HDMI Forum, Inc. today announced the release of Version 2.2 of the HDMI Specification. Higher 96 Gbps bandwidth and next-gen HDMI Fixed Rate Link technology provide optimal audio and video for a wide range of device applications. An end-user can be assured that their displays support a native video format in the best
way possible and deliver a seamless and reliable experience. Higher resolutions and refresh rates are supported including up to 12K@120 and 16K@60. Additionally, more high-quality options are supported including uncompressed full chroma formats such as 8K@60/4:4:4 and 4K@240/4:4:4 at 10-bit and 12-bit color.

"The HDMI Forum is proud to release the new HDMI 2.2 Specification to enable higher performance capabilities and features for exciting and immersive new solutions and products," said Chandlee Harrell, president of the HDMI Forum. "And the introduction of the new Ultra96 feature name will help consumers and end-users ensure their product's maximum bandwidth is supported."

Gearbox and 2K today opened Borderlands 4 pre-orders, with the rather unexpected $69.99 base game price resulting in a simultaneous sigh of relief following the gaming industry's recent move towards $80 AAA games. Following the pre-order launch, Borderlands 4's Steam page revealed the game's minimum system requirements as a bit of a mixed bag. According to the Steam page, the new looter shooter will only run on an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, but this seems to largely be related to VRAM, since the minimum requirements also mentions that 8 GB is the minimum VRAM amount. An SSD and an eight-core CPU—listed as the AMD Ryzen 2700X or Intel Core i7-9700—will also be mandatory for Borderlands 4. Even the recommended specifications for Borderlands 4 are rather moderate, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 and Radeon RX 6800 XT making the cut.

In addition to the reasonable PC specs, news also broke about an ECHO-4 Collector's Edition, a curious edition to the line-up of special edition bundles for Borderlands 4 that seems to be exclusive to GameStop for now. The Echo-4 Collector's Edition bundle is a host of physical Borderlands 4 memorabilia, including a cloth map of Kairos, an eight-inch Echo-4 figure with LED lights, a Vault symbol necklace, a card with five SHiFT codes for Borderlands 4 golden keys, and four double-sided lithography art prints—all for $149.99. The one glaring omission from the Echo-4 bundle is an actual game key for Borderlands 4. That is clearly labelled as "sold separately" on the GameStop page.

PCI-SIG today announced the official release of the PCI Express (PCIe) 7.0 specification, reaching 128.0 GT/s, to members. PCIe 7.0 specification targets data-driven applications like AI/ML, 800G Ethernet, cloud, and Quantum computing. Pathfinding for the PCIe 8.0 specification is already in progress to continue supporting the industry's investments and product roadmaps in the PCIe technology ecosystem.

PCIe 7.0 Specification Features

• Delivers 128.0 GT/s raw bit rate and up to 512 GB/s bi-directionally via x16 configuration
• Utilizes PAM4 (Pulse Amplitude Modulation with 4 levels) signaling and Flit-based encoding
• Provides improved power efficiency
• Maintains backwards compatibility with previous generations of PCIe technology

The Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) today announces the release of UEC Specification 1.0, a comprehensive, Ethernet-based communication stack engineered to meet the demanding needs of modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads. This release marks a critical step forward in redefining Ethernet for next-generation, data-intensive infrastructure.

UEC Specification 1.0 delivers a high-performance, scalable, and interoperable solution across all layers of the networking stack—including NICs, switches, optics, and cables—enabling seamless multivendor integration and accelerating innovation throughout the ecosystem.

Earlier in the week, Yeston revealed a sci-fi/cyberpunk character-themed Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Game Ace SKU. Eager followers of the Chinese brand were wondering whether additional custom designs—based on AMD's Navi 44 XT GPU—were in the pipeline, possibly ready in time for an official June 5 launch. In Yeston's case, they expect to start shipping on June 7—exclusively for the Chinese market. Fortunately, several dual-fan "GAEA" and triple-fan "Game Ace White" models have turned up on Yeston's JD.com storefront. VideoCardz has pored over the fundamentals, and quickly realized that there are key differences—in terms of GPU clock speeds—when cross-referencing entry-level/barebones GAEA 16 GB and 8 GB card specifications.

