As the technology of CPU and GPU keeps evolving, it is no doubt that Virtual Reality has explored itself in mainstream lately. Games and apps applied to VR devices have already grabbed gamers' attention worldwide and everyone just can't wait to jump into the bandwagon of games. However, it actually takes more than VR device to experience the alternative reality. HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology, the independent world leader in memory products, provides a total solution for gamers to upgrade the system and make sure it keeps up with the suggested requirements.

To have nice and smooth VR gaming experience, it's recommended to have at least 8GB modules within the system, and 16 GB if you need to work on 3D rendering or video editing. For gamers who want to upgrade the RAMs, the upcoming Predator DDR4 at Kingston will end the wait. The aggressive design offers greater heat dissipation to optimize reliability while the black aluminum heat spreader and black PCB complements the look of the latest PC hardware. With fast frequencies up to 3333 MHz and total capacities up to 64GB, Predator DDR4 will make sure you feel no stutter in virtual reality.

Even as Crucial's 2.5-inch SATA MX300 drive is nowhere close to market launch, its M.2 cousin is already unveiled. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, the drive appears to feature SATA 6 Gb/s interface, logically with the same controller, DRAM cache, and 3D stacked TLC NAND flash memory as the 2.5-inch SATA MX300. One could speculate looking at that large bank of SMT capcitors that the drive offers some sort of power failure protection that finishes up active write operations before powering down 'gracefully.' Crucial did not put out performance numbers.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launched XPG Dazzle,itsfirst line of LED DDR4 memory modules. The modules feature illuminated LED strips and DDR4 specificationsforan exciting look that complements their high performance and power efficiency. Utilizing patented LED memory module technology by AVEXIR, XPG Dazzle makes PCs much more eye-catching to meet growing demand by case modders, PC enthusiasts, and gamers for unique, colorful, and vibrant system builds.

XPG Dazzle LED DDR4 memory modules maintain and evolve the aggressive but sleek style of XPG products, featuring a tough outline, cool color combinations, and their own unique highlight in the form of a shining LED strip built into the heatsink. With a special design and alluring red LED, XPG Dazzle accentuates chassis appearance and revitalizes performance PCs, whether for overclocking, gaming, or pure case modding showcases. XPG Dazzle memory modules are available in different kits: 8GBx2, 8GB x4, 16GBx2, and 16GBx4, giving users greater flexibility when assembling high-end systems.

DRAM and NAND flash giant Micron Technology has begun sampling its next-generation GDDR5X memory chips to customers. The company is ready with chips in the 8 Gb (1 GB) and 16 Gb (2 GB) densities, making it possible for GPU makers to build graphics cards with 8 GB and 16 GB total onboard memory, respectively, over a 256-bit wide memory bus, by using just one chip per 32-bit channel.

Apart from 8 Gb and 16 Gb densities, Micron's GDDR5X chips offer GPU makers a transition from GDDR5 with minimal engineering, since the standard has similar electricals to its predecessor, and a similar BOM structure; while offering up to double the clock speeds to GDDR5, and running at a lower voltage of 1.35V. Both AMD and NVIDIA have reportedly expressed interest in building graphics cards with GDDR5X.

Team Group announced the Team Xtreem DDR4-4000 memory module. Available in heatspreader colors of black and silver, the module comes with density of 4 GB, and serves up its rated speed of DDR4-4000 MHz (PC4-32000), with timings of 18-22-22-40, and module voltage of 1.35V. The modules are cooled by chunky aluminium heatspreaders, making contact with a copper ground-layer of the module's PCB, besides the DRAM chips, for additional cooling. Team Group is offering lifetime warranty with these modules, which are yet to be priced. The modules will be sold in single-piece and 8 GB dual-channel kits.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry's first 4-gigabyte (GB) DRAM package based on the second-generation High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2) interface, for use in high performance computing (HPC), advanced graphics and network systems, as well as enterprise servers. Samsung's new HBM solution will offer unprecedented DRAM performance - more than seven times faster than the current DRAM performance limit, allowing faster responsiveness for high-end computing tasks including parallel computing, graphics rendering and machine learning.

