILENCE AM4 is designed for HTPC, Panel PC, Car PC and 1U Server. The heatsink measures 28 mm tall and should suit most slim-type chassis. The SLIM SILENCE AM4 also comes with the double heatpipe integrated into the heatsink base and features multiple heatsink optimizations to achieve high cooling efficiency in the compact size. The cooler weighs 206 g to support enhanced compatibility with lightweight Panel PC and Car PC applications. The new silent 65 mm frameless fan with the intelligent GELID PWM (Pulse Width Module) compliments the heat sink. The intelligent PWM Curve technique constantly keeps it silent but accelerates speed whenever higher airflow is required. The SLIM SILENCE AM4 is compatible to AMD Ryzen 3/5/7 CPU with TDP up to 85 W and supports AM4 CPU Socket.

BIOSTAR, a leading brand of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today proudly announces the all new A520MH V6.1 and the B550MH V6.1 motherboards. Designed to run the latest AMD Ryzen processor range, the new A520MH V6.1 and the B550MH V6.1 motherboards from BIOSTAR are two of the latest mainboard reboots focused on providing sleek performance based user experience, carrying some of the latest technology mixed with BIOSTAR's renowned product durability. Coming in an all new black PCB with tattoo design, both motherboards are styled to suit any PC build with their Micro-ATX form factor, these two motherboards are highly suitable for many user applications such as business use or casual content consumption.

AMD is allegedly preparing to market its next-generation Socket AM4 desktop processors based on the "Vermeer" MCM, under the Ryzen 5000 Series. The "Vermeer" MCM implements the company's "Zen 3" microarchitecture in the client segment. It features up to two 7 nm-class CPU complex dies with up to 8 cores, each, and a refreshed cIOD (client IO die). AMD has allegedly improved the cIOD with a new memory controller and several new toggles that improve memory bandwidth. The cIOD combines a PCI-Express Gen 4 root complex with a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller. With "Zen 3," AMD is also introducing an improved boosting algorithm, and an improved SMT feature.

Coming back to AMD's rumored nomenclature, and we could see the company bumping up its processor model numbers to the 5000 series for equivalent core-counts. For example, the Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core/24-thread part, much like the 3900X; whereas the Ryzen 7 5800X is an 8-core/16-thread part. This flies in the face of rumors that AMD could take advantage of the 8-core CCX design of the "Zen 3" microarchitecture by carving out 10-core parts using two CCDs with 5 cores enabled, each. The reason AMD is skipping the 4000 series numbering with "Vermeer" probably has something to do with "Renoir" taking up many of the 4000-series model numbers. "Renoir" is based on "Zen 2," and recently made its desktop debut, albeit as an OEM-exclusive. The company is planning to introduce certain 4000G series models to the DIY retail segment. AMD is expected to announce its first "Zen 3" client-segment processors on October 8, 2020.

At first glance, the new AeroCool Mirage 5 looks like an overgrown AIO CLC CPU block, with its puck shape, glass top, and an infinite-reflection RGB ornament, but it's not. It's a cylindrical, tower-type CPU air cooler. The CPU base features a tiny bit of aluminium finnage. From here, five 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes make direct contact with the CPU, conveying heat to a stack of ring-shaped anodized aluminium fins. The fin-stack is ventilated by a high-RPM 60 mm lateral flow fan with a somewhat cylindrical impeller, located underneath the top-plate.

This fan spins between 1,200 to 3,000 RPM, pushing between 39.7 to 74.3 CFM of air-flow, with 0.91 to 2.13 mm H₂O static pressure. AeroCool claims the noise output ranges between 18 to 30 dBA for this fan, since this isn't just another 60 mm fan, but a cylindrical impeller that happens to have a low diameter when viewed from the top. The fan features a hydraulic bearing, and is rated for 60,000 hours MTBF. The cooler measures 100 mm x 100 mm x 145 mm (WxDxH). AeroCool claims that the Mirage 5 can handle thermal loads of up to 150 W TDP. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA2066, LGA1200, LGA115x, and AM4. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability.A video presentation by AeroCool follows.

