TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) has announced Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel Corporation, as a keynote speaker at COMPUTEX 2024 on June 4. Embracing COMPUTEX's theme of artificial intelligence (AI), Gelsinger will showcase Intel's next-generation data center and client computing products bringing AI Everywhere by making the technology accessible through exceptionally engineered platforms, secure solutions and open ecosystems support.

Gelsinger will detail how Intel's AI portfolio - including AI-accelerated Intel Xeon, Intel Gaudi and Intel Core Ultra processor families - unlocks new possibilities in the data center and cloud and across the world's network and edge applications, and how it ushers in the age of the AI PC, transforming the future of productivity and creativity. Gelsinger will also discuss how Intel Xeon processors deliver exceptional performance-per-watt efficiencies, freeing up server capacity for more AI tasks while delivering optimal total cost of ownership (TCO) and power-saving sustainability benefits.

Intel is rumored to be preparing to tease its Core Ultra 2-series "Arrow Lake" processor at the 2024 Computex, which gets underway this June. The series itself isn't expected to launch before Q4-2024, but Computex is the only major global event between June and January for Intel to unveil or tease its next-generation processor, so here we are. At this point we don't know which exact platform of "Arrow Lake" Intel is planning to tease—whether these are the mobile variants, or the Socket LGA1851 desktop "Arrow Lake-S." An unveiling of the latter would almost definitely entail PC motherboard vendors being allowed to show off their first compatible motherboards at Computex—the perfect platform for them to do so.

The Core Ultra "Arrow Lake" retains a Foveros Tiled (chiplet) construction of "Meteor Lake," but with advancements to the chip's Compute tile, which is built on the Intel 20A foundry node, and rocks new "Lion Cove" P-cores and "Skymont" E-cores; an updated I/O tile, and an iGPU based on the updated Xe-LPG+ graphics architecture. Since the processor now serves practically all PCH functions, the mobile "Arrow Lake" is a single-chip solution, whereas the desktop "Arrow Lake-S" is expected to remain 2-chip. There will be more I/O from the CPU, though, which is why the socket has 151 more pins than the LGA1700.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, is excited to announce the 8th Annual OC World Cup 2024 extreme overclocking competition, which will begin with the Online Qualifier Stage, which will run from March 1, 2024 until April 3, 2024 on hwbot.org. The 9 finalists from the Online Qualifer stage are invited to compete on the Live Qualifier stage, during the week of Computex 2024 in Taipei, for a share of the total prize pool of $40,000 USD, with the OC Champion taking home $10,000 USD.

Considered to be one of the most challenging overclocking competition, the G.SKILL OC World Cup 2024 consists of three stages: Online Qualifier, Live Qualifier, and Grand Final. The top 9 overclockers of the Online Qualifier will be invited to compete against each other live during the week of Computex 2024 at the G.SKILL booth in Nangang Exhibition Hall, and the top 3 overclockers from the Live Qualifier stage will compete for the title of OC Champion in the Grand Final.

COMPUTEX 2024, a global leading technology exhibition, featuring AIoT applications, generative AI & and startup ecosystems, will take place from June 4th to 7th at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Halls 1 and 2. Themed "Connecting AI," this year's exhibition focuses on the latest global AI technologies and industry trends. The show will attract 1,500 international and local exhibitors using 4,500 booths. The Opening Keynote will be delivered by Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, on the morning of June 3rd to set the stage for the event.

COMPUTEX 2024: Global Tech Giants Unite, Paving the Way for the Era of the AI Ecosystem
2024 is acclaimed as the AI PC era, with the development of artificial intelligence propelling products like AI PCs, AI servers, and AI smartphones to thrive in the market. This year's COMPUTEX covers six major themes: AI computing, Advanced Connectivity, Future Mobility, Immersive Reality, Sustainability, and Innovations. Collaborating with international technology powerhouses, including Acer, ASRock, ASUS, Delta, Gigabyte, G.Skill, Intel, MSI, Pro Gamersware, and more, shapes the AI ecosystem. Moreover, the InnoVEX exhibit for startups will connect innovative teams from around the globe, sparking cross-industry collaboration and revitalizing AI technology with fresh energy.

A curious piece of marketing material on the Chiphell forum has sent ripples through the tech community, featuring what appears to be an Alienware desktop equipped with an unannounced AMD Ryzen 9000-series processor. The authenticity of this flyer is up for debate, with possibilities ranging from a simple typo by Alienware to a fabricated image, or it could even suggest that AMD is on the cusp of unveiling its next-generation Ryzen CPUs for desktop PCs. While intrigue is high, it's important to approach such revelations cautiously, with a big grain of salt. AMD's existing roadmap points toward a 2024 release for its Zen 5-based Ryzen desktop processors and EPYC server CPUs, which casts further doubt on the Ryzen 9000 series appearing ahead of schedule.

