PC hardware media outlets have uncovered a not yet officially announced Kingston Fury Renegade G5 SSD product family. Promotional images and fairly detailed specifications were reportedly sourced directly from the North American manufacturer's main web presence. Three next-gen PCIe 5.0 SSD options were highlighted; likely coming soon—in quick response to Samsung's recently launched 9100 PRO Series. The South Korean megacorp's cutting-edge proprietary Presto
S4LY027-controlled offerings are considered to be the world's fastest SSDs, but this elite level of performance has arrived with substantial price tags. At several points, W1zzard's evaluation of the $300 Samsung 9100 Pro 2 TB model touched upon cost-performance considerations. Kingston's forthcoming Fury Renegade G5 4 TB, 2 TB, and 1 TB SSD NVMe M.2 2280 SKUs possess the potential to match main rivals—according to a leaked spec chart, the flagship boasts up to 14,800 MB/s read and 14,000 MB/s write speeds.

The apparent selection of Silicon Motion's SM2508 controller is a key point of interest—this "superior performance" low-power PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD solution was announced late last summer. September preview material painted a promising picture, in terms of promised power efficiency. By late December, a Chinese manufacturer demonstrated 14.5 GB/s sequential reads enabled by Silicon Motion's flagship controller. At CES 2025, TechPowerUp staffers documented a handful of previewed SM2508-controlled commercial products. Returning to the present day, Kingston's inadvertent self-leak did not reveal Fury Renegade G5's eventual launch window or price brackets—these facts are expected to arrive online with a possible imminent issuing of official press material.

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600 launched recently as a slightly more affordable variant of the popular Ryzen 5 9600X. Despite launching over a month ago, the 9600 still appears rather difficult to track down in retail stores. However, a recent PassMark benchmark has provided some insights as to the performance of the non-X variant of AMD's six-core Zen 5 budget CPU. Unsurprisingly, the Ryzen 5 9600X and the Ryzen 5 9600 are neck-and-neck, with the 9600X scraping past its non-X counterpart by a mere 2.2% in the CPU benchmark.

According to the PassMark result, the Ryzen 5 9600 scored 29,369, compared to the Ryzen 5 9600X's 30,016, while single-core scores were 4581 for the 9600X and 4433 points for the 9600, representing a 3.2% disparity between the two CPUs. The result is not surprising, since the only real difference between the 9600 and the 9600X is 200 MHz boost clock. All other specifications, including TDP, core count, cache amount and base clock speed, are identical. Both CPUs are also unlocked for overclocking, and both feature AMD Precision Boost 2. While the Ryzen 5 9600 isn't available just yet, it will seemingly be a good option for those who want to stretch their budget to the absolute maximum, since recent reports indicate that it will be around $20 cheaper than the Ryzen 5 9600X, coming in at around the $250-260 mark.

HP New Zealand's own webstore and Best Buy Canada have both listed OMEN 16L pre-built compact gaming PC systems with GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards. At this stage in time, NVIDIA's lower end "Blackwell" gaming GPUs are no longer big secrets—"full specifications" leaked out last week, and industry watchdogs recently predicted an April 16 launch day. As per usual, momomo_us sniffed out HP NZ's accidental publication of NDA-busting material—at the time of writing, the company's Kiwi branch has scrubbed these offending items from their webshop. Judging from preserved screenshots, both models were specced with GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB graphics cards.

Best Buy Canada's listing is still active, and advertises HP's upcoming white OMEN 16L variant as: "powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8700F processor and 16 GB DDR5 RAM, it ensures smooth gaming and multitasking. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics card with dedicated memory enhances immersion with seamless visuals...(the) GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics card with 16 GB GDDR7 dedicated memory ensures fluid visuals." Cost of ownership is listed as $1799.99 CAD (~$1263 USD), with a May 16 release—potentially placeholder information. Insiders reckon that Team Green's GeForce RTX 5060 (non-Ti) launch is delayed to mid-May. Roughly two weeks ago, a GeForce RTX 5060-based Acer pre-built gaming PC turned up online.

