Those that are waiting for the Ryzen 7 7800X3D are in luck as the April 6th launch is just around the corner, and although we knew that the US launch price is set at $449, AMD did not give out any details about the price in Europe. Thankfully, first listings have started to appear, showing it in some stores at €530. Earlier, Computerbase gave an estimated price of around €509, considering that other two SKUs, the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the Ryzen 9 7900X3D, both are 13 percent more expensive in Europe.

As spotted earlier by Videocardz, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D has appeared in Slovenia, listed at €530, which is pretty close to the estimated price. Another listing from Germany shows it listed at €607, which is a bit more expensive. This comes as a surprise considering that the tax in Slovenia is 22 percent, while in Germany it is set at 19 percent. Of course, some stores will try to add the early adopters tax as well, raising the price well above the MSRP, as the Ryzen 7 7800X3D could be quite popular.

A new benchmark of the AMD Radeon 780M RDNA3-based iGPU has now been spotted in Geekbench, showing it to be on par with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650. The benchmark was done on the announced AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU, which is a part of AMD's 4 nm Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix" lineup. The CPU in question is an 8-core/16-thread SKU with 40 MB of cache. It works at 3.8 GHz base and 5.1 GHz boost clocks and has a TDP of 35 W to 45 W. The same CPU comes with Radeon 780M RDNA3 iGPU with 12 Compute Units (CUs), for a total of 768 Stream Processors, and works at 2700 MHz.

The Geekbench OpenCL benchmark was fired up on a Chinese laptop with 32 GB of RAM and running on the Windows balanced power plan, where it scored a decent 36,757 points. This score puts it somewhere around the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and AMD Radeon RX 480 discrete graphics cards. This is an impressive result considering that this is a mid-SKU in the announced Ryzen 7040 series. Of course, we still do not know the specified TDP for this laptop, or what memory was used, so results might be slightly different. Since these laptops are yet to appear in retail, AMD is probably still tweaking the drivers, so we expect these numbers could be even higher for the full release.

AMD "Zen 4" processors offer unmatched efficiency at lower power, and notebook manufacturers are beginning to notice that the company's high core-count Ryzen 7045HX series "Dragon Range" mobile processors offer performance and battery-life highly competitive to 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" processors. The Ryzen 7 7745HX is an 8-core/16-thread processor with a single 5 nm "Zen 4" chiplet, and default TDP of 55 W. Chinese tech publication Golden Pig Upgrade reviewed a notebook powered by the 7745HX, and compared it with one rocking a Core i7-13700HX 8P+8E. The reviewer found the 7745HX to offer superior performance/Watt and gaming performance that either matches or beats the "Raptor Lake," which is held back by aggressive power-management and an older 10 nm-class process node.

ASUS today announced availability of a BIOS update for its X670 and X670E motherboards that enables full compatibility with the latest AMD Ryzen 7000 Series X3D CPUs featuring AMD 3D V-Cache technology.

The proven gaming performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D CPU made it a long-standing favorite for PC builders. ASUS motherboards gave those builders high-performance, feature-rich options for assembling a potent gaming machine built around one of these chips. Now, AMD is upping its game with two new Ryzen 7000 Series CPUs with AMD 3D V-Cache technology: the Ryzen 9 7950X3D and the Ryzen 9 7900X3D. Combining a 3D vertical cache and all the advantages of the cutting-edge X670 platform, these chips are poised to seize the gaming performance crown.

Today at MWC 2023, Lenovo unveiled its latest PC and Chromebook solutions to help embrace dispersed hybrid working styles and provide advanced features that empower users across a broad selection of requirements and needs. Encompassing a progressive and contemporary design philosophy, the latest PC solutions, including a comprehensive refresh across the ThinkPad portfolio, focus on improvements in system performance, increased use of more sustainable materials, and continued enhancements to user experience. ThinkPad Z13 and Z16 second generation Windows 11 laptops enhance key areas of hardware and software functionality to help users maintain a creative edge. ThinkPad Z13 also presents a new Flax Fiber top cover, using bio-based materials, for a unique individual look and feel. Lenovo also introduced a redesigned fourth generation ThinkPad X13 and X13 Yoga with narrower bezels, new colors, materials and features to facilitate hybrid work and mobility. The ThinkPad portfolio for 2023 is completed with fourth generation ThinkPad T14s, T14 and second generation T16 workhorse laptops along with the fourth generation ThinkPad L13, L13 Yoga, L14 and L15, designed for businesses with a wide range of mobile computing needs.

