NVIDIA today released the latest version of its GeForce software. Version 456.71 WHQL comes game-ready for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War PC Beta, which includes not just optimization for the game, but also support for NVIDIA Reflex, a technology that works to reduce whole system latency. In addition, the drivers correct a handful of issues, including hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling resulting in lower performance for Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition, a bug with G-SYNC enabled games triggering a black-screen in fullscreen mode, on certain Adaptive Sync displays; and Fortnite crashing on certain notebooks with RTX reflections and shadows enabled. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 456.71 WHQL

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today launched a collaboration with ACRONYM, a leading technical apparel design agency, to create a special edition ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop that melds top-of-the-line hardware with a radical new vision for what technology can be. Available for sale worldwide starting today, this device is based on a design concept grounded in Errolson Hugh's vision of a more empowered user: not just a gamer, but a thinker and a creator.

ACRONYM 's co-founder Errolson Hugh has been a pioneer in the technical apparel industry since the company's founding in 1994. In the 26 years since, their agency has built an extensive design portfolio dedicated to fusing singular style with the latest technology. Whether they're designing product lines for Nike and Arc'Teryx, virtual video game gear for Square Enix / EIDOS, or creating clothing under their own flag, ACRONYM has a proven track record as a visionary in the apparel industry with a commitment to sourcing top notch materials to create utilitarian designs that go far beyond style.

MSI today introduced the Optix MAG271VCR, a 27-inch curved gaming monitor. It introduces a new body design language that sees ARGB LED diffusers behind the monitor in an "X" motif. The monitor features a VA panel with 1800R curvature, 178°/178° viewing angles, and 16:9 aspect ratio. It offers Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, 165 Hz refresh rate, and 1 ms (MPRT) response time, along with support for VESA Adaptive Sync, low flicker, and low blue-light. Inputs include DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 2.0. The stand allows for tilt, swivel, and height adjustments. An earphones jack that pulls audio from the display connection, and a 2-port USB 2.0 hub make for the rest of it. The company didn't reveal pricing.

A lot is riding for Intel on its 11th Gen Core "Tiger Lake" system-on-chip (SoC), which will launch exclusively on mobile platforms, hoping to dominate the 7 W thru 15 W ultraportable form-factors in 2020, while eventually scaling up to the 25 W thru 45 W H-segment form-factors in 2021, with a variant that is rumored to double core-counts. The chip is built on Intel's new 10 nm SuperFin silicon fabrication node that enables a double digit percentage energy efficiency growth over 10 nm, allowing Intel to significantly dial up clock speeds without impacting the power envelope. The CPU and iGPU make up the two key components of the "Tiger Lake" SoC.

The CPU component on the "Tiger Lake" processors that launch in a few weeks from now features four "Willow Cove" CPU cores. Coupled with HyperThreading, this ends up being a 4-core/8-thread setup, although much of Intel's innovation is in giving these cores significant IPC increases over the "Skylake" core powering "Comet Lake" processors, and compared to the "Sunny Cove" cores powering "Ice Lake" a minor IPC (although major net performance increase from clock speeds). The "Willow Cove" CPU core appears to be a derivative of the "Sunny Cove" core, designed to take advantage of the 10 nm SuperFin node, along with three key innovations.

ASUS at its Asia ROG event announced a new monitor, approaching stores and shores (eventually). The ROG Swift PG329Q is being launched with a "Super Kill" marketing line, which aims to showcase just how impressive this monitor will be in aiding users' gaming capabilities. The ROG Swift PG329Q features a 32" "Fast IPS" panel - fast IPS here meaning that it's capable of running at 175 Hz whilst keeping a 1 ms Gray-to-Gray response time - all of this with IPS' renowned color rendition.

The monitor features a sane 2560 x 1440 resolution and HDR 600 certification from VESA, and thanks to the usage of Quantum Dot tech, will be able to offer 98% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage and 160% sRGB ultra-wide color gamut coverage. The monitor supports Adaptive Sync tech (whether via FreeSync or G-Sync compatible), as well as ASUS' ELMB SYNC technology. There's also the usual RGB tech going on in the back of the monitor. The ASUS ROG Swift PG329Q will be released in the fourth quarter of this year. No word on pricing, but expect a monitor with these features to be leaning heavily on the $ side of the equation.

