Intel's next major CPU architecture, codenamed "Skylake," could be classified as the company's 6th generation Core processor family. It will succeed the brief stint Core "Broadwell" will have at the market, with no major chips for PC enthusiasts to look forward to. The Core i7-6700K appears to be the flagship product based on the Skylake-D silicon, succeeding the i7-4770K and i7-4790K. The Core i5-6600K will succeed the i5-4670K and i5-4690K.

The i7-6700K is a quad-core chip, with HyperThreading enabling 8 logical CPUs. Its nominal clock will be 4.00 GHz, with a rather shallow 4.20 GHz Turbo Boost frequency. It will feature an 8 MB L3 cache, and an integrated memory controller that supports both DDR4 and DDR3 memory types. This makes Skylake a transition point for the mainstream PC market to gradually upgrade to DDR4. You'll have some motherboards with DDR3 memory slots, some with DDR4 slots, and some with both kinds of slots. The resulting large uncore component, and perhaps a bigger integrated GPU, will result in quad-core Skylake parts having TDP rated as high as 95W, higher than current Haswell quad-core parts, with their 88W TDP.

As a quick follow up to our older report on AMD's upcoming "Zen" CPU core micro-architecture being a reversion to the monolithic core design, and a departure from its "Bulldozer" multicore module design which isn't exactly flying off the shelves, a leaked company slide provides us the first glimpse into the core design. Zen looks a lot like "Stars," the core design AMD launched with its Phenom series, except it has a lot more muscle, and one could see significant IPC improvements over the current architecture.

To begin with, Zen features monolithic fetch and decode units. On Bulldozer, two cores inside a module featured dedicated decode and integer units with shared floating-point units. On Zen, there's a monolithic decode unit, and single integer and floating points. The integer unit has 6 pipelines, compared to 4 per core on Bulldozer. The floating point unit has two large 256-bit FMAC (fused-multiply accumulate) units, compared to two 128-bit ones on Bulldozer. The core has a dedicated 512 KB L2 cache. This may be much smaller than the 2 MB per module on Bulldozer, but also indicate that the core is able to push through things fast enough to not need cushioning by a cache (much like Intel's Haswell architecture featuring just 256 KB per core). In a typical multi-core Zen chip, the cores will converge at a large last-level cache, which routes data between them to the processor's uncore, which will feature a DDR4 IMC and a PCI-Express 3.0 root complex.

Eurocom has launched the 13.3" M4 high-performance, upgradeable, ultraportable laptop, now with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics, Intel Core i7-4940MX upgradeable processors and QHD+ 3200-by-1800 13.3" display while only weighing 2 kg. "The EUROCOM M4 is the culmination of all of our experience in putting the most powerful computer components in the world into small form factor laptops. The M4 is a very slight 13.3" ultraportable but has the power of a mobile supercomputer." Mark Bialic, Eurocom President.

Customers now have the option of choosing between three levels graphics technology in the M4, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 860M and 765M. This gives customers the ability to choose the perfect graphics performance for their needs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M GPU provides a potent combination of immersive features and performance for all your games, applications, and entertainment; while also providing intelligent power features to extend battery life. "The EUROCOM M4 offers a very compelling combination of ultra-portability, hgh performance graphics, processors and memory and an ultra-crisp 3200x1800 QHD+ display. For those on the go that require high performance, the EUROCOM M4 is the best choice." Mark Bialic, EUROCOM President.

Intel topped off its value dual-core processor lineup with a new energy-efficient part, the Core i3-4170T. One of the last chips to be based on the 22 nm "Haswell" silicon, this chip offers two cores with HyperThreading enabling four logical CPUs, 3.20 GHz clock speeds, 3 MB, and a TDP of just 35W (standard i3-41xx series feature 54W TDP). The i3-4170T is priced roughly on par with the current series-leading chip, the i3-4160. A little later this month, Intel will unveil the i3-4170, which will be the fastest part in the series, featuring 3.70 GHz clock speeds.

