Here's the first picture of the Akasa Maxwell Pro fanless HTPC case. This Mini-ITX case features an all-aluminium construction, with diamond-cut edges on matte-gray anodized aluminium panels. The case's body doubles up as passive heatsink for the processor, and the Maxwell Pro is one of Akasa's first few cases to feature a common fanless block design that supports both AMD Socket AM4 and Intel LGA115x/LGA1200. The case extends into heatsink ridges along the sides, while a series of four copper heat pipes links it with a base at the CPU socket. Akasa claims the case is capable of handling CPU TDP of up to 65 W without any fans.

The front-panel features a brushed-aluminium finish, along with a handful USB ports and a power button, although we can't spy an IR receiver port. The case measures 280 mm x 209 mm x 110 mm (WxDxH). An optional 150 W power-brick is included, along with an internal DC-to-DC switch that converts the 2-pin DC input from the brick to various ATX standard connectors. The company didn't reveal availbility or pricing.

AMD's top upcoming Socket AM4 desktop APU, the Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G, was put through Geekbench 5, as discovered by TUM_APISAK. The processor produced performance figures in the league of the popular Ryzen 7 3700X desktop processor. Both are 8-core/16-thread processors based on the "Zen 2" microarchitecture, but while the 3700X has additional L3 cache and added power budget for the CPU cores (as the processor completely lacks an iGPU); the PRO 4750G offers a Radeon Vega 8 iGPU with its engine clock above 2.00 GHz. Both chips were compared on Geekbench 5.2.2.

The single-core performance of both the PRO 4750G and 3700X are similar, with the PRO 4750G scoring 1239 points, and the 3700X scoring 1266 points. The 3700X has a slight upper hand with multi-core performance, with 9151 points compared to 8228 points of the PRO 4750G. This is attributable to the 3700X enjoying four times the L3 cache size. The Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G is expected to be the top desktop SKU based on the 7 nm "Renoir" silicon that features eight "Zen 2" CPU cores, and an iGPU based on the "Vega" graphics architecture, featuring 8 NGCUs amounting to 512 stream processors. The processor features AMD PRO feature-set that make it fit for use in commercial desktops in large business environments.

GALAX announced plans to launch its motherboard product line in the North American market. The company will dip its toes in the market with entry-level and mid-range products, targeting both Intel Socket LGA1200 and AMD Socket AM4. For both sockets, GALAX appears to be using entry/mainstream chipsets. The LGA1200 product line consists of models based on the Intel H410 and B460 chipsets, while the AM4 line is based on the B550 chipset as AMD is yet to launch its entry-level A520 chipset. From the looks of it, GALAX's boards are pretty basic, and possibly all sub-$100 segment. The company didn't reveal specifics such as launch dates or pricing.

ASUS today announced that the new BIOS with AMD AGESA 1.0.0.2 update for X570 and B550 series motherboards are now available for download. While the existing BIOS support Ryzen 3000XT processors, the new BIOS optimize the performance of the latest AMD Ryzen 3000XT series processors (Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and Ryzen 5 3600XT). The UEFI BIOS updates are available from the respective motherboard support pages, and can be accessed via the ASUS Support website.

Jonsbo earlier this week rolled out the Angeleyes TW2 Pro Color line of all-in-one, closed-loop, liquid CPU Coolers. These coolers are variants of the Angeleyes TW2 Pro series the company released through 2019-2020. Its radiator, tubing, and pump-block designs are unchanged. The only only area of change is the set of fans included with the cooler. These fans are characterized by ARGB LEDs located in the impeller hub, and translucent fan-blades that diffuse the light. In the older Angeleyes TW2 Pro series, the fan featured acrylic ARGB diffusers along the bore of the frame. Under the hood, the fan features hydraulic bearings rated for over 40,000 hours, 700-1,500 RPM fan-speeds, 25.5-62.8 CFM of air-flow, and 18.1-29.5 dBA of noise output. There are currently two models of the TW2 Pro Color series - the TW2-360 Pro Color, which features a 360 mm x 120 mm radiator and three fans; and the TW2-240 Pro Color, with a 240 mm x 120 mm radiator and two fans. Among the CPU socket types supported are AM4, LGA1200, LGA115x, and LGA2066. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Colorful today rolled out the CVN B550M Gaming Frozen V14, a socket AM4 motherboard in the Micro-ATX form-factor, based on the AMD B550 chipset. The board gets its "Frozen" name from its mostly-white PCB. The chipset heatsink that extends into an M.2 SSD heatsink features fan ventilation (something not found on most other B550 motherboards). The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and single 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 10-phase VRM.

