ASUS today announced its all-new series of TRX40 motherboards, ROG Zenith II Extreme, ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming and Prime TRX40-Pro, that come loaded with improvements and new features to help professionals, enthusiasts and gamers alike unleash the full potential of 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. Teamed up with the TRX40 chipset, 3rd Gen Threadripper CPUs bring PCI Express 4.0 to the high-end desktop for the first time, doubling bandwidth across a total of 64 PCIe 4.0 lanes to allow for even faster SSDs, graphics cards and AV gear. Every PCIe slot and M.2 slot in the ASUS TRX40 lineup is wired with PCIe 4.0 connectivity for maximum bandwidth, meaning any expansion cards slotted into an ASUS TRX40 board will run as fast as they possibly can.

EK, the European premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is releasing a new AMD AM4 socket based monoblock belonging to the Quantum Line of products, the EK-Quantum Momentum ROG Strix X570-E D-RGB. This monoblock is engineered specifically for the ROG Strix X570-E Gaming motherboard from ASUS. The addressable D-RGB LED in the monoblock is compatible with ASUS Aura Sync RGB control and offering a full lighting customization experience for every single diode at any given time.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear and Enthusiast Memory solutions, today announced the release of the Thermaltake TOUGHRAM RGB DDR4 Memory Series which now comes in a white edition along with new frequencies of 3,200 MHz and 3,600 MHz 2x 8 GB. TOUGHRAM is supported by Intel and AMD platforms and features 10-layer PCB construction, 2oz copper inner layers and 10μ gold fingers, the TOUGHRAM RGB white edition is not only visually appealing, but is also high in performance. The TOUGHRAM RGB White Edition is built with premium fine coating that reveals true elegance from inside out.

The TOUGHRAM RGB DDR4 Memory Series 3,200 MHz and 3,600 MHz white edition is now available for pre-order at the TT Premium website. Please refer to the Thermaltake website or contact your local Thermaltake sales or PR representative for more information on pricing for the Thermaltake TOUGHRAM RGB DDR4 3,200 MHz and 3,600 MHz white edition memory kits.

Brainbox, a Korean media outlet, has gathered information on Intel's newest Ice Lake and Cooper Lake server processors from a presentation ASUS held for its server lineup. With Cooper Lake-SP paving the way for the first server CPU model to be released on the new "Whitley" platform, it is supposed to launch in Q2 of 2020. Cooper Lake-SP comes with TDP of 300 W and will be available with configurations of up to 48 cores, but there also should be a 56 core model like the Xeon Platinum 9282, that has a TDP of 400 W. Cooper Lake-SP supports up to 64 PCIe 3.0 lanes, 8 channel memory (16 DIMMs in total) that goes up to 3200 MHz and four Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) links.

Ice Lake-SP, built on the new 10 nm+ manufacturing process, is coming in soon after Cooper Lake-SP release, with a launch window in Q3 of 2020. That is just few months apart from previous CPU launch, so it will be a bit hard to integrate the launches of two rather distinct products. As far as the specifications of Ice Lake-SP goes, it will have up to 38 core for the top end model, within 270 W TDP. It supports 64 PCIe 4.0 lanes with three UPI links. There is also 8 channel memory support, however this time there is an option to use 2nd generation Optane DC Persistent Memory. Both CPU uArches will run on the new LGA 4189 on the P+ socket.

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.

EK, the a premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer based in Europe, is releasing an AMD AM4 socket based monoblock belonging to the Quantum Line of products, the EK-Quantum Momentum ROG Crosshair VIII Hero D-RGB. This monoblock is engineered specifically for the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero motherboard. The addressable D-RGB LED in the monoblock is compatible with ASUS Aura Sync RGB control, thus offering a full lighting customization experience for every single diode at any given time.

This is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for Ryzen AMD processors and the monoblock is compatible with the X570 based ROG Crosshair VIII Hero motherboard. This monoblock uses the latest generation of EK cooling engine used on the Quantum Lineup to ensure the best possible CPU cooling while not reducing flow to other components. This water block directly cools the AMD4 socket type CPU, as well as the voltage regulation (MOSFET) module. Liquid flows directly over all critical areas, providing the enthusiasts with a great solution for high and stable overclocks. Like with every EK monoblock, the EK-Quantum Momentum ROG Crosshair VIII Hero D-RGB features high flow design and it can be easily used with the system using weaker water pumps or lower pump speed settings as well. The Momentum monoblock also comes with sophisticated D-RGB (addressable) lightning which connects to a standard 3-pin 5 V D-RGB header.

