AMD rolled out version 14.7 RC (beta) of its Catalyst software suite. With this version, AMD discontinues support for Windows 8 (WDDM 1.2), and expects you to upgrade to Windows 8.1 (WDDM 1.3) for free, to continue receiving driver support. Older versions of Windows, namely Windows Vista and Windows 7, are unaffected. Catalyst 14.7 RC adds all the improvements of 14.6 RC, with added CrossFire performance for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, improved CrossFire scaling at Ultra HD resolution for Assassins Creed IV. The driver also comes with a workaround for an issue faced by users of AOC U2868PQU display, who notice flickering on Radeon GPUs. In addition to the workaround, AMD recommends that you apply the latest firmware for your displays.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 14.7 RC (beta)

Microsoft is expected to introduce a radical new software activation system with its next major release of Windows, in a bid to stem piracy. According to BetaNews, citing a Russian source with a reasonably good track-record in leaking stuff out of Redmond, the company is planning to do away with software keys, 16-character alphanumeric passwords unique to each copy of the software, which let you prove the validity of your purchase, and unlock the software. The next Windows will use a system in which having a Microsoft Store account - which isn't necessarily the same as a Microsoft Account - is mandatory, and acquiring machine-specific images of the Windows installation disc from the store.

The way we understand it, it works like this. After paying for your license while logged into the Microsoft Store, you're made to download a generic install disc image. After its installation, your machine's details (usually just motherboard-related details) are logged with Microsoft, and the software stays activated on your machine. When you need to install your OS on another machine, you untie your current machine from your licence online, and install your software on the new machine. The software will stop working on the older machine, ensuring that only one single-user license is running on a machine at a given time. The concept can be suitably adapted for 3-user and 5-user family licenses.

ASRock updated its Fatal1ty branded socket AM3+ motherboard. The new ASRock 990FX Fatal1ty Killer gives AMD platform gamers most advancements in onboard connectivity. To begin with, the board is based on the AMD 990FX chipset, with SB950 southbridge. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, and conditions it for the CPU with a 10-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2400 memory.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 wired to the AMD 990FX northbridge, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4) wired to the southbridge; and two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes five SATA 6 Gb/s, and one M.2, with a combination of PCIe 2.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gb/s link layers. The board features Realtek's latest ALC1150 HDA CODEC, which boasts of 115 dBA SNR; equipped with ground-layer isolation, and a headphones amp. Wired networking is care of a Broadcom Killer E2200 controller. Four USB 3.0 ports, and gaming peripheral-optimized USB 2.0 ports (stabilized power); make for the rest of it. The board is driven by AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, supporting Windows 8 Secure Boot.

Wireless your life, now in Europe too! Rapoo, one of the world's leading manufacturers of peripherals in the wireless segment and the first manufacturer of products featuring 5 GHz wireless technology, holds an impressive 42% market share in China and is continually expanding its product portfolio. As a counterpart to the E6700 Bluetooth Touch Keyboard, Rapoo proudly presents the new E2800P Touch Keyboard with wireless technology and integrated touchpad with a brand-new glass surface. Now with its Europe-wide sales launch, Rapoo's expansion continues unabated.

The E2800P transmits using the 5 GHz wireless standard, offering a range of up to 10 meters and 360° coverage. The keyboard connects using the supplied mini nano receiver and is ready to use immediately after set-up. A driver only needs to be installed to configure the touch gestures and additional macros. The flat chiclet scissor keys are generously spaced which makes typing longer texts extremely comfortable.

BIOSTAR has announced the J1900NH2 motherboard with the on-board Intel Dual-Core Celeron J1900 processor in a mini ITX form factor for flexible use. The J1900NH2 boards come with the Intel Celeron J1900 Dual-Core processor already installed and it supports two DDR3L 1333/1066 MHz memory slots for a maximum of 16 GB of memory. It features an integrated graphics chip with enough performance for most home and office applications.

The J1900NH2 board is ready for building a universal multimedia system due to its HDMI and analog VGA-out, and high definition audio with the Realtek ALC662 5.1 Channel HD Audio chip. LAN networking is covered by the Realtek RTL8111G - 10/100/1000 controller and being a BIOSTAR board it has the Smart Speed LAN feature. For storage there are 2 SATA2 connectors and USB is well rounded with 1 USB 3.0 port and 4 USB 2.0 ports.

