Alphacool International GmbH, based in Braunschweig, has been a pioneer in PC water cooling technology for over 20 years. With one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry and long-standing industry expertise, Alphacool is now expanding its portfolio with more Core water coolers for the GeForce RTX 5080/5090 graphics cards.

The GPU water coolers have been completely redesigned. Precise adjustments to the spacing between the cooler and the PCB, water flow simulations, and extensive practical testing have led to significant improvements to both the cooler base and the jetplate. These optimizations ensure maximum cooling performance for the latest generation of NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards. The GPU water coolers feature a precisely machined copper base with high-quality chrome plating for exceptional durability and a smooth surface. The design is further complemented by robust brass fittings with a nylon cover, ensuring maximum safety and reliability.

Alongside everyone else, Gigabyte Launched three graphics cards based on the GeForce RTX 5050 GPU today, with the GeForce RTX 5050 GAMING OC 8G topping the line-up, followed by the GeForce RTX 5050 WINDFORCE OC 8G and the GeForce RTX 5050 OC Low Profile 8G. The Gaming OC comes with a larger heatsink and three fans, as well as a gimmicky sliding side plate that reveals the "game on" slogan on the card. The Windforce OC gets to make do with a smaller heatsink and two fans, although both cards are equipped with Gigabyte's hawk fans, Both cards also sport 8 GB of 20 Gbps GDDR6 memory and a pair of DP 2.1b and HDMI 2.1b outputs, as well as a single 8-pin power connector.

The OC Low Profile on the other hand is quite a different beast, largely due to its low-profile design and although it sports the same memory as the larger cards, it only gets one DP 2.1b output, as the second DP output is of the older 1.4b flavour, which is most likely related to it not being mounted straight to the PCB, but there's also a pair of HDMI 2.1b ports on this card. The card obviously has a smaller heatsink, but Gigabyte has still kitted it out with a copper contact plate for the GPU and a copper heatpipe. The smaller fans are said to be lubed with a graphene nano lubricant that is meant to extend the fan life by 2.1 times. The card also sports an 8-pin power connector and Gigabyte supplies a low-profile bracket.

Alphacool International GmbH, based in Braunschweig, has been a pioneer in PC water cooling technology for over 20 years. With one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry and over 20 years of experience, Alphacool is now expanding its portfolio with the new Eisblock Aurora Arc B580 Steel Legend + Challenger with Backplate.

The GPU water cooler is precisely tailored to fit the layout of ASRock's Intel Arc B580 Steel Legend and Challenger graphics cards. An updated fin structure, optimized water flow, and an improved jetplate ensure high cooling performance. The chrome-plated copper base offers excellent thermal conductivity and long-lasting durability. Subtle RGB lighting complements the elegant design and provides even illumination.

GAMDIAS, a global leader in high-performance gaming hardware, proudly announces the launch of the ATHENA P3, a cutting-edge mid-tower chassis engineered for gamers and PC enthusiasts who demand uncompromising airflow and expansive hardware support. Continuing the legacy of the ATHENA series, the ATHENA P3 features a mesh-dominant front panel with dual solid bar accents, delivering both strong airflow performance and a bold, streamlined design. "Our design philosophy with the ATHENA P3 was to merge premium airflow with visual appeal and builder-friendly features," said Stimson Wang, CEO of GAMDIAS Technology. "This case reflects our pursuit of high-performance computing with seamless aesthetics and thoughtful design elements that elevate any gaming setup."

AIRFLOW-OPTIMIZED DESIGN WITH GAP BRIDGING BRACKET AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE FANS
Built for superior thermal performance, the ATHENA P3 is equipped with three 140 mm PWM ARGB intake fans at the front and a single 140 mm PWM ARGB exhaust fan at the rear, delivering optimized airflow straight out of the box. At the heart of its design is a gap-bridging front bracket, uniquely developed to seal airflow leaks between the mesh panel and the fan mounts—ensuring consistent, focused cooling efficiency. The case also includes a pre-installed 8-port PWM ARGB hub for streamlined control of fans and lighting through motherboard synchronization or the dedicated LED button. A seamless tempered glass side panel offers a clean, unobstructed view of your build, showcasing its cooling power and craftsmanship.

