MSI is pleased to announce support for the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors, built on the Zen 5 architecture and featuring AMD's cutting-edge 2nd generation AMD 3D V-Cache technology. This innovative technology is designed to significantly increases the cache size, allowing faster data access and improved performance. Engineered to deliver exceptional performance, these processors meet the demands of even the most intensive gaming and content creation workloads.

At the heart of this experience is the MSI MEG X870E GODLIKE motherboard, which sets a new standard with its innovative design and robust features. The Dynamic Dashboard III, a 3.99-inch full-color LCD, offers real-time hardware monitoring, troubleshooting, BIOS update status, clock display, and personalization options, enhancing user experience and system control. MSI's EZ Link design complements this, streamlining cable management by consolidating the front panel, fan, and RGB headers into the EZ Bridge and EZ Control Hub, ensuring a cleaner build and simplified installation process.

We have noticed an uptick of AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D-related leaks in mid-to-late February; suggesting an imminent launch. Officially, a Q1 release window was set by Team Red leadership during their CES 2025 presentation, and further disclosures pointed to a loose March window. Earlier today, Golden Pig Upgrade disclosed NDA-busting information—the veteran leaker believes that AMD will be lifting global Ryzen 9 9950X3D CPU review embargoes on March 11. VideoCardz jumped on this unofficial announcement, and reached out to industry insiders. The anonymous contacts reported back; they allege that a March 12 retail release is on the cards.

It is believed that the 16-core and 12-core X3D-equipped "Granite Ridge" Ryzen 9 desktop chips will roll out on the same day (March 12). Coincidentally, Golden Pig Upgrade reckons that Intel's Core Ultra 200HX "Arrow Lake" mobile processor series will launch alongside Team Red's high-end gaming duo. The latter two are touted to attract the majority of press attention on day one. As pointed out by VideoCardz, the release of Radeon RX 9070 GPUs is—speculatively—scheduled a week in advance of AMD's expansion of its Ryzen 9000X3D lineup. Early last week, price points were leaked—courtesy of accidental Newegg listings: $699.99 for the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and $599.99 for the 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X3D.

EK, the premium liquid cooling manufacturer, is proud to announce the latest generation of EK-Quantum Velocity³ CPU water blocks. Offering universal compatibility for both AMD AM5 and Intel LGA 1700 / 1851 sockets, the EK-Quantum Velocity³ features a fully customizable configuration that allows you to rotate, adjust, and reposition the internal components, heat spreader, and ports - ensuring high-performance liquid cooling that's perfectly optimized for your build.

Universal Intel & AMD Platform Compatibility
The EK-Quantum Velocity³ offers a new level of compatibility with design that allows you to interchange between Intel LGA 1700 / 1851 & AMD AM5 with a few simple adjustments. When choosing your platform, simply align the jet plate alignment based on the Intel or AMD socket, reposition the cold plate and attach the LGA or AM5 mounting bracket - it's that simple. This design ensures universal compatibility, offering high performance liquid-cooling that's future proofed should you wish to change platform when upgrading your PC.

One feature that gamers have loved about AMD Ryzen processors is the company's commitment to socket longevity. If you have a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7000 Series CPU and an AM5 motherboard, for example, you're able to upgrade to an AMD Ryzen 9000 Series CPU without stripping your PC down to the studs and replacing the motherboard. But perhaps you're starting from scratch with your first AM5 PC. In that case, you have several years' worth of AM5 motherboard options to consider, including the TUF Gaming B850-Plus WiFi from our B850 motherboard family.

For years, one of the most popular AM5 motherboards has been the TUF Gaming B650-Plus WiFi. This rock-solid, battle-proven board delivers on all fronts with its durable design, comprehensive cooling, and ruggedized aesthetic. Yet if you're building a new PC in 2025, we think you'll be happier in the long run with this board's successor, the TUF Gaming B850-Plus WiFi. Armed with key updates like a bolstered power solution, PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, Wi-Fi 7, and more and faster USB ports, this motherboard offers incredible value for your gaming rig.

