ASUSTOR Inc., a leading innovator and provider of network storage solutions, has announced that it has added two new models to its 70 series NAS devices with the AS7004T-i5 and AS7010T-i5. These two new models utilize powerful Intel Core i5 quad-core processors and feature 8GB of built-in memory with mixed capacity expansion support up to a maximum of 16GB for enhanced flexibility.

When compared to ASUSTOR's previous generation of Core i3 models, the AS7004-i5 and AS7010-i5 provide significantly enhanced performance, especially with regards to multimedia playback, transcoding and the processing of large volumes of files. The AS7004-i5 and AS7010-i5 are both equipped with 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports which can provide balance and stability under high loading and heavy network traffic. This provides increased efficiency for multi-tasking and multi-user access. Additionally, the AS7010-i5 also comes equipped with a 10GbE network card expansion slot, allowing users to flexibly upgrade their equipment to operate under high speed network access environments.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today released the TVS-1582TU - a pioneering 19-inch rack-mountable Thunderbolt 3 NAS that is suited for moving vehicles and outdoor media editing environments. The TVS-1582TU includes four Thunderbolt 3 ports, two 10GbE ports, and can utilize its Thunderbolt 3 ports to have USB-C 3.1 Gen2 (10 Gbps) connections for high-speed data transfer and backups. The collection of high-speed connections provides an ideal 4K solution for SNG/OB van live productions in the fast-paced media industries.

"TV and film production and outdoor broadcasting require on-location recording and editing, and need their videos to be backed up immediately to prevent file loss," said David Tsao, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "The TVS-1582TU is designed for this environment, and its 19-inch rack form factor makes it especially usable for SNG/OB van live media production that requires frequent relocation."

ASUS has further increased its Intel 200-series chipset-based motherboards with the addition of two Mini-ITX motherboards. The H270I and B250I join the ROG staple of motherboards from ASUS, which means these come packed with features and are being marketed for gamers. Though the features are looking a bit thin, which was to be somewhat expected given the lack of PCB real-estate to house them.

These two motherboards do not support any kind of OC, and memory speeds are thus limited to the stock Intel 2400 MHz (and further limited to two sticks of memory up to a 32 GB total.) Furthermore, there is a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot, a gaping absence of PCI ports, but a saving grace of two M.2 ports in each motherboard. Which are, yes, very hard to see: one of them fits in the front of the PCB, under the double-decker heatsink design over the PCH that allows an M.2 drive to be stacked on top of it, which means the PCH and the M.2 drive are cooled by the top of the heatsink. The other, which we can't see in the pictures, is located on the back of the motherboard. Both M.2 connectors can handle full-speed PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSDs, as well as Intel Optane Memory, but only one of them supports SATA-based M.2 solid state drives.

Linksys, a leader in networking solutions for the home and business and the first to ship 100 million routers, today announced, it is shipping its new 802.11ac Tri-Band MU-MIMO Router. The Linksys Max-Stream EA9300 is an AC4000 MU-MIMO Tri-Band router delivering wireless speeds up to 4 Gbps for simultaneous downloading, streaming, gaming and surfing. Offering MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple-Input, Multiple Output), the next generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, helps improve overall performance and efficiency of a Wi-Fi network while providing dedicated bandwidth to MU-MIMO capable client devices as if they have their own dedicated router. Linksys offers the largest and broadest portfolio of MU-MIMO Wi-Fi solutions on the market.

"Our latest AC4000 Max-Stream MU-MIMO Tri-band router features blazing-fast Wi-Fi speeds up to 4 Gbps, MU-MIMO technology, six high-gain antennas and three radios (one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz) which helps eliminate buffering or lag for movie streamers and gamers when everyone in the household is on the Wi-Fi network," said Justin Doucette, senior director, product management at Linksys. "With upcoming new features such as Dual WAN capabilities, Link Aggregation or DFS, this router can work well for the most demanding home networks for super-fast video streaming and data backup or for work from home users that need a VPN connection to the office network for a more secure remote access connection."

PNY Technologies (PNY) considered one of the worldwide leaders in consumer electronics market and flash memory products, has launched one of the smallest, pocket-sized design SSD product to enter the global tech market, the ELITE Portable Solid State Drive (SSD). The ELITE Portable SSD drive is faster, more reliable and much more efficient than normal hard drives (HDD) available in the market. It transfers and stores large files quickly with incredible read speeds up to 430MB/s and write speeds up to 400MB/s, so you can boot up almost instantly, reduce load times, and accelerate demanding applications with ease. Get more out of your computer by boosting nearly every aspect of performance. Users can push the boundaries of their storage needs and ensure that they have more than enough space to store their video, photos and files.

