MSI Computer Corp, a leading manufacturer of computer hardware products and solutions, announces the availability of the brand new GS40 Phantom, the world's thinnest and lightest gaming laptop.

Designed for mobile gamers who refuse to compromise on performance, MSI's newest gaming laptop weighs only 3.5 lbs. and measures less than 0.86 inches thick, but is equipped with Intel's 6th Generation Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GTX 970M GPU, and a variety of high-tech components, including PCI-E Gen3 SSD, DDR4 Memory, Super Port, and more.

BIOSTAR's latest gaming products cover both the mainboard and VGA card spaces with two products that offer a sweet spot for performance versus investment in hardware. The motherboard is the Gaming H170T which is the best valued motherboard of the Gaming Skylake platform (other brands are at least $169 and up) and the GPU is the Gaming GeForce GTW980Ti, a 6GB GDDR5, 384bit, full size PCB, high-end 3D graphic solution, supporting NVIDIA's PhyX and CUDA technology at 4K resolutions.

BIOSTAR's latest mainboard, the Gaming H170T is based on Intel's H170 chipset which is a single-chip design that supports Intel 6th generation socket 1151 Intel Core processors. The Gaming H170T comes with Hi-Fi Technology built inside, delivering Blu-Ray audio, Puro Hi-Fi features an integrated independent audio power design with a built-in amplifier. The technology utilizes audio components with an independent power delivery design for a significant reduction in electronic noise producing superb sound quality. Moreover, the Hi-Fi H170T supports USB 3.0, PCIe M.2 (32Gb/s), SATA Express (16Gb/s) and has DisplayPort for monitor output.

Compact desktop maker Shuttle is giving final touches to its XPC SH170R6 compact desktop barebones system. Designed to support 6th generation Intel Core "Skylake" processors, the SH170R6 gets you started with a custom-design motherboard based on the Intel H170 Express chipset, with two expansion slots (one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 and one PCI-Express 3.0 x4); four DDR4 DIMM slots, a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, four SATA 6 Gb/s ports; a heat-pipe based CPU cooler, and an 80 Plus Bronze rated 300W power supply.

The case itself offers room for a 5.25-inch optical drive, and two 3.5-inch drives (one of which is an externally accessible bay). The system board offers external connectivity of two DisplayPort 1.2 connectors (supports one Ultra HD display), an HDMI port, six USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA 6 Gb/s port, gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel HD audio. There's provision for an mPCIe WLAN card. Slated for release later this month, the SH170R6 is expected to be priced at 258€ excluding VAT (around 307€ with 19% VAT).

DFI, which is focusing on IPC motherboards these days, launched the SD630-H110, an entry-level socket LGA1151 motherboard based on Intel H110 Express chipset, and built in the ATX form-factor. Designed with a focus on legacy connectivity, the board seats a 6th generation Core "Skylake" processor, powers it with a simple 6-phase VRM, and wires it to two DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 16 GB of dual-channel DDR3L-1600 memory; and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. A PCI-Express 2.0 x4 slot (open-ended) and five legacy PCI slots make up the rest of its expansion area.

Storage connectivity includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Legacy connectivity includes four serial COM ports, with one RS232 connector, an LPT port by header, 8-bit GPIO, a feature-rich LPCIO controller with EXT-RS232/RS485 connector options, PS/2 combo port, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Modern connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, driven by Intel I210AT and Intel I219LM controllers; 6-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, DVI, and HDMI 2.0 display output.

Microsoft announced its very first laptop, the Surface Book. It's Microsoft's imagining of the Surface with the strengths of a proper laptop. Microsoft claims at weight-by-weight, this is the most powerful 13-inch class laptop ever made. What sets it apart from other performance laptops in its class is that it's a convertible. You can detach the top half from the bottom, and use it like a large Surface tablet; or you could dock it with its base in either direction, and get the advantage of a proper mechanical keyboard, a multi-touch trackpad, additional battery (up to 12 hours), and additional connections.

The two halves join at a curious looking spinal joint, and an electric muscle joint that senses when you're trying to detach the two halves, and makes the process effortless. When it senses that you aren't trying to take them apart, it lends enough grip to let you lift both halves by holding one of them. The top half features a 13.5-inch display with a high-precision multi-touch touchscreen that's primed for Microsoft Pen (a smart stylus with 1024 pressure levels and high drawing resolution); with 267 ppi display resolution. Both halves are made out of milled aluminium, and are about 7.5 mm thick, each. Most of the hardware is located in the top half, while most of the battery is located in the bottom one. Microsoft has taken advantage of modern connectivity such as 4G LTE, 802.11 ac WLAN, USB 3.0 type-C, SDXC, and more.

