Chinese motherboard manufacturer Zeal-All has recently released a brand new LGA1151 Intel B150 motherboard with integrated GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. The bizarre motherboard supports 6th and 7th generation Intel core processors (Skylake and Kaby Lake chips). The unusual form factor of 235 x 197.5 mm is likely aimed at custom enterprise uses such as AI algorithms as noted on Zeal-All's site. Besides the uncommon form factor, the motherboard also uses laptop SODIMMs and features no typical power connections, only a barrel connector for an external 19 V power source.

In terms of I/O the motherboard comes with an interesting arrangement including HDMI, LAN, 4x USB 3.0, and Mic-in/Line-out. Internal connectors include 3x USB 2.0 Pin, 2x USB2.0 Pin, CPU Fan, System Fan, 2x LVDS Pin (support dual Channel 10 Bit), 4x SATA, Front panel Pin and Audio Pin Port. The motherboard is fitted with a Realtek 8111E LAN controller for gigabit Ethernet and a Mini-PCIe slot for a Wi-Fi expansion card.

Server motherboard specialist Supermicro has been taking steps into the client-segment for a couple of years now under its SUPERO brand. Its latest creation is a socket LGA1200 motherboard based on the Intel Z490 chipset, the Pro Gaming C9Z490-PGW. There isn't too much bling or color, except some contemporary design cues such as the rear I/O shroud, and diagonal accents on the PCH and M.2 heatsinks. The feature-set of this board looks like it's been drawn up by people who design enterprise boards. The board pulls power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it with a 12-phase "server grade" VRM. Its BIOS ROM chip is socketed. There's equal focus on U.2 as M.2.

The star attraction is the PCIe setup. The board uses a PLX PEX8747 PCI-Express gen 3.0 x48 bridge chip to drive two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots at full x16 bandwidth, which can split between four slots in x8/x8/x8/x8 configuration when all of them are populated. Storage connectivity includes one each of M.2-2280 and M.2-22110 slots; two U.2 ports with 32 Gbps wiring; and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking options include a 10 GbE interface pulled by an Aquantia AQC107 controller, a second Intel i219-V PHY handling a 1 GbE port, and 802.11ax + Bluetooth 5 wireless connectivity provided by an Intel AX201 module. USB connectivity includes four 10 Gbps USB 3.2 gen 2 ports, and six 5 Gbps gen 1 ports. The onboard audio setup features a high-grade Realtek ALC1220 codec. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Cincoze, a professional manufacturer of embedded systems, unveils the GM-1000 rugged GPU computer, which is powered by the 9th/8th generation Intel CPU and supports one MXM GPU module expansion. This GPU computer provides high-performance computing capability with a small footprint design, which is suitable for applications like edge computing, machine vision, image processing, and artificial intelligence.

GM-1000 can be configured with a range of 9th/8th generation Intel CPUs, including Xeon and Core i up to 8 cores. It supports dual channel DDR4 2666 MHz SO-DIMM up to 64 GB. It has abundant I/Os, including 4x COM, 2x GbE LAN, 8x USB, 1x HDMI, and 1x DVI-I. GM-1000 comes with an M.2 M key slot to support NVMe SSD, and M.2 E key slot to support CNVi for WiFi or Bluetooth connection which are commonly required in high speed data storage and communication. All these functions are integrated in a small footprint just 260 mm x 200 mm x 85 mm, making it easily installed in space-limited environments.

Intel's 10 nm Xe DG1 silicon made its first public appearance as the DG1-SDV (software development vehicle), a desktop PCIe graphics cards that Intel shipped out to its ISVs (independent software vendors), allowing them to begin preparing software for the Xe architecture. Argonne National Laboratory, the organization behind the Aurora Supercomputing Project that implements Xe HP "Ponte Vecchio" super-scalar compute processors, in its presentation, took a brief technical detour talking a bit about the DG1-SDV.

