Intel's Optane products, based on the joint venture with Micron, have been hailed as the next step in memory technology - delivering, according to Intel's own pre-launch slides, a mid-tier, al-dente point between DRAM's performance and NAND's density and pricing. Intel even demoed their most avant-garde product in recent times (arguably, of course) - the 3D XPoint DIMM SSD. Essentially, a new storage contraption that would occupy vacant DIMM channels, delivering yet another tier of storage up for grabs for speed and space-hungry applications - accelerating workloads that would otherwise become constrained by the SATA or even NVMe protocol towards NAND drives.

Of course, that product was a way off; and that product still hasn't come to light. The marriage of Optane's density and speed with a users' DRAM subsystem is just wishful thinking at best, and the dreams of pairing DRAM and 3D Xpoint in the same memory subsystem and extracting the best of both worlds remains, well... A figment of the imagination. But not according to some retailers' websites, though. Apparently, the usage of Intel's Optane products as DRAM memory has already surfaced for some vendors - Dell and HP included. How strange, then, that this didn't come out with adequate pomp and circumstance.

As the gaming industry and community are descending upon Los Angeles, Alienware and Dell Gaming will be showing up at E3 in a big way with exciting gaming hardware and partnership news and immersive experiences. Among its new products to complete the PC, gaming ecosystem is the blissful sounding new Alienware Wireless Gaming Headset, a 2nd generation, fast responsive Alienware Elite Gaming Mouse and the blazing-hot, high performance Windows 10 Inspiron Gaming Desktop with AMD processors and graphics cards.

Dell and Alienware are committed to giving esports players a competitive advantage with the best hardware. The Detroit Renegades, the esports team owned and operated by Utah Jazz player Jonas Jerebko, is the latest team to select Alienware as their exclusive technology partner. Alienware, in partnership with Tobii and Team Liquid, is also helping gamers take their skills to the next level with Alienware Academy, an esport skill-building online platform. Fans of Alienware Arena can now access the community from their phone with a new Alienware Arena app with access to play-to-win opportunities and rewards.

AMD today announced unprecedented adoption of its AMD Ryzen PRO processors - including new notebooks and desktops powered by Ryzen PRO processors with built-in Radeon Vega graphics now available from the world's three largest enterprise PC OEMs. AMD Ryzen PRO APUs for premium commercial desktop and notebooks provide commercial PC buyers with new levels of choice and innovation and enable Dell, HP, and Lenovo to create a range of business systems, from sleek enterprise notebooks to powerful commercial desktops. Combined, these systems make up the broadest portfolio of AMD processor-based enterprise PCs in the company's history.

Once a small business founded by Michael Dell in his dorm room, Dell understands the challenges faced by small business owners and is heavily invested in supporting, growing and celebrating today's small business sector. In celebration of the U.S. Small Business Association's (SBA) Small Business Week, Dell is kicking off spectacular deals, new products, a local community pop-up experience dedicated to small businesses and two days of live streamed learning sessions on topics small business owners want to know about most - from financing and technology to data security and productivity.

While the U.S. Small Business Association celebrates Small Business Week the first month in May, Dell has decided to celebrate small businesses with hot deals that will last all month long. The company will offer up to 40% off select small business PCs throughout May and introduce new Vostro laptops and desktops in the U.S. that specifically cater to small businesses. Additionally, Dell has launched a new campaign, "Nothing Small about Your Business," that highlights the power and potential of small business contributions to society.

Dell Technologies is unveiling the new Dell Wyse 5070 thin client, the company's most versatile and scalable thin client platform that enables organizations to select just the right configuration based on their employees' needs. In addition, Dell Technologies is expanding Dell EMC's VDI Complete Solutions, powered by VMware Horizon, to include support for 14th generation PowerEdge server infrastructure and virtualized graphics options for high-performance workloads. Both solutions lower the barrier to VDI adoption, making it easier than ever for organizations to plan, deploy, and run desktop and application virtualization within their IT environments.

Dell Wyse 5070 thin client provides unprecedented options and True 4K multi-display technology
Yesterday's thin clients had one configuration and little support for peripherals, browser-based solutions and unified communications. This meant that most organizations had to deploy a range of thin clients and PCs based on user profiles and workloads. Now, Dell has dramatically simplified standardization on a single thin client platform across the enterprise, making it easier for IT to deploy, and helping extend the security, cost and manageability benefits of thin clients for organizations.

