GIGABYTE today introduced a powerful variant of its BRIX IoT fanless node. In contrast to its Pentium "Apollo Lake" SoC based siblings, the new GB-EKi3A-7100 ships with a Core i3-7100U "Kaby Lake" processor. The unit is also slightly larger, measuring 180 mm x 117 mm x 36 mm (LxWxH). You get two DDR4 SODIMM slots, besides a 32 Gbps M.2-2280 slot with NVMe support, so you can add your own memory and SSD. Connectivity includes 802.11ac WLAN with Bluetooth 4.0, gigabit Ethernet, RS232 serial COM, two 5 Gbps USB 3.0 type-A ports, and two 10 Gbps USB 3.1 ports, of which one is type-C. Display outputs include HDMI 2.0 and mini-DisplayPort 1.2 (driven by the integrated Intel HD 620 graphics core).

Following its launch of the Ryzen 5 series performance-segment six-core and quad-core processors later this month, AMD could launch entry-level quad-core chips based on the 14 nm "Summit Ridge" silicon in the second half of 2017. This lineup will be called the Ryzen 3 series, and will occupy several sub-$150 price points.

The Ryzen 3 series parts will compete with Intel's Core i3 dual-core "Kaby Lake" processors, and will offer four cores, even if lacking SMT (that's 4 cores, 4 threads), and up to 8 MB of L3 cache, making for a compelling deal against Core i3 "Kaby Lake" dual-core parts that have 2 cores and 4 threads enabled through HyperThreading, and just 3-4 MB of L3 cache. What's more, the Ryzen 3 series chips will come with unlocked base-clock multipliers. One of the prominent Ryzen 3 series SKUs revealed by leaky taps among the motherboard industry is the Ryzen 3 1200.

Over 12 hours ahead of its unveiling, Guru3D accidentally (timezone confusion) posted some juicy details about AMD's exciting Ryzen 5 desktop processor lineup. What makes these chips particularly exciting is that they occupy several sub-$250 price points, and offer the kind of gaming performance you'd expect from the larger 8-core Ryzen 7 series chips, since not a lot of games need 8 cores and 16 threads. The Ryzen 5 series will launch with two 6-core, and two 4-core SKUs, all four of which feature SMT (simultaneous multi-threading), and unlocked base-clock multipliers.

The Ryzen 5 series is topped by the Ryzen 5-1600X, priced at USD $249. This 6-core/12-thread chip features the full 16 MB of L3 cache available on the 14 nm "Summit Ridge" silicon, and backs it with clock speeds of 3.60 GHz core and 4.00 GHz TurboCore, with the XFR (extended frequency range) feature enabling higher clocks depending on the effectiveness of your CPU cooling. This chip could be AMD's power move against the Intel Core i5-7600K. Next up, is the Ryzen 5-1600 (non-X), priced at $219. This chip lacks the XFR feature, and comes with slightly lower clocks out of the box, with 3.20 GHz core, and 3.60 GHz TurboCore. You still get an unlocked base-clock multiplier, which Intel's $220-ish competitor to this chip, the Core i5-7500, sorely lacks.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen chips probably represent the hardware world's most awaited shake-up in recent times (and I do know I've been mentioning this non-stop, but please, do bear with me here). The thought that the underdog could finally present an actual alternative - at least performance-wise - to its Goliath of a rival - and thus introducing renewed competition in a bogged-down hardware segment and the democratization of high-quality processing cores - is simply too good to not gobble down like water given to a desert nomad. I, for one, hope that AMD can deliver, prompting a better competitive - and pricing - environment for all of us.

And it would seem that Intel is looking to staunch an eventual bleeding that AMD's Ryzen chips might instill to their CPU line-up, with its expected 4-core, 8-thread, 6-core 12-thread, and 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen processors, by shaking up its - now ancient - line-up of Core processors. Intel has already introduced some changes to its line with the release of Kaby Lake - with some Celeron processors carrying Hyper Threading, previously locked to their i3 processors, and the first unlocked-multiplier Core i3-7350K processor, but apparently the company feels that isn't enough for Ryzen's expected performance - enter the Core i7-7740K and the Core i5-7640K.

Intel's Core i3-7350K, the little dual-core that could, is going to be absent from the company's launch line-up, multiple sources have reported. Considering Intel's other expected, already pretty well-known parts and respective pricing which will be making up its Kaby Lake market launch, the absence of Intel's only "innovative" product (if you can really call an unlocked multiplier an innovation) surely presents itself as sad news for the extreme value-conscious consumer - at least if non-K overclocking of Intel's processors is, this time around, properly shut-down by the company as intended.