In the presentation, it is revealed that Intel will indeed monetize (or "productize") the silicon at the heart of the DG1-SDV, only not as a desktop graphics card. The chip will be sold as a mobile GPU, not even as an MXM, but as a GPU meant to be hardwired along with its dedicated memory onto notebooks' mainboards. We predict Intel is attempting to tap into the market segment where NVIDIA sells its GeForce MX300 line of entry-level discrete GPUs. Earlier this week, we spotted a discrete GPU with the specs of the DG1 having significantly increased 1.50 GHz GPU clocks, resulting in a FP32 throughput rivaling the AMD Radeon RX 560 or the "Vega" based iGPU of "Renoir." The Xe architecture will also be released as an iGPU solution, powering Intel's "Tiger Lake" Core mobile processor. Find the Aurora presentation here (PDF).

Dutch researcher from the Eindhoven University of Technology has found a new vulnerability in Thunderbolt port that allows attackers with physical access to unlock any PC running Windows or Linux kernel-based OS in less than 5 minutes. The researcher of the university called Björn Ruytenberg found a method which he calls Thunderspy, which can bypass the login screen of any PC. This attack requires physical access to the device, which is, of course, dangerous on its own if left with a person of knowledge. The Thunderbolt port is a fast protocol, and part of the reason why it is so fast is that it partially allows direct access to computer memory. And anything that can access memory directly is a potential vulnerability.

The Thunderspy attack relies on just that. There is a feature built into the Thunderbolt firmware called "Security Level", which disallows access to untrusted devices or even turns off Thunderbolt port altogether. This feature would make the port be a simple USB or display output. However, the researcher has found a way to alter the firmware setting of Thunderbolt control chip in a way so it allows any device to access the PC. This procedure is done without any trace and OS can not detect that there was a change. From there, the magic happens. Using an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) programmer with a SOP8 clip that connects the pins of the programmer device to the controller, the attacker just runs a script from there. This procedure requires around $400 worth of hardware. Intel already put some protection last year for the Thunderbolt port called Kernel Direct Memory Access Protection, but that feature isn't implemented on PCs manufactured before 2019. And even starting from 2019, not all PC manufacturers implement the feature, so there is a wide group of devices vulnerable to this unfixable attack.

With the current world pandemic happening, it is quite difficult for every manufacturer to keep its production lines running, as the factory needs a big amount of staff to look out for the processes happening and that creates big gatherings, which is potentially dangerous for spreading the COVID-19. In the most recent report by Bloomberg Law, Intel has been accused to prioritize chip output over the safety of its employees, meaning that Intel is forcing CPU production, where the fab working conditions are not the best. Workers have reported that Intel has been pushing them to work in big groups, without proper protective equipment like shields or masks. It is reported that few managers have told that the 6 feet distancing rule is fine to break, as long as the contact is under 30 minutes. There have been four of such complaints filed against Intel, and Intel has already responded stating the following:

An Intel Gen12 Xe GPU, possibly a discrete- DG1 prototype, showed up on the SiSoft SANDRA online database. The GPU is detailed by SANDRA as having 768 unified shaders across 96 execution units (EUs), a 1.50 GHz GPU clock speed, 1 MB of on-die L2 cache, and 3 GB of dedicated video memory of an unknown type (likely GDDR6). This is probably a different chip from the DG1-SDV, which caps out at 900 MHz GPU clock, although its SIMD muscle is identical.

At a clock-speed of 1.50 GHz, the chip would feature an FP32 throughput of 2,303 GFLOPs (we know this from the DG1-SDV offering 1382 GFLOPs at 900 MHz). If the software-side optimization backs this hardware, the resulting product could end up with performance in the league of the 8 CU Radeon "Vega" solution found in the AMD "Renoir" APU, or the Radeon RX 560 discrete GPU, which are just about enough for PUBG at 1080p with medium settings.

The United States government is close to finalizing a plan rivaling China's for semiconductor manufacturing self-sufficiency. It calls for U.S. semiconductor companies, such as Intel, to manufacture high-technology products "securely" at facilities on U.S. soil, so that the U.S. market is unaffected by disruptions to multi-national supply chains brought about by global-scale events (such as the COVID-19 crisis).