"By mass producing next-generation HBM2 DRAM, we can contribute much more to the rapid adoption of next-generation HPC systems by global IT companies," said Sewon Chun, senior vice president, Memory Marketing, Samsung Electronics. "Also, in using our 3D memory technology here, we can more proactively cope with the multifaceted needs of global IT, while at the same time strengthening the foundation for future growth of the DRAM market."

The newly introduced 4GB HBM2 DRAM, which uses Samsung's most efficient 20-nanometer process technology and advanced HBM chip design, satisfies the need for high performance, energy efficiency, reliability and small dimensions making it well suited for next-generation HPC systems and graphics cards.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of an update to JESD235 High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) DRAM standard. HBM DRAM is used in Graphics, High Performance Computing, Server, Networking and Client applications where peak bandwidth, bandwidth per watt, and capacity per area are valued metrics to a solution's success in the market. The standard was developed and updated with support from leading GPU and CPU developers to extend the system bandwidth growth curve beyond levels supported by traditional discrete packaged memory. JESD235A is available for free download from the JEDEC website.

JESD235A leverages Wide I/O and TSV technologies to support up to 8 GB per device at speeds up to 256 GB/s. This bandwidth is delivered across a 1024-bit wide device interface that is divided into 8 independent channels on each DRAM stack. The standard supports 2-high, 4-high and 8-high TSV stacks of DRAM at full bandwidth to allow systems flexibility on capacity requirements from 1 GB - 8 GB per stack.

Intel is readying its most powerful NUC (next-unit of computing) compact desktop, codenamed "Skull Canyon." Slated for the first quarter of 2016 (between January and March), this NUC will feature Intel's most powerful implementation of its 9th generation Iris Pro graphics. According to FanlessTech, we're looking at a chip with Core "Skylake" CPU cores, and an iGPU with 72 execution units, and 128 MB eDRAM L4 cache, which makes up the company's Iris Pro 580 solution. It remains to be seen how small Intel can make this thing.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launched the Lightning Card Reader for Apple iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Fully MFi certified, the accessory connects to Apple devices using the Lightning interface and brings users convenient interconnectivity and storage expansion with SD and microSD cards. It is the first peripheral in its segment with two-way data transfer, meaning read and write, and the first to combine SD and microSD on one reader. The Lightning Card Reader uses durable materials and a flexible cable to ensure long-lasting and reliable operation, and arrives bundled with a free data management app.

While existing Lightning card readers support one way data movement to import files from cards to devices, ADATA technology supports file import and export so users can freely move content to and from the reader to iPhone, iPad, and iPod. The Lightning Card Reader has SD and microSD slots, so it offers universal compatibility with one of the most popular storage mediums in the world. By comparison, other products in its segment feature either SD or microSD, but not both. This enables simple storage expansion for iOS devices which is also very cost-effective, as users can employ existing cards rather than having to purchase proprietary expansion cards or additional hardware.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., announced today that it is mass producing the industry's first "through silicon via" (TSV) double data rate-4 (DDR4) memory in 128-gigabyte (GB) modules, for enterprise servers and data centers. Following Samsung's introduction of the world-first 3D TSV DDR4 DRAM (64GB) in 2014, the company's new TSV registered dual inline memory module (RDIMM) marks another breakthrough that opens the door for ultra-high capacity memory at the enterprise level. Samsung's new TSV DRAM module boasts the largest capacity and the highest energy efficiency of any DRAM modules today, while operating at high speed and demonstrating excellent reliability.

"We are pleased that volume production of our high speed, low-power 128GB TSV DRAM module will enable our global IT customers and partners to launch a new generation of enterprise solutions with dramatically improved efficiency and scalability for their investment," said Joo Sun Choi, executive vice president, Memory Sales and Marketing, Samsung Electronics. "We will continue to expand our technical cooperation with global leaders in servers, consumer electronics and emerging markets, where consumers can benefit from innovative technology that enhances their productivity and the overall user experience."