The ELITE Portable SSD is manufactured in high-quality and smooth aluminum housing. It is more durable than a hard drive and contains no small moving parts that are prone to failure delivering long-lasting performance and product satisfaction. With 2.36" x 1.4" x 0.35" dimensions, the ELITE Portable is one of the smallest and most compact SSD released on the global market compared to other portable SSD and external hard drive solutions. It is powered with latest TLC flash technology and is backed with USB 3.0 specifications. The drive is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, so you can use it with any laptop or desktop model.

LG is looking to launch what seems to me one of the most well-rounded monitors for our use cases, with the LG 43UD79-B. Barring the enormous size of the monitor (I for one don't think a 43" on my desk would be the best way of going around computing), this monitors ticks almost all the boxes. It features 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) and an IPS panel with non-glare coating, which delivers a peak brightness of 350 cd/m2, a contrast ratio of up to 1000:1, and an 8 ms gray-to-gray (GTG) response time, which is the only sour point I see here (though it's still miles ahead of most 4K television sets.) The panel ticks on at 60 Hz, which, let's face it, is probably right for the resolution your graphics card will have to be driving anyway. The presence of Freesync here is mighty welcome indeed, ensuring you can make the most of those 60 FPS. LG mention support for 1.07 billion colors which come factory-calibrated, but the absence of any information regarding this being a 10-bit panel (which manufacturers naturally jump towards marketing) probably indicates this is actually an 8-bit panel using A-FRC to achieve a 10-bit color depth.

At Acer's next@acer global press conference in New York today, the company unveiled the powerful and thin Predator Triton 700 gaming notebook. The notebook's svelte 18.9 mm (.74 inch), 2.6kg (5.7 pound) aluminum chassis houses a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display and best-in-class computing technologies, striking just the right balance of size and performance without sacrificing thermals, features or rigidity.

"Building on the highly acclaimed Predator 21 X curved gaming notebook, Acer is proud to announce the new Predator Triton 700, an incredibly thin yet powerful gaming notebook," said Jerry Hou, General Manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Our industry-leading AeroBlade 3D Fan with metal blades provides ultimate thermal performance, which allows us to pack massive computing power inside this ultrathin form factor without compromise."

Tenda Technology Inc., a subsidiary of Shenzhen Tenda, is eager to announce its new U12 AC1300 Wireless Network Adapter. The U12 uses the faster USB 3.0 interface for better throughput on both 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Its an excellent companion for users not fully leveraging the bandwidth of their gigabit router, using dated built-in networking adapters with slower performance.

The U12 is a dual-band adapter with transfer speeds as fast as 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. It harnesses 256-QAM technology to break the limitations of the 802.11n protocol, achieving a higher 400Mbps throughput on the 2.4GHz band. Users can even select the specific operating frequency bands seldom used in their environment to avoid radio interference issues and network congestion.

Akasa introduced a pair of fanless mini-PC cases for Intel's "Apollo Lake" and "Kaby Lake" NUC boards, the Newton S7 and Newton AC. The Newton S7 is designed to cope with the 15W TDP thermal loads of NUC boards with Core i3 and Core i5 "Kaby Lake" NUC boards, such as the NUC7i3BNK, NUC7i3BNH, NUC7i5BNK, and NUC7i5BNH. The Newton AC, on the other hand, is designed for Pentium and Celeron "Apollo Lake" based NUC boards, such as the NUC6CAYH and NUC6CAYS.

Measuring 176.5 mm x 200 mm x 53.5 mm (WxDxH), the Newton S7 features a chunky aluminium body that doubles up as a heatsink for the SoC. It offers one 9.5 mm-thick 2.5-inch drive bay. Its front-panel ports include two USB 3.0 type-A, HDA audio jacks, a hole for IR receiver, and two WLAN antenna holes at the rear end. The Newton AC, on the other hand, measures 140 mm x 111 mm x 51 mm, with one 2.5-inch drive bay, and cutouts for front IR receiver, USB type-A ports and HDA jacks. Both cases come with options for compatible power bricks.

