Microsoft has quietly set aside plans for a standalone "Windows 12" release and will instead introduce its next major feature update as Windows 11 version 25H2 later this year. On Friday, the company confirmed that the latest Insider Preview build is now available for testers, with a broader rollout scheduled in the second half of 2025. From a technical perspective, version 25H2 builds on the same platform and servicing stack as the current 24H2 release. This shared‑branch strategy allows devices already running 24H2 to receive a small enablement package and then restart. The entire process is designed to feel no different from installing a routine monthly update, avoiding a lengthy reinstall. At this stage, the 25H2 preview offers the same feature set that appeared in the 24H2 Beta Channel.

Microsoft has explained that upcoming enhancements are already staged within the 24H2 branch in a disabled state. As each feature reaches maturity, its code will be bundled into the monthly cumulative updates for 24H2 and then activated via the enablement package, following the model first introduced with Windows 10 version 1909. As official support for Windows 10 ends in October 2025, launching version 25H2 in the September-October window could encourage any remaining Windows 10 users to upgrade. Enterprises and educational institutions will benefit from a renewed 36-month support cycle, while consumer editions will gain 24 months of servicing. Microsoft has not yet provided an exact date for general availability, but Windows Insiders can begin exploring the 25H2 preview today and submit feedback. When the update becomes widely available, users can perform a simple restart to activate Windows 11 version 25H2.

Keep the supplies moving with the latest piece of hardware for Porters heading out on a new journey - we're excited to reveal the new DualSense wireless controller - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Limited Edition. We worked closely with Kojima Productions on the controller design, customized with the insignia and motto of Drawbridge in vibrant orange. The DualSense wireless controller—Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Limited Edition will be available in limited quantities for a recommended retail price of $84.99 / €84.99 / £74.99 / ¥12,480. Pre-orders start on May 22, 2025, at 10am local time at direct.playstation.com (where available), as well as participating retailers. The exact launch date and availability for the controller may vary by country/region.

The new controller launches on June 26, 2025 on PS5 alongside Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, where players can join Sam and his companions on a mission to save humanity from extinction. Pre-order the Collector's Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition for Early Access from June 24, 2025.

ASUS today announced availability of the ZenWiFi BD4 Outdoor, a powerful and durable router which extends seamless Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to any outdoor environment. With this device, users can securely connect outdoor cameras and IoT devices, or work remotely or stream content while on the patio - ZenWiFi BD4 Outdoor ensures ultrafast, smooth and secure Wi-Fi 7 coverage for multiple devices and in any weather.

Speed and extendibility
The ZenWiFi BD4 Outdoor delivers speeds of up to 3600 Mbps, up to 2530 feet away. Thanks to dual-band Wi-Fi 7, it also features Multi-Link Operation (MLO) to enhance stability of network connections as well as 4K-QAM for ultra-efficient data transmission. And it's compatible with ASUS AiMesh routers, enabling even greater coverage and easy extendibility.

Recent trends in the NAS market and general tech market has shown a propensity to lock down their devices to prevent you from using the device you paid for as you see fit. We at ASUSTOR do not believe in locking down your NAS device. As such, all ASUSTOR NAS devices come in an unlocked state. Today, ASUSTOR is announcing its intention to continue to maintain its devices in an unlocked state for maximum freedom.

Owning Your Products!
In recent years, companies across the tech industry have announced tighter and tighter vendor lock-in requirements that are largely arbitrary in nature. This has been in the form of putting software locks that disallow the use of unauthorized software or peripherals on devices you purchase with your hard earned money. Examples of this include companies forcing use of in-house branded hardware like hard drives in a NAS, locking out third party operating systems and apps not approved by the vendor This is part of a general trend towards disposable technology, vendor lock-in, planned obsolescence, and anti-consumer practices all at an unnecessary expense to you, the consumer. At ASUSTOR, we believe that you own the hardware you purchase, and as such, ASUSTOR NAS devices come in an unlocked state. ASUSTOR NAS devices do not place arbitrary restrictions on your use of the device, while using a non-approved drive on NAS devices with vendor lock-in policies can cause error messages or loss of features like building a RAID pool or knowledge of drive health and more.