Expected to be priced at $175, the Core i3-7350K is expected to carry a base clock of 4 GHz, with 5 GHz on air being the expected OC potential of the chips. Apparently, Intel is delaying the launch of this part (as well as its entry-level Celeron and Pentium families of processors) by several weeks. This could be a way for Intel to prevent early cannibalization of its i5 7400 processors by a small chip that could, in the right scenario, provide much higher performance due to its 1 GHz extra base core clock speed (also being the only Core i3 desktop SKU to feature Turbo Boost, with a frequency of up to 4.2 GHz).

Intel's 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors are slated for a January 2017 launch, beginning with the flagship Core i7-7700K processor. Ahead of their launch, here are pictures of the retail boxes of Core i7, Core i5, and Core i3 "Kaby Lake" processors. As you can see, they're nearly identical to those of the 6th generation Core "Skylake" boxes, except for the "7th Generation" marking on the box, Intel HD Graphics 630 markings, and an interesting-looking "For a Great VR Experience" marking on the box. The processor model number sticker will be pasted right where you'd expect it. Intel Core "Kaby Lake" processors will run on motherboards with Intel 200-series chipset out of the box, and on 100-series chipset motherboards with BIOS updates.

Intel's third overclocker-friendly SKU from its 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processor family, the Core i3-7350K, is shaping up to be an interesting option for gaming PC builds. It may be a dual-core chip, which at $177 is within striking-range of the current $189 Core i5-6400 quad-core chip, but the lack of two cores appears to be more than made up for by its significantly higher clock speeds, even in multi-threaded benchmarks. The i3-7350K is clocked at 4.00 GHz, out of the box. It's also the only Core i3 desktop SKU to feature Turbo Boost, with a frequency of 4.20 GHz. It chip comes with an unlocked base-clock multiplier, letting you overclock it with ease.

A PC enthusiast with access to a Core i3-7350K sample put it through Geekbench, where it scored 5,137 points in the single-threaded tests, and 10,048 in multi-threaded tests. Here's where it gets interesting - the Core i5-6400 quad-core chip scores 3,686 points (single-threaded), and 9,982 points (multi-threaded. The i5-6400 is clocked at a mere 2.70 GHz, with 3.30 GHz Turbo Boost. Even the higher clocked i5-4670K "Haswell" quad-core chip (3.40 GHz core, 3.80 GHz Turbo Boost) doesn't manage to beat the i3-7350K, with 4,361 points (single-threaded), and 10,036 points (multi-threaded).

ASRock updated its Beebox-S line of mini-PC desktops with 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors. These 110 mm x 46 mm x 118.5 mm (WxHxL) desktops come with two new processor options, Core i5-7200U, and Core i3-7100U. Both are dual-core chips, with the i5-7200U offering 2.50-3.10 GHz clock speeds (core/Turbo Boost), 3 MB L3 cache, and Intel HD 620 graphics; while the i3-7100U offers 2.40 GHz clocks (no Turbo Boost), 3 MB L3 cache, and HD 620 graphics.

Other internal features of the Beebox-S include two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2133 memory; one 32 Gb/s M.2-2280 slot with NVMe boot support, and one 9 mm-thick 2.5-inch drive bay with SATA 6 Gb/s interface. Network connectivity includes 802.11ac WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, Infrared, and gigabit Ethernet. Display outputs include one each of HDMI 2.0 (supports 4K @ 60 Hz), HDMI 1.4, and DisplayPort 1.2a. Other features include two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.1 ports (of which one is type-C), and an infrared media remote. ASRock didn't reveal pricing.

AMD's first desktop processors based on the "ZEN" micro-architecture will be priced above the fastest socket AM4 part currently in production, the A12-9800 APU. While AMD hasn't started selling the A-series socket AM4 APUs in the retail channel, the top-end A12-9800, which is faster than the A10-7870K from its previous-generation, is expected to be priced at least the same ($160) or higher. This would mean that even the cheapest ZEN part, under the ZEN SR3 series, likely quad-core; could be priced above $160.

Two key slides from a presentation AMD intended for Chinese distribution channels, was leaked to the web by ChipHell tech forum members, revealing that ZEN parts will be priced in a segment "above" RMB ¥1,500 (USD $218), assuming that that's a price inclusive of all taxes. The company also put out some performance numbers for the A8-9600 "Bristol Ridge" socket AM4 APU, keeping the "Godavari" A8-7650K as baseline, compared to the Intel Core i3-6100 "Skylake" processor. The A8-9600 was shown to be faster in most tests.