NVIDIA rolled out GeForce R337.61 BETA, which is a hotfix for two glaring issues that came to light with R337.50, which launched earlier this month. To begin with, it fixes an issue faced with Dell's compact 4K Ultra HD monitors, specifically P3214Q and UP2414Q, in which the GeForce GPU would give out "half" or no display (Ultra HD resolution is handled over multiple TMDS links). It also fixes a Code 43 error message after installing driver 337.50 on a PC with Hyper-V enabled. The rest of its feature-set is identical to that of its predecessor.DOWNLOAD: GeForce 337.61 Beta Hotfix for Windows 8/7/Vista 64-bit | Windows 8/7/Vista 32-bit

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced its completely redesigned line of its all-purpose performance laptops - the ultra-slim 15.6-inch Satellite S55, desktop replacement 17.3-inch Satellite S75 and highly mobile 14-inch Satellite E45. The laptops deliver powerful capabilities in a premium design built to increase productivity and provide an excellent entertainment experience.

"These new laptops are designed to give power users and entertainment enthusiasts the power and versatility to do more with their laptop," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "Full-featured, completely customizable with an all-new stunning design, these laptops provide the ultimate audio and visual experience for movies, games and more."

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts, has announced the availability of UASP-supported USB 3.0 storage products, which make it easy for IT professionals and prosumers to take advantage of the performance capability of Solid State storage (SSDs), through the fastest USB 3.0 transfer speeds available. UASP, which stands for USB Attached SCSI Protocol, is a protocol that was introduced by the USB Implementers Forum which provides significantly faster performance than a traditional USB 3.0 connection which uses the BOT (Bulk Only Transport).

Users of Windows 8, Mac OSX (10.8 or above), and Linux can all benefit from UASP's improved performance. In testing, UASP performs with a 70% faster read speed and 40% faster write speed over traditional USB 3.0 at peak performance. At the same peak in testing UASP also shows an 80% reduction in required processor resources. "UASP-supported USB 3.0 will become one of the most widely accepted data transfer interfaces, in the years to come" said Juliet Wei, Senior Product Manager for StarTech.com's Data Storage and Hard Drive Accessories product line. "The UASP products we've released to date offer IT professionals and prosumers a cost-effective way to get the most performance from their external USB 3.0 mass storage devices, especially when used with Solid State or hybrid drives."

MSI introduced MSI GT70 2OL CAD Laptop - one of the most high-speed 3D computing laptops. To accelerate computer graphics design process, MSI optimize hardware & software compatibility by configuring NVIDIA Quadro K4100M graphics cards, Intel the 4th Gen Core i7 processor, Windows 8 Pro/ Windows 7 Professional operating system, Super RAID 2, Cooler Boost 2, supports up to 4 monitors display and certificated by Autodesk, Solidworks. GT70 2OL provides better stability and improved working efficiency.

Compared to last generation, Quadro K4100M graphics cards have more CUDA cores and increase the memory bandwidth significantly, which allowing 3D CAD engineers set up larger, more complex scenes and characters in a shorter time. The powerful Quadro K4100M graphics card works perfectly with professional design software, including Autodesk 3DS Max, Maya, Mudbox, Siemens NX, CATIA, and 3D Showcase.

HP today announced sleek, powerful and space-saving all-in-one (AiO) PCs, including the company's first built-for-business Android AiO.
Today's evolving workforce is driven by employees seeking technology that allows them to stay connected to everything that matters. Whether checking work email or browsing Facebook, they demand an experience that is intuitive and simple to use.

HP's sleek, stylish portfolio of business AiO desktops has been enhanced with Android business apps, efficient manageability tools and new security advancements that allow users to connect all of their information seamlessly without sacrificing business productivity.

With the introduction of the new Aspire V5 Series, Acer continues to bring touch and type to the mainstream segment. Designed in line with the current trend towards thinner and lighter notebooks that allow users to enjoy both entertainment and content creation anytime, anywhere, the new V5-561P comes with a built in optical drive as there is are still a lot of customers who prefer to view and store content using an optical drive.

The Aspire V5-561P features an M-DISCTM enabled optical media drive, designed to save valuable content for up to several decades. This means it's capable of storing data into the M-DISC to provide permanent storage of up to 4.7GB. In addition, the M-DISC is not vulnerable to failure like traditional DVDs and CDs, as it's made up of a special layer that undergoes any permanent physical change not fading or deteriorating.

