GIGABYTE Technology, a leading global powerhouse in motherboards, graphics cards, and cutting-edge hardware solutions, has always committed to improving user experiences and proactively preventing any unforeseen issues, announces a crucial software update for its users.

GIGABYTE has received user feedback regarding unexpected behavior and issues when using certain brand memory modules in conjunction with GCC (GIGABYTE Control Center). After thorough investigation, it was identified that some DDR modules did not comply with JEDEC specifications, leading to the failure of SPD write protection. The issue was promptly addressed within a month by updating the BIOS to enable SPD write protection from motherboard side, thereby assisting customers in avoiding and resolving the problem.

Montage Technology, a leading data processing and interconnect IC company, today announced it has taken the lead in trial production of the 3rd-generation DDR5 Registering Clock Driver (RCD03) designed for use in DDR5 RDIMMs. With its blazingly fast 6400 MT/s data rate, the RCD03 sets a new bar for DDR5 memory performance in upcoming server platforms. It unlocks dramatic capacity, bandwidth, and latency improvements to meet the growing demands of data center, cloud, and AI applications.

The RCD03 marks a major advancement in Montage's continued role as an innovator driving rapid DDR5 developments. This chip achieves a 14.3% speed increase over the 2nd-gen DDR5 RCD and a 33.3% increase over the 1st--gen, making it one of the fastest DDR5 memory interface solutions available today.

The 43rd edition of the Symposium on VLSI Technology & Circuits, held annually in Kyoto Japan, is charting the way forward for the devices of the future. Held between June 11-16, 2023, this year's symposium will see structured presentations, Q&A, and discussions on some of the biggest technological developments in the logic chip world. The lead (plenary) sessions drop a major hint on the way the wind is blowing. Leadning from the front is an address by Suraya Bhattacharya, Director, System-in-Package, A*STAR, IME, on "Multi-Chiplet Heterogeneous Integration Packaging for Semiconductor System Scaling."

Companies such as AMD and Intel read the tea-leaves, that Moore's Law is buckling, and it's no longer economically feasible to build large monolithic processors at the kind of prices they commanded a decade ago. This has caused companies to ration their allocation of the latest foundry node to only the specific components of their chip design that benefit the most from the latest node, and identify components that don't benefit as much, and disintegrate them into separate dies build on older foundry nodes, which are then connected through innovative packaging technologies.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced publication of the JESD79-5A DDR5 SDRAM standard. This update to the JEDEC DDR5 SDRAM standard includes features designed to enhance reliability and performance in a wide range of applications involving client systems and high-performance servers. JESD79-5A is now available for download from the JEDEC website.

Added features designed to meet industry demand for improved system reliability include bounded fault error-correction support, Soft Post-Package Repair (sPPR) undo and lock, Memory Built-In Self-Test Post Package Repair (MBIST and mPPR), Adaptive RFM, and an MR4 extension. JESD79-5A expands the timing definition and transfer speed of DDR5 up to 6400 MT/s for DRAM core timings and 5600 MT/s for IO AC timings to enable the industry to build an ecosystem up to 5600 MT/s. The nomenclature for core timing parameters and their respective definitions has been revamped to closely align with the upcoming JEDEC JESD400-5 DDR5 Serial Presence Detect (SPD) Contents V1.0 standard. The document can be accessed here.

AMD today via its newly released GPUOpen website has announced that it is adding four new graphics technologies to its FidelityFX software stack. Before you ask, no; there is no included Ray Tracing graphics libraries among these four new technologies. However, considering the use-case for these is to give developers an almost plug-in flexibility on various graphics technologies they would otherwise have to find other ways to integrate in their rendering pass, added layers to GPUOpen are always a welcome sight. And rest assured that "classic" shading techniques will still be widely used even in the advent of top to bottom raytracing capabilities on graphics hardware - which likely won't happen in the next GPU hardware generation anyway.

Added technologies to the previously-released Contrast Adaptive Sharpening are libraries for SSSR (Stochastic Screen Space Reflections) for better reflections without the usage of raytracing; CACAO (Combined Adaptive Compute Ambient Occlusion) for added depth to shadows and object quality; LPM (Luminance Preserving Mapper) for eased application of an HDR rendering pipeline with correct values, preventing overblown details; and SPD (Single Pass Downsampler) which will allow developers to seamlessly downsample required assets (think something along the lines of Variable Rate Shading) to achieve FPS targets. The GPUOpen is an effort from AMD to create an open graphics library that will allow developers to easily integrate AMD-optimized technologies to their graphics workflow.

