Corsair is excited to announce upgraded HX1200i and HX1500i Series fully modular, low-noise power supplies for 2025. These powerful PSUs are Cybenetics Platinum-certified for up to 91% efficiency, delivering clean, reliable power. They now feature updated cables with a debossed design and low-profile cable combs for easy cable management and a sleek appearance. In addition, HXi Series power supplies now include two 12V-2x6 GPU power cables with a new dual-color connector that provides visual confirmation of a secure connection, offering additional peace of mind for PC builders. The HXi Series is built for high-end PCs using the latest, most powerful GPUs, including NVIDIA RTX 50 series and AMD 9070 series graphics cards.

Corsair HXi power supplies are ATX 3.1 certified and PCIe 5.1 compliant, supporting the latest power standards with high reliability and efficiency. They are Modern Standby compatible for extremely fast wake-from-sleep times and excellent low-load efficiency. A resonant LLC topology with DC-to-DC conversion provides clean, consistent power. A 10-year warranty ensures these PSUs will last through several upgrade cycles, delivering reliable power to even the most ambitious builds for years to come.

MONTECH proudly introduces CENTURY II, a next-gen ATX 3.1 power supply designed for modern systems. Compact and quiet, it delivers elite performance with native 12V-2x6 GPU support, dual certifications—80 Plus Gold and Cybenetics Platinum, and a 135 mm fan featuring Smart Zero Fan Technology that stops completely at low loads. Starting at just $89.9, Century II sets a new benchmark for efficiency, silence, and stability—tailored for RTX 50 and Radeon RX 90 Series builds.

Next-Gen Ready: ATX 3.1 + 12V-2x6 for RTX 50 & Radeon RX 90 Series
Fully compliant with Intel ATX 3.1, CENTURY II comes equipped with a native 12V-2x6 connector, ensuring optimized, safe power delivery for the latest NVIDIA RTX 50 Series and AMD Radeon RX 90 Series graphics cards. Whether building from scratch or upgrading, it ensures long-term GPU compatibility and power stability.

• Peak Wattage Support: Up to 2x the PSU's total wattage
• Peak GPU Wattage Support: Up to 3x the GPU's wattage

When you ask fans, "What's the quintessential action game?" the NINJA GAIDEN series is one of the legendary names that is guaranteed a mention. With roots as far back as the original 1988 arcade game NINJA GAIDEN (Ninja Ryukenden in Japan), the series has captivated fans in various forms over the years, from 2D to 3D, with its focus on swift traversal, eye-catching swordplay, and ninjutsu techniques, all jam-packed into exhilarating action gameplay.

In particular, the Xbox version of NINJA GAIDEN, released on Xbox consoles in 2004, stood out for its smooth controls and elegant action, earning its place as a revolutionary action game. The series' biggest allure lies in deeply satisfying and challenging battles featuring its iconic lead character, master ninja Ryu Hayabusa. The NINJA GAIDEN series has gained a reputation for being notoriously difficult, but with a near-unmatched sense of accomplishment upon clearing levels and defeating bosses that drives players to persevere. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, Team NINJA, the studio behind the majority of these iconic titles, has declared 2025 to be "The Year of the Ninja."

Corsair at the 2025 CES showed off its latest power supply units. At CES, the company is debuting its 2025 RMe line of performance-segment PSUs. These meet the latest ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM standards, and offer Cybenetics Gold rated switching efficiency, along with Cybenetics A acoustic rating. The PSU uses a 120 mm fan, along with a zero RPM mode for most low-load situations. The 2025 RMe series comes in four variants based on wattage, the RM650e, RM750e, RM850e, and RM1000e. The 750 W, 850 W, and 1000 W models put out a 12V2x6 that's capable of 600 W continuous power delivery, while the 650 W model puts out a 450 W capable 12V2x6.

