Axiomtek, one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of innovative, high performance and reliable PC-based industrial computer products, announced the arrival of the PICO880, the most advanced, high-performance and extremely compact single board computer in the marketplace. Created with the most advanced 4th Generation Intel Core technology, the PICO880 is designed to support the needs of systems integrators who require a compact, high-performance, versatile and reliable single board computer.

The PICO880 is built to withstand wide temperature conditions, ranging from -20°C to +70°C (-4°F to +158°F). Designed with expandability in mind, the tiny embedded board has a full-size PCI Express Mini Card slots with mSATA support. The PICO880 also provides two flexible board-to-board connectors that integrate audio, four USB 3.0, four USB 2.0, one PCIe x1, one DisplayPort, two UARTs, LED, and power on/off interfaces. It is a perfect fit for vehicle PCs, small media entertainment systems, industrial automation systems, medical imaging, gaming and small electronic devices customers.

ASUS rolled out second-generation add-on Thunderbolt cards for its motherboards, the ThunderboltEX II series. It includes the single-port ThunderboltEX II, and the two-port ThunderboltEX II DUAL. The two are based on Intel's DSL5320 and DSL5520 chipsets, respectively, and support the Thunderbolt 2.0 standard, which offers 20 Gb/s of bandwidth over a single cable.

The cards aren't completely independent, and can't just be plugged into any motherboard with a PCI-Express 2.0 x4/x16 slot. It requires a special header that's used for timing, and low-level system interface, and optionally, an end-to-end DisplayPort (if you want to relay display from your graphics card through the common Thunderbolt pipe). A list of compatible motherboards can be found on the product page.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the launch of its latest addition to the GIGABYTE BRIX series of ultra compact PC kits, the GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming. Packing an AMD A8-5557M APU together with an AMD Radeon R9 M275X discrete graphics processor, the GIGABYTE BRIX Gaming has gaming performance that belies its compact size.

"The BRIX Gaming offers a real desktop PC experience in a compact form factor that end users now expect from a GIGABYTE BRIX device," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "We're very excited about the continuing evolution of the desktop PC, challenging the notion that smaller PC design means abandoning performance."

Axiomtek, one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of innovative, high performance and reliable PC-based industrial computer products, has introduced OPS880-HM, its new cost-effective OPS digital signage player with the support of 4K resolution. The OPS880-HM is powered by 4th Generation Intel Core i5 and i3 processors (codename: Haswell) with the Mobile Intel HM86 Express chipset. The OPS880-HM supports one DDR3L SO-DIMM socket with memory maximum up to 8GB. In addition, it features one mSATA interface as storage device and two PCI Express Mini Card slots for graphics-enhanced video card, wireless LAN card for 802.11 b/g/n and 3G/GPRS, and tuner/AV capture card. The outstanding OPS digital signage module is an ideal choice for various display applications in different environments, e.g., shopping mall, corporate, education, bank, transportation, retail store, restaurant, performing art center.

AMD announced its 2014 A-Series APU for the desktop platform, code-named "Kaveri," after the southern-Indian river. Built in the new FM2+ package, the APUs run only on socket FM2+ motherboards based on the AMD A88X, A78, and A55 chipsets; while the socket itself can seat older FM2 APU families, "Trinity" and "Richland." In many ways, the socket transition is similar to that of socket AM3+. "Kaveri" sees AMD integrate two of its newest CPU and GPU micro-architectures, "Steamroller" for CPU, and Graphics CoreNext 2.0 for the GPU. "Kaveri" is also built on newer generation 28 nm silicon fab process.

"Steamroller" is an evolution of the same modular CPU core design as its predecessors, "Piledriver" and "Bulldozer." AMD promises a 10 percent improvement in performance clock-by-clock, per core, which falls in line with AMD's normal scheme of annual incremental performance updates on its CPU micro-architectures. A "Steamroller" module is a combination of two 64-bit x86 cores, which feature dedicated and shared components. "Kaveri" has two such modules, and so physically, it features a quad-core CPU.

DisplayLink, the leading provider of USB Graphics technology and Targus Inc, maker of the world's top-selling laptop computer cases and accessories, today announced the official launch of the new Targus Universal USB 3.0 DV2K Docking Station with Power utilizing the latest DL-3950 chipset from DisplayLink.

The new Targus ACP7101USZ adds dual 2560x1600 resolution support to the popular ACP71USZ charging dock utilizing the latest DL-3950 chipset from DisplayLink. The ACP7101USZ increased resolution and support for dual DVI-I and DisplayPort connections creates a truly universal docking solution with industry leading flexibility and functionality.


"DisplayLink continues to drive connectivity / resolution and expansion for the growing Universal Docking Segment, vastly simplifying computer and tablet expansion and providing flexible solutions for the productivity worker," said John Cummins, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, "Targus is first to market with our latest chipset and we are pleased to co-announce the DL-3950 chipset and the new ACP7101USZ Universal USB 3.0 DV2K Docking Station with Power together at CES 2014."

