A Linux kernel patch contributed and signed off by Intel confirms that its upcoming Core "Alder Lake" processor will feature a hybrid core topology, much like Core Hybrid "Lakefield." The patch references "Lakefield" and "Alder Lake" under "Hybrid Core/Atom Processors." The patch possibly gives the Linux kernel awareness of the hybrid core topology, so it can schedule its work between the two types of cores on the silicon accordingly, and avoid rotating between the two core groups. Under the Android project, Linux has been aware of a similar tech from Arm since 2013.

Analogous with Arm big.LITTLE, the Intel Hybrid Core technology involves two kinds of CPU cores on a processor die, the first kind being "high performance," and the second being "low power." On "Lakefield," Intel deployed one "Sunny Cove" high performance core, and four "Tremont" low power cores. The low power cores keep the machine ticking through the vast majority of time when processing workloads requiring the high performance cores aren't present. With "Alder Lake," Intel is expected to scale up this concept, with the silicon rumored to feature eight "Golden Cove" high performance cores, and eight "Gracemont" low power ones. The chip is also expected to feature a Gen12 Xe iGPU.

Intel's 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake-S" desktop processors in the LGA1700 package could see the desktop debut of Intel's Hybrid Technology that it introduced with the mobile segment "Lakefield" processor. Analogous to Arm big.LITTLE, Intel Hybrid Technology is a multi-core processor topology that sees the combination of high-performance CPU cores with smaller high-efficiency cores that keep the PC ticking through the vast majority of the time/tasks when the high-performance cores aren't needed and hence power-gated. The high-performance cores are woken up only as needed. "Lakefield" combines one "Sunny Cove" high-performance core with four "Tremont" low-power cores. "Alder Lake-S" will take this concept further.

According to Intel slides leaked to the web by HXL (aka @9550pro), the 10 nm-class "Alder Lake-S" silicon will physically feature 8 "Golden Cove" high-performance cores, and 8 "Gracemont" low-power cores, along with a Gen12 iGPU that comes in three tiers - GT0 (iGPU disabled), GT1 (some execution units disabled), and GT2 (all execution units enabled). In its top trim with 125 W TDP, "Alder Lake-S" will be a "16-core" processor with 8 each of "Golden Cove" and "Gracemont" cores enabled. There will be 80 W TDP models with the same 8+8 core configuration, which are probably "locked" parts. Lastly, there the lower wrungs of the product stack will completely lack "small" cores, and be 6+0, with only high-performance cores. A recurring theme with all parts is the GT1 trim of the Gen12 iGPU.

Today, Intel launched Intel Core processors with Intel Hybrid Technology, code-named "Lakefield." Leveraging Intel's Foveros 3D packaging technology and featuring a hybrid CPU architecture for power and performance scalability, Lakefield processors are the smallest to deliver Intel Core performance and full Windows compatibility across productivity and content creation experiences for ultra-light and innovative form factors.

"Intel Core processors with Intel Hybrid Technology are the touchstone of Intel's vision for advancing the PC industry by taking an experience-based approach to designing silicon with a unique combination of architectures and IPs. Combined with Intel's deepened co-engineering with our partners, these processors unlock the potential for innovative device categories of the future," said Chris Walker, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of Mobile Client Platforms.

The ThinkPad brand from Lenovo has always represented serious business on the move, right from its IBM origins. At CES 2020, the company unveiled what is possibly the best foldable PC design we've seen till date, the ThinkPad X1 Fold. The X1 Fold is a 13.3-inch tablet that folds perfectly along the middle to either a book-like orientation, or as a laptop, in which the top half becomes the display, and the bottom half your keyboard of whichever possible layout. If a touchscreen keyboard doesn't appeal to you, you can dock an accessory that has a physical keyboard and trackpad.

Under the hood of the X1 Fold is an Intel "Lakefield" Hybrid x86 SoC that combines high-performance and high-efficiency x86 cores and dynamically allots workload to them while power-gating on the fly (a la ARM big.LITTLE). When it comes out mid-2020 (likely a Computex 2020 launch), the ThinkPad X1 Fold will be driven by Windows 10X, a new operating system Microsoft is designing specifically for dual-screen mobile computing devices. The Flex 5G is Lenovo's first business notebook with an integrated 5G modem (in addition to Wi-Fi 6), so you can enjoy high-speed mobile Internet on the move. Lastly, we spotted the Lenovo Ducati notebook, a co-branded product of the company's MotoGP team sponsorship.

Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. introduces new Happy Hacking Keyboard (HHKB) models including a Bluetooth enabled model, as well as HHKB branded accessories for avid HHKB fans!

The HHKB was developed by programmers for programmers to provide a smooth and fast keying experience while minimizing hand and finger fatigue. The keyboard only has the most necessary keys resulting in a light, compact and minimalist device. Since its introduction, the HHKB has been used by many customers including programmers and engineers and has sold over 500,000 units worldwide. The core concepts for the HHKB are its intelligent key layout and compact size. While these features have never changed for more than 20 years, keymap customization software and multi-platform support have been introduced to meet the changes in today's technology and work environment.

"I've personally used HHKB for over 20 years for professional and personal use, and I'm very excited to bring the latest generation of this cult classic to the U.S. market." said Yasunari Shimizu, CEO of Fujitsu Computer Products of America.

Ausounds is a newcomer to the audio market as a retail product provider, but the founders have decades of experience in the music industry, and have been creating audio solutions for musicians for a while now. The company invited us to check out the brand, as well as their new products, at CES 2020 and we obliged as we usually do in an attempt to shine more light on relatively unknown companies in addition to the mainstream ones. They took the time to introduce their new AU-X active noise cancelling planar magnetic driver headphones to us, which feature 54 mm planar drivers on each earcup and four noise cancelling microphones working in a hybrid mode to allow up to 28 dB of ANC. The headphones are tuned for a transparent frequency response combined with a large soundstage and, in my limited testing, offered excellent discerning of the mid-high tones, especially when it comes to jazz and classical music.

The AU-X ANC Planar headphones have dual microphones also for calling/audio out, an included battery of 800 mAh for a rated 25 hours of battery life which the company claims is on the conservative side (think closer to 28 hours), and touch controls on the earcups for volume and media playback. Bluetooth 5.0 and 3.5 mm aux inputs complement the headphones for portability, and AptX-HD + Hi-Res certification round off the headphones which are rated for a 20 Hz-40 KHz frequency response, 32 Ω impedance, an SPL of 98 +/- 3 dB, and 280 grams in mass with protein leather earpads similar to those in the Bose QC35. The AU-X headphones cost $299.95 and will ship in March 2020. Read past the break for more on their equally new AU-Stream Hybrid earbuds.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Huntsman Tournament Edition (TE) compact gaming keyboard designed for esports tournaments.

The Huntsman TE joins the Huntsman premium keyboard family built with Razer's ultra-fast light activated Optical Switches. After its introduction in June 2018, the critically acclaimed Razer Huntsman Elite has taken the world by storm, becoming the best selling gaming keyboard in the U.S. The Huntsman TE, the latest addition to Razer's lineup of high-performance gaming keyboards, now features a new type of optical switch that actuates even faster - the Razer Linear Optical Switch.

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced IBM z15, a new enterprise platform delivering the ability to manage the privacy of customer data across hybrid multicloud environments. With z15, clients can manage who gets access to data via policy-based controls, with an industry-first capability to revoke access to data across the hybrid cloud.

The movement of data between partners and third parties is often the root cause of data breaches. In fact, 60 percent of businesses reported they suffered a data breach caused by a vendor or third party in 2018. With the growing adoption of hybrid multicloud environments, the importance of maintaining data security and privacy only grows more acute and challenging.

While Dell's hybrid power adapters with power banks were a great idea on paper as they allow users to charge their laptop while still on the go, there have been reports some of these units pose a safety risk. For now, there have been 11 reports of hybrid power adapters breaking and thereby exposing internal components. To fix the problem, Dell has issued a recall for hybrid adapters with manufacture code -"CN-05G53P - LOC00 - XXX - XXXX - AXX" (X representing various numerical values). Said manufacture code can be located on the back of the adapter as seen in the third image below. Dell has also determined that all problem units were produced between January 2017 and March 2017 and were sold on the Dell website, Amazon, Microcenter, and other affiliated retailers.

In total, roughly 8900 units are to be recalled and replaced with 475 having been sold in Canada. To find out if your hybrid charger is affected, you can contact Dell by phone or go to www.dellproduct.com and enter the manufacture code without dashes for verification. Anyone with a unit manufactured during the date noted above can have it replaced for free. While no injuries have been reported it would likely be better safe than sorry.

Intel at its architecture day revealed one of the more exquisite in-house designs for the company in recent years: a hybrid x86 chip that seems to imbibe from ARM's own big.Little design mantra. The new Hybrid x86 CPU that was announced takes this design choice in pairing a single, high-performance Sunny Cove core with four smaller Atom cores. This chip is built using Intel's Foveros manufacturing technology, which means a 22FFL IO chip serves as an active interposer, connected via TSVs to a 10nm die that contains both types of cores. The tiny chips measures just 12 x 12 x 1 mm (144 mm²), and looks to reduce footprint even further by including a POP (package on package) memory design.

The new Intel design is aimed at low-power environments, with the chip having been designed to work on a 2 mW standby power ratio, with less than a 7 W of power - for a big.Little five-core design and a 64 EU design with Gen11 graphics core. Intel's Jim Keller said that the company is testing the intricacies and advantages of this design internally, so more products based on this manufacturing and packaging mantra could pop up sometime in the future.

EVGA today released four new all-in-one (AIO) liquid VGA coolers for its GeForce RTX 20-series graphics cards, under its Hybrid Kit branding. The Hybrid Kit "400-HC-1184-B1" is meant for RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 XC, XC2, and Founders Edition variants. The "400-HC-1384-B1" is designed for RTX 2080 Ti Founders Editon and EVGA's XC and XC2 renditions of the RTX 2080 Ti. Both these models are priced at USD $169.99. The "400-HC-1284-B1" is designed for FTW3 series cards based on the RTX 2070 and RTX 2080; while the "400-HC-1484-B1" is meant for the RTX 2080 Ti FTW3. Both these FTW3 variants are priced at $179.99.

These coolers earn their "Hybrid" name in being a combination of liquid and air cooling. An AIO pump-block pulls heat from the GPU, while a heatsink ventilated by a 100 mm fan suspended along a shroud cools the VRM areas of the graphics cards. A base-plate covers the memory areas, and transfers heat to the AIO block. A 120 mm radiator along with a 120 mm PWM fluid-bearing fan dissipate heat drawn from the GPU and memory. The shroud covering it all is studded with addressable RGB LEDs that plug into the aRGB header of the PCB.

NVIDIA today announced a GPU-acceleration platform for data science and machine learning, with broad adoption from industry leaders, that enables even the largest companies to analyze massive amounts of data and make accurate business predictions at unprecedented speed.

RAPIDS open-source software gives data scientists a giant performance boost as they address highly complex business challenges, such as predicting credit card fraud, forecasting retail inventory and understanding customer buying behavior. Reflecting the growing consensus about the GPU's importance in data analytics, an array of companies is supporting RAPIDS - from pioneers in the open-source community, such as Databricks and Anaconda, to tech leaders like Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Oracle.

ASUS Republic of Gamers today announced ROG Delta and ROG Delta Core, a new series of gaming headsets tuned especially for first-person shooter (FPS) gaming. The headsets feature Sony-certified Hi-Res Audio and are designed to be incredibly lightweight and comfortable.

ROG Delta is the world's first gaming headset with the industry-leading, hi-fi-grade ESS ES9218 QUAD DAC , which delivers impeccably clear and detailed sound to give serious gamers the edge they need to win. ROG Delta features a USB-C connector and comes with a USB-C to USB 2.0 adapter for gaming on PC, console or mobile devices without changing headsets. A one-of-a-kind, circular rainbow RGB lighting effect provides a stylish look that sets gamers apart on the battlefield.