Next up, are updates to Corsair's enthusiast-segment HXi series. The new 2025 HXi series comes in two high-wattage models, the HX1200i, and the HX1500i. The HXi series in its 2025 refresh is updated with ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM compliance. These offer Cybenetics Platinum switching efficiency, and Cybenetics A acoustic rating. The 140 mm fan cooling these are programmed with a zero RPM mode. You can take control of its fan curve by connecting the PSU to a USB 2.0 header and using the Corsair iCUE software. Both the 1200 W and 1500 W models offer two 12V2x6 connectors, both of which are 600 W capable. The 2025 RMe series is available now, but the 2025 HXi series should be available some time in Q2 2025.

Although it was revealed back in March this year, SK hynix new Platinum P51 PCIe 5.0 has only just now launched in South Korea and the specs have been boosted since March. The official sequential read speed is now rated at 14.7 GB/s vs. 13.5 GB/s in March and likewise, the sequential write speed has increased to 13.4 GB/s from 11.5 GB/s. We're also looking at a random IOPS read speed of up to 2,300k and random write IOPS of up to 2,400k. This compares really favourably compared to Phison E26 based SSDs, especially the random IOPS are very impressive.

However, it's not all good news, as the endurance tops out at 1200 TBW on the 2 TB SKU, which is pretty much what every other modern SSD offers today and somewhat disappointing considering that we're looking at SK hynix 238 layer 3D TLC NAND here. The 2 TB SKU is also the largest size available for now and the Platinum P51 will also come in 1 TB and 500 GB flavours. Another not so great, is the 10 W power consumption, even though SK hynix claims it's industry leading, but we know that this isn't true, as the Silicon Motion SM2508 controller is more power efficient than that. The drive has already been quickly benchmarked by South Korean hardware site Quasar Zone and it delivers in terms of the claimed speeds from the manufacturer, at least according to the CrystalDiskMark numbers. No pricing has tipped up as yet, so we'll have to wait to see how competitive the drive will be in an already crowded market. However, it's worth keeping in mind that SK hynix tends to charge a premium for its SSDs over many of its competitors.

Update Dec 14th: The 2 TB SKU has a retail price of 473,000 Korean Won, which equals about US$330, making it prohibitively expensive at the moment, even compared to most other PCIe 5.0 SSDs on the market. The 1 TB SKU comes in at 279,000 Korean Won, or about US$195. The Korean prices include 10% VAT/sales tax.

At MONTECH We are excited to announce the launch of the TITAN PLA, a premium platinum-rated power supply unit developed in exclusive collaboration with Seasonic. Designed to deliver top-tier performance, unmatched efficiency, and rock-solid reliability, the TITAN PLA ensures your high-end PC runs at peak performance with unbeatable power stability.

Next-Gen Power Built for ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 Standards
The TITAN PLA aligns with the latest ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards, including a 12V-2x6 cable for enhanced safety, efficiency, and future-proof performance. Whether you're building a gaming powerhouse or a professional workstation, this power supply provides next-generation power with:

• Peak Wattage Support: Up to 2x the PSU's total wattage
• Peak GPU Wattage Support: Up to 3x the GPU's wattage
• Hold-Up Time: Above 21 ms for uninterrupted performance

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Strix Platinum PSU series, the ideal power supplies for gaming PC setups. These high-efficiency units, available in 1200-watt, 1000-watt, and 850-watt versions, raise the bar with lower connection temperatures, intelligent wattage delivery, ATX 3.1 with Intel lab testing and a sizeable 10-year warranty.

Smart design, efficient operation
The ROG Strix Platinum PSU series is ready to power any rig a user can assemble, no matter what kind of graphics card they put under the hood. That's where the patented GPU-First intelligent voltage stabilizer (IVS) comes into play. It ensures that even an overclocked graphics card always has the stable power flow it needs to perform at peak capacity during intense gaming sessions, providing up to 45% more stable flow to the GPU than without the stabilizer. And if users prefer a conventional CPU-focused voltage sensor, they can disconnect the Strix Platinum IVS cable.

Cooler Master, a leading provider of PC components, gaming peripherals, and tech lifestyle solutions, today announced the launch of its latest PSU (Power Supply Unit) line up: the X Series. This cutting-edge line of PSUs features patented in-house thermal technology, delivering top-tier, silent performance.

