Huawei is preparing itself against further United States government technology bans with the introduction of its ARM-based 7 nm Kunpeng 920 CPUs in desktop systems for the Chinese government and enterprise markets. The specific chip used in this upcoming computer is the Kunpeng 920 3211K CPU which features 24 cores clocked at 2.6 GHz paired with 8 GB DDR4 memory, 512 GB Samsung SSD, and an AMD Radeon RX 520 GPU. This specific configuration reportedly beats Intel's Core i9-9900K 8-core processor in multi-core performance, while single-core performance is not reported as it likely lags far behind the high clock speeds of the Core i9-9900K. The desktop runs a custom Linux derived UOS operating system and cannot run Windows 10.

Intel is discontinuing the special dodecahedron LDPE retail packaging for its previous-generation flagship desktop processor, the Core i9-9900K. The processor itself is still an active SKU, but its retail packaging will likely now revert to a more conventional-looking paperboard cuboid package, resembling that of the Core i9-9900KF. There is no mention of any change to the "limited edition" Core i9-9900KS. The product change notification (PCN) may have been triggered by the i9-9900K getting succeeded by the 10-core i9-10900K processor that ships in a simpler (though still premium-looking) hard paperboard package with a large front-face window; and the fact that the dodecahedron LDPE package presented logistics problems for distributors, as crates of these processors could pack fewer units than with smaller cuboid boxes, and needed additional styrofoam cushioning to prevent transit damage.

Noctua is reportedly working on a high-performance fanless CPU cooler building on a 2019 prototype that was exhibited at last year's Computex. The final product should launch within 2020, according to an Overclock3D report. As of now there's no word on whether the said cooler will look identical to last year's prototype, but it provides a long list of capabilities that Noctua could build on. For starters, last year's prototype was capable of handling 120 W TDP in PC cases with good natural ventilation, and up to 180 W in cases with quiet fans. The company used a Core i9-9900K in a variety of workloads as a proof of the heatsink's capabilities. The prototype heatsink was also shown offering decent amount of clearance with the motherboard's memory- and VRM areas. Its only downside was the 1.5 kg weight.

NUDEcnc the UK company known for its Ncore V1 CPU die waterblock which it launched on Kickstarter 2 years ago has announced its next enthusiast PC product the Nlap DIE and IHS. The Nlap IHS and the Nlap die are new lapping devices for LGA 1151 CPUs designed to make CPU die and IHS lapping easier, allowing users to remove material from their CPU die and integrated heat spreader (IHS) to achieve maximum performance with a die cooling product such as the NCore waterblock.

The Nlap series features accuracy of 0.01 mm to allow for maximum material removal which is especially useful on the Intel Core i9-9900K which features a thicker die than previous generations of CPUs. CPU lapping isn't for the faint of heart as its an extremely dangerous way to improve performance and can easily destroy the CPU if done incorrectly. The Nlap IHS and DIE are available in a kit for £25.99 or for £15.99 individually from NUDEcnc's online store.

ASUS launched its ROG Huracan G21 mini gaming PC a long time ago intending to provide a small form factor gaming machine. Today, ASUS decided to update the Huracan with the latest hardware available. Inside a 17.7 liter chassis measuring 129.9×372.4×366.1 mm, ASUS managed to pack some powerful hardware. Starting with CPU, the ROG Huracan G21 is a house to Intel's Core i9-9900K 8 core, 16 thread CPU. There are also configurations available with Intel Core i7-9700K and Core i5-9400 CPUs. The CPU is installed on Mini-ITX Z390 motherboards made by ASUS, so it is technically possible to overclock it, however with an inadequate cooling solution for that it is not recommended.

To make a gaming PC, you need to have a good GPU to push all the framerates, and ASUS opted to equip the G21 with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card with a blower-type cooler. Other options include GeForce RTX 2070 and RTX 2060 GPUs as well. For storage, there are quite a few options. There is one M.2 SATA SSD which can range from 128 GB to 512 GB in capacity. In addition to a 3.5-inch HDD that is available in 1 TB and 2 TB capacity, there is a hot-swap bay for a 2.5-inch drive. As far as the main memory goes, there is room for up to 32 GB of DDR4 2666 MHz memory. For IO, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port is available on the front of the chassis. In the back, there are two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports, along with four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports. Video outputs are dependant on which graphics card is equipped in a given configuration. Additionally, to power this PC, ROG Huracan G21 relies on external power adapters that come in 180, 230, or 280 Watt options that again depend on the configuration of the machine. It is also worth pointing out that for audio, the G21 uses Realtek ALC1150 with ESS DAC and amplifier. Support for RGB is not lacking and of course, and it is compatible with ASUS Aura Sync software.