During GTC 2025, NVIDIA unveiled the professional (PRO) side of its "Blackwell" GPU line—headlined by a monstrous GDDR7 96 GB option, that unleashes the full potential of their GB202 die. Industry watchdogs anticipated sky-high pricing, as befits such a potent specification sheet/feature set. As reported by VideoCardz over the past weekend, a North American enterprise PC hardware store—Connection—has populated its webshop with several of Team Green's brand-new RTX PRO Blackwell Series SKUs. The publication received tip-offs from a portion of its readership; including some well-heeled individuals who have already claimed pre-orders. Starting off, the investigation highlighted upper crust offerings: "the flagship model, called the RTX PRO 6000 with 96 GB of VRAM, will launch at $8435 (bulk) to $8565 (box), and this price seemingly applies to both models: the Workstation Edition and a sub-variant called Max-Q. Both are equipped with the same specs, but the latter is capped at 300 W TDP while retaining 88% of the Al performance, claimed NVIDIA."

Connection has removed its RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell and RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q product pages, but the rest of Team Green's professional stack is still visible (see relevant screenshot below). The RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell 48 GB card is priced at $4569.24 (or $4439.50 for bulk). The cheapest offering is a $696.54 RTX PRO 2000 Blackwell 8 GB model. Officially, NVIDIA and its main professional series board partner—PNY—only revealed 4500, 5000 and 6000 product tiers. VideoCardz put a spotlight on some of these unannounced options, including: "the RTX 4000 non-SFF version, while this retailer has six listings for such SKUs (two SFF and two non-SFF, both in bulk and box variants). Presumably, this would suggest that NVIDIA may launch a non-SFF version later. However, the company didn't put 'SFF' in the official card's name, so perhaps this information is no longer valid, and there's only one model." According to a GDM/Hermitage AkiHabara Japan press release, a local reseller—Elsa—is preparing NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition and RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q Workstation Edition stock for scheduled release "in May 2025, while the other models are scheduled for release around summer." Additionally, another retailer (ASK Co., Ltd.): "has stated that the price and release date are subject to inquiry."

Ayaneo's AM01S is a mini PC with a built-in articulating touch-screen and a design inspired by '80s and '90s retro computing. For 2025, the AM01S has received a number of choice upgrades that make it both more powerful and more compatible. The headline feature updates for the AM01S are the new AMD Strix Point Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 and the new display, which features a number of improvements over the Ayaneo AM02. The basic specifications also include DDR5-5600 RAM and an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD for storage, with an SDXC card slot on the side for migrating files and expanding storage. Ayaneo has yet to announce pricing or expected availability for the AM01S, but the mini PC looks to be officially launching soon.

The 4-inch touchscreen in the Ayaneo AM01S is a native horizontal display, as opposed to the rotated vertical display from the AM02, which means it should present no compatibility issues similar to those that plagued some Lenovo Legion Go and Valve Steam users when those devices first launched. The tiny display also supports Windows extended mode, meaning you can operate the AM01S using only the small touchscreen—another improvement over the AM02, which could not use the built-in display as the primary screen. The display is attached to the retro-inspired case with a hinge that allows for 90° of articulation, so the mini PC can be used flat on its side or vertically, in which case it looks something like a CRT-equipped Macintosh computer. Ayaneo even cheekily uses a colored version of the cursive "hello" text often featured on the original Macintosh advertising materials. The idea seems to be that users will use the secondary touchscreen to display system information, run diagnostic apps or widgets, or simply as an aesthetic add-on. Ayaneo also pre-installs its AYASpace v2.5, which contains a custom control center for things like TDP control and performance monitoring.

Compal is preparing "Adapt X" modular laptop design, which appears scheduled for actual market release according to its listing in the 2025 IF Design Awards catalog. The currently conceptual design features two display variants—14-inch and 16-inch models—that integrate with a specialized HUB system, enabling expanded I/O capabilities and modular AI units, most likely a dedicated NPU module for offloading smaller AI tasks from the CPU/GPU. The modular architecture utilizes USB connectivity between expansion components, with current renders showcasing speaker modules, I/O expansion options, and a primary keyboard unit presumably housing the CPU. Unlike Framework's granular approach, which allows for the choice of individual ports, Compal has opted for a more component-based system. The company claims that components can be used independently or combined, offering multiple usage modes at lower costs and reduced upgrade frequency.

