The moment AVADirect began to walk down the road of partnership with Intel, they immediately recognized how special said path would be. As unique as it was (and still is) AVADirect felt it a necessary step in the right, collaborative direction. As Intel is creating an enthusiast following through ground-breaking processor technology, and AVADirect following suit with their one-of-a-kind custom configurations, enthusiasts begin to see a wonderment of high-end solutions unfold. That being said, the reveal of Intel's new, refreshed, unlocked 4th Generation Intel desktop processors makes the perfect addition to AVADirect' armament of Gaming, Performance, and mini-Desktop configurations.

These new Unlocked Intel processors means unlimited potential, and decreased limitations toward advantageous performance that, what was once industry standard, will burn a hole in your competition through smooth-playing gunfire, rather than your system's thermals. The (code-named "Devil's Canyon") 4th Generation CPU's have gained positive press based on reduced thermal operation while under extreme overclocking modifications. What this means, exactly, is end-users/enthusiasts may no longer need to seek high-end cooling solutions (closed-loop/custom liquid cooling) to acquire desirable temperatures while under full load, overclocked, and pushed to the max. This could very well be a new industry standard, coming of age, and (once again) with Intel's leading products for those who wish to utilize the latest processor technologies to their greatest benefit.

Intel announced its much awaited Core i7 and Core i5 "Devil's Canyon" unlocked quad-core processors. Based on an enhanced "Haswell-DT" Refresh silicon, the chips feature binned dies, enhanced thermal interface material between the die and the integrated heatspreader, enhanced on-package electricals, and high voltage limits. Among the models launched today, are the Core i7-4790K, and the Core i7-4690K. The i7-4790K features four cores, with HyperThreading enabling eight logical CPUs, 8 MB L3 cache, Intel HD 4600 graphics, and an integrated dual-channel DDR3 IMC. It comes with clock speeds of 4.00 GHz, with 4.40 GHz Turbo Boost. Apart from unlocked multipliers, it features higher voltage limits than the current i7-4770K. The Core i5-4690K, on the other hand, is a quad-core chip that lacks HyperThreading. It offers clock speeds of 3.50 GHz, and Turbo Boost speeds of 3.90 GHz. The i7-4790K is priced at US $350, and the i5-4690K at $250. Both chips should be available by 25th June, 2014. For now, you can pre-order them on Newegg.

Gigabyte showed off a reference BRIX space-saving desktop based around its H97N-WiFi mini-ITX motherboard. The desktop packs a mean punch for everything except 3D gaming, and should be capable of complex video-editing and production jobs. At its heart is a Core i7-4785T energy-efficient quad-core processor based on the "Haswell" Refresh silicon. The CPU features clock speeds of 2.20 GHz with 3.20 GHz Turbo Boost, HyperThreading, AVX2 instruction set, and a dual-channel IMC. Other chops include up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 Crucial Ballistix Tracer memory, up to 1 TB of Crucial M550 SSD storage, display outputs that include dual-link DVI and HDMI, 802.11 ac + Bluetooth 4.0 WLAN, gigabit Ethernet, and a 120W power-brick.

Intel's next socket LGA1150 quad-core processors for overclockers, namely the Core i7-4790K and the Core i7-4690K, codenamed "Devil's Canyon," could be exclusive to motherboards based on the 9-series chipset. For overclockers, the choices would hence narrow down to motherboards based on the Z97 Express chipset. Marketing material distributed to retailers ahead of the processors' mid-June launch, mention "Devil's Canyon" to be supported by "new Intel 9 series chipset," while the same material detailing unlocked Pentium 20th Anniversary Edition mention it to be supported by "both Intel 8 and 9 series chipset."

Intel not mentioning that for "Devil's Canyon" is leading some to speculate that it won't be supported by motherboards running 8-series chipset, notably Z87 Express. For overclockers with expensive Z87 motherboards such as the ASUS Maximus VI Extreme, Gigabyte Z87X SOC, and MSI Z87 MPower MAX, this could spell trouble. Based on binned "Haswell Refresh" silicon, "Devil's Canyon" chips are special, in that they feature enhanced on-package electricals that can tolerate higher current; an enhanced thermal interface material between the die and the integrated heatspreader (IHS), enhanced LGA contact points, and increased voltage and thermal limits.

Eurocom launches the Shark 3 for mobile users looking for an upgradeable, secure system with high performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics and 5.5 TB of RAIDable storage.

The Shark 3 is the newest addition to the Eurocom line of lightweight notebooks. It supports high performance NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M graphics, 4th Gen Intel Core i7 processors and up to four storage drives for an abundance of options in storage capacity, performance and redundancy.