Expansion slots on the Colorful CVN B550M Gaming Frozen V14 include one PCI-Express 4.0 x16, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4) that's wired to the chipset, and a gen 3.0 x1 slot. Storage connectivity includes an M.2-22110 slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring from the AM4 socket, and six SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes a pair of 10 Gbps USB 3.x gen 2 ports wired to the CPU that include a type-C port, and a number of 5 Gbps ports. Networking is care of a 1 GbE connection from a Realtek RTL8111H controller, and the onboard audio solution uses a Realtek ALC1200 codec. Don't like the white color scheme? Colorful has you covered with the CVN B550M Gaming Pro V14, which is an almost identical board that uses a black PCB and a chipset heatsink that makes do without a fan. The company didn't reveal pricing.

The AMD consumer platform has long used PGA design chips, and this is no different with the AM4 platform. While this design reduces motherboard costs it comes with an unfortunate downside, PGA processors have a habit of sticking to the heatsink when attempting to remove or replace your heatsink. This problem is so commonplace that AMD has published guides online outlining the correct heatsink removal process which involves "twisting the CPU cooler clockwise and counterclockwise to loosen the seal between the heatsink and the lid of the CPU".

Chinese manufacturer ProArtist has created an ingenious solution, the IEF2 AM4 CPU mounting bracket. The bracket replaces the included mounting hardware on motherboards replacing it with spacers secured to a metal mounting place which heatsinks can then be attached to. This bracket ensures that the CPU won't be damaged when removing heatsinks. The bracket is non-standard so only compatibility with ProArtist coolers such as the DESSERTS3 is guaranteed. The IEF2 AM4 CPU mounting bracket is available only in China from Taobao for less than 5 USD.

Louqe and Noctua today presented the new NH-L12 Ghost S1 edition CPU cooler. Coming with a single 92 mm fan and Noctua's second-generation NT-H2 thermal compound, as well as the latest SecuFirm2 multi-socket mounting system, the NH-L12 Ghost S1 edition has been customised to be an ideal companion for quiet high-end builds in Louqe's award-winning Ghost S1 enclosure.

"We've tested pretty much every low-profile cooler on the market in the Ghost S1 and even tried to create a complete custom solution in collaboration with Noctua, but nothing worked as well as our long-term favourite, the NH-L12," explains Patrik Michalski (Louqe CEO). "That's why we've ended up creating a customised special edition of this cooler that will be the ideal choice for all Ghost S1 users who are looking for the best possible air cooling solution."

AMD's 7 nm "Renoir" APU silicon, which features eight "Zen 2" CPU cores, has only a quarter of the L3 cache of the 8-core "Zen 2" CCD used in "Matisse," "Rome," and "Castle Peak" processors, with each of its two quad-core compute complexes (CCXs) featuring just 4 MB of it (compared to 16 MB per CCX on the 8-core "Zen 2" CCD). Chinese-language tech publication TecLab pubished a quick review of an alleged Ryzen 7 4700GE socket AM4 processor based on the "Renoir" silicon, and discovered that the chip offers significantly lower memory latencies than "Matisse," posting just 47.6 ns latency when paired with DDR4-4233 dual-channel memory.

In comparison, a Ryzen 9 3900X with these kinds of memory clocks typically posts 60-70 ns latencies, owing to the MCM design of "Matisse," where the CPU cores and memory controllers sit on separate dies, which is one of the key reasons AMD is believed to have doubled the L3 cache amount per CCX compared to previous-generation "Zeppelin" dies. TecLab tested the alleged 4700GE engineering sample on a ROG Crosshair VIII Impact X570 motherboard that has 1 DIMM per channel (the best possible memory topology).

