GIGABYTE updated the BRIX UHD SFF desktop it showed off in 2016, with the new BRIX VR BNi7G6-1060, a desktop with actual gaming credentials, targeted at VR gaming. The BNi7G6-1060 is based on the same cuboidal chassis as the BRIX UHD, with updated hardware - 7th gen Core "Kaby Lake" mobile processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics (not sure if 3 GB or 6 GB), two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, two 32 Gb/s M.2-2280 slots, 802.11ac WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI 2.0 display output, and USB 3.1 type-C ports.

Intel is giving final touches to its next-generation "Gemini Lake" SoC, which will be sold under the Celeron and Pentium brands, and will succeed the current-generation "Apollo Lake" SoC. Built on a refined 14 nm process, the chip features a TDP of just 6W for the mobile variant, and 10W for the SFF desktop, but boasts of improved performance-per-Watt than its predecessor, translating into direct performance gains.

To begin with, "Gemini Lake" will embed a dual-core or quad-core CPU based on Intel's "Goldmont Plus" micro-architecture. A Goldmont Plus core isn't physically different from the current-gen "Goldmont," but apparently doubles the L2 cache to 4 MB from the existing 2 MB, and takes advantage of process-level improvements to lower power-draw, which Intel is using to bump up the CPU clock speeds.

TechPowerUp and G.Skill Memory bring you three more reasons to take the AMD Ryzen leap, with the "Game Faster with Flare X" Giveaway. Up for grabs are three G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2x 8GB) dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory kits, which are based on Samsung b-die DRAM chips, and are recommended by AMD for the best performance on its Ryzen series desktop processors. The Flare X series kits are renowned for reliably sustaining DDR4-3200 speeds on Ryzen machines, which have a direct impact on their performance, since DRAM clock is synced with the clock speed of the Infinity Fabric interconnect between the two CCX quad-core units on Ryzen processors. The giveaway is open worldwide.For more information, and to participate, visit this page.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is thrilled to announce its largest annual LN2 extreme overclocking events at Computex - the 6th Annual OC World Record Stage 2017 and 4th Annual OC World Cup 2017. In addition, an Extreme OC Workshop event co-hosted with HWBOT.org at the G.SKILL booth this year. These 3 events will be held throughout Computex week at the G.SKILL Computex booth in the Nangang Exhibition Hall, 1F, Booth J0806.

The G.SKILL OC World Record Stage event has reached its 6th year in the running and has become one of the biggest annual overclocking events in the community. This year, 18 world-class professional overclockers will be attending and aim to break as many benchmark records as possible, showing off the astounding performance of the latest hardware from Intel, leading motherboard vendors, and G.SKILL.

AMD, in an interview with Forbes, confirmed that it is working to improve DDR4 memory support of its Ryzen series processors, to enable higher memory clocks. AMD Ryzen users find it difficult to get DDR4 memory clocks to run above 3000 MHz reliably. With memory clock being linked with the chip's Infinity Fabric clock (the interconnect between two CCX units on the "Summit Ridge" silicon), the performance incentives for higher memory clocks are just that much more.

AMD confirmed that its AGESA update for May improves DDR4 memory compatibility, although it also stressed on the need for motherboard manufacturers to improve their board designs in the future, with more PCB layers and better copper traces between the DIMM slots and the SoC socket. The company assures that more updates to AGESA are in the pipeline, and would improve performance of Ryzen processors at various levels. The AGESA updates are dispensed through motherboard vendors as BIOS updates.

ASUS today introduced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) STRIX X370-F Gaming motherboard, positioned below its flagship ROG Crosshair VI Hero, but above its Prime X370-Pro upper mid-range motherboard. Based on the AMD X370 chipset, and ready for socket AM4 Ryzen processors, the board is characterized by its RGB LED lighting chops. The VRM and chipset heatsinks feature RGB LEDs with diffusers, the board is peppered with status LEDs, and features RGB LED headers. The included ASUS Aura Sync RGB lets you orchestrate your LED setup.

Built in the ATX form-factor, the STRIX X370-F Gaming draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. A 10-phase VRM conditions power for the AM4 SoC, which is wired to four reinforced DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and two reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 with both populated), with NVIDIA SLI support. The third x16 slot is electrical x4 and wired to the chipset. Three other x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today released the new TVS-882ST3, a 2.5" 8-bay Thunderbolt 3 NAS. Powered by an energy-efficient 6th Generation Intel 14nm Core i7/i5 quad-core processor with AES-NI encryption, the TVS-882ST3 includes dual Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, 10GbE 10GBASE-T dual networking ports, USB 3.1 10Gbps Type-C/Type-A ports, and 4K HDMI output to exclusively provide a Thunderbolt/NAS/iSCSI SAN triple solution. The TVS-882ST3 is a compact NAS that can greatly boost workflow collaboration between Thunderbolt 3-enabled Mac and Windows users. It is also ideal for an all-SSD configuration to provide the utmost performance.