Earlier this month, the company revealed a Hybrid AIO desktop that transforms between desktop, laptop, and tablet configurations and the "Infinite Laptop" featuring an expandable display stretching 14 inches to 18 inches through horizontal extension mechanisms. Compal's direct market entry would be a welcome addition as a significant ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) that typically produces hardware for other brands rather than selling under its own label. The modular laptop segment remains niche but potentially lucrative, with Compal likely targeting consumers already looking at Framework solutions. No official announcements regarding specifications, pricing, or release dates have been made by Compal, with the Adapt X currently only visible through IF Design Award documentation. We could see more prototypes being presented in the coming months, and the coming Computex show is the right time for Compal to showcase its concept. Nonetheless, we are looking for more details about it.

A ramped up flow of early-to-mid March period leaks—regarding upcoming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 graphics cards—suggested an official pre-GTC 2025 unveiling of lower-end Blackwell gaming GPUs. Speculative specifications appeared online earlier in the month, but some key technical talking points seemed to be missing. As reported yesterday, insiders believe that Team Green has adjusted its new product release schedule. Leaked roadmaps have outlined GeForce RTX 5060 Ti cards arriving by mid-April 2025, with less potent RTX 5060 models launching around the middle of May. Despite the alleged delay, VideoCardz has continued its investigation into pre-launch conditions. Their latest report points to full GeForce RTX 5060 Ti specifications being distributed to board partners, at least in the recent past.

Leaked details seemingly reconfirm the existence of 16 GB and 8 GB variants (on a 128-bit memory bus); both utilizing the same GB206-300-A1 GPU with 4608 CUDA cores. VideoCardz disclosed a couple of finer (new) details:"based on the specs we have, both models will ship with 28 Gbps memory. This means that the bandwidth is 448 GB/s, which is 55% higher than the last-gen model. Moving on to GPU clocks, NVIDIA has set a 2407 MHz base clock and a 2572 MHz boost clock for this GB206-based model. This means that the base clock is 97 MHz and the boost is 37 MHz higher than the RTX 4060 Ti." The fresh leak suggest that a few of Team Green's AIBs will be configuring their custom designs with 8-pin power connectors; sufficient for a reported 180 W TDP-rated product. VideoCardz anticipates that the vast majority of GeForce RTX 5060 Ti models will utilize 16-pin connectors. Unfortunately, finalized price guides were not discovered during recent sleuthing sessions.

The AI data center buildout requires massive bandwidth from accelerator to accelerator and from accelerator to CPU. At the core of that bandwidth bridge is PCIe technology, which constantly needs to evolve to satisfy massive bandwidth requirements. Today, PCI-SIG, the working group behind the PCI and PCIe connector, is releasing details about the almost ready 0.9 version of the PCIe 7.0 connector and its final specifications. The latest PCIe 7.0 will bring 128 GT/s speeds, with a bi-directional bandwidth of 512 GB/s in the x16 lane configuration. Targeting applications like 800G Ethernet, AI/ML, cloud, quantum computing, hyperscalers, military/aerospace, and cloud providers all need massive bandwidth for their respective applications and use cases to work flawlessly.

Interestingly, as PCIe doubles bandwidth over the traditional three-year cadence, high bandwidth for things like storage is becoming available on fewer and fewer lanes. For example, PCIe 3.0 with x16 lanes delivers 32 GB/s of bi-directional bandwidth. And now, PCIe 7.0 delivers that same bandwidth on only a single x1 lane. Some other goals of the new PCIe 7.0 include significant improvements in channel parameters and signal integrity while enhancing power efficiency and maintaining the protocol's low-latency characteristics. All while ensuring complete backward compatibility with previous generations of the standard. Notably, the PCIe 7.0 standard uses PAM4 signaling, which was first presented for PCIe 6.0. Here is a nice PAM4 signaling primer if you want to learn more about PAM4 signaling. Below are the specifications of PCIe generations and their respective characteristics. We expect to see final version v1.0 by end of the year, and some PCIe 7.0 accelerators next year.