Picture this - an NUC-like desktop so powerful for its size, that it qualifies to be a Steam Machine by Valve. The new BRIX Pro from Gigabyte is its most powerful BRIX desktop. Measuring all of 114.4mm x 111.4mm x 62 mm, the BRIX Pro tucks in some powerful hardware. To begin with, it features an off-spec 100 x 105 mm motherboard, which seats an Intel Core i7-4770R quad-core processor. Based on the big 22 nm Haswell silicon, it features Intel's Iris Pro 5200 graphics, which runs 40 compute units, and an L4 cache.

The Core i7-4770R chip inside the BRIX Pro is wired to up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 memory. The only internal storage option is an mSATA 6 Gb/s slot. Network connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, and Wi-Fi + Bluetooth using an optional mPCIe card. The rest of its connectivity includes a total of four USB 3.0 ports, mini-DisplayPort and HDMI display outputs, and 6-channel HD audio. Gigabyte didn't finalize pricing.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced today that DockPort will be added as an official extension to the existing DisplayPort standard. DockPort is an emerging technology that enables high-speed USB 3.0 data over the existing DisplayPort connector. Originally developed by AMD, Texas Instruments, and other VESA member companies, the DockPort extension will allow notebooks, tablets and other small form factor computers to aggregate the display, data and power interfaces into a single convenient connector.

Computers and other smart devices require high-speed I/O ports to share high-resolution video with external displays, high-bandwidth data with external storage and other peripherals, and power for battery charging. As notebooks and tablets become thinner and more portable, consumers want to combine these three common interfaces into a single port on their mobile device. With a single DisplayPort connection using the new DockPort extension and enhanced power capabilities under development, consumers will be able to attach their computers or tablets to a docking station and have instant, hassle-free access to a wide array of external resources.

ASUS today announced the ROG SWIFT PG278Q. The SWIFT PG278Q features a 27-inch WQHD (2560 x 1440) resolution, fast 120+ Hz refresh rate, 1 ms response time, full range ergonomic adjustments, ASUS GamePlus and NVIDIA G-SYNC technologies that are designed to deliver the ultimate gaming experience.

Experience Immersive Gaming and Outstanding Visuals
Say goodbye to motion blur and lag with 120+ Hz refresh rate and 1 ms response times for a competitive advantage in all your games thanks to smoother gameplay and on-screen responsiveness. The ROG SWIFT PG278Q also features GamePlus, an exclusive ASUS feature.

The Philips UltraClear Display debuts today, combining 4K UHD high resolution with a color depth of 1.07 billion colors to deliver brilliant performance, screen clarity and detail with four times the resolution of Full HD. Whether you require extremely detailed information for CAD-CAM solutions, use 3D graphic applications or are a financial wizard working on huge spreadsheets, this Philips display will provide UltraClear 3840×2160 pixel images to meet the visual demands of the most sophisticated power user. The 28-inch monitor (model 288P6) is also ideal for those seeking superb onscreen clarity and color accuracy for personal applications, and includes built-in stereo speakers for multimedia and MHL technology for easy mobile device connectivity.

Designed with the user in mind, the Philips UltraClear Display provides a plethora of connectivity options and comes equipped with HDMI, DisplayPort, Dual-link DVI and VGA SmartConnect ports, enabling the enjoyment of high resolution uncompressed video and audio content. USB 3.0 ensures super speed data transfers and smartphone charging while having global connectivity. Additionally, an integrated MHL port allows users to connect compatible phones and tablets directly to the monitor to mirror content to the widescreen display while charging the mobile device at the same time.

Gigabyte Technology is now preparing the arrival of yet another GeForce GTX 780 Ti model, one codenamed GV-N78TWF3-3GD that features a WindForce 3X 450W cooler, like the GTX 780 Ti Overclock Edition and the GTX 780 Ti GHz Edition, but has 'only' stock clocks - 876/928 MHz Base/Boost for the GPU and 7,000 MHz for the memory.

The upcoming card has an 8+2-phase power design, two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, 2880 CUDA Cores, a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. No word yet on pricing or a release date.

Gigabyte joined the growing list of AMD Radeon add-in board partners to launch Radeon R9 270X graphics cards with double the standard memory amount. The GV-R927XOC-4GD, available in a standard edition and one with a Battlefield 4 Origin key, features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory across a 256-bit wide memory interface, clocked at 5.60 GHz, at which the GPU has 179 GB/s of memory bandwidth at its disposal. The card features a long, non-reference design PCB, and the company's new generation WindForce 3X cooler, which together give the card a high-end look when installed. 4 GB of memory makes the R9 270X meet the recommended system requirements of Battlefield 4.

