Benchmarking company Futuremark has recently introduced a new benchmark to its VRMark suite, the Cyan Room, which brings the latest in rendering technologies to the VR world. Futuremark expects this test to leverage the latest hardware and software developments in DX12 to better utilize today's GPUs still somewhat untapped power. In something of a plot twist, AMD's Radeon architectures (in the form of Polaris 20-based RX 580 and Vega-based RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64) trump NVIDIA's equivalent offerings in pure performance numbers.

Testing was performed by pairing a Ryzen 7 1800X CPU with a selection of graphics cards from both AMD and NVIDIA, supported by 16GB of DDR4-2933 system memory, and Windows 10 x64. In a post on Radeon gaming, Scott Wasson said that "The Cyan Room (...) highlights AMD's continued performance leadership on this (VR) front," adding that "the Radeon GPUs we tested have clear leads over their direct competition. What's more, all the Radeon GPUs are meeting the key requirement for today's VR headsets by delivering at least 90 frames per second in this test."

GALAX and its EU-specific brand KFA2 announced the SNPR external graphics enclosure, with a factory-fitted GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card. Measuring 165 mm x 156.5 mm x 73 mm (WxDxH), and weighing in at 1.38 kg, the enclosure relies on an external power brick. Internally, it's a stack-up of three key components, the main-board which takes in power and Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbps) host connectivity, and puts out a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot; the extremely compact graphics card PCB, and the custom-design fan-heatsink cooler, which combines an aluminium fin-stack heatsink, with a pair of 70 mm spinners, to keep cool.

The enclosure is made of SECC steel, that's perforated along three sides. Display outputs from the card include one each of DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and dual-link DVI-D. The internal GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card ticks at factory-overclocked speeds of 1531 MHz core, 1746 MHz GPU Boost, and 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory (against reference clocks of 1506/1709 MHz). An external 230W power-brick (included) supplies power to the unit. Available now, the KFA2/GALAX SNPR GTX 1060 6 GB is priced at 499€ in the EU, including taxes.

An update to the Steam survey results is always worth noting, especially with the added, tremendous growth Valve's online store service has seen recently. And it seems that in the Steam gaming world at least, quad-core CPUs, NVIDIA graphics cards, and Windows 10 reign supreme.

Windows 10 64-bit is the most used operating system, with 50.33% of the survey. That the second most used Windows OS is the steady, hallmark Windows 7 shouldn't come as a surprise, though it does have just 32.05% of the market now. OS X has a measly 2.95% of the grand total, while Linux comes in at an even lower 0.72%. While AMD processor submits may have increased in other software, it seems that at least in Steam, those numbers aren't reflected, since AMD's processor market share in the survey has decreased from 21.89% in February to just 19.01% as of June, even though the company's Ryzen line of CPUs has been selling like hotcakes. Quad-core CPUs are the most used at time of the survey, at 52.06%, while the next highest percentage is still the dual-core CPU, with 42.23%.

GPU-accelerated crypto-currency mining poses a threat to the consumer graphics industry, yet the revenues it brings to GPU manufacturers are hard to turn away. The more graphics cards are bought up by crypto-currency miners, the fewer there are left for gamers and the actual target-audience of graphics cards. This is particularly bad for AMD, as fewer gamers have Radeon graphics cards as opposed to miners; which means game developers no longer see AMD GPU market-share as an amorphous trigger to allocate developer resources in optimizing their games to AMD architectures.

To combat this, both AMD and NVIDIA are innovating graphics cards designed specifically for crypto-currency mining. These cards are built to a cost, lack display outputs, and have electrical and cooling mechanisms designed for 24/7 operation, even if not living up to the durability standards of real enterprise-segment graphics cards, such as Radeon Pro series or Quadro. NVIDIA's "Pascal" GPU architecture is inherently weaker than AMD's "Polaris" and older Graphics CoreNext architectures at Ethereum mining, owing in part to Pascal's lack of industry-standard asynchronous compute. This didn't deter NVIDIA from innovating a lineup of crypto-mining SKUs based on its existing "Pascal" GPUs. These include the NVIDIA P104 series based on the "GP104" silicon (on which the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 are based); and P106 series based on the "GP106" silicon (GTX 1060 series is based on this chip). NVIDIA didn't tap into its larger "GP102" or smaller "GP107" chips, yet.