VLSI engineer Fritzchens Fritz, famous for high-detail EM photography of silicon dies and annotations of them, recently published his work on AMD's 7 nm "Renoir" APU silicon. His die-shots were annotated by Nemez aka GPUsAreMagic. The floor-plan of the silicon shows that the CPU component finally dwarfs the iGPU component, thanks to double the CPU cores over the previous-gen "Picasso" silicon, spread over two CCXs (compute complexes). The CCX on "Renoir" is visibly smaller than the one on the "Zen 2" CCDs found in "Matisse" and "Rome" MCMs, as the L3 cache is smaller, at 4 MB compared to 16 MB. Being MCMs with disintegrated memory controllers, it makes more sense for CCDs to have more last-level cache per CCX.

We also see that the iGPU features no more than 8 "Vega" NGCUs, so there's no scope for "Renoir" based desktop APUs to feature >512 stream processors. AMD attempted to compensate for the NGCU deficit by dialing up engine clocks of the iGPU by over 40% compared to those on "Picasso." What caught our eye in the annotation is the PCI-Express physical layer. Apparently the die indeed has 20 PCI-Express lanes besides an additional 4 lanes that can be configured as two SATA 6 Gbps ports thanks to SerDes flexibility.

MSI, the world leading gaming motherboard brand, releases optimized BIOS updates for the new Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 5 3600XT Processors. Combo PI V1 1.0.0.6 BIOS and Combo PI V2 1.0.0.2 BIOS are released and able to download successively in coming days. More detail information about the Combo PI V2 1.0.0.2, Combo PI V1 1.0.0.6 or newer BIOS update, please check this blog.

Since AMD releases their new Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT and Ryzen 5 3600XT Processors today, MSI also made great efforts to offer optimized BIOS updates for 300-, 400-, and 500-series motherboards. The latest AMD Combo PI V1 version 1.0.0.6 BIOS for 300- and 400-series motherboards will be ready for users to download and update in the end of June. Regarding 500-series motherboards, Combo PI V2 version 1.0.0.2 BIOS will be released in the beginning of July. The updated BIOS updates are mainly optimized for the new Ryzen CPUs. Besides, there are several key points for the BIOS improvements.

Socket AM4 motherboards based on AMD B550 chipset are listed on popular e-tailers such as Newegg. The boards will be available to order from tomorrow (June 16). Some of these models are open for pre-order on Newegg. Despite AMD's best efforts to have its manufacturers list a token few models under the $100-mark, the boards on Newegg only start at $115 for what were supposed to be $99 models, going all the way up to $300 for some of the flagship models. In essence, B550 succeeds both the B450 and X470 in pricing spread of motherboards. Highly anticipated models, such as the MSI MAG Tomahawk are priced at $180, and the ASUS Strix-F at $190. Top tier boards like the ASUS Strix-E and Aorus Master are listed for $280, while the ASRock Taichi scorches your wallet at $300.

It looks like AMD's Ryzen 4000G line of socket AM4 desktop APUs based on the 8-core 7 nm "Renoir" silicon will be a lot wider than just a couple of SKUs. We've seen plenty of material on the top Ryzen 7 4700G part that maxes out everything on the silicon, along with increased power limits and clock speeds. It looks like the Ryzen 5 4000G series will consist of 6-core/12-thread parts. One such chip, the Ryzen 5 4400G surfaced on the 3DMark database, as dug up by TUM_APISAK. They earlier brought you a 3DMark score comparison between the 4400G, the top 4700G, and the entry-level 4200G.

The Ryzen 5 4400G (possible OPN: 100-000000143) appears to be a 6-core/12-thread part based on "Renoir," with the CPU clocked at 3.70 GHz base and possibly 4.30 GHz boost. The "Vega" NGCU count of the iGPU is unknown, but its engine clock is set at 1.90 GHz (max). With the "P" (performance) preset, the 4400G allegedly scores 4395 points in the 3DMark 11 graphics test suite (graphics score); with 10241 points physics score.

