Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, proudly announces its new ASRock Z790 PG SONIC, an officially licensed motherboard featuring SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog. A 16-bit spinning ring emblazons the rear IO cover, while on the rear side you'll even catch a glimpse of Sonic mid-run. The ASRock motherboard is co-launched to celebrate the release of SEGA's new Sonic Frontiers game.

"Designed to bring back epic memories of catching rings in Green Hill Zone, the motherboard echoes Sonic's lightning speed with its fast blue and silver shards and Sonic silhouette, besides the motherboard outlook is designed around the Sonic the Hedgehog theme, the ASRock Z790 PG SONIC also features a SONIC-inspired UEFI BIOS interface", Said Chris Lee, Vice President of ASRock motherboard & gaming monitor business unit.

According to TrendForce, global notebook shipments in 4Q22 are likely to decline to 42.9 million units, down 7.2% QoQ and 32.3% YoY, lower than the same period before the pandemic. In addition, market demand is affected by negative factors such as inventory, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and rising inflation, leading to a downward revision of notebook market shipments in 2022 to 189 million units, a 23% decline YoY, with the proportion of shipments in the first and second half of the year at 53:47, the first top-heavy scenario in the past ten years.

According to research, the structural imbalance between notebook market supply and demand remains unresolved at present, leading this year's notebook shipments to present a downward movement trend quarter by quarter. TrendForce believes, after current inventory pressure gradually returns to a healthy level, Chromebooks may be the first wave of products that will see a recovery in demand by 2Q23 and traditional cyclical growth momentum is expected to return to the market, with shipments set to rebound slightly from 14.44 million in 2022 to 16.2 million units.

SI is announcing new gaming desktops under the Infinite Series. The MPG Infinite X2 strives to stand out from the crowd with its unique design. The 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900K CPU and the latest NVIDIA graphics cards can deliver the best gaming experience.

The MPG Infinite X2 houses up to a 240 mm AIO liquid cooler and adopts MSI's exclusive Silent Storm Cooling 2 technology to lower system temperature. The MPG Infinite X2 supports the latest PCIe 5.0 for increased bandwidth. It comes with standardized parts and tool less designs for easy upgradability. The built-in high-speed Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5Gigabit LAN offer blazing-fast connectivity.

Handheld Group, a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, today announced the release of the all-new Algiz 10XR, an ultra-rugged 10-inch Windows tablet that combines durability with robust field performance, 5G and future-proof features. The Algiz 10XR is a smaller, lighter, 10-inch Windows tablet that achieves more even while taking up less space. It brings two times better graphics and measurably faster performance. Future-proof 5G communication can handle live video streams and bandwidth-heavy tasks like mapping. The Algiz 10XR was developed for field work or other challenging environments within logistics, mining, public transport, public safety, waste management or GIS and has also been designed with modulization and customization in mind.

"The Algiz 10XR will bring some great performance gains for our partners and customers who rely on Windows tablets in the field," says Johan Hed, Handheld chief product officer. "We've worked with this segment for decades now and are confident that we've developed a device with not only great specs, but a complete accessory package to help our customers with their fieldwork."

Axiomtek - a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted to the research, development, and manufacture of series of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency - is pleased to announce the iNA200, a DIN-rail cybersecurity gateway for operational technology (OT) network security. The iNA200 is powered by the Intel Atom x6212RE or x6414RE processor (Elkhart Lake) and has one DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM for up to 32 GB of system memory. For demanding rugged environments, this fanless IIoT edge gateway comes with a wide operating temperature range of -40°C to 70°C and supports wide power input of 9 to 36 VDC with dual power input. The iNA200 also has two 2.5G LAN ports, sufficient storage, and high expandability for various industrial application needs.

"OT cybersecurity is essential for Industry 4.0. Axiomtek's iNA200 is designed to safeguard your OT assets and avoid network threats for critical infrastructure," said Kevin Hsiao, a product manager of Network Computing Platform Division at Axiomtek. "Additionally, our iNA200 features an M.2 Key B slot to enable 5G connectivity for next-generation industrial use cases. With the Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0) support, this cybersecurity gateway increases security offering hardware-level protection against malware and sophisticated cyber-attacks."

