Pictures of an upcoming AMD Radeon "Navi" graphics card bare PCB made it to the web over the weekend. The picture reveals a fairly long (over 25 cm) board with AMD markings, and a layout that doesn't match with any reference-design PCB AMD launched so far. At the heart of the PCB is a large ASIC pad that appears to be within 5 percent of the size of a "Polaris10" chip. The ASIC is surrounded by eight GDDR6 memory pads. We could guess they're GDDR6 looking at the rectangularity of their pin-layout compared to GDDR5.

The PCB has provision for up to two 8-pin PCIe power inputs, and an 8+1 phase VRM that uses premium components such as rectangular tantalum capacitors, DrMOS, and a high-end VRM controller chip. There's also provision for dual-BIOS. The display I/O completely does away with DVI provisioning, and only includes the likes of DisplayPort, HDMI, and even USB-C based outputs such as VirtualLink. The fan header looks complex, probably offering individual fan-speed control for the card's multi-fan cooling solution that could resemble that of the Radeon VII. Looking purely at the feature-set on offer, and the fact that "Navi" will be more advanced than "Vega 2.0," we expect this card to be fairly powerful, going after the likes of NVIDIA's RTX 2070 and RTX 2060. AMD is expected to unveil this card at the 2019 Computex, this June.

Phillips announced the latest in their Brilliance line of PC monitors. The 329P9H monitor features a 31.5" diagonal with a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. The panel is of the IPS type, and a fairly basic one at that when it comes to features gamers expect: a 60 Hz refresh rate and 5 ms response times aren't the most attractive for serious gaming - but then again, this monitor isn't really being marketed for serious gaming. And there's life in the PC world besides that one.

For those users that still think this monitor is interesting, the anti-glare coating and 350 nits of brightness should be interesting propositions for a more work-inspired usage scenario. The 178º angle of view and 1.07 billion colors join a wider than usual color gamut, covering 108% of the sRGB, 90% of the NTSC CIE1976, or 87% of the Adobe RGB color spaces to serve creative professionals' (or just color-correct amateurs) a precise environment. The Brilliance 329P9H also ships factory-calibrated to a Delta E < 2 accuracy. Height, tilt, and swivel are available, as well as a 90 degree rotation capability. I/O stands at 1x DisplayPort 1.2 input, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 output, 2x HDMI 2.0a, 1x USB Type-C (with DP 1.2, 65 W PD, data), as well as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub (one supports fast charging) and one Ethernet, GbE port. The recommended price for the Philips 329PH9 stands at £809, so MSRP in the US should land around the $899 mark.

ASUS today rolled out the ROG Swift PG278QE, a 27-inch planar gaming monitor with stellar gaming-grade specifications. To begin with, you get WQHD (2560 x 1440 pixels) resolution, with 165 Hz refresh-rate, 1 ms (GTG) response time, and support for NVIDIA G-Sync. It also packs TÜV Rheinland-certified blue light reduction technology that reduces eye fatigue from extended gameplay sessions. ASUS did not mention panel type, however, looking at its 170°/160° (H/V) viewing-angles, we guess it could be TN-film based. Inputs include DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4. The company didn't reveal pricing.

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the V554Q, a large-format 4K UHD display packed with commercial-grade features and a slim new design to blend into any environment. Like other new models in the C & V Series, the V554Q features an industry-best anti-reflective high haze coating, full external control and network capabilities through LAN, and SpectraView Engine Technology, which allows for complete color control.

"We've listened to our customers in designing the V554Q to be the best 55-inch display tailored for commercial and corporate signage needs," said Ben Hardy, Senior Product Manager at NEC Display Solutions. "The V554Q has best-in-class, high-haze anti-glare coating, updated connectivity, and both landscape and portrait orientation support to seamlessly fit any digital signage environment."

The 1.3-litre PCs of the XPC slim model series are getting a facelift - the DH370 sports a new chassis design which accommodates Intel processors of the 8th generation for socket LGA1151v2, relies on the faster H370 chipset and offers a total of four USB 3.1 ports with up to 10 GBit/s. With the DH370, Intel's H370 chipset makes its debut in Shuttle's range of 1.3-litre PCs. These not only support Intel processors of the "Coffee Lake" generation with up to 65 Watt TDP and up to 32 GB of DDR4 SO-DIMM memory, it is also possible to control three monitors at once in 4K resolution. An HDMI 2.0b and two DisplayPort 1.2 ports are available to facilitate this. If required, one analog VGA port can be provided optionally. Three of the four monitor ports could then be used simultaneously.