The gaming industry has changed at such an exponential rate over the past five years, that the face of gaming has transformed before our eyes, both literally and figuratively. Once a niche hobby, explored primarily by teenage boys and serviced by a handful of companies, the gaming market exceeded $30 billion in 2016 and is forecast to grow at a 6% compounded annual growth rate through 2019.

In 2017, more people tuned-in to watch electronic sports' (esports) League of Legends finals than the U.S. football and baseball professional championships combined. In fact, Alienware co-founder Frank Azor predicts esports is on the path to becoming the most popular sport in the world in the next 10 years.

Business leaders worldwide are balancing two objectives: keeping the business running smoothly by preventing security and productivity disruptions while simultaneously tapping into the incredible potential of new innovations, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and VR/AR. Dell is introducing new solutions across its commercial PC portfolio designed to help businesses of all sizes achieve that critical balance. In addition to being the world's most secure and manageable commercial PCs, Dell's updated commercial lineup features advances in smart design, productivity and sustainability to meet the ever-expanding needs of a global, diverse workforce.

"For many of our customers, work is no longer a place they go -- it's an activity," said Jay Parker, president, Client Product Group, Dell. "And smart companies that want to attract and keep the best talent have embraced the evolving needs and expectations of their employees. IT departments are working with Dell to build a technology strategy that gives employees the power and flexibility to get their jobs done, whenever and wherever it best fits their lifestyle, while keeping data secure and TCO low."

Despite not wanting to do away with Intel's dominance in its portfolio anytime soon, Dell is obviously looking to better round up its product lineup with some red team-powered goodies. Case in point: the 2-in-1 convertible Dell Inspiron 13 7000, which makes use of AMD's latest Ryzen mobile APUs to deliver a strong computing performance, whilst also emphasizing content consumption. There's an option for all budgets (starting from $700 for the base version and up to $1019 for the top-tier one), and the CPU choices are naturally based around either AMD's Ryzen 5 2500U with a Radeon Vega 8 iGPU, or the more powerful Ryzen 7 2700U with a Radeon Vega 10 iGPU (both 4 core, 8-thread CPUs, but with 512 and 640 Vega Stream processors, respectively).

Our colleague Kyle Bennett from HardOCP has spoken with his trusted industry sources and found out that big names like Dell and HP haven't penned the deal with NVIDIA to join the GeForce Partner Program (GPP). HP recently introduced their updated Pavilion Gaming lineup with both AMD and NVIDIA graphics card options, which goes to show that the computer giant hasn't aligned its gaming brand exclusively with NVIDIA. On the other hand, their Omen Gaming boxes weren't available with AMD graphics cards, which Kyle has noted could be a product of a supply issue. In other news, NVIDIA hasn't been able to convince Lenovo, one of the big three OEMs, to join their cause either. Lenovo Legion gaming products were still listed on their website with graphics cards from the red team. HardOCP has reached out to NVIDIA once again to inquire about which brands have comitted to GPP, but they were met with silence.

While brands like ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI are siding with NVIDIA, Dell and HP are the real big players in the game. No other manufacturer comes close to purchasing and moving the amount of mid-end and low-end graphics cards from NVIDIA like those two do. It doesn't really come as a surprise why NVIDIA wants them to jump onboard so desperately. Kyle's behind-the-scene conversations with this sources suggest that neither Dell or HP will NVIDIA twist their arms as they consider GPP to be unethical and illegal.

Intel held an event in Beijing last week to launch their new 8th Gen Intel Core mobile processors. As usual, PC and laptop manufacturers flocked to the venue to promote their latest gaming products. This time around, Dell single-handedly stole the spotlight. The company claimed that their gaming laptops were perfect for running multiple 'plugins' in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Ben Mansill from PC Authority was present during Dell's presentation, and this was what he had to say about Sally Zhang, the Account Director and assigned Dell spokesperson:

"She spoke of how Chinese gamers are the most innovative and dominant in the world by using 'plugins' to, for example, run faster than other players, or blow up ten cars at a time, and that these top gamers can really use 8th-Gen power to 'run more plugins to win more at Chicken Dinner', and that the top players run the most 'plugins' so that's where 8th-gen Dell power gives them the gamer's edge. Behind her a video proudly shows various cheats in PUBG in action (they really like the one with the massively oversized gun and show that a lot), with the new Dell gaming laptops shown every few seconds while Sally told us that gamers should buy a Dell because they're better at running many plugins. Wow."