GALAX has deliberated over the fine-tuning of its pedigree custom GeForce RTX 5090D design throughout early 2025—mid-way through April we heard about an imminent retail release of the Chinese manufacturer's finalized Hall of Fame (HOF) Extreme Overclock (XOC) Limited Edition card. According to the latest reports, the brand has announced the availability of its ultra-premium option; featuring the very best pre-binned GB202 GPU dies and GDDR7 memory modules. Apparently reserved for upper echelon buyers; with a 29,999 RMB (~$4117 USD) launch price tag.

In parallel, GALAX seems to be launching two "lesser" variants—as reported by VideoCardz, the "OC LAB Plus-X" (~$3595 USD) and "OC LAB" (~$3582 USD) SKUs make do with single 12V-2×6 power connectors. Despite this handicap, the Plus-X model is still a record breaker. Naturally, its XOC LE sibling—enabled with twin 12V-2×6 power inputs—sits atop global benchmark tables. GALAX currently boasts about this design achieving nine overclocking world records. Given the limited edition nature of GALAX's top 29,999 RMB offering, stock counts could be small—VideoCardz did not pick up on any local information about launch numbers or involved retail outlets/platforms. There are mutterings about a potential closing off of GB202 "Blackwell" GPU die shipments into China—in effect this could lead to the end of GeForce RTX 5090D 32 GB custom card production.

Last week, industry reports pointed to evidence of NVIDIA H20 AI GPU shortages in China—supply chain insiders expressed frustration about limited availability, and alleged price hikes. Days later, local media outlets have disclosed staggering sales figures. Two unnamed sources opine that the likes of Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance have spent roughly US$16 billion on H20 purchases, across the first three months of 2025. Back in February, Reuters noted an extraordinary surge in orders for: "(Team Green's) H20 model—the most advanced AI processor legally available in China under U.S. export controls—driven by booming demand for Chinese startup DeepSeek's low-cost AI models." The unprecedented rush—to secure precious AI-crunching hardware—was likely motivated by whispers of elevated restrictions; coming from across the Pacific Ocean.

Curiously, local government bodies have allegedly "advised" a stoppage of H20 orders—a recent Financial Times article suggested that this message was directed at the nation's largest AI players (mentioned above). A few industry moles believe that NVIDIA's engineering department is working on another Chinese market exclusive AI chip, although it is not clear whether a new entrant will be designed to conform to recently introduced "not very strict" environmental regulations. Anonymous sources have made noise about an upgraded H20 variant; sporting fancy HBM3E modules.

Yesterday, at Intel Vision 2025, IBM announced the availability of Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators on IBM Cloud. This offering delivers Intel Gaudi 3 in a public cloud environment for production workloads. Through this collaboration, IBM Cloud aims to help clients more cost-effectively scale and deploy enterprise AI. Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators on IBM Cloud are currently available in Frankfurt (eu-de) and Washington, D.C. (us-east) IBM Cloud regions, with future availability for the Dallas (us-south) IBM Cloud region in Q2 2025.

IBM's AI in Action 2024 report found that 67% of surveyed leaders reported revenue increases of 25% or more due to including AI in business operations. Although AI is demonstrating promising revenue increases, enterprises are also balancing the costs associated with the infrastructure needed to drive performance. By leveraging Intel's Gaudi 3 on IBM Cloud, the two companies are aiming to help clients more cost effectively test, innovate and deploy generative AI solutions. "By bringing Intel Gaudi 3 AI accelerators to IBM Cloud, we're enabling businesses to help scale generative AI workloads with optimized performance for inferencing and fine-tuning. This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to making AI more accessible and cost-effective for enterprises worldwide," said Saurabh Kulkarni, Vice President, Datacenter AI Strategy and Product Management, Intel.