Some, such as The Verge's T.C. Sottek point this out to be a de-globalization strategy. Excerpts of one such communication between Intel CEO Bob Swan and the U.S. Department of Defense, dated April 28, was posted by WSJ, where he is quoted saying that exploring a commercial chip foundry on U.S. soil was "it is in the best interest of the United States and of Intel." The last major chipmaker that attempted U.S.-made chips was AMD, by tapping into GlobalFoundries' Upstate NY-based 14 nm-class FinFET nodes to make its 1st and 2nd gen Ryzen processors. AMD had to seek out TSMC as GloFo gave up its 7 nm-class transition plans, forcing AMD to modify its wafer supply agreement. The company now only manufactures older-gen "Picasso," "Polaris 30," and I/O dies for the latest Ryzen and EPYC processors there.

Intel's memory and storage products division now has a completely independent NAND flash technology development team post its split with Micron Technology, with which it was part of the IMFlash Technologies joint-venture. Intel is close to gaining a technological lead over Micron with a new 144-layer 3D NAND flash chip which will ship roughly around the time Micron begins pushing out its 128-layer 3D NAND chips. SK Hynix will begin shipping its 128-layer 3D NAND flash chips later this year. KIOXIA will put out 112-layer chips before the turn of the year. YMTC is developing its portfolio at a breakneck pace.

The 144-layer 3D NAND flash chip by Intel can handle up to four bits per cell (QLC), and can be configured to function as TLC or SLC, at lower densities. Intel will launch its first SSD based on this 144-layer QLC NAND flash chip, codenamed "Keystone Harbor," later this year. Development is underway at Intel for PLC (5 bits per cell) technology, which should drive up densities by 25 percent. Intel is also close to launching its second generation 3D X-point memory technology.

Tile, the world's leading smart location company, is collaborating with Intel Corporation to bring Tile's finding power to PC original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This is the first finding technology solution to-market for a broad group of PC OEMs and means upcoming Intel-powered laptop and notebook models can be findable.

"Most of the world is working from home right now, making laptops and portable devices more critical than ever. We rely on them to maintain continuity and keep information safe. But we're also relying on them to stay connected with loved ones," said CJ Prober, CEO of Tile. "Our work with Intel means we'll be ready to help PC users avoid disruption and keep track of their devices once we're all on the move again." The updated Intel solutions are expected to be available later this year for OEM adoption and will allow PC users to find their laptop or notebook even when the device is in sleep mode. The Tile and Intel teams are already working closely with PC manufacturers to determine the best Tile experience for their customers.

MSI has announced that it is running an upgrade program for its Z490 motherboards. The program is valid for motherboards purchased from May 6th through June 15th. This program will essentially see you being rewarded with a Steam wallet code worth $50 should you purchase a new MSI Z490 motherboard to replace the old (or maybe just last-generation) motherboard you own from Intel. To this effect, MSI is requiring users to register their new motherboard online, take a picture of the boards' serial number, and upload another picture with your new motherboard and old one side by side - the ultimate shame towards your old, trusty piece of hardware.

The promotion applies to select MSI motherboards, with rewards being tiered according to the expense you had on the new MSI board. As such, users who acquired MSI's MEG Z490 GODLIKE or MEG Z490 ACE will be rewarded with $50 back. Users who purchased the cheapest Z490 motherboard, the MPG Z490
GAMING PLUS, however, will only see a $10 credit. Interestingly, MSI has included both its own, pre-Z490 motherboards as eligible for the upgrade program... As well as ASUS'. And that's it. No other manufacturers' boards are being accepted. Make of that what you will.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system integrator of custom gaming desktops, notebooks, and workstations, today launched the MAINGEAR Pro WS, a highly-versatile workstation designed to meet the needs of professional creatives and content producers, pairing best-in-class hardware configurations with MAINGEAR's lifetime customer support to deliver maximum performance and mission-critical reliability. The MAINGEAR Pro WS is available now in customizable and pre-configured systems for several leading creative applications, including "Recommended By Luxion (Makers of KeyShot)" MAINGEAR Pro WS configurations for 3D rendering.

Even as review embargoes remain on Intel's latest 10th Gen CPUs, benchmark scores that show what these 14 nm CPUS are capable of are already flooding the web. Case in point: a Cinebench 15 benchmark of Intel's unlocked Core i9-10900K running at an overclocked 5.4 GHz on all cores @ 1.35 V core. The 10-core CPU features a base clockspeed set at 3.7 GHz, so we're looking at a frequency increase of around 46%.