"With these technical specs on paper, the DH370 now bears the title of the XPC model with the highest performance per cubic centimetre," says Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. "The new chassis design sets the appropriate tone." Despite its compact dimensions of just 19 x 16.5 x 4.3 cm (DWH), there is space for a 2.5-inch drive (HDD/SSD) and an M.2 NVMe SSD. Another M.2 slot in 2230 format can be fitted with a WLAN module, for example. The Shuttle WLN-M is the appropriate accessory here. Two antennas guarantee optimum reception quality.

GIGABYTE is readying the GeForce RTX 2060 Gaming OC Pro White graphics card (GV-N2060GAMINGOC WHITE-6GC). A variant of the RTX 2060 Gaming OC Pro, the card features a white cooler shroud with chrome inserts, and an all-white metal back-plate. Contrasting the white is matte-black fan impellers capped with chrome hub stickers, and a black PCB that's carried over from the original.

The cooling solution features three aluminium fin-stacks arranged along four 6 mm-thick copper heat pipes that make direct contact with the GPU at the aluminium base. Heat drawn from the memory and VRM are transferred to this base by a secondary aluminium plate. Three 90 mm fans spinning in alternate directions (albeit same airflow direction), ventilate the heatsink. The card features idle fan-stop, which spools down the fans below a load/temperature threshold. The card draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector. Display outputs include three DisplayPort and an HDMI 2.0. The card features GIGABYTE's highest factory-overclock for the RTX 2060, with 1830 MHz GPU Boost, although the memory frequency is untouched. The RTX 2060 Gaming OC Pro White could feature a minor $10-20 premium over the $379 MSRP of the original.

Making its debut at CES 2019, the all-new ROG Zephyrus S GX701 takes hardcore gaming to the next level with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs with Max-Q design and 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor plus the GX701 doubles down on the display. It expands the 144Hz refresh rate screen to 17 inches, frames it with super-narrow bezels and adds NVIDIA G-SYNC and Optimus technology for the best gaming experience. The panel is Pantone Validated for serious content creation work before playing the latest blockbuster games.

Even with these upgrades and a much larger screen, the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 maintains an impressively slender profile and surprisingly compact footprint. It's more immersive, powerful, and versatile than any Zephyrus before without sacrificing the portability that defines the family.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of display solutions, unveils the launch of a new sub-brand of professional gaming monitors. ViewSonic ELITE gaming products are specifically designed with a sleek and minimalistic aesthetic, while boasting practical gamer-centric designs. With decades of display technology experience and heritage, ViewSonic ELITE will deliver next-level gaming products that fit the needs of today's multifaceted gaming community.

ViewSonic ELITE launches with a pair of new gaming monitors: XG240R and XG350R-C. The XG240R and XG350R-C are the first monitors aligned with partnered software programs that enable customizable RGB lighting capabilities. Through partnerships with the industry's top PC peripheral manufacturers, ViewSonic ELITE products allow gamers to take full control over their RGB ecosystems when using these partners' software. When running the software, the RGB lighting harmoniously syncs with other RGB-equipped gaming peripherals and hardware.

Razer, the leading lifestyle brand for gamers, announced today its all-new 27-inch gaming monitor concept, the Razer Raptor. The desktop screen will be unveiled at CES 2019 as an early-design-phase model, with production units slated for release later this year. Razer Co-Founder and CEO Min-Liang Tan says, "Razer has worked alongside partners in the past to bring the Razer experience to monitors, but the full potential was never fully realized. We have decided to tackle this space on our own and are very excited to expand our presence to include desktop displays."

Philips, via its MMD brand license partner, today announced the launch of the basic, cost-effective 241B8QJEB monitor. The 241B8QJEB is a no-frills, basic monitor for your office use, and would be ideal as a second or third monitor in a non-gaming environment - though of course it would also work for gaming on a budget, though there are many better options for that particular use case. The pricing of £159 goes hand in hand with the 1080p panel, which fogoes the cheaper TN type for the more image-quality-friendly IPS.