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.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today launched Premier DDR4 2133 SO-DIMM memory, optimized for best performance with new Intel Skylake processors and their chipsets, as well as the Haswell-E platform. ADATA is keen to expand DDR4 adoption and encourage the move to a new generation of DRAM on notebooks, as DDR4 offers outstanding performance and greater power efficiency, assured by meticulous ADATA testing and backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

ADATA Premier DDR4 2133 SO-DIMM modules are offered in 4GB and 8GB densities, both clocked to a high speed 2133 MHz. This represents a performance boost over DDR3, which on notebooks has typically been clocked at 1333 MHz or 1600 MHz. DDR4 therefore brings a new phase in computer memory performance and just as with desktop PCs, ADATA believes notebook users stand to gain much by choosing DDR4. This applies to new notebooks that ship with DDR4 and importantly as an upgrade option for notebooks that are compatible with DDR4 but purchased with DDR3 for cost reasons. ADATA encourages users to upgrade to DDR4 to enjoy the benefits of this essential technological advancement in personal computing.

EK Water Blocks, Ljubljana based premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce company's first MSI motherboard monoblock - EK-FB Z170G Monoblock. With a long history of breaking world records inherited from MSI's legendary Overclocking motherboards, this motherboard has OC running through its veins and now MSI Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard owners get a superb liquid cooling solution.

EK-FB Z170G Monoblock is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for Intel LGA-1151 socket Skylake CPU and MSI Z170A Gaming M7 motherboard. Designed and engineered in co-operation with MSI, this monoblock uses award winning EK-Supremacy EVO cooling engine to ensure best possible CPU cooling. This water block directly cools Intel LGA-1151 socket type CPU and power regulation (MOSFET) module as water flows directly over all critical areas. It is a very high flow water block that can be easily used with the system using weaker water pumps.

ASRock announced the B150M Combo-G, a micro-ATX motherboard that should make your upgrade to the 6th generation Core "Skylake" platform as painless as possible, letting you keep your current DDR3 memory, and upgrade to DDR4 later down the line. The board features two each of DDR3 and DDR4 DIMM slots, letting you use up to 16 GB of DDR3 or up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a simple 7-phase VRM.

Expansion slots on the B150M Combo-G include one each of PCI-Express 3.0 x16, PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4), and PCIe gen 3.0 x1. Storage connectivity includes one SATA-Express 16 Gb/s connector, and six SATA 6 Gb/s. The onboard 6-channel audio solution features ground-layer isolation and electrolytic capacitors. Display outputs include one each of DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub. Six USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and PS/2 combo port make for the rest of it. Expect an $80-ish price point.

PC thermal solution innovation brand CRYORIG is releasing a new addition to it's C Series line up and also it's smallest cooler to date, the C7 compact cooler. First revealed in Computex 2015 the C7 is a low profile cooler with a max height of 47mm. The C7's 47mm height also makes it only 2mm taller than the Intel Stock Heatsink, meaning it will fit in almost all case designs.

Despite it's size the C7 also packs a heavy dose of cooling with a total of 4 high performance heatpipes, phenomenal for it's size. Fitted with a dedicated 92mm 2500rpm PWM fan with CRYORIG's proprietary Quad Air Inlet System for maximum airflow. The C7 effectively provides 25% more cooling capacity than stock heatsinks from Intel/AMD, while being up to 20% lower in noise. It's (W)97x(L)97x(H)47mm dimensions also makes it compatible with the latest 1151/115x Intel boards and AMD offerings, with no interference with PCI-E GPU cards or RAM slots.

MSI, the leading gaming notebook manufacturer and innovator, is the first in the gaming market to launch gaming notebooks of Intel's latest 6th generation Intel Core i7 Skylake processors for hardcore gamers. Skylake is codename of the brand new 14nm micro-architecture of Intel's latest 6th generation processors. The Skylake platform requires lower power consumption but delivers better performance than before. Regular Core i7 6700HQ is 10% faster than i7 4720HQ under average usage. CPU performance of i7 6820HK increases up to 30% under overclocking compared with that of i7 4720HQ. Furthermore, GT72 with i7-6820HK supports overclocking up to 4GHz.

MSI has not only introduced enhanced MSI exclusive technologies, but also launched several powerful and cool new gaming features on new gaming notebooks to fully unleash the revolutionary computing power of this new Intel skylake architecture platform. ESS SABRE HiFi Audio DAC is the next generation solution for authentic sound effects. After fulfilling gamers' desires to see clearly during gameplays, MSI decides to work with ESS and to amaze gamers with pure and lossless audio quality.