At those speeds, tested on an ASRock Phantom Gaming 4/AX motherboard and 16 GB of G.Skill DDR4-3200 MHz CL14 memory, the Intel Core i9-10900K managed to post a 3002 multi-core score. When at stock, it achieved a relatively paltry 2347 points. An AMD Ryzen 7 3800X CPU (8-core, 16-thread) typically scores around 2200 points, and an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X CPU (12-core, 24-thread) achieves a 3200 score. They do so at stock frequencies, though; and the Intel Core i9-10900K is sandwiched in-between those when it comes to core-count, but not on price: 10 Intel cores will set you back $488.00, while AMD's 8-core launched at $399 (and is now cheaper) and AMD's 12-core CPU launched for $499. Adding to the benchmarking caveat, the operating temperatures for this particular Core i9-10900K show 0º min and 69º max, so assuming the temperature report is correct, it's fair to say an air cooler wasn't used for this overclocking feat.

Various online retailers have started taking pre-orders for new socket LGA1200 motherboards based on the Intel Z490 chipset. Prices of these motherboards appear on average 20-25% higher than older-generation Z390 motherboards at launch, and in many cases, pricier than even AMD X570 chipset ones. The cheapest Z490 motherboard on U.S. retailer Newegg is priced at $149. Mid-range boards such as the MSI Tomahawk, are priced around $190. The next segment begins bang at the $200-mark, including the Gigabyte AORUS Elite, MSI MPG Gaming Edge, and the ASRock Extreme4.

The next tier appears to be priced between $230-250, including the ASUS Prime-A, the cheapest ROG Strix-H, and the ASRock Phantom Gaming Velocita. A notch further up, around the $270-290, you'll find the MSI Gaming Pro Carbon, Gigabyte AORUS Pro, ASUS ROG Strix-F. The $290-350 band includes the ROG Strix-E, Gigabyte Vision-D, etc. The high-end segment begins at $390, with the ROG Maximus XII Hero, Gigabyte AORUS Master, MSI MPG ACE, etc. The priciest boards on offer are the ASRock AQUA at $1,099, and Gigabyte AORUS Xtreme Waterforce at $1,299. Newegg states that the boards will begin shipping from its warehouses on the 20th of May, 2020.

The way we work, connect and learn continues to change right in front of us. Our devices have become our window to the world - our office, our school and our social space. To help navigate the current environment people are turning to Windows PCs more than ever. In fact, over 4 trillion minutes are being spent on Windows 10 a month, a 75% increase year on year. It's not just the pull of the larger screen and better keyboard, but the versatility of a device that runs the software we need and games and entertainment we love, with cameras and mics built in to connect us to the people who matter most. This is what Windows PCs were built to do. This is what we design Surface for.

The new Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, Surface Headphones 2, Surface Earbuds and accessories are designed to help you do what you need, from anywhere - a concept that has taken on new weight since we first started working on these products. Instead of planes, coffee shops and offices, we're moving from home office to kitchen table to couch, but our need for devices that keep us productive and connected has never been greater.

It seems that today Intel lifted an embargo on the preview of its reviewer kit, and thanks to a few websites we have pictures of what the packaging looks like. And it is one fancy packaging for sure with lots of plastic this time around. Intel has decided to switch up its packaging game and now it is very different. Now Intel seems to target aesthetics very similar to AMD Threadripper packaging, with a plastic window that reveals the CPU box that has big words distinguishing whatever the model in question is a Core i5 or Core i9.

The reviewers have gotten two CPU models - Core i9-10900K and Core i5-10600K which are pictured below. Just as a reminder, reviews of these CPUs should go live on May 20th. If you want to get a Z490 motherboard for one of these CPUs, you can pre-order motherboard from your favorite vendor starting from today.More pictures follow.