"Our mission at Cooler Master has always been to push the boundaries of PC technology," said Jimmy Sha, CEO of Cooler Master. "With the X Series, we are leveraging our proprietary superconductive composite heat pipes and advanced heat dissipation technologies to set new standards for silent operation and reliability. These PSUs are a testament to our commitment to innovation and to meeting the evolving needs of our users."

LIAN LI, a leading manufacturer of computer chassis and accessories, has introduced a new form factor for power supplies. The EDGE series is designed for vertical installation in dual-chamber PC cases. This premium-grade, fully modular power supply features a unique T-shape design for easy cable management. It also includes a built-in USB expansion hub for seamless connectivity of RGB devices, fans, and controllers. With industrial-grade EPCOS capacitors, it ensures reliable and stable performance. The PSUs come with a unique custom-designed dual-colored 12VHPWR connector and custom-designed SATA power cabling. Certified to PCIe 5.1 and ATX12V Version 3.1 standards, the EDGE series is rated 80 Plus Platinum, Cybenetics Platinum, and PPLP Platinum. The LIAN LI EDGE PSU is available in black and white as 1300 W, 1000 W and 850 W models.

A New Form Factor
The EDGE power supply series has a versatile T-shaped design for vertical installation in dual chamber cases. It features an outward-facing modular strip for easier access, simplifying wiring for a clean setup. The PSU includes a built-in 4-port USB expansion hub for seamless connectivity of RGB devices, fans, and controllers. This reduces the number of wires going to the motherboard, making installation easier. The power supply also showcases an embossed mesh design with 66.9% porosity, paired with a 120 mm fan for optimal heat dissipation while maintaining a clean appearance.

Lian Li was also keen to show us its unique EDGE PSU series which features a dual-chamber chassis with L-shaped design that allow easier and more direct access for cable connection. The Lian Li EDGE PSU series will be available in 850 W, 1,000 W, and 1,300 W power output versions, with a special EG850 Mesh version with removable fan grill that allows easier cleaning. In addition to all the usual connectors, the Lian Li EDGE PSU lineup also comes with a built-In USB2.0 Hub.

The entire Lian Li EDGE PSU series is rated at 80 Plus Platinum efficiency, except for the EG850 Mesh which is 80 Plus Gold certified and should be the first one available. Bear in mind that the EG850 Mesh has slightly different specifications, but we'll confirm these as it becomes available or comes to our review testbed. The entire series is fully modular with sleeved cables and cable combs. Lian Li is using a new 12VHPWR connector design with more durable contact points for each pin, as well as high-quality electrolytic capacitors. In case you are wondering, the precise dimensions are 182x86x150 mm and as showcased at the event, Lian Li will have both black and white color options for some models.

SK hynix presented its leading AI memory solutions at COMPUTEX Taipei 2024 from June 4-7. As one of Asia's premier IT shows, COMPUTEX Taipei 2024 welcomed around 1,500 global participants including tech companies, venture capitalists, and accelerators under the theme "Connecting AI". Making its debut at the event, SK hynix underlined its position as a first mover and leading AI memory provider through its lineup of next-generation products.

"Connecting AI" With the Industry's Finest AI Memory Solutions
Themed "Memory, The Power of AI," SK hynix's booth featured its advanced AI server solutions, groundbreaking technologies for on-device AI PCs, and outstanding consumer SSD products. HBM3E, the fifth generation of HBM1, was among the AI server solutions on display. Offering industry-leading data processing speeds of 1.18 terabytes (TB) per second, vast capacity, and advanced heat dissipation capability, HBM3E is optimized to meet the requirements of AI servers and other applications. Another technology which has become crucial for AI servers is CXL as it can increase system bandwidth and processing capacity. SK hynix highlighted the strength of its CXL portfolio by presenting its CXL Memory Module-DDR5 (CMM-DDR5), which significantly expands system bandwidth and capacity compared to systems only equipped with DDR5. Other AI server solutions on display included the server DRAM products DDR5 RDIMM and MCR DIMM. In particular, SK hynix showcased its tall 128-gigabyte (GB) MCR DIMM for the first time at an exhibition.