The TVS-882ST3 combines versatile high-speed interfaces including Thunderbolt 3, 10GbE, and USB 3.1 (Gen2 10Gbps Type-C and Type-A) in a powerful NAS solution to realize optimized data transfer in different applications," said Jason Hsu, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "with its compact frame and eight 2.5" bays that are ideal for SSDs, the TVS-882ST3 is perfect for small offices and teams looking for a NAS with performance and functionality that is normally reserved for high-end servers."

AMD Ryzen 9 "Threadripper" series 12-core, 14-core, and 16-core client desktop processors, which will form the company's next-generation high-end desktop (HEDT) lineup, which goes against Intel Core i9 "Skylake-X" series, could come in a brand new socket. This shouldn't come as a surprise because the chips have higher electrical requirements, besides double the I/O of socket AM4 Ryzen processors, such as a 44-lane PCIe gen 3.0 root complex, quad-channel DDR4 memory interface, and more. This socket, according to a "HotHardware" report, is an LGA (land-grid array) with 4,094 pins.

The new LGA-4094 socket, so-called SP3r2, will be slightly scaled up from the SP3 socket AMD has been selling enterprise Opteron-brand multi-socket CPUs on (pictured below). The consumer version of this socket could feature a more user-friendly retention mechanism that shouldn't require a screwdriver to fasten. Motherboards based on this distinctively rectangular socket will feature up to eight DDR4 DIMM slots to hold quad-channel DDR4 memory, and over four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, with support for 3-way and 4-way multi-GPU solutions. The motherboards will also feature copious amounts of onboard devices, M.2 slots, and other storage connectivity. Since "Threadripper" is rumored to be a multi-chip module of two 14 nm "Summit Ridge" dies linked together on-package with with an Infinity Fabric interconnect, only one of the two dies links to the motherboard chipset (AMD X399 chipset), while all the PCIe lanes of the second die (including those which would make up the chipset bus) are freed up.

Intel is reportedly giving final touches to a new line of high-end desktop processors under the Core i9 brand extension. Until now, the company used the Core i7 brand extension broadly, to cover both the top-end parts of the mainstream-desktop (LGA115x) segment, and the high-end desktop (HEDT) segment, consisting of the LGA1366 and LGA2011-series sockets. With the advent of the new LGA2066 socket, Intel will be launching two distinct kinds of products - the Core i7 "Kaby Lake-X" quad-core series; and the Core i9 "Skylake-X" 6-core, 8-core, 10-core, and 12-core processors.

The Core i7 "Kaby Lake-X" will include the much talked about Core i7-7740K and i7-7640K quad-core processors (there's no Core i5 Kaby Lake-X). These chips will feature up to 1 MB of dedicated L2 cache per core, which is four times that of the existing i7-7700K chip. The i7-7740K features 8 MB of shared L2 cache; while the i7-7640K features just 6 MB. Interestingly, the i7-7640K also happens to lack HyperThreading, while the i7-7740K features it. The i7-7740K will ship with higher clock speeds than the i7-7700K, with 4.30 GHz core, and 4.50 GHz Turbo Boost. The i7-7640K features 4.00 GHz core, with 4.20 GHz Turbo Boost. The Core i9 series is a whole different beast.

CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, high-performance gaming hardware and PC components today announced the immediate availability of its new DOMINATOR PLATINUM Special Edition Torque DDR4 memory. Inspired by those for whom speed is an obsession, each module features a uniquely heat-treated effect top bar, combining the iconic DOMINATOR PLATINUM design with the aesthetic of high-performance engines.


Completed by a brushed black aluminum heatsink, stunning built-in lighting and orange accents, each kit is individually numbered using high precision laser engraving, guaranteeing exclusivity. Available in limited quantities, DOMINATOR PLATINUM Special Edition Torque DDR4 memory is built for speed - inside and out.

Update: Apparently, there was a miscommunication between Gigabyte and user Treebsquire's Aero 15 seller, Scan. The nature of this miscommunication - and how this would lead to a report on battery issues - is still up in the air, but it would seem that Gigabyte isn't recalling their Aero 15 laptops after all, so rest easy if you have one of these.