The Phlipos 241B8QJEB is an environment-friendly monitor, with 85% of the materials used in its construction being recycled, thus reducing its footprint in the environment. LowBlue Mode, Flicker-free, and the SmartErgoBase provide ease-of-use specs that can be taken advantage of by users. Connectors include VGA, DVI-D, DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 1.4, and USB 3.0 Super Speed technology.

Following MSI, which has already introduced its 2070 Aero Mini-ITX graphics card, GIGABYTE is looking to be the next vendor to introduce such a form-factor graphics card. Being Mini-ITX, the PCB real-estate is small, hence the option for a single-fan cooling solution. And of course, since a smaller cooling system and PCB imply more concentrated heat output, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 Mini-ITX will ship with stock clocks and no factory overclocking (which means 1410 base and 1620 MHz boost clocks).

Connectivity-wise, the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 2070 Mini-ITX features five display connectors: 3x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0b and 1x VirtualLink, which all fit in due to the dual-slot design of the graphics card. Pricing is unknown for now.

MSI today introduced the Oculux NXG251R, an ultra-fast 24.5-inch gaming-grade monitor. If you can live with its Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution and TN-film type panel, on offer is 240 Hz maximum refresh-rate, response times as low as 1 ms (GTG), and support for NVIDIA G-Sync technology. There are also RGB LED ornaments behind the monitor, which can be controlled via MSI Mystic Light software, which can work as an ambient light, or however you want them to. The monitor features thin top and side bezels, with a faux brushed-metal bottom bezel. Other vital display specs include 170°/160° H/V viewing angles, and 1000:1 static contrast ratio with DCR. Inputs include DisplayPort 1.2 (needed for G-Sync), and HDMI 1.4. A 3-port USB 3.1 hub makes for the rest of it. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS has a new premium display about to be released: the 32-inch ASUS ROG Strix XG32VQR is already listed on its website, and it is an evolution of its existing ROG Strix XG32VQ. Both share 1440p resolution, VA panel, 4ms grey-to-grey response time and 1800mm curvature. The difference between both is the HDR support: the new XG32VQR has both DisplayHDR 400 and FreeSync 2 HDR certifications. The latter offers improvements in usability but also in gaming scenarios that are not covered in the VESA DisplayHDR specifications.

The peak brightness of the new monitor also goes further than its predecessor and goes from 300 to 450 nits. The display has support for a range of FreeSync refresh rates ranging from 48 to 144 Hz, which allow it to work seamlessly with Low Framerate Compensation (LFC) technology from AMD. Company spokepersons clarified a few weeks ago the confusion with the FreeSync 2 certification, and explained that "it is possible for a display to meet the FreeSync 2 HDR requirements but fail the DisplayHDR 600 minimums. Such a display may have the DisplayHDR 400 logo and the FreeSync 2 HDR logo, but it would be exceeding the minimum requirements of DisplayHDR 400".

NVIDIA today released the latest version of its GeForce software suite. Version 417.01 WHQL drivers come game-ready optimization for "Darksiders III." The drivers also add SLI profiles for "Artifact." The drivers also address a number of bugs, including refresh-rates above 30 Hz not being applicable on certain 4K Ultra HD monitors (provided hardware requirements such as DisplayPort HBR2 or HDMI 2.0 or greater are met). The drivers also fix Frame Rate Limiter 2 not functioning in some cases. Also addressed is an "Event ID 14" error message when CSM is disabled in the UEFI setup program, G-Sync not disengaging after exiting a game, and incomplete Ansel images appearing when resolution is set 30X or higher.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 417.01 WHQL

The change-log follows.

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the availability of the 27" MultiSync EA271U, a full-featured, business-class desktop display delivering superior 4K UHD image quality and enhanced USB-C connectivity.

The EA271U features a 3-sided ultra-narrow bezel of just 1.00mm, designed to eliminate distractions while delivering a large desktop workspace that enhances productivity for high-end corporate and small-business customers. The EA271U is also compatible with NEC Display's SprectraViewII color calibration tool, which is ideal for healthcare and education users who need advanced imaging quality.

AOC, a worldwide leader in monitor display technology, today announces the C32V1Q, an immersive curved 32-inch monitor built for work and home entertainment. The C32V1Q is available now at Newegg and Amazon for $229. The C32V1Q is AOC's newest curved monitor. The monitor features a minimalistic well-built design with a glossy black body, metallic silver finish and sleek curves. The curved ultra-slim frameless design is perfect for multi-display viewing and enables seamless multi-monitor setups designed to boost productivity.