Today, Dell is announcing a new family of Inspiron All-in-Ones, an updated XPS 15, an Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 Special Edition, six S Series displays, and the availability of and new color for the XPS 15 2-in-1. The new assortment of systems powered by Windows 10 further highlight Dell's commitment to creating devices that prioritize performance, smart design and an immersive content viewing experience. Packed with Intel's latest 8th Gen Core processors, Dell's new Inspiron and XPS devices deliver the ultimate power for enthusiasts, creators or anyone trying to tackle their everyday to-do list or binge watch the newest Netflix show.

Today, Alienware and Dell are launching six new Windows 10 gaming laptops based on the new 8th Gen Intel Core high performance processors, with significant enhancements over prior generations. Continuing Dell's commitment to provide the ultimate gaming experience for everyone, Dell is also debuting Dell G Series, revitalizing the Dell Gaming portfolio. This suite of PCs, starting at $749, is designed and engineered for the gamer who prioritizes performance and excellent gameplay.

Further expanding its more than a decade long legacy in esports, Alienware is forging new partnerships with the NBA 2K League, Miami HEAT and Misfits Gaming, and taking its partnership with Team Liquid into unchartered territory for North American esports. These organizations and teams have turned to Alienware for a competitive advantage.

The new XPS 15 2-in-1 laptops from Dell employ Intel's 8th generation 'Kaby Lake-G' processors with Radeon RX Vega M GL discrete graphics which features 4GB of HMB2 memory. The entry XPS model comes with an Intel Core i5-8305G processor, 8GB of DDR4-2400MHz memory, and a 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD for storage. It also sports a 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) InfinityEdge anti-reflective touch display with support for Dells' Active Pen Stylus and a full-size, backlit MagLev keyboard. The Intel Core i5-8305G model starts at $1,499.99. The higher-end models, on the other hand, use the more powerful Intel Core i7-8705G processor while conserving the exact FHD display and MagLev keyboard. A 256GB M.2 PCIe SSD serves as the primary storage across all models. The Intel Core i7-8705G with 8GB of memory starts at $1,699.99 and the 16GB variant at $1,799.99. And lastly, the XPS 15 with an Intel Core i7-8705G processor, 16GB of memory, and a 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) goes for $2,199.99.

Dell consistently listed the XPS 15's memory as 'integrated'. After browsing through the service manual, we didn't find a section on replacing or upgrading the memory. Therefore, it's safe to say that the XPS 15 (9575) comes with memory soldered to the PCB. This shouldn't be a let down for most consumers as 16GB of RAM is more than sufficient by today's standards. However, prosumers might want to hold off for now until a 32GB SKU is released.

Dell may not believe in an imminent "AMD-Intel duopoly", even though the green team has some very interesting products in its portfolio. But even so, Dell has silently launched some Inspiron laptops that are powered by AMD's latest architecture. The total number of AMD-powered laptops reaches four in their Inspiron 17 5000 line, with a mix of AMD's latest Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 APUs with Vega integrated graphics.

AMD has been making waves on computing markets with its latest line of processors powered by its innovative Zen microarchitecture. Its strengths and weaknesses are very well known by now, so there's no use harking them all over again; suffice it to say that the company has regained competitiveness - and then some - with many of Intel's products in as many different industry sectors. The company's APU solutions, for one, are one of a kind solutions that allow users to do some very impressive gaming sans a discrete GPU. However, Intel's been spending the last several years before AMD's Zen entrenching themselves in all markets, so AMD clearly has an uphill battle in fighting existing relations and supply channels. Case in point: Dell.

Channel Pro is reporting that Dell EMC's CTO, John Roese, said today at WMC that "Intel is the big player, AMD is the second player. There's enough diversity between them that there are use cases to have them both in our portfolio, but just the sheer breadth of the Intel processor portfolio is massive compared to even the accelerated AMD world."