In what could be a sign of Intel being stuck with "undigested" Core "Haswell" inventories, BGA chips becoming commonplace for desktop platforms that don't see CPU upgrades, or even "Broadwell" being too short a stopgap between "Haswell" and "Skylake," the company has reportedly decided to launch just two socket LGA1150 Core "Broadwell" parts, when the silicon hits the market towards June.

Built in the 14 nm silicon fab process, "Broadwell" will bring about performance/Watt increments, and Intel doesn't appear to be in the mood to trade those in for higher clock speeds (higher performance out of the box). It's relevant to note here, that the "Broadwell" core is essentially an optical shrink of the "Haswell" CPU architecture to 14 nm, much like "Ivy Bridge" was to "Sandy Bridge," even if the silicon seating the cores itself is much different (meatier iGPU). Intel will be going in with just two parts, both of which are unlocked, for PC enthusiasts to chew on. These include the Core i7-5775C and the Core i5-5675C.

Along the sidelines of GDC 2015, Intel offered a few details on how the year could look for its desktop processor lineup. The company is preparing to launch socketed Core "Broadwell" processors in mid-2015 (late Q2 or early Q3), likely in the sidelines of Computex 2015. Broadwell is an optical shrink of "Haswell" to the new 14-nanometer silicon fab process, with a minor feature-set update, much in the same way as "Ivy Bridge" was an optical shrink of "Sandy Bridge" to the 22 nm process.

The socketed Core "Broadwell" chips could come in the LGA1150 package, running on existing 8-series and 9-series chipset motherboards, with BIOS updates. The optical shrink seems to be working wonders for the silicon. Quad-core chips based on "Broadwell" could come with TDP rated as low as 65W (and we're not talking about the energy-efficient "S" or "T" brand extensions here). Some dual-core variants in the series may even be based on the smaller Core M "Broadwell" silicon, which physically features just 2 cores (and isn't a bigger quad-core silicon with two cores disabled in what's a colossal waste of rare-earth metals on a production scale). Some of those dual-core parts could come with TDP rated as low as 28W.

By virtue of their 80 PLUS Bronze certification, the new generation of reliable entry-level allrounders in Antecs VPF series for gamers and system integrators achieve an efficiency of up to 88 percent. Because of the excellent ratio of expended power to usable energy, the VPF family is not only more efficient, but also more powerful than its predecessors.

Compared to other power units in this price segment, the new VPF models are equipped with additional safety standards and due to the innovative CircuitShield technology offer as much as nine industrial quality protective circuits. Users can therefore rely on their high quality pc components to be perfectly protected. The complete set consisting of overcurrent protection (OCP), overvoltage protection (OVP), undervoltage protection (UVP), short circuit protection (SCP), overload power protection (OPP), overheating protection (OTP), surge and inrush protection (SIP), low-load operation (NLO) and protection against temporary fall of voltage (BOP) renders the new VPF power units reliable and stable power suppliers.

AMD gave us a technical preview of its next-generation "Carrizo" APU, which is perhaps the company's biggest design leap since "Trinity." Built on the 28 nm silicon fab process, this chip offers big energy-efficiency gains over the current-generation "Kaveri" silicon, thanks to some major under-the-hood changes.

The biggest of these is the "Excavator" CPU module. 23 percent smaller in area than "Steamroller," (same 28 nm process), Excavator features a new high-density library design, which reduces die-area of the module. Most components are compacted. The floating-point scheduler is 38% smaller, fused multiply-accumulate (FMAC) units compacted by 35%, and instruction-cache controller compacted by another 35%. The "Carrizo" silicon itself uses GPU-optimized high-density metal stack, which helps with the compaction. Each "Excavator" module features two x86-64 CPU cores, which are structured much in the same way as AMD's previous three CPU core generations.

Antec expanded its super-quiet EDGE Silence Defined line of power supplies, which made its debut in September with 550W and 650W model, with a series-topping 750W one, aimed with gaming PC builds with up to two high-end graphics cards. The unit is characterized by a 135 mm FDB fan that stays off until the unit kicks a load/temperature threshold; and rubber grommets and bands that dampen whatever little vibration slips out of the fan.

The innards of the 750W EDGE Silence Defined are made by Seasonic, featuring a single +12V rail design, APFC, Haswell C7 state support, and all modern electrical protection mechanisms. The unit features fully modular cabling, with enough juice and straws to go around, for a build with two high-end graphics cards.

Thermaltake, being an industry leader in computer chassis, thermal solutions, and power supply units, launches the latest power supply units from new "Toughpower" line. Rated between 650W to 1200W, Thermaltake's new Toughpower Grand Series Platinum (650W, 750W, 850W, 1050W and 1200W) is a high-end PC power supply unit with a fully modular design. The grandiose look with a classy black finish makes a clear statement through its sheer appearance.

The series is 80 PLUS Platinum-certified, so users not only get a guaranteed eco-friendly PSU but also superior performance with easy cable routing and increased airflow. The Toughpower Grand Platinum models are ideally suited for high-end gaming and enthusiast PCs powering multi-core processors in combination with multi-GPU setup.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND Flash storage solutions, announces line of DDR4 DRAM modules. DDR4 is the successor to DDR3 which is widely used in global enterprise computing solutions. Chip support for DDR4 comes with Intel's next-generation Xeon server processors based on Haswell architecture.

DDR4 provides double the rate of data that DDR3 is able to and allows for increased module densities to provide greater DRAM capacity. In addition, the power usage of these modules is 1.2V compared to DDR3's 1.5V - 20% lower than the previous generation's standard power draw. With lower power usage and higher bandwidth to work with, overhead costs can be reduced while providing increased bandwidth.

Xigmatek rolled out the Maverick S line of mid-range power supplies, which are designed to offer high value for money, and come at price points deep inside the $100 mark. Although designed to fit ATX or micro-ATX cases, the Maverick S conforms to the PS3 form-factor, which has the same height and width, but lesser depth than standard ATX. The unit measures 150 mm x 85 mm x 123 mm (WxHxD). It still uses a 120 mm PWM controlled spinner to keep cool, which is tucked away behind a refreshing new grille pattern. Xigmatek also launched the conventional ATX version of these PSUs, the Maverick, which comes with a depth of 158 mm.

The Maverick S is a partially modular PSU, with ATX, EPS, and at least one set of PCIe power connectors being fixed, which others being modular. It comes in three models, 400W, 500W, and 600W. The three feature single +12V rail designs, active PFC, most common electrical protection systems (over/under voltage, overload, short-circuit). All three models offer 80 Plus Bronze certified efficiency, and ATX 2.3/EPS 2.92, with support for Core "Haswell" C6 power-states. The company didn't disclose pricing or availability details.

Thermaltake, being an industry leader in computer chassis, thermal solutions, and power supply units, would like to take this opportunity to introduce the TR2 Bronze Series 450W, 500W, and 600W, PSU that incorporates various high-quality components, enabling non-stop usage with a constantly stable and reliable performance. With 80 PLUS Bronze certified, the new TR2 Bronze series is the most valuable and economical choice-line, especially as it is specifically designed for the users who are looking for an excellent balance between cost and performance.

To support all of today's PC requirements, the TR2 Bronze Series complies with the latest ATX 12V 2.3 Standard for the utmost reliability and compatibility that supports state-of-the-art technologies. The embedded 120mm cooling fan delivers not only silent cooling, but also intelligent temperature control. The series is equipped with a single +12V rail design to provide superior performance for its PC system. The new Thermaltake TR2 Bronze Series will always accommodate every type of mainstream build under any and all circumstances.