EK Water Blocks, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is updating the EK-Classic Kits by transitioning them all to the more customizable 5V D-RGB lighting and adding more tools in the package to help loop builders. That's not where the magic stops, as these new Classic kits are more affordable. This was done with various production optimizations that yielded a more affordable and better product for end-users.

EK-Classic CPU Water Block 115x/20xx/AM4 D-RGB - a high-end, nickel-plated copper CPU water block for modern Intel and AMD processors. It uses addressable RGB LEDs to light up your CPU area. It features a classic, market-proven design that will perfectly fit the needs of core enthusiasts and demanding users as well. The tool-less mounting system makes the installation process a breeze even for beginners. This block comes with a pre-installed Intel mounting system while the AMD AM4 mounting system is in the packaging and needs to be installed if needed.

GIGABYTE today introduced the B550 VISION D socket AM4 motherboard targeted at creators. Built in the ATX form-factor, the board supports socket AM4 Ryzen 3000 "Matisse" processors, and is based on the new AMD B550 chipset. Within GIGABYTE's product stack, the B550 VISION D is positioned above its B550 AORUS Master flagship board based on this chipset. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors (concealed under a plastic bit near the VRM heatsinks). A 14-phase VRM conditions power for the CPU. The socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 128 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and two PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 with both populated). This is something the AORUS Master lacks, on the other hand, the VISION D lacks SLI certification.

The third PCIe x16 slot is gen 3.0 x4, and wired to the B550 chipset. The board offers two M.2 NVMe slots, one of the two has PCIe 4.0 x4 wiring from the AM4 SoC, the other has PCIe 3.0 x4 wiring from the chipset. There are only four SATA 6 Gbps on offer with this board, as GIGABYTE is freeing up PCIe lanes on the chipset. Unless we're mistaken, GIGABYTE is offering "unofficial" Thunderbolt 3 support. The board features an Intel "Titan Ridge" Thunderbolt 3 controller that puts out two "USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 40 Gbps" ports with DisplayPort passthrough. GIGABYTE is careful not to call these Thunderbolt 3 ports. Networking connectivity includes 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5 WLAN, and two 1 GbE interfaces driven by Intel controllers. The onboard audio solution uses premium ALC1220-VB codec, WIMA capacitors, and AMPs on the front channels. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS released a beta BIOS updates for its top AMD 400-series chipset motherboard that includes the AGESA ComboAM4 1.0.0.6 microcode. A HardwareLuxx.de community member tracking AGESA updates posted screenshot of a Crosshair VII Hero (X470) motherboard with a AGESA ComboAM4 1.0.0.6 version (not to be confused with AGESA PinnaclePI 1.0.0.6). The beta BIOS version for the motherboard bears version number 3101. The BIOS file was originally released to web by Shamino on the OCN forums, earlier today.

While not much is known about ComboAM4 1.0.0.6, the Beta BIOS 3101 for Crosshair VII Hero enables per-CCX overclocking, meaning that you can set different manual OC multiplier values per CCX on your processor. We're not sure if both "Pinnacle Ridge" and "Matisse" support it, or just the latter. We also don't know at this point if per-CCX overclocking is an ASUS innovation or a feature of ComboAM4 1.0.0.6. Find the BIOS ROM file here.

ASRock is working on a variant of its DeskMini SFF desktop PC powered by an AMD Ryzen 4000G series "Renoir" desktop APU. We know this is a desktop "Renoir" since ASRock uses socket AM4 SFF boards based on the A300 or X300 platform, that the clock speeds are higher than mobile "Renoir" chips launched so far, and since the performance numbers for both the CPU- and graphics put out by HardwareLeaks (_rogame) are higher than those of the mobile Ryzen 7 4800HS. The X300 is a barebones platform, as all the connectivity on the platform is handled by the AM4 SoC. AMD is expected to debut desktop Ryzen 4000G "Renoir" APUs within 2020.