The HEDT or high-end desktop platform occupies the gray area between desktops and workstations. It has been originally meant for power-users, enthusiasts, and creative professionals. Over the years, with ballooning core-counts, memory bandwidth, and I/O connectivity, the target-audience of the HEDT evolved. Now these processors are useful for people who need a lot of multi-threaded CPU performance with more I/O connectivity than what traditional desktop platforms offer; and who have not use for "workstation" features such as ECC memory, or simply don't want to spend the money.

AMD doubled CPU core counts for its traditional Ryzen desktop platform this year with the introduction of 12-core and 16-core parts; forcing its 3rd gen Threadripper family to begin with even higher core-counts, starting with the 3960X 24-core part at $1,399. Intel, on the other hand, is in a bit of a pickle. Intel's 10 nm silicon fabrication node development isn't benefiting its desktop or HEDT platforms. Allocations of its 10 nm node are mopped up by its high-volume mobile processor and high-margin enterprise processor businesses, leaving too little allocation to roll out desktop or HEDT 10 nm chips at scale.

AMD today announced four new desktop processors across three very diverse markets. To begin with, the company crowned its socket AM4 mainstream desktop platform with the mighty new Ryzen 9 3950X processor. Next up, it released its new baseline entry-level APU, the Athlon 3000G. Lastly, it detailed the 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper HEDT processor family with two initial models, the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and the flagship Ryzen Threadripper 3970X. The company also formally released its AGESA Combo PI 1.0.0.4B microcode, and with it, introduced a killer new feature for all "Zen 2" based Ryzen processors, called ECO Mode.

The Ryzen 9 3950X is a 16-core/32-thread processor in the AM4 package, compatible with all socket AM4 motherboards, provided they have the latest BIOS update with AGESA Combo PI 1.0.0.4B microcode. The processor comes with clock-speeds of 3.50 GHz base, with 4.70 GHz maximum boost frequency, and the same 105 W TDP as the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X. With 512 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache, the chip has a mammoth 72 MB of "total cache."

CORSAIR, a world leader in PC gaming peripherals and enthusiast components, today announced the availability of several new models of its signature CORSAIR ONE family of gaming PCs. The latest to join the CORSAIR ONE lineup are the CORSAIR ONE i145, the CORSAIR ONE i164, and the new range-topping CORSAIR ONE PRO i182. Every new CORSAIR ONE system is powered by a liquid-cooled 9th-gen Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics card, housed in an incredibly compact and unique chassis.

Since its debut in 2017, the CORSAIR ONE has become the preeminent high-performance compact gaming PC. The CORSAIR ONE's ingenious compact design allows every system to pack the advanced hardware of a high-end PC into a mere 12 liters of volume, thanks to a patented convection-assisted liquid cooling system that expels hot air through the top of the chassis to keep temperatures low. The CORSAIR ONE's striking aesthetic is accented by subtly integrated RGB light pipes on either side, fully customizable through CORSAIR iCUE software.

Australian e-tailer MWave has put up their product page for the Intel Core i9-9900KS processor that Intel announced earlier this year, but with no actual product in sight. The merchant's listing is showing an AUD 899 price for SKU BX80684I99900KS, which converts to USD 605. The new Intel processor, is basically a binned eight-core Coffee Lake Core i9-9900K, which runs at 4.0 GHz base clock (up by 400 MHz) and 5.0 GHz all-core Turbo (300 MHz increase). Single-core maximum Turbo remains at 5.0 GHz (just like on the Core i9-9900K).

Just earlier this week, ASUS posted a BIOS update note, mentioning in it that the Core i9-9900KS will have a 127 W TDP. It looks like Intel can definitely defend the gaming performance crown with the Core i9-9900KS, mostly thanks to its high clock speeds. However, since most of the improvements are in multi-core workload boost clocks, and single-threaded clocks are identical to 9900K, I'm having some doubts whether the processor can really make any substantial difference — it's definitely not going to beat the $100 cheaper Ryzen 9 3900X in Cinebench, and the 127 W TDP limit might mean that the 5.0 GHz all-core Boost will end up being active only for a short amount of time.

G.SKILL, the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is very thrilled to announce a new world record for the fastest memory frequency at DDR4-6016.8 MHz, being the first ever to break through the DDR4-6000 barrier. This milestone is set by the Taiwanese professional overclocker, TopPC, using G.SKILL DDR4 Trident Z Royal memory on the latest MSI MPG Z390I GAMING EDGE AC motherboard and Intel Core i9-9900K processor.