Intel just finalized the launch date of its 4th Gen Xeon Scalable "Sapphire Rapids" server processors. The company plans to launch them on January 10, 2023. The new processors will be launched at a special event dedicated to the company's various new Data Center (group) innovations, which cover server processors, new networking innovations, possible launches from Intel's ecosystem partners, and more.

A lot is riding on the success of "Sapphire Rapids," as they see the introduction of Intel's new high-performance CPU core on in the enterprise segment at core-counts of up to 60-core/120-thread per socket; along with cutting-edge new I/O that includes DDR5 memory, PCI-Express Gen 5, next-gen CXL, and on-package HBM memory on certain variants.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announced that Z790 AORUS TACHYON pushes the envelope of memory performance to XMP DDR5-8333 and DDR5-9300 O.C. with air cooling. On top of that, the phenomenal performance of XMP DDR5-8000 on Z790 AORUS XTREME and Z790 AORUS MASTER motherboards proves the enhancements from hardware to firmware including top-quality components, new generation Shielded Memory Routing design, and High Bandwidth of BIOS setting greatly improve memory stability and performance.

Enhanced by the new generation Shielded Memory Routing and low signal-loss PCB design, GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS TACHYON, Z790 AORUS XTREME, and Z790 AORUS MASTER can effectively reduce the internal and external signal loss or interference, which ensures blasting-fast DDR5 memory speed. In addition, the abundant BIOS setting of DDR5 Memory Upgrade and XMP 3.0 User Profile lead to the breakthrough performance of memories.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announces the brand new Z790 VALKYRIE motherboard, built to run the all-powerful Intel 13th gen raptor-lake processors. Designed on the base of Intel Z790 single-chip architecture, the Z790 VALKYRIE is the latest addition to BIOSTAR's top-of-the-line flagship motherboard range.

Carrying the latest technology in a sleek, highly refined platform, the stylish design of VALKYRIE exhuberates the pinnacle of BIOSTAR product design and technical prowess. Enter any battle with confidence backed by the unwavering performance and reliability of BIOSTAR's latest Z790 VALKYRIE motherboard. Built to support the latest DDR5 memory, Z790 VALKYRIE holds 4 DIMMs of high-speed DDR 5 memory up to 128Gb with boosted clock speeds exceeding 7200+(OC) MHz.

Keeping up with the cadence of two generations of desktop processors per socket, Intel will turn the page of the current LGA1700, with the introduction of the new Socket LGA1851. The processor package will likely have the same dimensions as LGA1700, and the two sockets may share cooler compatibility. The first processor microarchitecture to debut on LGA1851 will be the 14th Gen Core "Meteor Lake-S." These chips will feature a generationally lower CPU core-count compared to "Raptor Lake," but significantly bump the IPC on both the P-cores and E-cores.

"Raptor Lake" is Intel's final monolithic silicon client processor before the company pivots to chiplets built on various foundry nodes, as part of its IDM 2.0 strategy. The client-desktop version of "Meteor Lake," dubbed "Meteor Lake-S," will have a maximum CPU core configuration of 6P+16E (that's 6 performance cores with 16 efficiency cores). The chip has 6 "Redwood Cove" P-cores, and 16 "Crestmont" E-cores. Both of these are expected to receive IPC uplifts, such that the processor will end up faster (and hopefully more efficient) than the top "Raptor Lake-S" part. Particularly, it should be able to overcome the deficit of 2 P-cores.

