As we inch ever closer to AMD's Zen launch, more and more information seems to be slipping through the cracks. This time, MAXSUN, an AMD China partner (poised to provide customers with AM4 platform motherboards) is the source of the proverbial leak, with information that, if true, is sure to stir the pot of bubbling Zen excitement even more.

According to MAXSUN, Zen's initial release date is pegged for January 17th, which, if true, would probably mean a product announcement around CES 2017 (scheduled from the 5th of January through the 8th) - at the same time as Intel is expected to fully unveil their Kaby Lake parts. The company also reports a second release window at March 2017, which lends further credence to AMD's expected staggered launch of Zen-based processors, first for the High-Performance-Desktop (HEDT) market, and trickling down from there. MAXSUN also confirms the pricing scheme we reported yesterday, with regards to the companies' SR7 processors (the top-of-the-line parts in the Zen line-up, and whose naming scheme I think isn't the final one) - the company states these are expected to be priced at around 1500-2000 Yuan SKU ($250-$300).

The retail packaging of Intel's 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors in the LGA1151 package, will be surprisingly colorful, and a throwback to the pre-Pentium 4 era, according to spy-shots of the retail boxes of the upcoming Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K. What's even more surprising, is that packages of the i7-6700K and i5-6600K, which feature unlocked base-clock multipliers, making them primed for overclocking, do not include stock cooling solutions. Their retail packages resemble those of Intel's Core i7 HEDT processors. In the box, you'll find just the processor, its case-badge, and basic documentation.

Both the Core i7-6700K and Core i5-6600K feature the same integrated graphics SKU - HD Graphics 530. Both feature integrated memory controllers that support both DDR3L and DDR4 memory types. The Core i5 predictably lacks HyperThreading, and only features 6 MB of L3 cache, while the Core i7 features HyperThreading, and the full 8 MB present on the chip. The "Skylake" silicon will be built on the 14 nm process.

German server/workstation builder Deltatronic unveiled an otherwise impossible-sounding feat - a workstation that's completely fanless, and running Intel's Core i7 "Haswell-E" or Xeon E5-1xxx/2xxx "Haswell-EP" processors (up to 160W TDP), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 or Quadro K4200 "Maxwell" graphics, completely fanless. The system runs on what the company calls a "heavy-duty convector cooler," which involves solid copper blocks over the CPU/GPU, from which nickel-plated copper heat pipes transfer heat onto a large aluminium panel with grooves, making it the system's heatsink. CPU options include the entire Core "Haswell-E" family, and Xeon E5 "Haswell-EP" family (including 160W TDP models), and GPU options include the entire GeForce "Maxwell" discrete GPU family. The cheapest option, with a Core i7-5820K and GeForce 210 graphics, starts at 1,990€.

A fusion between PC hardware giant ASUS' Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand, and Valve's Steam Machines, was bound to happen. With the new ROG GR8S, ASUS has taken a plunge into the exciting new gaming platform that bridges living room gaming consoles, and full-blown gaming PCs, backed by Steam. The ROG GR8S is roughly as big as a modern console such as Xbox One, but features ASUS' signature red and black ROG product design.

The ROG GR8S is peppered with a lot more wired connectivity than a console, offering two USB 2.0 (for controllers, keyboards, mice), four USB 3.0 SuperSpeed ports, DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI 2.0 - both of support 4K Ultra HD at 60 Hz; gigabit Ethernet (Intel controller), digital and analog multi-channel audio connectivity. Under the hood, ASUS offers Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors (options), GeForce GTX 900 "Maxwell" graphics (options), between 4 GB and 16 GB of DDR3 system RAM (options), either 500 GB to 1 TB HDD or 128 GB to 512 GB SSD storage, and an 802.11 ac WLAN controller with Miracast receiver.

G.SKILL International Co., Ltd., the leading extreme performance memory manufacturer and designer, is excited to feature two extremely high end DDR4 memory at 3333MHz 32GB (4GBx8) and 3200MHz 32GB (8GBx4) during Intel Developer Forum 2014 (IDF 2014). Driven by the newest Intel i7-5960X CPU on the newest ASUS Rampage V Extreme X99 and X99-Deluxe motherboards, the Ripjaws 4 series DDR4 3333MHz 4GBx8 and 3200MHz 8GBx4 memory demonstrates the highest DDR4 speed available in 4GB and 8GB modules, respectively.