Sapphire Technology has introduced a new NITRO+ motherboard model in China—weekend reports pointed to a listing on JD.com, where the latest addition resides alongside various previous-gen B650 options. This appears to be another region specific release—priced at 1299 RMB (~$179 USD). The NITRO+ B850M Wi-Fi model seems to share its overall aesthetic design with the preceding B650M-equipped equivalent. As surmised by VideoCardz, the Sapphire NITRO+ board's VRM patterning reminded them of the leaked premium-tier Radeon NITRO+ RX 9070 graphics card series.

The generational jump from AMD B650 to B850 chipset—as expected—yields only minor benefits (see below). The older NITRO+ B650M Wi-Fi model is a significantly cheaper prospect; coming in at 899 RMB ($124 USD). VideoCardz's weekend detective work settled on a nice improvement: "based on our research, the memory overclocking support has increased from 7600 MT/s+ to 8000 MT/s. Keep in mind that these figures may be higher for both motherboards; this is just what Sapphire guarantees when paired with a supported memory kit." Industry watchdogs believe that ASRock is likely involved in the contract manufacturing of Sapphire's motherboard offerings—the former has been long-involved in pumping out NZXT-badged products.

AMD is readying two important client segment processors powered by the next-generation "Zen 6" microarchitecture, according to a sensational new report by Moore's Law is Dead. These are the "Medusa Point" mobile processor, and the "Olympic Ridge" desktop. The former is a BGA roughly the size and Z-Height of the current "Strix Point," but the latter is being designed for the existing Socket AM5, making it the third (and probably final) microarchitecture to do so. If you recall, Socket AM4 served three generations of Zen, not counting the refreshed "Zen+." At the heart of the effort is a new CPU complex die (CCD) that AMD plans to use across its client and server lineup.

The "Zen 6" performance CCD is being designed for a 3 nm-class node, likely the TSMC N3E. This node promises a significant increase in transistor density, power, and clock speed improvements over the current TSMC N4P node being used to build the "Zen 5" CCD. Here's where it gets interesting. The CCD contains twelve full-sized "Zen 6" cores, marking the first increase in core-counts of AMD's performance cores since its very first "Zen" CCD. All 12 of these cores are part of a single CPU core complex (CCX), and share a common L3 cache. There could be a proportionate increase in cache size to 48 MB. AMD is also expected to improve the way the CCDs communicate with the I/O die and among each other.

The EU could influence the mobile phone industry to ditch bundling wall chargers with their phones, and got them to standardize the USB-C connector, with the goal of minimizing the number of wall chargers people would have to own, which could last years, spanning many phones. It even got Apple to ditch its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C. The European Commission could be turning its attention to the way products such as desktop PC processors are sold in the retail channel. In the OEM channel, things are golden—processors are sold by the 1,000 units in trays that aren't all that different from the way eggs are sold to restaurants. In the retail channel, these processors put on elaborate packaging material that includes boxes that are about 20 times the size of the processor itself, and include stock cooling solutions that can run the processors at stock settings.

This could change, as the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) came into effect on February 11, 2025. This regulation gives manufacturers an 18-month grace period for compliance, and it affects desktop processor packaging in the retail channel. The first casualty will be special edition or flagship SKUs that come with swanky acrylic packaging, like Intel's large dodecahedron that shipped with the Core i9-9900K. Intel has already made the switch, and its current flagship, the Core Ultra 9 285K, comes in much simpler paperboard boxes. AMD's flagship processors also comply, as they come in compact paperboard boxes even for the top Ryzen 9 9950X. Then there's the issue of stock CPU coolers included in these boxes, at least for the 65 W processor models.

MSI introduced an impressive number of new AMD B850 and B840 chipset-based motherboards at January's CES trade event. According to a Wccftech report, the company's AM5—socketed lineup will expand in the near future—a leaked presentation slide provides an early preview of (allegedly) incoming budget-friendly offerings. MSI's leaked roadmap (Q1 to Q2 2025) shows new additions—mostly smaller form factor—across performance (MPG) and Pro Series product ranges. Their Arsenal Gaming (MAG) B850 range seems to be fully released, as of the first quarter of this year—consisting of models already unveiled at CES.