EVGA has gone and revealed their entire RTX 20-series lineup, adding to the already showcased XC and FTW3 air-cooled SKUs. EVGA is following the SKU alignment of their previous series, with two hydro copper models being prepared: the Hydro Copper FTW3, the higher-performance part which features a wider watercooling waterblock; and the Hydro Copper XC, which trades some of that extra performance for a smaller, leaner footprint on your system case of choice.

Vortexgear, which is more commonly referred to simply as Vortex, has a close collaboration with iKBC when it comes to their product line and this year at Computex was no different. Indeed, it was evident that Vortex were joining in the fray of making 2018 the year of wireless mechanical keyboards now that RGB is a done deal, with every single new product having that option.

We began our look at the Vortex section of the giant Mistel/iKBC/Vortex booth with the new members to their popular Poker series of keyboards- a 60% form factor keyboard that offered onboard layers and programmability at a time when this was just a dream for even keyboard enthusiasts. The Poker IV is scheduled to work with their new software driver, thus finally allowing end users the freedom to customize layers and keys to a larger and easier extent than before. The two-tone keycap color scheme we saw with their recent keyboards carries over here, as does a thick plastic case to hit a wallet-friendly price point. On the back is a toggle for the power alongside a battery tray for two AAA batteries. New this year to the Poker series is also the so-called Poker Vol. 2 that trades in for a thick metal case and a split space bar. Images for the new Poker keyboards are seen below, and there is more to go after the break.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today released the new "vQTS" virtualization technology that enables users to run multiple virtual QTS operating systems on a QNAP NAS. Based on Virtualization Station, vQTS provides benefits for resource segregation, multi-tenant environments, flexible application deployment, and savings on energy, cost and physical space. vQTS is initially available for the AMD Ryzen-powered TS-x77 NAS series, which delivers high-performance to maximize vQTS utilization for greater business flexibility in management and applications.

Alliance represents the perfect outcome of the evolution of gaming keyboards, integrating organically the best of both mechanical and membrane keyboards.

Cutting-edge technology
Alliance brings fresh new features to the hybrid keyboards category. With innovative technology that delivers advantages such as multicolored backlighting, semi-mechanical CrossTech Switches, and sound-reactive lighting effects.

The EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 HYBRID w/ iCX Technology combines the cooling advancements of the EVGA GTX 1080 FTW Hybrid cooler with EVGA's exclusive iCX Technology. Featuring a total of 11 global patents, iCX is the very definition of Interactive Cooling. With EVGA's iCX Technology, users will have a better understanding of their graphics card's operation. This includes temperature monitoring on key components (not just GPU) and targeted cooling, which provides better overclocking capabilities.

On top of that, we took our award-winning HYBRID solution and cranked it up a notch by including a dedicated memory cooling plate that makes direct contact with the cooling block. The VRM area of the card is covered by a dedicated heatsink/fan that keeps the power areas of the card cool, even during a long gaming session. Of course, the HYBRID water cooling solution gives you unbelievable GPU temperatures, sometimes cutting your GPU load temperatures in half! Best of all? The water cooler is completely self-contained, with an included 120mm radiator and fan, no filling, no custom tubing, and no maintenance. Just plug and play! All backed by EVGA's legendary Warranty. The choice is simple: EVGA GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 HYBRID is truly water-cooled domination.

EVGA's product manager Jacob Freeman has just confirmed the launch day of EVGA's upcoming end-all-be-all GTX 1080 Ti Hybrid FTW3 video card: it's now a relatively set in stone July 10th. Expect immediate availability for the video card on that day, though for now, not even Freeman has an idea if it will be available for ordering outside of EVGA's own online website.

The GTX 1080 Ti Hybrid FTW3 makes use of a hybrid, air and water-cooling solution. The GPU die itself is cooled by an Asetek all-in-one closed-loop liquid cooler, while memory and VRM make do with a traditional heatsink and fan combination. This provides the benefit of liquid cooling on the GPU core without the added expense of a full-cover waterblock, thus bringing the pricing a little lower than full-coverage waterblocks, but with increased performance over a purely air-cooled part. The GTX 1080 Ti HYBRID FTW3 shares the same specs as the 1080 Ti SC2 HYBRID, Hydro Copper, and Hydro Copper SC2 graphics cards, with a 1,556 MHz base and 1,670 MHz boost clock, 11 Gbps GDDR5X memory and 2x 8-pin power connectors. Pricing or overclocking headroom weren't detailed at all.

The EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 GAMING HYBRID w/ iCX Technology combines the cooling advancements of the EVGA GTX 1080 FTW Hybrid cooler with EVGA's exclusive iCX Technology. Featuring a total of 11 global patents, iCX is the very definition of Interactive Cooling. With EVGA's iCX Technology, users will have a better understanding of their graphics card's operation. This includes temperature monitoring on key components (not just GPU) and targeted cooling, which provides better overclocking capabilities.

On top of that, we took our award-winning HYBRID solution and cranked it up a notch by including a dedicated memory cooling plate that makes direct contact with the cooling block. The VRM area of the card is covered by a dedicated heatsink/fan that keeps the power areas of the card cool, even during a long gaming session. Of course, the HYBRID water cooling solution gives you unbelievable GPU temperatures, sometimes cutting your GPU load temperatures in half! Best of all? The water cooler is completely self-contained, with an included 120mm radiator and fan, no filling, no custom tubing, and no maintenance. Just plug and play! All backed by EVGA's legendary Warranty. The choice is simple: EVGA HYBRID products are truly water-cooled perfection.

EVGA is innovating a "Hybrid" version of its iCX cooling solution, which combines the best of air cooling with an all-in-one liquid cooling loop; and one of its first implementations will be the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Hybrid, pictured below. As with the air-cooled SC2 with iCX, this card will feature 9 thermal sensors on the PCB. The cooler features an AIO liquid cooling pump-block over the GPU and a base-plate. The base-plate runs over the memory and VRM, and is ventilated by a 90 mm fan. Given its SC2 (SuperClocked 2) brand extension, this card could come with the same factory-overclock profile as the air-cooled GTX 1080 Ti SC2, with 1556/1670/11011 MHz (core/GPU Boost/memory effective); but with higher overclocking headroom thanks to the more effective cooler. The company didn't reveal availability or pricing.

Patriot have announced retail availability for their Viper V570 gaming mouse. This is a clear case of a company attempting to appease two different demographics at the same time, with the Viper V570 delivering a a sniper button for FPS games, as well as 13 buttons for your MMO requirements. While the design is something to look at, the aggressiveness of some curves could mean some polarizing potential in regards to its comfort. Patriot said that 13 buttons on the mouse are programmable, although it's not certain if that count includes the multiple functions of the click-wheel.

EVGA will give the GeForce GTX 10 series its signature liquid+air "Hybrid" cooling treatment, beginning with the GeForce GTX 1080 Hybrid. The company teased the first picture of the card, which reveals the company's latest version of the cooling solution, which combines an AIO liquid cooling block tasked with cooling the GPU, with a fan-heatsink to take care of the card's memory and VRM. The closed-loop liquid cooler will be plumbed to a 120 mm x 120 mm radiator. The card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors, so it's likely that EVGA is using the same PCB as the GTX 1080 FTW.

Here's the first picture of Inno3D's flagship GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card, the GTX 1080 iChill Black. Based on the reference NVIDIA PCB, the card features a liquid+air hybrid cooling solution by Arctic, the Arctic Accelero Hybrid S. It relies on a factory-fitted, closed-loop AIO block with a 120 mm x 120 mm radiator, to cool the 180W TDP GPU, while using heatsinks and a single 70 mm blower to cool the VRM and memory chips. In all likelihood, this product could be positioned above the GTX 1080 iChill X4.

The EVGA Hybrid Face Off program is here! Now for a limited time ALL EVGA customers who own any EVGA Hybrid product qualifies for a free* new shroud! This shroud gives the card an updated look, complete with an LED. If you are an owner of one of the below Hybrid products, you qualify! Just fill out the form, and we will contact you on further steps.

Qualifying Products:

• EVGA GeForce TITAN X HYBRID
• EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti HYBRID
• EVGA GeForce GTX 980 HYBRID