ID-COOLING today announced IS-60 EVO ARGB low profile CPU air cooler, featuring only 64 mm total height, 6 copper heatpipes, copper base and one 120x120x15mm PWM ARGB fan plus a 92 mm x 92 mm x15 mm PWM fan. IS-60 EVO ARGB is specially designed for high performance small form factor builds with a TDP up to 130 W. It is compatible with the mainstream CPU sockets on ITX systems, including Intel LGA1200/1150/1151/1155/1156 and AMD AM4.

The thermal solution is achieved by utilizing a few key structural designs: pure copper base and pure copper heatpipes, high quality aluminium fins which soldered to the heatpipes. Similarly to IS-47K, this new cooler is carefully designed so the layout enables a 100% RAM compatibility on almost all ITX motherboards when the motherboard doesn't have high M.2 heatsink between CPU and PCI-E, for those motherboards who do have high M.2 heatsink module, this cooler can be mounted in an upward direction, which will have around 40 mm tolerance for memory.

MSI began rolling out UEFI firmware updates that pack AMD's latest AGESA Combo PI V2 1.0.8.1 microcode, for the company's Socket AM4 motherboards based on the AMD 500-series chipsets. The company released firmware updates for 9 of its B550 motherboards today. Some time mid-September, it plans to release updates for X570 chipset boards, and the rest of its B550 motherboards. By late-September, updates will be released for A520 chipset boards.

MSI says AGESA V2 1.0.8.1 improves memory compatibility and memory overclocking headroom, and supports UMA memory share control for Ryzen 4000G / PRO 4000G "Renoir" desktop processors. MSI added fixes specific to its products, such as Soft RAID issues on B550, and PCs refusing to resume from S3 state. Check the "support" section of your motherboard's product page on the MSI website for the new firmware updates.

ZALMAN today rolled out a design update to its CNPS10X Optima CPU cooler from way back in 2011. Called the CNPS10X Optima II, the cooler features a completely new design, and uses contemporary design elements. The aluminium fin-stack tower-type cooler uses a fin-stack that's been wrapped in a plastic shroud, with its top plate featuring an ARGB LED lighting ornament. Four 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes make direct contact with the CPU at the base, conveying heat through the fin-stack, which is ventilated by a ZALMAN Dual Blade 120 fan. The fan features a split-blade impeller, hydraulic bearings, and ARGB LEDs in the impeller hub. It spins at 800 to 1,500 RPM, pushing 61.52 CFM of air, at 27 dBA max noise. The cooler comes in two color trims, white and black. Measuring 158 mm x 132 mm x 85 mm (HxWxD), it weighs 740 g. Among the CPU sockets supported are AM4, LGA1200, LGA115x, and LGA2066. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Cougar today introduced the Aqua ARGB line of all-in-one, closed-loop, liquid CPU coolers. It is available in three variants based on radiator size - the Aqua ARGB 360 (360 mm x 120 mm), Aqua ARGB 280 (280 mm x 140 mm), and Aqua ARGB 240 (240 mm x 120 mm). All three include a cuboidal pump-block design with ARGB LED diffusers at the top, along with an illuminated Cougar logo; and the company's VA-series ARGB fans (either 120 mm or 140 mm, depending on the variant).

The cooler includes an ARGB controller with an RF remote control, so you can set lighting, color, and pattern presets on the fly. The VA120 fan included with the 360 and 240 variants spin at 600 to 2,000 RPM, pushing up to 74 CFM of air at up to 2.78 mm H₂O pressure, and 39.55 dBA max noise, each. The VA140 fans with the 280 variant does 500 to 1,800 RPM, pushing up to 98.39 CFM, at up to 2.21 mm H₂O pressure, and 40.56 dBA max noise. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1200, LGA115x, LGA2066, and AM4. The company didn't reveal pricing.

EK Water Blocks, the leading premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is launching another version of the popular EK-Quantum Velocity CPU water block. The new Velocity is special for the frosted acrylic top piece, bringing unique aesthetics that aligns with the modern frosted tubing. As an added benefit, the frosted acrylic top allows for an even better diffusion of the 20 digitally addressable RGB LEDs.

The name of this water block - Velocity - was inspired by the necessity to be lean and agile in the world of liquid cooling. A high-performance CPU water block is no good if it's too restrictive on the flow and bottlenecking your entire cooling loop. Efficient coolant flow and performance should go hand in hand, and neither of the two should be sacrificed. These blocks come in two variants - AMD and Intel.