Intel today released its first Graphics Drivers ready for the upcoming Windows 10 May 2020 Update (2004). Version 27.20.100.8187 of Intel Graphics Drivers are WDDM 2.7 compliant, which means support for Shader Model 6.5, and Dolby Vision, on Gen 9.5 or later iGPUs. The drivers also add readiness for OneAPI, Intel's ambitious unified programming model for x86 processors, iGPU execution units, and future Xe compute processors. For gamers, the latest drivers add optimization for "Gears Tactics," "XCOM: Chimera Squad," and "Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered), on Iris Plus or later iGPUs. As with the previous drivers, these drivers are OEM-unlocked.DOWNLOAD: Intel Graphics Drivers 27.20.100.8187

The upcoming LGA1700 socket by Intel, which makes its debut with 12th generation Core "Alder Lake-S" desktop processors, could be the first in over a decade from the company, to support more than two processor generations. Intel has maintained streak of ensuring that a mainstream desktop CPU socket won't be compatible with more than two generations of Core processors. Controversy brew when the company artificially segmented the LGA1151 socket between the 6th, 7th, and 8th and 9th processor generations, with the latter two requiring a 300-series chipset motherboard and the former two not working on the newer chipset, even though all four generations are pin-compatible, and modders have been able to get the newer chips to work on older 100-series and 200-series motherboards with great success.

According to a NotebookCheck report, Intel is designing the LGA1700 socket to support at least three future generations of Core processors (that's "Alder Lake-S" and two of its successors). This should give the platform a degree of longevity as it introduces several new computing concepts to the client desktop form-factor, such as heterogenous CPU cores. "Alder Lake-S" combines 8 each of low-power "Gracemont" and high performance "Golden Cove" CPU cores in a setup rivaling the Arm big.LITTLE, where light computing workloads and system idling are completely handled by the low-power cores, while the high-performance cores are only woken up from their power-gated slumber as needed, before being put back to sleep when they're not.

Intel is bringing its Xeon W brand extension of processors meant for workstations, to the LGA1200 socket. The Xeon W brand were typically associated with enterprise variants of HEDT platforms, with those of mainstream desktop sockets reserved for the Xeon E brand. At least 7 SKUs are in the works, beginning with the Xeon W-1290P, W-1290, and W-1290T, which are 10-core/20-thread parts based on the "Comet Lake" silicon, with TDP ratings of 125 W, 65 W, and 35 W, respectively; and nominal clock speeds of 3.70 GHz, 3.20 GHz, and 1.90 GHz, respectively.

The Xeon W-1270P and W-1270 are 8-core/16-thread parts, likely with 125 W, and 65 W TDP ratings, respectively, and clock speeds of 3.80 GHz and 3.40 GHz, respectively. Lastly, there are the 6-core/12-thread Xeon W-1260P and W-1260, clocked at 4.10 GHz and 3.60 GHz, respectively. It's likely that the processors are either compatible with the W480/W480E chipsets, or have a C-series enterprise chipset with a similar feature-set to it. The W-1290P is priced at $620.62, the W-1290 at $568.91, the W-1290T at $568.80; the W-1270P at $492.57, the W-1270 at $416.21; the W-1260P at $358.41, and the W-1260 at $293.12. All prices are per-unit in 1,000-unit tray quantities.

HP Inc. today announced new laptops and solutions designed to address the evolving needs of business users everywhere, demonstrating the company's effort to help businesses and remote workers stay productive wherever they may be.

While businesses have been adopting cloud-centric solutions and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to increase security and save costs, the recent pandemic has escalated the need for devices that empower those who primarily work with web applications and virtual desktop tools. In a recent survey, HP discovered that nearly 60% of users working from home during quarantine are doing so with personal machines, presenting significant security risk from unmanaged devices. The average employee is also using 22 cloud-based apps to do their job.

Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, proudly announces its latest flagship motherboard, the Z490 AQUA to the delight of gamers and power hungry users alike. And to highlight our launch we are limiting the Z490 AQUA to only 999 units making it extremely valuable. Using the latest 16 Phase 90 A Dr.MOS & 2 oz copper PCBs, it delivers up to 95% VRM efficiency. To keep VRM's and 10-core processors cool even during sustained heavy loads or even overclocking, the Z490 AQUA features an advanced water cooling system that decreases heat on the CPU VRMs to reduce VRM temps dramatically.

