In collaboration with Microsoft, Durabook today announced the availability of Windows 11 Secured-core PCs for its mobile rugged computing portfolio. The Durabook S15 Rugged Laptop and U11 Rugged Tablet with advanced Windows 11 security are immediately available to protect sensitive data for professionals on the move.

Mobile, Rugged, Secure for a Perilous World
Executives, military officers, and other professionals who work in potentially hazardous environments are often responsible for highly sensitive data such as financial information, classified intelligence, and intellectual property. They are also often on the road where their computing devices are exposed to abundant cybersecurity threats, including malware and firmware attacks. These attacks are in addition to the physical perils such as being dropped, exposed to dust and potentially combustible fine particulate in the air, extreme temperatures, high humidity and water intrusion.

A curious piece of marketing material on the Chiphell forum has sent ripples through the tech community, featuring what appears to be an Alienware desktop equipped with an unannounced AMD Ryzen 9000-series processor. The authenticity of this flyer is up for debate, with possibilities ranging from a simple typo by Alienware to a fabricated image, or it could even suggest that AMD is on the cusp of unveiling its next-generation Ryzen CPUs for desktop PCs. While intrigue is high, it's important to approach such revelations cautiously, with a big grain of salt. AMD's existing roadmap points toward a 2024 release for its Zen 5-based Ryzen desktop processors and EPYC server CPUs, which casts further doubt on the Ryzen 9000 series appearing ahead of schedule.

We have to wait for AMD's major upcoming events, including the "Advancing AI" event on December 6, where the company will showcase how its partners and AMD use AI for applications. Next, we hope to hear from AMD about upcoming events such as CES in January and Computex in May, but we don't have any official information on product launches in the near term. If the company is preparing anything, the Alienware flyer pictured below should indicate it, if the source is confirmed. However, the doubt remains, and we should be skeptical of its truthfulness.

Beware do-gooders of the Overworld, for war is on the horizon. Publisher Kalypso Media and in-house developer Realmforge Studios have unleashed The Absolute Evil upon the Overworld with the official launch of Dungeons series' highly anticipated sequel, Dungeons 4.

Sound the alarm and prepare your traps, because Dungeons 4 is now available day one on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC and is available in Standard or Deluxe Editions on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5. The Deluxe Edition provides hellish extras for the most daring minions, including the Digital Artbook, exclusive Dungeons 3 Evil Hand Legacy Skin, Thalya Legacy 'Evil and Good' skin, remastered Storming of Dollaran Map from Dungeons 3, and the Official Dungeons 4 Soundtrack. Ensuring victory over the heroes of the Overworld. With larger dungeons, an expansive Overworld, enhanced co-op play, more evil critters, and the addition of the infuriating Dwarves, Evil has never looked this good!

Today, AMD announced the extension of its 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processor family with six new offerings providing a robust suite of data center CPUs to meet the needs of general IT and mainstream computing for businesses seeking to leverage the economics of established platforms. The complete family of 3rd Gen AMD EPYC CPUs complements the leadership performance and efficiency of the latest 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors with impressive price-performance, modern security features and energy efficiency for less technically demanding business critical workloads.

The race to deliver AI and high performance computing is creating a technology gap for IT decision-makers seeking mainstream performance. To meet the growing demand for widely deployed, cost effective and proven mainstream solutions in the mid-market and in the channel, AMD is extending the 3rd Gen EPYC CPU offering to provide excellent value, performance, energy efficiency and security features for business-critical applications. The 3rd Gen AMD EPYC CPU portfolio enables a wide array of broadly deployed enterprise server solutions, supported by trusted channel sellers and OEMs such as Cisco, Dell Technologies, Gigabyte, HPE, Lenovo and Supermicro.

TrendForce has issued its latest findings, indicating that the global SSD market has rectified its supply and demand dynamics in 2022, following a resolution in the shortage of master control ICs that had hampered the market in 2021. Despite the normalization of supply, global SSD shipments witnessed a decline, with only 114 million units shipped in 2022—a 10.7% decrease from the prior year.

The top three SSD shipment leaders of 2022 were Kingston, ADATA, and Lexar, with Kingston and ADATA maintaining solid advantages and experiencing growth in market share over 2021. Lexar's growth was attributed to an aggressive push for revenue in anticipation of going public. Kimtigo, in 2022, made significant strides in expanding into industrial control and OEM markets, which in turn boosted its shipment volume and market share. Netac maintained its competitive edge in the SSD market alongside securing several government orders in the enterprise SSD sector, keeping its market share and ranking consistent with the previous year.

HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the release of the HyperX Clutch Gladiate RGB Gaming Controller. Designed specifically for Xbox gamers, the new Clutch Gladiate RGB delivers precision and comfort in a transparent design, unleashing next-level customization with full body RGB lighting options.

The Clutch Gladiate RGB provides an immersive gaming experience with robust dual rumble motors and tactile grips, ensuring games equipped with vibration feedback provide an engaging gameplay experience. The controller also boasts impulse triggers that offer variable tactile feedback, allowing gamers to connect to the game in unmatched ways. Integrated with impulse rumble motors, this feature provides haptic feedback for an elevated gaming experience.

MINISFORUM, known for its expertise in mini PCs, is taking a significant step towards building a holistic desktop ecosystem. The introduction of the MINISFORUM MKB i83 keyboard marks the company's expansion into the world of peripherals, allowing users to experience a complete desktop environment.

The MINISFORUM MKB i83 is a testament to premium quality, featuring an anodized aluminium body that not only provides an elegant texture but also ensures enduring performance. This keyboard is designed to cater to a diverse range of users who demand the best.

NZXT, a leader in PC gaming hardware and services, today announces the H6 Flow and H6 Flow RGB, a compact dual chamber mid-tower ATX case. The H6 Flow offers a harmonious blend of performance and visual appeal for PC enthusiasts. Designed for an expansive and uninterrupted view, the H6 Flow is adorned with consistent tempered glass on the front and sides, granting a panoramic peek into the insides of your build. Leveraging its dual chamber architecture, the new angel front panel directs the airflow from the three pre-included 120 mm fans (or 120 mm RGB fans for the H6 Flow RGB version) and two 140 mm fans at the base of the case allow you to cool your heat generating components. The revamped perforated panels come with a design fine-tuned for optimal airflow and superior performance. While all being easy to build with the H6 Flow facilitates generous cable-routing channels and straps, ensuring organized cable management.

Samsung Electronics today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023. Total consolidated revenue was KRW 67.40 trillion, a 12% increase from the previous quarter, mainly due to new smartphone releases and higher sales of premium display products. Operating profit rose sequentially to KRW 2.43 trillion based on strong sales of flagship models in mobile and strong demand for displays, as losses at the Device Solutions (DS) Division narrowed.

The Memory Business reduced losses sequentially as sales of high valued-added products and average selling prices somewhat increased. Earnings in system semiconductors were impacted by a delay in demand recovery for major applications, but the Foundry Business posted a new quarterly high for new backlog from design wins. The mobile panel business reported a significant increase in earnings on the back of new flagship model releases by major customers, while the large panel business narrowed losses in the quarter. The Device eXperience (DX) Division achieved solid results due to robust sales of premium smartphones and TVs. Revenue at the Networks Business declined in major overseas markets as mobile operators scaled back investments.

During the Q3 2023 earnings call, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger was answering some questions from analysts regarding the company's future and its position on emerging competition. One of the most significant problems the company could face is the potential Arm-based chip development not coming from x86 vendors like Intel and AMD. Instead, there could be fierce competition in the near future with the recently announced Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X, possible NVIDIA Arm-based PC processor, and in the future, even more Arm CPU providers that Intel would have to compete against in the client segment. During the call, Pat Gelsinger noted that "Arm and Windows client alternatives, generally, they've been relegated to pretty insignificant roles in the PC business. And we take all competition seriously. But I think history as our guide here, we don't see these potentially being all that significant overall. Our momentum is strong. We have a strong roadmap."

Additionally, the CEO noted: "When thinking about other alternative architectures like Arm, we also say, wow, what a great opportunity for our foundry business." If the adoption of Arm-based CPUs for Windows PCs becomes more present, Intel plans to compete with its next-generation x86 offerings like Meteor Lake, Arrow Lake, Lunar Lake, and even Panther Lake in the future. As stated, the CEO expects the competition to manufacture its chips at Intel's foundries so that Intel can provide a platform for these companies to serve the PC ecosystem.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is excited to announce THOR OC DDR5 Desktop Memory. Featuring a complete redesign that pays homage to Thor's hammer, this memory also boasts a durable, solid aluminium heatsink that more than stands up to the challenges of overclocking by providing superior heat dissipation. Lexar THOR OC DDR5 Desktop Memory delivers up to 6000MT/s with timing as low as CL32 for a truly next-gen experience. It features a low-profile form factor that is perfect for compact PC builds. It also supports Intel XMP 3.0 and AMD EXPO overclocking and is compatible with most DDR5 motherboards.

Lexar THOR OC DDR5 Desktop Memory's on-die Error Correction Code (ECC) offers improved stability and reliability while its on-board Power Management IC (PMIC) enhances power efficiency. Another option for PC users is THOR OC DDR4 Desktop Memory. It offers 3200MT/s performance with timing of CL16 and is designed for PC enthusiasts and extreme gamers. It has an aluminium heat spreader with a winged design to keep systems running cool and is compatible with INTEL XMP 2.0 and AMD Ryzen.

TrendForce reports that consumer appetite for electronic products took a hit from high inflation, with global DRAM module sales in 2022 reaching US$17.3 billion—a 4.6% YoY decline. Revenue performance varied significantly among module makers due to the different domains they supply.

TrendForce's data indicated that the top five memory suppliers in 2022 accounted for 90% of total sales, with the top ten collectively capturing 96% of global market revenue. Kingston maintained its dominant market share of 78%. Even with a slight revenue dip, it held steadfast to its position as the global leader. Despite poor end-market demand, Kingston's robust brand scale, along with its comprehensive product supply chain, limited its revenue decline to a modest 5.3%, keeping it firmly at the top of market share rankings.

According to sources close to Reuters, NVIDIA is reportedly developing its custom CPUs based on Arm instruction set architecture (ISA), specifically tailored for the client ecosystem, also known as PC. NVIDIA has already developed an Arm-based CPU codenamed Grace, which is designed to handle server and HPC workloads in combination with the company's Hopper GPU. However, as we learn today, NVIDIA also wants to provide CPUs for PC users and to power Microsoft's Windows operating system. The push for more vendors of Arm-based CPUs is also supported by Microsoft, which is losing PC market share to Apple and its M-series of processors.

The creation of custom processors for PCs that Arm ISA would power makes the decades of x86-based applications either obsolete or in need of recompilation. Apple allows users to emulate x86 applications using the x86-to-Arm translation layer, and even Microsoft allows it for Windows-on-Arm devices. We are left to see how NVIDIA's solution would compete in the entire market of PC processors, which are expected to arrive in 2025. Still, the company could make some compelling solutions given its incredible silicon engineering history and performant Arm design like Grace. With the upcoming Arm-based processors hitting the market, we expect the Windows-on-Arm ecosystem to thrive and get massive investment from independent software vendors.

Thanks to the information from Windows Report, we have received numerous details regarding Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon Elite X chip for laptops. The Snapdragon Elite X SoC is built on top of Nuvia-derived Oryon cores, which Qualcomm put 12 off in the SoC. While we don't know their base frequencies, the all-core boost reaches 3.8 GHz. The SoC can reach up to 4.3 GHz on single and dual-core boosting. However, the slide notes that this is all pure "big" core configuration of the SoC, so no big.LITTLE design is done. The GPU part of Snapdragon Elite X is still based on Qualcomm's Adreno IP; however, the performance figures are up significantly to reach 4.6 TeraFLOPS of supposedly FP32 single-precision power. Accompanying the CPU and GPU, there are dedicated AI and image processing accelerators, like Hexagon Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which can process 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS). For the camera, the Spectra Image Sensor Processor (ISP) is there to support up to 4K HDR video capture on a dual 36 MP or a single 64 MP camera setup.

The SoC supports LPDDR5X memory running at 8533 MT/s and a maximum capacity of 64 GB. Apparently, the memory controller is an 8-channel one with a 16-bit width and a maximum bandwidth of 136 GB/s. Snapdragon Elite X has PCIe 4.0 and supports UFS 4.0 for outside connection. All of this is packed on a die manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm node. In addition to marketing excellent performance compared to x86 solutions, Qualcomm also advertises the SoC as power efficient. The slide notes that it uses 1/3 of the power at the same peak PC performance of x86 offerings. It is also interesting to note that the package will support WiFi7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Officially coming in 2024, the Snapdragon Elite X will have to compete with Intel's Meteor Lake and/or Arrow Lake, in addition to AMD Strix Point.

EK, the premium water cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to announce the availability of high-end, fully liquid-cooled gaming PCs for the European market. These EK-Fluid Gaming PCs are a work of art, hand-made by the master of custom loop liquid cooling. Aside from being visual masterpieces, their integrated custom cooling enables the user to exploit the maximum of what the latest hardware can offer. By liquid cooling both the CPU and GPU, the PC can easily hit and maintain its highest possible boost frequencies without breaking a sweat.

Plug And Play
Fluid Gaming PCs are the ultimate plug-and-play solution for competitive gamers and enthusiasts to whom gaming isn't just a hobby but a lifestyle. But these PCs are not just geared towards gamers, as there are practically no limits to their utilization. They pack the latest and greatest hardware, including the recently launched Intel Core i9 14th generation CPUs. Besides gaming, they can handle streaming, video editing, and 3D modeling, or can just be a visual showpiece in your office or home. With this new availability in Europe, EK's European customers are just a click away from their next-level custom water-cooled gaming experience with ZERO hassle. The starting EK Fluid Gaming PC lineup for Europe consists of three carefully selected PCs inspired by our Shop The Loop series that include: Zen Lotus, Side Task, and Digital Reef.

Introducing Epic First Run, our opt-in exclusivity program for third-party developers and publishers on the Epic Games Store. Registration is open through our self-publishing flow in the Epic Developer portal. Additionally, we are kicking off Now On Epic: a new back catalog incentive program for developers and publishers to bring their previously released products to the Epic Games Store. Now On Epic gives participants the opportunity to boost their net revenue from user spending on eligible products from 88% to 100% in their first six months on the store on all payments processed by Epic Games. After this initial six-month run, participating titles will continue to benefit from Epic's industry-leading 88% / 12% revenue split.

The Epic Games Store is home to a global audience with over 230 million players and 68 million monthly active users. Releasing back-catalog content on the Epic Games Store helps reach new, incremental audiences and ensures that the content that our players are looking for can be consistently discovered. Participants can leverage publisher and franchise sale opportunities to maximize this unique opportunity during their participating titles' first six months on the Epic Games Store.

Wizard With a Gun, Galvanic Games and Devolver Digital's upcoming magic-infused co-op sandbox survival game, was originally scheduled for release on PC tomorrow, Oct. 17. But then another game about mowing down hordes of monsters with magic in a dark fantasy world—something called Diablo IV, which we've never heard of, but apparently a lot of people love—decided it was going to release on Steam on the same day.

So we're releasing the PC version of Wizard With a Gun TODAY, a day early. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions will still be launching on Oct. 17 (sorry), but if you're a PC player, you'll be able to lock and load sooner than planned for the magically low price of $24.99. Set in a fractured post-apocalyptic world known as the Shatter, Wizard With a Gun sees you (and a friend if you don't want to face the horrors alone) crafting an arsenal of magical guns 'n' ammo to drive back the forces of Chaos and restore this realm to its former glory.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, is excited to announce the launch of The Tower 200 Bumblebee Mini Chassis, a new-color version of the beloved The Tower series. The Tower 200 is a Mini-ITX case with a vertical case design and exceptional thermal efficiency. Though this chassis comes in a compact size, it can support the length of a 4090 graphics card and a 280 mm radiator. With the addition of a new vibrant yellow hue, The Tower 200 series now comes in six colors: Black, Snow, Turquoise, Racing Green, Matcha Green, and Bumblebee, allowing you to easily choose an ideal The Tower 200 to fit your style.

The Tower 200 Bumblebee has the same vertical body design as its predecessors, providing users more space flexibility with its smaller footprint. Like the productive spirit of a bumblebee, The Tower 200 Bumblebee is a tiny but mighty case that offers superior hardware support and exceptional cooling performance. The Tower 200 can accommodate a graphics card with a length of up to 380 mm such as the latest 4090 GPU and a standard-size power supply of up to 220 mm enabling you to choose the high-performance components you want. Additionally, The Tower 200 can house a CPU cooler with a maximum height of 200 mm, support an AIO radiator up to 280 mm, and is preinstalled with two CT140 PC Cooling Fans, allowing The Tower 200 Bumblebee to maintain a low interior temperature at all times.

When GALAX began its operations in China in 2003, the company broke into the market and established itself as one of the best GPU AIBs out there. Now, the company is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a special-edition graphics card to mark its two-decade run. We have previously reported that the company is planning to show more of the special-edition card; however, all we managed to get was a teaser of the GPU. Today, thanks to the X/Twitter user CornerJack we manage to see the new GPU in person and its uniquely positioned 12VHPWR power connector.

In the images below, we see that GALAX decided to work around the problem of bad cable management by introducing a more stealthy approach. The 16-pin 12VHPWR connector is now hidden inside of a GPU in an interesting place. The connector is placed in line with the GPU, next to the PCIe connector, to prevent cable bending, which is proven infamously dangerous. In regards to the special-edition features, we expect the card to be a great performer and certainly a star of the show of any PC build due to its white aesthetics.