Over the past weekend, GMKtec's Weibo channel announced that pre-orders for its recently unveiled EVO-X2 mini PC model will start on April 7 (through JD.com), for customers located in China. Almost two weeks ago, the manufacturer boasted about its brand-new offering being the "world's first AI mini PC" equipped with AMD's Ryzen AI "Strix Halo" Max+ 395 APU. Extra international attention was gained, due to Lisa Su's autographing of a showcased unit during proceedings at the 2025 AI PC Innovation Summit (held on March 18, in Beijing). Pricing and availability were not mentioned during this press event, but GMKtec's Saturday (March 29) bulletin has revealed a (roughly) $2067 USD price point for the EVO-X2 launch model.

The manufacturer's blog entry stated that the: "EVO-X2 AI supercomputing host is coming, 128 GB + 2 TB priced at 14999 yuan, pricing reconstructs the desktop computing power boundary! Equipped with AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 flagship processor, 16-core 32-thread architecture with 5.1 GHz acceleration frequency, combined with 128 GB LPDDR5X memory and 2 TB high-speed storage, it can realize local deployment of 70 billion parameter large models, and AI performance exceeds NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090D graphics card." This potent compact AI-crunching solution is tempered by GMKtec's "innovative" Arctic Ocean cooling system. They advertise this design as using: "dual-turbofans and VC heat sinks to achieve silent heat dissipation at a peak power consumption of 140 W. The body adopts a recycled aluminium suspension design, equipped with HDMI, DP and USB4 interfaces, and supports Wi-Fi 6 + 2.5G network access." The brand has not yet announced an international release, but their EVO-X2 mini PC could face serious competition. Late last month, Framework debuted its Desktop product range—consisting of configurable 4.5L Mini-ITX systems—with a top-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (128 GB) model starting at $1999.

A great surface makes a whole lot of difference for PC gaming and work. It's part aesthetics, part utility. Here's what you need to know when shopping around. A mousepad is not just a simple accessory. SteelSeries QcK mousepads have proven, over and over, that they are best in gaming. They're washable and durable, feature a non-slip base, and micro-woven cloth optimized for low and high CPI mouse tracking. With more than 15 million sold, our iconic esports mousepads have enabled gamers around the globe to deliver top tier performance. And now, you can join them. Let's dive into a few reasons why.

Pick the exact style you want
The great thing about our new QcK Performance mousepad series—our latest—is that you can pick the kind of surface you want to adapt to your gameplay style. Do you prefer your mouse to glide super smoothly, or do you want more controlled precision with a little friction? Improved glide, more control, or something in between. This gaming mousepad is truly reflective of your style and preference.

Amazon Luna, the online game streaming service, has officially announced that it will be expanding further into Europe, introducing availability in Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Sweden. The launch includes both the free-to-play games available via Amazon Prime Gaming and the standalone Luna+ subscription service. Along with that announcement, it was also revealed that Amazon Luna has entered into a multi-year partnership with EA to bring some of the game studio's AAA hits to Luna+ members. EA joins GOG, Ubisoft, and Jackbox Games as publishers and game studios whose games are now available on Luna.

Kicking off the EA partnership are Star Ward: Jedi Survivor, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and Dead Space. Unlike the Ubisoft and Jackbox games, which require an additional subscription tier to access, EA's games are available in the basic Luna+ subscription. Amazon says that more EA games will be coming to Luna soon, specifically mentioning the EA Sports portfolio, although it did not specify which games or say when they would be coming to the platform. With Luna's expansion into more European countries, Amazon is also increasing the availability of the Luna controller, which connects directly to the cloud game streaming servers for reduced latency. The Luna controller will now be available in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden for €69.99 MSRP or 799.99 SEK, with introductory sales bringing prices down to €44.99 and 519.99 SEK, respectively. The Luna controller is not yet available in Portugal, but it will launch there later this year. Luna+ subscribers can play on a variety of devices, including Mac, Windows, iOS/iPadOS, Android, and ChromeOS devices (via Chrome or Safari web browsers), as well as Amazon Fire tablets and TVs and Samsung and LG TVs.