LG Electronics (LG) is bringing new meaning to immersive gaming with its new UltraGear (model 27GN950), the world's first 4K IPS 1 millisecond Gray-to-Gray (GTG) gaming monitor. A 2020 CES Innovation Award and Red Dot Design Award winner, the 27-inch model more than lives up to UltraGear's name and reputation for gaming excellence and is a worthy successor to the brand's first 1 ms GTG IPS gaming monitor (model 27GL850) introduced last year. Featuring advanced IPS displays, LG UltraGear monitors achieve stunning speed without compromising picture quality, contributing to the brand being named the top gaming-designed monitor in the United States.

The new UltraGear monitor builds on the fast, accurate colors of its predecessor to deliver 4K resolution for maximum gaming impact. A combination of speed, high resolution and 98 percent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space gives gamers a total sense of immersion. And thanks to VESA Display Stream Compression (DSC) technology, the 27GN950 can deliver virtually lossless 4K UHD images in 10-bit color with a 144 Hz refresh rate via just a single DisplayPort cable.

Japanese monitor maker iiyama has recently announced the GB3466WQSU Red Eagle gaming monitor, this monitor is quite similar to the GB3461WQSU which was released by iiyama a few months ago. The GB3466WQSU is a high-end gaming monitor with almost all the features you could want, a 3440x1440 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium Pro support, VA panel, and 1500R curve. The VA panel comes with a typical brightness of 400 cd/m² scoring it HDR400 certification along with a typical static contrast of 3000:1.

The included monitor allows for height (110 mm), and tilt (-5°, +20°) adjustment or can be mounted to any VESA compatible stand using the 100 x 100 mm mount. The monitor features x2 HDMI and x2 DisplayPort but you will want to use DisplayPort as HDMI caps out at 100Hz, a basic dual port USB 3.0 hub is also included. The monitor features dual 3 W speakers and a 3.5 mm jack for all your audio needs. The monitor measures 808 mm x 441.5 mm x 256 mm and comes in at 10.9 kg, the monitor is currently available to pre-order for 429.99 GBP (~540 USD) with delivery expected July 24th.

ASUS today introduced the ROG Strix XG17AHP, a variant of the ROG Strix XG17AHPE 17.3-inch portable gaming monitor the company launched in January. The new XG17AHP includes an innovative new tripod stand. The feet of the stand fold outwards from the main stock, which is telescopic, and can extend in height. This lets you orient the display like a conventional desktop monitor, and not just like an iPad with its cover folded into a prism-like shape. The magnetic smart cover is still included in the package, so you even have that option.

These aside, the ROG Strix XG17AHP is identical to the ROG Strix XG17AHPE from January. It is a 17.3-inch 16:9 IPS display with Full HD resolution, 240 Hz refresh rate, features VESA Adaptive Sync, and a non-glare surface. Since it's meant to be a portable gaming monitor that you pair with your gaming notebook, it packs a 7,800 mAh battery that can provide up to 3 hours of use on a full charge. A USB-C connector is used both for recharging as well as DisplayPort passthrough input; while the monitor also features a micro-HDMI input (cables included that convert this to a standard HDMI). A premium ESS Sabre DAC converts digital audio from the display inputs to high-quality audio for the display's internal speakers, or a 3.5 mm jack. ASUS also includes a pouch that lets you carry the display around. By itself, the display weighs about 1.06 kg (1.76 kg with the tripod stand).

Update Jul 13th: ASUS revealed that the XG17AHP is priced at USD $599.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced a new collaboration with acclaimed DJ and music producer Alan Walker to create gaming content, tech and other experiences that will help elevate and bring gaming to a wider audience.

Over the years, the gaming audience has expanded to include not only esports athletes and enthusiasts, but also a diverse audience of creators. ASUS ROG is committed to staying at the forefront of gaming technology by innovating products that empower these next-gen gamers in fulfilling their creative vision. As a self-made entrepreneur, gamer and music producer, Alan Walker stood out as a quintessential creator with valuable insights into what the next generation needs. His background, skills, and interest in gaming make him an ideal partner for ROG. "I can't wait to begin this journey with Republic of Gamers. Since the beginning of my career, I've wanted to combine and merge the worlds of music, tech and gaming in everything I do. And this is a great opportunity to continue that mission. A big thanks to everyone at ROG for giving me this opportunity!" said Alan Walker.

ASUS today rolled out the VA27DQSB Eye Care Monitor, designed for multi-display setups in office environments, as you can stack these display along the sides and above, in a 1x3 or 2x3 configuration. The VA27DQSB is a 27-inch monitor with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution, an IPS panel with 178°/178° viewing angles, 75 Hz refresh rate, VESA Adaptive Sync support, and TUV Rhienland-certified low blue-light and flicker-free brightness adjustments (uses a non-PWM method of dimming the LEDs). The included stand offers height adjustments by 150 mm, 90° rotation, tilt up to 35°, and sideways pivot, besides being detachable for use with VESA-compatible multi-monitor mounts. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Samsung, the global leader in gaming monitors², pushes the boundaries of display technology to deliver a radically different gaming experience. Unveiled this year at CES, Odyssey gaming monitors combine the deepest, most immersive curved displays with next-generation performance gaming performance. The Odyssey G9 and G7 are available for pre-order today and on sale July 13, on Samsung.com and select online retailers.

"As the global leader in the gaming monitor market, Samsung understands that gamers want display innovations that reimagine the gaming experience with high-performance features for even the most demanding game titles," said Mark Quiroz, Vice President, Product Marketing, Samsung Electronics America Display Division. "With Odyssey, we're going beyond the expectations of what a gaming monitor should be and bringing a fully redesigned, deeply immersive experience built for the future of gaming."

Viotek unveiled the GFI27QXA, a 27-inch gaming monitor with formidable specs. It offers an IPS panel with 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time, and support for VESA Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC, and HDR (limited to 60 Hz). Other specs include maximum brightness of 350 cd/m², 1,000:1 static contrast ratio (with DCR), and 16.7 million color capability. Inputs include two DisplayPort 1.4 and an HDMI 2.0. One of Viotek's claims to fame is its dead-pixel warranty, which offers a replacement for even 1 dead pixel (while other brands require clusters of dead pixels). The monitor is backed by a 3-year warranty and is priced at USD $749 (promotional price).

Samsung Electronics, the leader in the gaming monitor market, today announced the global launch of its groundbreaking Odyssey G7 gaming monitor. Unveiled at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, the Odyssey lineup reimagines the gaming experience by combining the deepest, most immersive curved displays with best-in-class performance features.

The G7 monitor is the world's first 1000R gaming monitor, meaning it boasts a curvature radius of 1,000 millimeters. It also features a powerful combination of various features under the hood, including rapid 1 ms response time with 240 Hz refresh rate and crystal clear QLED picture quality to satisfy gamers' need for smooth and captivating gameplay. The Odyssey portfolio's premium performance has been certified by TÜV Rheinland, a leading international certification organization, which recognized the monitors with the industry's best high performance 1000R curved display and 'Eye Comfort' certificate.

HP today announced the Omen 27i monitor, which promises to deliver a well-rounded amount of features for a not bank-breaking price. The Omen 27i packs a 27" panel (as the name implies) of the Nano IPS type. HP says this means the panel covers a wider color gamut (the company claims a 98% DCI-P3 coverage. This Nano IPS panel is able to achieve 165 Hz refresh rates with a 1 ms response time. That, paired with Adaptive Sync (HP markets it simply as G-Sync compatible), means this is a pretty well-rounded gaming monitor. The 1000:1 contrast ratio, while not particularly impressive, isn't all that bad either. A maximum brightness set at 350 nits, however, means you can lay your HDR dreams to rest.

I/O-wise, we're looking at 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x USB 3.0 (upstream) and 1x USB 3.0 (downstream). There's an RGB-lighting diamond on the back of the unit, providing you with some amount of bling. The Omen 27i will be available for $499.

A refresh of HP's OMEN 15 seems to be about to hit the market, as HP UK has already put up a page for the revised laptop. The most appealing changes are, as usual, under the hood: the updated model now features AMD's Ryzen 7 4800H CPU, an 8-core, 16-thread solution that features a 45 W TDP and basically beats anything Intel has on the market against it. However, it seems that the scarcity of high-end mobile GPUs for any AMD-based platform continues, as the most powerful graphics solution available for this particular version of the OMEN is an NVIDIA RTX 2060 graphics card. Perhaps OEMs don't want to spoil us with both the best CPU and GPU solutions available on the mobile market? Go figure.

The OMEN 15 has seen a redesign from its previous version, now featuring thinner bezels, a different hinge system, no number pad, and the panel supports Adaptive Sync, though the refresh rate hasn't been detailed. It also features a Bang & Olufsen sound system, as well as RGB-backlit keys. The product page for the product has since been taken down and can now only be accessed via a cached version, so there's that. But the laptop was priced at 1,199 GBP (1,370 EUR).

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the global leader in the gaming monitor market, today introduced its new line-up of groundbreaking curved Odyssey gaming monitors at CES 2020. The new line-up has been completely re-imagined with gamers in mind, including radically new curved displays and industry-leading performance features for a whole new way to game.

Comprised of the G9 model - with an industry-leading 49" display - and the G7, available in 32" and 27", both Odyssey gaming monitors are completely redesigned and take immersive gaming to the next level. Both monitors feature an extremely deep curvature - the first ever monitors to possess a high-performance 1000R curvature stunning QLED picture quality.

(UPDATE: Acer has now launched the monitor) Acer at a special event unveiled their upcoming monitor that blurs the line between a television and a PC monitor. The Predator CG437KP makes use of a 43" VA panel (90% DCI-P3 coverage and low Delta E<1 color accuracy) with a 4K resolution. As if the size wasn't an impressive spec alone, Acer really have gone out of their way to make this a veritable Predator monitor, with 144 Hz refresh rates. The monitor also comes with Adaptive Sync support for both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync and over HDMI for compatibility with current and future consoles. There's a maximum 1000 nits brightness, which brings VESA's DisplayHDR 1000 certification to the table.

I/O stands at 3x HDMI (likely to support all of those consoles users that are looking at this diagonal size might have), 2x DisplayPort 1.4 for actual Active Sync users, 1x USB 3.1-C, 2xUSB 3.0 and 2xUSB 2.0. There's even a remote control. The Acer Predator CG437KP is now available in the US at $1,499.99 MSRP.

ASUS rolled out the TUF Gaming VG249Q, a 24-inch gaming monitor boasting of 144 Hz refresh-rate and an IPS panel, with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution. The monitor offers an extremely low response time of 1 ms (GTG) for an IPS panel. It also supports VESA Adaptive Sync / FreeSync, Extremely Low Motion Blur, and a feature that increases contrast in darker areas of the scene, called Shadow Boost. Other panel specs include 250 cd/m² maximum brightness, dynamic mega-contrast, and TUV Rheinland-certified flicker-free brightness adjustment, and low blue-light illumination. Its stand allows panel tilt, rotation (to portrait), and height adjustments. Display inputs include DisplayPort, HDMI, and D-Sub. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Cooler Master seems to be sticking its tendrils to into another slice of the PC market with the upcoming release of two new monitor products. The company, best known for their cooling solutions, has already branched out into multiple sectors of the PC component and DIY market, and now it seems to want to make a name for itself in the monitor arena as well. Their first entries, the 30" GM219-30 and 35" GM219-35, are 21:9 ratio affairs based on VA technology. Both offer Adaptive Sync, which means "limited" NVIDIA G-Sync support and full AMD FreeSync 2 support. The FreeSync 2 support, of course, also entails a measure of HDR capabilities, since that particular revision of the AMD standard was worked on mostly for that inclusion.

The 30" GM219-30 has a 2560 x 1080 resolution and offers a 200 Hz refresh rate, while the 35" GM219-35 carries a 3440 x 1440 resolution, but brings refresh rates down to a more common 120 Hz. Cooler Master are quoting a 1 ms refresh rate for these monitors. Release is expected for late 2019, with the 30" model being expected to retail for $399.99, while the 35" model will retail for $999.99 USD.

NVIDIA today rolled out GeForce 430.39 WHQL drivers, which introduce support for the new GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card launched earlier today. The drivers also add support for the new notebook variants of the GTX 1660 Ti and GTX 1660. Most importantly, the drivers add support for Windows 10 May 2019 Update (1903), which adds a standardized method of variable-rate shading. The drivers add or improve optimization for "Mortal Kombat XI," "Anthem," and "Strange Brigade." NVIDIA tested and approved 7 more VESA Adaptive Sync-capable monitors for G-Sync support added through these drivers (full list here).

Among the other features is the new ability to merge two portrait monitors to a landscape display head. Fixes include MadVR not correctly rendering HDR mode using MPC-HC; a random desktop flicker seen in some multi-display PCs, and memory leaks noticed when launching certain games. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 430.39 WHQLThe change-log follows.

ASUS has launched three new monitors that are being marketed as G-Sync compatible - not as FreeSync-capable. These span three diagonal sizes in the form of the 27-inch VG278QR, the 24.5-inch VG258QR, and the 24-inch VG248QG. All share the same 1,920 x 1,080, TN panels that boast of blazing fast response times (ASUS quotes 0.5 ms), and high-ceiling refresh rates of 165 Hz for fluid gameplay. Additionally, ASUS claims they take their G-Sync Compatible monitors through a two-stage certification process in close communication with NVIDIA, which ensures these are some of the best Adaptive Sync monitors you can buy for usage with NVIDIA's cards.

All monitors feature ASUS' GameVisual presets that adjust screen settings according to the type of game you're playing. They also feature ASUS Extreme Low Motion Blur (ELMB) for flickering reduction. On the ergonomics side of the equation, all three monitors support tilt, swivel, pivot, and height adjustments, and I/O is handled by 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI (v1.4), 1x Dual Link DVI-D, 1x Earphone Jack Audio in.

NVIDIA today released GeForce 418.81 WHQL software. The drivers add support for mobile versions of GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs. The desktop version adds optimization for 3DMark Port Royal benchmark, in addition to its DLSS (deep learning supersampling) AA setting. The drivers add or improve NVIDIA SLI support for "Anthem," "Assetto Corsa Competizione," "Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2," "Life is strange Season 2," "NBA 2K19," and "Space Hulk Tactics." CUDA version 10 is included with these drivers.

Among the issues fixed are HDR not being enabled by default in Gamestream when an HDR display is connected to the client and PC. 3D performance and frame-rate overlays accidentally appearing on Twitter UWP app is fixed. Random flickering in games with G-Sync enabled is fixed. Also fixed is a strange issue in which when a G-Sync display (one with NVIDIA G-Sync hardware) is hotplugged, and a G-Sync Compatible (read: VESA Adaptive Sync) display is connected, the right half of the G-Sync display goes blank. Grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 418.81 WHQL

Following NVIDIA's announcement of their newest drivers, MSI monitors are effectively G-Sync Compatible! This technology allows G-Sync to be used on Adaptive Sync monitors. G-Sync, an anti-tearing, anti-flickering and anti-stuttering monitor technology designed by NVIDIA, was once only exclusive to monitors that had passed the NVIDIA certification. With the newest release of NVIDIA GPU driver, NVIDIA now allows G-Sync to be used on monitors that support Adaptive Sync technology when they are connected to an NVIDIA graphics card.

In case anyone's been living under a rock (and in these times, if you can do that, I probably envy you), NVIDIA at CES 2019 announced it was opening up G-Sync support to non-G-Sync totting monitors. Via adoption of VESA's open VRR standard (Adaptive Sync, on which FreeSync is based), the company will now add support for monitors that usually only support FreeSync. The company also vowed to test all configurations and monitors, with a whitelist of automatically-enabled panels and manual override for those that don't pass the certification process or still haven't been subjected to it.

Now, via a post on NVIDIA's GeForce forums, ManuelGuzmanNV, with a Customer Care badge, has said, in answer to a users' question on Variable Refresh-Rate support for NVIDIA's 9000 series, that "Sorry but we do not have plans to add support for Maxwell and below". So this means that only NVIDIA's 1000 and 2000-series of GPUs will be getting said support, thus reducing the number of users for which VRR support on NVIDIA graphics cards is relevant. At the same time, this might serve as a reason for those customers to finally make the jump to one of NVIDIA's more recent graphics card generations, in case they don't already own a VRR-capable monitor and want to have some of that smoothness.

PC World managed to get a hold of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, picking his thoughts on AMD's recently announced Radeon VII. Skirting through the usual amicable, politically correct answers, Jensen made his thoughts clear on what the competition is offering to compete with NVIDIA's RTX 2000 series. The answer? Vega VII is an "underwhelming product", because "The performance is lousy and there's nothing new. [There's] no ray tracing, no AI. It's 7nm with HBM memory that barely keeps up with a 2080. And if we turn on DLSS we'll crush it. And if we turn on ray tracing we'll crush it." Not content on dissing the competition's product, Jensen Huang also quipped regarding AMD's presentation and product strategy, saying that "It's a weird launch, maybe they thought of it this morning."