BOXX Technologies, the leading innovator of high-performance workstations, today announced the launch of Creativ PCs, a groundbreaking new line of Creator PCs engineered to deliver the industry's most performant system for demanding creative professionals. This introduction marks a significant expansion of BOXX's product portfolio, building on its decades-long legacy of powering the most intensive professional workflows. Designed from the ground up to eliminate performance bottlenecks, Creativ PCs are meticulously optimized for professionals in architecture, media and entertainment, manufacturing engineering (CAD users), and creative fields utilizing applications such as Unreal Engine and Adobe Creative Cloud. Creativ PCs promise unparalleled speed, stability, and responsiveness, enabling users to tackle their most ambitious projects with unprecedented efficiency.

"For decades, BOXX has been committed to empowering professionals with the most powerful and reliable hardware," said Kirk Schell, CEO of BOXX. "Creativ PCs represents a significant leap forward, specifically engineered to meet the intense demands of today's architects, artists, engineers, and designers. We've poured our expertise into creating a system that not only keeps pace with their innovation but actively accelerates it. I'm incredibly proud of our team for delivering what we believe is truly the most performant Creator PC on the market, enabling our customers to realize their most ambitious visions without compromise."

More than 700 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation's adoption continues at rapid pace, and is the fastest-adopted NVIDIA gaming technology in our history.

This week, we can reveal another 8 games equipped with the frame rate multiplying technology, including Dragonkin: The Banished, Dune: Awakening, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Mecha BREAK, MindsEye, REMATCH, and Stellar Blade. And Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants DLC is launching September 4th, featuring full ray tracing and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction. Each title also features DLSS Frame Generation, boosting frame rates for GeForce RTX 40 Series gamers, and DLSS Super Resolution, accelerating performance on every GeForce RTX GPU.

The popular MSI Afterburner overclocking and hardware monitoring program will be updated in the near future, with support for AMD RDNA 4 hardware. Despite the Taiwanese manufacturer's semi-recent shifting away from modern Team Red gaming desktop/discrete graphics solutions, the Afterburner suite's developer has committed to getting official support—at least for current flagships—up and running with the next version. Fortunately, MSI and AMD continue to collaborate on the making of various motherboard models and Radeon iGPU-powered devices.

Last week, Unwinder (aka Alexey Nicolaychuk) outlined early details on the Guru3D discussion board: "as you know, due to some unknown reason MSI decided to skip RDNA 4 and focus on manufacturing NVIDIA GPU-based solutions only this (time) round. Meaning that I get no MSI RDNA 4 hardware samples for development, so there is no RX 9070 XT support in MSI Afterburner, yet. But I decided to close this gap myself, and grabbed a third party hardware vendor's 9070 XT special to add unofficial support for it. So next beta with RDNA 4 support is around the corner, and MSI Afterburner (AB) is a bit PowerColor AB now." As seen in an attached photo, Unwinder has picked up a barebones Reaper Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB model.

EMTEK, a South Korean manufacturer, has quietly added two new SKUs to its current-gen MIRACLE WHITE D7 graphics card series. As of late last week, their custom GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB and 8 GB models have turned up for sale at domestic e-tail outlets. The higher capacity option starts off at 725,900 KRW (~$535 USD), while its slightly cheaper sibling demands at least 639,660 KRW (~$472 USD). As covered on TechPowerUp in the recent past, EMTEK products are not well known properties in the West—due to regional retail exclusivity.

Unsurprisingly, the latest MIRACLE WHITE cards carry the same overall visual theme as slightly older offerings. Unlike the slightly larger GeForce RTX 5070 D7 12 GB SKU, EMTEK has readied a slimmer 2-slot thick cooling solution (versus 2.5) with no integrated lighting zones. Promotional renders show a triple-fan array and relatively substantial heatsink tempering a (not white) stubby custom PCB. Gigabyte pulled off something similar on a GB206 "Blackwell" GPU-based EAGLE model, albeit with only one fan positioned over crucial hardware. As per usual (for this series), the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti MIRACLE WHITE D7 models utilize NVIDIA's reference specifications.

Kuroutoshikou has updated its custom AMD graphics card portfolio with brand-new Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and 8 GB options. As covered in the recent past, this Japanese brand seems to source card designs from better known manufacturers—namely PowerColor/PC Partner and GALAX. Their latest offerings are unstickered black Reaper cards, albeit not in overclocked form—Kuroutoshikou has opted for Team Red's reference settings. A stamped PowerColor logo is still present on the largely featureless design's I/O shield.