Value-conscious businesses seeking focused productivity features can select a fifth generation ThinkPad E14 with new 16:10 displays or a new 16-inch form factor in the ThinkPad E16. Frequent travellers will like the additional protection provided by the new ThinkPad Professional Sleeve, available in 13-inch and 14-inch sizes to support a broad selection of laptops. The highly versatile ThinkCentre Tiny-in-One Gen 5 Monitor offers improved audio-visual capabilities and redesigned features capable of supporting multiple work scenarios. Finally, consumers can enjoy the flexibility offered by the latest IdeaPad Duet 3i, a Windows 11 detachable laptop that seamlessly transitions between clamshell and tablet modes; or relish the ChromeOS eco-system with the latest IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook featuring a range of audio, visual, and connectivity upgrades.

EK, the premium PC liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is launching the EK-Quantum Momentum² Strix X670E-I Gaming D-RGB - Plexi, the latest AMD AM5 socket-based monoblock. It is engineered specifically for the ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-I GAMING motherboard and features the latest EK Velocity² cooling engine for top-level CPU cooling. This Quantum line monoblock has addressable D-RGB LED compatible with ASUS Aura Sync RGB control, offering complete lighting customization for every diode at any time. It is also EK-Matrix7 compatible and doesn't require removing the factory-mounted heatsink before installation.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, announced today that GIGABYTE X670, B650 motherboard lineup with advanced configuration provides a perfect match for the latest AMD Raphael X3D processors with 3D V-Cache technology. This match delivers remarkable improvements on gaming performance for building ultimate gaming systems.

AMD first launched 3D V-Cache technology on Ryzen 7 5800X3D processors in 2022 and made it one of the best gaming CPUs. Now AMD brings 3D V-Cache technology to Zen4 and introduces AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D, and upcoming Ryzen 7 7800X3D processors with superior gaming performance. This new generation 3D V-Cache CPUs with more cores also raise L3 cache up to 128 MB, and boost gaming performance up to 50% thanks to the extra 64 MB cache of 3D V-Cache.

According to SkatterBench, a website known for incredible overclocking attempts, we get to see AMD's Ryzen 7000 series integrated GPU get up to 42% performance improvement from overclocking. Specifically, the SKU used in the attempt was the Ryzen 9 7900 non-X model with 12 cores and 24 threads, clocked at 3.7 GHz base frequency and 5.4 GHz boost speed. The SKU contains a basic AMD GPU integrated into the package; however, not meant for any serious gaming tasks. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see what a two-core RDNA2 GPU clocked at 2.2 GHz managed to achieve once overclocked. The memory clock of the GPU is set to 2.4 GHz at stock.

Running at the base voltage of 0.997 volts under Furmark workload, the iGPU consumes around 38.5 Watts. However, the overclocking attempt pushed the voltage to 1.395 Volts, resulting in a 3.1 GHz iGPU frequency. The GPU Memory clock is now set to 3200 MHz, and the GPU+SOC power is 60.689 Watts, almost double compared to the stock settings. The overclocker used a GFX curve optimizer with various system tweaks to achieve these numbers. While the OC attempt was successful, the most significant performance improvement was a 42% increase, with some game titles averaging less. Below, the blue bar indicates stock, while the green bar indicates OC'd performance. You can check out the YouTube video as well to see more details.

