Patriot, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals and flash storage solutions, today announced the release of two new Type-C USB drives. The Stellar-C Vertical (STC-Vi) and the Stellar-C Pass-Through (STC-Ti) will provide users with high capacity, portable storage solutions for the ever growing Type-C technology.

New reports have surfaced that indicate NVIDIA is all set to launch a new mid range mobile graphics solution, the GTX 1050 M at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. While NVIDIA has already released mobile variants of the GTX 1080, GTX 1070 and GTX 1060, people not willing to spend big on higher tier products from the green camp are limited to "Maxwell" based GTX 960 M or GTX 950 M offerings. Reports also indicate there has been somewhat of a surge in demand for GTX 1060 M equipped laptops, where the new GTX 1050 M could be nicely positioned to further augment consumer appetite.

As we reported in November, we can expect that in line with the existing "Pascal" based mobile solutions, the new GTX 1050 M to sport the same (or better) core-configuration as its desktop counterpart, but with significantly higher clock speeds. This should make the GTX 1050 M an attractive option as it would endow the laptop with graphical horsepower exceeding the very capable GTX 970 M. All in all with new Intel "Kaby Lake" processors set to take the stage at CES 2017 too, we could see quite an array of new or reconfigured laptops scattered throughout the show.

AMD's December 13th "New Horizon" event is supposedly (and expectedly) a pivotal moment for the company - a celebration of sorts for the impending launch of their ZEN-based microprocessors. The event, which will be presented mainly by Gametrailers TV-based journalist Geoff Keighley, is now turning up to be a Summit Ridge celebration of sorts as well.

According to recent reports, a small number of motherboard manufacturers should also be in attendance at the event, showing-off their AM4-compatible motherboards based on the top-of-the-line X370 chipset. The X370 is the most advanced version of the Zen-compatible chipsets and is expected to provide extensive overclocking features and up to two third-generation PCIe x16 lanes for multi-GPU systems. Below the X370, the B350 and A320 take over the role of the mid-range and entry-level chipsets respectively. The new chipsets are expected to bring native M.2 NVMe & SATA Express connectivity, PCIe gen 3, DDR4 memory compatibility and USB 3.1 Gen2 to the company's high-end desktop platform for the very first time.

ZOTAC International, a global manufacturer of innovation, is pleased to introduce an entirely new way to experience immersive VR with the ZOTAC VR GO backpack. Since making the impact at Computex 2016 with the first ever mobile VR experience, ZOTAC has improved the design, performance, and endurance of the original backpack.

"The VR GO is an exciting innovation for everyone to finally enjoy VR the way it is meant to be experienced," says Tony Wong, CEO, ZOTAC International. "We want to provide the best of both worlds to our users: Powerful VR in high resolution and fast framerates while enjoying true mobility in a compact, wearable form. The VR GO is the best way to VR."

The folks over at 3dcenter.org have compiled comprehensive historical GPU AIB market share data for our digestion. While we recently reported on Q3'16 and its comparison to the quarter before and the same period last year, this information spans a near 14 year quarter-on-quarter time frame. The compilers have quite helpfully included points of reference along the timeline which highlight the two major GPU manufacturers milestone desktop product line debuts.

It is worth noting that their exact numbers differ slightly to the ones Jon Peddie Research provided as 3dcenter have also cited the work of Mercury Research, which appears more conservative. The figures provided in their own graph split the difference between the two sources to give us a more impartial look at the market.

Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the graphics and multimedia industry's research and consulting firm, announced estimated PC graphics add-in-board (AIB) shipments and suppliers' market share for Q3'16. The last two quarters have seen both NVIDIA and AMD release and expand a new AIB line-up, the former launching the GeForce 10 series, powered by "Pascal" GPU's and the latter releasing the Radeon 400 series, powered by "Polaris" GPU's.