Decked in a matte black undershell, the Z490 complements what young gamers want in a machine these days, simple, refined edges encased with a metallic armor which highlights the vibrant, techno LED lighting which screams I'm a water cooling aficionado and a PC mod enthusiast. "Be Aqua, Be Cool" highlights ASRock's determination to be the frontrunner in water-cooled gaming motherboard manufacturers and the PCIe 4.0 ready means it's prepped and the hardware is ready with PCI-Express Gen-4 support. By uniquely adding an external base clock generator, PCIe 4.0 components such as extra slots and an M.2 socket we're assured the motherboard is ready to accommodate the next generation of CPUs.

Benchmarks for one of the recently announced 10th generation Intel Core chips have been leaked early by Chinese review channel Bilibili as reported by @Momomo_US. The mid-range Intel Core i5-10400 is a new 6 core/12 thread CPU with a base clock of 2.9 GHz and a max all core boost of 4.0 GHz with a recommended customer price of $182. The Core i5-10400 was put up against the current-gen Core i5-9400F and Core i7-9700F in a variety of games by Bilibili with the i5-10400 matching or beating the i7-9700F in most tests.

The Intel Core i7-9700F is an 8 core/8 thread CPU that was released in 2019 with a recommended customer price of $310 which it still retails for today. To see the i5-10400 match the i7-9700F is significant news for gamers as Intel is forced to lower prices and increase performance as the threat of Ryzen 3000 looms. The CPU was tested in Grand Theft Auto V and Assassins Creed Odyssey at 1080p where the i5-10400 came ahead in Assassins Creed Odyssey and just behind the i7-9700F in Grand Theft Auto V. The full results can be viewed below.

The 11th generation Intel Core "Tiger Lake" mobile processor and pioneering "Lakefield" heterogenous x86 processor could debut around September or October, 2020, according to a leaked Lenovo internal slide posted by NotebookCheck. It also points to Intel denoting future processors' lithography with Foveros 3D Packaging as simply "3D," and not get into a nanometer number-game with AMD (which is now in 7 nm and on course to 5 nm in 2022). This makes sense as Foveros allows the combination of dies built on different silicon fabrication nodes.

"Tiger Lake" is still denoted as a 10 nm as it's a planar chip. Intel is developing it on a refined 10 nm+ silicon fabrication process, which apparently enables Intel to increase clock speeds without breaking the target power envelope. "Tiger Lake" sees the commercial debut of Intel's ambitious Xe graphics architecture as an iGPU solution. "Lakefield," on the other hand, is a 5-core processor combining four "Tremont" low power x86-64 cores with a "Sunny Cove" high-powered core, in a setup rivaling Arm big.LITTLE, enabling the next generation of mobile computing form-factors, which Intel and its partners are still figuring out under Project Athena.

ASUS today rolled out its latest ROG Strix GT35 pre-built gaming desktop, powered by 10th generation Intel Core desktop processors. The top variant of this desktop is powered by an Intel Core i9-10900KF processor, paired with 64 GB of high frequency DDR4 memory, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics, an ASUS ROG Strix Z490-series motherboard, and a 240 mm x 120 mm AIO liquid CPU cooler taming the 10-core beast. Storage is care of a 1 TB NVMe SSD and a 2 TB SATA HDD. The desktop otherwise features the same chassis and connectivity options as the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X-powered ROG Strix GA35 desktop from March, which include Wi-Fi 6 and 2.5 GbE support. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Intel Corporation today announced it has acquired Moovit, a mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) solutions company, for approximately $900 million ($840 million net of Intel Capital equity gain). Moovit is known for its urban mobility application that offers travelers around the world the best multimodal trip planning by combining public transportation, bicycle and scooter services, ride-hailing, and car-sharing. The addition of Moovit brings Intel's Mobileye closer to achieving its plan to become a complete mobility provider, including robotaxi services, which is forecast to be an estimated $160 billion opportunity by 2030.

"Intel's purpose is to create world-changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on Earth, and our Mobileye team delivers on that purpose every day," said Bob Swan, Intel CEO. "Mobileye's ADAS technology is already improving the safety of millions of cars on the road, and Moovit accelerates their ability to truly revolutionize transportation - reducing congestion and saving lives - as a full-stack mobility provider."