Intel's third quarter financials that the company released yesterday, weren't exactly what you'd call stellar. This has put Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger in a bind, as he's been forced to announce cost cuts of US$3 billion annually, starting 2023, but that it'll grow to somewhere between US$8 to 10 billion by 2025. Although Gelsinger didn't reveal the specifics of what these cost cuts will entail, he did mention quite a few potentials, according to The Register. Gelisinger stated that Intel "need to balance increased investment in areas like leadership in [technology development], product, and capacity [at new plants under construction] in Ohio and Germany, with the efficiency measures elsewhere as we drive to have best in class structures."

Intel's CFO David Zinsner, told Barron's that the company will be cutting a "meaningful number" of employees from Intel's payroll. Zisner went on to say that Intel will also perform "portfolio cuts, right-sizing our support organizations, more stringent cost controls in all aspects of our spending, and improved sales and marketing efficiency". It sounds like almost no-one is safe at Intel, especially as portofolio cuts mean that some product lines will either be sold off, or simply just canned in favour of more profitable products. Intel is also betting hard on its IDM 2.0 strategy, where the company is decoupling its hardware and software design teams from its foundry business. Time will tell if this helps restart Intel as a business, but Gelsinger seems to believe that the changes he's implementing at Intel will help turn things around.

Intel Corporation today reported third-quarter 2022 financial results. "Despite the worsening economic conditions, we delivered solid results and made significant progress with our product and process execution during the quarter," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. "To position ourselves for this business cycle, we are aggressively addressing costs and driving efficiencies across the business to accelerate our IDM 2.0 flywheel for the digital future."

"As we usher in the next phase of IDM 2.0, we are focused on embracing an internal foundry model to allow our manufacturing group and business units to be more agile, make better decisions and establish a leadership cost structure," said David Zinsner, Intel CFO. "We remain committed to the strategy and long-term financial model communicated at our Investor Meeting."

Durabook, the global rugged mobile solutions brand owned by Twinhead International Corporation, announced significant updates to its R11L rugged tablet today. The updated R11L is a competitively-priced 11" fully rugged tablet featuring the latest 12th Gen Intel Pentium Gold processor and architectural innovations to elevate the user experience, making it ideal for those working across industrial sectors, such as warehousing, utilities and logistics, and transportation.

"Durabook devices are designed to meet the demanding needs of workers who rely on rugged technology to streamline workflows and improve productivity in even the harshest environments," said Twinhead CEO Fred Kao. "With its upgrade to Intel's 12th Gen CPU, this latest R11L model is 300% faster than its predecessor, offering more computing power for budget-minded professionals."

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the global leading motherboard, mini PC, notebook, mobile device, and smart solution provider, will exhibit at Infocomm SEA 2022, the Professional Audio Visual event in Southeast Asia at Bangkok, Thailand, Booth no. Z12 from Nov. 2 to 4 to showcase the latest LEET gaming series, the comprehensive LIVA Mini PC family and the All-in-One PC to apply for wide range of applications.

ECS will first launch the new LEET Gaming series, LEET Gaming Motherboard Z790H7-A and LEET Gaming Barebone PC B660 during Infocomm SEA 2022. To offer users exceptional PC performance, LEET Z790H7-A designs with the next-generation technology to support the latest Intel 12th & 13th Gen Processors for LGA 1700 socket, dual channel DDR5 RAM up to 128 GB, PCIe 5.0 slot, 2.5 Gb LAN and the latest wireless networking. Besides, LEET Gaming series also provides a gaming PC system, LEET B660, for user to build their own PC more easily. LEET B660 includes a B660H7-M20 Motherboard supported by the Intel 12th Gen Processor for LGA1700 socket, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series Graphic Card or AMD Radeon RX 6000 series Graphic Card and a power supply up to 650-watt into a 26-liter system case.

Intel Core i9-13900K processor has just been launched, and overclockers worldwide got their hand on a few samples to make history. According to the HWBot submission, a Swedish overclocker named "elmor" has pushed Intel's top-end consumer SKU to a fantastic 8.812 GHz. For more than eight years, the record for the single-highest overclocking speed was held by AMD FX-8370, from the now-bygone era of AMD Black Edition processors. The overclocking attempt was performed using liquid nitrogen (LN2) that cools the chip using its −195.8 °C temperature. Pushing core voltage to 1.850 Volts and VCCIN to 2 Volts, multiplier set to x88, and a bus speed of 100.15 MHz. In addition to the Core i9-13900K CPU, elmor used ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 APEX motherboard and 32 GB DDR5 GSKILL memory running at 4808 MT/s.