ASUS at the 2024 Computex showed off the latest revisions of its ROG Strix Platinum and ROG Thor Titanium III power supplies that pack a slew of cutting edge innovations for high-end gaming PCs. In their latest revisions, these PSUs meet the ATX 3.1 specification, and offer updated 12V-2x6 (H++) graphics card power connectors, but there's a key bit of innovation here.

Notice the purple 2-pin connector on the PSU? It is a set of sense pins that lead to the 12V-2x6 connectors, and lets the PSU get active feedback from the graphics card (rather than the motherboard) on how the voltage stability is, so it can actively hold the +12 V domain within a tight tolerance band. This mechanism lets the PSU observe voltage drops and spikes beyond the excursion tolerances of the ATX 3.1 spec. ASUS holds the patent for this innovation. Another major innovation with both these PSU lines is the use of modern GaN MOSFETs for improved switching efficiency, and compact dimensions, which vastly improves the layout of the PSU's mainboard, and serves up more room for heatsinks or airflow. ASUS is backing both these PSU lines with 10-year warranties.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of premium gaming hardware, today announced the new AORUS ELITE series power supplies. This series offers four models to meet the needs of different users, including: AORUS ELITE P1000W 80+ Platinum Modular PCIe 5.0 (Black), AORUS ELITE P850W 80+ Platinum Modular PCIe 5.0 (Black), AORUS ELITE P1000W 80+ Platinum Modular PCIe 5.0 ICE (White), and AORUS ELITE P850W 80+ Platinum Modular PCIe 5.0 ICE (White).
⁠
Certified with 80 Plus Platinum and fully compliant with Intel ATX 3.0 and PCIe Gen 5.0 standards, the AORUS ELITE series power supplies cater to high-end gamers and users with stable computing needs, offering exceptional performance and reliability. Their compact design packs a 120 mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) smart silent fan and the AORUS unique magnetic plate, combining quiet operation with a stylish look.

"The Earth is Blue," said Yuri Gagarin, the first human to journey into space. With two-thirds of its surface covered in water, Earth is a planet that exuberates its blue radiance in the dark space. However, today, the scarcity of water is a challenge that planet Earth is confronted with. For some, this may be hard to understand. What happened to our blue planet Earth? To put in numbers, more than 97% of the water on Earth consists of seawater, with another 2% locked in ice caps. That only leaves a mere 1% of water available for our daily use. The problem lies in the fact that this 1% of water is gradually becoming scarcer due to reasons such as climate change, environmental pollution, and population growth, leading to increased water stress. 'Water stress' is quantified by the proportion of water demand to the available water resources on an annual basis, indicating the severity of water scarcity as the stress index rises. Higher stress indexes signify experiencing severe water scarcity.

The semiconductor ecosystem, unsustainable without water
Because water stress issues transcend national boundaries, various stakeholders including international organizations and governments work to negotiate water resource management strategies and promote collaboration. UN designates March 22nd as an annual "World Water Day" to raise awareness about the severity of water scarcity running various campaigns. Now, it's imperative for companies to also take responsibility for the water resources given and pursue sustainable management.

ENERMAX, an industry-leading force dedicated to designing high-performance computer hardware and cooling solutions, announces its latest power supply and the PCMag CES 2024 Best Power Product award winner, the PlatiGemini 1200 W, is now available. The PlatiGemini sets a new standard as the only 80 Plus Platinum power supply that supports both Intel ATX 3.1 and ATX12VO standards. Designed for system integrators and professionals working on mission-critical projects, this revolutionary 12VO power supply, which removes the 3.3 V and 5 V lines, will reduce losses from energy conversion and align your workstation with stricter environmental standards.

World's First Dual-Standard 12VO Power Supply
The PlatiGemini, as the world's first dual-standard power supply, supports both 24-pin mainstream motherboards and 10-pin energy-saving 12VO motherboards, offering versatility for current and future technological requirements. By supplying only 12 volts to the system components, the power supply eliminates the need for conversion to other voltage levels, reducing energy loss and improving overall energy efficiency. And with the support of the 24-pin mainstream motherboards, it ensures adaptability to any current or future tech needs, bridging the gap between different specifications, and being ready for sustainable computing.