Five new models are seemingly lined up for release within the next couple of months—the Wccftech article listed the following SKUs: MPG B850I Edge WIFI (Mini-ITX), PRO B850M-P WIFI (M-ATX), PRO B850M-B (M-ATX), B850 Gaming PLUS WIFI PZ (ATX) and PRO B850M-A WIFI PZ (M-ATX). The publication commented on its discoveries: "as you can see, MSI will have at least one new variant within the MPG lineup which will feature a Mini-ITX design. The company has already released the full ATX-sized version of the EDGE TI WIFI, and it's nice to know that we will get a Mini-ITX variant too." The report proposes that MSI has prepped its new budget models with the latest connectivity features—most notably, Wi-Fi 7 rated at the full 320 MHz band. Support for Zen 4 and 5 Ryzen X3D CPUs is expected upon launch.

FSP, a well-known brand in the power supply and chassis has launched a new series of CPU air coolers. The lineup includes the high-efficiency MP7, powerful NP5, and NE5 models. Optimized for the latest Intel and AMD CPUs, these coolers are compatible with Intel LGA1851 and AMD AM5 sockets. Featuring high-quality designs, they offer superior cooling performance and versatile options to meet various user needs, perfectly blending extreme performance with silent operation for a cooling solution that exceeds expectations.

The MP7, NP5, and NE5 cooler series utilize antigravity heat pipe technology to enhance performance when the motherboard is mounted vertically inside the case, maximizing cooling efficiency. Additionally, the MP7 features a copper base with heat pipe welding, increasing the contact area with the CPU, significantly improving heat dissipation.

German PC hardware retailer MindFactory sold an astonishing 25,625 AMD and Intel CPUs in January 2025. However, an honor falls to AMD this time, as Team Red has managed to capture as much as 92.16% (23,615) of all units sold by this retailer. Not only did it leave Intel with 7.84% (2010) of total units sold, AMD also beat Intel in average selling price, where AMD managed to keep ASP at 320 Euros, while Intel buyers were considering some less expensive CPU SKUs at 290 Euros. This has resulted in AMD's revenue share recording 93.45% at 8,300,674 Euros, while Intel left a smaller mark at 6.55% or 581,959 Euros. The best-selling CPU was AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D, sold in 8,390 units in January.

A detailed analysis of socket distribution reveals AMD's AM5 platform's overwhelming dominance, securing 18,410 units or 71.84% of total sales. The mature AM4 platform maintains a significant market presence with 5,205 units (20.31%), showing strong continued demand for AMD's previous-generation socket. Intel's LGA 1700, compatible with 12/13/14th generation processors, accounted for 1,745 units (6.81%), while their older platforms showed minimal market penetration. The LGA 1851 socket, supporting Intel's latest Core Ultra 200S processors, managed just 185 units (0.72%), with legacy LGA 1200 and LGA 1151 sockets trailing at 55 (0.21%) and 25 (0.1%) units respectively. AMD's latest platform market performance suggests strong consumer confidence in AM5's upgrade path and performance capabilities. This dramatic market share capture by AMD represents one of the most significant shifts in the desktop CPU market in recent years, particularly notable given the higher average selling prices at which AMD CPUs are now sold.

ASRock has quietly updated its CPU Support List with entries for the upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D desktop processors—starting off with motherboard BIOS versions 3.15 and 3.16. The Taiwanese manufacturer seems to be the very first company to add these "Zen 5" models to public-facing motherboard compatibility databases—according to yesterday evening's VideoCardz report, the likes of MSI, GIGABYTE, and ASUS have not yet followed suit (at the time of writing). The appearance of Team Red's "Granite Ridge" 16-core and 12-core 3D V-Cache-equipped processors on ASRock's website has set off chatter across PC hardware discussion communities.