Dell, which makes some of the best computer monitors around (though they really don't tend to be the most cost-effective), has announced a new addition to its line of monitors. The UP2718Q is a 27" monitor which boast of 4K (3140* 2160) resolution, and supports the UHD Alliance's HDR10 standard. Its peak brightness of 1,000 nits ensures its adherence to the HDR standards (which backs up to 400 nits brightness on non-HDR material), while the 100% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB, 100% REC 709, 97.7% DCI-P3, and 76.9% REC2020 color coverage ensures this is a panel best used by professionals who need extreme color accuracy. Connectivity wise, we find 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x mini-DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0a ports, 2x USB 3.0 ports, and a hub of 4x USB 3.0 ports, two of which are capable of charging.

AOC has been one of the most aggressive companies when it comes to launching new displays, with its gaming "AGON" series seeing the addition of multiple monitors in the past few months. The new C4008VU8 doesn't quite tick the gaming aesthetics box, however, which isn't all that bad. Personally, I much prefer its clean, no-frills design, absent of some over-design features.

The panel seems to be an interesting one, nonetheless, with its 40" size, 16:9, 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution on a 10-bit MVA panel, with a 60 Hz refresh rate. Its 5 ms response time is relatively good, though the absence of any VRR (variable refresh-rate) technology such as AMD's FreeSync or NVIDIA's G-SYNC is puzzling. The lack of HDR support, however, is kind of a downer, but a necessity when one considers the display's maximum 300 cd/m² brightness. The panel boasts an 85% NTSC wide color gamut with 1.07 billion colors, with 178º horizontal and vertical viewing angle on a 1800R curved display. As for adjustments, the monitor can only be tilted: 5 degrees down, and 13.5 degrees up. Connection-wise, the AOC C4008VU8 boasts 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x HDMI 1.4, 2x DisplayPort 1.2, and 1x VGA connector (only 8 months ago I would be using such a connection myself, so I really shouldn't judge. There are legacy use cases, after all, and more options are always better.) There are also 4x USB 3.0 ports available, one of which can be used for fast charging devices. The AOC is available with a MSRP of $899, though you may find some retailers selling these for less already.

The 32UD99 is to be LG's flagship consumer monitor, if its specs are anything to go by. And while it isn't mainly marketed towards gamers, it seems to be a good bet for image quality enthusiasts, ticking the 4K, HDR10, and Freesync (between 40 and 60 Hz via DisplayPort) boxes in a 32" panel. The LG 32UD99 carries a IPS panel with a native 3840×2160 resolution, and its 1.07 billion colors cover more than 95% of the DCI-P3 color space, and 100% of the sRGB gamut - with factory calibration to boot. The panel features 350 nits typical brightness, a neither great-nor-bad 5 ms response time, a 60 Hz refresh rate for those who don't need a million frames in a microsecond, and the 178° viewing angles that are par of the course for IPS.

The monitor's stand supports Tilt (2~15°), pivot (90°) and height (110 mm) adjustments. Input-wise, it features 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0a (HDCP 2.2), 1x USB Type-C (with DP 1.2 support), and a 2-port USB 3.0 hub with support for Quick Charging. There is also a pair of 5 W speakers. Availability is expected in late May. And it's a good thing this monitor is such a looker up-front, because its profile somewhat reminds me of Quasimodo.

Streacom is pleased to announce the F12C Optical, an addition to the F12C product line that adds Optical drive and front USB 3.0 support to the case. As with the original F12C, its built using the same high quality 4mm thick extruded materials, CNC processing and meticulous sandblasted anodising finish. These premium processes along with our innovative and flexible approach to hardware mounting sets this case apart from the competition, and make it the ideal choice for high end living room systems.

SP/ Silicon Power, a leading provider of memory storage solutions, launches its latest addition to its Apple solution portfolio - the SP xDrive Z50. With its effortless Apple-matching design, this fully MFi certified dual interface Lightning and USB 3.1 Gen 1 drive is the perfect complement to MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones. To preserve its good looks, a sandblasting surface treatment and embossed pattern keep the drive's classy metal casing well-protected from scratches, fingerprints and dirt.

Its highly elastic yet sturdy cap is firmly attached to the drive, ready to be snapped open over 10,000 times. Plugging the drive is hassle-free - it has an extended Lightning connector that makes taking off iPhones cases a thing of the past. Through a small hole in the cap, the tiny lightweight is attachable to keyrings or bags, so that users will always have it to hand when needed.