Following the success of their Touchaqua-branded Summit MS OLED CPU block earlier this year, which was for Intel platforms only at that time, Bitspower have decided to add the OLED display to their main brand in the form of the new Summit M CPU water block. The design is a departure from the squared-off Summit MS, with a smaller form factor that also increases CPU socket compatibility to the red camp out of the box. The OLED display is housed on a metal top plate, with an acrylic body enabling side views of the coolant, a temperature sensor enabling readout on the display, as well as the integrated dRGB LEDs for lighting options compatible with ASUS AURA Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync, and ASRock Polychrome.

The cooling engine uses a nickel-plated copper base plate, with 0.3 mm CNC-machined fins and microchannels that are part of a split central-inlet flow promising high coolant flow directly over the fins to remove as much heat from the CPU as possible. This is similar to the vast majority of CPU block designs in practice, but manufacturers tend to experiment with the flow schematic to see if they can do better, so time will tell how the Summit M fares on the TechPowerUp test bench. In the meantime, it is available for direct purchase from the Bitspower store for 4500 NTD (~$150 USD) before any applicable taxes and shipping costs.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is announcing new high-capacity, high-performance memory kit specifications based on 32 GB modules across several memory series, including Trident Z Royal DDR4-3200 CL16 256 GB (32 GB x8), Trident Z Royal DDR4-4000 CL18 128 GB (32 GB x4), Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL18 128 GB (32 GB x4), and Trident Z Neo DDR4-3800 C18 64 GB (32 GB x2). Built with the latest high-density 16Gb components, these DDR4 memory kits are the perfect choice for pushing the performance limits of high memory capacity.

With the availability of higher density memory at the consumer level, G.SKILL memory is pushing the performance boundary to DDR4-3200 on current HEDT platforms with up to 8 modules of 32 GB for a total of 256 GB. As shown in the screenshot below, the Trident Z Royal DDR4-3200 CL16 256 GB (32GBx8) is validated on the latest X299-based ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore motherboard and the Intel Core i9-9820X processor. Such extremely high-capacity memory kits are the ideal choice for powerful workstations or for systems running multiple virtual machines.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced Strix Arion, an external solid-state drive (SSD) enclosure that lets gamers create their own high-speed mobile storage solution. Compatible with M.2 NVM Express (NVMe) SSDs with 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 form factors and featuring USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity, ROG Strix Arion enables transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps for ultrafast performance when working with media and other large files. To ensure sustained performance with no throttling, the enclosure is made from aluminium alloy and features integrated thermal pads for effective heat dissipation.

ROG Strix Arion features an innovative design that lets gamers quickly and easily install an SSD without a screwdriver. Sporting futuristic looks with ASUS Aura Sync lighting effects, the enclosure blends perfectly with any gaming setup. ROG Strix Arion comes with a protective holder with a detachable hook for hanging as well as both USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables to ensure out-of-the-box connectivity with a wide range of PCs and devices.

ASUS over the past week rolled out its flagship socket AM4 motherboard for SFF gaming PC builds, the ROG Crosshair VIII Impact. Based on the AMD X570 chipset and supporting the latest 3rd generation Ryzen processors, this board is slightly longer than the Mini-ITX specification, while retaining its mount-hole layout. The logic here is that most ITX gaming PC cases have two expansion slots to accommodate dual-slot graphics cards, and so it would make sense to extend the motherboard's PCB up until there, reclaiming precious PCB real-estate. Technically this board would qualify as mini-DTX, but ASUS believes it should fit in most ITX cases that have two expansion slots. The board's dimensions are 203 mm x 170 mm.

The ROG Crosshair VIII Impact draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning power for the AM4 SoC using a massive 8-phase VRM. The AM4 socket is wired to a pair of DDR4 DIMM slots, the board's sole expansion slot, a PCI-Express 4.0 x16, and the interestingly-named SO-DIMM.2 slot. Physically, this is an SO-DIMM slot that's been re-wired with PCIe gen 4.0 leading up to a proprietary SO-DIMM daughterboard that holds two M.2-2280 slots with PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, each. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports make for the rest of the storage connectivity. The area of the motherboard just below the PCIe x16 slot has another proprietary slot that holds the second daughterboard, this one with the SupremeFX Impact IV onboard audio solution, which has been physically isolated from the main PCB, and has an EMI-shielded Realtek ALC1220 main CODEC, ESS Sabre ES9023P DAC for the main stereo channel, a de-pop circuit, and audio-grade capacitors.