NVIDIA's next-generation GPUs, based on the company's "Pascal" architecture, will be reportedly built on the 16 nanometer FinFET node at TSMC, and not the previously reported 14 nm FinFET node at Samsung. Talks of foundry partnership between NVIDIA and Samsung didn't succeed, and the GPU maker decided to revert to TSMC. The "Pascal" family of GPUs will see NVIDIA adopt HBM2 (high-bandwidth memory 2), with stacked DRAM chips sitting alongside the GPU die, on a multi-chip module, similar to AMD's pioneering "Fiji" GPU. Rival AMD, on the other hand, could build its next-generation GCNxt GPUs on 14 nm FinFET process being refined by GlobalFoundries.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launches thePremier SP600NS34 M.2 2242SATA 6Gb/s SSD for Ultrabooks and desktop PCs. To meet the latest platform and users' expectations, "slimmer, faster, and power-saving", ADATA's Premier SP600NS34 features multiple functions to enhance efficiency, such as DEVSLP, BCH ECC technology, and Intel Smart Response Technology. If you are seeking a new solution to upgrade your Ultrabook, the Premier SP600NS34 will be a great choice with the best cost-performance ratio.

The Premier SP600NS34 comes in capacities of 128GB and 256GB, and adopts the smallest SSD form factor - M.2 2242, with measurements of only 22 x 42 x 3.5mm. However, the compact size does not sacrifice performance - with the JMicron controller, the sequential read speed of SP600NS34 is up to 550MB/s, and the maximum 4K random read/write performance is up to 75K/77K IOPS. The Premier SP600NS34 supports DEVSLP (Device Sleep) technology, helping to consume less power than traditional idle and prolonging the battery life at the same time.

Micron Technology announced during its Q3 FY-2015 earnings call, that it began shipping GDDR5 memory chips based on its 20 nm-class node. The company is reportedly shipping 8 Gb (1 gigabyte) GDDR5 memory chips. The company was last reported to be acquiring Japanese DRAM major Elpida, which also supplies GDDR5 chips to graphics cards, notebooks, and game console makers. The GDDR5 memory space has been saturated by companies such as Samsung and SK Hynix. The memory standard itself is on the brink of becoming obsolete; with AMD implementing HBM on its new high-end GPU, and NVIDIA expected to implement HBM with its upcoming "Pascal" GPU family. There is still quite a few GDDR5-equipped graphics cards to be sold, before HBM takes over GPUs of all market segments.

Essencore Limited, a noteworthy newcomer in DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products including Gaming Memory Modules, Solid State Drives, USB Flash Drives and MicroSD cards, is pleased to announce the sales kick-off in European countries with its brand "KLEVV". In attempt to expand its global presence and to accelerate growth, Essencore hopes that this KLEVV product launch will help to efficiently deliver its premium products to its European customer.

As a young company founded in 2014 by CEO IU Kim, Essencore strives to become world's leading vendor of both DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products. To achieve this goal, Essencore has introduced its house brand "KLEVV" with the industry's first-rate quality and best performing products. In a conscious move to strengthen brand awareness and products at this early stage, KLEVV will focus on the three key consumer markets of U.S., Europe and China. Of all regions, Europe is deemed to have the highest potential, with its huge population of tech enthusiasts. Starting in Germany, UK, and Poland in summer 2015, KLEVV products will soon be available in all corners of Europe.

Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today announced Crucial Ballistix DDR4 16GB performance memory. Ideal for gamers and enthusiasts who deal with content creation, virtual machines, RAM drives, and memory-intensive applications, the new Ballistix modules leverage Micron's new 8Gb DDR4 component technology to offer up the highest density DDR4 memory to date.

Until now, only expensive server systems have been able to reach these memory densities, but with Ballistix DDR4 16GB modules, users can achieve greater densities on high-end desktop systems like the latest Intel X99 platforms. Available across Sport LT, Tactical, and Elite product lines, each module includes Intel XMP 2.0 profiles for easy setup and support.

Patriot, a leading manufacturer of computer memory, USB/flash memory, SSDs, and mobile accessories, today extended their Viper 4 series of DDR4 memory to include new 64GB and 128GB quad kits designed for the latest Intel X99 DDR4 platform and Haswell-E processor.

Patriot's latest addition to their Viper 4 DDR4 line of extreme performance memory built for the most demanding environments will include a 64GB (4 x 16GB) and a 128GB (8 X 16GB) kits for the ultimate PC build. Testing in at 14-16-16-31 the Viper 4 64GB and 128GB will start at 2400MHz 1.2V with higher speeds to be announced at a later date. Designed for the PC enthusiast builder or content creator the latest capacity of Viper 4 DDR4 will take any build to the ultimate level of speed.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, has announced that its JC-45 Committee has approved the first standards for support of "hybrid" DDR4 memory modules which are defined as modules that plug into standard dual in-line memory module (DIMM) sockets and appear like a DDR4 SDRAM to the system controller, yet contain non-volatile (NV) memories such as NAND Flash on the module. These hybrid module families are referred to as Non-Volatile DIMMs, or NVDIMMs, and they may share the memory channel with other standard DDR4 DIMMs. Publication is expected later this year.