The borderless display offers a detailed 1920x1080 resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. The VA panel has viewing angles of 178 degrees, allowing users to enjoy consistent color uniformity and accuracy at all angles. The display also has a 20M:1 dynamic contrast with a 4ms response time, and features several different inputs, including one VGA, one DisplayPort and one HDMI for connectivity of all users' high-quality digital video and audio devices.

Microsoft earlier this week released Windows 10 October 2018 (version 1809) update. You can either get it through Windows Update, and install it leaving your personal files and settings largely unchanged, or perform a clean install by making yourself an install media using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. PC Watch noticed something curious about getting the new Windows version through Windows Update on their notebook. The process was sapping too much power from the battery, and the update process is interrupted by an incompatible driver dialog (screenshot below).

Intel processors running with Gen 9.5 iGPUs enabled (that's 6th generation "Skylake" or later), expose an integrated audio controller to the operating system. This controller is responsible for digital audio output through the iGPU's HDMI and DisplayPort connectors, and is similar to the one NVIDIA and AMD integrate with their discrete GPUs. Users with driver version 10.25.0.3 or older for this controller, could run into problems when Windows Update is re-loading the drivers as part of the upgrade process. Intel has since released driver version 10.25.0.10 part of the latest Graphics Drivers 25.20.100.6323. If you're still on Windows 10 version 1803 and use your iGPU, it's recommended that you update your Intel graphics drivers before initiating Windows Update to version 1809.

Intel processor integrated graphics will get its first major hardware update in 4 years since Gen 9.5 "Skylake," with the introduction of the Gen11 architecture that debuts with the company's "Ice lake" processors. The company confirmed in an XDC 2018 conference presentation that the iGPU will support DisplayPort 1.4a along with VESA DSC (display stream compression), enabling it to support display resolutions as high as 5K (5120 x 2880 pixels) with 120 Hz refresh-rate.

Without DSC, 5K-120 Hz requires 42.4 Gbps of bandwidth (not counting interconnect and protocol overheads), which even DisplayPort with HBR3 cannot provide, as it caps out at 32.4 Gbps. DSC offers "visually lossless" compression of the 5K-120 display stream down to roughly 14 Gbps, which can be comfortably handled by DisplayPort 1.4a. 8K (8192 x 4320 pixels) at 60 Hz also becomes possible. Merely supporting these new high resolutions doesn't imply Gen11 iGPUs can game at those resolutions. Support for them is necessitated by rapid increases in resolutions (pixel densities) and refresh-rates of high-end notebooks and ultra-portable devices.The complete slide-deck follows.

Elgato, a leading provider of hardware and software for content creators and a division of Corsair, today announced the release of the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock, combining the industry-leading reliability and performance of Thunderbolt 3 with unmatched portability and accessibility for the most common ports and connections. The Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock features HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, USB 3.1 Gen 1, and Gigabit Ethernet ports to eliminate the need for multiple adapters-minimizing clutter and maximizing functionality. Whether you use a MacBook Pro or Windows notebook, the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock puts a wide array of the most commonly used display and data ports just a built-in Thunderbolt 3 cable away.

With its GeForce "Maxwell" family, NVIDIA, riding on the multi-monitor fad, began equipping its graphics cards with up to three DisplayPort connectors, besides an HDMI, and optionally, a legacy DVI connector. Prior to that generation, AMD dabbled with equipping its cards with two mini-DisplayPorts, besides two DVI and an HDMI.

With the latest GeForce RTX "Turing" family, NVIDIA could push for the adoption of USB type-C connectors with DisplayPort wiring, and perhaps even USB-PD standards compliance, pushing up to 60 Watts of power from the same port. This USB+DP+Power connector is called VirtuaLink. This could make it easier for VR HMD manufacturers to design newer generations of their devices with a single USB type-C connection for display and audio input form the GPU, USB input from the system, and power. We reckon 60W is plenty of power for a VR HMD.

ASUS today introduced the VP248QGL-P, a cost-effective 24-inch gaming-grade monitor with AMD FreeSync technology support. If you can get past the TN-film panel with 1080p resolution, you'll also find that it features response times as low as 1 ms, and up to 75 Hz refresh-rates. Viewing angles are 170°/160° (H/V). Among its feature-set is ASUS Splendid display management software, blue light filtering, and ASUS GamePlus, which is a collection of game genre-specific display presets. Display inputs include one each of DisplayPort 1.2a, HDMI 1.4a, and D-Sub. Stereo speakers and 3.5 mm-jack make for the rest of it. Expect a sub-$175 price.