JPR's AIB Report tracks PC add-in graphics boards (AIBs), which carry discrete graphics chips. AIBs are used in desktop PCs, workstations, servers, and other devices such as scientific instruments. They can be factory installed or sold directly to customers as aftermarket products. In all cases, AIBs represent the higher end of the graphics industry using discrete chips and private high-speed memory, compared to the integrated GPUs in CPUs or SOCs that share slower system memory.

ASUS has now begun selling their high-end ROG GT51 desktop. The system comes equipped with a factory-overclocked Intel Core i7 -6700K (@ 4.6 GHz) processor, The system comes equipped with two ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards running in SLI mode, 64 GB of DDR4-2800 memory (4×16 GB), two Samsung SM951 512 GB M.2 SSDs operating in RAID 0 mode and with a 1 TB HDD (7200 RPM). The system is configurable, with the end user being able to opt for faster memory, up to five 3.5"/2.5" HDDs or SSDs, different M.2 drives and so on. The fully configured ROG GT51 system costs $4999 and marks ASUS' entry on the market of high-performance desktop PCs.

AMD will follow up its Q1-2017 launch of socket AM4 desktop processors and APUs based on the "ZEN" microarchitecture, with single-chip mobile processors and APUs in the following quarter, according to an Expreview report. These solutions could take advantage of the fact that "ZEN" CPUs and APUs completely integrate platform core-logic (chipsets), even though on the desktop platform, AMD is launching the A320, B350, and X370 chipsets to expand connectivity given out by the SoCs.

With requirements for fewer M.2, SATA, and USB 3.0 ports on mobile platforms such as notebooks, designs that completely do away with the chipset should theoretically be possible, and the company could use this to score design wins. Intel currently offers CPU and PCH on single packages, as multi-chip modules (MCMs).

HP Inc. today debuted two new PCs, HP Pavilion Wave and HP Elite Slice, that are revolutionizing traditional designs for the home and workplace. HP is transforming the desktop PC to create unique experiences that deliver the power customers expect in small, creative designs. The HP Pavilion Wave is designed for entertainment and productivity for the home by combining desktop power and great audio experiences.

For customers who want a PC that can fit into small places, the new offering is a beautiful and compact design with the power of a full-sized desktop. This unique desktop is built around a fully integrated, advanced audio system to play music, listen to movies, web chats and Cortana. It features an iconic triangular form with an innovative parabolic reflector with an integrated speaker on top of the PC for superb, 360-degree sound to fill a room with crisp audio.

CybertronPC is excited to announce their highly anticipated CLX custom PC line up is now available online via direct sale at www.CybertronPC.com/CLX. The CLX line encompasses CybertronPC's elite, fully customizable desktop and laptop systems, available with all the high-end details desired on boutique-style gaming systems that offer custom paint, lighting, and cabling options. The CLX systems are catered toward PC enthusiasts and hardcore gamers, offered with all of the latest tech and hardware available, and starting at a low $999.

The CLX Foundry, exclusive to the CLX line of systems offers the very best of performance options including hard or soft line liquid cooling options, thermal paste for CPU and GPU, and performance overclocking for CPU and GPU. CLX consists of 3 desktop families and laptop families, all with ancient Egyptian themed names.

At Acer's next@acer Global Press Conference in New York today, the company announced new notebooks, desktops and monitors in its powerful and award-winning Predator gaming line. The new Predator 17 X notebook and compact Predator G1 desktop include top-of-the line computing technology and are NVIDIA GeForce VR-Ready, as well as ready for virtual reality (VR) devices from Oculus, HTC Vive, OSVR and StarVR.

"The new Acer Predator gaming systems are designed to deliver the ultimate gaming and virtual reality experiences for our customers," said James Lin, general manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Virtual reality offers unlimited new possibilities, not just in gaming, but across a wide variety of industries and applications in professional environments. As we showed today in our VR partner demos, Acer intends to give our customers the tools they need for both playing and working in this new digital world."