"The introduction of hybrid memory modules into system platform architectures adds new levels of functionality to the computer memory hierarchy," said Mian Quddus, Chairman of JEDEC's JC-45 Committee for Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Modules. He added, "Non-volatile memory may be used for data persistence, mass storage, and the door is now opened for innovative new applications using the high speed of the DRAM channel. NAND Flash is the first non-volatile memory to be incorporated into the channel; however, the industry is poised for other memory types to be included as well. The framework established by JEDEC is flexible enough to allow for a variety of memories to be included under the 'hybrid' umbrella."

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, is honored to announce that its XPG Z2 DDR4 3400 computer memory is able to clock up to 4034MHz when used with an air-cooled msi X99A XPOWER AC motherboard. This creates a new overclocking world record for production line DDR4 computer memory.

In cooperation with motherboard manufacturers, ADATA strives to achieve the best performance in DDR4 memory compliant with the Intel X99 architecture. The XPG Z2 DDR4 3400 breaks the record with extremely high clock frequency of 4034MHz, impressing both gamers and standard CPU clock users alike with outstanding sustained performance, cooling and stability.

Intel's Core "Skylake" processor lineup, built on the company's swanky new 14 nanometer fab process, drew heads to its rather high 95W TDP for quad-core parts such as the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K, even though their 22 nm predecessors, such as the i7-4770K and the i5-4670K run cooler, at 84W TDP. A new leaked slide explains the higher TDP. Apparently, Intel is going all-out with its integrated graphics implementation on Core "Skylake" chips, including onboard graphics that leverage eDRAM caches. The company is promising as much as 50% higher integrated graphics performance over "Haswell."

Although the chips have high rated TDP, the overall energy efficiency presents a different story. SoCs based on "Skylake" will draw as much as 60% lower power than "Haswell" based ones, translating into 35% longer HD video playback on portable devices running these chips. Intel's graphics performance push is driven by an almost sudden surge in display resolutions, with standards such as 4K (3840 x 2160) entering mainstream, and 5K (5120 x 2880) entering the enthusiast segment. Intel's design goal is to supply the market with a graphics solution that makes the two resolutions functional on desktop and video, if not gaming.

Major pre-built desktop manufacturers began listing products driven by 5th generation Core "Broadwell" processors, which are having a brief stint at the markets before being replaced by 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors in Q3-2015. The 5th Generation Core family is led by two parts, the Core i5-5675C, and the Core i7-5775C, both of which come with unlocked base-clock multipliers, are based on Intel's new 14 nanometer silicon fab process, and built in the LGA1150 package, compatible with existing Intel 9-series chipset based motherboards, with BIOS updates.

The Core i5-5675C and i7-5775C aren't exactly successors of the i5-4690K and i7-4790K. The i7-5775C is placed in a product tier Intel calls "P1+," while the i5-5675C is placed in one called "MS2+." The two aren't exactly in the same plane as P1K (eg: i7-4790K) or MS2K (eg: i5-4690K), respectively, and don't qualify as P1 (eg: i7-4790 non-K) or MS2 (eg: i5-4690 non-K). The two still feature unlocked multipliers. This places them somewhere between P1K/MS2K and P1/MS2. Both the i5-5675C and i7-5775C are quad-core chips, and physically feature just 6 MB of L3 cache. The i7-5775C has access to all 6 MB of it, while the i5-5675K features just 4 MB.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the availability of ultra reliable, ultra high-speed and ultra high-temperature parallel NOR Flash and low-power DDR4 (LPDDR4) DRAM to meet the increasing memory requirements for the automotive market segment. Micron's G18 NOR family offers the industry's highest-performance parallel NOR, while Micron's automotive-grade LPDDR4 solutions are an industry-first.