ESS Technology today announced that MSI, the leading gaming notebook manufacturer and innovator, has selected ESS Technology's SABRE HiFi Audio DAC for the first notebooks featuring Intel's latest sixth generation Intel Core i7 Skylake processors. Targeted at hardcore gamers, these hotly anticipated MSI notebooks will be available through MSI e-Commerce channels on September 1, 2015.

"MSI is thrilled to work with a technology leader like ESS on the most innovative gaming notebooks we have ever introduced," said Eric Kuo, Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing with MSI. "The entire SABRE brand is revered by audiophiles around the world as the pinnacle of audio excellence. It's the perfect choice for our hardcore gamers who look for the best features and the best systems to deliver an unparalleled gameplay experience."

Intel expanded its 6th generation Core "Skylake" processor lineup for the desktop, with seven new models. Built in the LGA1151 package, these chips work on motherboards running the company's 100-series chipset. Besides the overclocker-friendly Core i7-6700K and the i5-6600K already launched, the lineup now includes the i7-6700, i5-6600, i5-6500, i5-6400, i3-6320, i3-6300, and the i3-6100. Of these, the Core i7 and Core i5 models are quad-core, while the Core i3 ones are dual-core.

The Core i7-6700 and i5-6600 are not just different from the i7-6700K and i5-6600K in that they lack unlocked BClk multipliers, they also come with lower clock speeds out of the box. The i7-6700 is clocked at 3.40 GHz with 4.00 GHz max Turbo Boost (i7-6700K offers 4.00 GHz with 4.20 GHz Turbo), while the i5-6600 is clocked at 3.30 GHz, with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost (i5-6600K offers 3.50 GHz with 3.90 GHz Turbo). The i7-6700 is priced at US $312, while the i5-6600 goes for $213 (single-unit box price).

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 3400MHz dual kit designed for the latest Intel Skylake core processor and Z170 motherboards.

The Viper 4 series of Patriot memory was originally launched in January of 2015 and included 16GB and 32GB quad kits that ran at speeds of 2400MHz to 3000MHz pulling 1.2-1.35 volts. Patriot continues to expand their trademark line of memory designed with gamers, content creators and overclockers in mind by adding 8GB (2x4GB) and 16GB (2x8GB) dual kits with speeds ranging from 2400MHz to a top speed of 3400MHz to their Viper 4 line of memory.

HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the addition of HyperX FURY DDR3L high-performance, low-voltage DIMMs, as well as brand-new HyperX Impact DDR4 SO-DIMMs.

HyperX FURY DDR3L runs at a low 1.35V, meaning less power consumption and less heat. It is available in 1600MHz and 1866MHz frequencies, and comes in 8GB or 16GB dual-channel kits of two as well as 4GB and 8GB modules featuring a stylish asymmetrical heatspreader in black with black PCB for a stand-out system. HyperX FURY DDR3L is fully Plug-and-Play (PnP) enabled for automatic overclocking out of the box and is perfect for entry-level gamers and enthusiasts who want a cost-efficient upgrade for the 6th Generation Intel Core Processors (former codename Skylake-S) and 100 Series Chipset.

The "Skylake" CPU microarchitecture is as much important to Intel as "Sandy Bridge" was, a few years ago. It allows Intel to facilitate mainstream adoption of the DDR4 memory standard (with DDR3 backwards compatibility encouraging cheap upgrades), and gives users IPC increases over older architectures. While users of Core "Haswell" processors and reasonably fast DDR3 memory will find "Skylake" a hard-sell, it should look appealing to users of much older chips, such as "Lynnfield," and perhaps even "Sandy Bridge."

The "Skylake" core is bigger than "Haswell," owing to wider pipelines, prefetcher improvements, more execution units, a bigger front-end with a higher-capacity branch predictor, cache optimizations, and an update to the way HyperThreading works. The instruction window is nearly 1.5x the size of Sandy Bridge, with an out-of-order execution window size of 224 (vs. 168 on Sandy Bridge), load/store sizes of 72/56 (vs. 64/36 on Sandy Bridge), 97 scheduler entries (vs. 56 on Sandy Bridge), and an allocation queue size of 64/thread (vs. 28/thread). The platform of "Skylake" is similar to that of its predecessor, with four notable changes - an integrated camera ISP with the chipset, DDR4 memory support, double the chipset bus bandwidth (64 Gb/s), and eDRAM support on certain CPU SKUs.