When looking through Kuroutoshikou's catalog, several familiar current and past-gen unbadged Hellhound, Fighter and Low Profile models are present and accounted for. A minimalist aesthetic extends to retail packaging; the brand's tasteful signature box sports a mostly brushed gold-effect theme. Their Blade and Soul NEO crossover signalled a break from the norm—boringly, character illustrations were not applied to shroud or backplate pieces. Unsurprisingly, Kuroutoshikou products are exclusive to the Japanese PC hardware market. Fortunately, comprehensive distribution of nigh-identical PowerColor IPs is in effect across most of the globe.

Prior to early May, the existence of AMD's Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB GDDR6 model seemed to be in question. Discerning graphics card buyers tend to opt for larger pools of VRAM. In the modern era, 12 GB or 16 GB options are preferred in budget-to-mid-range segments. Additionally, media outlets are growing weary with a continued delivery of new-gen 8 GB offerings. Yesterday, Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter expressed a similar sentiment: "unhappily, AMD did not sample the 8 GB version of the (Radeon RX 9060 XT) card—perhaps because it knows the kind of reception it would receive from a tech press that are mostly united about the need for 8 GB cards to be shown the door." The site's Technology Editor was not alone in voicing frustrations about certain conditions that apply to international members of the media.

Yesterday, Linus Tech Tips (LTT) pulled back a major curtain. Their leaking of an alleged "official review guideline" demonstrates some level of exerting too much control. LTT shared a screenshot of AMD's "commitment to the press" (see below). On the subject of evaluators gaining access to the cheaper (baseline MSRP: $299) Navi 44 XT GPU-based card, a liaison stated: "as for the 8 GB models, AMD has enabled global reviews of both 16 GB and 8 GB models of the Radeon RX 9060 XT based on regional market demand. So in short, yes, there are some other global publications that are receiving 8 GB models for testing." VideoCardz's tracking of day one critiques reveals an almost complete seeding of 16 GB variants (starting at $349). Vitally, TechPowerUp's W1zzard will be reaching into his own pocket(s). As outlined in his reviews of various better equipped options: "since it wasn't possible to get an 8 GB model for review, everyone focused on 16 GB models. I'll buy one of course as soon as possible, to get you the crucial info how it performs." Back in April, (on his own dime) TPU's resident GPU critic acquired a Gainward GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB retail specimen. At the time, NVIDIA caught plenty of flak—only GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB models were distributed to reviewers and influencers.

Alphacool International GmbH, based in Braunschweig, has been a pioneer in PC water cooling technology for over 20 years. With one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry and over 20 years of experience, Alphacool is now expanding its portfolio with the new Core GeForce RTX 5080 GPU water cooler with Backplate for the ASUS Prime and TUF Gaming graphics cards as well as the Gigabyte AORUS Master, Gaming, Windforce and Aero graphics cards.

The GPU water coolers have been completely redesigned. Precise adjustments to the spacing between the cooler and the PCB, along with optimized water flow simulations and extensive practical testing, have resulted in significant improvements to the cooler base and jetplate. These enhancements ensure maximum cooling performance for the newest NVIDIA GeForce RTX generation. The GPU water coolers feature a precisely machined copper base with high-quality chrome plating for exceptional durability and a smooth surface. The design is further complemented by robust brass fittings with a nylon cover, ensuring maximum safety and reliability.

AMD's Radeon RX 9070 16 GB graphics card design launched along with a more capable and popular XT sibling, three months ago. Since then, the first wave of RDNA 4 desktop gaming products have hovered above suggested price baselines—much to the chagrin of brand champions. Yesterday, Germany's ComputerBase highlighted a brief fluctuation in elevated trends. Team Red's general European MSRP—for Radeon RX 9070 cards—is €629, including VAT. A price fluctuation report observed (on June 3): "Alternate.de is currently selling an XFX QuickSilver RX 9070 OC Gaming Edition for the first time at €613 (inc. VAT), thus below the MSRP. The (ComputerBase) editorial team was alerted to this by the community, and the bot for prices and availability for Radeon RX 9000 now also show this offer." Naturally, graphics connoisseur will scoff at this unusually low offer—after all, a mild upcharge grants access to the superior Radeon RX 9070 XT tier (MSRP: €689). The slightly cheaper option does have supporters; mainly due to its more energy efficient operation.