Just 3 short months after the world record DDR4-5886MHz set by Toppc at the G.SKILL Computex booth in June, Toppc has once again set a new world record for memory frequency speed and is the first to push DDR4 memory to an astonishing 6 GHz. The validation links for this major milestone can be found in the following CPU-Z validation link and HWBot website screenshot below (validation).

Intel's panic response to the 3rd generation Ryzen processor series, the Core i9-9900KS, will be generally available in October. The company will extensively market it as the best processor money can buy for gaming, and the specs to support that claim are formidable - 8-core/16-thread, with an all-core Turbo Boost frequency of 5.00 GHz. Intel will also actively publicize the growing clamor against real-world boost frequencies of 3rd gen Ryzen processors falling short of what's advertised, as detailed in the slide below. "5 GHz means 5 GHz" could be a prominent catchphrase of the chip's marketing, highlighting the all-core boost clocks. This chip is based on the existing 14 nm++ "Coffee Lake Refresh" silicon, but is likely its topmost bin.

Intel didn't, however, specify the TDP or pricing of the processor. The TDP is bound to be higher than that of the i9-9900K, as it would take a lot more power to sustain 5.00 GHz across all 8 cores. Intel may also try to retake the $499 price-point. The company may time the launch of this chip to closely follow AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 3950X 16-core/32-thread processor launch, which is due later this month. Intel's performance numbers for the i9-9900KS focus squarely on gaming and applications relevant to home users or PC enthusiasts. The i9-9900KS ships in a similar-looking acrylic case as the i9-9900K, with "Special Edition" branding on the front face. The retail package continues to lack a cooling solution.

AMD over the weekend updated the product-pages of its Ryzen processors on the company website to be very specific about what they mean by "Max Boost Clocks," that are advertised almost as extensively as the processor's main nominal clock-speeds. AMD describes it has "the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating under nominal conditions." We read into this as the highest boost-clock given to one of the cores on the processor.

If you've been reading the "clock-frequency and boost analysis" charts in our processor reviews, you'll know that AMD processors spread their boost frequency progressively across cores during a multi-threaded workload that scales across all cores. At any given time, only one of the cores is awarded the highest boost clock, and while the other cores too get boosted beyond the nominal clock-speeds, they are in slight decrements of 25-50 MHz. The graph below is from our Ryzen 7 3700X review. The second graph below is from our Core i9-9900K review, which too shows only one of the cores getting the max boost frequency, and the remaining cores getting lower boost clocks, although the graph looks flatter.

MSI today announced that their in-house overclocker Kovan Yang has broken the world overclocking record for DDR4 memory. The record-breaking feat was achieved with a pair of HyperX Predator DDR4 memory modules paired with MSI's MPG Z390I GAMING EDGE AC motherboard, with a little help from liquid nitrogen cooling.

The overclock was achieved with some compromises: the Intel Core i9-9900K processor that powered the system was running in a pared-down configuration with only a pair of active cores, and the DDR4 memory was working in single-channel mode with a single 8 GB stick and highly relaxed timings of 31-63-6363-2. While this isn't usable in your regular machine, that's not the point of these extreme overclocking feats, anyway. The goal is to showcase component quality and stability whilst working way beyond specifications.

ORIGIN PC is celebrating its 10th anniversary of building world class high-performance custom PCs for gamers, enthusiasts, and professionals with a one-of-a-kind gaming system showcasing the best of PC gaming and console gaming. The system is called Big O, which combines a high-powered gaming PC with an Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 Pro, and Nintendo Switch inside a modified ORIGIN PC GENESIS chassis. This build is a throwback to the original award-winning Big O system built in the early years of ORIGIN PC's history that at the time combined a powerful gaming PC with an Xbox 360.

By using their case modding and PC building expertise, the ORIGIN PC team spent countless hours testing, designing, and building the modern Big O as a stunning technical showpiece. With inspiration from previous custom builds, the Big O offers an incredible hardline liquid cooling solution for the Intel Core i9-9900K CPU and NVIDIA TITAN RTX GPU, which also extends to the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. As for the Nintendo Switch, the team built a custom dock in the front panel of the Big O using the original hardware in order to retain the complete "docking" capabilities of the system. Thus the Nintendo Switch can be docked for full screen gameplay or removed to take gaming on the go.

