Akasa, manufacturer of cooling solutions and computer cases, today updated two of its fanless compact cases designed to replace actively-cooled systems of mini-PCs. For starters, the new Akasa Turing ABX is a next-generation compact fanless case for GIGABYTE AMD Ryzen BRIX 4000U-Series Mini-PC with Radeon GPU. The Turing ABX case is compatible with the following GIGABYTE Ryzen BRIX models: GB-BRR3-4300, GB-BRR5-4500, GB-BRR7-4700, and GB-BRR7-480. It brings out all of the I/O ports that come standard with these BRIX models; however, the cooling system is replaced with Akasa's fanless design integrated within the case.

And last but not least, Akasa also launched Newton A50 fanless case for ASUS PN51 and PN50 mini-PCs. Coming in with a 1.3-liter design, this case represents a very compact solution capable of carrying 5000 and 4000 Series AMD Ryzen processors and Radeon Vega 7 Graphics. As far as I/O options, the case brings everything that ASUS PN51 and PN50 PCs have to offer; however, the cooling system is also replaced by Akasa's fanless design. You can learn more about Turing ABX here and Newton A50 here. For availability, you can expect these cases to become available in the next three weeks from Scan.co.uk, Amazon, Caseking, Jimms PC, Performance-PCs. Pricing is unknown.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is thrilled to announce the achievement of a new overclocking world record for fastest memory frequency at DDR5-8888 CL88-88-88-88, in cooperation with ASUS. This amazing frequency speed was achieved by the extreme overclocker "lupin_no_musume" with G.SKILL Trident Z5 DDR5 memory, ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 APEX motherboard, and Intel Core i9-12900K processor. To see the moment this amazing overclocking world record was set, please click the following video link: https://youtu.be/OgQFbUOs6i8

DDR5-8888 CL88-88-88-88 - Pushing the Speed to the Limit
At the dawn of the DDR5 era, G.SKILL and ASUS have been constantly exploring the memory speed limitations of the latest Intel Z690 platform. Surpassing the previous DDR5-8704 world record in November 2021, a new memory frequency world record is achieved at DDR5-8888 under liquid nitrogen extreme cooling. The memory speed has been validated by CPU-Z. Please refer to the screenshot and validation link below: https://valid.x86.fr/qgvylc

Not all products are launched with an accompanying press release or even at a trade show and ASUS' new PL63 mini PC is one of those products. It might not be the most unique mini PC on the market, but as far as we're aware, it's the first with Thunderbolt 4 support, that is as long as you get the right SKU, as most seem to support USB 3.2 instead. The PL63 is built around Intel's 11th gen mobile processors and the three CPU options available are the Core i3-1115G4, Core i5-1135G7 and the Core i7-1165G7, all with Iris Xe graphics..

Other features include support for two SO-DIMMs, one PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive, 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, an HDMI 2.0 port, DP 1.4 as well as DP output through both the USB-C ports, regardless of if you get the USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 4 version. As per the pictures, WiFi is also supported, with various options depending on the SKU. An external 19 V power brick rated at 90 W is included to power the 166.2 x 119.7 x 33.9 mm (WxDxH) system. Pricing for a barebone model seems to be US$508 for the Core i5-1135G7 based model, although it's unclear if this is with or without Thunderbolt 4 support. Bump that up to US$650 and you get 4 GB of RAM, a 128 GB SSD and Windows 10 Pro included.

EK, is introducing a whole series of liquid cooling products for ASUS ROG Strix RTX graphics cards. RTX 3080, 3080 Ti, and 3090 ROG Strix cards get their Vector² water block with passive backplate, new synergistic active backplate, and other aesthetic pieces to customize your water-cooled 30-series Strix GPU to your own desires. The EK-Quantum Vector² Strix RTX 3080/3090 D-RGB is a complete liquid cooling solution including a new Vector² water block, black-anodized aluminium backplate, and mounting mechanism. The new look of the next-gen water blocks is dominated by minimalistic straight lines.

The 3rd-generation Vector cooling engine combines the jet plate with a 3D machined Plexi insert to improve flow distribution and thermal performance. This new cooling engine is still based on an Open Split-Flow cooling engine design, which proved to be a superior solution for GPU water blocks. It is characterized by low hydraulic flow restriction, meaning it can be used with weaker water pumps or pumps running on low-speed settings, and still achieve top performance. Great care was taken to achieve a symmetrical flow domain by utilizing an internal bridge to secondary components. This was done to ensure the cooling of secondary components without sacrificing flow distribution over the GPU core.