Ruckus Networks, an ARRIS company, today announced it has signed a global original equipment manufacturing (OEM) agreement with Dell EMC to deliver Ruckus' broad portfolio of wireless solutions, including access points (APs), controllers, virtualized and data analytics assets, and Cloudpath secure network access software-along with Ruckus IoT and CBRS LTE products-as Dell-branded solutions. This agreement gives Dell EMC's networking sales team and end-user customers access to Ruckus' award-winning portfolio of secure wireless connectivity solutions and strong brand presence not available through alternative suppliers. The agreement is effective immediately and encompasses a range of sales, marketing and customer support programs in international markets, including APAC, EMEA and the Americas.

"Delivering innovative wireless networking solutions to our partners is key to address the insatiable demand for high-performance wireless networking in the enterprise," said Dan Rabinovitsj, president, Ruckus Networks, an ARRIS company. "The Dell EMC brand and market reach is complementary to our own and represents a significant path for growth for both companies across a range of vertical markets, including education, public infrastructure, the federal government and service providers. We view Dell EMC's strength in storage and scalable computing platforms as critical to collaboration where complete bundled solutions are required to compete and win."

Dell EMC announced three new servers designed for software-defined environments, edge and high-performance computing (HPC). The PowerEdge R6415, PowerEdge R7415 and PowerEdge R7425 expand the 14th generation of the Dell EMC PowerEdge server portfolio with new capabilities to address the demanding workload requirements of today's modern data center. All three rack servers with the AMD EPYC processor offer highly scalable platforms with outstanding total cost of ownership (TCO).

"As the bedrock of the modern data center, customers expect us to push server innovation further and faster" said Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, president, Server and Infrastructure Systems at Dell EMC. "As customers deploy more IoT solutions, they need highly capable and flexible compute at the edge to turn data into real-time insights; these new servers that are engineered to deliver that while lowering TCO."

Dell today announced it will be the first authorized reseller of the Meta 2 Augmented Reality Development Kit, equipping commercial companies with the tools needed to more easily innovate and adopt new AR technology applications that can advance their business. In partnership with Meta, Dell aims to make AR more accessible for business deployment, particularly in healthcare, manufacturing and construction, by providing tools for creating immersive experiences unique to the needs of those industries.

Dell is the only technology provider with an end to end ecosystem to consume, create and power VR and AR. The new offering with Meta stems from Dell's VR/AR Technology Partner Program, which brings together other innovators in VR and AR to test and collaborate on the best technology solutions for varying applications and experiences. This program allows Dell to help current and potential customers to better navigate the new and rapidly evolving VR/AR ecosystem, by working with partners to verify and certify the best software and hardware solutions for VR and AR applications - bringing standardization where it is needed most.

It looks like Intel has achieved the design goals of its new Core i7-8705G multi-chip module, built in collaboration with AMD. Combining a 4-core/8-thread "Kaby Lake" CPU die with an AMD "Vega" GPU die that has its own 4 GB HBM2 memory stack, the ruthless duo put similarly-priced discrete GPU setups to rest, such as the combination of an 8th generation Core processor + NVIDIA GeForce MX 150. More importantly, entry-level discrete GPU combinations with high-end mobile CPUs have a similar power/thermal envelope as the i7-8705G MCM, but at significantly higher PCB footprint.

Dell implemented the Core i7-8705G on one of its latest XPS 15 2-in-1 models. The device was compared to an Acer Swift 3 (SF314-51), which combines a Core i5-8250U processor with GeForce MX 150 discrete graphics; and a Dell XPS 13 9370, which implements an 8th generation Core processor that has Intel's workhorse graphics core, the HD 620. The three devices squared off against each other at "Rise of the Tomb Raider" game benchmark. The i7-8705G averaged 35 frames per second (fps), while the MX 150 barely managed 24 fps. The HD 620 ran a bored intern's PowerPoint slideshow at 9 fps.

At the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Dell is unveiling a suite of elegant new products and software to address the myriad ways people play and work. In addition to revealing some of the world's most beautiful devices, Dell will highlight incredible hidden innovations within these products designed to improve performance, functionality and the overall user experience.

"At Dell, innovation never sleeps. We're passionate about creating technology that expands the boundaries of what's possible," explains Sam Burd, president, Client Solutions Group, Dell. "With Dell, the incredible product design you see on the outside makes for gorgeous machines, but one of our most striking advantages comes from the innovation within. Beauty and brawn lurk beneath those beautiful exteriors, revolutionizing and redefining personal computing, and giving people experiences they want - and some they've never dreamed possible."