BIOSTAR showed off the industry's first socket AM4 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, the Racing X370-GTN, based on AMD's top of the line X370 chipset. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power connectors, and supports all models of Ryzen processors, although we're curious how XFR will work with such slim power inputs. The board conditions power for the SoC using a 7-phase VRM.

The socket AM4 chip is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2666 memory; the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and since this is an SoC, most of the board's connectivity comes from the processor, too. This includes two out of the board's four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot (reverse side, unseen), 2-4 USB 3.0 ports, and the display I/O. The X370 chipset puts out two additional SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and wires out the HD audio (115 dBA SNR CODEC), and a Realtek DragonLAN GbE controller. The company didn't reveal availability details.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the new TS-431X NAS - a cost-effective dual-core business NAS supporting 4 drives, one built-in 10GbE SFP+ port, and hardware-accelerated encryption. Along with its application-aware design and abundant productive features including containerized virtualization, centralized email management, a private-cloud-based note-taking tool, and Virtual JBOD, the 10GbE-ready TS-431X is a perfect NAS for small and midsize businesses looking for backup, restoration, private cloud, and higher bandwidth for rigorous data processing.

Powered by a dual-core AnnapurnaLabs, an Amazon company Alpine AL-212 1.7 GHz processor and 2GB/8GB DDR3 RAM (upgradable to 8GB), the TS-431X delivers up to 956 MB/s read speed with 10GbE, and up to 312 MB/s read speed with AES 256-bit volume-based data encryption. The integrated 10GbE SFP+ port enables exceptional throughput for intensive data transfer, and fast backup and restoration for an ever-growing amount of data.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the new Razer Blade 14-inch gaming laptop. This latest version of Razer's award-winning laptop offers an updated CPU, faster memory and a new 4K UHD screen option. The result is a laptop with a perfect balance of power, mobility and durability with the characteristically elegant Razer Blade profile.

The latest generation of 7th Gen Intel Core i7 quad-core processor in the new Razer Blade is more powerful and more efficient than last year's model, the "Best Portable Gaming Laptop" on the market according to Digital Trends (November 2016). The powerful CPU of the new Razer Blade achieves double-digit increases in productivity benchmarks and is paired with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics to deliver the best frame rates available in an ultra-thin laptop. The performance of the new Razer Blade is matched by its light weight and durability. Measuring only 0.70 inches thin, it weighs a little more than four pounds and is housed in a unibody CNC aluminum chassis.

Introducing the RM4, U4, FR-131 and FR-531, and the GA-01 Monitor-Stand. With the RM4 and the U4, we offer two outstanding models, both of which are rounding up their respective case series. Both ATX-Tower convince by the combination of high-quality materials and the outstanding processing. In addition, we are expanding our fan range with two sets of 3 RGB fans with RGB-controllers, the FR-131 and the FR-531. Final, we offer a stylish aluminum and tempered glass monitor stand with white LED lighting, the GA-01.

The RM4 is part of the RM case series, created for maximum variability for the installation of hardware. The optimally designed midi-tower can be equipped with ATX, Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX motherboards and convinces with its smartly designed interior. Particular attention has been paid to allow the installation of high-end hardware with powerful air- or water cooling.

Adding to its staple of monitor offerings, NEC has just announced the EX341R Curved Ultrawide QHD Display 34" display, which boasts a 3440 x 1440 resolution, an 1800R curvature, and an SVA panel. The panel makes do with a 5ms response time, which while not being great also isn't the worst we've seen on this kind of panels. It also boasts of 16.7 million colors, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, and brightness is rated at 290 cd/m².

The EX341R is certified for Low Blue Light Content and Flicker-Free operation, which should help reduce eye strain and other health issues. It also features NEC's ControlSync technology, which works with DisplayPort's daisy-chain functionality to simplify multiple monitor configurations; the monitor also features a picture by picture mode. As to connections, the EX341R has 2xHDMI ports, 4xUSB 3.0 ports, and 1xDisplayPort 1.2 I/O.

Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd launches the PC-O11: the largest among the latest generation O-series chassis. This case preserves the proportions of a tower rather than cube chassis while managing a dual-chambered layout and fitting conventional ATX PSUs. Unlike its little brother, the PC-O10, this new chassis accommodates several 360mm water cooling radiators in a gorgeous, spacious tempered-glass interior: the PC-O11 is the ultimate glass showcase for top-of-the-line enthusiast builds.