Chinese website ITHome has new info on the release of NVIDA's GeForce GTX 1660 Super graphics cards. According to their website, the release is expected for October 22nd, which seems credible, considering NVIDIA always launches on a Tuesday. As expected, the card will be built around the Turing TU116 graphics processor, which also powers the GTX 1660 and GTX 1660 Ti. Shader counts should either be 1472, because NVIDIA wants to position their card between GTX 1660 (1408 cores) and GTX 1660 Ti (1536 cores). The memory size will be either 4 GB or 6 GB. Specifications of the memory are somewhat vague, it is rumored that NVIDIA's GTX 1660 Super will use GDDR6 chips, just like GTX 1660 Ti — the plain GTX 1660 uses GDDR5 memory. Another possibility is that shader count matches GTX 1660, and the only difference (other than clock speeds) is that GTX 1660 Super uses GDDR6 VRAM.

The Chinese pricing is expected around 1100 Yuan, which converts to $150 — surprisingly low, considering GTX 1660 retails at $210 and GTX 1660 Ti is priced at $275. Maybe NVIDIA is adjusting their pricing to preempt AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 5500/5600 Series. Videocardz has separately confirmed this rumor with their sources at ASUS Taiwan, who are expected to launch at least three SKUs based on the new NVIDIA offering, among them DUAL EVO, Phoenix and TUF3 series.Update Oct 24th: Seems the actual launch is October 29th, this post has more info: https://www.techpowerup.com/260391/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-super-launching-october-29th-usd-229-with-gddr6

Intel's upcoming 5 GHz-on-all-cores Core i9-9900KS will certainly be a beast of a processor for the company - in more ways than one. The 8-core, 16-thread 5 5 GHz all-core turbo CPU will be Intel's best-performing consumer CPU for a while. The steps taken to ensure that have been the only ones Intel could do with their current CPU design and fabrication process - increase the TDP and improve all-core boost frequency, which should allow the CPU to perform incredibly well in peak performance.

The question that remains, of course, is how long the CPU will actually be able to keep its 5.0 GHz all-core frequency when it's engaged. The 127 W TDP as outed by an ASUS BIOS is a monstrous amount for an 8-core CPU, and I don't envy the heatsinks that will have to keep it in check. All in all, this seems to be nothing more than a CPU binned for Intel's purposes of becoming the best CPU for gaming and "home user relevant applications".

ASUS started selling its premium Mini-ITX motherboard based on the AMD X570 chipset, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix X570-I Gaming. The board was announced as part of ASUS' X570 motherboard lineup back in July, but is only now reaching selves, with an MSRP of USD $220. The board features an elaborate thermal solution that cools the CPU VRM, the fiesty X570 chipset, and an M.2-2280 SSD over a network of interconnected heatsinks that are ventilated by two 30 mm fans. Despite crippling space constraints, ASUS managed to cram in a 10-phase VRM to power the socket AM4 CPU, which is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, an M.2-2280 slot, and the board's sole expansion slot, a PCI-Express 4.0 x16.

Storage connectivity on the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming includes not one, but two M.2-2280 slots, one wired to the AM4 socket, and the other from the X570 chipset. The two M.2 slots are stacked one on top of the other, with a metal heatspreader between them, pulling heat from the drive below to the board's heatsink network. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports make the rest of the storage connectivity. Networking includes WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.0 from an Intel "Cyclone Peak" AX200 card; and 1 GbE wired Ethernet pulled by an Intel i211-AT chip. The onboard audio solution features a Realtek ALC1200A CODEC with dual OPAMPs.

Bitspower informed us earlier today that they have a new mono block out for the ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero motherboard based on AMD's X570 chipset. Titled the BP-MBASX570CVIIIH, it features an acrylic top to allow the end user to see through into the cooling engine and the coolant flow in use and a nickel-plated copper coldplate. The latter, as with any mono block, is massive relative to just a CPU water block since it covers the CPU in addition to the critical power delivery section of the motherboard to ensure no thermal throttling, be it direct or indirect.

The direct injection of the coolant over the microfins via the split central-inlet flow design allows for the CPU to be cooled first, before a parallel split through the VRM section and also a flow indicator wheel as seen in the images below. The mono block also has integrated lighting support via Bitspower's digital RGB LEDs, which in turn are compatible with ASUS Aura Sync and onboard LED headers in addition to Bitspower's TouchAqua dRGB controller. Bitspower also teased more mono blocks on the way, with owners of the ASRock X570 Taichi and Gigabyte X570 Auros Master going to see support coming up shortly.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is excited to announce high-frequency, high-capacity memory kit specifications to the G.SKILL Trident Z Royal series at DDR4-4300 MHz CL19-19-19-39 and DDR4-4000 MHz CL16-18-18-38, both in kit capacity of 64 GB (8x 8 GB) and 32 GB (4x8GB). Once again, these extraordinary G.SKILL Trident Z Royal memory kits are built with high performance Samsung B-die components.

As an excellent choice for tasks that require both high-capacity and extreme speed memory, the high-performance DDR4-4300 MHz CL19-19-19-39 64 GB (8x 8 GB) is shown in the stress test screenshot below, validated on the latest ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore motherboard and the Intel Core i9-9820X processor. This is the perfect memory solution for building an all-powerful workstation for various content creation workloads, including 3D rendering and multimedia editing.

NVIDIA and ASUS today announced that the Quadro RTX 6000 GPU will power the world's fastest laptop, the ASUS ProArt StudioBook One, which joins 11 other new RTX Studio systems, launched just in time for IFA, the world's largest electronics conference, bringing the total number of RTX Studio systems to 39.

The Quadro RTX 6000 at the heart of the ProArt StudioBook One enables creatives and other innovators to tap into the power of a high-end deskside workstation without being chained to their desks. Wherever their work takes them, professionals can harness the RTX Studio-based system to handle massive datasets and accelerate compute-intensive workflows, such as creating 3D animations, rendering photoreal product designs, editing 8K video, visualizing volumetric geophysical datasets and conducting walk-throughs of photoreal building designs in VR.

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a world-leading manufacturer of aluminium chassis and PC accessories, is proud to announce the launch of the O11D Distro-Plate G1, a custom water cooling reservoir, routing and pump solution designed in partnership with EKWB, a world-renown custom water cooling company. The unique result from this great collaboration is specifically designed to provide a comprehensive water cooling solution for the famous O11D and O11D XL chassis by LIAN LI.

Designed to simplify the custom water cooling build process for beginners PC builders who enter the hard tubing water cooling world, the O11D Distro-Plate G1 offers an all in one solution that includes pump, reservoir, simple mounting mechanism, and multiple industry standards G1/4 threaded inlet and outlets. The placement of these inlets and outlets are perfectly aligned to fit inline with the PC components in order to minimize the number of bends the user has to make in order to create the loop. Able to support, 1 CPU, 2 GPU and up to 2 radiators, custom water cooling has never been so accessible.

LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of aluminium chassis and PC accessories, joins forces again with Germany's renowned overclocker Der8auer to design the O11 Dynamic XL, a bigger and improved version of the award-winning O11 Dynamic. Built with the user's feedback in mind, the O11D XL is set to become the PC chassis of choice for custom loop water cooling, workstation powerhouse build, and gaming enthusiasts for maximum customization.

Made from aluminium and tempered glass, available in black or white, the O11 Dynamic XL is loaded with features to make every PC DIY project a dream come true. Bigger in every way (O11XL D 471 mm, H 513 mm, W 285 mm vs. O11D D 445 mm, H446 mm, W272 mm), cool options becomes limitless.Water cooling enthusiasts can use thicker and longer radiators as well as taller GPU water blocks. Or if air cooling is used instead, the O11 Dynamic XL can accommodate some of the largest tower coolers on the market. Lastly, the increased width of 285 mm, provides improved airflow with the option of adding a 120 mm fan at the rear.

AMD is preparing to surprise Intel with its 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper processors derived from the "Rome" MCM (codenamed "Castle Peak" for the client-platform), that features up to 64 CPU cores, a monolithic 8-channel DDR4 memory interface, and 128 PCIe gen 4.0 lanes. For the HEDT platform, AMD could reconfigure the I/O controller die for two distinct sub-platforms within HEDT - one targeting gamers/enthusiasts, and another targeting the demographic that buys Xeon W processors, including the W-3175X. The gamer/enthusiast-targeted processor line could feature a monolithic 4-channel DDR4 memory interface, and 64 PCI-Express gen 4.0 lanes from the processor socket, and additional lanes from the chipset; while the workstation-targeted processor line could essentially be EPYCs, with a wider memory bus width and more platform PCIe lanes; while retaining drop-in backwards-compatibility with AMD X399 (at the cost of physically narrower memory and PCIe I/O).