Hold on to your ETH hats: you will still be able to cash in on the ETH mining craze for a while. However, you should look towards your 3 GB and 4 GB graphics cards with a slight distrust, for reasons that you should know, anyway, since you have surely studied your mining cryptocurrency of choice. Examples are the GTX 1060 3 GB, or one of those shiny new 4 GB RX 480 / RX 580 which are going at ridiculously premium prices right now. And as a side note, don't you love the mechanisms of pricing and demand?

The problem here stems from ETH's own design for its current PoW (Proof of Work) implementation (which is what allows you to mine the currency at all.) In a bid to make ETH mining unwieldy for the specialized silicon that brought Bitcoin difficulty through the roof, ETH implements a large size data set for your GPU to work with as you mine, which is stored in your GPU's memory (through the DAG, which stands for Directed Acyclic Graph). This is one of the essential differences between Bitcoin mining and Ethereum mining, in that Ethereum mining was designed to be memory-intensive, so as to prevent usage of ASICs and other specialized hardware. As a side-note, this also helps (at least theoretically) in ETH's decentralization, which Bitcoin sees more at risk because of the inherent centralization that results from the higher hardware costs associated with its mining.

GIGABYTE updated the BRIX UHD SFF desktop it showed off in 2016, with the new BRIX VR BNi7G6-1060, a desktop with actual gaming credentials, targeted at VR gaming. The BNi7G6-1060 is based on the same cuboidal chassis as the BRIX UHD, with updated hardware - 7th gen Core "Kaby Lake" mobile processors, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics (not sure if 3 GB or 6 GB), two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, two 32 Gb/s M.2-2280 slots, 802.11ac WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI 2.0 display output, and USB 3.1 type-C ports.

Update: Apparently, there was a miscommunication between Gigabyte and user Treebsquire's Aero 15 seller, Scan. The nature of this miscommunication - and how this would lead to a report on battery issues - is still up in the air, but it would seem that Gigabyte isn't recalling their Aero 15 laptops after all, so rest easy if you have one of these.

Gigabyte has recently launched the Aero 15, a gaming laptop which really does bring some value to the wording "Aero" through some interesting aesthetics and an amazing thickness (1.9 cm) for the hardware under the hood: packed inside the AERO 15 is the latest 7th gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1060 GDDR5 6GB graphics, DDR4 ram, as well as a PCIe M.2 SSD (through different configurations.)

It's apparently a good product, having received some respectable reviews, and its 94Wh battery was being touted as a distinguishing feature, as being up to 2x larger than average battery sizes for laptops, which was able to power the laptop through 10 hours of Mobilemark's 2014 Productivity Mode. However, it would seem that this battery is capable of bringing problems to the user, and potentially put their safety at risk. Just one week after release, Gigabyte is recalling their Aero 15 laptops. A user on Reddit brought the issue to the community, saying that a Gigabyte rep he contacted informed him the Aero 15's have a battery fault.

NVIDIA is giving away three VR games with bundles of Oculus Rift VR headset, Oculus Touch controller, and qualifying GeForce GTX graphics cards. Game codes to three of the hottest VR titles, "The Unspoken," "SUPERHOT VR," and "Wilson's Heart" will be given away for free when you buy bundles of the Rift VR headset, Touch controller, with GeForce GTX 1060, GTX 1070, GTX 1080, or GTX 1080 Ti graphics cards. The bundles will be sold exclusively through Amazon and Newegg.

On the special promotion pages of these stores, you can match an Oculus Rift headset and Touch controller with an applicable GeForce GTX graphics card of your choice. A typical GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB + Oculus Rift + Touch controller bundle is priced around US $850, a GTX 1070 based bundle around $980, a GTX 1080 based bundle around $1,090, and a GTX 1080 Ti based bundle around $1,300.

GIGABYTE today launched its second custom-design GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card that features faster 9 Gbps GDDR5 memory, the Aorus GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB Xtreme Edition 9 Gbps (model: GV-N1060AORUS X-6GD). The company had last week announced the triple-fan WindForce OC variant of this SKU. The Xtreme Edition card features a triple-slot, dual-fan cooler that features the signature X-shaped lighting ornament on the cooler shroud, sitting between the two 100 mm fans. Under this shroud is an aluminium fin dual-stack heatsink that draws heat from a copper base-plate that covers not just the GPU, but also the memory and VRM. A back-plate is included. The cooler shroud features RGB LED illumination.