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced GT51CA, a powerful gaming desktop powered by a 6th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, with Turbo Gear for one-click full-core CPU overclocking to 4.6 GHz without having to reboot. In addition, ROG GT51CA supports up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX Titan X graphics with 2-Way SLI for smooth, stutter-free 4K UHD gaming at over 60 frames per second. It also features up to two 512 GB NVMe PCIe RAID 0 SSDs for data access speeds of up to 3.2 Gbps - up to six times (6X) faster than SATA SSDs. ROG GT51CA's DDR4 2133 MHz memory has been even overclocked to 2800 MHz for faster boot-up and game load times.

Effective cooling for stable marathon gaming sessions
ROG GT51CA delivers efficient heat management for stable high-performance gaming sessions. It boasts a multi-zone thermal solution that lowers the system's internal temperatures by up to 31%, even during heavy-load marathon gaming sessions.

It features the liquid-cooled Hydro Overclocking System for the CPU and dedicated air channels to draw cool air into the chassis for the graphics card. In addition, its power supply unit - situated in the bottom corner of the chassis - also has its own isolated airflow design for cooling.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to announce the launch of four new models joining the company's extensive list of Intel Thunderbolt 3 certified devices: the BRIX GB-BSi5T-6200, GB-BSi5HT-6200, GB-BSi7T-6500 and GB-BSi7HT-6500.

Featuring the latest Intel 6th generation Core processors, and now official support for the world's fastest transfer protocol with Thunderbolt 3 over USB Type-C port, these new BRIX enter a new category of their own as a powerfully compact high-end PC.

MSI is excited to announce the release of an all-new All-in-One PC, suitable for both commercial industries and home entertainment usage: the MSI Pro 16 Flex. The MSI Pro 16 Flex is a 10-point touch controlled All-in-One PC that can be used in a stand mode, hanging mode or flat mode. The Pro 16 Flex's unique rotating kickstand can be flipped back 90 degrees to act as an upright stand for use as an All-in-One PC or attached to wall or cabinet for use as a large multimedia device. It comes with a 15.6" LED backlit display and inherited the stylish design of MSI's Professional Series of All-in-One PCs, with a black border and hair-line surface treatment.

The Pro 16 Flex may be 15.6" inch in size, but is equipped with desktop hardware, making it a portable but also a high performance PC. Based on a 6-Watt Quad Core Processor by Intel, this All-in-One PC delivers decent computing power while saving energy at the same time. In addition, the Pro 16 Flex has also a built in battery to make sure your system is always powered when you need it. On top of that, the Pro 16 Flex is fan-less, which creates a silent working environment. General availability is expected beginning of April 2016.

MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, announces the availability of the Vortex, a VR-ready, high-performance miniature tower that redefines compact gaming desktops.

The world smallest gaming cylinder, the Vortex measures only 10.5 inches tall but can blast away bigger systems with an unlocked Intel Core i7 6700K processor, up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory, SSDs in Super RAID 4, and dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPUs in SLI. MSI's newest tower is also engineered for superior upgradability, expandability, and compatibility with a variety of connectors, including Thunderbolt 3 that supports up to 40 GBs of data transfer rate.

AMD today launched new thermal solutions, including the flagship AMD Wraith Cooler, as well as the new AMD A10-7860K and new AMD Athlon X4 845 desktop processors. Designed for the consumer who cares about how their desktop PC runs, sounds, and looks, AMD now offers new thermal solutions that generate less than one-tenth the noise of their predecessors -- running at a near-silent 39 decibels, about as quiet as a library.

The new AMD Wraith Cooler combines near-silent operation with unique styling via a sleek fan shroud and LED illumination. Providing superb cooling, the new design delivers 34 percent more airflow and 24 percent more surface area for heat dissipation than its predecessor.

The Revolt was released in 2013 and has consistently been one of our best-selling signature systems, embraced by pro and casual gamers alike. The new Revolt focuses on improving power, performance and control by rethinking the gaming desktop design from the ground up. We were inspired to create a PC that highlighted the most important components in a gaming rig, and allowed customers to create a PC that's as unique as they are. We chose to lead the revolt against the standard, the generic, the boring, and instead forge a new path.