Acer America is now offering its FT200HQL 20-inch class LED-backlit display with 10-point capacitive touch for consumers in the United States for an affordable price of $199. The ergonomic design provides an excellent Windows 8 experience for a wide range of environments.

The new monitor displays bright and clear images for enjoying digital photography, online shopping, social media and movies. The 19.5-inch screen size is large enough for the comfortable viewing of most applications, yet compact enough for multi-monitor setups and space-constrained areas. Windows 8 compliant, it enables users to take advantage of the user-friendly features in Windows 8 with a 10-point multi-touch screen, whether using a new PC or an old PC upgraded to the new operating system.
To make the most of the capacitive-touch capabilities, the display is VESA wall-mountable and its stand enables users to view images tilted back from 10 - 90 degrees for optimum comfort and ergonomics. This tilt feature is especially beneficial for touch-friendly activities like playing games, viewing photo albums and cookbooks as well as Web surfing.

Here's the first detailed body-shot of ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Killer, which was teased by the company earlier today, and which could end up being one of the most feature-rich socket AM3+ motherboards, if the end is neigh for AM3+. Designed for gaming PCs with up to two graphics cards, although it features three long x16 slots, the Fatal1ty 990FX Killer is a full-size ATX motherboard. It's design appears to be more gamer-centric than overclocker-centric. It draws power from 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, with an optional 4-pin Molex connection to stabilize power to add-on cards; and conditions it for the AM3+ CPU using a 10-phase VRM that's cooled by an heatsink that's independent from that which cools the AMD 990FX northbridge (i.e. no heat-pipe linking the two). The AM3+ CPU socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, which support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-2400 MHz memory; and to the 990FX northbridge over a 5.2 GT/s HyperTransport link.

The AMD 990FX chipset puts out two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, the third slot is electrical PCI-Express 2.0 x4, and possibly wired to the SB950 southbridge. The southbridge handles five internal SATA 6 Gb/s ports, the sixth port is wired out as eSATA. The Fatal1ty 990FX Killer, as teased this morning, is among the first motherboards to feature an M.2 slot, extended out of a PCI-Express link. PCIe SSDs tend to be faster, as more interface bandwith is on tap. As many as six USB 3.0 ports are on offer, of which one switches between header and internal type-1 port (for those tuck-away software license keys) all of which are driven by third-party controllers. Wired networking is care of a Killer E2200 network controller, that's optimized for gaming. The board features 7.1-channel HD audio, with a high SNR CODEC, PCB ground-layer isolation (to prevent electrical noise), and an EMI shield for the CODEC; which ASRock collectively labels "Purity Sound." The board is driven by AMI UEFI BIOS, with full support for Windows 8 Secure Boot.

The S20 Slider 2, the ideal mobile work station and leisure companion, just hit the market. Its elegant streamlined exterior, all-in-one design, Intel's 4th generation Haswell Core i5 processor, and all-weather, long-life battery meet are designed to meet your work and leisure needs and make the S20 Slider 2 stand out from the crowd of other ultrabooks.

Another MSI ingenious design, the S20 Slider 2 not only offers all the audio, visual, multimedia, reading, and gaming enjoyment of a tablet, it also sports a keyboard, USB, and HDMI capabilities of a mobile office notebook. This chicly mobile machine satisfies the needs of both on-the-go business people and students and the extended battery power ensures that you have plenty of time to do what you're doing. Ideal for Internet browsing, social networking, and word processing, the S20 Slider 2 is the perfect choice for anybody on the go. The S20's design with keyboard and sliding cover eliminates the limitations most people feel when they use tablets. MSI's innovative, user-friendly design have you the user in mind.

Gateway today announces its first touch screen notebook models in its popular LT and NV Series of notebook PCs. The two new touchscreen notebook lines -- the Gateway LT41P and Gateway NV570P -- feature HD touch screen displays that are crisp and vibrant, so customers can interact with their notebook in ways that are intuitive, convenient and enjoyable.

The new notebook lines allow customers to do more on the go for school, work and fun, and are available in prices that will fit into any budget. They are especially well-suited for small business users who may want to purchase a new PC by the end of the tax year, students who need it for school, or for families who need a way to stay in-touch and informed.