SK hynix press release about its upcoming PCB01 PCIe 5.0 SSD was a bit light on details and Anandtech got a closer look at the upcoming drive at GTC 2024. Not entirely unsurprising, the drive will be called the Platinum P51 rather than the PCB01, which is a continuation of the branding SK hynix is using for its current range of SSDs. As we already know, it'll feature a custom SK hynix controller and no further data was revealed to Anandtech, but the publication did manage to get some more details with regards to the NAND flash used.

The Platinum P51 is SK hynix first consumer SSD with its new-ish 238-layer 4D NAND flash based on the company's PUC (peri. under cell) technology, which places the peripheral circuits under the cell array. The official performance figures of the Platinum P51 appears to be somewhat lower than the press release from earlier today stated, with sequential read speeds of up to 13.5 GB/s and sequential write speeds of 11.5 GB/s. SK hynix will apparently release the drive in the typical SSD sizes of 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. It'll be interesting how SK hynix in-house controller will compare to the second generation of Phison E26 based drives paired with Micron B58R NAND flash once it becomes available later this year.

Cooler Master, a leading innovator in PC Hardware, today announced the V Platinum V2 power supply unit (PSU). Designed to cater to high-power applications in fields like machine learning, AI and advanced workstations, the V Platinum V2 sets a new benchmark in PSU performance. Available in three powerful variants - 1100 W, 1300 W and 1600 W - this PSU is not just a powerhouse for the latest gaming needs but a cornerstone for the most demanding computational tasks.

"Cooler Master is committed to pushing the frontiers of technology, and the V Platinum V2 is a testament to this pursuit," said Jimmy Sha, Cooler Master CEO. "By integrating noise reduction and thermal management features, we've created a PSU that's not only incredibly efficient but supremely quiet, making it an ideal choice for professionals and enthusiasts seeking the utmost in performance."

SilverStone today introduced what is possibly the highest Wattage PSU in the SFX-L form-factor, the Extreme1200R Platinum. This contemporary PSU meets SFX12V 4.1 specification, which is comparable to ATX 3.1, along with PCIe CEM 5. It includes a native 12V-2x6 power connector capable of 600 W continuous power delivery and excursions within the PCIe Gen 5 spec. 12V-2x6 is a successor to 12VHPWR, and is designed to be less flimsy and prone to burn-outs than 12VHPWR, from improper connector coupling or cable bending.

The SilverStone Extreme1200R Platinum delivers 1200 W using a single 100 A +12 V rail, with Cybenetics Platinum rated switching efficiency. It comes with an all Japanese capacitor design, with most common electrical protections, against over/under voltage, overload, overheat, and short-circuit. A 120 mm fluid dynamic bearing fan is used to keep cool. Connectors include a 24-pin ATX, two 4+4 pin EPS, a 600 W 12V-2x6, four 6+2 pin PCIe, eight SATA power, three 4-pin Molex, and a Berg. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Taiwanese power supply manufacturer FSP showcased upcoming products for 2023 and 2024. This included new power supply lineups with updated naming schemes - the entry-level VITA series, mid-range ADVAN series, and high-end MEGA and DAGGER series. The simplified naming clarifies the differentiation between affordable, mainstream, and premium offerings across wattages and efficiency certifications. Specific new PSU models include 1500+ Watts beasts for maxed-out systems, redundant server-class units ensuring uptime, and 80+ Titanium efficiency ratings for eco-conscious builds. Star of the show is FSP's flagship unit, which boasts a staggering 2500 Watts, 100% modular cabling, and cutting-edge 12V-2x6 PCIe Gen 5 graphics card power connectors.

Called the Cannon Pro, the 2500-watt power supply has four 12V-2x6 PCIe Gen 5 connectors to feed even the highest power-rated GPUs and the three 6+2-pin connectors. This new PSU is also rated for ATX 3.1 specifications, 80+ Platinum Specification, and the upgraded version of the 12VHPWR PCIe Gen 5 connector, supposedly overcoming all the issues, in the form of a 12V-2x6 PCIe Gen 5 connector. The PSU should be able to power four NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs simultaneously with its high capacity. Pricing and availability aren't specified, so we must wait for FSP to launch these products in 2024.