"It's very exciting to show the world what we can do with the new DDR4 memory standard for the latest Intel X99 platform. There is no doubt that breaking the 3000MHz memory barrier with ease is the next big thing in desktop performance, effectively doubling bandwidth throughput compared to the previous DDR3 memory standard," says Frank Hung, Product Marketing at G.SKILL.

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer), a leader in rugged small form factor computing has released the new model LPC-630F, a high performance fanless small form computer. The highly reliable LPC-630F is loaded with features generally found in systems many times its diminutive size.

Stealth's LPC-630F is a quiet yet powerful small form factor computer that operates without noisy cooling fans which could draw in dirt resulting in potential failures. Stealth's fanless computers are encapsulated in a rugged extruded aluminum chassis performing as a heat sink to dissipate heat build-up. Its compact size 7.9" x 7.9" x 2.56" (200 x 200 x 65 mm) make it ideal for space challenged applications.

At the OC Main Event in San Francisco, co-hosted by ASUS, Corsair and Intel, the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard was used to break five overclocking world records. Combining the Rampage IV Black Edition motherboard with ASUS GeForce GTX Titan graphics cards, the latest 4th generation Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processors and Corsair Vengeance Extreme and Dominator Platinum DDR3 memory, world-renowned members of the international overclocking community worked with ROG engineers to claim new top scores with the 3DMark 11Entry, 3DMark 11 Performance, 3DMark Fire Strike, Cinebench, and quad-channel memory frequency.

"We are proud that previous ASUS X79 motherboards have dominated overclocking rankings by breaking 26 world records since the chipset launch," said Jackie Hsu, ASUS Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Worldwide Sales, Open Platform Business Group. "The accomplishments we demonstrated here at the OC Main Event San Francisco are a testament to what is achievable by combining world-class R&D with incredible talents from the enthusiast community." Xavier Laurent, Director of Product Marketing for Corsair adds "As a company that creates products by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, collaborating with like-minded partners ASUS and Intel to break world benchmarking records using Corsair Dominator Platinum and Vengeance Pro memory was a natural fit. The success of the OC Main Event San Francisco demonstrates the continued strength of the enthusiast community and validates our commitment to this portion of the ecosystem."

More benchmarks of Intel's upcoming socket LGA2011 flagship client processor, the Core i7-4960X "Ivy Bridge-E," surfaced on the web. Tom's Hardware scored an engineering sample of the chip, and wasted no time in comparing it with contemporaries across three previous Intel generations, and AMD's current generation. These include chips such as the i7-3970X, i7-4770K, i7-3770K, i7-2700K, FX-8350, and A10-5800K.

In synthetic tests, the i7-4960X runs neck and neck with the i7-3970X, offering a 5 percent performance increment at best. It's significantly faster than the i7-3930K, Intel's $500-ish offering for over 7 quarters running. Its six cores and twelve SMT threads give it a definite edge over quad-core Intel parts in multi-threaded synthetic tests. In single-threaded tests, the $350 i7-4770K is highly competitive with it. The only major surprise on offering is power-draw. Despite its TDP being rated at 130W, on par with the i7-3960X, the i7-4960X "Ivy Bridge-E" offers significantly higher energy-efficiency, which can be attributed to the 22 nm process on which it's built, compared to its predecessor's 32 nm process. Find the complete preview at the source.

Lenovo today announced several new touch-enabled Windows laptops, along with Lenovo Miix, a platform-bending multi-mode device that adapts to a user's every need. As a 10.1-inch tablet that converts instantly into a fully-functioning, Windows 8 laptop, the Lenovo Miix combines versatility and power in one touch-enabled device. The IdeaPad S400 Touch, S500 Touch, S210 Touch, U330 Touch and U430 Touch all hail from the company's S Series and U Series, which are notable for their thin and lightweight designs.

The new Lenovo Miix, S Series and U Series devices demonstrate Lenovo's commitment to "touch" as a defining trend in consumer computing. Research analyst firm IDC expects the penetration rate of touch laptops, which now sits at close to 15 percent, to double next year. Leading that trend, Lenovo is innovating across traditional technology segments - such as desktop and laptop PCs - with its new multi-mode, touch-enabled devices.

Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES) introduces the XPand6104 Small Form Factor (SFF) system supporting a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 COM Express module. With commercial connectors, this SFF system can be utilized as an XPedite7450 COM Express development platform, a deployable SFF system, or a demo platform for applications requiring a high-performance Intel Core i7 processor solution.

In a natural convection-cooled SFF enclosure, the XPand6104 is ideal for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP)-constrained applications at 2.10 in. (H) x 4.88 in. (W) x 7.70 in. (L) and weighing less than 4 lbs. It includes an XPedite7450 Intel Core i7 ruggedized COM Express module and an optional 1.8 in. SSD. The front panel features an RJ-45 Ethernet connector to a10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet port, a USB 2.0 connector to a USB 2.0 port, an eSATA connector to a SATA 3.0 Gb/s port, two micro-DB-9 connectors to RS-232 serial ports, a DisplayPort connector for graphics, reset and power switches, and status LEDs. It includes an integrated MIL-STD-704 28 V DC input voltage power supply with MIL-STD-461 EMI filtering and an external AC/DC 110 V AC input voltage power supply for development.

The ASUS ROG G46VW finally brings genuine game-driving power to the compact and portable 14" segment. Endowed with every advantage offered by other ROG gaming notebooks, it embeds 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processors, discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M graphics, NVIDIA Optimus technology for long battery life, and extra-fast data transfers with Intel Thunderbolt. Advanced ROG engineering achieves unmitigated performance in a very transportable and light product. The G46VW keeps the powerful rear-venting dual-exhaust thermal design of fellow G Series notebooks, running cool and quiet. It offers gamers superior comfort and input ergonomics, maintaining renowned eye-catching G Series aesthetics. For customers who demand true mobility without having to forego performance gaming, the G46VW presents an ideal proposition.

Eurocom, is launching five new Intel Core i7 mobile processors in the line of Eurocom Fully Upgradeable Notebooks, including the Intel Core i7-3940XM, 3840QM, 3740QM, 3630QM, 3612QM. The 3rd generation Intel Core i7 quad core mobile processors will give Eurocom Notebooks increased power efficiency, performance and security. All Eurocom notebooks are fully upgradeable and customizable, allowing customers to choose exactly the processor they need to get the job done right.

"The low thermal design point and energy consumption of the 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processors allow Eurocom to provide top of the line video capability within our small form factor notebook designs because of the limited cooling needs of the processor" said Mark Bialic, Eurocom President.

Intel has this week revealed the discontinuance schedule for a lot of its older, 32 nm processors, including the Celeron G440 and the Core i5-2310, i5-2320, i5-2400, i5-2400S, i5-2405S, i5-2500, i5-2500K, i5-2500S, i5-2500T, i7-2600, i7-2600K, i7-2600S and i7-2700K. Interestingly enough, there's also a 22 nm chip on the black list, the 3.1 GHz Core i5-3450 which was released just last quarter.

All the CPUs listed are set to be available for orders until March 29, 2013, and will continue to ship while supplies last (for the boxed versions) or until September 27, 2013 (for the tray versions).

Apple today updated MacBook Air with the latest Intel Core processors, faster graphics and flash storage that is up to twice as fast as the previous generation.* MacBook Air is the ultimate everyday notebook, and with new lower prices it is more affordable than ever. The current generation 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro have also been updated with the latest Intel Core processors and powerful discrete graphics from NVIDIA. Apple's popular AirPort Express has been redesigned to include features previously available only in AirPort Extreme.

"Today we've updated the entire MacBook line with faster processors, graphics, memory, flash storage and USB 3 connectivity," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "We've made the world's best portable family even better and we think users are going to love the performance advances in both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro."

Eurocom Corporation, a developer of long lifespan, high performance, fully upgradable Notebooks and Mobile Workstations has launched a small form factor notebook with up to 3 terabytes storage via three 1 terabyte storage drives, 3rd Generation Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge Processors, up to 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics with Optimus technology.

EUROCOM Fox 4.0 provides high-calibre performance, powerful graphics capabilities and high performance storage with three physical storage drives RAID 0/1/5 capability. Super powerful Intel Core i7 are supported for high-end computing wherever life takes place.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced its enhanced business laptops product line with 3rd generation Intel Core processors and new technology developed with IBM that enables IT professionals to better control the security and power management across enterprise deployments. The new models include the Portégé Z930 Ultrabook and the Portégé R930 ultraportable, as well as upgrades to its Tecra line of laptops, business workhorses with enhanced durability, security and reliability.