Greetings Lampbearers. Today sees the launch of our biggest and most ambitious game ever, Lords of the Fallen! It's been an incredible journey for us across the company, especially for our fantastic developers at HEXWORKS, who have worked tirelessly for nearly four years to develop an incredible addition to the action-RPG genre, as well as all for our partners and everyone across CI Games who have supported driving Lords of the Fallen globally over the past few years.

Lords of the Fallen harnesses the cutting-edge power of Unreal Engine 5 - the first action-RPG to do so - to deliver what IGN describes as "An awesome soulslike with a fantastic dual-realities premise" that allows players to seamlessly transition from Axiom, the brutal and unforgiving world of the living, to Umbral, the nightmarish world of the dead.

After almost two years, Microsoft has finally closed the $68.7 billion deal and acquired Activision Blizzard. Confirmed by Phil Spencer, head of gaming at Microsoft, the deal comes after the final approval from UK's Competition and Markets earlier today. The acquisition puts Activision Blizzard, developers Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch, Toys for Bob, Beenox and High Moon Studios, as well as the mobile game maker King, which is known for its Candy Crush game, all under Xbox Game Studios.

In case you missed it, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard back in January 2022, after which it started its battle with various regulators, including UK's CMA, the European Commission, the US Federal Trade Commission, and others. In its extensive statement, Phil Spencer, head of gaming at Microsoft, once again confirmed that they will continue to make more games available in more places, as it promised to the European Commission, and they can now start the work to bring all those franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. Earlier this week, Activision Blizzard confirmed it expected to start adding titles to Game Pass in 2024, if the aforementioned deal goes through.

The downward spiral for PC shipments continued during the third quarter of 2023 (3Q23) as global volumes declined 7.6% year over year with 68.2 million PCs shipped, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Though demand and the global economy remain subdued, PC shipments have increased in each of the last two quarters, slowing the rate of annual decline and indicating that the market has moved past the bottom of the trough.

PC inventory has also become leaner in the past few months and is near healthy levels in most channels. However, downward pressure on pricing persists and will likely remain an issue within the consumer and business sectors. While most of the top 5 vendors experienced double-digit declines during the quarter, Apple's outsized decline was the result of unfavorable year-over-year comparisons as the company recovered from a COVID-related halt in production during 3Q22. Meanwhile, HP's growth was largely due to the normalizing of inventory.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced it has extended its industry-leading 1β (1-beta) process node technology with the introduction of 16Gb DDR5 memory. With demonstrated in-system functionality at speeds up to 7,200 MT/s, Micron's 1β DDR5 DRAM is now shipping to all data center and PC customers. Micron's 1β-based DDR5 memory with advanced high-k CMOS device technology, 4-phase clocking and clock-sync provides up to a 50% performance uplift and 33% improvement in performance per watt over the previous generation.

As CPU core counts increase to meet the demands of data center workloads, the need for higher memory bandwidth and capacities grows significantly to overcome the 'memory wall' challenge while optimizing the total cost of ownership for customers. Micron's 1β DDR5 DRAM allows computational capabilities to scale with higher performance enabling applications like artificial intelligence (AI) training and inference, generative AI, data analytics, and in-memory databases (IMDB) across data center and client platforms. The new 1β DDR5 DRAM product line offers current module densities in speeds ranging from 4,800 MT/s up to 7,200 MT/s for use in data center and client applications.

Get on board the Last Train Home, a Survival RTS set in grim World War 1, inspired by real events of the Czechoslovak Legion trapped in the chaos of civil war in the heart of Russia. Aboard an armored train, you must venture into the unforgiving landscape of Siberia and safely bring your soldiers back home. Play the freshly released demo at Steam Next Fest now, before Last Train Home arrives on PC on November 28!

About Last Train Home
The Great War is over - but the fight continues. Command a legion of soldiers desperately trying to make their way home amidst the chaos of civil war. Lead them through the unforgiving wilderness onboard an armored train. Manage your crew and resources and try to survive.

Chaotic multiplayer "DIY racer" Make Way, from indie developer Ice Beam Games and publisher Secret Mode, is turbo-charging into Steam Next Fest today. Supporting 1-4 players, the Make Way demo gives players an early peek at the unbridled chaos expected in the full, cross-platform game for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One later this year.

The demo will allow up to four players to battle together online or locally in either Race mode, where players focus on building their tracks and racing to the finish line, or Classic mode, where weapons and obstacles are thrown into the mix for the true chaotic experience. A sampling of the track pieces, obstacles, and vehicles will be available for use, with more to unlock by playing the demo, and even more to come in the final full release.