We're just a few weeks away from The Last of Us Part II Remastered arriving on PC on April 3, and we here at Naughty Dog wanted to make sure players were prepared for the journey ahead. Whether it's your first time experiencing Ellie and Abby's acclaimed stories, or you've previously played and are excited to jump in via a new format, we have plenty of quality-of-life features and even new content in store.

PC features detailed
The PC version of The Last of Us Part II Remastered brings with it all the improvements and new features added in the PlayStation 5 version released in 2024, such as the roguelike survival mode No Return, Guitar Free Play, and hours of developer commentary. And in partnership with our friends at Nixxes Software and Iron Galaxy, Part II Remastered has been brought to PC with plenty of PC-centric quality-of-life features that further bring the snow-covered mountains of Jackson, Wyoming, and the rainswept streets of Seattle, Washington to beautiful life.

Getac Technology Corporation (Getac), a leading provider of rugged computing and mobile video solutions, today announced the launch of its next generation B360 and B360 Pro fully rugged laptops, offering professionals across industries including field services, utilities and defense two powerful, yet versatile solutions to overcome the daily challenges they face.

Next generation AI-ready performance
The next generation B360 and B360 Pro combine fully rugged build quality with a host of innovative new technology upgrades. This includes the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors and Intel AI Boost technology, which enables users to leverage on-device Edge AI to quickly and seamlessly execute tasks. In a recent text-to-report evaluation test conducted with Getac industry customers using Llama 3.1 8B, AI applications running on the B360 were able to turn extensive texts into full reports in a matter of seconds. This powerful Edge AI performance offers significant operational advantages over cloud AI, particularly in scenarios requiring real-time processing, high levels of data privacy and security, offline capability, and cost efficiency.

Retroid, a popular brand of retro gaming handhelds, has finally revealed the specifications for its upcoming product - the Retro Pocket Classic. As the name suggests, the product will boast a compact form factor that screams retro vibes. The company has revealed multiple teasers for the device in the past, and has now shed light on the detailed specifications of the same. As teased, the Pocket Classic will boast a 3.92-inch AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 500 nits and a resolution of 1,240 x 1080 allowing for an impressive pixel density of 419.

Internally, an undisclosed 4 nm Qualcomm SoC will sit at the heart of the device, paired with 4 GB of LPDDR4X memory and 64 GB of eMMC storage. The product will boast an active cooling solution, which should allow for longer play times without any severe throttling issues. Speaking of longer play times, the Pocket Classic will boast a 5,000-mAh battery with 27-watt charging support. At just 13.8 x 8.9 x 2.6 cm, the Pocket Classic weighs in at just 223 grams. As for connectivity, a USB-C port, a 3.5 mm audio jack, as well as a TF card slot. Wireless communications will be taken care of by Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 5. Pricing and availability details are under wraps for now, but when the time comes, the Pocket Classic will ship with Android 14 pre-installed.

Today, KOEI TECMO and developer Team NINJA announced that their open-world action RPG, Rise of the Ronin, is now available digitally on Windows PC via Steam. Originally released for PlayStation 5, the epic Bakumatsu era tale takes players on a historic journey where a masterless warrior, a ronin, must fight to forge their own destiny through the chaos of war and political unrest. The Steam version supports various PC features, including ultra-wide monitor combatibility, 8K resolution, 120 FPS, 3D audio, and more.

In Rise of the Ronin, fans will play as a ronin in 1863 Japan in turmoil. With Japan's fate now in their hands, players will encounter various historical figures and factions with differing ideologies, and make significant decisions such as whether to confront or defend them. Players will also be able to form special relationships with some characters thanks to the "Veiled Vow" system, which will allow them to freely shape their own experience of the Bakumatsu period.

NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 50 series mainstream lineup has been leaked, thanks to the well-known leaker kopite7kimi, revealing the complete specification profile of the RTX 5050, RTX 5060, and RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards. The entry-level RTX 5050 features GB207-300-A1 silicon on a PG152-SKU50 board with 2,560 CUDA cores and 8 GB of the older GDDR6 memory across a 128-bit interface at 130 W, while the mid-tier RTX 5060 utilizes GB206-250-A1 silicon on a PG152-SKU25 board housing 3,840 CUDA cores with 8 GB of the latest GDDR7 memory at 150 W. The more powerful RTX 5060 Ti implements GB206-300-A1 silicon with two board versions, PG152-SKU10/15, presumably for two memory configurations. It features 4,608 CUDA cores paired with either 8 GB or 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 180 W power envelope.

Most notable is the adoption of next-generation GDDR7 memory technology in both RTX 5060 variants while maintaining the 128-bit memory bus across all three models. While the entry-level RTX 5050 model utilizes GDDR6 memory, the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti are awarded with the faster GDDR7. The consistent 128-bit interface suggests NVIDIA is leveraging memory compression technologies and GDDR7's increased bandwidth to deliver performance improvements without widening the memory bus. Each tier features a slight increase in CUDA core count, a modest boost over the previous generation RTX 40 series. With the RTX 5050 targeting 1080p gaming, the RTX 5060 is positioned for high-refresh 1080p and entry-level 1440p, and the RTX 5060 Ti is likely aimed at solid 1440p performance across most titles. While we don't know the exact release date, we can expect to hear more about the availability in the coming weeks.

Biwin, a world-renowned innovator in cutting-edge memory and storage solutions, proudly introduces the Biwin Black Opal OC Lab Gold Edition DW100 RGB DDR5 192 GB Memory Kit (48 GB x 4), available in DDR5-6400 CL30-39-39-108 1.4 V and DDR5-6000 CL28-36-36-102 1.4 V specifications. Breaking the capacity limits of traditional consumer memory, this ultra-large 192 GB kit offers the performance boost needed for AI computing, large-scale data processing, and next-gen computing.

Push Memory Performance with Revolutionary 192 GB Memory Kit
Biwin Black Opal DW100, delivering an ultra-high-capacity 192 GB (48 GB x4) configuration, redefines what's possible with desktop memory and exceptional memory bandwidth, stability, and efficiency. This breakthrough enables users to take full advantage of DDR5's enhanced data throughput to power fast, out-of-the-box speeds for AI computing, large language models (LLMs), generative AI, and edge computing, and other data-rich workloads.

The upgrade for Grand Theft Auto V on PC is now available to play from the Rockstar Games Launcher, and also via Steam or Epic Games. Introducing features previously only available on the latest generation of consoles, this upgrade also optimizes the game experience and performance on modern PCs. Players who already own GTAV on PC can upgrade to this new version for free, with the ability to migrate your Story Mode and Online progress, while anyone jumping into GTAV and GTA Online on PC for the first time will get this new version (GTAV Enhanced) along with the original version (GTAV Legacy) when purchased.

GTA ONLINE FEATURES
Get access to powerful new vehicles, stunning Chameleon Paints, high-performance modifications, and much more—all from Hao's Special Works. Newly added vehicles for PC include the Pegassi Weaponized Ignus and Coil Cyclone II supercars, the Karin S95 sports car, the Imponte Arbiter GT muscle car, and the Pfister Astron Custom SUV, which join a fleet of 20 vehicles already available in GTA Online, and all are now available for tuning from HSW. Plus, GTA+ Members can claim a Principe Deveste Eight (Super) for free through May 28 as part of a special Classics Collection to commemorate GTA+ arriving on PC. Anyone looking to take in the fauna can also now relish in the animal ecosystem, with Ambient Animals encounters and a daily Wildlife Photography Challenge available from the LS Tourist Board at Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness.