TrendForce reports that NAND Flash suppliers began reducing production in the fourth quarter of 2024, and the effects are now starting to show. In anticipation of potential U.S. tariff increases, consumer electronics brands have accelerated production, further driving up demand. Concurrently, inventory restocking is underway across the PC, smartphone, and data center sectors. As a result, NAND Flash prices are expected to stabilize in the second quarter of 2025, with prices for wafers and client SSDs projected to rise.

Client SSD prices to rise 3-8% while enterprise SSD prices to remain flat
After three consecutive quarters of inventory depletion, client SSD demand is rebounding as OEMs resume production early. The upcoming end of Windows 10 support and the launch of new-generation CPUs are expected to drive replacement demand for PCs. Meanwhile, the DeepSeek effect is accelerating the adoption of edge AI, further fueling client SSD demand. With production cuts and supply adjustments gradually restoring balance, client SSD contract prices are projected to rise 3% to 8% QoQ in Q2.

Yesterday evening, the NVIDIA AI Developer social media account sent out a red alert regarding a time limited sale of flagship-tier Blackwell gaming hardware: "GeForce RTX 5090s are available at the Gear Store in the park right now at GTC 2025. 90 units are available for the next 30 minutes, with more coming tomorrow. Come say hi!" PC hardware news outlets have picked up on Team Green's latest stock bulletin, with Tom's Hardware disclosing some extra details. Under normal circumstances, NVIDIA's Gear Store Mobile Truck would be selling fairly standard merchandise—e.g. T-shirts, sweaters, hats, etc. According to the latest reports, the company's mobile pop-up store is taking orders for add-in-boards (AIB) GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models. An information placard advertises old school/launch day guide prices of $1999 and $999 (respectively).

Tom's Hardware noted several caveats: "the graphics cards must be purchased from NVIDIA's van from 7 AM to 12 PM on Thursday or Friday and then picked up at South Hall main entrance the same day. The graphics boards are available to conference pass ($1145 for one day, or $2295 for five days) and exhibit pass holders only; with a limit of one card per person." According to folks on the ground, Team Green and its board partners have stockpiled a thousand of each highly-desirable GPU model at the San Jose Convention Center. The first waves of time-limited batches were made available yesterday (March 19). Demand for flagship and top-end GeForce RTX 50 series cards has far exceeded supply, starting back in late January. Following an absorption of plentiful feedback, NVIDIA revived its "Verified Priority Access" scheme a couple of weeks ago. This anti-scalping initiative was advertised as offering: "a limited number of verified GeForce gamers and creators in the United States the opportunity to purchase one GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 Founders Edition graphics card from the NVIDIA Marketplace."

Shortly after participating in AMD's special RDNA 4 launch event, XFX presented its custom Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics card models to Chinese media outlets. The board partner's "QUICKSILVER class" customizable shroud design was highlighted by global PC hardware news sites—a demonstration unit was showcased with attached "racing car red and white" sections. At the time, XFX's web presences teased this intriguing modular system: "the RX 9000 Series QUICKSILVER Class GPUs features customizable magnetic wings which can be easily removed and replaced to match your style and needs." Select models also sport the manufacturer's impressive "Magnetic Air" triple-fan system—as explored in W1zzard's review of a related (higher-end) MERCURY model; worth a read!

Very recently, XFX's RDNA 4 QUICKSILVER splash page was updated with additional information: "3D Printer Required—3D files available in the downloads section on the product pages." A fresh VideoCardz report covered the availability of 3D print files for compatible card models, via official download pages. Owners can print out their own interpretations, but "magnets are required for assembly." XFX has not yet indicated whether it will sell aftermarket magnetic wing parts. The company's general mentioning of "RX 9000 Series" could imply that forthcoming QUICKSILVER models—e.g. Radeon RX 9060 XT—will be similarly provisioned with modular shroud designs.