As a reminder, the FX-8370 CPU was holding the number one sport for eight years with a speed of 8.722 GHz. Beating the FX-8370 by just 90 MHz, it will be interesting to see if any of the upcoming CPU SKUs can match this overclocking record, and we are curious if any contender will come to beat elmor's current record.

ASUS today announced the availability of new Intel Z790 motherboards, including the ROG Maximus Z790 Apex, TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WiFi and ProArt Z790-Creator WiFi - all of which provide DDR5 memory module support and PCIe 5.0 slots for video cards and storage.ASUS Z790 motherboards offer tremendous value to anyone assembling an Intel 13th Gen machine that includes AEMP II, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling II, PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots, Thunderbolt 4, WiFi 6E, Quick Charge 4+ technology and comprehensive connectivity. Overall, new ASUS Z790 motherboards are ideal solutions for any user who wants to build a next-gen machine or upgrade their existing system.

First up is the ROG Maximus Z790 Apex. The ultimate option for memory overclocking enthusiasts, this motherboard boasts a cutting-edge feature set. Then, for creative professionals of all kinds, ASUS offers the ProArt Z790-Creator WiFi. This motherboard offers premium connectivity and bespoke style, and it's fully ready for next-gen graphics cards and ultra-fast PCIe 5.0 storage. Finally, ASUS is bolstering its TUF Gaming lineup with the TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WiFi, which brings DDR5 support to the family.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announced the Instant 6 GHz technology which is exclusively designed for performance enhancement of Intel Core i9-13900K processor. By simply updating the latest BIOS on GIGABYTE's Z790 motherboards and activating related settings, users can boost the performance of Intel Core i9-13900K to 6 GHz in a snap. Other than the Turbo Boost mode, GIGABYTE Instant 6 GHz technology can unleash the potential power of the processor to boost the single-core performance up to 3% higher, which leading up to experiencing the unparalleled performance of future processors.

The lately launched Intel Core i9-13900K processor enables users to enjoy O.C. performance in an easier way. Using GIGABYTE's latest Instant 6 GHz technology, the system can automatically tweak CPU voltage and Vcore Load Line Calibration to detect the most two optimized cores running at 6 GHz frequency. Instead of suffering from complex O.C settings, users can enjoy effortless Overclocking by simply updating the latest BIOS on GIGABYTE's Z790 motherboards and activating the Instant 6 GHz option in the BIOS. This further delivers a 3% performance boost on one single core, and provides an O.C. edition-like experience on i9-13900K processor. The latest GIGABYTE Z790 motherboards ascend to a new level with their exclusive VRM design, thermal design, and convenience. The BIOS support Instant 6 GHz technology of Z790 motherboards has been updated on the GIGABYTE official website, users can upgrade BIOS with Q-Flash or Q-Flash Plus.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced a new series of ROG Ryuo III AIO coolers, with four models to choose from: the ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB and the ROG Ryuo III 240 ARGB, both available in black or white editions.

As the first ROG AIO coolers equipped with an 8th generation Asetek pump, the ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB and ROG Ryuo III 240 ARGB offer exceptional cooling potential, making them ideal partners for the latest high-end chips from Intel and AMD. This pump sports a 3-phase motor capable of higher flow rates than previous generations, all while operating more quietly. The square cold plate is larger than the previous generation, and its size makes it ideal for this year's hot-off-the-press CPUs.

Today Intel launched its 13th gen Core processors alongside the Z790 chipset, which in turn lead to a lot of new motherboards being available. However, it appears that ASRock is working on a special edition of its Z790 PG Riptide board that has something of an unusual twist. The board is known as the Z790 PG Sonic and appears to be some kind of cooperation with Sega, since the board carries clear Sonic the Hedgehog branding.