GIGABYTE expanded its teething DDR4 memory lineup with a new 16 GB (2x 8 GB) dual-channel DDR4 memory kit, called simply "GIGABYTE Memory 2666MHz." These modules lack the Aorus branding featured on the company's very first DDR4 modules. You instead get 32 mm tall, 7 mm-thick modules with a restrained design, and plain GIGABYTE branding.

One area where the company refined its design is the heatspreaders, which are thicker, and have more mass to them, even if they lack finnage. GIGABYTE's module does what it says on the tin - DDR4-2666 with 16-16-16-35 timings, at 1.2 Volts. Out of the box, it packs both JEDEC and XMP SPD profiles. Memory controllers that support DDR4-2666 (such as Intel "Coffee Lake" and later), should run it at the advertised speeds without any user intervention. For older platforms, an XMP 2.0 profile helps achieve the advertised settings. The modules are backed by lifetime warranty.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today announced that its upcoming XPG SPECTRIX D40 RGB DDR4 has been certified compatible with ASUS AURA Sync software. This allows users of ASUS motherboards to personalize the RGB lighting elements built into D40 modules with choice of color range, lighting sequence, and more. SPECTRIX D40 modules have been optimized for the Intel X299 platform with a starting speed of 2666MHz. They are also compatible with AMD AM4 motherboards. Designed for gamers, overclockers, and case modders, SPECTRIX D40 DDR4 modules provide more options and customization features and support the trend towards builds that incorporate sophisticated RGB and LED.

Intel today launched its new Intel Xeon Scalable processors, providing businesses with breakthrough performance to handle compute-hungry tasks including real-time analytics, virtualized infrastructure and high-performance computing. Today's launch marks the greatest set of data center and network processor advancements in a decade.

"Data center and network infrastructure is undergoing massive transformations to support emerging use cases like precision medicine, artificial intelligence and agile network services paving the path to 5G," said Navin Shenoy, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Data Center Group. "Intel Xeon Scalable processors represent the biggest data center advancement in a decade."

Patriot, a leading manufacturer of computer memory, USB/flash memory, SSDs, and mobile accessories, today announced the extension of their Viper 4 series of DDR4 memory with a new 3600MHz dual kit designed for the latest Intel Skylake core processor utilizing the 100 series platform.

Designed with a high performance custom heat shield structured to withstand the most taxing PC environments and provide continuous stable performance, the Patriot Viper 4 3600MHz dual kit clocks in with impressive timings of 17-18-18-36 while pulling 1.35V of power. The 3600MHz Viper 4 dual kit has become Patriot's fastest kit since the release of the 3400MHz dual kit at the start of September. The ideal addition for PC enthusiasts looking to update their system, the Viper 4 3600MHz dual kit will deliver unparalleled performance for the ultimate gaming rig.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, has announced that its JC-45 Committee has approved the first standards for support of "hybrid" DDR4 memory modules which are defined as modules that plug into standard dual in-line memory module (DIMM) sockets and appear like a DDR4 SDRAM to the system controller, yet contain non-volatile (NV) memories such as NAND Flash on the module. These hybrid module families are referred to as Non-Volatile DIMMs, or NVDIMMs, and they may share the memory channel with other standard DDR4 DIMMs. Publication is expected later this year.

"The introduction of hybrid memory modules into system platform architectures adds new levels of functionality to the computer memory hierarchy," said Mian Quddus, Chairman of JEDEC's JC-45 Committee for Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) Modules. He added, "Non-volatile memory may be used for data persistence, mass storage, and the door is now opened for innovative new applications using the high speed of the DRAM channel. NAND Flash is the first non-volatile memory to be incorporated into the channel; however, the industry is poised for other memory types to be included as well. The framework established by JEDEC is flexible enough to allow for a variety of memories to be included under the 'hybrid' umbrella."

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today launches the Gold Edition of its XPG Z1 DDR4 overclocking memory, clocking in at the outrageously high speeds of 3000/3200/3300/3333MHz. Besides supporting the latest Intel Haswell-E platform, ADATA's XPG Z1 Gold Edition DDR4 also provides ultimate performance for gamers, overclockers and PC enthusiasts, and also features higher power efficiency.