Gigabyte has recently launched the Aero 15, a gaming laptop which really does bring some value to the wording "Aero" through some interesting aesthetics and an amazing thickness (1.9 cm) for the hardware under the hood: packed inside the AERO 15 is the latest 7th gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1060 GDDR5 6GB graphics, DDR4 ram, as well as a PCIe M.2 SSD (through different configurations.)

It's apparently a good product, having received some respectable reviews, and its 94Wh battery was being touted as a distinguishing feature, as being up to 2x larger than average battery sizes for laptops, which was able to power the laptop through 10 hours of Mobilemark's 2014 Productivity Mode. However, it would seem that this battery is capable of bringing problems to the user, and potentially put their safety at risk. Just one week after release, Gigabyte is recalling their Aero 15 laptops. A user on Reddit brought the issue to the community, saying that a Gigabyte rep he contacted informed him the Aero 15's have a battery fault.

AMD is giving final touches to the latest update of AGESA micro-code of its Ryzen processors, which will improve DDR4 memory support, enabling higher memory clocks and tighter timings. The new AGESA 1.0.0.6 micro-code will be deployed through motherboard vendors as motherboard BIOS updates. It will add over 20 new registers for the "Summit Ridge" integrated memory controllers, to improve compatibility with "Intel-friendly" DDR4 memory brands.

Until now, AMD recommended PC builders to opt for only certain brands of DDR4 memory for best performance. These included memory modules with Samsung "B die" DRAM chips, such as the G.Skill Flare X series. The new AGESA update will let AMD Ryzen processor users to manually dial up DRAM clocks and tighten timings of a broader range of DDR4 memory kits, more reliably, and hopefully iron out a lot of stability issues associated with memory overclocking.

I'll turn the table on its head with this article, and start by its ending: if you are one of those users willing to spend $629 on a motherboard that carries all the bells and whistles and then some, the ROG Maximus IX Extreme is probably the product for you. And the opposite is also true. This is as premium a Z270-chipset motherboard gets, I'd wager. The integrated monoblock - which covers the CPU, VRM, and M.2 slot - was designed in collaboration with Bitspower, and features embedded temperature and flow-rate sensors as well as a built-in leak detector. It joins the usual staple of Z270 features: DDR4 support up to 4,133MHz, dual PCIe 3.0 x16 slots for SLI and CrossFireX, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Type-A/C, and the aforementioned M.2 socket, which is Intel Optane-ready.

The monoblock, IO cover, logo, and RGB headers feature RGB lighting effects such as breathing, strobing, pulsing, music effect, rainbowy, and... more. The RGB lighting can even be set to change color to reflect CPU temperature and load. Even the 3.5mm audio connectors are LED-illuminated. A sparkly Christmas tree finds itself floating through my mind, for some totally unrelated reason. ASUS' exclusive (well, "exclusive-ish") features make their way to this premium motherboard, such as the pre-mounted I/O shield, strengthened SafeSlot PCI Express slots, SafeDIMM memory slots, and a copper-plated PCB edge. Asus' Extreme Engine Digi+ is composed of NexFET MOSFETs, MicroFine alloy chokes, Digi+ PWM controller, and 10K black metallic capacitors. The Maximus IX Extreme also features 12 fan headers throughout its PCB are, as well as additional temperature and flowrate sensors for anyone who wishes to use two distinct cooling loops.

ASUS today introduced the Prime B350M-E, an entry-level socket AM4 motherboard in the micro-ATX form-factor, based on the AMD B350 chipset. Built in the narrow micro-ATX form-factor, this board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the AM4 SoC with a simple 6-phase VRM. The SoC is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory. Expansion slots include one reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and two PCI-Express x1 slots.

Storage connectivity on the Prime B350M-E includes one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot with NVMe booting support, and four SATA 6 Gb/s ports. USB connectivity includes two 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports (both type-A), and six 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by headers). Display outputs include one each of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Gigabit Ethernet and 6-channel HD audio make for the rest of it. The board features red LEDs, and RGB headers that let you plug in third-part RGB LED lighting, and control it using the ASUS Aura Sync software. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS today introduced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) STRIX H270I socket LGA1151 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor. The board offers most of the feature-set of its more expensive sibling, the STRIX Z270I, minus some of its CPU overclocking features, and should hence be perfect for SFF gaming PC builders who don't intend to overclock their CPUs. It is based on a different PCB from its Z270-based sibling. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and conditions it for the CPU using a simple 7-phase VRM (compared to the 9-phase setup on the STRIX Z270I). The CPU is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and the board's lone expansion slot, a PCI-Express 3.0 x16.