AMD has not officially revealed a specific launch date (or pricing details) for its Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D CPUs—instead, a loose March window has been marked down on this year's calendar. Industry watchdogs believe that ASRock's freshly updated database is proof of an imminent launch—a couple of insiders predicted a January rollout, but this seems unlikely to occur by the end of this working week. Given the reported scarcity of Team Red's already released and highly-praised Ryzen 7 9800X3D gaming processor, many folks will welcome the addition of two alternative options. Team Red has already set expectations for the (presumably) more expensive models—recently, a product manager disclosed that their "new chips will provide similar overall gaming performance" to the current champion.

AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D "Zen 5" processors are scheduled for launch around March time, with many a hardcore PC enthusiast salivating at the prospect of an increase in core counts over already released hardware—the ever popular Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU makes do with eight cores (and sixteen threads). Under normal circumstances, higher core counts do not provide a massive advantage in gaming applications—over the years, Team Red's 8-core 3D V-Cache-equipped models have reigned supreme in this so-called "sweet spot." Many have wondered whether new-gen 12 and 16-core SKU siblings had any chance of stealing some gaming performance thunder—a recently published VideoGamer article provides a definitive answer for the "Granite Ridge" generation.

The publication managed to extract key quotes from Martijn Boonstra—a Team Red product and business development manager—providing a slightly tepid outlook for the incoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D models. The company executive stated: "(our) new chips will provide similar overall gaming performance to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. There will be some games that perform a bit better—if the game engine utilizes more cores and threads—and some games will perform a little worse (if the game engine favors a single CCD configuration), but on the whole, the experience is comparable." Boonstra did not reveal any details regarding forthcoming prices—the Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an MSRP of $479 (if you are lucky enough to find one)—but he hinted that finalized digits will be announced "closer to launch." He signed off with standard marketing spiel: "Ryzen 9000X3D Series desktop processors are perfect for gamers and content creators alike...whether you are already on the AM5 platform, on AM4 or another platform, these products are sure to impress."

AMD's most affordable AM5 processor, the Ryzen 5 7400F, has emerged in Chinese retail channels priced at 849 RMB (approximately $116 with taxes). The pricing suggests the processor could retail for around $100 in other markets before local taxes. The newest silently announced CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, joining AMD's existing Zen 4 processor lineup. Operating at a base clock of 3.7 GHz with boost capabilities up to 4.7 GHz, the chip maintains the same 32 MB L3 cache as its predecessors while running at a 65 W TDP. Unlike the previous Ryzen 5 7500F, which was limited to system builders and OEMs, the 7400F will be sold directly to consumers through regular retail channels. The processor includes a basic AMD Wraith Stealth cooler in its retail package.

The chip supports standard features found across the AM5 platform, including memory overclocking through AMD EXPO and CPU performance tuning via Precision Boost Overdrive. Like other Ryzen processors, it maintains unlocked multipliers for manual overclocking. The 7400F's appearance follows AMD's recent pattern of quiet releases, similar to the Ryzen 5 9600 that appeared during CES 2025. No official announcement preceded the processor's retail availability. Early listings show the processor available through several Chinese retailers, though availability in other regions remains unclear. The competitive price point could make AMD's AM5 platform more accessible to users building on tighter budgets, though potential buyers will still need to factor in the cost of DDR5 memory and AM5 motherboards required by the platform.

AMD is rumored to be building its next-generation CCD (core complex die) that implements the "Zen 6" microarchitecture, on the 3 nm TSMC N3E foundry node. This is part of a set of rumors from ChipHell forum, which got past rumors on AMD right. Apparently, AMD will also refresh the I/O dies for its next generation process, building them on the 4 nm foundry node, likely the TSMC N4C. The TSMC N3E node offers a 20% speed improvement, over 30% power savings, and approximately 60% logic density increase over TSMC N5, whereas the TSMC N4P node that the company uses for its current "Zen 5" chiplets only clock minor increases in logic density and power over N5. The N3E node relies on EUV double-patterning to achieve its logic density increases.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of news is the new-generation I/O dies. AMD is building these on the 4 nm node, which is a significant step up from the 6 nm node its current I/O dies are built on. On the client side of things, 4 nm will enable AMD to give the new cIOD an updated iGPU, probably based on a newer graphics architecture, such as RDNA 3.5. It will also give AMD the opportunity to integrate an NPU. The company might also update its key I/O components, such as the DDR5 memory controllers, to support higher memory speeds unlocked by CUDIMMs. We don't predict any updates on the PCIe front, since AMD is expected to carry on with Socket AM5, which determines that the cIOD puts out 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. At best, the USB interface put out from the processor could be updated to USB4 through an on-die host controller. Over on the server side, the new-generation sIOD will bring much needed increases to the DDR5 memory speeds enabled by clock drivers.