The factory-overclocked card offers 1050 MHz base GPU clock, and 1100 MHz PowerTune Boost frequency. The card draws power from a pair of 6-pin PCIe power connectors, display outputs include a pair of dual-link DVI, and one each of HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2. Based on the 28 nm "Curacao" silicon, the Radeon R9 270X features 1,280 GCN2 stream processors, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It features a 256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface. Its API support includes DirectX 11.2, OpenGL 4.3, and Mantle. Gigabyte didn't reveal pricing of the two.

Gigabyte Technology will very soon be rolling out a new Radeon R7 260X card, a model dubbed GV-R726XOC-1GD which is factory overclocked, has a custom cooler and packs 1 GB of GDDR5 memory - half the amount found on most R7 260Xs.

The incoming card features a blue PCB, Ultra Durable 2 components, a dual-slot cooler with a 10 cm fan, a GPU clock of 1188 MHz, a 128-bit memory interface, a memory frequency of 6500 MHz, and dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. The R726XOC-1GD can be found listed on pre-order @ 106.70 Euro.

Gigabyte may have not officially announced its GeForce GTX 780 Ti GHz Edition card but the product is now available on the company's website and it can be found (as a pre-order item) on multiple online shops.

Gigabyte's new, uber-end card features an 8-phase power design, a WindForce 3X 450W cooler (boasting three fans, two 8 mm and four 6 mm cooper heatpipes), a reinforced backplate, dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors, 2880 CUDA Cores, a GPU Base Clock of 1085 MHz (Boost is 1150 MHz), a 384-bit memory interface, 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM set to 7000 MHz, and dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti GHz Edition is priced as low as 661 Euro.

The EVGA DisplayPort Hub is a simple to use, multi-monitor connectivity solution between a single DisplayPort source and up to three DisplayPort compatible monitors. Its plug-and-play features allow you to enjoy the benefits of multiple monitors with a single digital output port. Ideal for graphic design, video editing, 3D animation, CAD/CAM, spreadsheet analysis, and productivity without the need of an additional graphics card.

At the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), LG Electronics (LG) will break new ground with the launch of its 34-inch IPS 21:9 UltraWide (Model UM95) monitor. Also available in a 29-inch version, the UM95 will offer stunning image clarity thanks to an UltraWide QHD resolution (3440 x 1440) display.

In addition to the UM95, LG will be showcasing a number of other exciting IPS 21:9 UltraWide series monitors at CES in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2014. Model UM65 (available in 25-, 29- and 34-inch display sizes) and model UB65 feature ergonomic designs ideal for the workplace environment. CES visitors will also be able to experience the Real 4K (Model 31MU95) and the latest Color Prime (Model 27MB85) monitors from LG. The company's newest monitors boast a long list of impressive features that make entertainment more immersive, multitasking easier than ever and work more productive. LG's exceptional IPS monitors have earned a reputation for providing superior picture quality with excellent color accuracy, motion clarity and off-axis viewing.

While no announcement was made Gigabyte went on and published on its website details on two custom-cooled and factory-overlocked graphics cards powered by AMD's Hawaii GPU, the GV-R929XOC-4GD (Radeon R9 290X) and GV-R929OC-4GD (Radeon R9 290).

Pictured below, both cards come equipped with the dual-slot WindForce 3X 450W cooling solution (three fans, 6 mm and 8 mm heatpipes), and feature a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 interface, a GPU clock of 1040 MHz (the stock R9 290X/290 go up to 1000/947 MHz), a 512-bit memory interface, 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM @ 5000 MHz, and dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs. The cards' prices are still unknown.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) announced today that it certified 300 new DisplayPort products in 2013, a 63% increase in the number of certified products. Products that passed VESA's rigorous compliance test, which qualifies products to feature the distinctive orange-and-black DisplayPort logo, include desktop and notebook computers, displays, graphic cards, cables and adaptors. This year, for the first time, 4K Ultra-HD (UHD) televisions and 4K computer displays have also been DisplayPort certified and introduced into the market.

"Consumers increasingly seek out the DisplayPort logo when purchasing new computers, displays and other products," explained Bill Lempesis, VESA executive director. "DisplayPort's thorough certification process assures the buyer that their new DisplayPort purchase is flawlessly interactive with other DisplayPort products. DisplayPort is constantly evolving, with new features like multiple display streaming over a single cable, and 4K x 2K display resolution at 60 Hz with up to 30-bit per pixel color depth."

Philips has now introduced the Brilliance 231C5TJKFU, a new, 23-inch display featuring SmoothTouch technology (projected capacitive 10-point touch) allowing the use of touch gestures like tap, grab, pinch, rotate, and swipe.