Members of the HotUKDeals community have become obsessed with finding deep graphics card discounts; a lucky few have boasted about acquiring current-gen AMD-based flagships at well below recommended price points. Several discerning customers have taken advantage of anomalous listings, and roundabout utilization of various eBay promotion codes. Pleasingly, a dual-fan Sapphire PULSE RX 9070 16 GB model floated just below British MSRP (£569.99, inc. VAT). Amazon UK's stock—of this barebones option—was quickly depleted, thanks to a tempting £10 reduction. Until the emergence of a current-gen Great Radeon Edition (GRE) design, (generally) AMD's Radeon RX 9070 model was considered an odd duck. A permanent price cut could raise its profile in the future.

Unlike certain rival manufacturers, XFX is keeping it simple with its product range of custom Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards. According to pre-launch information, entry-level Yeston GAEA and PowerColor Reaper models seem to sport slight specification differences—with 16 GB variants gaining a slight advantage in terms of game and boost clocks (over 8 GB relatives). According to XFX's Radeon RX 9060 series landing page, all Mercury OC and Swift OC SKUs share the same fundamentals. As mentioned in yesterday's coverage of the North American AIB's dual-fan offerings, identical "game clock up to 2780 MHz" and "boost clock up to 3320 MHz" factory settings are in effect across all Navi 44 XT GPU-based products.

The veteran AMD board partner's blanket approach deserves merit; many PC hardware community members are advocates of the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) design/build principle. On the flip side, XFX could be shooting itself in the foot. Budget-conscious buyers will likely opt for the quickest/cheapest Swift OC SKU, thus making flagship Mercury OC models a tough sell. For an upcharge (not yet known), you get a much larger + stealthy-looking cooling solution, and a full-length strip of white LED lighting. VideoCardz believes that the Radeon RX 9060 XT Mercury OC design does not utilize a vapor chamber-based system. Additionally, they surmise that AMD Navi 44 die yields are healthy—given the total overclocked status of upcoming Mercury and Swift cards.

AX Gaming—an offshoot of the better known Inno3D parent company—has introduced a brand-new X3W MAX product range. Due to recently updated trade restrictions, this Chinese NVIDIA board partner (and others) can no longer source top-flight "Blackwell" GPUs. Until the emergence of a nerfed GeForce RTX 5090D design, AX Gaming's latest lineup hits a ceiling with the GeForce RTX 5080 X3W MAX 16 GB SKU. Currently, TPU's GPU database lists an almost all-white non-MAX model—sporting an identical shroud design, and a similar-ish backplate. The MAX's unique selling point (USP) is a hidden power connection system, coupled with an unusual L-shaped custom power cord. Earlier today, Gigabyte introduced a flagship Stealth ICE model that seemingly takes a couple of cues from Sapphire's latest Nitro+ setup. AX Gaming has readied less potent GeForce RTX 5070 Ti X3W Max 16 GB and GeForce RTX 5070 X3W Max 12 GB options. It is possible that dual-fan (X2W) MAX relatives could appear at a later date; housing Team Green's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 GPUs.

Around mid-April, an unusual custom GeForce RTX 5090D design received international news coverage. Under normal circumstances, NVIDIA's board partners have not equipped modern gaming graphics cards with blower-style cooling solutions—typically, this type of treatment is reserved for workstation-grade products (operating at lower TDPs). Team Green's GB202 "Blackwell" GPU is in high demand, due to its AI-crunching prowess—even in slightly nerfed form. Smaller Chinese AI firms and well-heeled hobbyists seemed to be snapping up sanction-adjusted flagship gaming GPUs that are/were coupled with very unofficial blower-type coolers. A month and a half later, Olrak29 has placed a spotlight on a curious batch of bootleg-esque "RTX 5090 32G D7 Turbo" models. As implied by this identifier, these offerings seem to leverage the unpasteurized GeForce RTX 5090 (non-D) GPU.

Photo evidence was scraped from Goofish; a second-hand trading platform owned and operated by Alibaba. As of last month, industry whispers suggested another downgrade of the Chinese market-exclusive GeForce RTX 5090D design—following the complete cutoff of GB202 die shipments into the region. Given current global tensions and export restrictions, NVIDIA and Leadtek's Blackwell PRO W card series faces an uncertain future in China. The Goofish photo uploads indicate an impressive volume of unbranded "RTX 5090 32G D7 Turbo" stock. Stacks of boxes in the background are labelled with "NVIDIA RTX 4090 24G AIB BLOWER" or "NVIDIA RTX 4070 12G AIB BLOWER" stickers—perhaps as diversion tactics. According to VideoCardz and Tom's Hardware, Team Green is not expected to play detective—the North American corporation will probably not provide in-depth comments about elaborate "GPU smuggling" channels.