In more evidence of AMD having finally achieved or exceeded IPC parity with Intel, a mid-range Ryzen 5 3600 processor beats Intel's current mainstream-desktop flagship processor, the Core i9-9900KF, at the PassMark - CPU Mark single-thread benchmark. The official performance chart for PassMark shows the Ryzen 5 3600 leading the pack, with 2,981 points, a score which is 1.77 percent higher than that of the Core i9-9900KF on the same chart. It also beats the Core i9-9900K by 2.86 percent. Interestingly, the chart does not mention whether the Ryzen 5 3600 is running at its stock frequency of 3.60 GHz with 4.20 GHz boost, or whether it's overclocked. The i9-9900KF boosts to 5.00 GHz. For a single-threaded benchmark, it's generally assumed that the maximum boost multiplier is engaged on both chips. The score can't be dismissed due to this uncertainty, either, because AMD achieving a 1-2 percent IPC uplift over "Skylake" (fine, "Coffee Lake,") isn't impossible given the leaps the company made in the past three years.

Intel is embattled in the client-segment desktop processor business, with AMD's imminent launch of its 3rd generation Ryzen desktop processors. Intel's 9th generation Core processors may lose their competitiveness to AMD's offerings, and are expected to get relieved by the company's "Ice Lake" desktop processors only in 2020. Until then, Intel will market its processors through price-cuts, promotions, bundles, and focusing on their gaming prowess. The company will refresh its HEDT (high-end desktop) processor lineup some time in Q3-2019. According to Taiwan-based industry observer DigiTimes citing sources in the motherboard industry, Intel's immediate response to 3rd generation Ryzen will be a series of price-cuts to products in its client-segment DIY retail channel.

According to these sources, prices of 9th generation Core processors could be cut by a minimum of 10 percent, and a maximum of 15 percent, varying by SKUs. This could see prices of popular gaming/enthusiast SKUs such as the Core i9-9900K, the i7-9700K, and the i5-9600K, drop by anywhere between $25 to $75. AMD is launching the Ryzen 9 3900X to compete with the i9-9900K, the Ryzen 7 3800X to compete with the i7-9700K, and the Ryzen 5 3600X to take on the i5-9600K. The three SKUs, according to AMD's internal testing, match the Intel chips at gaming, and beat them at content-creation tasks. At the heart of 3rd generation Ryzen processors is AMD's new Zen 2 microarchitecture, which brings significant IPC gains. AMD is also increasing core-counts on its mainstream desktop platform with the introduction of the Ryzen 9 family of 12-core and 16-core processors in the AM4 package.

COMINO is a hitherto unrepresented brand at TPU, so we'll try and change that in this post. COMINO is an European manufacturer based off Cyprus, which have specialized in datacenter and retail cooling solutions. They seem particularly geared towards digital currencies, building specialized enclosures for mining hardware to perform at their fullest potential.

At COMPUTEX, the company showcased their OTTO system, built upon their aptly named OTTO chassis, which looks like a full-blown radiator by itself. It's an SFF gaming PC in a ~13 L volume chassis that nonetheless packs in the most powerful components users can buy today: Intel's Core i9-9900K CPU, NVIDIA's RTX 2080 Ti graphics card, and all the other bangs and whistles expected from a top-tier gaming PC. The company has worked on developing everything as needed to make the most of the available space, including the incorporation of Black Ice radiators with Noctua fans, custom water blocks with fins from a different process than usual to allow higher heat exchange, and preparing a dual connection PCIe extension adapter based on the server market needs to allow an x16 connection as opposed to the usual x8. Look out for a more detailed look at the system here in due time!

Computer Upgrade King (CUK) is a new BTO (build-to-order) gaming PC manufacturer based out of Virginia, USA. Unlike other system integrators, CUK extends component choices all the way down to the cases. At Computex, the company showed off its Stratos Mini high-end desktop (HEDT), powered by an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX processor, AMD Radeon VII graphics, 32 GB of quad-channel DDR4-3000 memory, an ASRock X399M Taichi motherboard, and a SeaSonic Prime 1300W 80 Plus Gold PSU. Also shown off was the Continuum Mini, a compact powerhouse built around a mini-ITX motherboard. Its chops include the Core i9-9900K processor seated on an MSI MPG Z390I Gaming Edge AC motherboard; GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics, 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200 Apacer NoX memory; and a 750W power supply.

Remember that ludicrous Gigabyte bundle that mixed the company's most outrageously expensive motherboard with a cherry-picked Intel Core i9-9900K overclocked to 5.1 GHz? Well, it's finally available, if that's your particular kind of beach, and the pricing is better than was expected. Solo, the motherboard sets you back $999, while a cherry-picked Intel Core i9-9900K at 5.1 GHz would set you back some $939 in houses such as Silicon Lottery. However, Gigabyte have confirmed that the bundle pricing for these components for the US stands at $1,699 - which really isn't too shabby, if you consider the motherboard to have sufficient bang for your buck.