The latter variant seems to exist as Yeston's absolute baseline MSRP option; its pre-order tag is 2499 RMB, including VAT. Curiously, pre-launch info seems to show the 16 GB sibling (2899 RMB, inc. VAT) possessing elevated boost and game clocks: 3230 MHz and 2620 GHz (respectively). The lesser model makes do with Team Red's reference figures: 3130 MHz and 2530 MHz (respectively). VideoCardz believes that this is an isolated case; they have not stumbled upon similar spec disparities between product family members—be it with other AIBs or within Yeston's stable. It could be safe to assume that Yeston's product pages contain inaccurate or placeholder numbers.

According to the latest rumor mill, AMD is preparing Radeon AI PRO R9700, a new GPU designed specifically for the Chinese market. The new Radeon AI PRO R9700 GPU will feature deliberately handicapped performance parameters that comply with the most recent US export regulations while still supporting the local industry's needs for tasks such as on-device inference and model fine-tuning. To adhere to Washington's restrictions, AMD has reduced the chip's compute throughput to remain below the critical threshold for controlled exports, yet it retains 32 GB of high-bandwidth frame buffer memory and full PCIe Gen 5 connectivity. These specifications are intended to ensure efficient data transfer, and when multiple R9700 cards are deployed together, they can deliver substantial processing capability despite the lower power per card.

This China-specific strategy follows a challenging period for AMD in that region, including an $800 million charge related to its MI308 accelerator after it was blocked under earlier rules. NVIDIA has also suffered, losing an estimated $5.5 billion in revenue when its H20 series was barred, and seeing its Chinese market share drop from roughly 90 percent in 2021 to about 50 percent today. These developments have created an opening for AMD to compete on both price and supply reliability. AMD's approach mirrors NVIDIA's release of a restricted-performance version of its Blackwell-architecture B20 GPU for China. Priced more competitively than previous China-compliant offerings, the Radeon AI PRO R9700 will arrive in the third quarter of 2025 alongside NVIDIA's B20. AMD intends to present its full AI silicon roadmap at the Advancing AI Summit on June 12, positioning the R9700 as a targeted solution for enterprises and research institutions rather than for hyperscale cloud environments.

XPG's newly unveiled SFF-ready platform—carefully optimized for NVIDIA's omnipresent GeForce RTX 50-series—consists of several product ranges. Given the complicated nature of the manufacturer's various new item lineups, this article will concentrate on freshly unveiled power supplies units. At Computex 2025, ADATA's gaming division has keenly showed off its brand-new PYMCORE SFX PSU series. The company's ultra-compact designs are tailored for integration into VALOR AIR and MESH NANO cases—this synergistic combination is advertised as: "allowing longer GPUs to fit into SFF builds without compromising performance."

The XPG PYMCORE power supply series is fully up-to-date with modern standards—most notably, being ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 compliant. A 1000 W Platinum 80+ certified flagship model offers 235% power excursion. 12V2x6 (600 W) connectors can be linked to compatible SFF-ready enthusiast-grade NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards (and a smattering of custom Radeon RX 9070 Series models). A flagship PYMCORE unit was closely inspected by a TechPowerUp staff member; they took note of three 12V2x6 outputs. One exhibited specimen was deemed very special; due to having been blessed by Jensen Huang's signature. In addition, XPG is readying 850 W and 750 W Gold-rated PYMCORE SKUs. All models are configured with 100% Japanese capacitors.