XFX appears to be lining up separate tranches of Radeon RX 9070 Series graphics cards for different markets; Chinese media outlets have reported a wide-spanning lineup of "domestic" and "overseas" edition SKUs. VideoCardz has spotted another potential China-exclusive model—their past weekend investigative piece put the spotlight on a Radeon RX 9070 XT dual-fan SWIFT design. This variant was found on XFX's Tmall e-tail store. The manufacturer's Chinese language official site does not list this curiosity, and recent press material has focused on a lineup of triple-fan cooled solutions. XFX's Western web presences do not allude to any twin-fan variants within the MERCURY, QUICKSILVER, or SWIFT classes.

AMD's recent full-fledged introduction of RDNA 4 included promotional renders of reference card designs, but the launch of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 involves an entirely board partner-manufactured pool of SKUs. The XFX Radeon RX 9070 XT SWIFT dual-fan model is priced exactly at the level of Team Red's regional guide MSRP: 4999 RMB (including VAT). It likely serves as a direct alternative to an absent AMD-built dual-fan reference card. According to a comparative table of XFX model specifications (see below), the dual-fan variant shares identical data points—excluding physical measurements—with its longer siblings.

Today, the Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP), the nonprofit organization bringing hyperscale innovations to all, and JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, announce the availability of new Chiplet Design Kits for use with today's EDA tools covering Assembly, Substrate, Material and Test developed in collaboration within the OCP Open Chiplet Economy Project. Leveraging the alliance between OCP and JEDEC, these design kits are now part of the Global Worldwide Standard JEDEC JEP30: Part Model Guidelines.

The release of the Assembly, Substrate, Material, and Test Design Kits build on earlier joint efforts between the OCP and JEDEC integrating OCP Chiplet Data Extensible Markup Language (CDXML) specification into JEDEC JEP30: Part Model Guidelines, enabling Chiplet builders to provide electronically a standardized Chiplet part description to their customers, paving the way for automating System-in-Package (SiP) design and build using Chiplets.

Late last week, AMD posted a helpful reminder; a special RDNA 4 Friday (February 28) event is on the calendar. Additionally, they quietly confirmed that the upcoming launch of Radeon RX 9070 series graphics cards will not include reference/MBA models. Team Red enthusiasts and other interested parties are anticipating an official unveiling of performance data, technical specifications, and decisive pricing. Recent leaks have produced speculative figures for various board partner options, but industry whispers suggest that AMD's guide MSRP has fluctuated over the past couple of weeks. An almost definitive answer has arrived online, courtesy of another VideoCardz investigative piece.

The article does not class the latest pre-release disclosure as a true "leak," VideoCardz believes that their sharing of AMD press briefing slides serves as an intriguing teaser. The report dismisses yet another case of pre-launch retail spillage: "there are many rumors about relatively high prices for the RX 9070 series. For instance, a Reddit thread allegedly shows prices from Best Buy's internal system, with prices starting at $739 (see screenshot below)... From what we have been told and shared during the media briefing, AMD showed one slide that may confirm where the prices will be. The Radeon RX 9070 series is focusing on a sub-$700 price point, and AMD wants their cards to be 'more accessible.' AMD says that 85% of gamers buy cards below $700, and this is what the RDNA 4 series will focus on." Another leaked presentation slide indicates that Team Red is targeting higher resolutions (1440p and 4K), better performance; especially with "ray tracing games," as well as "easy upgrades." The last point emphasizes drop-in 8-pin power connector options. ASRock and Sapphire appear to be breaking away from this traditional connection mold with their upcoming premium-tier designs, but the majority of AIB cards are expected to stick with a tried and trusted solution.

Upcoming AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) graphics card specification sheets remain under wraps; we will very likely be presented with the full kibosh on February 28. Throughout early 2025, Team Red and its board partners have divulged very little. Instead, PC hardware news outlets have depended on a steady flow of leaked information. The opening round of Team Red RDNA 4 models have been comprehensively linked to PCIe 4.0 connection standards, but recent anomalies have appeared online. Contradictory spec info arrived late last week, courtesy of a leaker having pre-release access to an allegedly very high-end custom design. The validity of an uploaded GPU-Z session screenshot was questioned by the PC gaming hardware community; the detected candidate card seemed to be connected via a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 bus interface. VideoCardz has stumbled upon additional evidence—their weekend reporting activities pointed to a compelling new product listing on the Micro Center website.

The North American e-tailer's webstore features a "PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil Limited Edition Overclocked Triple Fan 16 GB GDDR6 PCIe 5.0 Graphics Card." Micro Center's threadbare product page is devoid of promotional images/renders, in-depth technical details or specifications. The "no longer available" special edition package has an SKU assignment code of 796672, and a manufacturer part number read-out of LERX9070XT16GEO. VideoCardz reached out to their "inside source" at PowerColor for research purposes. The company mole confirmed that the PCIe 5.0 spec point is genuine. The leaked photo of "Red Devil packaging" did not reveal any PCIe interface-related info. The publication reckons that the PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil model's interface "matches the appearance of the PCIe 5.0 standard," as seen on the new generation of NVIDIA RTX 50-series graphics cards. Looking back into recent history, Intel dropped initial plans for PCIe 5.0 connectivity with Arc "Battlemage" graphics cards. The B580 and B570 models have arrived at retail with bog-standard PCIe 4.0 x8 bus interfaces.

EK, the premium liquid cooling gear manufacturer, is proud to introduce EK-Quantum Vector³, our latest line of high-performance water blocks designed to provide the ultimate liquid cooling solution for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 Series GPUs. Unmatched performance and cooling efficiency—the EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks deliver high-performance liquid cooling, premium aesthetics, and precision engineering, ensuring ultra-low temperatures and maximum performance.

Next-Gen Cooling for NVIDIA RTX 50 Series GPUs
The EK-Quantum Vector³ RTX 5090 & RTX 5080 water blocks maximize cooling efficiency with an improved structure, expanded fin array, and optimized coolant flow paths. These blocks actively cool the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages while passively cooling PCB hotspots through a custom backplate—ensuring optimal performance.

MODDIY has swiftly updated its Help Center site with new guidelines, following recent reports of one of its older 12VHPWR cable designs having a high temperature disagreement with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition card and ASUS ROG Loki SFX-L power supply unit. The company's newest batch of (2025) 12V-2X6 and 12VHPWR are manufactured with the latest specifications and standards in mind, thus given the all-clear for utilization with NVIDIA's recently introduced GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards. Any products from the 2024 production cycle (and before) are deemed safe to use with the GeForce RTX 40-series, but not "officially" valid for anything newer.

The company's renewed guidelines state: "as of 2025, the industry standard has transitioned to 12V-2X6, replacing the previous 12VHPWR standard. Our new cables incorporate significant advancements, including enhanced terminal and connector housing materials, along with thicker wires, to provide an additional safety buffer for the latest GPUs. At MODDIY, all 12VHPWR / 12V-2X6 cables purchased from 2025 onward are manufactured in accordance with the new 12V-2X6 specifications and standards, ensuring compatibility and optimal performance with the RTX50 series GPUs. Prior to 2024, the RTX50 series GPUs had not yet been introduced, and the prevailing standard was 12VHPWR. All cables produced before this period were designed and tested for use with the RTX40 series GPUs. We recommend that all users upgrade to the new 12V-2X6 cables to take full advantage of the enhanced safety and performance features offered by this new standard." They believe that their messily-named "ATX 3.1 PCIe 5.1 H++ 12V-2X6 675 W 12VHPWR 16 Pin Power Cable" premium custom tailor-made model is the best candidate for Team Green's modern generation of gaming cards.

Yet another Brix mini PC from Gigabyte has hit the scene, powered by the very modest six-watt Intel N250 CPU. Undoubtedly, this mini PC is targeted at folks with modest computing demands. If the system's specifications are anything to go by, the BTIP-N250 is most likely to command an affordable price tag, although that cannot be said with certainty for now considering that Gigabyte is yet to reveal any pricing or availability details regarding the system.

As mentioned, the Intel N250 quad-core, quad-thread processors is not here to set any performance records. That said, the N250 is actually as performant as the Zen+ Ryzen 5 3500U, which means moderate workloads and office-based workflows are likely not going to be much of a challenge for the system. The processor can be paired with up to 16 GB of DDR5 memory, and the system supports M.2 as well as 2.5" drives to take care of storage requirements. Dual USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, dual USB-A 3.2 gen 2, HDMI, and audio in/out ports are also present. Wireless connectivity can be added via the M.2 2230 slot, while the 1G ethernet takes care of wired networking.

AMD debuted its first wave of RDNA 4 graphics cards—consisting of Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) models—at the beginning of January. At the time, press outlets and PC gaming hardware enthusiasts were equally flummoxed by Team Red's confusing presentation strategy. Invited attendees of CES 2025 were allowed to handle demonstration samples, but board partners appeared to be sworn to secrecy regarding technical specifications or performance figures. Miscellaneous leaks and rumors have seeped out since then—according to insiders, AMD was prepping its new Radeon product line for launch late last month. A re-scheduled rollout is seemingly in the works, possibly on next month's calendar entry. Benchlife (via VideoCardz) believes that a pre-launch showcase event is lined up for late February.

Following publication of the latest RDNA 4-related leaks, a brave soul engaged with AMD's Frank Azor on social media. Dee Batch, a loyal and long-term supporter of Radeon gaming hardware, sent a query to Team Red's chief architect of gaming solutions: "can we see the RDNA 4 full presentation? I honestly feel you can prevent many gamers from getting a GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti GPU...Please, do not miss this opportunity to gain gamer mind share." Azor replied with a short sentence: "yes, full details are coming soon." This brief interaction attracted additional participants—VideoCardz noted that the Team Red executive was taking on board feedback about expectations surrounding RDNA 4 MSRPs. Late last month, Azor refuted rumors of the Radeon RX 9070 XT pricing starting at a baseline of $899. NVIDIA has officially disclosed price points of $549 (RTX 5070) and $749 (RTX 5070 Ti)—AMD enthusiasts have their fingers crossed in hope of TBA competitive numbers.

Weavers, we've made it: Eternal Strands is released on all platforms! Play as Brynn, a young but fearless Weaver, determined to recover her people's cultural home in the debut fantasy action-adventure title from Yellow Brick Games, a new independent studio founded by industry veterans.

Armed with powerful magical abilities and an arsenal of magical weapons, face enemies that range from humanoid constructs to towering beasts. Use the environment and temperature to your advantage in battles against a diverse roster of fantastical creatures, like turning a dragon's fiery breath against ice-covered minions. Climb every surface and use arcane skills to create new paths. Explore the world in pursuit of the Enclave's lost mysteries and challenge giant titans on your journey. Here's everything you need to know before you meet your Weaverband.

NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards are maintaining similar L1 cache architectures as their predecessors while introducing marginal improvements to L2 cache capacity, according to recent specifications reported by HardwareLuxx. The flagship RTX 5090 maintains the same 128 KB L1 cache per SM as the RTX 4090 but achieves a higher total L1 cache of 21.7 MB thanks to its increased SM count of 170. This represents a notable improvement over the RTX 4090's 16.3 MB total L1 cache, which features 128 SMs. In terms of L2 cache, the RTX 5090 sees a 33.3% increase over its predecessor, boasting 96 MB compared to the RTX 4090's 72 MB, with SM count going up by 32.8%, so there is a slight difference.

However, this improvement is relatively modest compared to the previous generation's leap, where the RTX 4090 featured twelve times more L2 cache than the RTX 3090. The RTX 5080 shows more conservative improvements, with its L1 cache capacity only marginally exceeding its predecessor by 1 MB (10.7 MB vs 9.7 MB). Its L2 cache maintains parity at 64 MB, matching the RTX 4080 and 4080 Super. To compensate for these incremental cache improvements, NVIDIA is implementing faster GDDR7 memory across the RTX 50 series. Most models will feature 28 Gbps modules, with the RTX 5080 receiving special treatment with 30 Gbps memory. Additionally, some models are getting wider memory buses, with the RTX 5090 featuring a 512-bit bus and the RTX 5070 Ti upgrading to a 256-bit interface.