It's proven: the thermal interface material (TIM) used by Intel, inside the integrated heatspreader (IHS) of its Core "Ivy Bridge" processors are behind its higher than expected load temperatures. This assertion was first made in late-April by an Overclockers.com report, and was recently put to test by Japanese tech portal PC Watch, in which an investigator carefully removed the IHS of a Core i7-3770K processor, removed the included TIM and binding grease, and replaced them with a pair of aftermarket performance TIMs, such as OCZ Freeze and Coolaboratory Liquid Pro.

PC Watch findings show that swapping the TIM, if done right, can shave stock clock (3.5 GHz, Auto voltage) temperatures by as much as 18% (lowest temperatures by the Coolaboratory TIM), and 4.00 GHz @ 1.2V temperatures by as much as 23% (again, lowest temperatures on the Coolaboratory TIM). The change in TIM was also change the overclockability of the chip, which was then able to sustain higher core voltages to facilitate higher core clock speeds. The report concluded that Intel's decision to use thermal paste inside the IHS of its Ivy Bridge chips, instead of fluxless solder, poses a very real impact on temperatures and overclockability.

TYAN, an industry-leading server platform manufacturer and subsidiary of MiTAC International Corp., announces new CPU support for the S5515 and S5517. These embedded motherboards now support the 3rd Generation Intel Core processor product family (codename: Ivy Bridge) with a quick bios update. These two platforms now deliver the benefits of Intel's 22 nm Core i3/i5/i7 processor architecture with stronger performance, consistent reliability, and low cost in small form factor that targets various applications in the embedded industry.

TYAN's S5515 and S5517 embedded motherboards now offer support for 3rd Generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors. Existing motherboards will only need a BIOS update to support the new processors. Intel's 3rd Generation Intel Core processors offer greater performance with multiple expansion options such as PCI-E x16 Gen.3 slots, SATA 6G/3G controllers, U-DDR3 1600/1333/1066 w/o ECC memory slots and USB 3.0 ports. These two products deliver enhanced computing performance, greater 3D (tri-gate) effect and more RAM support. This makes them the ideal platforms for customers with critical requirements from telecom, networking, storage, medical imaging, embedded severs, security and surveillance appliances.

HP's posterboy Ultrabook, the Envy 14 Spectre, was announced last month amidst some fanfare, though it wasn't immediately available. As announced it is now available via HP's online store for US $1,399.99 for the base-configuration, and 1,899.99 for HP's "recommended configuration", which includes a 256 GB SSD, and a Core i7-2770M processor instead of a 128 GB SSD and Core i5-2467M on the base-configuration, among other HP-exclusives. The 14-incher measures 12.88" (W) x 8.7" (D) x 0.79" (H), weighing 1.8 kg, packs a 1366x768 pixel screen; two of its most notable features, apart from its size, include solid-state storage and near-field communication (NFC).

If gaming-console manufacturers want to stifle innovation in the gaming industry with old, archaic hardware, it's time for game PC vendors to do something to woo the console crowd. Dell's flagship gaming PC brand, Alienware, announced the X51, a gaming desktop built around the size of a typical gaming console, but packing today's computing technologies that PC gamers have access to. It starts at US $699. Its chassis measures 343 x 95 x 318 mm (HxWxD), and can be oriented vertically, or horizontally. It features cutting-edge styling by Alienware with dashes of piano black, matte black, and lime. Its front features audio, USB ports, and a slot-in DVD-RW / Blu-ray ROM (optional).

The $699 base model is driven by an Intel Core i3 dual-core processor, though more powerful Core i5 and Core i7 processors can be opted for. Graphics is handled by NVIDIA GeForce GT 545, though GT 555 can be opted for. 4 GB of dual-channel DDR3 memory comes standard, up to 8 GB can be opted for. 1 TB 7200rpm HDD storage comes out of the box, faster SSDs can be opted for. Connectivity includes 7.1-channel HD audio with Waves MAXX Audio Software, gigabit Ethernet, Wireless b/g/n, optical and coaxial SPDIF audio outputs. The graphics card gives out HDMI and DVI outputs. Yes, it can run Crysis.