ID-COOLING today announced IS-47K low profile CPU air cooler, featuring only 47 mm total height, 6 copper heatpipes, copper base and a 92x92x15mm PWM fan. IS-47K 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, PWM 92x922x15mm fans and on top of that, a tube of high cooling performance thermal grease ID-TG25 which has a 10.5 W/m-K thermal conductivity.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) has recently unveiled the budget B450AM4-M motherboard. The B450AM4-M is a microATX board using the AMD B450 chipset with a low end 4+2 phase power system fed with a single 4 pin power connector. This limited power system will constrict the board to CPUs with a TDP of 95 W or lower and according to the board specifications, the 2600X is the highest-end chip supported. The motherboard comes with 4 DDR4 2666 MHz DIMM slots which support a maximum of 64 GB of memory, x1 PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, x1 PCIe 2.0 x16 slot wired at x4, x1 PCIe 2.0 x1 slot, and x1 PCI slot.

The motherboard includes a Realtek RTL8111GN controller for gigabit Ethernet, along with a Realtek ALC662 for audio. Storage options include four SATA connectors which support software RAID and an M.2 connector. I/O on the board is extensive given its market positioning including x2 USB 3.2 Gen 2, x4 USB 3.2 Gen1, x2 USB 2.0, HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI-D, D-Sub, and audio. ECS hasn't announced the pricing or availability for the B450AM4-M motherboard.

Apparently, AMD will be taking a slightly confusing step with its new AGESA codes - at least for the B550 platform. A report via Hardwareluxx has AMD rebooting AGESA (the most basic firmware for your motherboard and chipset support that's a requirement for correct CPU and feature support) versions back to version 1.0.0.0, but with a catch. The new AGESA version that's supposed to allow for support for AMD's Zen 3 CPUs will be coded as ComboAM4 v2 1.0.0.0 - instead of the next version in the current AGESA nomenclature, 1.0.0.6. It is still unclear if this change only refers to AMD's B550 or if it will also move on to X570's next AGESA releases.

It's expected that new motherboards based on AMD's B550 chipset will start landing in June. For now, there's confirmation on at least two motherboards running with this V2 of AGESA: MSI's MAG B550 Tomahawk (ComboAM4 v2 1.0.0.0), and the Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master (ComboAM4v2 1.0.0.1). So if you're looking to use AMD's B550 motherboard (or even X570) with AMD's upcoming Zen 3 CPUs, make sure to read your motherboard manufacturers' release notes for each AGESA version, so that you install the correct one and avoid yourself a potential load of pain with a non-functioning AGESA for your shiny new Zen 3 CPU.

Several future AMD processor codenames across various computing segments surfaced courtesy of an Expreview leak that's largely aligned with information from Komachi Ensaka. It does not account for "Matisse Refresh" that's allegedly coming out in June-July as three gaming-focused Ryzen socket AM4 desktop processors; but roadmap from 2H-2020 going up to 2022 sees many codenames surface. To begin with, the second half of 2020 promises to be as action packed as last year's 7/7 mega launch. Over in the graphics business, the company is expected to debut its DirectX 12 Ultimate-compliant RDNA2 client graphics, and its first CDNA architecture-based compute accelerators. Much of the processor launch cycle is based around the new "Zen 3" microarchitecture.

The server platform debuting in the second half of 2020 is codenamed "Genesis SP3." This will be the final processor architecture for the SP3-class enterprise sockets, as it has DDR4 and PCI-Express gen 4.0 I/O. The EPYC server processor is codenamed "Milan," and combines "Zen 3" chiplets along with an sIOD. EPYC Embedded (FP6 package) processors are codenamed "Grey Hawk."

EK, the premium water cooling gear manufacturer, has decided to do something special for its American fans this Memorial Day Weekend. Apart from being the unofficial beginning of summer, the last Monday of May has a lot of meaning for many Americans. Memorial Day is the reason why EK has created a special red, white, and blue limited edition Velocity CPU water block with a genuinely noble cause.