Several online retailers began listing Intel's next wave of unlocked socket LGA1150 processors, ahead of their June 2014 launches. Among these are the Core i7-4790K, the Core i5-4690K, and the Pentium G3258. The series begins with the i7-4790K and the i5-4690K, which bear an exclusive codename, "Devil's Canyon." These are special hand-picked "Haswell" dies that feature higher voltage limits, and a higher-grade package, with special high-current LGA contact points, and a superior thermal interface material between the die and integrated heatspreader (IHS).

The i7-4790K is a quad-core chip, featuring HyperThreading (8 logical CPUs), HD 4600 graphics, 8 MB of L3 cache, and clock speeds of 4.10 GHz, with Turbo Boost frequencies of a staggering 4.40 GHz. The i5-4690K, on the other hand, is a quad-core chip that lacks HyperThreading, and features 6 MB of L3 cache, but respectable clock speeds of 3.50 GHz, with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost. Both chips feature unlocked base-clock multipliers, support for higher memory frequencies, uncore clocks, etc. The Core i7-4790K is priced around US $370, on the stores it's up for pre-order. The i5-4690K, on the other hand, is listed around $250.

ECS, Elitegroup Computer System, the global leading motherboard manufacturer today announces that all of its 8 series motherboards offer support for the New 4th Generation Intel Core Haswell Refresh Processors. With only a simple BIOS update, users can easily take full advantage of the newly launched CPUs.

With the anticipation and excitement coming along with the new 4th Generation Intel Core Haswell Refresh Processors, ECS takes it one step further when it comes to fulfilling users' satisfaction by getting new drivers and BIOS ready. ECS has provided support across the entire 8 series product line, including Z87, H87, Q87, B85 and H81 chipset based motherboards.

Acromag's XCOM-6400 COM Express Module provides a high-performance processor in a package that is small, light, and very power-efficient. The XCOM-6400 is a Type 6 Basic COM Express module that is available with a choice of Intel's 4th-generation Core i7 or i5 Haswell CPU and Intel's 8-Series QM87 PCH chipset, formerly known as Lynx Point. The XCOM-6400 provides heat sink capabilities not available on traditional COM Express designs.

Conduction-cooled rails establish a new design opportunity for carrier cards. An innovative SODIMM hold-down method ensures secure connections while still allowing users to remove or upgrade the memory. Additional heat management technologies include heat spreader plates plus options such as cooling fins and a fan. Ruggedly designed for use in defense, aerospace, and industrial applications; this COM Express module features an extra-thick circuit board, advanced thermal management, and extended operating temperature ranges.

Intel's first processors based on the company's "Broadwell" silicon, which is an incremental upgrade to "Haswell," and built on Intel's swanky new 14 nanometer silicon fabrication process, could launch by late-2014. Intel responded to the 2014 "Back to School" shopping season with 9-series chipset motherboards featuring LGA1150 sockets, and Core "Haswell" Refresh processors. Mobile CPUs based on the silicon, were launched, too. Intel couldn't deliver on "Broadwell," the processor its 9-series chipset was originally designed to accompany. Back in 2013, "Broadwell" was expected to be Intel's big mid-2014 launch, in tune with its "Tick-Tock" product development strategy, that sees introductions of new micro-architectures, and new silicon fabrication processes take turns each year.

Velocity Micro, the premier builder of award winning enthusiast desktops, gaming PCs, laptops, and peripherals, announces the immediate availability of expertly crafted systems featuring the Haswell refresh processor models Core i7-4790, Core i5-4690, Core i5-4590, and Core i5-4460 along with Intel 9 Series Chipset Family motherboards from Gigabyte. Hand-crafted configurations start at $899.

"Intel's latest processor refresh brings more power and better efficiency, creating even more value, while the Z97 and H97 chipset motherboards offer some great new features for our enthusiast customer base," said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. "We're honored to be able to offer these new products on launch day as a part of our ongoing pursuit to create a remarkable, ultra performance desktop PC product."

Even as Intel launched its first Core "Haswell" Refresh socket LGA1150 chips, it left out two enthusiast-grade parts from the mix, the Core i7-4790K and the Core i5-4690K. Don't be misled into thinking that they're just multiplier-unlocked variants of the i7-4790 and i5-4690 launched today. There's a reason the two have be designated a separate internal codename altogether. Called "Devil's Canyon," the chips are made from high-performing dies binned out from the foundry, and placed on extra-durable packages with contact points that are designed for higher voltages, and a superior thermal interface material between the die and the integrated heatspreader (IHS).

Better packaging (mind the pun) isn't the only thing that sets the i7-4790K and the i5-4690K apart form their non-K counterparts, they're are also clocked higher. The i7-4790K ships with an out of the box clock speed of 4.00 GHz (the first Intel processor to do so), with a Turbo Boost frequency of 4.40 GHz. The Core i5-4670K, on the other hand, ships with a clock speed of 3.50 GHz, with Turbo Boost frequency of 3.90 GHz. The TDP of both chips is rated at 88 Watts, a wee bit higher than the 84 Watts the non-K chips are rated at. Expreview believes that the two could usher in a new era in CPU overclocking without breaking the bank over HEDT chips, and could be capable of running at clock speeds of 5.00 GHz, on air-cooling. Intel is expected to launch the two chips to crowds at Computex 2014, followed by a market release in mid-June.

Intel Core "Haswell" Refresh processors are now officially available. Built in the LGA1150 package and compatible with motherboards running 8-series chipset with BIOS updates, the chips are accompanied by an armada of motherboards based on the latest 9-series chipset, which support the chips out of the box. The chips offer speed-bumps over Intel's existing Core "Haswell" lineup, at existing price-points, and feature some under the hood package improvements that needn't translate into IPC improvements.

Among the chips launched today, are the Core i7-4790, featuring a clock speed of 3.60 GHz, with Turbo Boost frequency of 4.00 GHz, 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading. This chip is priced at US $319.99, between the i7-4770 and the i7-4770K. Also launched is the Core i5-4690, featuring clocks of 3.30 GHz with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost, 6 MB of L3 cache, and lacking HyperThreading. This one goes for US $224. The two lack upwards unlocked base-clock multipliers, and so the overclockers among you may want to hold out till mid-June, when Intel launches overclocker-friendly chips, codenamed "Devil's Canyon," based on this silicon. Other chips launched today include the Core i5-4590 (quad-core, 3.20 GHz / 3.70 GHz, 6 MB L3, $199.99); i5-4460 (quad-core, 3.20 GHz / 3.70 GHz, 6 MB L3, $189); i7-4790S (quad-core, 3.20 GHz, 8 MB L3, HTT, $314, low TDP); i5-4690S (quad-core, 3.20 GHz, 6 MB L3, $224); and i5-4590S (quad-core, 3.00 GHz, 6 MB L3, $199).

TweakTown went ahead and posted the first formal review of Intel Core i7-4790, the fastest Core "Haswell" Refresh quad-core processor. Tested on an unnamed Z97 Express motherboard, with discrete graphics, the chip was found to be only incrementally faster than the i7-4770K, and just what you'd expect from a 100 MHz clock speed bump. The i7-4790 is clocked at 3.60 GHz, with a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 4.00 GHz, compared to the 3.50 GHz and 3.90 GHz clocks of the i7-4770K. It lacks an unlocked base-clock multiplier, and so its overclocking potential is severely limited, and close to non-existent; and so the i7-4790 is really a chip for those who want the best gaming performance, and don't intend to overclock their CPUs. Enthusiasts may want to hold out for "Devil's Canyon." Find the full review at the source.

Intel Corporation and other companies today introduced a new lineup of Chrome devices, including the first designs using Intel Celeron processors based on the Bay Trail-M system-on-chip (SoC). A new class of Chromebooks based on the 4th generation Intel Core i3 processor were also unveiled. The announcements were made at a press conference in San Francisco hosted by Navin Shenoy, vice president and general manager of Intel Mobile Client Platforms Group and Caesar Sengupta, vice president, product management, Chrome OS at Google as well as representatives from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG Electronics USA and Toshiba.

"Intel has grown to become the No. 1 microprocessor in Chrome systems," said Shenoy. "We've been working on five generations of Chrome and after Google, Intel is the largest contributor to the Chromium OS. Intel chips are the first and only to support 64-bit Chrome OS. This deep history and investment combined with our stellar Bay Trail and Haswell SoCs mean Intel can offer the best performing devices at every price point in the Chrome category. When people are shopping for Chrome devices, they should look for Intel Inside."

Cooler Master, a leading creator, innovator and manufacturer of desktop components and more, today announced the addition of the V1200 Platinum to its award-winning line of V Series Power Supplies.

Built upon the strong and stable V Series power supply platform, V1200 takes the series performance to new heights with its 80 PLUS Platinum certified efficiency of up to 93% @ 50% load. Incorporated into the 135mm FDB silent fan is a new auto / hybrid easy switch controller to allow the user to change between fan control modes on-the-fly. Within these modes is a completely silent operation setting provided temperatures stay within safe limits. V1200 Platinum also boasts excellent output voltage stability with total voltage regulation under 1%, even besting comparable DSP systems. Twelve PCI-E 6+2 pin connectors means that 4-way SLI/XFire is readily supported. Although V1200 is based on an extremely stable platform that should last for many years to come, users can take comfort in knowing that it is also backed by a robust 7 year extended warranty to ensure that they will receive support for many years to come.