On January 7th, the Minisforum UM773 was launched in China with the AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS processor and received widespread praise from consumers. Now, the new version of UM773, UM773 Lite, has arrived globally with a more affordable price. Considering that users usually connect external keyboards and mouses, the two USB 3.2 ports have been replaced with USB 2.0 ports. All other design will be the same as UM773. The price, however, will be more favorable.

The new UM773 Lite features the new AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS, AMD Radeon 680M Integrated Graphics, DDR5 dual-channel memory, PCIe 4.0 SSD, and the most advanced USB4 Type-C port. The Ryzen 7 7735HS is one of AMD's new Ryzen 7000 series mobile processors, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads, with a based clock of 3.2 GHz and a maximum turbo clock of 4.75 GHz and a default TDP targeted at 54 W. The RDNA2 Radeon 680M integrated GPU has 12 CUs up to 2.4 GHz.

ASUS today announced three new and updated AMD-powered models in its popular Vivobook Classic series of everyday laptops: the 14-inch Vivobook 14 OLED (M1405), the 15.6-inch Vivobook 15 OLED (M1505), and the 16-inch Vivobook 16 (M1605).

These new laptops deliver a stunning visual experience. Vivobook 14 OLED and 15 OLED feature superb OLED NanoEdge Pantone Validated displays with up to a 2.8K (2880 x 1620) resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 0.2 millisecond response time. Vivobook 14 OLED and Vivobook 16 have an expansive 16:10 aspect-ratio display, while Vivobook 15 OLED has a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. The NanoEdge OLED displays offer up to a 1.000,000:1 contrast ratio with a screen-to-body ratio of up to 86.5%. All displays additionally have TÜV Rheinland low blue-light certification to ensure eye comfort during long viewing sessions.

The newest 2023 Lenovo Legion lineup of battle-ready PCs, monitors, and accessories are unveiled today, setting a new standard in PC gaming for 2023 that gives gamers the edge they need to top the leaderboards. Lenovo is harnessing the pure power of PC gaming with its new lineup for CES 2023, unlocking the freedom to dominate the battlefield with AI-tuned performance that lets gamers crush both framerates and the competition. Brand new for 2023 is the new Lenovo LA AI chip, the world's first dedicated AI chip on a gaming laptop, installed on the new Lenovo Legion Pro 7 and 7i (16", 8) laptops and the Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and 5i (16", 8) laptops.

Lenovo AI Engine+, powered by the Lenovo LA AI chip, deploys a software machine learning algorithm to optimally tune system performance. The chip uses software machine learning, deployed through Lenovo Vantage, to help monitor in-game FPS and dynamically adjust for the highest performance output. Offering up to 15% higher TDP, this chip and machine learning software combo allows Legion Pro Series laptops to deliver higher performance compared to previous generations. Lenovo Legion Pro 7i and Lenovo Legion Pro 5 and 5i laptops also come with Tobii Horizon, providing gearless head tracking that gives players an extra level of immersion when playing their favorite games, as well as Tobii Aware.

Today, Alienware crushes new barriers with the introduction of the world's fastest refresh rate of 500Hzi on a Fast IPS Gaming Monitor and the evolved Aurora R15 gaming desktop with AMD technology. These industry-leading display and desktop advancements further Alienware's competitive edge, underscoring our longtime legacy as both technology pioneers and gamers at heart. Following last year's incredible portfolio upgrades, we're full throttle into 2023 with no signs of slowing down.

Introducing the monitor with the world's fastest refresh rate of 500Hzi, the Alienware 500 Hz Gaming Monitor (AW2524H), a CES 2023 Innovation Award and Best of Innovation winner, delivers the world-class speed today's champions demand. Coming in at a 24.5-inch full high-definition (FHD) resolution with a supersonic refresh rate of 500 Hz overclocked (480 Hz native) on a Fast IPS panel, this elite display offers incredible frame rates to deliver stunning motion clarity in fast-paced games and help gamers clinch victory.