Thermaltake, being an industry leader in computer chassis, thermal solutions, and power supply units, introduces TR2 Bronze Series 450W, 500W, and 600W PSU that incorporate various high-quality components, enabling non-stop usage with stable and reliable performance. With 80 PLUS Bronze certified, the new TR2 Bronze series is the most valuable and economical choice line, especially designed for the users who are looking for the excellent balance between cost and performance. To support all of today's PC requirements, the TR2 Bronze Series comply with the latest ATX 12V 2.3 Standard for utmost reliability and compatibility supporting state-of-the-art technologies. Embedded 120mm cooling fan delivers silent cooling with intelligent temperature control. The series is equipped with a single +12V rail design to provide superior performance for PC system. TR2 Bronze Series can always accommodate any mainstream build under any circumstance.

Antec Inc., leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, broadens its range of modular power supplies with the new EDGE series. Cutting-edge components and technologies make EDGE a premium addition to Antec's range of industry-leading power supplies. With a EU release date of September, the EDGE is a powerful choice for performance enthusiasts in the market for a quiet, high-quality power supply.

The new Antec EDGE series is based on a brand-new platform, co-developed with their partner Seasonic. Housed in 0.8 mm SECC steel with an anti-scratch black coating, the Antec EDGE series PSUs are built with noise-reducing components. The EDGE series PSUs features a fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) fan with white LED lighting, which operates nearly silent at all speeds. Furthermore, silicone anti-noise de-couplers minimize vibrations for enhanced noise reduction.

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, the European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions, such as the world-renowned XPC Mini PC Barebones, today introduces two new 3-litre models for fourth-generation Intel Core processors. The XH81 and the XH81V are available on the European market with immediate effect. The Shuttle Barebones XH81 and XH81V are based on an Intel H81 Express Chipset and designed for current Intel processors for socket LGA1150 up to a maximum TDP of 65 W. Two SO-DIMM slots can be equipped with up to 16 GB of DDR3 memory. An efficient heatpipe cooling with two 60 mm fans channels waste heat directly to the outside. An external 90 W power supply is present to drive the system.

The flat case barely measuring 24 x 20 x 7.2 cm (DWH) can be equipped with up to three drives. Installation options for 3x 2.5" HDD/SSD drives or alternatively 2x 2.5" HDD/SSD drives plus an optical slimline drive are available. A 3.5" drive can also be installed using the PHD4 accessory which is sold separately. 3x SATA 6 Gbit/s and 1x SATA 3 Gbit/s are available. There are also two Mini-PCIe 2.0 slots inside which can be used for expansion cards, e.g. for a WLAN or an mSATA SSD drive. Neither the Shuttle Barebone XH81 nor the XH81V skimps when it comes to connections - with DisplayPort, HDMI, USB 3.0 Gigabit LAN, RS 232 and 5.1 Audio, for example, high connectivity can be found on the front and the back panel.

The release of the Fury PSU Series has made serious waves in the hardware community with impressive power specifications and cables featuring all Alchemy sleeving. Another great benefit is high efficiency and cost savings, especially when paired with Intel's Haswell-class processors and their low-power sleep states. To ensure full compatibility with the latest hardware, BitFenix has worked closely with Intel to make sure that Fury delivers according to spec. After recent testing from the Intel labs, the BitFenix Fury PSU Series passed with flying colors, reaffirming their full compatibility with Intel Haswell C6/C7 sleep states.

Intel Haswell C6/C7 is a low-power state that is meant to lower power usage when the system is in sleep mode. The issue arises when certain power supplies are unable to provide a minimum load of 0.05 amps on the 12V2 rail, which can lead to stability issues. However, Fury PSUs are fully compatible with these sleep states, as the Intel testing labs have confirmed. See below for the Haswell test for the Fury 750G:

GammaTech Computer Corp., a major international manufacturer and supplier of innovative notebook, tablet, and PC devices, has added a series of all-in-one computers to its award-winning DURABOOK lineup. Featuring a 24" full high-definition display, the thin-style P24 lineup comes with a powerful 4th generation Intel Haswell Core processor, and special features such as a proximity sensor and an internal UPS battery that provides backup power. Additionally, the lineup includes an optional upgraded model designed specifically for the healthcare industry.