As enthusiasts ourselves, we know that gamers take pride in their systems and the time and care that goes into choosing every component. Arguably, one of the most important parts of a gaming PC is the graphics card. But with all of the effort manufacturers put into the striking designs of their cards, it's a shame that all we see is the backplate at best. The Revolt 2 flips this notion on its head by placing the graphics card at the top of the case underneath a see-through window, highlighted by our customizable Smart Lighting technology. With the Revolt 2, you don't have to keep your GPU in the shadows.

Intel's tick-tock product development cycle is disturbed. The cadence of launching a new CPU microarchitecture on a given silicon fab process, miniaturizing it to a smaller fab process, and then launching an even newer micro-architecture on that process; is about to change with the company's 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processor. When launched, it would be the third microarchitecture built on the company's 14 nm process, besides "Skylake" (current new architecture) and "Broadwell" (miniaturization of "Haswell" to 14 nm.) Some of the very first documents related to Kaby Lake began to move about, making news along the way. The architecture is scheduled to launch along with its companion 200-series chipset some time in 2016.

To begin with, Core "Kaby Lake" will continue to be built on the LGA1151 package, and will likely be backwards compatible with existing 100-series chipset motherboards with a firmware update. From what we get to understand from leaked material, it will not be a vastly newer architecture than Skylake, at least not of the kind Skylake was to Broadwell. There are still CPU performance enhancements on offer, an "enhanced full-range BClk overclocking," which could mean improved overclocking on chips with upwards-locked multipliers (although we won't get our hopes too high and call it a return of the BClk overclocking era). A bulk of the R&D will fall into improving the integrated graphics, to support multiple 5K displays, 10-bit HVEC and VP9 hardware-acceleration; platform-integrated Thunderbolt 3, and platform interface support for Intel Optane (3D XPoint memory).

Giada Technology, an industry leader in Mini PCs, embedded systems and servers for small & medium enterprises, is proud to unveil a compact fan-less mini pc system - the F210. With an efficient Intel Cherry Trail Processor and lower power consumption, the F210 is a compact-sized and cost effective Intel Platform thin client Mini PC. It provides 2G onboard memory and 8G of eMMC storage. To support diversified video output, the F210 is equipped with both VGA and HDMI interfaces. OS compatibility with the latest Windows 10 and Android ensures wide OS options. The space-saving size of the F210 and its uncompromising performance enables its wide range of applications in thin-client and desktop virtualization terminals.

The all-metal chassis provides better protection for the internal parts from damage as well as EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference). Its rugged design allows for 24/7 stable operation over long periods of time. In addition, the all-metal design can improve the heat dissipation efficiency and lowers the working temperature of the parts, thus prolonging the form factor's lifetime.

Dell announced today at Dell World the most significant refresh to its OptiPlex commercial PC portfolio in five years, the Wyse 5050 AIO zero client for VMware, and new cloud multifunction printers to meet the changing needs of the future workforce. Considering the needs of a tech-savvy workforce always on the go, these new offerings are designed to increase employee productivity by helping them seamlessly connect to the business critical data and applications they need to get the job done. In addition, Dell Services is investing more in mobility applications and strategies to strengthen the way its commercial customers stay mobile, productive and efficient.

"We are defining the future of the PC and the role it plays in meeting our customers' most pressing computing needs," said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman, Operations and president, Client Solutions at Dell. "We are investing in this part of our business like never before, bringing new innovations to market that are redefining the role of the PC - whether it's an ultra-mobile 2-in-1, thin or zero client, or a desktop that now handles workloads for a mobile workforce who require a robust collaboration solution."

Compact desktop maker Shuttle is giving final touches to its XPC SH170R6 compact desktop barebones system. Designed to support 6th generation Intel Core "Skylake" processors, the SH170R6 gets you started with a custom-design motherboard based on the Intel H170 Express chipset, with two expansion slots (one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one PCI-Express 3.0 x4); four DDR4 DIMM slots, a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, four SATA 6 Gb/s ports; a heat-pipe based CPU cooler, and an 80 Plus Bronze rated 300W power supply.