ZOTAC has always been a pioneer of all things small: ZBOX Q Series, our VR Backpack and now, our all-new ZBOX C Series Mini PCs. We are constantly trying to push the limit on computer hardware and create the most powerful systems possible while reducing size, heat, and noise. That's why we made the new ZBOX C Series Mini PCs. We're enabling PC users to do what they always do, where they want, without restrictions.

We've changed the entire look. With an all new two-tone design, our Mini PCs look more stylish than ever, made to fit into any room in your home or office. The sleek, modern honeycomb design distinguishes your new computer while ensuring optimal airflow; we know computer heat can become unbearable. Whether browsing the web or streaming your favorite songs and shows, we've engineered our new Mini PCs to give you up to 66 percent more cooling power than the previous generation C Series so you can beat the heat and stay comfortable.

Here are some of the first pictures of the bare printed circuit board (PCB) of NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce GTX 1180 graphics card (dubbed PG180), referred to by the person who originally posted them as "GTX 2080" (it seems the jury is still out on the nomenclature). The PCB looks hot from the press, with its SMT points and vias still exposed. The GT104 GPU traces hint at a package that's about the size of a GP104 or its precessors. It's wired to eight memory chips on three sides, confirming a 256-bit wide memory bus. Display outputs appear flexible, for either 2x DisplayPort + 2x HDMI, or 3x DisplayPort + 1x HDMI configurations.

The VRM setup is surprisingly powerful for a card that's supposed to succeed the ~180W GeForce GTX 1080, which can make do with a single 8-pin PCIe power input. The card draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors. There is a purportedly 10-phase VCore side, which in all likelihood is a 5-phase setup with "dumb" phase-doubling; and similarly, a 2-phase memory power (which could again be doubled single-phase). The SLI-HB fingers also make way. There's a new connector that looks like a single SLI finger and an NVLink finger arranged side-by-side. NVIDIA still hasn't given up on multi-GPU. NVLink is a very broad interconnect, in terms of bandwidth. NVIDIA probably needs that for multi-GPU setups to work with not just high resolutions (4K, 5K, or even 8K), but also higher bit-depth, higher refresh-rates, HDR, and other exotic data. The reverse side doesn't have much action other than traces for the VRM controllers, phase doublers, and an unusually large bank of SMT capacitors (the kind seen on AMD PCBs with MCM GPUs).

Display specialist AOC announces the Q3279VWFD8, a sibling to the 31.5" Q3279VWF, a superb allrounder from the well-received 79 series, which debuted last autumn and received huge appraisal for its extraordinary price/performance ratio. The new monitor, Q3279VWFD8 uses a different panel type - IPS - rather than the VA panel used in its older brother and boasts a wider colour gamut for increased colour accuracy and therefore more vivid, natural and eye-catching imagery. The Q3279VWFD8's 31.5" IPS panel offers a highly detailed QHD resolution (2560x1440 pixels), 5 ms GtG response time, AMD FreeSync support and 75 Hz refresh rate. Aimed at particularly budget conscious home power users, internet cafés and everyone who is after jaw-dropping specs without breaking the bank are going to be well-served with the Q3279VWFD8.

Just a while ago the first 4K 144 Hz monitors became available with the ASUS PG27UQ and Acer X27. These $2,000 monitors no longer force gamers to pick between high-refresh rate or high resolution, since they support 3840x2160 and refresh rates up to 144 Hz. However, reviews of early-adopters report a noticeable degradation in image quality when these monitors are running at 144 Hz. Surprisingly refresh rates of 120 Hz and below look perfectly sharp.The underlying reason for that is the DisplayPort 1.4 interface, which provides 26 Gbits/s of bandwidth, just enough for full 4K at 120 Hz. So monitor vendors had to get creative to achieve the magic 144 Hz that they were shooting for. The solution comes from old television technology in form of chroma subsampling (YCbCr), which, in the case of these monitors, transmits the grayscale portion of the image at full resolution (3840x2160) and the color information at half the horizontal resolution (1920x2160).