Ahead of CES, Lenovo unveiled its latest generation of consumer devices loaded with standout features and enhancements designed to help people connect with their passions and achieve their daily goals. With five new performance-driving and portable IdeaPad laptops, a sleek and compact IdeaCentre desktop, and a 9-inch Lenovo tablet, these devices are designed for all the spaces and places in line with the on-the-go lifestyle of today's consumer. Whether working, studying, creating, or just catching up with friends out of town, these new products offer speed, versatility, and convenience to suit their needs wherever they are.

"As consumers continue to seek out the most effective ways of working and studying in a hybrid world where versatility and convenience are paramount, Lenovo's IdeaPad products continue to provide reliability and performance at incredible value," says Jun OuYang, Vice President of the Consumer Segment, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "This latest generation of products come with a range of striking new features and enhancements that significantly improve the user experience while still maintaining its reputation as an affordable product."

Lenovo started offering the Ryzen 9 7900 and Ryzen 7 7700 processors as options for its prebuilt desktops, confirming that the 7900 and 7700 will be OEM-exclusives, at least initially. That doesn't mean these chips won't make it to the retail channel, as OEM-only parts from AMD in the past have somehow found their way to retailers, who bought them in trays, and sold them piecemeal as combos with motherboards and CPU coolers. The 7900 is a 12-core/24-thread part, just like its retail-channel sibling, the 7900X. The 7700 is an 8-core/16-thread part, again, similar to the 7700X. Not much else is known about these chips, except for their base frequency of just 3.60 GHz (compared to 4.70 GHz for the 7900X, and 4.50 GHz for the 7700X). Both chips are expected to feature a lowered TDP, with just 65 W for the 7700 (down from 105 W for the 7700X), and possibly 65 W or 105 W for the 7900 (down from 170 W for the 7900X).

The SiSoft SANDRA user database has just been pinged by two new unreleased AMD Ryzen 7000 series "Zen 4" processor models, the Ryzen 7 7700 and Ryzen 5 7600. These chips have the same 8-core/16-thread and 6-core/12-thread core-counts as the 7700X and 7600X, respectively; but with lower clock speeds, and more importantly, a lower TDP of just 65 W. This would put their package power tracking (PPT) limit around 90 W, down from the 105 W and 140 W of the their "X" siblings.

The 7600 and 7700 come with a base frequency of 3.80 GHz, as detected by SANDRA. Every other specification, such as cache size, is the unchanged from the 7600X or 7700X. There's no word on the availability, but it's likely that AMD would debut these chips in the OEM channel first, especially given that the 7600 has the potential to undercut sales of the embattled 7600X. Things could get interesting as Intel debuts the lower end of its 13th Gen Core i5 series, which are rumored to be based on the "Alder Lake" microarchitecture, and 6P+4E SKUs.

ASUS Turkey has jumped the gun and revealed ASUS' upcoming Zenbook 14 laptop, which in itself might not be a big deal, but the UM3402 as the specific model is known as, will apparently be available with an AMD Ryzen 7 7730U CPU. As AMD has as yet to unveil such a CPU, it appears that ASUS Turkey has gotten ahead of things. A quick search for the Zenbook 14 SKU in question reveals that the current UM3402 model has a Ryzen 5825U processor.

The remaining specs appear identical to the current model, but this is clearly not a typo, as the CPU SKU is mentioned at multiple points on the product page. Based on AMD's CPU model name "decoder", the Ryzen 7 7730U is based on a Zen 3 or a Zen 3+ core that sits in the 15-28 W TDP range. According to Videocardz, it will be using an AMD Vega based GPU. Beyond that, we don't know any specifics about the CPU, but one thing that stands out and may or may not be correct, is that the Zenbook 14 is only listed as supporting two USB 3.2 10 Gbps USB-C ports, rather than USB4, which seems a bit odd. Then again, this is a lower-tier CPU, so it's possible that this is the reason for lack of USB4 support. The fact that ASUS has moved to an IPS based display, from an OLED display on the current UM3402 SKU, also suggests that this might be a cheaper model in ASUS lineup.