Acer's Aspire lineup will soon be updated through the release of the Aspire Z3-600, a 21.5-inch all-in-one PC running Microsoft's Windows 8. The upcoming system packs a 1080p panel with 10-point multi-touch capabilities, an Intel Pentium J2580 (quad-core) processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 750 GB hard drive, Harman Kardon speakers, a webcam, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI output, a stand that tilts up to 90 degrees back, and even a battery that will deliver up to 2.5 hours of operation.

The Aspire Z3-600 is coming out this month priced at $779.

The unique design, record-shattering performance, and innovative user experience of MSI's laptops are steadily winning over users around the world. This quarter, MSI rolled out its latest S12/S12T laptop featuring AMD's Kabini APU, Windows 8 and 10 point touch screen. With the ultra-light design, USB3.0, HDMI and HD webcam support, the users can move the fingers between different APPs and enjoy the full functions. It truly meets all the needs of multimedia entertainment and delivers best mobile computing ability to the market.

Eric Kuo, vice president for global sales& marketing, MSI Notebook, points out, "As a result of the booming competition laptop market, there has been an increasing number of light-designed machines, so users are demanding more in terms of hardware, functions, and other design features specifically for daily work purpose and casual life. MSI has heard their desire and has responded with numerous breakthroughs and innovations. The result has been in slim and light laptops with the latest processor and touch panel on the market, most advanced and rich array of helpful features, and better user-friendly experience."

The Eurocom Panther notebook is the first notebook on earth with a 12 core, 24 thread Intel Xeon E5-2600 V2 processor, up to E5-2697 v2. The EUROCOM Panther is a workstation and server class notebook with Intel Xeon E5-2600 v2 processors, 6 Terabytes of storage, RAID 0/1/5/10 and a 1 hour battery life. Eurocom is supporting the entire family of E5-2600 v2 Xeon processors ranging up to 12-cores/24-treads including E5-2697 v2, E5-2687w v2, E5-2695 v2, E5-2690 v2, E5-2680 v2, E5-2670 v2, E5-2650 v2 and E5-2620 v2.

"For its continuous innovation and creation of new computing form factors such as the Mobile Server, Eurocom received the 2013 Intel Form Factor Solution Innovation Award. Since then Eurocom has continued to push the boundaries of innovation with a major technological breakthrough of incorporating a 12 core, 24 thread processor into a notebook form factor for massive performance on the go." Mark Bialic, Eurocom President. Eurocom, the world's leading develop of highly personalized, high performance notebooks PCs and energy efficient All in One Desktops, introduces the EUROCOM Panther Mobile Workstation, Mobile Server and 3D Workstation powered by Intel's new line of Intel Xeon E5-2600 V2 processors and Intel Core i7 LGA 2011 processors.

EVGA has teamed up with ALLBenchmark, the developer of the popular Catzilla benchmark, to release an official EVGA version. Catzilla, a cross-API benchmark designed for OpenGL 4.0 and DirectX 9 or 11, and Windows operating systems (64-bit and 32-bit Windows 8, 7, XP, and Vista), is a quick, yet comprehensive benchmarking program that uses algorithms found in the latest PC video games, so users can see how their PCs will handle the most demanding games.

Following Catzilla's simple 500 MB download, a PC's hardware is tested with an epic video of two battling "Catzillas". The video, with advanced HD graphics, fiery particle effects and explosive scenes, serves as an entertaining animated short as well as the basis for the comprehensive benchmark test. Platige Image - the award-winning studio behind graphics seen in several video games, commercials, animations and films, including The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 - created the artwork in the Catzilla video.

Leader in performance breakthroughs and innovative user experience, MSI introduces the 11.6" W20 3M tablet computer. Designed for business, the W20 3M comes loaded with AMD's next-generation dual-core APU processor and Microsoft Windows 8, substantially improving cross-system compatibility. In addition, you can download business and non-business apps from the Windows Store that can be used in conjunction with eight of MSI's major enhanced features. Featuring the ultimate fusion of superior hardware and software, a light, razor-thin chassis, and extended battery life, this high-performance tablet is built to meet the business and entertainment needs of the on-the-go businessperson.