"Designed with features specifically for their industries, the new GammaTech DURABOOK P24 Series of all-in-one computers is an ideal match for applications in the business/enterprise world, hospitality environment, and at nursing stations, on medical carts, and wall or VESA mounted in hospitals, clinics, or doctor offices," commented Jen Chen, GammaTech President. "And, naturally, as GammaTech products, each model is made to perform in demanding situations. They meet Military Standard 810G certifications for vibration, work in temperatures up to 104° F, and are front-panel spill proof."

Intel's "Haswell" micro-architecture introduced the transactional synchronization extensions (TSX) as part of its upgraded feature-set over its predecessor. The instructions are designed to speed up certain types of multithreaded software, and although it's too new for any major software vendor to implement, some of the more eager independent software developers began experimenting with them, only to discover that TSX is buggy and can cause critical software failures.

The buggy TSX implementation on Core "Haswell" processors was discovered by a developer outside Intel, who reported it to the company, which then labeled it as an erratum (a known design flaw). Intel is addressing the situation by releasing a micro-code update to motherboard manufacturers, who will then release it as a BIOS update to customers. The update disables TSX on affected products (Core and Xeon "Haswell" retail, and "Broadwell-Y" engineering samples).

Intel rolled out six new entry-level socket LGA1150 dual-core processors, based on the "Haswell" micro-architecture. These include four-each under the Pentium and Core i3 brands. Among the Pentium parts are the G3250 (3.20 GHz clocks, 1.10 GHz iGPU, 3 MB L3, 53W TDP, 2c/2t); Pentium G3250T (2.80 GHz clocks, 1.10 GHz iGPU, 3 MB L3, 35W TDP, 2c/2t); Pentium G3450T (2.90 GHz clocks, 1.10 GHz iGPU, 3 MB L3, 35W TDP, 2c/2t); and Pentium G3460 (3.50 GHz clocks, 1.10 GHz iGPU, 3 MB L3, 53W TDP, 2c/2t).

The HyperThreading-enabled Core i3 parts include the Core i3-4160 (3.60 GHz clocks, 1.15 GHz iGPU, 3 MB L3, 54W TDP, 2c/4t); Core i3-4160T (3.10 GHz clocks, 1.15 GHz iGPU, 3 MB L3, 35W TDP, 2c/4t); Core i3-4360T (3.20 GHz clocks, 1.15 GHz iGPU, 4 MB L3, 34W TDP, 2c/4t); and the Core i3-4370 (3.80 GHz clocks, 1.15 GHz iGPU, 4 MB L3, 54W TDP, 2c/4t), which is the fastest dual-core CPU money can buy.

TechPowerUp teamed up with BIOSTAR to bring you a cool new giveaway, in which you could win one of three BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z97WE socket LGA1150 motherboards based on the Intel Z97 Express chipset, and ready for not just current Core "Haswell," "Haswell Refresh," and "Devil's Canyon" processors, but also future 5th generation Core processors. The Hi-Fi Z97WE boasts of a powerful onboard audio solution that features audiophile-grade capacitors, ground-layer isolation, and a high SNR CODEC. To enter the contest, all you have to do is "Like" our Facebook page, if you haven't already, and fill up a short form (or make Facebook do it for you). Good Luck!For more details, and to participate, visit this page.

Launched for pre-order on the side-lines of Computex 2014, Intel's flagship quad-core processors for the LGA1150 platform, codenamed "Devil's Canyon," are now shipping from retailers, and can be bought off the shelf on ground stores. Based on the 22 nm "Haswell Refresh" silicon, these chips are designed for overclocking, featuring higher voltage limits, packages designed to tolerate higher voltage, stronger electricals, and an improved thermal interface material between the die and IHS.