Today, Intel is launching a first-of-its kind processor: the 8th Gen Intel Core processor with Radeon RX Vega M Graphics. Packed with features and performance crafted for gamers, content creators and fans of virtual and mixed reality, it expands Intel's portfolio thanks to its optimization for small form factors like 2 in 1s, thin and light notebooks, and mini PCs.

Among the devices launching with this processor: new thin and lightweight 2 in 1s from Dell and HP as well as the most powerful NUC Intel has ever introduced. The new 8th Gen Intel Core processor will come in two configurations:

• 8th Gen Intel Core processor with Radeon RX Vega M GL Graphics (65W total package power)
• 8th Gen Intel Core processor with Radeon RX Vega M GH Graphics (100W total package power), which features an unlocked configuration

As part of Microsoft's "12 Days of Deals" push towards achieving more and better sales of Microsoft-branded products, the company has pushed a pretty hefty discount for its MR HMDs mere months after their release. The discounts see the Acer Windows Mixed Reality, Dell Visor, HP, and Lenovo Explorer take price-cuts of $200 over the base price, while Samsung's Odyssey HMD sees a much more level $50 price-cut.

With a move so close to holiday season and in the wake of steep discounts from Virtual Reality headset makers Oculus and HTC, Microsoft is pushing as hard as it can towards shipping enough units to build a new VR ecosystem. Consumers are the ones that stand to gain the most here, however. Though if you want to get your hand son one of these, be fast: the Acer and Dell options are already sold out, and the others' supply might also be inferior to the demand. So go there, and grab them while they're hot.

Dell is rolling out Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on its largest selection of personal, business and gaming PCs, monitors and other electronics, helping shoppers find the best tech gifts at an amazing value.

Launching now, Dell is offering early access to its select Black Friday deals for the next 48 hours; deals run again from Nov. 15 - 24. Rolling Black Friday doorbusters¹ will be available to the public Nov. 23 - 24 and to Dell Financial Service customers Nov. 13 - 14. Dell Advantage Loyalty Rewards, Dell Member Purchase Program and Small Business customers can access the doorbusters from Nov. 15 - 22. Cyber Week deals will be available starting Nov. 26, and rolling Cyber Monday doorbusters¹ will launch Nov. 27 at 8 a.m. ET with new deals posting hourly until 8 p.m. ET. (see below for a detailed timeline)

Toshiba today announced that it has signed an agreement with a consortium led by Bain Capital to sell its memory business for JPY 2 trillion (approximately USD $18 billion). The consortium includes Korean memory giant SK Hynix, which contributed JPY 395 billion (nearly 20 percent) of the consortium's investment toward acquisition of Toshiba Memory Corp. Apple and Dell are the other members of the consortium.

Toshiba Corporation (erstwhile parent of Toshiba Memory Corp.) continues to hold a 40.2 percent stake, which along with another Japanese company, Hoya Corporation, holding a 9.9 percent stake, ensure that Japanese firms hold 50.1 percent of the business, keeping Japanese regulators happy. The Bain Capital-led consortium will hold a 49.9 percent stake, ensuring that Toshiba Memory Corp. stays afloat, and away from rival Western Digital, which has dragged Toshiba to a multitude of international courts and arbitrators. Apart from SK Hynix, the Bain Capital-led consortium includes Apple and Dell, who feared they would lose DRAM and NAND flash price bargaining power if Toshiba Memory fell in the hands of Western Digital, which owns SanDisk.

Dell is revealing a suite of holiday wish-list worthy devices and services that provide the most immersive and comprehensive computing experience available. The new offerings include Inspiron 7000 2-in-1s and laptops with new 8th Generation Intel Core processors; performance enhancements to the critically acclaimed XPS 13; Dell Visor Windows Mixed Reality Headset; and Premium Support Plus service. These new innovations demonstrate Dell's commitment to providing the best audio and visual computing, virtual reality (VR) and gaming experiences for consumers.

"We're in Berlin this week to demonstrate Dell's global leadership in innovation across personal computing, gaming and virtual reality," said Ray Wah, senior vice president and general manager, Dell Consumer and Small Business Product Group. "From our new mixed reality headset to beautiful new laptops and 2-in-1s, our holiday lineup introduced at the show includes some of the best designs with incredible visual experiences, exceptional performance and support to match."