Storage connectivity includes two M.2 slots (stacked on top of each other), one which has 32 Gb/s PCIe-only wiring with NVMe support, and another with 32 Gb/s PCIe plus SATA 6 Gb/s wiring; and four SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Networking is another interesting mix, with two 1 GbE interfaces, one driven by an Intel i219V controller, and the other by a Realtek RTL8111H; and a WLAN card with 802.11ac WLAN and Bluetooth 4.1, driven by an Intel-made controller. Audio is care of ASUS SupremeFX solution, which combines a Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) CODEC with two headphones amplifier circuits, audio-grade capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. The board also features an RGB LED lighting element in addition to RGB LED headers, driven by its Aura Sync RGB software. The company didn't reveal pricing.

BIOSTAR expanded its niche line of motherboards for Bitcoin-mining rigs, with two boards for the socket AM4 platform, the TA320-BTC, and the TB350-BTC. These boards feature a minimalist layout so you can drop in as many PCI-Express GPU or ASIC Bitcoin-mining cards as possible. As their names suggest, the TA320-BTC is based on the entry-level AMD A320 chipset, and the TB350-BTC the mid-range AMD B350. Both boards share an identical PCB, and barring for some chipset-level features, their feature-sets are largely identical.

The boards are built in the narrow ATX form-factor, and draw power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 4-pin Molex (optional), and 8-pin EPS power connectors. A 6-phase VRM conditions power to the SoC, which is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, besides a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and six other PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots. Storage options are limited to four SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Connectivity includes 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, DVI and D-Sub display outputs, six 5 Gbps USB 3.0 ports, and two USB 2.0 high-power ports (1.5 A current). Both boards support Ryzen processors (up to 95W TDP), and 7th gen A-Series "Bristol Ridge" APUs. Available now, the TB350-BTC is priced at USD $84.99.

At Acer's next@acer global press conference in New York today, the company unveiled the powerful and thin Predator Triton 700 gaming notebook. The notebook's svelte 18.9 mm (.74 inch), 2.6kg (5.7 pound) aluminum chassis houses a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display and best-in-class computing technologies, striking just the right balance of size and performance without sacrificing thermals, features or rigidity.

"Building on the highly acclaimed Predator 21 X curved gaming notebook, Acer is proud to announce the new Predator Triton 700, an incredibly thin yet powerful gaming notebook," said Jerry Hou, General Manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Our industry-leading AeroBlade 3D Fan with metal blades provides ultimate thermal performance, which allows us to pack massive computing power inside this ultrathin form factor without compromise."

ASUS today announced the availability of the VivoPC X, an elegant and compact desktop PC designed for immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences. The VivoPC X is powered by a 7th Generation Intel Core processor with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10 series graphics, and is fully compatible with the latest VR headsets. Its compact 5-liter chassis can be placed anywhere in the home, and has extensive connectivity features including four USB 3.1 Gen 1 and two USB 2.0 ports for VR peripherals and controllers. The VivoPC X is designed for general consumers who are looking for a VR-ready PC that meets the hardware demands of VR tasks and entertainment.

From April 25 to June 13, users can purchase the Oculus Rift + Touch and ASUS VivoPC X Bundle at select resellers. ASUS, Oculus, and NVIDIA have partnered to bring you a complete package with everything needed to experience an immersive VR experience right out-of-box: an Oculus-Ready Desktop PC, Oculus Headset, and Touch Controller at a discounted price. In addition, users will receive 4 of the latest VR titles for free: Insomniac Games' The Unspoken, Superhot VR, Twisted Pixel's Wilson's Heart, and Oculus' VR Sports Challenge.

Continuing the trend of previous reports, DRAMeXchange, a division of TrendForce, reports the general price increase in the PC DRAM market is growing larger than anticipated as the already tight supply situation is compounded by quality problems with products made on the leading-edge processes. Based on a preliminary survey of completed contracts for the second quarter, DRAMeXchange estimates that the average contract price of 4GB DDR4 modules will go up by about 12.5% compared with the first quarter, from US$24 to around US$27.

"PC-OEMs that have been negotiating their second-quarter memory contracts initially expected the market supply to expand because Samsung and Micron have begun to produce on the 18 nm and the 17 nm processes, respectively," said Avril Wu, research director of DRAMeXchange. "However, both Samsung and Micron have encountered setbacks related to sampling and yield, so the supply situation remains tight going into the second quarter and PC DRAM prices will continue to rise through this three-month period."