The series includes the Core i5-4690K, and the Core i7-4790K. The i5-4690K is clocked at 3.50 GHz, with Turbo Boost frequencies of 3.90 GHz, and features 6 MB of L3 cache. The i7-4790K, on the other hand, is the first Intel Core processor to ship with out of the box clock speed of 4.00 GHz, and Turbo Boost speeds of 4.40 GHz. It features 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading, which enables eight logical CPUs for the OS to deal with. The i5-4690K is priced at US $250, and the i7-4790K at $350.

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) a leader in rugged small form factor computing has released a new extreme performance PC model LPC-681. This powerful small computer measuring only 6.54"(W) x 6.18"(D) x 1.89"(H) in size is our fastest to date and is packed with features typically found in systems many times its size. The LPC-681 mini PC is powered by a high performance Intel 4th Generation Haswell Core i7-4800MQ mobile processor that will handle most processor intense applications. The Stealth PC is also equipped with Intel HD Graphics 4600 providing for 3-video ports (1-DisplayPort, 2-HDMI) with optional adapter cables for VGA & DVI connectivity. Stealth's pint-sized machine is capable of driving three 1080p HD displays or a single 4K ultra HD display for high-end graphics capability. Other features include: 1-Gigabit LAN, 2-USB 3.0, 2-USB 2.0, 1-Serial, 2-e-SATA, Audio In/Out ports and optional 802.11 b/g/n wireless networking.

Intel's presentation for Italian technology conference 3D Revolution 2014 was leaked to the web, revealing the company's most up-to-date desktop CPU roadmap, which looks deep into 2015. It reveals a wealth of new information. To begin with the HEDT (high-end desktop) segment, Intel plans to drag Core i7 "Ivy Bridge-E" through Q3-2014, and launch its succeeding Core i7 "Haswell-E" processor close to Q4-2014, or late into Q3, which would pin its launch some time in September 2014. "Haswell-E" is built in the new socket LGA2011-3 package, and is supported exclusively by Intel X99 Express chipset. It also heralds DDR4 memory to the consumer space. "Haswell-E" will have its reign till late-Q3 2015, when Intel plans to launch Core i7 "Broadwell-E," which is built in the same package, and supported by the same X99 platform, but based on a swanky new 14 nm silicon.

Things get interesting with the company's mainline desktop processors. Intel recently launched its "Haswell" Refresh silicon, and is bound to launch their unlocked variants, codenamed "Devil's Canyon," on the 25th of June. Built in the LGA1150 package, "Haswell" Refresh runs on both 8-series and 9-series chipset. Intel's 9-series chipset was originally designed to launch alongside the company's first processors built on the 14 nm silicon fab process, codenamed "Broadwell," which is an optical shrink of "Haswell," with a few minor tweaks and speed bumps, just as "Ivy Bridge" was to "Sandy Bridge." Intel's "Broadwell" chips are now expected to debut in Q1-2015, probably along the sidelines of the 2015 International CES. These chips will be supported by existing LGA1150 motherboards, some with BIOS updates.

Originally launched as an exclusive for Intel 9-series chipset motherboards, Intel's unlocked Core i5 and Core i7 "Devil's Canyon" quad-core processors, are now supported on a large number of motherboards based on older 8-series chipsets (H81, B85, H87, and Z87), with a BIOS update from the board manufacturer. Intel posted a list of motherboards with "Devil's Canyon" chips, on its website. Most popular Z87-based motherboards are on this list, much to the relief of enthusiasts who spent a small fortune (read: over $300) on high-end Z87-based motherboards, a little over a year ago. "Devil's Canyon" combines specially binned "Haswell" Refresh silicon, with high-tolerance on-package electricals, LGA contact points, and a more efficient thermal interface material between the die and the integrated heatspreader (IHS). The lineup currently includes Core i5-4690K (3.50 GHz, 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost, 4 cores, 4 threads, 6 MB L3 cache, $250), and Core i7-4790K (4.00 GHz, 4.40 GHz Turbo Boost, 4 cores, 8 threads, 8 MB L3 cache, $350).Find the list of motherboards for Core i7-4790K here, and for Core i5-4690K here.