To support this diverse line of processors, AMD is coming up with not one, but three new chipsets: TRX40, TRX80, and WRX80. The TRX40 could have a lighter I/O feature-set (similar to the X570), and probably 4-channel memory on the motherboards. The TRX80 and WRX80 could leverage the full I/O of the "Rome" MCM, with 8-channel memory and more than 64 PCIe lanes. We're not sure what differentiates the TRX80 and WRX80, but we believe motherboards based on the latter will resemble proper workstation boards in form-factors such as SSI, and be made by enterprise motherboard manufacturers such as TYAN. The chipsets made their way to the USB-IF for certification, and were sniffed out by momomo_us. ASUS is ready with its first motherboards based on the TRX40, the Prime TRX40-Pro, and the ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update (version 1903) is the pinnacle of neglect and contempt Microsoft has shown towards the all-important audio subsystem of the modern PC. With it, Redmond has one-upped its last big move against audio, by killing the DirectSound hardware pipeline and mongrelizing PC audio under Intel's lousy and fundamentally anti-competitive Azalia specification that solves common audio compatibility problems under a scorched-earth guiding principle - "kill any feature that could possibly lick our aftersales support budget, by dumping every aspect of audio onto a very restrictive host-signal processing (HSP) architecture, let people come up with their own soft DSPs, because CPUs can handle them." Windows 1903 proves how this approach wasn't a silver bullet against PC audio problems, and is fallible.

I've never owned a PC without a discrete sound card. My first "multimedia PC experience" was powered by a Creative kit that included a Sound Blaster PCI, an Infra-CDROM drive, a clip-on mic, and tiny stereo speaker boxes. ISA-based integrated audio solutions back then were bested by greeting cards. I've since made it a habit to buy a sound card every 5 or so years. No gleaming SNR numbers by Realtek can convince me that an integrated audio solution can best a $100 discrete sound-card, and I've owned plenty of motherboards over the years with the most premium Azalia implementations (be it the ALC889 or the modern ALC1220). My current machines feature an ASUS Xonar AE (a bang-for-the-buck ESS ES9023P implementation with a 150 Ω amp), and a Creative SB Recon 3D. Both cards implement the Azalia pipeline at some level, to survive operating with post-Vista Windows. The SB Recon 3D uses a chip that converts PCIe to the HDA bus; while the Xonar AE uses a PCIe to USB chip and a USB (Azalia) to I2S chip (essentially a USB headset laid out on a sound card with a high-quality analog side). Both cards are borked after the "upgrade" to Windows 10 May 2019 Update (1903), and two successive "Patch Tuesday" updates haven't managed to solve it.

ASUS today rolled out the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix Scope TKL Deluxe gaming keyboard. This tenkeyless keyboard is roughly 60% the volume of a full-size keyboard, and has 84 keys. The keyboard features a detachable cushioned palm-rest with faux-leather upholstery. This palm-rest snaps into place with magnetic locks, much like an iPad Smart Cover. The top-plate of the keyboard is made of brushed aluminium. The keycaps are raised above the top-plate.

Function keys F5 to F12 are macroed out, and in their place, ASUS put media control buttons as the primary function. You don't need to hold down any key to switch between the media keys and the Function keys, a 2-way switch does that. The "Stealth Key" is a glorified boss key that hides all your apps and mutes audio for instant privacy. Under the hood, the ROG Strix Scope TKL has Cherry MX RGB mechanical switches, and comes in a variety of flavors such as MX Speed Silver, MX Red, MX Brown, and MX Blue. The electronics provide N-key rollover and anti-ghosting. ASUS Aura Sync RGB handles the keyboard's lighting including color configuration for individual keys. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS today launched its TUF Gaming X3 Radeon RX 5700-series "Navi" graphics cards. The TUF Gaming series is positioned a notch below the company's premium ROG Strix RX 5700-series, and above its cost-effective custom-design Dual-series. A common board design is used for both the RX 5700 XT and the RX 5700. It features a macho-looking plastic cooler shroud with the TUF "urban camo" pattern. There's also a metal backplate with the same pattern. The card is based on a custom-design PCB that's shorter than that of the ROG Strix card.