Business Functionality on an Entertainment Platform
Eric Kuo, vice president for global sales and marketing, MSI Notebook, points out, "With its innovative construction, the W20 3M is designed with the needs of business travelers in mind. It combines the best attributes of tablets and ultralight laptops into one chic, sophisticated device. Loaded with Windows 8 and plenty of unique features, including solid-state drives up to three times faster than those in other tablets, a nine-hour battery life, 10-point multi-touch screen, and fingerprint recognition for enhanced security, the W20 M3 brings a user-friendly, interactive experience to you wherever you are in the world and puts business and entertainment functionality in the palm of your hand."

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, has launched an ultra-thin external solid state drive (SSD) with a SuperSpeed USB interface. Named the DashDrive Elite SE720, it combines the slim stainless steel chassis of the company's award-winning DashDrive Elite HE720 portable hard drive, with the performance of ADATA's market-proven NAND Flash storage solutions.

The advantages of SSDs include high shock resistance, noiseless operation, and low-power consumption. When these features are implemented in a portable USB 3.0 device, the result is a remarkably durable storage option with speeds that far outpace those of mechanical HDDs. The SE720 has read speeds up to 400 MB/sec, and write speeds of up to 300 MB/sec.

Sony today announced pricing and availability for the VAIO | Flip PC, a brand new form factor that instantly goes from laptop, to tablet to viewer mode with a simple flip. Sony also revealed pricing for the VAIO Tap 11 Tablet PC, the world's thinnest (0.39") Windows 8 tablet with 4th generation Intel Core Processors, and its next evolution of the portable all-in-one PC, VAIO Tap 21. Expected to be available just in time for the holiday shopping season, the fall VAIO line-up offers powerful PC performance designed to support both entertainment and productivity.

The VAIO | Flip PC, Tap 11 Tablet PC and Tap 21 all-in-one PC are now available for pre-order from Sony and Best Buy for about $1099 (VAIO Fit 13A | Flip PC), $799 (VAIO Fit 15A | Flip PC), $749 (VAIO Fit 14A | Flip PC), $799 (Tap 11 PC) and $999 (Tap 21 PC). Both VAIO | Flip and Tap 11 PCs will be exclusively sold through Sony and Best Buy and is expected at retail locations nationwide beginning late October. The VAIO Tap 21 model is also expected to be available late October at Sony retail stores and other authorized dealers nationwide.

Finding the optimal performance for a PC's CPU and graphics card just became quicker, more nimble and more entertaining than ever before with the official release of Catzilla, an optimization test developed by three hardcore gamers. Catzilla software tests and compares a computer's capabilities based on benchmark CPU and GPU performance, which is critical in video games and other applications with advanced graphics, using a battle scene between rival "Catzilla" monsters. Catzilla is an all-inclusive program that provides benchmark scores, and software and hardware recommendations based on the test results in order to keep PCs running at their optimum condition.

Catzilla, a cross-API benchmark designed for OpenGL 4.0 and DirectX 9 or 11, and Windows operating systems (64-bit and 32-bit Windows 8, 7, XP and Vista), is a quick, yet comprehensive benchmarking program that uses algorithms found in the latest PC video games, so users can see how their PCs will handle the most demanding games. Catzilla runs one set of tests to fully benchmark the users' PCs, so it's easier for them to overclock their processors squeezing every last bit of juice and test for stability.

ASUS has today put up a video that showcases one upcoming All-in-One PC, a model dubbed ET2321 which features a 23-inch (1920 x 1080) multi-touch IPS screen, and is equipped with a 4th generation Intel Core processor.

The slim ET2321 also packs a GeForce GT 740M graphics card, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 and USB connectivity, it has built-in speakers (enhanced with SonicMaster Premium audio technology), it's bundled with a desktop subwoofer, and runs Microsoft's Windows 8 (likely 8.1 at launch). No word yet on pricing or availability.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced its completely new and redesigned line of high-performance thin-and-light business laptops for mobile professionals. The all-new 13.3-inch Portégé Z30, 14-inch Tecra Z40 and 15.6-inch Tecra Z50 offer no-compromise performance for multitasking, enhanced durability as well as built-in manageability and security features required by corporate IT departments across the globe.

"Our new line of thin and light Portégé and Tecra products redefine the common business laptop," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "We've fused the extreme mobility and style of our Portégé line with the performance and strength of our Tecra line across the board and added everything today's mobile workers could ask for - durable and highly reliable, with all-workday battery life, an abundance of full size ports, advanced security features and the impressive craftsmanship businesses expect from Toshiba."