AMD is preparing to expand its Ryzen 7000-series "Zen 4" desktop processor series with new SKUs, one of which is the Ryzen 7 7700 (non-X). Given past trends with non-X SKUs for the Ryzen 5000-series, the 7700 is very likely an OEM-only SKU to be featured in pre-built desktops. The inclusion of an iGPU with the Ryzen 7000-series changes things dramatically for AMD, as it makes these processors suitable for even home- and commercial desktops that lack discrete graphics. The Ryzen 7 7700 has the same 8-core/16-thread configuration as the Ryzen 7 7700X, but likely lower clock-speeds, due to the lower power-limits. The chip has a TDP of 65 W, compared to the 105 W of the 7700X; which means its package power tracking (PPT) power limit will be closer to 90 W, than the 140 W of the 7700X. This will also significantly lower the cooling requirements for the processor, and OEMs could use cost-effective air coolers. The exact clock-speeds, though, remain under the wraps.

GIGABYTE Technology, (TWSE: 2376), an industry leader in high-performance servers and workstations, today announced supporting products for the new AMD AM5 platform starting with two GIGABYTE motherboards, MC13-LE0 & MC13-LE1, that pair a consumer CPU with IPMI management functionalities via BMC. Additionally, a new desktop workstation, W332-Z00, was released using the same motherboard series platform that supports remote management, but the W332 does so with a Realtek NIC that enables DASH.

The new GIGABYTE products designed to support host systems are deceivingly powerful with a small micro-ATX form factor motherboard and enterprise rich out-of-band management features on top of PCIe Gen 5 and DDR5 technologies. These new client friendly products will be found in office settings under a desk rather than a rack in a data center, as they be managed from anywhere, provided there is a network connection. Furthermore, these new products are purpose built for the mainstream AMD B650E chipset with AMD Zen 4 architecture for AMD Ryzen 7000 Series desktop processors.

Gamers everywhere trust AMD Ryzen CPUs for their battlestations. Packed to the brim with cores, these chips excel at tasks that call for an extra dose of parallel computing power, like heavy multitasking, livestreaming game sessions on Twitch—and, of course, powering through the latest games at high frame rates. Now, AMD has fired off its fourth salvo of AMD Ryzen CPUs, and we've readied the X670E and X670 motherboards you'll need to harness the full potential of these new chips.

Our X670E and X670 motherboard lineup includes a wide range of tempting choices for gamers everywhere. The ROG Crosshair series returns to offer uncompromising performance and style for those who dare to build a gaming PC like none other. ROG Strix boards deliver gaming prowess in a wide range of designs. We've also added X670E and X670 motherboards to our TUF Gaming, ProArt, and Prime motherboard families? Ready to find the perfect partner for your new AMD Ryzen CPU? In this guide, we'll walk you through the core features of the platform and introduce you to our ROG X670E and X670 motherboards. Whether you're an experienced PC enthusiast or a newcomer planning out your first build, we'll help you find the best Ryzen motherboard for your needs and budget.

The first reliable benchmark figures of AMD's Ryzen 7000-series CPUs have arrived, courtesy of SiSoftware. The benchmark suite software developer has released benchmark figures for the Ryzen 5 7600X and Ryzen 9 7950X. Keep in mind that these benchmarks are limited to the different tests in SiSoftware Sandra. Also note that the graphs for the Ryzen 5 7600X have typos, as the SiSoftware wrote Ryzen 5 7760X instead of 7600X and the Core i5-12600K is listed as a Core i7 CPU. Starting with the 7600X, the CPU appears to perform similar to, or slightly slower than the Intel Core i5-12600K in the arithmetic tests. On the other hand, it handily crushes the older Ryzen 5 5600X in every test here, by somewhere between 17 and 36 percent depending on the test.