Alphacool presents the Apex 1, the first CPU water cooler in the Apex series. It combines maximum cooling performance, exceptional design, and a high-quality selection of materials. The Apex 1 integrates the proven cross-slot technology with the new 3D-Jetplate 2.0, ensuring optimal cooling performance for both AMD and Intel processors of the latest generation. A pre-chamber in front of the 3D-Jetplate 2.0 smooths the incoming water flow and evenly distributes it across the Jetplate and the copper base's cooling fins. Both the copper base and the brass connector part are precisely CNC-machined to guarantee top-notch manufacturing quality.

Alphacool offers two versions of the cooler. The AMD AM5 version features an offset cooler base, which does not sit centrally on the CPU. Instead, it is positioned to direct the water injection right above the CPU hotspot. The Intel version has a centrally positioned cooler base that covers the entire CPU. Both versions ensure outstanding cooling performance. The cooler's design is made to fully cover the CPU socket and mounting holes. This does not affect the installation, which remains incredibly simple. Additionally, the coolers come equipped with aRGB lighting, positioned both on the top and on the side towards the RAM, perfectly complementing the design.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is announcing the release of low latency DDR5-6400 CL30-39-39-102 memory specification in high-capacity kit configurations, up to 96 GB (2x 48 GB) kit capacity. This high performance memory kit specification will be available under the Trident Z5 RGB and Trident Z5 Royal series, with Intel XMP 3.0 memory overclock profile support.

The G.SKILL DDR5-6400 CL30 memory kit at 96 GB (2x 48 GB) combines high-capacity and low-latency to enable higher performance for memory intensive platforms and uses. The screenshot below shows this 96 GB (2x 48 GB) memory kit operating at DDR5-6400 CL30-39-39-102 with the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero motherboard and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K desktop processor.

While the Ryzen 5 7500F was the least expensive Raphael AM5 Zen 4 CPU that you could find, AMD has now silently launched the Ryzen 5 7400F, a new 6-core/12-thread SKU. Similar to the Ryzen 5 9600 (non-X) that was silently introduced during CES 2025, the Ryzen 5 7400F was not officially announced, but rather just showed up on AMD's product pages. Unlike the Ryzen 5 7500F, which was available only to OEMs and system integrators (SIs), the Ryzen 5 7400F will apparently be available in retail/e-tail as well.

As said, the Ryzen 5 7400F is a Raphael architecture CPU with Zen 4 CPU cores and fits into an AM5 socket. It is a 6-core CPU with support for AMD Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT), so it packs 12-threads and has the same 32 MB of L3 cache. The base clock is set at 3.7 GHz, with a maximum boost clock of 4.7 GHz. The TDP is still at 65 W. As with the rest of the lineup, it is an unlocked CPU, so overclocking is possible, and it supports AMD EXPO Memory Overclocking technology, as well as Precision Boost Overdrive. In the boxed version, it comes with an AMD Wraith Stealth cooler.

IceGiant at the 2025 International CES showed us their ProSiphon TITAN series CPU coolers for workstations and gaming desktops. These are closed loop liquid CPU coolers based on the ProSiphon technology IceGiant innovated. It works on the fluid siphon technology, where a thermal gradient in the loop drives coolant instead of a pump. Heat dissipates more efficiently to the coolant, and there's no crackling noise from the pump. The only downside to this are that the siphon tubes are rigid and you have to plan your build well.