PowerColor introduced four custom Radeon RX 9060 XT options during Computex 2025; consisting of standard black mid-range Hellhound and entry-level Reaper models. The dark 16 GB and 8 GB launch lineup will be joined by Spectral White sibling in the near future. The manufacturer's China website was updated with three pale alternatives at some point last week. Currently, only the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Hellhound Spectral White SKU has made tracks over to the Taiwanese brand's global web presence. The company's Navi 44 XT GPU-based portfolio is not expected to welcome premium-tier Red Devil entries, so the current collection—of seven distinct offerings—will suffice.

Curiously, the two Reaper models seem to differ in terms of clock speeds. As noted by VideoCardz, this specification disparity reflects a recently reported difference between Yeston's Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and 8 GB GAEA SKUs. Almost akin to patterns exhibited by the Chinese AIB's baseline MSRP conformant products, the PowerColor Reaper 16 GB card seems to boast greater game and boost clock digits when compared to its 8 GB sibling: +90 MHz and 100 MHz (respectively). At first, Yeston's GAEA spec charts were believed to contain placeholder info or anomalous data. The appearances of comparable PowerColor examples indicate an advantageous position for certain 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM-equipped models.

ASRock, the leading global motherboard, graphics card and mini PC manufacturer, today launched the new Steel Legend and Challenger series graphics cards based on the latest AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU. As the latest member of the AMD Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs, AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT also uses the AMD RDNA 4 architecture, which is equipped with the 3rd Gen ray tracing and 2nd Gen AI accelerators, provides up to 32 AMD RDNA 4 compute units, and supports AMD HYPR-RX, AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 4 and advanced Frame Generation..., and other AMD's latest exclusive technologies, plus the latest specifications such as DisplayPort 2.1a, PCI Express 5.0, and also a large-capacity up to 16 GB GDDR6 memory. These rich features and specifications provide end users with an excellent AAA gaming experience.

Otherwise, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Series graphics cards also support various ASRock exclusive features, including the Striped Ring/Axial Fan, Air Deflecting Fin, Ultra-fit Heatpipe, Metal Backplate, and Polychrome SYNC technology to provide great cooling efficiency, solid construction and fancy ARGB lighting effects. With these exclusive features, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Series graphics cards are premium choices for gamers and system integrators.

GALAX's modular "Boomstar" series of GeForce RTX 50-series cards are not well known in the West, but a little bit of global coverage trickled out last month. The Chinese manufacturer often releases regional exclusives, and its latest LUNA (white) and NOX (black) options are prime examples. Lucky owners can attach/detach Boomstar shrouds and cooling fans via a convenient and fully magnetic system. According to their latest teaser/promo material, GALAX seems to be preparing another modular part. A snazzy mirror finish backplate design has turned up online—as pointed out by VideoCardz. So far, published renders show only white examples sporting reflective back surfaces. Current LUNA and NOX SKUs cover GeForce RTX 5080, RTX 5070 Ti, and RTX 5070 GPU tiers. Unfortunately, NVIDIA's slightly nerfed flagship "Blackwell" chip is no longer available in China—another GeForce RTX 5090D downgrade is pending. Up until recently, GALAX was promoting an impressive Hall of Fame record-breaking lineup. Looking at the other end of Team Green's "Blackwell" gaming GPU spectrum, a GeForce RTX 5060 Ti Boomstar model seems to be in the pipeline.

Earlier in the week, Yeston revealed a sci-fi/cyberpunk character-themed Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Game Ace SKU. Eager followers of the Chinese brand were wondering whether additional custom designs—based on AMD's Navi 44 XT GPU—were in the pipeline, possibly ready in time for an official June 5 launch. In Yeston's case, they expect to start shipping on June 7—exclusively for the Chinese market. Fortunately, several dual-fan "GAEA" and triple-fan "Game Ace White" models have turned up on Yeston's JD.com storefront. VideoCardz has pored over the fundamentals, and quickly realized that there are key differences—in terms of GPU clock speeds—when cross-referencing entry-level/barebones GAEA 16 GB and 8 GB card specifications.