Moving on to the vector SIMD tests, AMD's Zen 4 architecture shows much greater performance improvements, beating the Intel Core i5-12600K in all but one of the tests, where it loses by a fairly small margin. Here it beats the Ryzen 5 5600X by anything from 28 to a massive 86 percent. Where AMD's Zen 4 architecture really kicks things up a notch is in the image processing test, at least compared to the Zen 3 architecture, thanks to its AVX512 capabilities. As such, it's over twice as fast in many of the tests, but it still loses out in half of the tests to Intel's Core i5-12600K. AMD has also improved the inter-thread/core latency in the same module, by a not insignificant amount. Where the Ryzen 5 7600X doesn't fare so well is when it comes to performance vs. power, largely due to the fact that AMD moved the TDP from 65 to 105 W, but it still offers better performance per Watt than Intel's current models.

Update 17:31 UTC: Updated with the Ryzen 7 7700X results.

LG's Intel based gram-series of notebooks have proven quite popular in the Ultrabook segment. However, its Ultra PC models are built around AMD hardware and although there have been a 13.3-inch model in the past, the company has announced its new 14- and 16-inch models. Both models are based around either a Ryzen 5 5625U or a Ryzen 7 5825U processor, which is built on AMD's Barcelo chips. This sadly means that features like USB4, DDR5/LPDDR5 and PCIe 4.0 support are out the window. This is because Barcelo is a refresh of Cezanne, which means both CPU families based on the Zen 3 architecture. On the plus side, this means the pricing will be quite competitive, but more on that in a second.

The 14-inch model measures 313.9 x 220.45 x 16.3 mm and weighs in at 1.29 kg, whereas the 16-inch model is slightly larger—for obvious reasons—and measures 356.3 x 248.6 x 16.3 mm, but remains fairly portable at 1.6 kg. The display on both the 14- and 16-inch models features 1920x1200 resolution, with the 14-inch model having a brighter display at 300 vs 250 nits for the 16-inch model. Neither display is what you'd call impressive though. Other features include up to 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X memory, up to 1 TB of storage, HDMI out, a USB-C port with DP Alt mode and USB PD support, two USB-A ports, a microSD card slot, an audio jack and a power connector for the charger. WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, as well as a fingerprint reader are also part of the package. Battery life is said to be up 21 and 20 hours respectively when it comes to video playback, with the 14-inch model managing 16.5 hours in MobileMark 2018, whereas the 16-inch model only manages 15 hours flat. LG will offer a range of SKUs that start at €1,199 for the 14-inchers and €1,399 for the 16-inchers, all of which should be available at some point this month.

For those of you that are eagerly awaiting the Ryzen 7000-series CPUs, details of the potential pricing has appeared over at Canadian e-tailer DirectDial. @momomo_us was first to post the details on Twitter, but didn't provide any details of who the e-tailer was, but some sleuthing using the AMD ordering codes soon brought us to DirectDial. The company has listed the all four expected CPU models with pricing and it appears that AMD has decided to stop providing coolers entirely, as none of the four upcoming CPUs appear to be available with a cooler in the box. All the model names ending WOF are retail packaged CPUs and the ones missing WOF at the end of the product number are tray CPUs from what we can tell.

As for the pricing, the Ryzen 5 7600X is listed at CA$435 or about US$340, with the Ryzen 7 7700X coming in at CA$631 or US$494. The Ryzen 9 7900X is CA$798/US$625 and finally the Ryzen 9 7950X is a steep CA$1158/US$907. @momomo_us also found some tray pricing from a different retailer and these CPUs are priced a few bucks cheaper, but we were unable to locate who the retailer is. Note that electronics and computer parts appear to be priced a fair bit higher in Canada than the US on average. As such, these prices should only be taken as an indication of what the retail price in Canada might end up being and not what the actual MSRP will land at, when AMD decides to launch these CPUs. Currently the retail date is expected to be on the 15th of September.

Update 10:49 UTC: The tray CPU retailer is PC-Canada.