DDR4 memory surpasses legacy DDR3 with improved performance and lower power consumption. The operating voltage of XPG Z1 has decreased from 1.5V to 1.35V, a 10% reduction of power that helps your system operate at a lower temperature for more stable operation. With speeds of up to 3333MHz, CL16-16-16 timings and a transfer bandwidth reaching 26.6GB/s, the XPG Z1 Gold Edition provides unparalleled data transfer efficiency. In addition, the built-in Intel XMP 2.0 Serial Presence Detect (SPD) allows quick and easy installation without changing BIOS settings, all while facilitating full system usage and enhanced stability. This adds up to a true game-winner for overclockers seeking an extra edge.

G.Skill announced the AEGIS line of high-performance, standard-height DDR3 memory modules, for gaming PC builds. The modules are available with JEDEC-approved SPD profiles of DDR3-1333 MHz, and DDR3-1600 MHz; and in densities of up to 8 GB. The modules could make up solo and dual-channel kits. The modules are designed to run at DDR3-1333 at voltages of 1.35V, and rather timings of 9-9-9-24; and DDR3-1600 at 1.50V, and rather loose timings of 11-11-11-28. The modules feature black PCBs with heatspreaders that are basically sheets of aluminium, with die-cast prints on them. The modules are backed by lifetime warranties, G.Skill didn't announce pricing.

If gaming-console manufacturers want to stifle innovation in the gaming industry with old, archaic hardware, it's time for game PC vendors to do something to woo the console crowd. Dell's flagship gaming PC brand, Alienware, announced the X51, a gaming desktop built around the size of a typical gaming console, but packing today's computing technologies that PC gamers have access to. It starts at US $699. Its chassis measures 343 x 95 x 318 mm (HxWxD), and can be oriented vertically, or horizontally. It features cutting-edge styling by Alienware with dashes of piano black, matte black, and lime. Its front features audio, USB ports, and a slot-in DVD-RW / Blu-ray ROM (optional).

The $699 base model is driven by an Intel Core i3 dual-core processor, though more powerful Core i5 and Core i7 processors can be opted for. Graphics is handled by NVIDIA GeForce GT 545, though GT 555 can be opted for. 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory comes standard, up to 8 GB can be opted for. 1 TB 7200rpm HDD storage comes out of the box, faster SSDs can be opted for. Connectivity includes 7.1-channel HD audio with Waves MAXX Audio Software, gigabit Ethernet, Wireless b/g/n, optical and coaxial SPDIF audio outputs. The graphics card gives out HDMI and DVI outputs. Yes, it can run Crysis.

Chinese company JEHE is launching its latest compact mini-ITX motherboard in Europe under the Giada brand, the MI-Z68. As the name suggests, it is based on Intel Z68 chipset, and supports Core i3/i5/i7 processors in the LGA1155 package. There is no TDP restriction, as the board features a full-fledged CPU VRM that draws power from a 4-pin 12V connector apart from a 20-pin ATX connector (any of today's PSUs with 24-pin connector will support it). The board uses a 4+1 phase CPU VRM, with single phase memory. There are two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting dual-channel memory. The lone expansion slot is a PCI-Express 2.0 x16.

There's impressive storage connectivity, this includes two mSATA 3 Gb/s (on on either side of the slot), two SATA 6 Gb/s (blue), and two SATA 3 Gb/s (black). There are just two USB 3.0 ports, both on the rear panel, and driven by a Renesas-made controller. 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, one gigabit Ethernet connection (driven by Realtek-made PHY), display outputs that include DVI and HDMI, a number of USB 2.0 ports and PS/2 keyboard, make for the rest of the rear panel. The Giada MI-Z68 will be priced at €88.

ASRock's first wave of socket LGA2011 motherboards comes a full circle with the X79 Extreme4. The series consists of the X79 Extreme4, X79 Extreme4-M (micro-ATX), X79 Extreme7, and X79 Extreme9. There aren't many micro-ATX LGA2011 motherboards that we're hearing about, and hence ASRock might get the opportunity to charge a premium for the X79 Extreme4-M, making this the most affordable LGA2011 board from ASRock's stable. It still packs a lot of features and connectivity. To begin with, it is consistent with the black and gold styling of the other boards, including the active fan-heatsink over the X79 PCH.

The LGA2011 socket is powered by an 8-phase VRM design, which is identical to that of the X79 Extreme4-M. The socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel DDR3 memory (one DIMM per channel). It has an interesting combination of expansion slots, making use of all 7 spaces available to the ATX form-factor. It includes three PCI-Express x16 (first two are permanent PCI-Express 3.0 x16, the third is permanent PCI-Express 2.0 x8), two PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI. Storage connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s internal ports wired to the X79 PCH, three additional SATA 6 Gb/s and one eSATA 6 Gb/s wired to ASMedia-made SATA controllers.

ASUS released a new embedded micro-ATX motherboard based on AMD's Fusion "Zacate" processor platform. The new E45M1-M PRO from ASUS resembles the E35M1-M PRO, except that it's powered by the newer AMD E-450 dual-core APU. Clocked at 1.65 GHz, the E-450 combines two Bobcat architecture x86-64 cores with Radeon HD 6320 DirectX 11-compliant graphics packing 80 stream processors, and a DDR3-1333 MHz integrated memory controller. The E45M1-M PRO measures 244 x 183 mm, and makes use of all of its expansion area to provide four expansion slots: a PCI-Express 2.0 x16, a PCI-E x1, and two legacy PCI.

The board draws power from standard 24-pin ATX with 4-pin CPU power. A 3-phase VRM handles APU power, it is backed by ASUS EPU chip that works to improve energy efficiency. The APU is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots, for single-channel DDR3 memory. A large heatsink cools both the APU and Hudson M1 chipset, optionally a fan can be attached to cool it better.

At first glance, one would have discarded the news as some company's attempt to use the AMD brand to sell memory modules, but it is indeed AMD selling memory. AMD is selling Radeon-branded DDR3 memory modules to the consumer market, not just OEMs, which were spotted in stores in Japan. AMD is selling certified DDR3 memory in three segments: Entertainment, UltraPro Gaming, and Enterprise. Entertainment deals with DDR3-1333 MHz modules that are best suited for home and business client PCs, UltraPro Gaming deals with DDR3-1600 MHz modules suited for gaming PCs of all shapes and sizes, while Enterprise deals with registered un-buffered DDR3 memory for use in AMD Opteron-driven servers and workstations.

While baffling, the move to sell its own-branded memory makes some sense. High performance DDR3 memory kits sold in the market today that operate at DDR3-1600 rely on Intel eXtreme Memory Profiles (XMP), a proprietary SPD extension by Intel to let users set the marketed speeds easily. AMD platform motherboards don't support XMP, leaving it at an obvious disadvantage. Radeon-branded memory use JEDEC profiles for 1600 MHz, along with certified timings and voltages to run stable and perform optimally. It might also be using AMD's own SPD extension called "Black Edition profiles", but CPU-Z doesn't seem to be able to spot that. Pictured below is the Entertainment 2 GB module, which uses AMD-branded memory chips. In Japan, the 2 GB module is priced at the equivalent of US $20. Other pricing information is unknown for the moment.UPDATE (11/8): We contacted AMD to talk a little bit about these new memory products that surfaced literally out of nowhere. AMD told us that these are channel products, and as such they don't plan to sell it in a big way on the retail market:

AMD does not manufacture memory and does not plan to sell system memory directly to our customers. AMD is currently determining if the sale of AMD Radeon-branded memory through channel partners is a viable opportunity and as such it has appeared in some regions for purchase through retail.

German memory maker Exceleram released five new Rippler series dual-channel DDR3 memory kits brandishing optimal support for Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture processors. The fleet consists of 2x 2 GB and 2x 4 GB pairs, carrying SPD/XMP profiles of 1333 MHz or 1600 MHz. It starts with ERS300A, which is a 2x 2 GB kit that does 1333 MHz with 9-9-9-24 timings, strictly adhering to the JEDEC PC3-10700H specification. Next is the ERS301A, which is a 2x 4 GB kit that also sticks to the JEDEC specification, doing 1333 MHz @ 9-9-9-24.

Things become faster with ERS302A, which is a 2x 2 GB kit carrying XMP-1600 profile, doing 1600 MHz at 9-9-9-24. The ERS303A is a 2x 4 GB version of the same. Lastly, there's ERS304A, which carries an XMP profile that runs the modules at 1333 MHz, albeit with 7-10-10-24, with CAS taking a kit on every other vital latency parameter. All kits carry module voltages specified in the profiles at 1.50 volts. All modules feature black PCBs and the Rippler heatspreader the company used in several models, in the past. Exceleram did not give out pricing information.