The latter variant seems to exist as Yeston's absolute baseline MSRP option; its pre-order tag is 2499 RMB, including VAT. Curiously, pre-launch info seems to show the 16 GB sibling (2899 RMB, inc. VAT) possessing elevated boost and game clocks: 3230 MHz and 2620 GHz (respectively). The lesser model makes do with Team Red's reference figures: 3130 MHz and 2530 MHz (respectively). VideoCardz believes that this is an isolated case; they have not stumbled upon similar spec disparities between product family members—be it with other AIBs or within Yeston's stable. It could be safe to assume that Yeston's product pages contain inaccurate or placeholder numbers.

Back in January, keen trackers of internal Team Blue developments stumbled upon encouraging signs of new Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" graphics card activity. Fast-forward to Computex 2025; where Intel and involved board partners unveiled Pro-grade B60 and B50 workstation card products. In the interim, rumors of a canceled "BMG-G31" GPU-based gaming series turned up online. Leading up to last week's important trade event, Team Blue's social media accounts were actively engaging with the community—mostly answering queries regarding a speculated Arc Xe2 "B770" model. According to secretive show floor banter, higher-end B-series gaming graphics cards could be lined up for a fourth quarter launch (this year).

Freshly discovered "BMG" identifiers were highlighted by Lasse Kärkkäinen—this latest tip-off was directed at GawroskiT, Haze2K1 and x86deadandback. At various points in 2024 and 2025, these veteran industry observers have unearthed crucial "Battlemage" inside track information. Team Blue's Mesa graphics driver for Linux was updated late last week; Kärkkäinen's attention was drawn by 0xe220, 0xe221, 0xe222 to 0xe223 device codes. These IDs seemingly exist in a separate category, distinct from "BMG-21." Intel's B580 and B570 cards are based on "Battlemage" BMG-21 GPU die foundations. According to Wccftech's expert opinion: "at least two of these listings belong to Intel's recently-unveiled Battlemage 'ARC Pro' variants...The rest of the two device IDs will belong to newer models, and the one we anticipate to be unveiled is the Arc B770, since Intel 'indirectly' confirmed its release at Computex, but this will occur in the latter part of the year, presumably at Intel Innovation 2025." Inevitably, the Arc Xe2 "Battlemage" family will be succeeded by "Celestial"—recent leaks have suggested development of Xe3 reaching a pre-silicon validation phase.

Hey racers, we know you're all excited to get your hands on the game this week—we can't wait to see what you think. In early testing, we have identified that the vast majority of game crashes on PC are resolved by making sure that graphics drivers are up-to-date. So that you have the best possible experience playing the game from lights-out, we recommend making sure this is the case before you load up F1 25 for the first time.

• For NVIDIA users please use the latest F1 25 Game Ready driver (576.52 released May 19th)
• For AMD, please use the latest Adrenalin drivers 25.5.1.
• For Intel, please use version 32.0.101.6795.

Roughly a month ago, Yeston introduced its new generation Game Ace design along with a mysterious no. 207 mascot. The Chinese manufacturer is best known for creating bright and sparkly graphics cards, but a couple of darker products have emerged from their HQ. Their latest offering—finished in varying tones of pink, purple and black—was debuted with GeForce RTX 50-series hardware. At the start of this week, the 2025 Game Ace lineup welcomed a new member. Yeston's social media accounts introduced a custom Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB model: "the black and purple cyberpunk RX 9060 XT Game Ace launched today. Would he be your choice?" In a reply to a follower's question, a company rep confirmed that the better known Sakura and Sakura Atlantis backplate/shroud designs are currently reserved for higher-end Radeon RX 9070 XT and non-XT options (within the RDNA 4 family). Game Ace will probably not escape the confines of Navi 44 (XT) hardware.

Unsurprisingly, the Yeston Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Game Ace SKU exhibits only minor visual differences, when compared to its "Blackwell" GPU-based relatives. We are looking at a fairly typical triple-fan + three 6 mm heat pipes cooling solution. A single 8-pin power connector is visible in some of Yeston's promotional renders. According to ITHome's inspection of specifications: "the boost frequency and game frequency under standard mode (STD) are 3230 MHz and 2620 MHz respectively, and the VAR mode further overclocks to 3230 MHz and 2780 MHz." Despite claiming that their freshly unveiled Game Ace model has reached launch status, the AIB likely has to conform with official AMD decree. Team Red's board partners will be releasing Radeon RX 9060 XT cards on June 5.