Pictured below, the monitor also has an LED-backlit IPS panel, a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 5 ms GTG response time, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1, a 1MP webcam, two built-in 2 W speakers, a 2-port USB 3.0 hub, and D-Sub, DisplayPort and HDMI (with MHL) connectivity. The Brilliance 231C5TJKFU has a recommended price tag of €499.

As if one GTX 780 Lightning wasn't enough, MSI is currently preparing the release of another such card, a 'Lite Edition' with the same features but lower clocks. The LE model comes with 889/941 MHz Base/Boost GPU clocks while the already-released GTX 780 Lightning is set to 980/1033 MHz.

The GTX 780 Lightning LE also has Military Class components, a 10-layer PCB, a GPU Reactor for improved overclocking stability, a TriFrozr cooler, Pure Digital PWM Control, Twin BIOS, a 16+3 phase power design, and the 'usual' - 2304 CUDA Cores, 3 GB of GDDR5 memory set to 6008 MHz, and dual-DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort output. The card's price tag has not been revealed.

ASUS' R9 290X DirectCU II will likely have some competition when it actually launches as Gigabyte is working on its own custom Radeon R9 290X graphics card. Codenamed GV-R929XOC-4GD, Gigabyte's first non-stock R9 290X offering comes equipped with the dual-slot WindForce 3X 450W cooler that's supposed to be up to 15.9 dB quieter than the reference solution, and has an slightly-overlocked GPU (1040 MHz).

Gigabyte's card also features a 512-bit memory interface, 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM, and dual DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI outputs. No word yet on pricing (or an actual release date).

In addition to introducing the UltraSharp UP3214Q model, Dell is set to add two more Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) monitors to its offer, a 24-inch model known as UP2414Q and a 28-inch display named P2815Q.

The UP2414Q should be available shortly and will feature an IPS panel with 99% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB coverage and 178/178 degree viewing angles, an 8 ms GTG response time, a contrast ratio of 1,000:1 (dynamic contrast ratio is 2,000,000:1), a media card reader, a 4-port USB 3.0 hub, HDMI, DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort inputs, and a stand enabling tilt, swivel, pivot and height adjustment. This one will cost $1,399. The P2815Q is scheduled to arrive early next year priced at under $1,000.

Here are the first pictures of a custom-design PCB for AMD's 28 nm "Hawaii" silicon. Pictured below is a pallet (a set of two uncut PCBs that are just punched, wired and stacked) of the MSI Radeon R9 290X Lightning. It exposes both the obverse and reverse sides of the PCB. MSI is taking no chances in giving "Hawaii" a strong electrical muscle, given that it's quite possibly the most power hungry GPU out there (even if not the GPU with the most transistors).

The MSI Radeon R9 290X Lightning PCB features a 15+2 phase VRM that draws power from a trio of power connectors, which is a first for single-GPU graphics cards. These include two 8-pin connectors, and a 6-pin. One can also make out three 4-pin fan connectors, and a few voltage measurement points. Display connectors include a pair of piggy-backed DVI connectors, and the usual DisplayPort and HDMI fare. The PCB overall, appears to be a good centimeter taller than what constitutes as "full-height" for add-on cards. The extra height creates room for a BIOS switch, some VRM circuitry, and the power connectors.

Intel is continuing on its mission to establish Thunderbolt as the next universal device interconnect standard, despite steep competition from the 5 Gb/s USB 3.0, the upcoming 10 Gb/s USB 3.1, and stringent validation and licensing barriers on its own end. To that effect, the company outlined its mainstream Thunderbolt controller, which it plans to launch some time in 2014. The company is planning two major introductions to the standard, to help it compete against USB - power delivery, and ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) networking.

The controller, Broadwell Thunderbolt-LP, isn't designed too differently from what's available in the market. It handles a 20 Gb/s Thunderbolt link by aggregating two 10 Gb/s channels, relays DisplayPort 1.2 from the system's graphics device, and connects to the rest of the system over PCIe 2.0 x2. The chip is built in the 8 x 8 mm package, and features operational and idle TDP ratings of 1.5W and 1mW, respectively. The changes Intel is making to the standard will enable power delivery of up to 53W over a standard tethered cable. That's enough power to run a drive dock with up to six 3.5-inch hard drives, or a small (<24-inch) flat-screen monitor. The other big feature is ad-hoc networking, which enables people to set up peer-to-peer 20 Gb/s connections between two PCs much in the same way they did with USB and RS232, back in the day. While it's no Ethernet replacement, it could prove useful in certain environments, such as content-creation. Intel is expected to make some Thunderbolt-related announcements at CES, next January.

In addition to the Z87I GAMING AC model seen last week, MSI is set introduce another mini ITX LGA1150 motherboard, the H87I AC. Seen below, this H87-based board features two DDR3-1600 memory slots, four SATA 6.0 Gbps ports, one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, four USB 3.0 ports, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, plus Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac WiFi.

The H87I AC makes use of Military Class 4 components and is available for pre-order at €102.