ASUS seems to want a bigger slice of the game streaming market, as it was showing off its second such product during CES, in the shape of the TUF Gaming Capture Box FHD120. This should be a cheaper variant of its previously launched TUF Gaming Video Capture Box CU4K30, as it lacks 4K and even 1440p capabilities, but this is unlikely to be a problem for most gamers that would be using it to stream their gaming sessions. It does at least support 120 Hz recording, or 120 FPS if you prefer, which still puts it ahead of much of the competition, assuming it'll be competitively priced.

ASUS changed the design quite a bit compared to the CU4K30 and the FHD120 is more squared off, but with protruding bits in the corners. The LEDs have also been moved to the TUF logo on the top of the device, rather than being a light bar at the front of the device. Connectivity appears to be nigh on identical, with both devices sporting a pair of HDMI 2.0 ports, although the FHD120 doesn't appear to support more than 60 FPS passthrough above 1080p. Both devices also have one USB-C 3.2 gen 1x1 port, aka USB 3.0 at 5 Gbps, as well as a combo headset jack and a separate combo jack that can be connected to a gamepad. You obviously still need a PC to do the video compression, as the video is sent uncompressed from the FHD120 to the computer. No word on pricing, but the CU4K30 has an MSRP of US$210, so we're expecting a US$150-175 MSRP range if ASUS intends to be competitive.

TEAMGROUP today announced the worldwide release of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 DESKTOP MEMORY and T-FORCE CARDEA Z440 TUF Gaming Alliance PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD at the end of this month. The first batch will be available on the North American Amazon store. Created in collaboration with ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance, the two products combine military gaming style and top-notch performance. The addition of the co-branded series to the hardcore gaming alliance means higher quality products and more pleasing, cohesive setups for the gaming enthusiast market.

The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 DESKTOP MEMORY is the first ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance certified and rigorously tested DDR5 RGB gaming overclocking memory. The design merges stealth fighter-inspired aesthetics with TUF Gaming Alliance's unique gaming elements to create a distinctive look that features an ultra-wide 120° angle heatspreader and striking RGB lighting. It supports ASUS Aura Sync lighting control software, allowing gamers to adjust its RGB effects however they like to create custom and eye-catching gaming rigs. The product's first release will have speeds of 5,200 MHz and come in a 2x 16 GB dual-channel kit.

AMD this CES announced the Radeon RX 6500 XT graphics card, its product to debut on the TSMC-N6 (6 nm) silicon fabrication process. Armed with just 4 GB of memory, the card is launched with an SEP of $199, although its real-world pricing tells a different story, according to retail prices leaked of two upcoming ASUS-branded custom-design RX 6500 XT cards.

The ASUS TUF Gaming RX 6500 XT is priced around 340€ including taxes, while the DUAL RX 6500 XT goes for 299€; a far-cry from the roughly 220€ pricing. The RX 6500 XT is purported as an entry-mid category product, designed for 1080p AAA gaming with Fidelity FX Super Resolution unlocking some more eye-candy. It is based on the same RDNA2 graphics architecture as the rest of the RX 6000 series.

ASUS today announced a new lineup of Z690, H670, B660, and H610 motherboards to support 12th Gen Intel Core processors, offering the latest technologies to a broader audience. The Z690 lineup expands with new ROG Strix and TUF Gaming models: the ROG Strix Z690-A Gaming WiFi, TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi, and TUF Gaming Z690-Plus. The new Z690 additions arrive with support for DDR5 memory modules.

ASUS full lineup of B660, H670, and H610 motherboards brings the Intel 12th generation platform to the mainstream. The B660 lineup features a PCIe 5.0 slot, memory overclocking, and support for DDR5 or DDR4 memory modules. The H670 chipset includes one PCIe 5.0 slot, multiple PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and support for DDR4 memory modules. Lastly, the H610 lineup provides an affordable option for all PC builders.

ASUS today announced five versions of the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, bringing the NVIDIA Ampere architecture to a wider audience than ever before. Armed with 8 GB of VRAM, robust cooling and exceptional durability, the new ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3050 8GB, ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3050 8GB, and ASUS Phoenix GeForce RTX 3050 8GB stand ready to upgrade gaming rigs around the world. The GeForce RTX 3050 is the first 50-class desktop GPU to power the latest ray-traced games at over 60 FPS. The RTX 3050 comes equipped with 2nd generation RT cores for ray tracing and 3rd generation Tensor cores for DLSS and AI.