Commemorate The Last of Us franchise with a brand-new controller; here's a first look at the DualSense wireless controller—The Last of Us Limited Edition. Created in close collaboration with the creative team at Naughty Dog, this striking design features glossy trophy icons printed across the surface that call back to key moments, characters, and events from The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II.

To share more about the controller's design and inspiration, here's Head of Studio and Head of Creative Neil Druckmann and Graphic Designer Megan Mehran from Naughty Dog: "We were excited by the chance to memorialize The Last of Us franchise in a controller that fans and our own team would love. We wanted to ensure that both installments of The Last of Us are represented, via trophy icons printed in black gloss across the controller body. Among the trophies, three particular images will immediately stand out for TLOU fans: The firefly, moth, and wolf. Players will recognize the Fireflies' iconic spray-painted logo that originated in Part I, while the moth and wolf represent the intertwining lives and duality between Ellie and Abby in Part II."

Over the past month and a half, PC hardware retailers have tasked themselves with sharing of all sorts of bad news to their respective customer bases. Inet AB has outlined the outlook for regional availability of GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards, but a newer blog entry focuses on the Team Red side of things. The popular Swedish store put a spotlight on today's launch of RDNA 4 products: "we have learned how the recommended prices, also known as MSRP prices, work for the launch of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT. We are not allowed to say exact prices.., but simply put, they will apply to a limited number of cards. For this release, we will have MSRP prices from three manufacturers, all of whom have both an RX 9070 and an RX 9070 XT at MSRP." According to Inet's product table, the brands are: ASUS, PowerColor and SAPPHIRE. Respectively, the PRIME, Reaper and PULSE product families serve as substitutes to (absent) AMD-built equivalents.

So far, the retail launch of Radeon 9070 Series has experienced fewer hiccups—when compared to recent GeForce RTX 50-series releases. Unfortunately, Inet has indicated that price climbs are in the pipeline for AMD's brand-new RDNA 4 generation. The shop's blog elaborated on shifting circumstances: "the prices only apply to the first shipment of each model. For Sapphire and ASUS it will be just as usual, we have only received one shipment, and you can buy it until it runs out, but with PowerColor it will be different. In other words, only the cards that were released with MSRP prices at release will be sold for the lower price." Earlier today, Overclockers UK's initial batch of "baseline price conformant" stock was depleted rapidly—forum and social media posts boasted about "thousands of units" being amassed in a warehouse, prior to launch. Gibbo—a well-liked OCUK employee—shared some additional insight (yesterday): "I feel stock will be fine for a few days. MSRP is capped quantity of a few hundred, so prices will jump once those are sold through. Re-stocks and pricing is unknown going forward, nobody really knows what April will bring due to instability in world with USA starting to rage a trade war, we are all hopeful it won't impact computer stuff, but who knows."

ASUS has taken the unusual step of formally announcing day one availability of its brand-new offerings—in TUF Gaming and PRIME forms—to the NVIDIA subreddit community. Today (March 5) marks the retail rollout of AIB-built GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards—unfortunately, NVIDIA Founders Edition enthusiasts will have to wait a little longer for a now delayed launch. VideoCardz has called out ASUS on a number of occasions over the past month and a half, regarding alleged GeForce RTX 50-series "price manipulation" practices. In their latest bit of company coverage, the publication concedes that ASUS representatives are doing a better job in communicating launch day circumstances to its target audience. In contrast, other board partners have (reportedly) not reached out to the hardware gaming community.