At the heart of the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K quad-core processors, which made their debut at Gamescom earlier this month, is Intel's swanky new "Skylake-D" silicon, built on its new 14 nanometer silicon fab process. Intel released technical documents that give us a peek into the die layout of this chip. To begin with, the Skylake silicon is tiny, compared to its 22 nm predecessor, the Haswell-D (i7-4770K, i5-4670K, etc).

What also sets this chip apart from its predecessors, going all the way back to "Lynnfield" (and perhaps even "Nehalem,") is that it's a "square" die. The CPU component, made up of four cores based on the "Skylake" micro-architecture, is split into rows of two cores each, sitting across the chip's L3 cache. This is a departure from older layouts, in which a single file of four cores lined one side of the L3 cache. The integrated GPU, Intel's Gen9 iGPU core, takes up nearly as much die area as the CPU component. The uncore component (system agent, IMC, I/O, etc.) takes up the rest of the die. The integrated Gen9 iGPU features 24 execution units (EUs), spread across three EU-subslices of 8 EUs, each. This GPU supports DirectX 12 (feature level 12_1). We'll get you finer micro-architecture details very soon.

Team Group Inc., the world's leading memory brand, launched the overclocking memory - Xtreem DDR4 3466/3600 8GBx2 for Skylake. After it is unlocked on 8/6, Skylake Z170 platform, which was specifically designed for mainstream overclocking enthusiasts, has been the new focus of every gamer's attention around the world. In order to meet the needs of the market, Team Group launches a series of DDR4 memories that are all compatible with Skylake to ensure gamers have the most complete users' experience.

In addition of launching a series of Skylake compatible DDR4 memory, the gamers oriented Xtreem series lead the industry by releasing the large capacity 8GBx2 dual channel kit. With clock frequency of up to DDR4 3466/3600, it ensures smooth and stable performance even when hardcore gamers are playing the latest games. To achieve the best gaming experience, an extreme optimal performance must come with an awesome compatibility. The Team Group Xtreem series for Skylake is all compatible certified with ASUS ROG motherboards. By activating XPM, you will immediately have the ultimate gaming machine when you are heading into battle.

We are bang in the middle of an inflection point where the latest generation of CPUs, GPUs, motherboards, memory, displays, and software (Windows 10) just launched. To help our readers wanting to save big on their first gaming PC builds [and because the news is slow these days], TechPowerUp brings to you its Builder's Digest series of guides, on which components we would choose, to build a gaming or media PC from the ground up, at a given price-point.

In this episode, we're trying to build the best gaming PC possible, under $1,700. Our definition of "best" includes not just performance, but also energy-efficiency and noise. $1,700 is a great budget to get building your first serious gaming PC from scratch. Your only semblance of a PC right now is probably a notebook you take to school, and so you need to buy everything that makes up a desktop. Here's how TechPowerUp will spend that money.

Retail availability of the two Core "Skylake" SKUs Intel debuted, the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K, begins today. This is when you will be able to pick up a boxed chip off the shelf, or order one online. To help ease the socket confusion, online retailers are selling bundles of these chips with compatible socket LGA1151 motherboards at a nominal discount, some of which include DDR4 memory, depending on the motherboard bundled. On its own, the Core i7-6700K is priced at US $343, while the Core i5-6600K is priced at $250.

The i7-6700K offers clock speeds of 4.00 GHz out of the box, with Turbo Boost frequency of 4.20 GHz. It also offers 8 MB of L3 cache, and HyperThreading, which enables 8 logical CPUs for the OS to address. The Core i5-6600K, on the other hand, offers 3.50 GHz clocks with 3.90 GHz Turbo Boost. It offers 6 MB of L3 cache, and lacks HyperThreading. Both are quad-core chips, with unlocked base-clock multipliers, for overclocking. The retail packages of both chips lack stock cooling solutions, so you need to have an LGA115x-compatible cooler ready. The TDP of both chips is rated at 91W. Intel will put out some of the finer micro-architecture details on the 16th of August, 2015. More Core i5 quad-core SKUs in the series will be released on the 29th of August, 2015. Dual-core Core i3 SKUs will be launched towards the end of September, 2015.