We have to wait for AMD's major upcoming events, including the "Advancing AI" event on December 6, where the company will showcase how its partners and AMD use AI for applications. Next, we hope to hear from AMD about upcoming events such as CES in January and Computex in May, but we don't have any official information on product launches in the near term. If the company is preparing anything, the Alienware flyer pictured below should indicate it, if the source is confirmed. However, the doubt remains, and we should be skeptical of its truthfulness.

We witnessed an exciting concept during the Computex 2023 show in late May. ASUS has developed a GPU without an external power connector called GC_HPWR. Unlike current solutions, this connection type doesn't require additional cables. Using the GC_HPWR means that power is being supplied directly from the motherboard and that these special-edition GPUs also require special-edition motherboards. Thanks to the latest information from the Bilibili content creator Eixa Studio, attending Bilibili World 2023 exhibition in Shanghai, China, we have information that ASUS is preparing mass production of these zero-cable GPU solutions. Scheduled to enter mass production in Fall, ASUS plans to deliver these GPUs and accompanying motherboards before the year ends.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the motherboard lineup is called Back To Future (BTF), and the first GPU showcased was the GeForce RTX 4070 Megalodon. The PSU connectors are placed on the back side of the BTF board, while the CG_HPWR connector sits right next to the PCIe x16 expansion slot and looks like a PCIe x1 connector. You can see images of both products below.

It's been a while since we last reviewed a Vortexgear keyboard so I wasn't surprised to see a brand new keyboard line from the brand. While the TKL Multix keyboards in its various colorways were new to me, they weren't new launches necessarily. Instead, Vortex used its presence at Computex to show off the new PC66 QMK, which is also available as a barebones kit. This uses a thick ABS plastic chassis and a gasket mount structure to put out a vintage aesthetic-inspired 65% keyboard that uses external batteries for wireless connectivity as well. We also saw the M0110 that comes as a wired open-source firmware keyboard or triple-mode wireless keyboard and uses either an HHKB-style layout or a more traditional 60% layout with a 6.25u space bar. There was also the Vortex x KBtalKing (a Chinese keyboard community) collab keyboard called the One 4 which is a full-size wireless keyboard up for pre-order now.

Intriguing also were new keyboard kits from Vortex that shifted away from plastic in favor of thick CNC-machined aluminium. The M0110A is an 1800 form factor keyboard kit that uses the smaller M0110 as the base for the feature set whereas the Model M and Model F77/F62 go more daring with the designs that are reminiscent of other popular keyboards on the market. I especially liked the Model M SSK with its curved top frame that makes for a visually different keyboard from the norm and Vortex says these kits will follow the pre-order/group buy purchase scheme soon, if not already by the time this news post is up.

Having visited all the major Taiwanese USB chip vendors during Computex, it's clear that the three have very different focus when it comes to their businesses, with ASMedia going for host and device controllers with PCIe Express support, Realtek focusing on USB hubs and connectivity. This leaves VLI or VIA Labs who are putting its main efforts into video over USB-C. The company was showing a new USB-C to HDMI 2.1 converter chip, with the added benefit of being a single chip solution that also allows for USB PD passthrough, ideal for devices with a single USB-C port.

VLI is also hoping that USB4 will take off as a lower cost alternative to Thunderbolt based docking solutions, especially as not everyone needs Thunderbolt connectivity on their docks. As such, for those looking at a docking station that's still capable of multi-display support at resolutions over 4K60p or for those that are looking at combining multiple 4K displays while maintaining data speeds of at least 10 Gbps for storage devices, then USB4 appears to be the more affordable option to Thunderbolt. Later this year, the company will start shipping its VL832 USB4 end point device, which is an updated version of the VL830, although we weren't told what features have changed, as VLI wasn't ready to unveil the product at Computex.

ENERMAX came to the Computex 2023 in full force, showcasing a wide range of new products including new PSUs with ATX 3.0 certification, as well as the new LIQTECH and LIQMAXFLO AIO liquid CPU coolers with new pump design.