Yesterday, Intel unveiled its latest Xeon data center processors, codenamed Emerald Rapids, delivering the new Xeon Platinum 8592+ flagship SKU with 64 cores and 128 threads. Packed into its fresh silicon, Intel promises boosted performance and reduced power hunger. The comprehensive tech benchmarking website Phoronix essentially confirms Intel's pitch. Testing production servers running the new 8592+ showed solid gains over prior Intel models, let alone older generations still commonplace in data centers. On average, upgrading to the 8592+ increased single-socket server performance by around 23.5% compared to the previous generation configs of Sapphire Rapid, Xeon Platinum 8490H. The dual-socket configuration records a 17% boost in performance.

However, Intel is not in the data center market by itself. AMD's 64-core offering that Xeon Platinum 8592+ is competing with is AMD EPYC 9554. The Emerald Rapids chip is faster by about 2.3%. However, AMD's lineup doesn't stop at only 64 cores. AMD's Genoa and Genoa-X with 3D V-cache top out at 96 cores, while Bergamo goes up to 128 cores. On the power consumption front, the Xeon Platinum 8592+ was pulling about 289 Watts compared to the Xeon Platinum 8490H average of 306 Watts. At peak, the Xeon Platinum 8592+ CPU managed to hit 434 Watts compared to the Xeon Platinum 8490H peak of 469 Watts. This aligns with Intel's claims of enhanced efficiency. However, compared to the 64-core counterpart from AMD, the EPYC 9554 had an average power consumption of 227 Watts and a recorded peak of 369 Watts.

Intel's upcoming Sierra Forest Xeon server chip has debuted on Geekbench 6, showcasing its potential in multi-core performance. Slated for release in the first half of 2024, Sierra Forest is equipped with up to 288 Efficiency cores, positioning it to compete with AMD's Zen 4c Bergamo server CPUs and other ARM-based server chips like those from Ampere for the favor of cloud service providers (CSP). In the Geekbench 6 benchmark, a dual-socket configuration featuring two 144-core Sierra Forest CPUs was tested. The benchmark revealed a notable multi-core score of 7,770, surpassing most dual-socket systems powered by Intel's high-end Xeon Platinum 8480+, which typically scores between 6,500 and 7,500. However, Sierra Forest's single-core score of 855 points was considerably lower, not even reaching half of that of the 8480+, which manages 1,897 points.

The difference in single-core performance is a matter of choice, as Sierra Forest uses Crestmont-derived Sierra Glen E-cores, which are more power and area-efficient, unlike the Golden Cove P-cores in the Sapphire Rapids-based 8480+. This design choice is particularly advantageous for server environments where high-core counts are crucial, as CSPs usually partition their instances by the number of CPU cores. However, compared to AMD's Bergamo CPUs, which use Zen 4c cores, Sierra Forest lacks pure computing performance, especially in multi-core. The Sierra Forest lacks hyperthreading, while Bergaamo offers SMT with 256 threads on the 128-core SKU. Comparing the Geekbench 6 scores to AMD Bergamo EPYC 9754 and Sierra Forest results look a lot less impressive. Bergamo scored 1,597 points in single-core, almost double that of Sierra Forest, and 16,455 points in the multi-core benchmarks, which is more than double. This is a significant advantage of the Zen 4c core, which cuts down on caches instead of being an entirely different core, as Intel does with its P and E-cores. However, these are just preliminary numbers; we must wait for real-world benchmarks to see the actual performance.

Seasonic, one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality power supplies for the PC market, has announced a significant enhancement to its customer service offerings. In a move that underscores the company's confidence in its products' durability and performance, Seasonic has extended the warranty period for its VERTEX power supply units from the industry-standard of ten years to as much as 12 years. This extension applies to its popular series of power supplies, known for their reliability and efficiency. The company's decision reflects its commitment to excellence and its belief in the longevity of its components, aiming to provide users with added peace of mind and long-term value.