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is delighted to announce a new extreme speed memory kit running at DDR4-4333MHz at 16GB (8GBx2) capacity. And continuing with the pursuit of extreme memory speeds on the latest hardware, G.SKILL has reached an extreme DDR4-4500MHz speed on the Intel Z270 platform, achieving a stunning bandwidth write speed of 65GB per second in dual channel mode.

The latest addition to the Trident Z series of extreme performance memory kit is the DDR4-4333MHz CL19-19-19-39 timing in 16GB (8GBx2) at 1.40V. This is the first DDR4-4333MHz memory kit on the market in the 8GBx2 configuration for a total of 16GB. The stress test screenshot below displays the DDR4-4333MHz memory kit validated on ASUS ROG Maximus IX Apex motherboard and Intel Core i5-7600K processor.

MSI, world leading in motherboard design, launches five new ATX GAMING motherboards based on the AMD AM4 X370 and B350 chipset. These new GAMING models are positioned in the Performance GAMING segment, a series all about Gaming In style. Its new flagship is the X370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC with Mystic Light RGB, to fully customize its looks, but now also available with Intel WIFI AC. The new X370 and B350 GAMING motherboards all support the upcoming AMD RYZEN Series processors and 7th Gen A-series / Athlon Processors and are ready to fully utilize performance on AM4 with the exclusive MSI A-XMP feature, maximizing DDR4 speed & stability.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is thrilled to release new ultra-high capacity Trident Z RGB DDR4 memory kits based on 16 GB modules designed for Intel X99 and Z270 platforms.

Since the widely-acclaimed launch of Trident Z RGB memory series in December 2016, G.SKILL focused heavily on bringing high performance DDR4 16 GB RGB modules to the Intel X99 platform. Now, the Trident Z RGB is available in full sets of 8 modules for a total of 64 GB (8 GB x8) or 128 GB (16 GB x8) capacity, along with lighting control software support for the Intel X99 platform from most major motherboard vendors.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced its new powerful Thunderbolt 3 NAS - TVS-1282T3 that features 7th Generation Intel 14nm multi-core processors, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, HDMI output, and higher transfer speeds than its previous generation. Providing superior functionality and huge storage potential, the TVS-1282T3 is a perfect match for the Thunderbolt 3 MacBook Pro, and is backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 2-enabled devices by using a Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 converter. The high-bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 connection provides great advantages for video editing and sharing, making the TVS-1282T3 highly suited for Thunderbolt 3-enabled Mac and Windows users for 4K media workflows, file storage, and high-speed sharing.

"We are very excited to offer the pioneering Thunderbolt 3 NAS to the market," said David Tsao, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "with more Windows devices featuring Thunderbolt 3 and the latest Final Cut Pro X 10.3 adding support for the SMB protocol, the TVS-1282T3 empowers cross-platform file sharing while greatly improving teamwork and workflows between Mac and Windows users."

Even though the NDA still isn't up on AMD's second volley of Ryzen-based CPUs, some lucky buyers are already running some of the upcoming Ryzen 5 processors after some sellers jumped the gun. Now, a YouTube video by user "Santiago Santiago." is making the rounds in which he compares gaming performance between the Ryzen 5 1400 (4-core, 8-thread part @ 3.2 GHz base, 3.4 GHz boost), Intel's i5 7400 (4-cores @ 3.0 GHz base, 3.5 GHz boost), and the Pentium G4560, a Kaby Lake dual-core CPU with Hyper Threading @ 3.5 GHz base clocks. The user even snapped a picture proving he has his hands on this chip.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, responsible for creating the standards on which all of your versions of DDR memory are based upon, recently announced that development of the DDR5 memory standard is well underway, and in time for a 2018 release. The standards body said DDR5 memory will provide double the bandwidth and density versus current generation DDR4. along with delivering improved channel efficiency. Though considering the rate at which DDR4 prices have been increasing as of late, we really should fell a little uneasy at what this new memory standard's adoption will entail.

The current highest base clock that JEDEC allows in their DDR4 memory standard before "overclocking" takes over is DDR4-2400 - with timings ranging from 15~18 for the CAS latency, as well as tRCD, and tRP. And if, as JEDEC says, DDR5 is to be "twice as fast", that could imply that we could end up seeing DDR5-4800. Consider that for a moment: DDR4 kits today only go so far as DDR4-4266, and those are so few and far between that they'll cost you a singular kidney.