These new products meet the needs of automotive applications that require ultra high speed. The G18 family's high performance (266 MB/s)enables faster boot and code execution for higher-density applications, while LPDDR4 enables 33 percent higher peak bandwidth than DDR4. Additionally, Micron's new solutions deliver long-lasting reliability and meet ISO/TS certification requirements-with the G18 family enabling three times faster throughput over quad SPI NOR, and the LPDDR4 products undergoing additional package-level burn-in testing. Furthermore, Micron's G18 NOR products have options that meet the industrial temperature (IT) range of -40 to 85°C and the automotive-grade automotive temperature (AAT) range of -40 to 105°C. The LPDDR4 products have options that meet the automotive-grade industrial temperature (AIT) range of -40 to 95°C, as well as some future options that will meet the automotive-grade ultra temperature (AUT) range of -40C to 125°C, which is the highest operating temperature range in the industry, expected to be available in 2016.

Boutique memory modules designer Avexir unveiled its flagship DDR3 memory module, the RAIDEN. This double-height module features a plasma tube on its top, which lights up with a blue lightning-effect, which could look awesome in cyberpunk case-mods. The module could pair particularly well with ASUS Z97 Sabertooth Mark S, ASUS X99 series, and MSI Krait series motherboards.

Form aside, the module has some pretty formidable specs - an 8-layer main PCB, XMP profiles of up to DDR3-2400 MHz, a machined aluminium heatsink drawing heat away from the DRAM chips, and hand-binned DRAM chips for the best overclocked performance. The RAIDEN comes in speeds of DDR3-1866 and DDR3-2400, densities of 4 GB and 8 GB, and in dual- and quad-channel kits that are combinations of the two top-level specs. Avexir didn't reveal pricing or availability.

With 4K-ready media center PCs upon us, Intel decided to equip one of its next-gen NUC (next unit of computing) desktops with one of its most powerful integrated graphics solutions, which can either accelerate 4K video, 1080p to 4K upscaling GPU algorithms (think MadVR), or make for a reasonably fast 720p or 900p gaming machine. The NUC5i7RYH from Intel features a Core i5-5557U processor, which integrates Iris 6100 Graphics. Based on the "Broadwell-GT3" silicon, Iris 6100 offers 48 execution units, between 300 and 1100 MHz GPU core frequency, and an L4 eDRAM cache. A passive cooling solution deals with this 28W TDP chip. Other specs include two DDR3-1866 SO-DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of memory, HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 display-outputs, four USB 3.0 ports, including one high-current port.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of specialty memory and storage solutions, including memory modules, flash memory cards and other memory and solid state storage products, today announced the expansion of its NVDIMM product line with its new 8GB and 16GB DDR4 NVDIMMs available in a single rank, four bit configuration. SMART's full lineup of DDR4 NVDIMMs now include two configurations; a single rank eight bit configuration in 4GB and 8GB densities, and the new 8GB and 16GB options. The new NVDIMMs are targeted for server and storage applications to improve performance.

NVDIMMs transform main DRAM memory into persistent memory resulting in higher performing servers by allowing big data, transaction logs, and other latency and performance-sensitive data to be accessed at DRAM speeds without the risk of data loss. Rather than reading and writing big data or transaction logs to traditional storage media such as SATA SSDs, PCIe NVMe SSDs, or HDDs, they can be written to and read from main memory without the risk of data being lost due to any sudden power loss (SPL) event. Server performance in terms of lower latency, higher IOPS, and greater endurance all increase dramatically with the use of SMART's NVDIMMs.

ATP, the leading industrial Flash storage and DRAM memory solution provider, will be showing its industrial-grade M.2 and the latest SATA III interface products (SlimSATA, mSATA, and CFast) and ATP Testing Capabilities at the upcoming Embedded World 2015 at the Messe Nuremberg International Center Germany from 24th to 26th of February. ATP will be located at Hall 1, Booth #651.

ATP's brand-new industrial-grade SATAIII M.2 type 2242 and 2260, targets industrial embedded applications, which demand Solid State Storage with high performance and proven reliability in thin/limited spaces and extreme temperature conditions. In addition to the built-in features, such as BCH ECC checking, S.M.A.R.T monitor, TRIM and Advanced Wear-Leveling, ATP M.2 has its Power Cycling Protection (PowerProtector) and Data Integrity Protection (AutoRefresh) to ensure it outperforms other similar solutions in the market.