The ASUS_MKTLeeM account has produced a useful "Day 1 Pricing and Availability in US and CA" buying guide for TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 OC Edition ($739.99 USD) and ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 5070 models (standard: $549.99, OC: $699.99). The company rep disclosed the outlook for this opening salvo: "we expect that most, if not all of these will be available at 6am PST for the US. Of course, things happen sometimes; and a particular e-tailer or retailer may have a website issue or may be pending for stock to reach them. Feel free to ask later in the day and we can track this down...For Canada, I do not have confirmation on which stores will have Day 1 stock at this time, unfortunately. If I receive confirmation before the end of the day I will update it." They noted that Best Buy Canada may experience delayed shipments (1-3 weeks) of TUF Gaming RTX 5070 OC Edition stock. Unfortunately, higher-end options are not releasing alongside "cheaper" brethren parts—MKTLeeM stated: "the ROG Strix cards will not be available Day 1. There is currently no ETA for when these cards will be available, but we will update the post and/or the availability post in the comments when we have an update." Press outlets have highlighted the apparent limited range of ASUS launch day models. Interestingly, the TUF Gaming RTX 5070 (non-OC) option was not included in MKTLeeM's subreddit thread.

GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand, announced the GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards powered by NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, including the GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, which are now available, while the RTX 5070 will be available on March 5th. With cutting-edge cooling innovations and AI-powered performance enhancements, GIGABYTE delivers superior thermal efficiency and optimized airflow for an elevated gaming experience. By integrating an innovative fan design and advanced thermal interface materials, these new graphics cards ensure long-lasting durability and top-tier performance for enthusiasts, gamers, and AI computing professionals alike.

GIGABYTE offers GeForce RTX 50 air-cooled and water-cooled variants, ensuring a solution for every gaming setup. Both variants are applied with server-grade thermal conductive gel for better heat dissipation efficiency without shifting for long-term usage. The AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE series provides enthusiasts with high-performance liquid cooling, available in all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling and water block configuration, while AIO solution is applied with liquid metal thermal grease to enhance heat dissipation. Meanwhile, air-cooled models incorporate advanced thermal technologies, featuring composite metal grease, the new Hawk Fan design which results in up to a 53.6% increase in air pressure and a 12.5% increase in air volume without compromising acoustics. Additionally, the AORUS RTX 5090 MASTER integrates superconducting heat pipes, while the AORUS RTX 5080 above MASTER models come with Screen Cooling Plus for superior airflow and cooling balance.

GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards are due to hit international markets this Thursday (February 20), only in custom design form. NVIDIA will not be rolling out a Founders Edition model for this mid-to-high GPU product tier. Yesterday, an NDA-busting leak emerged online; hinting at a mixed bag of synthetic benchmark scores. When compared to new-gen and past-gen siblings, the incoming GB203 GPU-based family's "price-to-performance ratio" was greeted with plenty of online community skepticism. Considering that only a minority of AIB companies are reportedly engaged in the supply of cheaper offerings, the early outlook for overall GeForce RTX 5070 Ti launch pricing is generating further dissatisfaction. Team Green's first wave of "Blackwell" gaming GPUs launched late last month, straight into chaotic market conditions.

At CES 2025, NVIDIA set a baseline MSRP of $749. Fresh reports suggest that hardware review outlets will be delivering comprehensive verdicts tomorrow. VideoCardz believes that the lifted review embargo will be "exclusively for MSRP cards," based on information gleaned from their network of press contacts. The GPU specialist publication has kept tabs on fluctuating GeForce RTX 50-series prices for a while—several recent reports have levelled criticism at prominent Team Green board partners; namely ASUS and MSI. Plenty of venom was directed at the former, due to last month's launch of the: "GeForce RTX 5080 PRIME non-OC model at MSRP, and it was covered in the first reviews...Except, it was increased by 26% the following week. This way, ASUS has cheated the system and got both the early coverage and was still able to sell cards at a higher price." VideoCardz predicts a similar pattern for this week's release of custom GeForce RTX 5070 Ti designs, in particular ASUS PRIME and TUF Gaming SKUs. Their latest report directed additional ire toward the source of all things Blackwell: "unless NVIDIA has no problem with this, this is not how MSRP cards should be announced. It is very misleading for customers and puts reviewers in a very bad light. Their conclusions might be completely different if the card is said to cost much more."