With early tests showing minimal CPU core performance gains (IPC) over the current-gen Core "Skylake" processors, Intel is taking a different approach to selling its 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors to DIY PC enthusiasts. The lineup will have a third overclockable "K" processor SKU, besides the top-dog Core i7-7700K and the performance-segment Core i5-7600K. Intel is planning to spice things up for the sub-$200 market with an overclockable dual-core part, the Core i3-7350K.

The Core i3-7350K will be the company's first overclockable Core i3 part. The company had celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Pentium brand with an overclockable Pentium dual-core G3258 processor. The i3-7350K will feature an unlocked base-clock multiplier, letting you easily overclock it. The dual-core chip will feature HyperThreading, enabling 4 logical CPUs for the OS to address. Out of the box, it will come with clocks of 4.00 GHz, and 4.20 GHz Turbo Boost. It will also feature 4 MB of L3 cache. Interestingly, its TDP will be rated at 91W, the same as overclockable quad-core parts. The chip could likely come in a special PIB package that lacks a stock cooling solution. The chip is rumored to be priced at US $177.

Following the launch of the NC01 series in a typical NUC format, the Shuttle XPC nano product range is growing once again. The NC02 models are the immediate successors and put the sixth generation of Intel Core processors in a micro-format. The NC02 models are sold as barebones PC as standard which include the case, mainboard, heatpipe cooling system and power supply unit as key components. Four different models with soldered Celeron, Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 power-saving processors are available to cover as many application areas as possible.

The base model NC02U is driven by an Intel Celeron 3855U dual-core processor clocked at 2x 1.6 GHz. The 14 nm architecture as well as the power consumption of less than 10 Watt in operation promise low energy consumption and enhanced performance. With its ultra-slim dimensions of 141 x 141 x 42 mm, the housing is 13 mm taller compared to the NC01, enabling the units to support even 15 mm high 2.5" drives.

Intel takes computing to the next level with the 7th Gen Intel Core processor family. The 7th Gen Intel Core processors are designed for the immersive Internet and built on a strong foundation of the Skylake microarchitecture. Intel's latest 14 nm processors deliver more responsive performance than ever, fantastic entertainment and gaming, robust security, and even more natural, intuitive interactions with your PC. With incredible improvements that transform the viewing experience with 4K UHD videos, 360-degree videos , multiple video streams, and premium content playback, the 7th Gen Intel Core processors for mobile platforms enable a new way to enjoy the sharp and engaging content across a range of form factors.

Intel scales 7th Gen Intel Core processors to a variety of PC designs at a wide range of price points, which may include features such as Thunderbolt 3 USB Type-C single-wire connection, low power premium audio and hassle-free facial recognition such as Windows Hello. Users can also expect to see PC designs based on 7th Gen Intel Core processors with a variety of intuitive input options such as touch, voice, and stylus.

Shuttle's popular series of robust, fanless, steel chassis Mini-PCs has been given a subtle make-over. Now the sixth generation of Intel Core processors (Skylake) is being used in five different model versions. This update brings 4K support, ac-WLAN and M.2 slot.

As with their predecessors, the five new models measure just 20 x 16.5 x 3.95 cm (DWH) and have 2x Intel Gigabit Ethernet, two serial interfaces, HDMI and DisplayPort, remote Power-ON and Always-ON jumper. New features include ac-WLAN with external antennae, support for DirectX 12 and 4K screens in all models. Up to 32 GB DDR3L memory can now be installed and the USB 3.0 ports have moved to the front panel. Each model comes supplied with a VESA mount that enables it to be attached to a suitable monitor or surface. At just 10 Watts, power consumption is just as miserly as before.

Giada Technology, the industry leader in embedded systems and expert in server technology, today officially announced the release of the i80 high-performance super-compact PC. The i80 embodies the core principles of Intel's NUC (Next Unit of Computing) concept, offering great power, connectivity and adaptability, but with a tiny footprint. Powered by a 6th generation Intel Core CPU and the Skylake-U platform, the i80 provides a balanced system that's powerful and versatile when you need it to be, but also very compact and energy efficient.

Despite its diminutive size, the i80 features dual independent monitor support, at up to 4K (4096 x 2304) resolution, via the HDMI and Mini-DP sockets. There's efficient integrated Intel HD Graphics 520 built-in to drive video and graphics. Memory is expandable up to 16GB via two SO-DIMM sockets for DDR3L-1600 MHz memory modules, providing great support for today's applications and far into the future. The dual channel capability significantly improves system and video performance. This core hardware offers great office and media benchmark performance.

SFF desktop major Aleutia unveiled pictures of its latest Core "Skylake" NUC derived desktop, that's completely fanless. The new Aleutia R50 is built up of a stack of metal plates, with copper plates among the middle ridges; which serve as heatsink for the Core "Skylake" chip. CPU options include Core i3-6100U and Core i5-6260U. Memory options include 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB dual-channel DDR4; and storage options include 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB SSDs. Prices range between 599 GBP to 1,099 GBP.

Arctic unveiled a new fan-less CPU cooler for Intel LGA115x sockets, the Alpine M1 Passive. With a rated cooling capacity of 48W (TDP), the cooler is only recommended for dual-core LGA1150 and LGA1151 Core i3, Pentium, Celeron, or energy-efficient Core i5 processors. Its design couldn't get any simpler - a big chunk of aluminium that's ridged to make up fins of the heatsink, with a bulge near the CPU area, with pre-applied thermal paste. Measuring 95 mm x 95 mm x 69 mm (LxDxH), it weighs in at 508 g. Available now, it's priced at 13€. It could prove to be an interesting option for low-power builds that never game.

Since Intel fully integrated the core logic (northbridge) with its processors, overclocking them by tinkering with the base-clock (BClk, the primary clock domain from which the CPU's clock speed is set using multipliers), became unstable, as it was used as a cadence for other key components on the chip, such as iGPU and PCIe root-complex. Apparently, with its 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors, Intel has de-linked base-clock from other clock domains, re-enabling overclocking using BClk, which is particularly helpful on non-K (upwards multiplier locked) SKUs.

Some of the first motherboards that enable BClk overclocking on Skylake CPUs come from Supermicro, the server/workstation motherboard maker that's dipping its toes into DIY enthusiast platforms these days. "Dhenzjhen," an overclocker from the Philippines struck gold by achieving a 5.00 GHz overclock on a Core i3-6320 dual-core chip, using a Supermicro C7H170-M motherboard (which is driven by an Intel H170 chipset). Shortly after news of this feat broke, ASRock fired an email to the press, stating that its Z170 Extreme7+ motherboard is able to support 4.50 GHz clocks on a Core i5-6600 quad-core chip, using an experimental BIOS. ASRock is validating this BIOS internally, and hopes to release it "very soon."

As with two previous product launches from Shuttle, the new DH170 becomes a member of the product family of Skylake-compatible Mini-PCs. This means there are three models in different case designs available now for the new generation of Intel Core processors - one model in classic cube format, one versatile 3-litre machine and today the DH170 debuts with a particularly compact case volume of 1.3-litre.

"This type of case is also suitable for locations where conditions are tough, but high computing performance is still required," says Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. "The 43 mm flat steel case offers maximum protection from mechanical stresses and can also cope with ambient temperatures of up to 50 °C."

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the successor to its award-winning Chromebook 2. Now available with a 5th Gen Intel Core i3 or Celeron processor and up to 4GB of RAM, these two new models deliver better performance for loading content-rich webpages quickly, providing brilliant video playback and effortless multitasking. Both models come with an all-new LED backlit keyboard for a more seamless experience when web browsing, watching movies, listening to music and getting work done, even in low light environments.

"As more people use Chromebooks for productivity and rely more often on the web for content creation and entertainment, devices need to be better equipped for these higher processing demands and built with hardware features that optimize Chrome OS," said Philip Osako, senior director of product marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "With the launch of our latest Chromebook 2 models, Toshiba delivers brilliant performance for an outstanding experience on and off the web with entertainment-inspired hardware features that make the most of Chrome OS and enable customers to get things done faster wherever their Chromebook 2 takes them."

Intel expanded its 6th generation Core "Skylake" processor lineup for the desktop, with seven new models. Built in the LGA1151 package, these chips work on motherboards running the company's 100-series chipset. Besides the overclocker-friendly Core i7-6700K and the i5-6600K already launched, the lineup now includes the i7-6700, i5-6600, i5-6500, i5-6400, i3-6320, i3-6300, and the i3-6100. Of these, the Core i7 and Core i5 models are quad-core, while the Core i3 ones are dual-core.

The Core i7-6700 and i5-6600 are not just different from the i7-6700K and i5-6600K in that they lack unlocked BClk multipliers, they also come with lower clock speeds out of the box. The i7-6700 is clocked at 3.40 GHz with 4.00 GHz max Turbo Boost (i7-6700K offers 4.00 GHz with 4.20 GHz Turbo), while the i5-6600 is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost (i5-6600K offers 3.50 GHz with 3.90 GHz Turbo). The i7-6700 is priced at US $312, while the i5-6600 goes for $213 (single-unit box price).