Intel Tuesday once again shook the IT world by disclosing severe microarchitecture-level security vulnerabilities affecting its processors. The Microarchitectural Data Sampling (MDS) class of vulnerabilities affect Intel CPU architectures older than "Coffee Lake" to a greater extent. Among other forms of mitigation software patches, Intel is recommending that users disable HyperThreading technology (HTT), Intel's simultaneous multithreading (SMT) implementation. This would significantly deplete multi-threaded performance on older processors with lower core-counts, particularly Core i3 2-core/4-thread chips.

On "safer" microarchitectures such as "Coffee Lake," though, Intel is expecting a minimal impact of software patches, and doesn't see any negative impact of disabling HTT. This may have something to do with the 50-100 percent increased core-counts with the 8th and 9th generations. The company put out a selection of benchmarks relevant to client and enterprise (data-center) use-cases. On the client use-case that's we're more interested in, a Core i9-9900K machine with software mitigation and HTT disabled is negligibly slower (within 2 percent) of a machine without mitigation and HTT enabled. Intel's selection of benchmarks include SYSMark 2014 SE, WebXprt 3, SPECInt rate base (1 copy and n copies), and 3DMark "Skydiver" with the chip's integrated UHD 630 graphics. Comparing machines with mitigations applied but toggling HTT presents a slightly different story.

The product family of XPC cubes has a new member: With the SH370R8, Shuttle presents a powerful model for the latest Intel Core processors of the 9th generation and graphics cards from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 series. The SH370R8 targets power users, network users and gamers alike. Based on Intel's H370 chipset, the XPC Barebone SH370R8 supports all the latest Intel Core processors of the "Coffee Lake" series for socket LGA1151v2 with up to 95 W TDP, including the top model Core i9-9900K with eight cores and 16 threads. Four slots are also provided for a total of up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory.

Based on Intel's H370 chipset, the XPC Barebone SH370R8 supports all the latest Intel Core processors of the "Coffee Lake" series for socket LGA1151v2 with up to 95 W TDP, including the top model Core i9-9900K with eight cores and 16 threads. Four slots are also provided for a total of up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory. "The R8 format offers maximum performance and features in a compact size," explains Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. "It is ideal for use in ambitious gaming or professional applications. Storage scenarios with up to four 3.5-inch drives are also possible."

European PC enthusiasts continue to see value in choosing AMD Ryzen processors over Intel Core, as the latest public data by German retailer Mindfactory.de, which ships across the EU, shows AMD processors outselling Intel 2:1. Although earlier Intel would have the upperhand in revenue despite lower volumes, this time around, AMD shored up revenues on the backs of high-margin products such as the Ryzen 7 2700X and the HEDT Ryzen Threadripper series.

The 6-core/12-thread Ryzen 5 2600 is the most popular processor offering high value under the 200€-mark. It is followed by the 8-core/16-thread Ryzen 7 2700X. Buyers prefer the 2700X to the cheaper 2700 non-X. The Ryzen 5 2600X is another strong seller. Over in the Intel camp, the Core i9-9900K and Core i7-9700K are strong sellers, followed by the i5-9600K and the newly released i5-9400F. Pricing graphs show Intel processor pricing steadily rise over 2018, while AMD chips remained largely flat. These numbers are not indicative of the overall market, since Mindfactory caters to DIY PC gamers and enthusiasts only.

Gigabyte has been stretching its product portfolio for a while now, and it seems the company really wants to be the one to distribute everything on your PC if it can. Of course, no company does this based on its good heart - Gigabyte is putting up a margin on all products, as the whole spirit of business and capitalism requires. Their latest move is to bundle an overclocked, cherry-picked Intel Core i9 9900K CPU with their most expensive motherboard to date, the Z390 Aorus Extreme Waterforce. This motherboard alone retails for $999, and is built from a "Gigabytestein" of parts such as their Z390 Aorus Extreme motherboard ($550) paired with a custom waterblock.

The good part of having the CPU bundled with the motherboard is that Gigabyte has taken the pains of BIOS tweaking to ensure proper, stable operation - each combo has already been tended to by Gigabyte's engineers - stress testing included - and is guaranteed to work at the cherry-picked 5.1 GHz frequency on all cores. The bundle pricing isn't known as of yet, but pairing the $999 motherboard with a CPU that usually retails for around $525 (due to price fluctuations on account of Intel's CPU shortages) amounts to a cool $1,524 - add in a Gigabyte tax and the price of cherry-picking these CPUs (Silicon Lottery has these i9-9900K going for an out of stock $939), and a bundle price of $1,899 would still be worth it - if you really (really) want that motherboard.