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce EK-Quantum Vector³, our latest line of high-performance water blocks designed to provide the ultimate liquid cooling solution for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 Series GPUs. Unmatched performance and cooling efficiency—the EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks deliver high-performance liquid cooling, premium aesthetics, and precision engineering, ensuring ultra-low temperatures and maximum performance.

Next-Gen Cooling for NVIDIA RTX 50 Series GPUs
The EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks maximize cooling efficiency with an improved structure, expanded fin array, and optimized coolant flow paths. These blocks actively cool the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages while passively cooling PCB hotspots through a custom backplate—ensuring optimal performance.

The NVIDIA RTX 5070 Ti gaming GPU is expected to be available starting February 20, although whether gamers are going to be able to purchase one anytime soon is a different story entirely. That said, a recent listing on an Austrian retailer's website has revealed the pricing details for the MSI RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio card - a cool €1169 (inclusive of 19% VAT), roughly equivalent to $1212. Compared to NVIDIA's official pricing for the RTX 5070 Ti in most parts of the EU, a 33% increase in price can be observed. Of course, the MSI GAMING TRIO is quite a high-end card, but the price delta is quite surprising regardless. Depending on supply, the prices may further inflate, if the events of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 launch are repeated.

The RTX 5070 Ti is expected to boast 8690 CUDA cores paired with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus. Recent leaks have hinted at very mediocre performance improvements, similar to what we witnessed with the RTX 5080. As of this writing, there seems to be a decent possibility that the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT will beat the RTX 5070 family, not just in raster performance, but also in value. Of course, since NVIDIA is clearly going to fire first, gamers will not have much of a choice before RDNA 4 hits the scene. That said if the RTX 5070 series witnesses similarly atrocious availability at launch as its siblings, a lot of folks will have no option but to wait.

AI reasoning models and agents are set to transform industries, but delivering their full potential at scale requires massive compute and optimized software. The "reasoning" process involves multiple models, generating many additional tokens, and demands infrastructure with a combination of high-speed communication, memory and compute to ensure real-time, high-quality results. To meet this demand, CoreWeave has launched NVIDIA GB200 NVL72-based instances, becoming the first cloud service provider to make the NVIDIA Blackwell platform generally available. With rack-scale NVIDIA NVLink across 72 NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs and 36 NVIDIA Grace CPUs, scaling to up to 110,000 GPUs with NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking, these instances provide the scale and performance needed to build and deploy the next generation of AI reasoning models and agents.

NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 on CoreWeave
NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 is a liquid-cooled, rack-scale solution with a 72-GPU NVLink domain, which enables the six dozen GPUs to act as a single massive GPU. NVIDIA Blackwell features many technological breakthroughs that accelerate inference token generation, boosting performance while reducing service costs. For example, fifth-generation NVLink enables 130 TB/s of GPU bandwidth in one 72-GPU NVLink domain, and the second-generation Transformer Engine enables FP4 for faster AI performance while maintaining high accuracy. CoreWeave's portfolio of managed cloud services is purpose-built for Blackwell. CoreWeave Kubernetes Service optimizes workload orchestration by exposing NVLink domain IDs, ensuring efficient scheduling within the same rack. Slurm on Kubernetes (SUNK) supports the topology block plug-in, enabling intelligent workload distribution across GB200 NVL72 racks. In addition, CoreWeave's Observability Platform provides real-time insights into NVLink performance, GPU utilization and temperatures.

The leading system integrator iBUYPOWER, a company focusing on building high-performance gaming computers, is excited to announce that gaming PCs equipped with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs can now be purchased starting today. Backed by iBUYPOWER's comprehensive warranty of three-years labor and two-years parts, players can literally change the game thanks to the RTX 50 Series video cards enabling all-new experiences and next-level graphical fidelity.