The world's largest PC vendor, Lenovo, finally took the Chrome OS plunge, with two Chromebooks, the N20, and the N20P, starting at US $279. Both feature 11.6-inch displays. The N20P features a capacitive touchscreen suspended on 300° rotating hinges, that let you unfold it much like a FLEX 2, letting you use it as a desktop replacement, with external peripherals, or simply with its touchscreen. The 1366 x 768-pixel display reorients itself. Under the hood, both feature Intel Celeron processors based on the "Haswell" micro-architecture, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of flash-based storage. The N20 is priced at US $279, and the N20P at $329. Both should be available in July.

BIOSTAR launched its flagship LGA1150 motherboard built with a design-focus on better onboard audio, the Hi-Fi Z97WE. Based on Intel Z97 Express chipset, and featuring out of the box support for Intel's Core "Haswell" Refresh processors, the board features everything you'd expect from a mid-range ($150-ish) overclockable LGA1150 motherboard. To begin with, it draws power from 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and using a 10-phase VRM to condition power to the CPU socket. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 when both are populated). Other add-on slots include two each of PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and legacy PCI.

The Z97 Express PCH wires out all six SATA 6 Gb/s ports internally. The board offers a 10 Gb/s M.2 slot, with enough clearance for long (~12 cm) modules. Display outputs include dual-link DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. There are two gigabit Ethernet interfaces on offer. A total of six USB 3.0 ports are on offer, four on the rear panel, and two by header. The star attraction here is its onboard audio, which features a high SNR DAC, audio-grade electrolytic capacitors, headphones amp, and ground-layer isolation on the PCB. The board isn't heavy on overclocker-friendly features. You still get debug LEDs, onboard power/reset buttons, and a replaceable BIOS EEPROM chip. AMI UEFI BIOS is at the helm of this board.

Ahead of their anticipated May 9th launch, various motherboards based on Intel's upcoming Z97 Express chipset began appearing on US retailer Newegg.com. The boards are up for order, and ready to ship. Notable mentions include MSI Z97 MPower MAX AC, the company's flagship motherboard based on this chipset, which is going for US $259.99; its slightly toned down variant, the Z97 MPower, priced at $199.99; ASUS TUF Sabertooth Z97, the company's tough-nut motherboard based on this chipset, priced at US $249.99; MSI Z97-Gaming 7, priced at $189.99; GIGABYTE Z97X-UD3H, the company's mid-range Z97 model, priced at $149.99; and the similarly priced ASUS Z97-A. Featuring out of the box support for Intel's upcoming Core "Haswell" refresh processors, including the new high-end Core i7-4790K, Z97 Express brings SATA-Express and M.2 support to the table.

ASUS demonstrated its first SSD, the HyperXpress. As its name might give away, the drive is co-developed by HyperX, the enthusiast memory and storage brand of Kingston. Built in the 9.5 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor, the drive features SATA Express interface, which will hit the consumer space this May, with the arrival of Intel's Z97 Express chipset, and Core "Haswell Refresh" processors. Internally, there's not much to this drive. It's a host-agnostic RAID 0 array of two mSATA 6 Gb/s SSDs, wired to a host controller made by ASMedia. To the host machine, it will look like a single drive. The sample demoed to the press, ASUS claims, is a very early prototype, and future iterations could run two M.2 SSDs instead of mSATA, for even higher throughput. The drive was tested to offer sequential transfer rates as high as 778 MB/s. At Computex 2014, flash memory manufacturers are expected to launch legions of new SSDs in the SATA-Express and M.2 form-factors.

GIGABYTE is giving final touches to its next G1.Killer series motherboard, the G1.Gaming Z97. Branded in an uncanny way to MSI's Gaming series, the G1.Gaming is a mid-range ($150 - $200) socket LGA1150 motherboard based on Intel's Z97 Express chipset, which can run Core "Haswell" Refresh processors out of the box. The board features most of the stuff you've come to expect from "gaming" grade motherboards. To begin with, its draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and uses an 8-phase VRM to condition power to the CPU. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory; and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 when both are populated). Three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI make for the rest of its expansion area.