The board seems to be some kind of limited edition version of the Z790 PG Riptide, as we can't spot any features that have changed, at least not based on the pictures posted by @momomo_us on Twitter. The top of the board has Sonic themed heatsinks, as well as some of the printing on the PCB and the rear is adorned with a rather large Sonic in white on the black PCB. Obviously the packaging is also adorned with a Sonic print, but there doesn't appear to be any other connection to Sonic or Sega, which makes the whole partnership a bit of a mystery at the moment, but it's highly likely that we're looking at a limited edition product for the Asian markets here.

Intel has demonstrated an early prototype of next-generation Thunderbolt in action, aligned to the USB Implementers Forum's (USB-IF) release of the USB4 v2 specification this week. Next-generation Thunderbolt will deliver 80 gigabits per second (Gbps) of bi-directional bandwidth and enable up to 120 Gbps for the best display experience, providing up to three times the capability of today's technologies to meet the growing needs of content creators and gamers, all while maintaining compatibility with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB.

"Intel has always been the industry pioneer and leader for wired connectivity solutions, and Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port on mobile PCs and integrated into three generations of Intel mobile CPUs. We're very excited to lead the industry forward with the next generation of Thunderbolt built on the USB4 v2 specification, advanced to this next generation by Intel and other USB Promoter Group members," said Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel.

According to the latest TrendForce research, pandemic-induced materials shortages abated in the second half of this year and the supply and delivery of short-term materials has recovered significantly. However, assuming materials supply is secure and demand can be met, the annual growth rate of server shipments in 2023 is estimated to be only 3.7%, which is lower than 5.1% in 2022.

TrendForce indicates that this growth slowdown is due to three factors. First, once material mismatch issues had eased, buyers began adjusting previously placed purchase order overruns. Thus, ODM orders also decreased but this will not affect the 2022 shipment volume of whole servers for the time being. Second, due to the impact of rising inflation and weakness in the overall economy, corporate capital investment may trend more conservative and IT-related investment will emphasize flexibility, such as the replacement of certain server terminals with cloud services. Third, geopolitical changes will drive the continuing emergence of demand for small-scale data centers and previous construction of hyperscale data centers will slow. The recent ban on military/HPC servers issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce on October 7 has a very low market share in terms of its application category, so the impact on the overall server market is limited at present. However, if the scope of the ban is expanded further in the future, it will herald a more significant slowdown risk for China's server shipment momentum in 2023.

Intel has been busy briefing its customers about its 13th gen Core processors and courtesy of a reader over at Videocardz, we now know a little bit more about Intel's positioning of its Core i9-13900K processor. In the slides, Intel is pitching its upcoming flagship CPU against AMD's current flagship, the Ryzen 9 7950X, which is hardly surprising, since it'll be its main competitor. Intel put the two CPUs through 12 game benchmarks using an unknown graphics card and on average, the Core i9-13900K leads by around 11 percent. As always, take the numbers with a sprinkle of salt, especially as we don't know the system configuration, or even what resolution was used, but we'd hazard a guess that it's 1080p or lower. Intel only allowed for one game win for AMD, with Intel being as much as 22 percent ahead in The Riftbreaker.

Intel also claims to lead in content creation, but this doesn't appear to be quite true, as AMD either comes out on top or ties with Intel in all of the Pugetbench tests. Intel is somewhat ahead in AutoCAD Catalyst and a healthy 16 percent ahead in Autodesk Revit, but as we know, the type of scene being rendered can have a huge impact in these types of tests, as we've seen from both camps. On the plus side, here it appears that content creators shouldn't have to worry too much about which CPU is in their system, as both should be performing exceptionally well. Intel is set to launch its 13th gen Core processors tomorrow, so it won't be long until we'll have some third party benchmarks comparing the two CPUs.