ENERMAX definitely had a lot to show at the Computex 2023 event and there were some rather unique and innovative new products on display, including the PLATIMAX GEMINI, a PSU that meets both ATX 3.0 and Intel's new ATX12VO (12 V-only) standards. PLATIMAX GEMINI is an 80 Plus Platinum 1200 W power supply, that surpasses efficiency standards of the ATX12VO standard. ENERMAX also had the who new REVOLUTION D.F. X PSU lineup that is ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5 ready with a native 600 W 12VHPWR cable and an extra dual 8-pin to 12VHPWR 600 W cable, and features new patented Dust-Free Rotation (D.F.R) technology, a new feature that promises to significantly reduce the accumulation of dust around the fan blades. It also features an ARGB side panel with 14 built in lighting modes, and an RGB control button. ENERMAX was showcasing the SPLAVE X REVOLUTION D.F. X PSU, a special edition 1200 W PSU designed in cooperation with a well-known overclocker Splave.

Editor's note: Our in-depth review of Endorfy Arx 700 Air is now live.

At Computex 2023, Endorfy has launched the Arx 700 Air and Arx 700 ARGB PC cases, designed with maximum cooling potential and easy component access. The cases accommodate a tall cooling system, up to 8 fans, and any current graphics card, with the Arx 700 Air featuring 5 Stratus 140 PWM fans and the Arx 700 ARGB including 4 illuminated Stratus 140 PWM ARGB fans. The design is minimalist, with a tempered glass side panel that allows internal component visibility. Both cases measure 486×228×472 mm (H×W×L) and support ATX, microATX, and ITX motherboards, with a graphics card clearance of 410 mm, CPU cooler clearance of 179 mm, and power supply clearance of 340 mm. They have 7 expansion slots and internal bays that include 1× 2.5"/3.5" and 6× 2.5". The cases can accommodate up to 8 fans and come with built-in dust filters. The front I/O includes 1× USB-C, 2× USB-A, 1× headphones (minijack 3.5 mm), 1× microphone (minijack 3.5 mm), and power and reset buttons. The Arx 700 Air and Arx 700 ARGB are priced at 109 and 119 EUR, respectively.

The Endorfy Arx 500 Air and Arx 500 ARGB are also shown; however, we don't have exact specifications yet, and we expect them to follow soon. Visually, we see that the 500 series is shorter than the 700 series. The cases are priced at 99 and 109 EUR, respectively.

Neo Forza, a Taiwanese brand entity under Goldkey Technology Corporation, had a booth at Computex 2023, where the company showed its next-generation memory and storage products. Starting off, the company presented its DDR5 memory kits running at 8000 MHz speeds, indicating the maturity of DDR5 and that we are way past the initial 4800 MHz speeds at launch. The demonstrated kit was a part of the company's TRINITY lineup, which was displayed in white. For demo purposes, the kit was configured as two 16 GB DIMMs.

Next up, Neo Forza has showcased its next-generation PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSD. Running at x4 lanes of the new PCIe 5.0 protocol, the 2 TB SSD was spotted running at 10 GB/s speeds in both read and write tasks set by CrystalDiskMark benchmark. Interestingly, the SSD also boasted a massive heatsink, as shown below.

AZZA, a company known for creating cases of interesting design, had a new lineup to show at Computex 2023. The star of the show may very well be AZZA's new Sanctum 810, a giant cube case with a cut corner that carries support for up to seven 120 mm fans, creating adequate airflow once configured. There is even room to mount a 360 mm radiator for a custom water cooling build, as shown in the pictures below.

Next, we have AZZA's oddly-shaped Mesa 811 -- a twisted cube case that supports E-ATX motherboards, has glass side panels, and even has perforated aluminium panels. It also fits three 120 mm fans in the front and only has one 120 mm in the back, but there is space to do a custom cooling loop.

Sparkle already announced that it will be coming up with the Intel Arc graphics card lineup soon, and it came to the Computex 2023 show in force, showing some rather impressive graphics cards, including the Arc A770 Watercooling concept, a couple of custom TITAN OC Edition graphics cards, and the A370 MXM version.

Sparkle's Intel Arc lineup starts off with some industrial low-profile graphics cards based on Intel Arc A310 and Arc A380 graphics cards, as well as standard Mini-ITX size ELF series versions which will be based on the same GPUs. Sparkle is also working on an Intel Arc A370 MXM GPU for laptops, which is a nice surprise. The main part of the showcase were certainly Sparkle's Intel Arc ORC and TITAN OC Edition custom versions of the Intel Arc A750 and Arc A770 chips. The biggest surprise though was the custom Sparkle A770 Watercooling concept. Sparkle is definitely serious in joining the Intel Arc team with Acer, ASRock, GUNNIR, Gigabyte, MSI and others, so hopefully we'll see some of these graphics cards on retail/e-tail shelves soon.

Alphacool at Computex presented a few new products that highlighted what the company has been working on. First off, we have the Apex Stealth Metal fan among the latest products introduced by the brand, hailed as the world's first computer fan designed with entirely decoupled propellers, bearings, and motors from the chassis. The design minimizes both the vibration and the noise generated by the fan. The fan frame is constructed entirely of metal, showcasing the fresh Apex design. Additionally, it employs a 6-pole motor. The fan is touted as being silent due to its HDB (Hydro Dynamic Bearing) design. The fan blades are also fine-tuned to achieve maximum airflow and pressure, though specific details will still be released. The Apex Stealth Metal fan will be accessible in black, chrome, and white variants. Also in the pipeline is a unique variant called Alphacool ES Stealth Metal Fan Black, specifically designed for "Enterprise Solutions," featuring an integrated ventilation grill. The Apex Metal fan SKUs will be available for around $30 or less.

Cooler Master has showcased a couple of new PSUs at the Computex 2023, including the X Silent series Max and Edge PSUs, which are "near-silent" and fanless models that should be coming soon. In addition, Cooler Master has come up with some high-quality 12VHPWR 90 degree cables that should be better than standard ones.

The X Series Max is described as "near-silent" since it has a low speed RGB fan in order to support higher wattage, but will keep the noise at 20dB. The X Silent Max will be available in models of up to 1300 W and uses a single-piece heat dissipation structure. The X Series Edge is a whole different beast as this is a completely fanless PSU, that features special airflow-improving extended fan cover, vapor chamber technology, and the same single-piece heat dissipation structure. The X Series Edge will go to up to 750 W. Both of these X Series PSUs are ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0 compliant, which means they come with 12VHPWR cables, and both support Cooler Master's MasterControl software, allowing users to monitor temperature, current load, and overall performance. Cooler Master also unveiled new 12VHPWR cables, with 90-degree angle that should prevent unnecessary bending, as well as an upgraded connector design with double springs and thicker wire, which should be better than those previous cables and reduce the connector temperatures by 5 degrees.

be quiet!, a German company focusing on creating PC components and accessories, had a strong presence at Computex 2023. Showing off its cases and power supplies, the company introduced a few additions to its portfolio of offerings. For starters, be quiet! has introduced a new case series called Shadow Base. The new Shadow Base lineup is focused on maximum airflow and maximum performance, where the company has made a new open mesh design that allows for "exceptionally high airflow." Inaugurating model of the series is the Shadow Base 800, which comes in three flavors: standard, DX, and FX. The standard edition is just a regular case without flashy RGB; the DX model has an RGB strip, while the FX model is tailored for maximum RGB illumination across the case. With up to E-ATX motherboard support, the case supports three or four 140 mm fans, depending on the variant. You can see the specification sheet below.

Somewhat unexpectedly, QNAP has entered the high-end video production market with a couple of products that the company was demoing at Computex. First up is the TBS-574TX, which is a high-end, yet compact NAS with 10 Gbps Ethernet and Thunderbolt 4 support. However, what makes this device so unique, is that it features five hot-swappable E1.S drives, which means that video production companies can easily swap between different projects which can be put in cold storage when not worked on. The TBS-574TX is based around a 12th gen, 12 core Intel Core i5 CPU, although QNAP didn't specify the exact model, but it's likely to be a mobile part with native Thunderbolt 4 support. The CPU is paired with 16 GB of RAM, which should make this a fairly snappy NAS overall. QNAP will also offer E1.S to M.2 adapters, but the company is still working on how to implement these with a suitable cooling solution.

For companies that need something faster than 10 Gbps or even 25 Gbps networking to shuffle files around, QNAP also demoed the QSW-M7308R-4X—a model name that just rolls off your tongue—which features no less than four 100 Gbps ports and eight 25 Gbps ports. The key selling point of this fibre based switch is that it doesn't require any user configuration before it can be deployed in a network, even though it can be managed when needed. It also features quieter cooling fans than your average enterprise switch, plus it comes in a much more compact half width 1U form factor. QNAP will also launch the QSW-M3216R-8S8T later this year, which will be an updated version of its current 10 Gbps managed switches, but with around a US$100 lower price tag.