Innodisk, the service-driven flash and DRAM provider, announces higher capacity 16GB versions of its DDR4 embedded and server unbuffered DRAM series. These 2133MHz UDIMMs and SODIMMS now come in industry-leading 16GB capacities, allowing more memory to be installed within space constrained embedded systems, industrial PCs and servers. Offering higher performance with lower power consumption compared to DDR3, the new DRAM modules have ECC available for reliability, as well as industrial strength features from Innodisk such as 30µ" Gold Finger connectors, thermal sensors, and protective conformal coatings. The new 16GB modules make Innodisk's range of DDR4 products the most complete line of embedded and server DDR4 memory on the market.

"16GB is the highest capacity unbuffered DDR4 module available on the market," said Samson Chang, Vice President of Embedded DRAM Business Unit of Innodisk. "We're proud that Innodisk is able to provide this memory capacity while bringing the performance and low power benefits of DDR4 to the embedded and server markets. In addition, we're bringing extra value to our industrial customers with Innodisk features like onboard thermal sensors and protective coatings.

Intel's upcoming Core "Skylake-U" low-power processors, for ultra-portable notebooks, tablets, convertibles, and fan-less desktops, is where the fruition of Intel's 14 nm process takes shape. These dual-core chips, spanning all five brand extensions - Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron, offering TDP as low as 7.5W, and no more than 15W. The lineup is kept slim, with no more than 2 SKUs per extension. All three Core extensions feature Intel HD 520 graphics, clocked around 350 MHz, with 1000 to 1050 MHz boost, while the Pentium and Celeron models feature slimmer HD 510 graphics, ticking at 300/900 MHz.

The lineup is led by the Core i7-6600U and i7-6500U. Besides HyperThreading enabling 4 logical CPUs, these two chips feature 4 MB L3 cache, 1050 MHz iGPU boost frequency, and the highest CPU clock-speeds in the series. The Core i5 chips differ from their Core i7 counterparts with sub-3 GHz CPU clock speeds, 3 MB L3 cache, and maximum iGPU boost frequency of 1000 MHz. The Core i3 parts are almost identical to their Core i5 counterparts, except they lack CPU Turbo Boost. The Pentium processors feature very low CPU core speeds, and are almost identical to Core i3, but feature lower 950 MHz iGPU boost frequency, and 2 MB L3 cache. Celeron parts lack HyperThreading. Some of these parts will launch in 2015, others in 2016. Find the exact clock speeds for each SKU in the table below.

When Japanese tech publication PC Watch got under the hood (lid) of a Core i7-6700K quad-core processor, what they found was an unexpectedly small silicon, that's shorter in proportion to its width, than previous dies from Intel, such as Haswell-D, and Ivy Bridge-D. It's smaller than even the i7-5775C, despite the same 14 nm process, because of its slimmer integrated graphics core with just 24 execution units (compared to 48 on the i7-5775C), and the lack of an external 128 MB SRAM cache for the iGPU.

The substrate Intel is using on the i7-6700K was found to be slimmer than the one on the i7-4770K, at 0.8 mm thick, compared to 1.1 mm on the latter. The thicker IHS (integrated heatspreader) makes up for the thinner substrate, so it shouldn't cause problems with using your older LGA1150 coolers on the new socket. Intel is using a rather viscous silver-based TIM between the die and the IHS. The die is closer to the center of the IHS than its predecessors were. PC Watch swapped out the stock TIM with Prolimatech PK-3 and Cool Laboratory Liquid Pro, and found some impressive drops in temperatures at stock speed (4.00 GHz) and with a mild overclock (4.60 GHz).

iBUYPOWER works with industry leading manufacturers to bring you cutting edge equipment, making sure your PC stays at the top of its game. Starting today, iBUYPOWER is offering Intel's newest Skylake processors on all our custom PCs. The quad core i5-6600K and i7-6700K deliver blazingly fast performance using Intel's Turbo Boost Technology and feature unlocked multipliers to allow overclocking.

These features, combined with DDR4 support, ensure that your PC will run circles around the competition. Stay ahead of the curve with an iBUYPOWER PC powered by an Intel 6th generation processor, and leave your competition in the dust. Intel's 6th Generation Core processors are now available in select iBUYPOWER Systems, click here to find out more.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory, solid state storage, power supplies, and gaming peripherals, proudly announces the world record memory frequency has been broken with the G.SKILL Ripjaws 4 at DDR4-4795.8 MHz.

Surpassing the previous records at a mind-blowing 4795.8MHz under liquid nitrogen, extreme overclocker Chi-Kui Lam overclocked Ripjaws 4 memory made from Samsung IC to achieve this stunning feat on the new ASRock Z170 OC Formula motherboard and the very latest Intel i7-6700K processor. Check out the world record validation on HWBOT (validation) in the screenshot below.