There were two models on display. The TITAN-TR 360 is designed for AMD Socket SP5 or sTR5, which seats Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series workstation processors, which is a testament to the technology. Some of the processor models in the Threadripper WX7000 series come with TDP as high as 350 W. The other cooler shown is the ProSiphon TITAN 360, which is designed for mainstream desktop CPU socket types, such as AM5 and LGA1851. The cooler can tame high-power flagship chips from Intel and AMD, such as the top-spec Ryzen 9 9000X3D series with their 170 W TDP and 230 W PPT, or the Core Ultra 9 285K with its 125 W base- and 250 W maximum turbo power. IceGiant is backing the coolers with lifetime warranty, although the included fans come with 6-year warranties. The company says that the cooler will outlast the fan, unlike in the case of pump-based CLCs that give in to pump wear and structural degradation over time.

Earlier in the week, ASRock debuted its Intel B860/H810 and full range of AMD B850 motherboards—the TechPowerUp team headed across CES 2025's showroom floor to check whether the Taiwanese manufacturer had some of these newly announced products on display. Various white Steel Legend models were present, including an intriguing B850 mainboard sample sporting ASRock's back mount design (BMD). The B860M Pro BMD board was not in sight (or not captured on camera)—according to a press release from earlier in the week, BMD had its premiere on this Intel-based solution.

AsRock reps happily showed off two Intel B860-chipset Steel Legend boards with traditional all-front facing connectors—an ATX option as well as an M-ATX (B860M) model were examined from close-up. A Phantom Gaming B860 Lightning Wi-Fi model was presented to TechPowerUp—its darker aesthetic contrasts sharply when lined up against its pale Steel Legend neighbors.

be quiet! had plenty to show at their CES 2025 suite—TechPowerUp staffers took a look at a wide range of already announced power supplies and CPU coolers. The German hardware brand is making sure that its power supply product ranges are prepared—compatibility-wise—for the incoming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5000 and AMD Radeon RX 9000 graphics card lineups. The Dark Power 13 PSU family was represented by the hefty 1600 W Pro model and relatively svelte non-Pro 1000 W option. be quiet! representatives re-confirmed that the whole Dark Power range (750 W - 1600 W) is ready for the new generation of GPUs.

TechPowerUp also spotted two Straight Power 12 models—the larger one being a range-topping 1500 W unit. The smaller demo model seemed to be the 1000 W variant—both are comfortably in the next-gen compatibility safe zone, but this also applies all the way down to be quiet!'s Straight Power 12 750 W model. A lone Pure Power 12 M 1000 W demonstration sample sat in between its Dark and Straight compadres. be quiet! stated that the Pure Power 12 M range is next-gen ready, going from the lowly 550 W all the way up to 1200 W.

ADATA tends to save the year's biggest product launches for Computex, but brought a fairly big selection of its latest case, power, and cooling products to the 2025 International CES. Let's begin with power, and the company showed us its new super-compact XPG Pymcore Platinum PSUs. These may look like SFX-L PSUs, but are actually ATX, with a very low depth, and yet full modular cabling. The 120 mm fan cooling the thing is pushed to the very edges of the fan intake. These PSUs meet ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM standards, in fact exceeding them with 235% excursions for 100 µs. As the name suggests, this PSU offers 80 Plus Platinum switching efficiency.

The XPG Starfighter case is one of ADATA's first cases built on the Exoskeleton design language, where the outer body of the case is what provides structural support for the case, rather than an inner chassis. The cuboidal case features a chimney design, where air is drawn at the base, and vented from the top, with all the hot components along the way, and the graphics card installed along its height. At the top is a large 160 mm fan that pulls air. The case supports a Mini-ITX motherboard, and an SFX power supply. ADATA says that the case should support the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The demo build at ADATA's booth featured a Palit RTX 4080 SUPER GamingPro, which is a fairly large card.

At CES 2025, GIGABYTE unveiled an impressive lineup of motherboards designed for Intel and AMD platforms for gaming, content creation, and professional use, with support for the latest processors, PCIe 5.0, and Wi-Fi 7. GIGABYTE introduced several Z890 chipset motherboards for Intel's "Arrow Lake" Core Ultra 200S series. The flagship Z890 AORUS Master offers features like DDR5 memory overclocking, tool-free PCIe and M.2 installation, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. The compact Z890I AORUS Ultra targets Mini-ITX builds with its efficient 8+1+2 VRM solution and AI-enhanced BIOS profiles. Despite its small form factor, it delivers robust performance and thermal management. For those looking for aesthetics and reliability, the Z890 AORUS Elite WiFi 7 ICE impresses with a sleek white design, digital VRM capabilities, and simplified Wi-Fi EZ-Plug installation for improved connectivity. For more budget-friendly options, GIGABYTE showed B860M AORUS Elite WiFi6E ICE motherboard, too.

AMD today expanded its Ryzen 9000X3D line of Socket AM5 desktop processors that combine the "Zen 5" microarchitecture with 3D V-Cache technology, with the introduction of two high core-count models, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D. The 9950X3D is a 16-core/32-thread chip, while the 9900X3D is 12-core/24-thread. These are dual-CCD processors, and much like the Ryzen 9 7000X3D, the 3D V-Cache is only present on one of the two CCDs, while the other is a regular CCD with just the 32 MB on-die L3 cache. There is one key difference, though. Since AMD has redesigned 3D V-Cache for "Zen 5" to be below the CCD and not above, the CCD with it has the same clock speed boosting characteristics as the CCD without 3D V-Cache; and AMD has worked to refine its software-based OS scheduler optimization such that productivity applications favor either of the CCDs, while games stick to the one with 3D V-Cache.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D comes with a base frequency of 4.30 GHz, and boosts up to 5.70 GHz, with a 170 W TDP. This is much higher than the 5.20 GHz maximum boost frequency of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which makes the 9950X3D the company's fastest gaming desktop processor. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is similarly interesting—you get a base frequency of 4.40 GHz, and 5.50 GHz maximum boost frequency, which is higher than that of the 9800X3D, although the CCD with the 3D V-Cache only has 6 cores. The 9950X3D should hence end up beating the 9800X3D in gaming workloads, while the 9900X3D should be either on par or slightly slower than the 9800X3D at gaming, although faster than any chip from the non-X3D Ryzen 9000 series.

ASUS today announced the B850 and B840 series of AM5 motherboards for AMD processors, which includes models from the ROG Strix, TUF Gaming and Prime families. These motherboards give builders higher speeds, more ports and more slots for USB devices and M.2 SSDs. Many ASUS B850 motherboards also break into the next generation of wireless networking with WiFi 7 support, and also provide robust support for fast DDR5 kits. In addition, each model makes the PC building process easier than ever with tool-free M.2 SSD installation, easy troubleshooting and hassle-free installation and removal of graphics cards.

Meanwhile, B840 motherboards are designed to serve the needs of builders who do not intend to overclock their CPUs or install a PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD or graphics card. For anyone looking to build a very affordable and efficient PC—perhaps one centered around a CPU with powerful integrated graphics capabilities—ASUS B840 motherboards are a cost-effective choice. The first ASUS B840 motherboards all hail from the tried-and-true Prime family.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd, the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is thrilled to release new low CAS latency memory kits featuring AMD EXPO overclock profile for the new AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors and performance X870 chipset motherboards. These new specifications include DDR5-6000 CL26 2x16GB/2x32GB kits and 2x 24 GB/2x 48 GB memory kits under the Trident Z5 Royal Neo, Trident Z5 Neo RGB, and Ripjaws M5 RGB Neo series.

Aiming to provide high-performance overclock DDR5 memory for PC enthusiasts, G.SKILL is releasing a new low CAS Latency memory kit at DDR5-6000 CL26-36-36-96 with kit capacity configuration of 32 GB (2x16GB), as well as the world's first 64 GB (2x32GB) kit capacity for this low latency specification. Featuring the AMD EXPO memory overclocking profile, these new specifications are built for selected X870 series motherboards and AMD Ryzen 9000 series processors. The screenshot below demonstrates DDR5-6000 CL26 2x32GB kit's stability under the Memtest memory stress test on the ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E Hero motherboard and AMD Ryzen 9 9900X desktop processor.