Regular readers of TPU might remember our in-depth USB4 article that we posted almost a year ago, but since then, very little has happened and ASMedia has as yet to make its ASM4242 USB4 host controller available to its partners and then ASM2464 USB4 to PCIe 4.0 bridge was suffering the same fate until May this year, when it was released to ASMedia's customers. It turns out most of it is related to USB-IF certification and the USB4 design documentation, as the certification wasn't quite ready for a third party host controller and the design documents were—shall we say—less than complete and relied too heavily on the Thunderbolt 3 spec. This meant that ASMedia had to retest and redo a lot of work they had done, due to a certain spec donator having assumed that other companies knew how it had designed its Thunderbolt products.

The good news is that we should see the ASM4242 in the market before the end of this year and ASMedia is busy testing it and its ASM2464 with a wide range of products to make sure compatibility is as good as possible. In the company suite at Computex, ASMedia was showing the ASM2464 connected to Apple's M2 silicon, as well as Intel's latest CPUs with integrated Thunderbolt 4 support. There had been some performance related issues from Apple's side, but this has apparently been resolved in a recent update from Apple. As far as Intel is concerned, there are no compatibility issues with the 13th and possibly 12th gen mobile chips, but older Thunderbolt hardware might require a firmware update, which may or may not exist. Older Intel hardware also doesn't perform as well as its most recent solutions, but it doesn't mean there will be compatibility issues outright. As for AMD, ASMedia informed TPU that there were no issues, since AMD has a USB4 implementation in its mobile products that follow the USB-IF spec.

So far it has been very quiet on the market when it comes to USB4 hubs, with most products being based on Intel Thunderbolt hardware costing Thunderbolt money. Realtek was demoing its RTS5490 "hub router controller" at Computex and it's as far as we're aware, the first USB4 hub IC that has been announced. The RTS5490 supports speeds of up to 40 Gbps and it has one upstreams and four downstreams ports. It's also backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), as well as slower USB standards. It also supports the USB PD 3.1 standard and should as such be suitable for docking stations that can deliver up to 240 W to a connected laptop.

It also has native support for DisplayPort 2.1 Alt mode and UHBR20 up to 80 Gbps for DisplayPort signals. The demo board only had an older MST controller, so it would be limited to DP 1.4, but hopefully some company is working on a DP 2.1 MST controller, as this is required to split off the DP signal to the physical ports from USB-C. We were not given any details on when the RTS5490 will be available in the market and pricing will obviously depend on what kind of extra features are being added by the device makers, as it's unlikely that the first products based on it will be simple hubs.

Considering all the buzz around WiFi 7, there weren't many live demos at Computex, but Realtek had a demo running in its suite at the show. Realtek will offer both client and router/AP solutions, with their client product which goes under the RTL8922AE model name, coming in M.2 2230 and 1620 formats, where the latter is a solder down module. To simulate a real world scenario, Realtek was running a second radio to cause some additional interference, but the RTL8922AE test setup was still capable of delivering between 1,750 and 1,950 Mbps, which is almost twice as fast as WiFi 6, using a similar 2x2 antenna setup. This was obviously over a fairly short distance, so the question is how well WiFi 7 will work over longer distances.

The RTL8922AE has a claimed maximum sync speed of 2800 Mbps when connected to the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands simultaneously and combining the bandwidth of both bands. However, it is limited to a 160 MHz channel bandwidth, whereas WiFi 7 can go up to a 320 MHz wide channel, but it's unclear if competing first gen clients will support this. The RTL8922AE also incorporates support for Bluetooth 5.4 and is as far as we're aware one of the first WiFi chips to support the upcoming standard that mostly focuses on improving BLE Audio and Auracast support. The RTL8922AE should launch sometime in the fourth quarter this year to Realtek's customers, so it might not appear on the market until early 2024.

Cougar introduced several new gaming chair models at Computex 2023 including the Hotrod, NxSys Aero and Armor EVO. The NxSys Aero has been getting plenty of attention from attendees due to its mounted 200 mm aRGB cooling fan - this is positioned to provide cooling for the sweatiest of rears torsos. The advanced integrated cooling solution is apparently a first for the gaming chair market - Cougar thinks that this is a game changer - a power bank provides the necessary juice to run the fan and lighting system from a discreetly placed perch. The NxSys Aero features an innovative elastomeric mesh and ventilated back cover ensuring an airy yet cushioned seating experience. A physiotherapy-grade lumbar pillow and magnetic head cushion complete the package.