Powered by NVIDIA Blackwell, the all-new GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring game-changing capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the RTX 50 Series video cards enable new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Owners of these new GPUs can look forward to multiplying their in-game performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generating images at unprecedented speed, and unleashing their creativity with NVIDIA Studio.

Earlier this week, MSI's China office admitted that it had only a limited supply of GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards available for launch day. A VideoCardz report from last night points out similar problems affecting retail channels in North America. MSI's official US store has delayed shipments of GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 cards. This announcement was extracted from a conversation conducted via Discord—between a company representative (MSI Spence) and a VideoCardz staffer (WhyCry). In full, MSI stated: "we are going to allow GeForce RTX 5090 pre-orders on January 30, at 6 AM PST—with a ship date of February 6. The GeForce RTX 5080 will be available for purchase on January 30 at 6 AM PST, with an immediate ship date of (same day) January 30. GeForce RTX 5090 pre-orders will open on January 30 at 6 AM PST, with a ship date of February 6."

Additionally, StinceBuilt has corroborated reports of newly adjusted timeframes—the custom PC builder publicly disclosed its own dealings with the NVIDIA board partner: "we're being told by the MSI Team that the MSI RTX 5090 Variants are now being pushed back until February 6th for launch. RTX 5090 Day of Launch is going to be very rough, both on the consumer retail/ecommerce side, and to all system integrators. Stock is minimal at best. Please be patient. We've confirmed this with other shops like ourselves."

MSI has officially confirmed that its upcoming GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards will face limited availability when they launch on January 30, coinciding with the second day of the Lunar New Year. According to MSI's official account, the constrained supply originates from an insufficient allocation of GPU cores provided by NVIDIA, making it difficult for the manufacturer to meet the expected high demand. Some retailers even claimed they only receive single-digit quantities of these cards, leading to a dramatic price hike in certain regions. In extreme cases, prices have been observed at nearly twice the official MSRP, leaving many potential buyers concerned about availability and affordability. Taiwanese media outlet BenchLife.info previously indicated that "communication issues" between NVIDIA and its board partners contributed to the limited supply. These complications and holiday-related manufacturing and shipping disruptions have constrained how many units can be delivered to stores by launch day.

As a result, enthusiasts aiming to purchase a new GPU at MSRP—or even at slightly higher prices—might face an uphill battle. Despite the rocky start, supply levels will gradually improve in February. The precise rate of this improvement is unclear, but many anticipate that more stock will arrive as production normalizes and communication between NVIDIA and its partners recovers. For now, consumers should prepare for limited stock and potentially inflated prices, especially on day one of the launch. Those hoping to upgrade immediately may need to secure a pre-order or wait until supply becomes more stable in the coming weeks. Scalpers are already reserving "guaranteed" slots for RTX 5090 GPU at up to $7000 per GPU, indicating that supply is tight. However, we must wait for the official launch day to see if the situation improves.

Recently, we covered a rumor arising from PCGH which stated that the RTX 5090, and perhaps even the RTX 5080, are gearing up to face an extremely stock-limited launch in Germany. Now, it appears that customers in North America will likely face very similar circumstances, if the claims made by tipster Moore's Law is Dead's sources are taken to be true. MLID spoke with several sources, including distributors and AIBs, all of whom had the same thing to say - it is going be quite hard to snag an RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 at launch.

One of the distributors that MLID apparently spoke with, went as far as to comment that they simply won't be having any RTX 5090s at all in the first month of launch. Further, while they received almost 200 RTX 4080s during the previous launch season, they only expect to get 20 units of the RTX 5080 this time around. As for the RTX 5090, they do not foresee inventory before late Q1, or even Q2 of this year. A second source, who claimed to be from an AIB partner, stated that while they will have RTX 5080s ready at launch, they are "only a fraction" of the RTX 4080s they had last time. Moreover, the number of RTX 5090s they claim to have matches that of the RTX 3090s they had, which, for those who don't remember, suffered from severe supply shortages at launch.