The Xtreme Edition is positioned a notch above the card GIGABYTE launched last week, in featuring higher factory-overclocked speeds of 1620 MHz core, 1847 MHz GPU Boost, and an untouched 9026 MHz (GDDR5-effective) memory clock, against 1607/1835 MHz (core/boost) of the WindForce 3X, and 1506/1709/8008 MHz (core/boost/memory) NVIDIA-reference clocks. The card draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe connector, display outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4, and one each of HDMI 2.0b and dual-link DVI. The company didn't reveal pricing.

In addition to the GTX 1080 AMP! Extreme 11 Gbps, ZOTAC introduced the GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB AMP+ graphics card with faster 9 Gbps GDDR5 memory (model: ZT-P10600G-10M). The card comes with factory-overclocked speeds of 1607 MHz core, 1835 MHz GPU Boost, and 9.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory, which now churns out 216 GB/s of memory bandwidth; against NVIDIA-reference clock speeds of 1506/1709/8008 MHz. The card features a short-length custom-design PCB that draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, and keeps cool with a compact rendition of ZOTAC's IceStorm cooling solution, featuring two 90 mm fans, and a dense aluminium fin-stack heatsink. The company didn't reveal pricing.

INNO3D, a leading manufacturer of high-end hardware components and computer utilities, expands its portfolio with the new GeForce GTX 1080 11Gbps and GTX 1060 9Gbps graphics cards. The new entries will become available in the premium iChiLL range of products.

The new INNO3D GeForce GTX 1080 11 Gbps and GTX 1060 9 Gbps iChiLL gaming cards draw everything out of NVIDIA's new Pascal architecture and leave nothing go to waste. All power and cooling efforts are perfectly tuned making them the perfect choice to run the latest games, the most demanding design suites and last but not least Virtual Reality applications.

ASUS introduced the GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB Phoenix graphics card. Designed with low cost in mind, this card is 18.3 cm long, and combines a custom-design PCB that draws power from a single 6-pin PCIe power connector, with a simple monolithic aluminium fan-heatsink cooler. The heatsink features a copper core, which dissipates heat to an aluminium block with spirally projecting fins; which is ventilated by a single 80 mm dual ball bearing fan. The GPU is clocked at NVIDIA reference speeds of 1506 MHz core, 1708 MHz GPU Boost, and 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory. As the 3 GB variant of the GTX 1060, the chip features just 1,152 CUDA cores. Display outputs include two each of DisplayPort and HDMI connectors, and a DVI port. ASUS didn't reveal pricing.

In addition to a new pair of GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards with faster 11 Gbps memory, GIGABYTE, through its Aorus brand, introduced a new custom-design GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card featuring faster 9 Gbps (GDDR5-effective) memory. The faster memory lends the GTX 1060 a memory bandwidth of 216 GB/s over its 192-bit wide interface.

The Aorus GTX 1060 6GB 9Gbps Edition (model: GV-N1060AORUS-6GD) features a premium-looking custom board design with a 2-slot thick triple-fan WindForce 3X cooling solution, mated to a custom-design PCB that draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector; and a back-plate. The card comes with factory-overclocked speeds of 1607 MHz core, 1835 MHz GPU Boost, and 9.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory, against reference speeds of 1506/1708/8008 MHz. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS today introduced revised versions of its GeForce GTX 1080 (non-Ti) STRIX and 6 GB GTX 1060 STRIX OC Edition graphics cards, featuring faster memory, as promised by NVIDIA during its GTX 1080 Ti launch. The GTX 1080 STRIX OC now comes with 11 Gbps GDDR5X memory and the 6 GB GTX 1060 STRIX OC with 9 Gbps GDDR5. To avoid bait-and-switch complaints from the retail market, these cards are clearly designated from their 10 Gbps and 8 Gbps siblings, in the model numbers, and in the prominent GPU SKU branding. The GTX 1080 STRIX OC is labelled "ROG-STRIX-GTX1080-O8G-11GBPS," and the GTX 1060 6 GB STRIX OC "GTX1060-O6G-9GBPS."