Prior to AMD's official unveiling of the Radeon RX 9060 XT series, Sapphire's Computex booth teased a forthcoming lineup of custom graphics card options. Hours later, the TechPowerUp crew inspected freshly wall-mounted specimens. To the surprise of many, the Hong Kong-based manufacturer is readying a premium Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB NITRO+ SKU for launch time (on June 5). The usual suspects—in PULSE and PURE guises—were also exhibited within the walls of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Centre. Not long after the closing of ceremonies, Sapphire China's JD.com store has opened up pre-orders for six launch day products.

Yesterday, a VideoCardz investigative piece delved into pre-release price points (including VAT). Keen potential customers can secure finalized retail units via a deposit system; demanding a 50 RMB (~$7 USD) upfront fee. Unsurprisingly, the largest tag is affixed to Sapphire's triple-fan 16 GB NITRO+ model—3299 RMB (~$458 USD). This top-tier option sits 800 RMB above Team Red's suggested guideline. The AIB's barebones dual-fan Radeon RX 9060 XT PULSE 8 GB package adheres to official MSRP: 2499 RMB (~$347 USD). Their PULSE 16 GB model sits almost in the middle of the lineup—in terms of pricing—at 2899 RMB (~$402 USD). VideoCardz believes that another PULSE color/finish variant will emerge, at some point post-launch—bringing the total number of items up to seven distinct products.

ASRock revealed its Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC flagship card at CES 2025—at the time, TechPowerUp staffers quickly realized that this design was outfitted with a 12V-2x6 power connector. Up until early 2025, this connection standard was mostly associated with NVIDIA GeForce 40 and 50-series graphics cards. ASRock and Sapphire have taken the unusual step of deploying premium RDNA 4 GPU-based models that sport 12V-2x6 connectors; breaking away from a traditional usage of 8-pin power delivery channels. The Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC SKU arrived with a new aesthetic; consisting of various gunmetal gray shades, gear graphics, and ARGB lighting zones. Visitors to the company's Computex 2025 booth were dazzled by plethora of new products—most notably: brand-new Radeon RX 9060 XT models.

Unfortunately, TPU's photographer did not notice a very special current-gen Taichi spin-off. Apparently, the Taiwanese manufacturer has absorbed some inspiration from a nearby rival's "Spectral White" line: PowerColor. ASRock's "Taichi White 16 GB OC Concept Card" seems to stick with existing overclocked Radeon RX 9070 XT specifications (including a 3.1 GHz boost clock), but the firm's engineering team has integrated an LCD information window. This built-in-display was not powered up—for obvious reasons—but industry watchdogs reckon that (speculative) finalized retail examples will demand higher prices of entry, due to this extra provision. Company representatives—in attendance at last week's Computex event—have disclosed only a bare minimum of details. Top brass could be weighing up Taichi White's future; with an escape beyond concept phases—maybe in limited edition form.

During a recent Gigabyte Nan-Ping factory tour, members of the media/press encountered trays of brand-new bare motherboards and graphics cards. HWCooling's Jan Olšan noticed the presence of a not-yet-launched RDNA 4 product. Fortunately, the manufacturer granted photo access (two examples are below). A full report outlined multiple products and production pipelines, but Olšan's scoop serves as a nice preview of things to come. We anticipate TechPowerUp's W1zzard de-shrouding of numerous custom Radeon RX 9060 XT designs, early on next month. Prior to the publication of comprehensive evaluations, HWCooling's article provided an early insight: "a wild Radeon RX 9060 XT appears…take note of the graphics card in the top-right corner of the first lot of PCBs—this is likely the first publicly shown PCB of the Radeon RX 9060 XT, which, technically speaking, may still be under NDA. So enjoy this privileged look at the exposed Navi 44 chip."

Olšan linked the factory specimen to a freshly revealed design: "the card will go on sale June 5, with reviews a day earlier. Its design matches AMD's official renderings, and its identity is further pointed at by the unusual three display connectors. This should be the PCB for the Gaming version of the card, or more specifically, the Gaming OC model with three fans. The cooler will significantly overhang the PCB, with a pass-through window under the last fan." Last week, the TechPowerUp team spent hands-on time with Gigabyte's premium Radeon RX 9060 XT Gaming OC SKU. Prior to Computex 2025, product registration information pointed to the Taiwanese manufacturer readying Gaming OC 16 GB and 8 GB variants. Curiously, the company's RDNA 4 custom card portfolio is represented by a lone ultra-premium AORUS ELITE flagship option and various triple-fan Gaming OC models.