The VERTEX series of PSUs are Seasonic's first ATX 3.0 models on the market, which bring a plethora of features like complete modularity, 80+ Platinum efficiency, support for PCIe 5.0 devices, 12VHPWR cable, and now an upgraded warranty period of 12 years. The extended warranty indicates that Seasonic is prepared to back its claims of great product lifespan, reinforcing its position as a trusted name in power supply solutions.

Intel's next-generation Emerald Rapids Xeon lineup is just around the corner, and we are now receiving more leaks as the launch nears. Today, we get to see leaks of two models: a 64-core Xeon 8592+ Platinum and a 48-core Xeon 8558U processor. First is the Xeon 8592+ Platinum, which is possibly Intel's top-end design with 64 cores and 128 threads. Running at the base frequency of 1.9 GHz, the CPU can boost up to 3.9 GHz. This SKU carries 488 MB of total cache, where 120 MB is dedicated to L2 and 320 MB is there for L3. With a TDP of 350 Watts, the CPU can even be adjusted to 420 Watts.

Next up, we have the Xeon 8558U processor, which has been spotted in Geekbench. The Xeon 8558U is a 48-core, 96-threaded CPU with a 2.0 GHz base clock whose boost frequency has yet to be shown or enabled, likely because it is an engineering sample. It carries 96 MB of L2 cache and 260 MB of L3 cache, making for a total of 356 MB of cache (which includes L1D and L1I as well). Both of these SKUs should launch with the remaining models in the Emerald Rapids family, dubbed 5th generation Xeon Scalable, on December 14 this year.

Intel has recently revealed a security vulnerability named Downfall (CVE-2022-40982) that impacts multiple generations of Intel processors. The vulnerability is linked to Intel's memory optimization feature, exploiting the Gather instruction, a function that accelerates data fetching from scattered memory locations. It inadvertently exposes internal hardware registers, allowing malicious software access to data held by other programs. The flaw affects Intel mainstream and server processors ranging from the Skylake to Rocket Lake microarchitecture. The entire list of affected CPUs is here. Intel has responded by releasing updated software-level microcode to fix the flaw. However, there's concern over the performance impact of the fix, potentially affecting AVX2 and AVX-512 workloads involving the Gather instruction by up to 50%.

Phoronix tested the Downfall mitigations and reported varying performance decreases on different processors. For instance, two Xeon Platinum 8380 processors were around 6% slower in certain tests, while the Core i7-1165G7 faced performance degradation ranging from 11% to 39% in specific benchmarks. While these reductions were less than Intel's forecasted 50% overhead, they remain significant, especially in High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads. The ramifications of Downfall are not restricted to specialized tasks like AI or HPC but may extend to more common applications such as video encoding. Though the microcode update is not mandatory and Intel provides an opt-out mechanism, users are left with a challenging decision between security and performance. Executing a Downfall attack might seem complex, but the final choice between implementing the mitigation or retaining performance will likely vary depending on individual needs and risk assessments.

Seasonic has launched the updated Prime PX 1600 Watt PSU that TPU spotted at Computex earlier this month, alongside two new Prime TX models at 1300 and 1600 Watt. The three models all adhere to the ATX 3.0 standard, unlike its predecessors. However, it appears that Seasonic hasn't as yet, at least, decided to update its lower Wattage models to the ATX 3.0 standard. Both 1600 Watt models feature a pair of 12VHPWR connectors, whereas the 1300 Watt model gets to make do with a single 12VHPWR connector. All three models feature no less than nine CPU/PCIe 12 V connectors and six peripheral connectors for modular cables.

The Prime PX is rated for 80 Plus Platinum and the Prime TX for 80 Plus Titanium and this appears to be the only major difference between the two models. Other interesting features include a 135 mm fan with fluid dynamic bearings and a digital hybrid fan control, as well as a bundles basic PSU tester. Both models also come with a 12 year warranty. Price wise, the Prime PX-1600 will retail for US$509.99/€459.99, with the Prime TX-1300 going for US$519.99/€479.99 and finally the Prime TX-1600 will set you back US$609.99/€549.99, suggesting a steep price premium for only a marginally more efficient PSU.