The Hotrod is a "motorsports-inspired" gaming chair designed to react to the intense maneuvers of fast-paced action. Cougar has studied real world racing seat in order to figure out the right balance of flexibility and resistance to body movements. The Hotrod's structure is formed out of synthetic PA fiberglass-reinforced plastic, yet the chair offers a high level of comfort thanks to multi-density cushioning along its backrest. An integrated height-adjustable head cushion adds comfy support for necks and heads - it is ergonomically engineered to prevent whiplash resulting from the most serious of high-octane gaming situations.

Fractal Design is taking the subtle route with its new Terra compact PC case, its sole new product on display at Computex - the small form factor Mini-ITX 10.4-liter enclosure has been "designed and engineered to reshape the small form factor gaming experience." Its creators have decided upon an unusual combination of materials and hues - the front panel features a wooden section where the power button and front ports are located, including USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C (offering 20 Gbps transfer speeds and fast charging). The overall aesthetic is fitting for a comfortable home environment, where RGB-laden gaming PCs can sometimes look out of place.

The Terra is offered up in three shades: Silver, Jade and Graphite - with its mostly aluminium construction sand blasted and anodized to give an intriguing textured look, with CNC-milled detailing. The front is comprised of an 8 mm-thick aluminium panel and a sliver of FSC-certified solid walnut. The case's truly dinky form factor (measuring 343 x 153 x 218 mm) can accommodate powerful GPUs up to 322 mm in length, as well as SFX and SFX-L format PSU models. A pair of SSDs can be installed internally via dedicated 2.5" drive mounts - there is only space for one storage unit if the user configures their Terra with a longer (SFX-L) power supply.

Realtek has decided to take consumer Ethernet speeds to a new level later this year with a family of 5 Gbps parts that are unlike anything its competitors have announced so far. The RTL8126-CG PCIe 3.0 x1 controller is a tiny QFN56 chip that measures 8 by 8 millimetres and consumes up to 1.7 Watt in use. This is unheard of when it comes to 5 Gbps solutions today, most of which are based on cut-down 10 Gbps chips. Realtek has verified the RTL8126-CG with stacked connectors for motherboards, as this was a requirement from the motherboard vendors. This solution should be available on most of the boards that were announced at Computex with 2.5 Gbps Ethernet support.

The company also has the RTL8251B-CG single port PHY which comes in the same packaging and same size as the PCIe controller. It's intended for use in 5 Gbps switches and should help bring down the cost, power consumption and thermals. Finally Realtek was showing off the RTL8157-CG, which is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) based 5 Gbps Ethernet bridge, which comes in a slightly different QFN68 package, but still apparently measures 8 by 8 millimetres. This one is expected to launch sometime in Q4 of this year. All three solutions are capable of delivering 5 Gbps Ethernet over Cat 5e cables of up to a 100 meter in length. We weren't given an exact price point of these solutions, but it sounded like the RTL8126-CG should end up at US$5 or less, which should be compared to at least US$20-30 for most similar solutions in the market today. It looks like the market for faster Ethernet is really getting interesting and Realtek is apparently planning a 10 Gbps solution for next year.

Chinese InnoGrit has proved to be something of a competent contender in the high-end SSD controller market and at Computex 2023 the company was displaying an early sample of its upcoming IG5666 consumer focused PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD controller. At the moment the company has taped out the controller, but aren't happy with the physical size of the chip and will be doing another tape out for a more optimised chip. Innogrit is using a 16 nm node for the controller, which might be part of the reason why they're having a hard time to get it the right size, but there's also cost reasons that have to be taken into consideration.

Based on the early samples, InnoGrit is expecting it to reach sequential speeds of up to 14 GB/s read and 11 GB/s write. Random performance is said to reach 3 million read and 2.5 million write IOPs. The controller should support up to 16 TB of NAND flash and it supports all common types of NAND up to a speed of 2400 MT/s. The IG5666 is based on the same Tacoma architecture as InnoGrit's IG5669, which is targeting enterprise use, yet delivers similar performance.

Antec at the 2023 Computex showed off the NeoECO line of performance-segment PSUs that offer ATX 3.0 spec readiness, and native 600 W 12VHPWR connectors. The series comes in 850 W, 1000 W, and 1300 W variants, each with full modular cabling, and a segment-best 10-year warranty. These feature a single +12 V rail design with 80 Plus Gold switching efficiency, active PFC, DC-to-DC switching, and most common electrical protections. All three models are 14 cm long (even the 1300 W), and use 120 mm FDB fans to keep cool. All three models offer one 12VHPWR connector, two 4+4 pin EPS, and while the 850 W model gives you six 6+2 pin PCIe power, the others give you eight.