The triple-slot cooling solution of the TUF Gaming X3 Radeon RX 5700-series features a compound aluminium fin-stack heatsink much like the ROG Strix, albeit slightly smaller. Three 80 mm fans ventilate it, although the cooler lacks idle fan-stop. The fans feature IP5X-certified dust-resistance and fluid-dynamic bearings with a "space-grade lubricant." Both cards come with factory-overclocked speeds. The TUF Gaming X3 RX 5700 XT ships with 1650 MHz base, 1795 MHz "gaming" clocks, and 1905 MHz boost; while the TUF Gaming X3 RX 5700 ships with 1565 MHz base, 1720 MHz "gaming" clocks, and 1750 MHz boost. Both cards feature software-based one-click "OC" modes that dial up clock speeds by around 4 percent, which require you to install the GPUTweak utility. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Intel announced that laptops verified through its innovation program, code-named "Project Athena," will feature the visual identifier "Engineered for Mobile Performance." PC manufacturers and retailers can use the identifier across promotional activities and in-store and online retail environments to draw consumers to the laptops that meet the high standards of the program's target specification and key experience indicators (KEI).

The new identifier can be found for the first time today with the new Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, one of the initial systems verified through Project Athena and now available for U.S. customers to purchase from Dell.com. Over the coming weeks, the identifier will also be visible in marketing efforts for the HP Elitebook 1040 and HP Elitebook 830, which are also among the initial laptops verified through the program. Additional laptops are expected from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung for the holiday season.

Ahead of its launch, the press-deck of ASUS' premium custom-design Radeon RX 5700 XT graphics card, the ROG Strix RX 5700 XT OC, was leaked to the web by VideoCardz, revealing some fascinating details. Out of the box, the card ships with clock-speeds of 1770 MHz base, 1905 MHz "game clock," and 2010 MHz boost clock, which are closer to AMD's reference-design boost clocks. A software-activated "OC mode," which requires you to install the GPU Tweak software, runs the card at 1840 MHz base, 1965 MHz game clock, and 2035 MHz boost clock. The card features dual-BIOS, which have identical clock-speeds, but change the fan-behavior. Both BIOSes enable idle fan-stop, but one of them reduces fan-speeds when gaming, compared to the other, trading temperatures for noise.

The ROG Strix RX 5700 XT OC is a purely custom-design RX 5700 XT graphics card, with a custom-design PCB that's larger than AMD's reference-design, and features a 14-phase VRM (11-phase vGPU and 3-phase vMem). ASUS deployed its latest Super Alloy Power II (SAP II) component selection, consisting of chokes that don't buzz or whine; and high quality DrMOS. The card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors, and features a combination of three DisplayPorts and one HDMI. The card also puts out a 4-pin/3-pin RGB/ARGB header, and two 4-pin PWM case-fan headers. The DirectCU III cooling solution features a mirror-finish base that makes contact with the GPU. ASUS claims that the card is 32 percent quieter than the reference-design, and runs 18 percent cooler. It's also 4.7 percent faster than the reference-design

Update Aug 12th: Our review of the ASUS Radeon RX 5700 XT STRIX OC is live now.More slides follow.

ASUS is ready with its custom-design Radeon RX 5700-series graphics cards, and is lining them up to launch some time mid-August. The company is giving the RX 5700 XT some premium treatment with a Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix OC product; while both the RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT will get a TUF Gaming product. The RX 5700 XT ROG Strix features a large custom-design PCB with a meaty VRM that draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors; and ASUS' premium DirectCU III cooling solution that combines an aluminium fin-stack heatsink with three AxialTech fans.

The ROG Strix RX 5700 XT also offers several high-end features, such as dual-BIOS, idle fan-stop, one-touch RGB-off toggle, power-supply fault LEDs, voltage measurement points, and additional 4-pin PWM case-fan headers with which you can sync your case fans to the graphics card's cooling. It also features addressable RGB LED embellishments on the cooler shroud, the back-plate, and top. Display outputs include three DP 1.4 and one HDMI 2.0b. The RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT TUF Gaming X3 are a slightly different beast. This board design uses a slightly lighter aluminium fin-stack heatsink, yet still ventilated by three fans, and a stylish back-plate. We don't expect features such as idle fan-stop. Both cards will feature factory-overclocked speeds.

Update Aug 12th: Our review of the ASUS Radeon RX 5700 XT STRIX OC is live now.