Welcome to the first TechPowerUp news post of 2012! Read on for a couple of impressive overclocking feats with the HD 7970 graphics card.

It looks like the new AMD Radeon HD 7970 could be a bit of a dark horse and a lot more potent than its stock specifications would suggest - excellent for creating a competitive graphics card market. The reviews at stock speeds show the flagship HD 7970 to be around 10-15% faster than NVIDIA's flagship GTX 580, which doesn't seem all that impressive since the GTX 580 has been on the market for over a year now. However, what the reviews haven't really shown, is what kind of an overclocking monster the HD 7970 is. It definitely looks like AMD could have easily beaten the GTX 580 by a much bigger margin than they did, had they wanted to and it makes one wonder why they didn't.

VR-Zone have spent the New Year weekend overclocking this beast, having reached a whopping 1.26 GHz core clock speed with their HD 7970 - and decent benchmark improvements to go with it. Also, with the fan at 100%, the card never got above a very comfortable 68 degrees centigrade while running Furmark, which is amazing considering how this test is specifically designed to heat a graphics card to the max - but please see the update at the bottom of the article. The stock cooler may be noisy, but it's certainly very effective: an excellent result which will prolong the working life of the card.

Welcome to the TechPowerUp 2011 PC technology Christmas special. We hope that you will enjoy reading it while tucking into your turkey, Christmas presents and a little too much wine... In this article, we go through the technology of 2011 that has had the most significance, the most impact and was generally the most talked about. It's not necessarily the best tech of 2011 which is the most significant though, since lemons can be just as significant as the ground-breakers in how they fail to deliver - and the backlash that goes with it.

January: Intel Sandy Bridge i5 & i7

Released on January 9th, the new Intel Core i5 & i7 processors were based on Intel's second generation Core architecture built on a 32 nm production process (HEXUS review). They included an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) physically on the same piece of silicon along with HyperThreading. These new dual and quad core processors soundly beat all previous generations of Intel processors in terms of processing performance, heat, power use, features and left AMD in the dust. Therefore, Intel badly needed some competition from AMD and unless you have been living under a rock, you will know how that turned out in October with the launch of Bulldozer. Sandy Bridge was a sound win and is generally considered to be the only architecture worth considering at this point. The i5-2500K is currently at the sweet spot of price/performance. It comes at a stock speed of 3.3 GHz, but typically overclocks to an amazing 4.5 - 5 GHz with a decent air cooler and without too much difficulty in getting there. Models in the budget i3 range were released at various times later. See this Wikipedia article for details.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced a line of high-performance memory upgrade kits for power laptop users.

Operating at speeds of 1600 MHz and 1866 MHz, the new Vengeance laptop memory upgrade kits are an ideal solution for notebooks equipped with a 2nd Generation Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor. Vengeance laptop memory is designed to be plug-and-play, with no BIOS adjustments needed to instantly take advantage of the faster memory speed.

NVIDIA today announced that system builders worldwide are now shipping the fastest PC gaming platforms ever built, thanks in part to NVIDIA SLI technology and the just-released Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition processors and X79 chipset-based motherboards.

The combination of NVIDIA SLI technology -- which allows for multiple GPUs to run on a single PC -- and new X79-based motherboards allow gamers to customize their PC experience with up to four NVIDIA GeForce GTX GPUs, including the GeForce GTX 580 and GTX 570, the world's fastest DX11 GPUs. Licensed by the world's leading motherboard manufacturers -- including Intel, ASUS, ASRock, EVGA, Foxconn, Gigabyte and MSI, SLI technology is crucial for playing this year's hottest graphics-intensive games, such as the recently released Battlefield 3 and upcoming Batman: Arkham City with detail, resolution and immersion settings cranked up.

Razer, maker of high performance gaming gear, has reported that two of their prototype gaming laptops were stolen on the weekend of 4th November from their Bay Area R&D lab. Looking at the basic specs of the laptop, one can see why they were so attractive to thieves: Intel Core i7 2640M Processor (2.80 GHz), 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 Memory, 17.3" LED Backlit Display (1920 x 1080 pixels) & NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M with NVIDIA Optimus Technology and 2 GB Dedicated GDDR5 Video Memory and of course the styling. The outfit is understandably miffed about this and have announced the theft on their Facebook page: