While we wait for Intel's official launch of its Alder Lake platform, more leaks are making their way onto the internet and this time we get a sneak peek at the maximum memory speed at four different motherboards from ASUS. The model names of the boards leaked a couple of weeks ago, which makes this leak slightly more interesting, as we can get the full model names of the board this way, since the leaker was a bit sloppy here.

Two of the boards, the TUF Gaming Z690-Plus D4 and what we presume is the ROG Strix Z690-A Gaming D4, but the Wi-Fi version, as there are no Prime gaming boards, top out at 5,333 MHz. However, this shouldn't come as a surprise, as both boards rely on DDR4 and the highest memory speed is on par with ASUS' current Z590 boards.

We have seen numerous leaks for the upcoming Intel 12th Generation Core series of processes which are expected to launch on November 4th. The packaging for the flagship Core i9-12900K along with the i9/i7/i5 skews have now been leaked revealing the designs. The i9-12900K will receive a unique packaging design featuring a small wafer as a promotional display item to help differentiate the product on store shelves. The rest of the lineup will feature a uniform design reminiscent of previous generations with the same standard size packaging. The design for any potential i3 processors has not been revealed but we would expect it to be in line with the others. Intel is expected to announce the processors at an Innovation event on October 28th with shipments beginning November 4th.

Today, Intel introduced Loihi 2, its second-generation neuromorphic research chip, and Lava, an open-source software framework for developing neuro-inspired applications. Their introduction signals Intel's ongoing progress in advancing neuromorphic technology. Neuromorphic computing, which draws insights from neuroscience to create chips that function more like the biological brain, aspires to deliver orders of magnitude improvements in energy efficiency, speed of computation and efficiency of learning across a range of edge applications: from vision, voice and gesture recognition to search retrieval, robotics, and constrained optimization problems.

"Loihi 2 and Lava harvest insights from several years of collaborative research using Loihi. Our second-generation chip greatly improves the speed, programmability, and capacity of neuromorphic processing, broadening its usages in power and latency constrained intelligent computing applications. We are open sourcing Lava to address the need for software convergence, benchmarking, and cross-platform collaboration in the field, and to accelerate our progress toward commercial viability." -- Mike Davies, director of Intel's

Some of you might remember Intel's Upgrade Service, aka software locked CPUs that launched back in 2010 with the Pentium G6951 that could have an extra 1 MB of cache and Hyper-Threading unlocked for a mere $50. Well, it seems like Intel is working on something similar, but for Xeon CPUs this time around, although the exact details aren't clear as yet.

Phoronix spotted a Linux patch on GitHub for something called Intel Software Defined Silicon or SDSi for short. It's clear that it's for Xeon CPUs and the GitHub page mentions that SDSi "allows the configuration of additional CPU features through a license activation process." There's very little to go by beyond this, but it's not hard to draw parallels with Intel's Upgrade Service from last decade, just this time Intel is targeting its business customers rather than consumers.

Remember that Core i9-12900K CPU-Z leak from last week? It had the multi-threaded score blurred out and now we know why. A new CPU-Z screenshot has shown up on Twitter and although the single threaded score is still beating the AMD Ryzen 5950X baseline single core score by a comfortable margin, it's behind when we're switching to the multi-threaded score.

It shouldn't really come as a surprise that eight big and eight small CPU cores doesn't beat AMD's 16 big cores, but this was apparently expected by some. This is not saying that Intel doesn't get close as you can see, but it's also worth keeping in mind that Intel runs on 24 threads vs. AMD's 32 threads. The Core i9-12900K is said to be running on stock clocks, but no other information was provided. Once again, take this for what it is while we wait for the actual launch date and proper benchmarks.

Silicon Lottery is a boutique online store offering prebinned Intel and AMD CPUs that have been tested to reach guaranteed clock speeds when overclocked. The store has been operating for seven years but have recently announced that they will be ceasing operation on October 31st. This news comes as the culmination of multiple factors that have been impacting the store including a shift from Intel to prebin their K-series processors reducing their overclocking potential. This maximization of existing silicon also meant that there was limited opportunity for the store to find enough faster processors to sell. The final influence was the move by Intel to switch from thermal compound under the IHS to solder Tim with their 9th generation CPUs which severely limits the thermal advantages gained from delidding. The general component shortages and delays associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have also impacted the business, the complete statement from Silicon Lottery can be found below.

As growing vaccination rates worldwide starting in July lead to a gradual easing of lockdowns, the overall demand for notebook computers has also experienced a corresponding slowdown, with Chromebook demand dropping by as much as 50%, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. However, factors such as a wave of replacement demand for commercial notebooks in Europe and North America due to the return to physical workplaces, as well as brands' aggressive efforts to rush out their 4Q21 shipments ahead of time due to global port congestions, became the primary drivers of notebook demand in 3Q21. Hence, annual notebook shipment for 2021 will likely reach 240 million units, a 16.4% YoY increase.

TrendForce further indicates that 4Q21 will welcome both the gradual release of new models equipped with Intel's next-gen CPUs and a wave of replacement demand for notebooks featuring Windows 11. Even so, overall notebook shipment in 4Q21 will depend on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demand for commercial notebooks. As vaccinations become even more widespread in 2022, pandemic-related spending is expected to decline as a result. TrendForce therefore expects global notebook shipment to decline by 7-8% YoY next year and reach approximately 220 million units, although this still represents a growth of 60 million units over the shipment volume for 2019, prior to the emergence of the pandemic.

AAEON, an industry leader in embedded solutions, introduces the BOXER-6643-TGU compact industrial system. With rugged construction, the system delivers the performance and innovative technologies of the 11th Generation Intel Core U processors (formerly Tiger Lake) to applications in tough environments, providing wide operating temperature range and 5G support, to power embedded controller and Industrial IoT (IIoT) gateway applications.

The BOXER-6643-TGU is powered by the 11th Generation Intel Core U processors, delivering greater performance over previous generations, with innovative Intel technologies ensuring more accurate, secure data processing. With up to 64 GB of memory, the system allows users to utilize the full extent of the system's processing capabilities, and with the Intel Iris Xe embedded graphics, users can leverage more powerful GPU processing to power AI and Edge Computing industrial applications. With dual HDMI ports, the system can also support 4K high definition video on two monitors, perfect for powering digital signage.

Videocardz today reported on one of the fundamental questions regarding Intel's upcoming Alder Lake: its release date. According to the publication, and citing industry sources, Intel is planning to launch Alder Lake-S come November 4th, 2021. The 12th Gen family of Intel core processors can not come soon enough for the blue giant, who sees itself embattled against the David-like rise of AMD via its Zen architecture. Especially if they do materialize with a 27% single-thread performance improvement over Zen 3.

The release date was first originally referenced by an MSI press release regarding the availability of an upgrade kit for its MAG Coreliquid K and MPG Coreliquid X - both AIO solutions will require new mounting mechanisms for Alder Lake's LGA 1700 socket, and their release is pegged to November 4th as well - this prompted the industry insider sources to confirm the release date. According to WCCFTech, the actual release timeline for the announcement and pre-orders is set for October 27th, whilst the actual product launch and review embargo lifts on November 4th, which is the market availability date.

The upcoming flagship Intel Core i9-12900K has recently appeared in a CPU-Z single-thread synthetic benchmark where the processor scored 825 points. This would place the i9-12900K 27% higher than AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with 648 points and 20% faster then the previous generation Core i9-11900K at 682 points. This leak comes after SiSoftware published an early performance overview which showed the i9-12900K only matching the performance of competitors. We have also seen the processor in Cinebench R23 where it bested the 32-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX HEDT processor. The 12th Generation Intel Core family is expected to be announced later this year alongside the Z690 chipset with the i9-12900K rumored to cost 604.99 USD.

It's not every day that a software company that specializes in benchmarking software decides to compile the performance data of unreleased products found in their online database, but this is what SiSoftware just did for the Intel Core i9-12900K. So far, it's a limited set of tests that have been run on the CPU and what we're looking at here is a set of task specific benchmarks. SiSoftware doesn't provide any system details, so take these numbers for what they are.

The benchmarks consist of three categories, Vector SIMD Native, Cryptographic Native and Financial Analysis Native. Not all tests have been run on the Core i9-12900K and SiSoftware themselves admit that they don't have enough data points to draw any final conclusions. Unlike other supposedly leaked benchmark figures, the Core i9-12900K doesn't look like a clear winner here, as it barely beats the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X in some tests, while it's beaten by it and even the Core i9-11900K in other tests. It should be noted that the Core i9-11900K does use AVX512 where supported which gives it a performance advantage to the other CPUs in some tests. We'll let you make up your own mind here, but one thing is certain, we're going to have to wait for proper reviews before the race is over and a winner is crowned.

Update: As the original article was taken down and there were some useful references in it, you can find a screen grab of it here.

Samsung is by far Samsung's largest foundry customers and this is no secret, but now it seems like the company wants to gain more customers to help pay for the costs of operating a cutting edge foundry. A little over a decade ago, Samsung was part of the Common Platform technology alliance together with GlobalFoundries and IBM, which allowed companies to almost pick either foundry based on a common design kit and common process technologies. It made Samsung an attractive foundry option, but the alliance didn't last.

As we know, Nvidia gave Samsung a try with Ampere and there were a lot of reports of yield issues and what not early on. This seems to have persuaded Nvidia to move back to TSMC for Lovelace and Hopper, which is a big loss for Samsung. However, it seems this was also something of a wakeup call for Samsung, as the company is apparently looking at making some internal changes to its customer structure so it can handle third party customers in a better way.

Tech innovator GELID Solutions unveils the latest high-performance CPU Cooler for AMD and Intel CPU. The BlackFrore is a product of GELID Solutions GAMER product line. The BlackFrore comes with the advanced heatsink that carries 2 power heat pipes and features the Heatpipe Direct Contact (HDC) Technology to provide perfect thermal contact and facilitate heat transfer between CPU and the heat pipes. Additionally, the BlackFrore introduces the High-Class Black Electrophoretic Coating to guarantee top-grade surface finishing of the heatsink, create an exceptional look and feel and improve durability.

An improved 92 mm fan with the Smart PWM (Pulse Width Module) Control and airflow-optimized impeller compliments the heatsink. The newly designed impeller provides efficient airflow distribution over the heatsink and the intelligent PWM Curve technique constantly keeps the fans silent but accelerates speed whenever additional cooling is needed. The high-performance GC-Pro thermal compound and the all-in-one mounting kit for multiple AMD CPU sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, AM4, FM1, FM2 and for Intel CPU LGA 775, 1366, 011, 1155, 1156, 1150, 1151, 1200 sockets are all included too.

We've already covered the Intel Beast Canyon NUC in quite some detail over the past few months and it's finally available to buy, that is if you have more money than sense, as the starting price on Amazon for the barebone version is no less than US$1,769.95. For this, you get an Intel Core i9-11900KB CPU, a 650 W 80+ Gold PSU and of course the chassis itself. We did find it for slightly less elsewhere online, but even at that US$1,599 price point, it seems like a pretty bad deal to us.

Amazon is also offering a range of customization options, starting at US$1,839.95, which includes 16 GB of unspecified DDR4 RAM and a 250 GB Samsung 980 SSD. The maxed out configuration, which doesn't come with a dedicated GPU, tops out at US$3,139.95 with 64 GB of RAM and a pair of 2 TB Samsung 980 Pro SSDs. These prices do include Windows 10 Pro pre-installed and configured. Not sure about you, but this looks like a terrible deal to us.

An alleged Intel Core i9-12900K "Alder Lake-S" sample is shown beating the 32-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX HEDT processor at AMD's favorite benchmark, Cinebench R23, in its multi-threaded (nT) test. At this point it's not known whether the i9-12900K is overclocked, but the CPU-Z instance in the screenshot reads 5.30 GHz, which could very well be the processor's stock Thermal Velocity Boost frequency. The sample scored upward of 30000 points, putting it above the Threadripper 2990WX reference score in Cinebench.

The 2990WX is based on the "Zen+" microarchitecture, and released in 2018, but is a 32-core/64-thread chip that should have ripped through this rendering workload. The i9-12900K, on the other hand, has eight "Golden Cove" performance cores that have HyperThreading, in addition to 8 "Gracemont" efficiency cores that lack HTT. This benchmark was run on Windows 10, which lacks awareness of the Intel Thread Director, a hardware component that optimizes utilization of the two kinds of CPU cores. Windows 11 is known to feature better awareness of hybrid core architectures. The i9-12900K sample is possibly installed on a Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Ultra motherboard, and has 32 GB of DDR5-5200 memory (two modules, logically four 40-bit channels).

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) selected next-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (code-named "Sapphire Rapids") to power the supercomputers used within NNSA's Life Extension Program for mission-critical efforts in stockpile stewardship. The NNSA's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory awarded a subcontract to Dell Technologies to supply the Intel-powered computing systems that will be deployed at the NNSA's Tri-Labs (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories).

Today's news supports the NNSA's Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program operated at the NNSA's Tri-Labs. The Commodity Technology Systems contract (CTS-2) awarded today will enable these three national laboratories to build more powerful, energy-efficient computing systems that will focus on performing extensive modeling and simulation capabilities in support of NNSA's stockpile stewardship program.

Intel Senior VP and GM of Graphics Group, Raja Koduri has recently been interviewed by Japanese site ASCII where he revealed some new details about the companies upcoming Arc Alchemist gaming graphics cards. The cards will be manufactured on the TSMC N6 process instead of Intel's 7 node due to limited capacity however he did confirm that future cards could be manufactured directly by Intel. Raja also confirmed that Intel was currently offering reference boards to their partners to develop custom Arc Alchemist cards. This reference board is likely the same one we saw in early leaks from Moore's Law is Dead and the design featured by Intel in their promotional videos. The board partners may use the same cooler design in their cards or create semi-custom solutions.

Raja KoduriPartners and I think there will be a differentiation of ODM, and that will lead to the ultimate customer interest

The complete lineup of Intel's Alder Lake T-Series processors has recently been revealed by FanlessTech showing seven models ranging from the quad-core i3-12100T to the 16-core i9-12900T. These new processors are the low-power desktop variants of the upcoming 12th Generation Alder Lake hybrid family and are primarily designed for use in small form factor and fanless devices. Alder Lake introduces several advancements including PCIe 5.0, and DDR5 support in addition to a new hybrid design with a mix of high-performance and high-efficiency cores.

The 35 W TDP is a significant reduction from the 125 W and 65 W power budgets for the unlocked and normal variants of the processors and has resulted in a reduction in boost clocks. The flagship i9-12900T features eight high-performance and eight high-efficiency cores with a maximum boost-clock of 4.9 GHz paired with 20 MB of L3 cache. We also see that all the i3 and i5 models only feature high-performance cores with only the i7 and i9 getting additional high-efficiency cores. FanlessTech reports that these new processors should be available to purchase in early 2022, the complete lineup can be viewed below.

The Chinese source who published the first images of the Intel LGA1700 socket and Z690 chipset has now revealed some new information regarding the upcoming Alder Lake, Sapphire Rapids-X, and Raptor Lake products. The rumor claims that Intel will launch the W790 Workstation HEDT chipset in Q3 2022 alongside the 13th Generation Sapphire Rapids-X desktop series. This would be the first new HEDT launch from Intel in over 3 years with the previous 10th Gen Cascade Lake processors launching back in April 2019.

The rumor also states that Intel will launch the 13th Generation Raptor Lake desktop processors at the same time as their Sapphire Rapids-X HEDT lineup. There is also a note about Intel releasing the entire 600-series motherboard lineup in 2021 which is contrary to previous rumors which stated that Intel would only make the Z690 chipset available this year. This would be followed by a complete launch of all 12 Generation Alder Lake desktop processors and not just the overclockable K-series. This is the first time we have heard these rumors so while they come from a semi-reliable leaker we would recommend taking them with a healthy dose of skepticism.

With the 15.6 and 17.3 inch XMG APEX gaming laptops, XMG is positioning a new model series below its own high-end range consisting of the NEO and PRO series. These new laptops combine mobile AMD eight-core processors up to the Ryzen 9 5900HX with NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards up to the RTX 3070. The company is simultaneously introducing the XMG FOCUS, a new product series in the entry-level segment. Intel's Core i7-11800H and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti offer decent gaming performance, while good connectivity and memory round off the overall package. All four new models feature an IPS display with 144 Hz.

Until now, the XMG APEX 15 in the older E20 generation represented uncompromising desktop CPU performance, with processors up to the Ryzen 9 3950X in a laptop. Although XMG is already working on a direct successor under a slightly different name, it is unleashing the XMG APEX 15 and APEX 17 of the M21 generation for the time being with the currently fastest eight-core mobile processors from AMD. The laptops are available with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800H as well as with the slightly faster Ryzen 9 5900HX from the 54 watt TDP class, as well as with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 or RTX 3060 in the respective maximum TGP configuration (RTX 3070: 125 watts plus 15 watts Dynamic Boost 2.0; RTX 3060: 115 watts plus 15 watts Dynamic Boost 2.0).

Intel has been working on a technology that will improve the lives of all users that have an Intel-based processor in their system. According to the recent round of patches for the Linux kernel, Intel's engineers have been working on a feature called Intel Seamless Update, which promises to bring updating of system firmware without a need to reboot. First of all, it is important to note that firmware upgrades have been stuck at requiring reboot in order to apply patches. This has caused many systems to be down and to slow down the infrastructure by a wide margin, as these updates can last up to several minutes, where the system is rebooting and can not be used.

Intel has presented an idea of creating a technology that will update system firmware, such as UEFI, in the run time. That means that the system will be able to apply firmware patches, without ever needing a reboot, minimizing downtime. This is especially valuable for customers with very high service level agreements (SLAs) around downtime, meaning that almost 100% uptime (not possible to be 100% generally speaking) is required for these systems. An example of this would be medical server infrastructure, which has to constantly be available for access. Using this technology, systems such as these could update their firmware and be online non-stop, without maybe ever needing to reboot. The said feature is supposed to arrive in time for the launch alongside Intel "Sapphire Rapids" Xeon processors.

US electronics retailer Provantage allegedly leaked the retail pricing of the upcoming Intel 12th Gen Core "Alder Lake-S" desktop processors. The list confirms that the company will only be debuting the unlocked "K" and "KF" SKUs in 2021, with locked 65 W SKUs joining in only in 2022. Pricing was put out for both boxed, as well are tray (per-piece) prices. The lineup begins with the Core i5-12600KF boxed processor at $261.77, a 6+4 core (P+E), 16-thread processor with 20 MB of L3 cache, and 4.90 GHz maximum boost frequency for the P cores. As a "KF" SKU, it lacks an iGPU. The i5-12600K, which has the same specs and an iGPU on top, is priced at $295.49.

The Core i7-12700KF and i7-12700K are 8+4 core (P+E), 20-thread chips with 25 MB of cache, and 5.00 GHz boost frequency. The two are differentiated by iGPU. The i7-12700KF is priced at $395.61, and the i7-12700K at $422.17. Leading the pack, are the Core i9-12900K and i9-12900KF, which max out the silicon, with 8+8 (P+E) core, 24-thread, and 30 MB of cache. These boost up to 5.20 GHz, but we've heard rumors of the Thermal Velocity Boost feature driving frequencies beyond this. The i9-12900KF is priced at $578.13, while the i9-12900K goes for $604.99. Tray pricing of these chips is more or less similar, with price difference being under $5. The boxed SKUs don't include a cooler, so from a bill-of-materials standpoint, this price difference only accounts for the paperboard box. Intel is expected to formally launch these chips in late-October (which is probably when reviews go live), with retail availability in mid-November.

Without question, MSI is not only the market leader in the gaming hardware industry but also the pioneer in the Content Creation & Business market with a range of innovative technologies. As the world tends to be unpredictable, MSI keeps on developing products with stylish, stable, and have the best performance for all kinds of users. Today, MSI launched the brand new Content Creation Products: the Creator P50 with another new flagship monitor Summit MS321UP, both designed for creators, business professionals, and multi-taskers.

Creator P50 is sleek, slim, but packs a ton of power and is the dream desktop for creators, multi-taskers, and business professionals. MSI Creator P50 was inspired by the wireframe modeling and construction lines made by creators. The polygonal cutting pattern on this small 4.72 liters chassis not only symbolizes the unlimited imagination and extension of creativity, but also reflects a creator's growth, transformation, and refinement. It won't steal away the brilliance of the environment but blends in quietly with a low-key and elegant design. The P50 is a professional, clean, and stylish creativity center.

Thermaltake released its highest-capacity dual-channel (2-module) DDR4 memory kit, the ToughRAM XG RGB R016R432GX2-3600C18A. This kit uses modules that are a swansong of DDR4 in terms of capacity—32 GB x 2. The 32 GB module is dual-rank, and only compatible with some of the later generations of Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors that feature memory controllers with support for up to 128 GB of memory in total. On its part, Thermaltake claims that the modules were only tested to be compatible with Intel 10th Gen and 11th Gen Core; and AMD Ryzen 2000 series and above. In terms of performance, the ToughRAM XG RGB R016R432GX2-3600C18 packs an Intel XMP 2.0 profile for DDR4-3600 with 18-22-22-42 + CR2T timings, and 1.35 V module voltage. The module is aesthetically identical to the ToughRAM XG RGB series the company debuted in March 2021.

The first indication of what to expect in terms of early DDR5 memory performance on Intel's Alder Lake platform has leaked, courtesy of a Chinese forum and Twitter. It's not the first time we've seen DDR5 performance figures, but this time the CPU is clocked at much higher speeds compared to the figures leaked by Longsys back in March.

Although the memory is still running at 6400 MHz, performance is up significantly with read speeds of over 90 GB/s. As we're most likely still looking at an ES sample and an early UEFI build, there should be room for improvement here. The leaked performance numbers appear to be from a Dell system of unknown model.