After releasing the WinFast GTX 580 with great sales in November, Leadtek Research Inc., known globally for its extreme visual graphics technology development, today unveiled the new WinFast GTX 570 graphics card for the upcoming holiday season. Like the GTX 580 which features high performance, lower power consumption and noise, the DX11 GPU offers gamers maximum resolution and a quieter environment. The WinFast GTX 570 features a high core clock speed of up to 732MHz. With 480 cores and 1280MB of GDDR5 memory, paired with a 320-bit interface, its graphics card power is lower than GTX 470, only 219 watts.

ADATA Technology, the worldwide leading manufacturer in high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today introduced its new XPG Gaming Series DDR3-1333G low voltage memory, designed for gaming enthusiasts who adopt Intel X58, P55, H55 and H57 motherboards, and for HTPC applications. The XPG Gaming Series DDR3-1333G low voltage memory offers cooler operation and lower power consumption with only 1.35V and CL9-9-9-24 timing for demanding environments, enabling eco-friendly personal computers to perform at high speeds and great stability.

"Environmental sustainability is an important principle to us at ADATA, therefore we developed XPG Gaming Series DDR3-1333G low voltage memory, since energy efficiency equates to reduced CO2 emission." said Alex Wu, Project Manager of ADATA Product Management Division. "By utilizing XPG Gaming Series DDR3-1333G low voltage memory, gaming enthusiasts can help to minimize their carbon footprint, saving money on electricity costs, and achieve the right balance of gaming system performance and stability."

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of a family of compatible device specifications for Serial Presence Detect (SPD) EEPROMs, Thermal Sensors (TS), and combination devices with both SPD and TS in a single package. The specifications offer advanced power management features for a wide array of applications, and may be downloaded free of charge at JEDEC.org.

"These chips are being applied in a wide range of applications from handheld devices to telecommunications equipment and data servers," said Desi Rhoden, Chairman of JEDEC's JC-42 Committee for Random Access Memory (RAM). He added, "The demand for green technologies has the industry looking for new ways to measure and conserve power. This family of devices gives a way to accurately measure temperatures to less than half a degree so that systems can automatically adjust their energy usage in response to customer's needs."

In response to Intel's recent official release of its latest quad-core processors Core i7-800 series and Core i5-700 series, Apacer Technology Inc., the leading memory module manufacturer, unveils two DDR3 dual-channel overclocking memory modules-Golden and Aeolus series. They target desktop and overclocking users to by delivering extreme performance and fully support Core i7 and Core i5 processors that use Intel's Nehalem microarchitecture for optimum platform compatibility for mainstream desktop computers. Excellent overclocking performance thus comes realized.

To support P55 chipset-based Intel Core i7 and Core i5 platforms, Apacer's new DDR3 overclocking memory modules can be powered by 1.65V low voltage supply. When running under the dual-channel mode, Golden series can achieve bandwidth up to 1800 MHz. Aeolus series featuring unique Dual-layer Heat Spreader can reduce the temperature by as much as 20°C and also support maximum frequency of 2200 MHz. Exclusively designed for hardcore gamers and overclocking users, the overclocking memory modules allow users to experience the extreme overclocking performance.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high performance memory, NAND flash and computer technology, today announced their XMP certified SODIMMS.

Patriot's DDR3 SODIMM is the latest in the family of memory which includes Intel's Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP). XMP is a performance specification for DDR3 memory SPD settings that act as an integrated "plug and play" overclocking tool. The new Extreme Memory Profile options allow the end user to select extreme or ultimate performance through a framework of predefined and validated optimizations of individual settings without the hassle of manually adjusting each parameter, so the timings, voltage, and speed boot automatically for maximum performance. This enables a robust, profile based, high performance DDR3 over-clocking solution for Intel platforms targeted for enthusiasts, gamers and overclockers.

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in high performance memory products, has released its XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module with single and dual pack. Built to provide optimal levels of compatibility using the highest quality components available on the market, this XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module runs at incredible low voltage setting at 1.6V-1.7V and latency 5-5-5-15.

Designed for notebooks and mini PCs, the XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module is also ready for use with new generation of netbooks and nettops. This XPG G Series DDR2-800G SO-DIMM module is perfect fit for notebook and mini PCs users who want to improve the system performance by replacing their standard notebook memory with high performance module, also without any need to adjust the BIOS settings.

OCZ, world renown manufacturer of memory modules, power supplies and heatsinks has released SPD-Z, a program to modify the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) on memory modules.
At the moment, the program only works for OCZ memory modules. The program works like this:You can find the program here