Intel Arc A770 "Alchemist" graphics card has an idle power-draw problem. It pulls 44 W (card-only) power when idling. This used to be acceptable some 15 years ago, but GPU idle power-draw has come a long way since. The reigning Goliath GeForce RTX 4090 pulls just 21 W when idling, and the RTX 3070, the card the A770 was extensively compared against, only pulls 9 W—that's 7 LED downlights worth power-difference between the A770 and RTX 3070. Intel has a workaround to this problem: enable the PCI-Express active state power management (ASPM) setting to L1 mode in your motherboard's UEFI BIOS setup program.

The Intel Xe-HPG "Alchemist" graphics architecture reportedly uses PCIe Gen 2-era L0 and L1 ASPM, which needs to be forced via software settings. To do this, find the PCIe ASPM settings in your BIOS setup, and enable them with the "L1" setting. You then make your way to Power Options in the Windows Control Panel, edit your active power scheme, and manually set the PCI-Express "Link state power-management" to "Maximum." This affects the power-management behavior and performance of all PCIe devices in your system, including NVMe SSDs, not just the graphics card. Intel did not put out its power-draw numbers for this workaround, but we intend to test it as soon as we can.

he U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Intel for Phase 1 of the Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program, which aims to create a low-cost, reconfigurable optical communications terminal that will translate information between diverse satellite constellations. A Space-BACN satellite terminal will enable communications between satellite constellations, enabling data to be sent anywhere around the planet at the speed of light.

DARPA is planning for a future where tens of thousands of satellites from multiple private sector organizations deliver broadband services from low earth orbit (LEO). The goal of Space-BACN is to create an "internet" of satellites, enabling seamless communication between military/government and commercial/civil satellite constellations. The program will facilitate collaboration among partners to ensure that the terminal being designed is reconfigurable to provide interoperability among the participating constellation providers.

AMD reportedly scaled down production of its Ryzen 7000 series desktop processors in response to bleak demand across the PC hardware industry. Wccftech claims to have read an internal company document calling for reduced supply to the channel as market response to the Ryzen 7000-series is weak. This comes hot on the heels of AMD revising its Q3-2022 forecast, trimming its guidance by a $1 billion drop in revenue, citing weak demand in the PC market. However, we are seeing no deviation from the launch pricing for Ryzen 7000-series SKUs or compatible Socket AM5 motherboards. The platform went on sale from late September, on the same day that Intel announced its competing 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" processors. The new Intel chips are expected to start selling from a little later this month.

Unlike 13th Gen Core processors, Ryzen 7000 series processors appear to be a victim of the platform—notwithstanding the high pricing of the processors, which start at $299 for the 6-core 7600X, buyers lack access to affordable motherboards, and have to contend with expensive DDR5 memory. Pricing of cheaper LGA1700 motherboards based on entry-level H610 and B660 chipsets with cost-effective DDR4 memory support have added depth to consumer choice, besides Intel's 12th Gen range starting from under $150.

Acer has launched its Predator BiFrost Arc A770 graphics card in Taiwan and the official pricing appears to be NT$12,900 or US$404, local shops are already selling the card for far less. The BiFrost comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and an overclocking option that boosts the GPU speed from 2,200 MHz to 2,400 MHz. The latter also increases the TDP from 250 to 280 Watts. As seen in the launch announcement pictures, the card has a rather unusual fan design and Acer has even come up with some marketing names for the setup. The blower fan is referred to as Aeroblade 3D and the regular 92 mm fan as Frostblade 2.0. We're not sure how there's a version 2.0 when this is Acer's first retail graphics card.

The card measures 267 x 117.75 mm and has as we've also seen, a pair of 8-pin power connectors. The port configuration consists of three DP 2.0 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. Local shops are offering the card on sale for US$372 to as little as US$313 (NT$9990), which is only US$13 more than Intel's own Arc A750 cards retail for in Taiwan. This price point makes it a fair bit more attractive, even taking potential driver related issues and hardware limitations into account.