ASUS has today announced the ROG Loki SFX-L power supply lineup during their ROG CES 2022 livestream with models ranging from 750 W to 1200 W with 80 Plus Platinum ratings. These new power supplies are designed for small-form-factor gaming builds featuring high-core processors and power-hungry graphics cards. The units include a 16-pin power cable for PCIe 5.0 GPU support and feature a 120 mm dual-ball bearing axial-tech fan with PWM control to manage noise and keep temperatures low. The Loki power supplies will feature integrated ASUS Aura ARGB lighting with Aura Sync compatibility and custom ROG heatsinks cover critical components. The ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L power supply lineup will be available to purchase worldwide in Q1/Q2 2022.

ASUS has today announced two new ROG Rapture WiFi routers during their ROG CES 2022 livestream with the ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 and ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro. The ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 is a WiFi 6E gaming router featuring a 2.0 GHz quad-core 64-bit CPU along with ASUS RF technology and RangeBoost Plus. The new 6 GHz frequency band can help to increase performance on supported devices and reduce congestion on existing frequencies while the dual 10 Gbps LAN ports, 2.5 Gbps WAN port, and quad 1 Gbps LAN ports enable bandwidth-demanding tasks. The router also supports ASUS AiMesh for use in a mesh system.

The ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro is a tri-band WiFi 6 gaming router also featuring a 2.0 GHz quad-core 64-bit CPU paired with dual 2.5 Gbps ports that support link aggregation and load balancing. The router also supports ASUS RangeBoost Plus technology and features an additional 160 MHz channel in the 5 GHz band for increased backhaul capacity. The ROG Rapture GT-AXE16000 will be available in the USA, and Europe while the ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 Pro will be available worldwide in 2022.

ASUS has today announced two new 4K OLED gaming monitors during their ROG CES 2022 livestream with the ROG Swift OLED PG48UQ/PG42UQ. The two models measuring 42-inches and 48-inches feature a 120 Hz refresh rate with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 0.1 ms GTG response time. The OLED panels cover 98% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and are cooled with a custom heatsink and internal thermal layout. The monitors both include HDR10 and 10-bit color support along with an anti-glare micro-texture coating. The onboard connectivity includes dual 48 Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports supporting Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low-Latency mode in addition to x2 HDMI 2.0, x1 DisplayPort 1.4, and USB hub. The ROG Swift OLED PG48UQ & PG42UQ will be available to purchase worldwide in 2022.

ASUS has today announced the ROG Chakram X gaming mouse featuring the ROG AimPoint optical gaming sensor during their ROG CES 2022 livestream. The Chakram X includes the first ROG gaming mouse sensor with a 8000 Hz polling rate and an adjustable DPI of 100 to 36,000 with <1% CPI deviation. The mouse features a newly designed detachable joystick that can operate in analog and digital modes along with 11 configurable hotkeys including four side buttons and 9 zone RGB lighting. The ASUS ROG Chakram X weighs 127 g and will be available to purchase worldwide in Q1 2022.

ASUS has today announced two new full size gaming keyboards during their ROG CES 2022 livestream with the ROG Strix Flare II Animate and ROG Strix Flare II. The keyboards both feature ROG NX mechanical switches available in Red, Brown, and Blue variants paired with PBT Doubleshot keycaps and sound-dampening foam. They also feature a 8000 Hz polling rate and 0.125 ms response time along with dedicated media controls and wrist rests. The ROG Strix Flare II Animate also features a customizable AniMe Matrix LED display along with hot-swappable switches and RGB lighting on the wrist rest. The ROG Strix Flare II Animate and ROG Strix Flare II will be available to purchase in late January 2022 for 219.99 USD and 179.99 USD respectively.

ASUS has today announced two new gaming headsets during their ROG CES 2022 livestream with the ROG Fusion II 500 and ROG Fusion II 300. The headsets both feature the high-resolution ESS 9280 Quad DAC paired with 50 mm ASUS Essence drivers to deliver a virtual 7.1 surround sound experience. They also feature addressable ASUS Aura RGB lighting and integrated beamforming microphones featuring AI noise-cancellation. The Fusion II 500 features extensive connectivity options including 3.5 mm, USB-C and USB-A along with a dedicated game volume chat control wheel while the Fusion II 300 is limited to USB-C and USB-A. The ROG Fusion II 500 (179 USD MSRP) and ROG Fusion II 300 will both be available to purchase worldwide in Q1 2022.

With the current short supply and maybe more importantly, the rather insane pricing for DDR5 memory, ASUS is working on what could be called a quick fix for the problem, an adapter that would allow DDR5 motherboard owners to put DDR4 memory in their motherboards. It's not what we'd call an elegant solution at this point, but it's said it'll be refined before it's ready for retail—if it ever enters the market—since apparently the engineer that developed the adapter doesn't always get to see his projects hit retail, as from our understanding he's responsible for a lot of the more unusual products from ASUS' ROG brand.

That said, considering that a lot of high-end Z690 motherboards only support DDR5, this might be an interim solution that makes sense for a lot of people until availability of DDR5 improves. There's some complexity in making the adapter work though, as not only does it need its own power regulation, since DDR4 memory doesn't have onboard power conversion components unlike DDR5, but there's also the 2x 32-bit vs 64-bit bus to take into consideration as well. On top of this, the DRAM traces are obviously extended, which could lead to instabilities, which is why it's apparently only tested with one type of memory right now, which appears to be G-Skill's Tridentz Royal. A further limitation of the adapter is that it requires a special UEFI version to be installed that allows DDR4 memory to be used, but this might be the smallest issue in this "skunk works" project from ASUS' ROG team.

With less than a week to the expected announcement for the rest of Intel's Alder Lake family of CPUs, as well as accompanying motherboards, pricing has leaked on a few ASUS B660 and H610 motherboards from a somewhat more unusual location, namely Ecuador. Courtesy of @harukaze5719, who tends to leak all sorts of things on Twitter, we now have a rough idea of what some of ASUS' upcoming motherboards will cost.

The models leaked are the Prime B660M-A WIFI D4, Prime B660M-A D4 and Prime H610M-E D4, all of which are fairly basic models and maybe the most noteworthy thing about them is how little you get for your money. The Prime B660M-A WIFI D4 is listed for US$191.11, which includes 12 percent VAT, although the official currency in Ecuador is US dollars. That said, electronics are normally more pricey in Ecuador than the US, so this should also be taken into account here.

ASUS is committed to producing the highest quality products and we take every incident report from our valued customers very seriously. We have recently received incident reports regarding the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard. In our ongoing investigation, we have preliminarily identified a potential reversed memory capacitor issue in the production process from one of the production lines that may cause debug error code 53, no post, or motherboard components damage. The issue potentially affects units manufactured in 2021 with the part number 90MB18E0-MVAAY0 and serial number starting with MA, MB, or MC.

You can identify your part number by referring to the product packaging: Please reference the attached image. As of December 28, 2021, there have been a few incidents reported in North America. Going forward, we are continuing our thorough inspection with our suppliers and customers to identify all possible affected ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboards in the market and will be working with relevant government agencies on a replacement program.

ASUS today rolled out white color variants of the ROG Strix LC II line of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers that the company debuted back in May 2021. The lineup currently includes two sub-variants based on radiator size—the ROG Strix LC II 240 ARGB White Edition, and the ROG Strix LC II 240 ARGB White Edition. White now makes up the radiator fins, radiator frame, the included 120 mm fans, the Nylon sleeving for the tubes, as well as much of the pump-block. The illuminated ARGB-illuminated ROG logo on the pump-block remains in contrasting piano-black. The functional specs of these coolers remain identical to their black counterparts. A notable functional change compared to the original from May, is out-of-the-box support for Socket LGA1700. The company didn't reveal pricing.

It looks like GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is indeed the name of the maxed out "Ampere" GA102 silicon, and NVIDIA did not go with "RTX 3090 SUPER" for its naming. A picture emerged of an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3090 Ti graphics card that confirms the naming. The board design of the card looks similar to the RTX 3090 TUF Gaming, except that the Axial-Tech fans have changed, with more blades on the impellers.

The GeForce RTX 3090 Ti is expected to max out the GA102 silicon, featuring all 10,752 CUDA cores, 84 RT cores, and 336 Tensor cores, physically present on the silicon. The memory size is unchanged over the RTX 3090, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. What's new is that NVIDIA is reportedly using faster 21 Gbps-rated memory chips, compared to 19.5 Gbps on the RTX 3090. The typical board power is rated at 450 W, compared to 350 W on the RTX 3090. NVIDIA is expected to announce this card at its January 4 press event along the sidelines of the 2022 International CES.

ASUS joined the GeForce RTX 2060 12 GB party with a pair of graphics card models under its DUAL series. NVIDIA earlier this month launched the RTX 2060 12 GB, a new SKU based on the "Turing" graphics architecture. This is more than a doubling in memory amount over the original RTX 2060. The new SKU features 2,176 CUDA cores, as compared to 1,920 on the original. NVIDIA is looking to target the Radeon RX 6600 with it.