Display connectivity on the G1.Gaming Z97 includes DisplayPort and HDMI. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s, and likely one M.2 slot. A total of six USB 3.0 ports are on offer, four on the rear panel, two by header. The board features 7.1-channel Creative Sound Core3D audio with user-replaceable OPAMPs, a 115 dBA DAC, audiophile-grade electrolytic capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. The wired networking on this board is equally special, a Broadcom-Killer E2100 PCIe NIC with packet prioritization that's optimized for multiplayer gaming. For those with USB headsets that come with their own DACs, GIGABYTE is offering a special USB 2.0 port with extra power output, and electrical noise filter. GIGABYTE's dual-UEFI BIOS is at the helm of this board.

ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, will showcase its innovative series of NAS devices at Computex 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan. In addition to exhibiting the 6/3/2 series tower and rackmount models powered by Intel Atom dual core processors, ASUSTOR will also be introducing its new enterprise class 7 series rackmount devices (AS7009RD/AS7009RDX/AS7012RD/AS7012RDX), which feature Intel "Haswell" Xeon and Core i3 processors.

Also being introduced for the first time, will be an economical rackmount model, the AS-204RS and two other tower model devices powered by Intel Core i3 processors, the AS7008T and AS7010T. ASUSTOR's exhibition will feature live demonstrations of its intuitive ADM 2.2 operating system which features upgrades to core functions, the ASUSTOR Portal HDMI platform (integrating multimedia playback, web browsing, the ADM web interface, and surveillance feeds), and the newest in-house developed NAS and mobile apps from ASUSTOR. All users and interested parties are sincerely invited to visit ASUSTOR in order to experience the latest NAS technology and innovative concepts firsthand.

MSI is ready with its Gaming series socket LGA1150 motherboards based on Intel's next-gen 9-series chipset, which are ready for Core "Haswell" refresh processors. The series includes three boards in the ATX form-factor, the 9-series Gaming 9 AC, 9-series Gaming 7, and 9-series Gaming 3; and one in the mini-ITX form-factor, the 9-series Gaming. The 9-series Gaming 9 AC is loaded with features, including a 12-phase CPU VRM, four DDR3 DIMM slots, three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4), eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports, a PCI-Express x2 M.2 slot, Killer E2200 NIC, 802.11 ac WLAN, and more.

Next up, is the 9-series Gaming 7, which offers the same 12-phase CPU VRM as the 9-series Gaming 9 AC, same three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, four PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and an identical storage connectivity. The 9-series Gaming 3 is the most affordable of the lot, with a 6-phase CPU VRM, one PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and three PCI; six SATA 6 Gb/s, one M.2, and Killer E2200 NIC. Lastly, there's the 9-series Gaming ITX, which offers a decent 6-phase VRM, single PCI-Express 3.0 x16, 802.11 ac networking, Killer E2200 NIC, and AudioBoost audio. The three should launch in the run up to the mid-May release of Intel's new processors.More pictures follow.

Without any real fanfare Intel has now kicked off sales and shipments of processors part of 'Haswell Refresh' line. An official launch for the updated Haswell offering, complete with motherboards based on the 9 Series LGA1150 chipsets, is reportedly planned for next month but since the CPUs got the go-ahead you can expect them to reach stores shortly.

A total of 44 chips have been introduced by Intel, 27 of which are for desktops while the rest are for mobile devices. There's nothing really new about the CPUs as they are still based on the Haswell architecture (which debuted last year) but they do have slightly higher (100 MHz in most cases) frequencies than the models they aim to replace (speed bump at no added cost).

MSI announces the launch of the MSI ProBox23, the first model in its new generation of commercial oriented barebone PCs. These series use the latest Intel H81 chipset, and support the 4th Generation Intel Core processors with high performance and integrated GPU providing powerful graphics processing.

Furthermore, the MSI ProBox23 is equipped with a thin mini-itx motherboard and energy efficient CPU cooler. With a length and width of only 20cm and a height of just 5cm, this barebone PC is one of the smallest in its kind. Moreover, the MSI ProBox23 can easily be mounted behind a monitor, making it the best space-saving solution for commercial and entertainment applications. The MSI ProBox23 will be available worldwide per beginning of April 2014.

It looks like Intel will launch its Core "Haswell" Refresh line of processors sooner than Computex 2014. According to sources in the IT retail, Intel could launch these new chips, led by the Core i7-4790K, on May 10th in most markets. An armada of new socket LGA1150 motherboards, based on Intel's Z97 Express chipset should launch around those dates, probably in the week leading up to the 10th. Intel Core "Haswell" Refresh processors offer marginally better performance over current Core "Haswell" chips, at existing price points (i.e., they will displace existing chips from their current price-points); while the 9-series chipset offers features such as M.2 SSD support, making you ready for a tidal wave of 1000 MB/s SSDs that will launch around Computex.Image Source: Hermitage Akihabara