The brand new limited version of the water block carries the name EK-Quantum Velocity Honor. It is "decorated" with the US flag and will be sold at the price of $249.99. For each water block sold, EK will donate $100 to a charitable organization. "Being a globally successful company also means that we have the ability and responsibility to make a difference and give something back to the community. We have decided to jump on a project that will make our most loyal fans happy, and at the same time, help those who are in need," said Edvard König, founder of EK.

AMD is planning to immediately update its product stack to counter the Intel 10th gen Core "Comet Lake-S" desktop processor family. Codenamed "Matisse Refresh," the processor will use existing IP, based on the 7 nm "Zen 2" microarchitecture, but could improve in areas such as clock-speeds. As it now stands, the Ryzen 9 3900X appears unfazed by the i9-10900K and i7-10700K at its new $410 price, however, competitiveness of the 3800X and 3700X could buckle under pressure from the i7-10700 series (K, KF, non-K, and F), as well as the Core i5-10600 series. To this effect, we're hearing rumors of a "Ryzen 7 3750X" and "Ryzen 7 3850X" seeing the light of the day soon, with an early-June announcement, and early-July market availability. References to the 3750X date back to October 2019.

Rumors of "Matisse Refresh" gained traction when WCCFTech editor Hassan Mujtaba tweeted a slide from a GIGABYTE AMD B550 motherboard series pre-launch presentation, which references GIGABYTE's own interpretation of AMD's roadmap. It lists out every CPU microarchitecture for the AM4 platform, and right next to "Matisse" is "& Refresh," confirming that "Matisse Refresh" is real. A microarchitecture "refresh" needn't even involve any physical changes to the processor design, core-counts, or architecture, and can sometimes even indicate something as simple as a second major wave of SKUs that replace existing SKUs in the market, leading to their phase-out (eg: Intel "Haswell Refresh" retaining the 4th gen Core model numbering). The slide also adds weight to the theory that desktop "Renoir," like its mobile counterpart, lacks PCIe gen 4.0. The slide also talks about AMD introducing the entry-level A520 desktop chipset in August, which will support PCIe gen 4 when paired with a capable processor.

MSI, the world-leading motherboard brand, continues to be dedicated to the AMD AM4 platform with the launch of the new B550 motherboards. Since AMD launched Ryzen Desktop Processors with AM4 platform, MSI has been occupied the market with our AM4 motherboards. For the B450 platform, MSI undoubtedly is in the market leadership with our iconic TOMAHAWK and MORTAR motherboards. This year, together with the 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen processors and readiness of PCIe Gen 4 technology, MSI offers a complete B550 motherboard lineup from MPG, MAG to PRO series with advanced technology and MSI exclusive features to satisfy all types of gamers and users' need.

"We are seeing increasing user demands for flexible systems that perform well in a multitude of tasks from gaming to content creation more than ever before," said Chris Kilburn, corporate vice president and general manager, client component business unit, AMD. "AMD is excited to bring the power of 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen desktop processors and cutting edge PCIe 4.0 support to the mainstream users with our latest AMD B550 chipset. With an extensive platform lineup from our partners at MSI, AMD is confident these new B550 platforms will provide flexibility and power never seen before on a mainstream platform."

ASUS today announced new motherboards featuring the latest AMD B550 chipset that bring the potential of PCI Express 4.0 to mainstream builds everywhere. AMD B550 motherboards enable 20 general-purpose PCIe 4.0 lanes from 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen desktop processors. The primary PCIe slot on all new ASUS B550 boards offers 16 lanes of PCIe 4.0 connectivity, and 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen parts feature as many as four USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports running at up to 10 Gbps direct from the CPU itself.

ASUS also has exciting features to enhance its B550 motherboards like WiFi 6, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, robust power delivery, increased DRAM speed and BIOS Flashback. The B550 chip itself gets an upgrade to PCIe 3.0 for its built-in lanes. These upgrades make B550 a tantalizing platform for mainstream builders throughout the world.