The ASUS RTX 2060 EVO DUAL and DUAL OC graphics cards feature the company's latest iteration of the DUAL cooling solution, which features an aluminium fin-stack heatsink with heat-pipes tha make direct contact with the "TU106" GPU at the base; while a pair of the company's latest-generation Axial-Tech fans ventilate it. The DUAL OC SKU runs the GPU at 1680 MHz boost, while the DUAL sticks to NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 1650 MHz boost. A software-based OC mode unlocks higher clocks on both SKUs. For the DUAL OC, this means 1710 MHz, and for the DUAL (standard) it means 1680 MHz. Both cards rely on a single 8-pin PCIe power connector. Display outputs include one DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.0, and one dual-link DVI-D. The cards are expected to be priced around 550€.

ASUS today launched ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED (H5600), ProArt Studiobook 16 OLED (H7600), ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED (W5600), and ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED (W7600), all ultra-powerful 16-inch creator laptops that deliver the ultimate processing, graphics and storage performance along with the rock-solid stability and compatibility demanded by professional creators.

Studiobook Pro 16 OLED and Studiobook 16 OLED are powered by up to enterprise-grade Intel Xeon (W7600) or the top-of-the-range Intel Core i7 (H7600) processors that make light work of super-complex, heavily multi-threaded photorealistic rendering, visualization, simulation or analysis applications. Studiobook Pro 16 OLED (W5600) and Studiobook 16 OLED (H5600) are powered by up to AMD Ryzen 5000 Series Mobile Processors that make light work of super-complex, heavily multi-threaded photorealistic rendering, visualization, simulation or analysis applications. Studiobook Pro 16 OLED is also the world's first AMD-powered creator laptop to achieve the prestigious NVIDIA RTX Studio certification.

ASUS today launched ExpertBook B5, an ultralight, kilogram-class laptop series available in both traditional clamshell and 360° convertible forms, and with optional FHD OLED display panels, for the ultimate in portability, flexibility and clarity. The new ExpertBook B5 laptops are built for business success in style, with a precision-crafted and minimalist chassis that pushes the limits of lightness.

They're also set for stress-free travel with an amazing 14-hour battery life, and are engineered with many cutting-edge technologies to improve on-the-go work efficiency. These include an 11th Gen Intel Core processor, AI noise cancellation and dual-SSD RAID support and ASUS NumberPad 2.0. The all-new ExpertBook B5 models are also packed with features to protect personal privacy and business data, including a built-in fingerprint sensor and TPM 2.0 chip.

T-FORCE, TEAMGROUP's gaming sub-brand, today announced the launch of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory in collaboration with ASUS TUF Gaming Alliance, the industry's first co-branded DDR5 gaming memory. Samples have been sent to TUF Gaming for testing with future DDR5 motherboards to ensure optimal compatibility and reliability. The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory is set to create another splash for its speed and style that combines TUF Gaming's signature military aesthetics and T-FORCE's unique gaming elements.

The T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory maintains the RGB lighting along the top edges and its geometric wide-angled contour. With the addition of stealth fighter design elements to enhance the overall look, this new version is more striking than ever before. TEAMGROUP, in collaboration with TUF Gaming Alliance, gave the heatspreader a special camouflage pattern that showcases the unique gaming style of the TUF co-branding, which is sure to be a hit among fans of TUF. The dazzling RGB effects of the T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 Gaming Memory can be synchronized using ASUS Aura software, allowing gamers to easily create their own lighting setup. In terms of specifications, the memory clocks in at an impressive 6000 MHz and comes in a 2X16GB dual-channel memory kit. This memory will satisfy gamers looking for the latest-gen hardware and give them a whole new feeling of extreme speed.

Prominent chip designers like AMD and NVIDIA could bless consumers with a broader offering of their new products as soon as CES 2022 arrives. AMD should present its rumored Rembrandt-H lineup of processors based on the enhanced Zen 3 core, sometimes referred to as Zen 3+. According to the latest report coming from MyLaptopsGuide, Bluetooth SIG has some data entry about ASUS'es upcoming ROG Zephyrus Duo GX650 laptop that integrates AMD Rembrandt-H processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30-series graphics. As the website claims, the heart of this laptop will be AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX processor built on TSMC's 6 nm manufacturing process. We don't know much about this model, but we expect it to refine the previous Ryzen 9 5900HX.

We again see the rumored NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card for mobile, powering the graphics side of things. This model is supposedly based on GA103S GPU SKU, which is likely tailor-made for laptops in mind and exclusive to them. ASUS has also paired 16 GB of DDR5-4800 RAM with an AMD Ryzen processor, suggesting that Rembrandt-H has a new memory controller in place. This laptop model also has a 16-inch 300 Hz Full HD screen with anti-glare; however, the amount of information ended there. We have to wait for CES 2022 launch to find out more.