The case itself offers room for a 5.25-inch optical drive, and two 3.5-inch drives (one of which is an externally accessible bay). The system board offers external connectivity of two DisplayPort 1.2 connectors (supports one Ultra HD display), an HDMI port, six USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA 6 Gb/s port, gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel HD audio. There's provision for an mPCIe WLAN card. Slated for release later this month, the SH170R6 is expected to be priced at 258€ excluding VAT (around 307€ with 19% VAT).

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced G20CB, a compact and powerful 9.5-liter gaming desktop designed to dominate the small-form-factor segment. ROG G20CB packs up to a 6th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics for exceptional gaming and multitasking computing performance. ROG G20CB has an aggressive chassis design that features a matte-black finish, Mayan-inspired markings and customizable 8-million-color LED effects. The exclusive Aegis II app helps gamers monitor system performance, with GameAlive allowing for easy gameplay recording, editing, and sharing on social media.

Intel Core performance and NVIDIA GeForce graphics
ROG G20CB is designed to be a one-stop gaming and entertainment system. Its 9.5-liter chassis houses a 6th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 graphics. The former delivers a 10% performance boost and 23% more efficiency over previous-generation Intel processors to give ROG G20CB the power to take on the most demanding of tasks, allowing users experience today's games at their highest settings. NVIDIA GeForce-powered graphics draws gamers into an immersive world of colors and 4K/UHD resolution visuals; it even supports output on up to three HD displays, while a fourth display can be added via a HDMI connection.

Acer America today announced that its refreshed 23.8-inch Aspire Z3-710 Series all-in-one desktop PCs with Windows 10 are available for customers in the United States. These newly enhanced PCs feature capacitive 10-point multi-touch and a Full HD (1920x1080) LED backlit display.

The new Aspire Z3-710 Series enables lifelike video calls thanks to the 1080p Full HD webcam. Stereo speakers with Acer True Harmony and Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater provide powerful audio, while built-in dual digital microphones can sense the location of voices to ensure they are heard clearly, even in rooms with significant ambient noise.

Mercury Research published its market analysis for PC Graphics, for the second quarter of 2015 (April-June), this is an important quarter as this is when people tend to buy or upgrade their PCs for the summer break. According to the numbers posted by Mercury Research, NVIDIA hit a new record in discrete GPU market share. In the assessment period, 76.4 percent of desktop discrete GPUs were NVIDIA, up from 63.8 percent in Q2-2014. AMD, the only other desktop discrete GPU maker, saw its share drop to 23.6 percent.

The mobile discrete GPU figures were slightly better for AMD, with the company making up 34.6 percent, slightly up from 33.2 percent in Q2-2014. NVIDIA slipped proportionately down to 65.4 percent, from 66.8 percent in Q2-2014. When being a "discrete" GPU is no longer a criteria, and Intel is added to the mix, i.e. every CPU with graphics Intel sold, and every APU AMD sold (including the ones it sold to Microsoft and Sony), NVIDIA makes up 15.7 percent, AMD 14 percent, and Intel a whopping 70.1 percent. The big-picture isn't looking good. PC graphics shipments declined by 8 percent over the quarter, and down 21 percent from the same time last year. This is the worst on-year decline since the 2008 Financial Crisis.

Velocity Micro, the premier builder of award winning enthusiast desktops, laptops, and peripherals announces the availability of Gaming/Enthusiast and Workstation PCs featuring 6th Generation Intel Core processors. Hand-crafted, made in the USA desktops using Asus Z170 chipset motherboards start at just $1,479, with shipments beginning immediately.

"This is a huge step forward for gamers, media creators and CAD designers, and even standard home office users," said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. "We're excited to offer next-gen enthusiast desktop Intel Core Processors as a part of our ongoing pursuit to create award winning, ultra-performance desktop PCs."