ASRock unveiled the H110-STX MXM motherboard. Designed for the STX form-factor, this board features a type-B MXM slot, letting you install notebook discrete graphics cards, with TDP of up to 120W. The LGA1151 CPU socket is wired to two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory; and the MXM slot over PCI-Express 3.0 x16 interface. The board features Intel H110 Express chipset, and features essential connectivity.

Storage connectivity on the H110-STX MXM includes two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot. Display connectivity includes one HDMI port that's wired to the CPU's onboard graphics, a second HDMI port wired to the MXM slot, a full-size DisplayPort wired to the MXM, and a Thunderbolt port with mini-DisplayPort wiring to the MXM. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.0 ports. The board's single gigabit Ethernet interface is driven by an Intel i219V controller. The board features a total of two 20 Gb/s Thunderbolt interfaces, one on the rear panel, and one on the front panel. The onboard HD audio controller puts out stereo audio, and 7.1-channel digital (SPDIF) output. We also spy an ASUS Aura Sync compatible RGB LED header. A 220W power-brick comes included.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the new business-class TS-x31XU series rackmount NAS; available in 4, 8 and 12-bay models with single and redundant power supply options. Powered by an AnnapurnaLabs, an Amazon company Alpine AL-314 quad-core 1.7 GHz ARM Cortex-A15 CPU, the TS-x31XU features 2GB or 4GB DDR3 RAM (expandable to 16GB), includes two built-in 10GbE SFP+ ports, and supports the innovative VJBOD (Virtual JBOD) and Container Station, providing a high-performance, multifunctional and power-efficient storage solution.

Coupled with a hardware encryption engine and SSD cache support, the quad-core TS-x31XU series offers two 10GbE SFP+ ports that ensure top notch networking capabilities of up to 1,242 MB/s transfer speeds. An additional single-port 10GbE PCIe card can be installed for more flexible deployment. The TS-x31XU is ideal for small-and-medium businesses looking for backup, restoration, virtualization storage, private cloud, and to future-proof their IT infrastructure for 10GbE networks.

Joining the already considerable plethora of gaming-oriented monitor offers from the company, AOC has recently announced the launch of the Agon AG352UCG. As it happens with AOC's line of monitors, this one also has quite respectable - and dare I say near-perfect specifications.

It is a 35" behemoth of a monitor, though its ultrawide aspect ratio will undoubtedly make it look smaller due to the lower verticality of the display than in other screen formats; packs a 21:9, 3440*1440 AU Optronics VA panel with 100Hz refresh rate (and 4ms response time), as well as G-Sync support to boot. The panel boasts 100% sRGB coverage, and a 2000R curvature ratio.

At this year's CCC hacker congress, researchers from Positive Technologies have released information, which documents vulnerabilities in Intel's Skylake and Kaby Lake series processors' handling of USB 3.0-based debugging - which could be used to attack, corrupt, and even subvert a user's system.

This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass typical security mechanisms - both at the hardware and at the OS level - by using a new debugging interface, which could allow them to install malware and/or rewrite the system's firmware and BIOS. The exploit is currently undetectable using existing security tools, and according to the researchers, this mechanism can be used on a hacked system regardless of the OS installed.

At CES 2017, ASRock showcased one of the most interesting PCs in attendance - particularly if you think interest is inversely affected by size. The name they gave it was DeskMini, and it ushers in a Micro-STX form factor, measuring only 210 mm x 157.5 mm x 81.9 mm. But mini-PCs are many these days. What makes this one so interesting?

Well, it's the fact that this seems to embody the perfect proportions - and compromise - between a high-powered PC and a puny NUC or Mini-PC. For one, it carries any choice of a Celeron/Pentium/i3/i5/i7 Intel processor on the socket 1151 (up to a i7 7700K); supports up to a max of 32 GB DDR4 at 2400 MHz on 2x SO-DIMM slots; features 2x SATA III ports (with power connectors) and 3x M.2 ports (two of which support Type 2280/2260 M.2 PCIe Gen 3x4 or a SATA SSD, while the other supports only a PCIe Gen3x4-based SSD); and your choice of either an NVIDIA GTX 1060 (on the GTX series) or an AMD RX 460/470/480 on the (aptly named) RX series.