Retail availability of the two Core "Skylake" SKUs Intel debuted, the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K, begins today. This is when you will be able to pick up a boxed chip off the shelf, or order one online. To help ease the socket confusion, online retailers are selling bundles of these chips with compatible socket LGA1151 motherboards at a nominal discount, some of which include DDR4 memory, depending on the motherboard bundled. On its own, the Core i7-6700K is priced at US $343, while the Core i5-6600K is priced at $250.

The i7-6700K offers clock speeds of 4.00 GHz out of the box, with Turbo Boost frequency of 4.20 GHz. It also offers 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading, which enables 8 logical CPUs for the OS to address. The Core i5-6600K, on the other hand, offers 3.50 GHz clocks with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost. It offers 6 MB of L3 cache, and lacks HyperThreading. Both are quad-core chips, with unlocked base-clock multipliers, for overclocking. The retail packages of both chips lack stock cooling solutions, so you need to have an LGA115x-compatible cooler ready. The TDP of both chips is rated at 91W. Intel will put out some of the finer micro-architecture details on the 16th of August, 2015. More Core i5 quad-core SKUs in the series will be released on the 29th of August, 2015. Dual-core Core i3 SKUs will be launched towards the end of September, 2015.

Intel's upcoming Core "Skylake-U" low-power processors, for ultra-portable notebooks, tablets, convertibles, and fan-less desktops, is where the fruition of Intel's 14 nm process takes shape. These dual-core chips, spanning all five brand extensions - Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron, offering TDP as low as 7.5W, and no more than 15W. The lineup is kept slim, with no more than 2 SKUs per extension. All three Core extensions feature Intel HD 520 graphics, clocked around 350 MHz, with 1000 to 1050 MHz boost, while the Pentium and Celeron models feature slimmer HD 510 graphics, ticking at 300/900 MHz.

The lineup is led by the Core i7-6600U and i7-6500U. Besides HyperThreading enabling 4 logical CPUs, these two chips feature 4 MB L3 cache, 1050 MHz iGPU boost frequency, and the highest CPU clock-speeds in the series. The Core i5 chips differ from their Core i7 counterparts with sub-3 GHz CPU clock speeds, 3 MB L3 cache, and maximum iGPU boost frequency of 1000 MHz. The Core i3 parts are almost identical to their Core i5 counterparts, except they lack CPU Turbo Boost. The Pentium processors feature very low CPU core speeds, and are almost identical to Core i3, but feature lower 950 MHz iGPU boost frequency, and 2 MB L3 cache. Celeron parts lack HyperThreading. Some of these parts will launch in 2015, others in 2016. Find the exact clock speeds for each SKU in the table below.

ZOTAC International, a global innovator and manufacturer of graphics card and mini PCs, today puts the limelight on the brand new R Series, the new member of the ZBOX mini PC family. This is the small form factor solution that is more than a personal PC with its storage solution and functionalities while providing the same power efficiency and space saving features that users expect from ZBOX.

"This is certainly a breakthrough for both the mini PC and personal computing," explains Tony Wong, CEO, ZOTAC International. "We are adding more functions to elevate the mini PC to a whole new plane while keeping our signature space saving design and power efficiency. This new addition to the mini PC family will open new doors to even more functionalities."

Intel topped off its value dual-core processor lineup with a new energy-efficient part, the Core i3-4170T. One of the last chips to be based on the 22 nm "Haswell" silicon, this chip offers two cores with HyperThreading enabling four logical CPUs, 3.20 GHz clock speeds, 3 MB, and a TDP of just 35W (standard i3-41xx series feature 54W TDP). The i3-4170T is priced roughly on par with the current series-leading chip, the i3-4160. A little later this month, Intel will unveil the i3-4170, which will be the fastest part in the series, featuring 3.70 GHz clock speeds.

ZOTAC International, a global innovator and manufacturer of graphics card and mini-PCs, today brings greater efficiency in the same small package with the new M-series. Integrating the new Intel Broadwell processors into the latest models, the new ZBOX MI522 nano and ZBOX MI542 nano are leading the way to small, more power efficient mini-PCs.

"We are always forward looking and pleased to introduce the latest technology into our mini-PCs so our users can enjoy all the innovations that come with the times. By integrating the new Intel Broadwell CPUs into our new M-series, we are enabling users to get the best of both worlds in terms of speed and power efficiency," reveals Jacky Huang, Director of Product Management, ZOTAC International.