It's pretty clear that we're getting very close to the launch of AMD's AM5 platform and the Ryzen 7000-series CPUs, with spec details and even pricing brackets tipping up online. Wccftech has posted what the publication believes will be the lineup we can expect to launch in just over a month's time, if rumours are to be believed. The base model is said to be the Ryzen 5 7600X, which the site claims will have a base clock of 4.7 GHz and a boost clock of 5.3 GHz. There's no change in processor core or thread count compared to the current Ryzen 5 5600X, but the L2 cache appears to have doubled, for a total of 38 MB of cache. This is followed by the Ryzen 7 7700X, which starts out a tad slower with a base clock of 4.5 GHz, but it has a slightly higher boost clock of 5.4 GHz. Likewise here, the core and thread count remains unchanged, while the L2 cache also gets a bump here for a total of 40 MB cache. Both these models are said to have a 105 W TDP.

The Ryzen 9 7900X is said to have a 4.7 GHz base clock and a 5.6 GHz boost clock, so a 200 MHz jump up from the Ryzen 7 7700X. This CPU has a total of 76 MB of cache. Finally the Ryzen 9 7950X is said to have the same base clock of 4.5 GHz as the Ryzen 7 7700X, but it has the highest boost clock of all the expected models at 5.7 GHz, while having a total of 80 MB cache. These two SKUs are both said to have a 170 W TDP. Price wise, from top to bottom, we might be looking at somewhere around US$700, US$600, US$300 and US$200, so it seems like AMD has adjusted its pricing downwards by around $100 on the low-end, with the Ryzen 7 part fitting the same price bracket as the Ryzen 7 5700X. The Ryzen 9 7900X seems to have had its price adjusted upwards slightly, while the Ryzen 9 7950X seems to be expected to be priced lower than its predecessors. Take these things with the right helping of scepticism for now, as things can still change before the launch.

During this year's Flash Memory Summit, Phison, a company known for SSD controllers and now flash drives, demonstrated a system running AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors based on Zen 4 architecture. What is interesting about the shown specification is that the system was running an engineering sample of an upcoming Zen 4-based CPU with the latest storage technologies at impressive speeds. Using a Phison PS5026-E26 SSD controller, also called E26, the PCIe 5.0 SSD is powered by Micron's latest 232-layer TLC NAND flash. This new NAND technology will also bring greater densities to the market by promising higher endurance, higher read/write speeds, and better efficiency.

With AMD's upcoming AM5 platform, support for PCIe 5.0 SSDs is a welcome addition. And we today have some preliminary tests that show just how fast these SSDs can run. In CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4, it achieved over 10 GB/s in both read and write. We know that the E26 controller is capable of 12 GB/s speeds, so more fine-tuning is needed. Being an early sample, we expect final specifications to be better. The system is powered by an engineering sample of a six-core, twelve-threaded Zen 4 CPU running at unknown clocks, codenamed 100-000000593-20_Y. We can expect to see more of this technology once AMD's AM5 platform lands and Phison-powered SSDs hit the shelves in September.

GPD have recently unveiled the pricing for their upcoming 10.1" Win Max 2 handheld gaming PC with the entry level model coming in at 899 USD. The GPD Win Max 2 comes equipped with either an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U or Intel Core i5-1260P processor paired with 16/32 GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. The device features a 2560×1600 10.1" IPS touchscreen with a peak brightness of 400 nits along with a backlit QWERTY keyboard and dual hall effect sensor analogue sticks. The Win Max 2 includes WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 as standard with an optional 4G LTE modem available for an additional 79 USD in addition to USB4/Thunderbolt 4 ports and a spare internal M.2 slot.

The device is equipped with a 67 Wh battery that supports USB Power Delivery up to 100 W alongside active cooling with double heat pipes. The 899 USD Indiegogo model is limited to 50 units and features the Ryzen 7 6800U, 16 GB RAM, and a 128 GB SSD while the base retail model will regularly cost 1159 USD and features an upgraded 1 TB SSD. The base model is also available with the Intel Core i5-1260P for the same price. The onboard memory can be increased to 32 GB for an additional 200 USD and the storage to 2 TB for a further 100 USD while a customized M.2 2230 1 TB SSD is offered for an additional 139 USD.