The two cards use revised GDDR5X and GDDR5 memory chips that can sustain their memory chips thanks to improvements in the memory controller end by NVIDIA. At 11 Gbps, the GTX 1080 now has a memory bandwidth of 352 GB/s, while the GTX 1060 has 216 GB/s bandwidth with 9 Gbps memory over its 192-bit wide memory bus. The new GTX 1080 STRIX OC also comes with "max-contact" heatsink base the company introduced with its GTX 1080 Ti STRIX. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Gainward introduced the GeForce GTX 1060 IceSoul graphics card, prepped out of the box for DIY liquid-cooling, with a factory-fitted full-coverage water block. This nickel-plated copper block with its clear acrylic top features LED mounts. The block is mated to a custom-design PCB that draws power from a combination of 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors, and employs a strong 8-phase VRM to drive out of the box clocks of 1620 MHz core, and 1847 MHz GPU Boost (vs. 1506/1709 MHz reference), with an untouched 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory. This is the 6 GB variant of the GTX 1060, with 1,280 CUDA cores. The card features dual-BIOS, with a push-type toggle at the rear I/O. Outputs include three DisplayPort 1.4, and one each of HDMI 2.0b and DVI. Launched in the mainland Chinese market, the card is priced at RMB ¥2,399.

At their GDC event yesterday, NVIDIA announced a change to how partners are able to outfit their GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 6 GB models in regards to video memory. Due to improvements in process and scaled-down costs, NVIDIA has decided to allow partners to purchase 11 Gbps GDDR5X (up from 10 Gbps) and 9Gbps (up from 8 Gbps) GDDR5 memory from them, to pair with the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 6 GB, respectively. These are to be sold by NVIDIA's AIB partners as overclocked cards, and don't represent a change to the official specifications on either graphics card. With this move, NVIDIA aims to give partners more flexibility in choosing memory speeds and carving different models of the same graphics card, with varying degrees of overclock, something which was particularly hard to do on conventional 10 Gbps-equipped GTX 1080's, which showed atypically low memory overclocking headroom.

At CES 2017, ASRock showcased one of the most interesting PCs in attendance - particularly if you think interest is inversely affected by size. The name they gave it was DeskMini, and it ushers in a Micro-STX form factor, measuring only 210 mm x 157.5 mm x 81.9 mm. But mini-PCs are many these days. What makes this one so interesting?

Well, it's the fact that this seems to embody the perfect proportions - and compromise - between a high-powered PC and a puny NUC or Mini-PC. For one, it carries any choice of a Celeron/Pentium/i3/i5/i7 Intel processor on the socket 1151 (up to a i7 7700K); supports up to a max of 32 GB DDR4 at 2400 MHz on 2x SO-DIMM slots; features 2x SATA III ports (with power connectors) and 3x M.2 ports (two of which support Type 2280/2260 M.2 PCIe Gen 3x4 or a SATA SSD, while the other supports only a PCIe Gen3x4-based SSD); and your choice of either an NVIDIA GTX 1060 (on the GTX series) or an AMD RX 460/470/480 on the (aptly named) RX series.

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.

Just a slight update on our reported stories of overheating issues with EVGA's FTW line of NVIDIA graphics cards, with the company having finished rolling out fan-curve adjusting BIOS updates for the affected cards.

The issue affects EVGA's line of FTW graphics cards ranging through the GTX 1060, GTX 1070, and GTX 1080, sporting the ACX 3.0 solution. As a casual reminder, you can view the list of affected cards below, for which BIOS updates have been issued in a blog post, along with a small FAQ and some instructions on how to perform the update.

After reports of EVGA cards overheating and sometimes becoming non-operational, which we covered right here on TPU, the company has now issued a statement further clarifying the steps it's taking towards solving the issues. Though it was first reported that only the GTX 1070/1080 FTW series of cards were having issues, the company has also extended its efforts towards the GTX 1060 cards, in both 3 GB and 6 GB flavors, which may point to either underlying problems with those cards as well, or simply EVGA extending that bit of extra support to their customers.

While at first it seemed that the company-distributed, free-of-charge thermal pads (which EVGA stressed were optional in nature) would be enough to fix any and all issues, the company is also issuing a BIOS revision in a few days, which "adjusts the fan speed curve" to "ensure sufficient cooling of all components across all operating temperatures".