The TechPowerUp crew had trouble keeping up with the plethora of new "panoramic view" P-series cases being exhibited at Zalman's Computex booth. Starting with mid-range products; the South Korean brand has prepared various (up to microATX format) P30 and P30 DS2 color options. The latter is equipped with a fancy two-piece detachable glass section, and an integrated 9.1" LCD panel (4:1 ratio). The P30 family was designed with air flow and maximized ventilation in mind—paired with a minimal aesthetic. The P30 DS2 is bundled with three 120 mm ARGB fans, while its plain sibling is appropriately equipped with three non-ARGB units. Both can support up to 360 mm top-mounted AIOs.

Not long after Nintendo's comprehensive Switch 2 showcase, official product descriptions were edited. The removal of Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support for TVs (in docked mode) from official websites proved to be highly confusing. At the time (around mid-April), the company did not release any explanatory material. Industry watchdogs anticipated a future firmware update, that would eventually restore docked mode VRR capabilities (over HDMI). In the meantime, the hybrid console's surprisingly capable integrated display would provide the only gateway into VRR-elevated gaming experiences—courtesy of NVIDIA G-SYNC tech. Late last week, Nintendo Life shared an official update—sourced from a company spokesperson: "Nintendo Switch 2 supports VRR in handheld mode only. The incorrect information was initially published on the Nintendo Switch 2 website, and we apologize for the error."

It is not clear why it has taken over a month to provide clarification, but the online publication did send in a query. When asked about a possible post-release fix, the Nintendo representative replied with a curt answer: "we have nothing to announce on this topic." Last week, the Digital Foundry team surmised that the much-anticipated Switch successor would not launch with a previously advertised feature. Commenting on this missing spec point, Richard Leadbetter elaborated: "something that is important to clarify is that as far as Switch 2 developers are concerned, VRR is indeed a function of the internal display only and that there is no support at all right now for VRR over HDMI...The best theory we have for this is that the dock's DisplayPort to HDMI converter doesn't support standard HDMI VRR, but whatever is the cause, we would hope to see Nintendo provide some sort of solution in due course."

Siege X is coming on June 10 to PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, and PC via Ubisoft Connect and Steam. While it's a major free upgrade for anyone who owns Rainbow Six Siege, the Siege X update introduces Free Access, allowing new players to experience the tactical action of Siege for free in Unranked, Quick Match, and the all-new 6v6 Dual Front mode.

In Dual Front, attacking and defending Operators join forces, opening up new opportunities to synergize with clever gadget combinations as your team fights to secure enemy zones while defending your own. Plus, Dual Front allows you to respawn, letting you get back to the action quickly. For the best performance on your platform of choice, here is the full list of available PC and console specifications:

On June 11, the PC version of Stellar Blade will be released. The PC version of Stellar Blade will support several new features and introduce exciting additional content. This additional content will also be available on the PS5 console version, This additional content will also be available on the PS5 console version. PS5 users will receive the free update content through a patch download. It will deliver the best experience to everyone - both users who couldn't join Eve's mission due to platform limitations, and fans who have already witnessed the end of Eve's protocol. With this in mind, we are pleased to share detailed information about the Stellar Blade PC version.

NVIDIA DLSS 4 & AMD FSR 3 upscaling and unlocked frame rate
Blade, blood, and beauty. Eve is a ruthless executioner and an elegant liberator. The PC version of Stellar Blade supports NVIDIA DLSS 4 resolution scaling and frame generation, NVIDIA DLAA image enhancement, and NVIDIA Reflex latency reduction features. AMD FSR 3 is also supported. Additionally, it supports unlocking the frame rate, allowing you to maximize your PC's potential. With these enhancements, Eve's action will transcend its limits, becoming even more merciless and all the more mesmerizing.

Roughly a month ago, Vastarmor debuted its "Super-less" Radeon RX 9070 XT Alloy SKU. The Chinese manufacturer's barebones spin-off—derived from a triple-fan flagship design—was stripped of fancy ARGB trimmings. Additionally, this sober-looking alternative option was deemed unworthy of sporting 3.1 GHz boost clock credentials—instead, making do with a mere 3010 MHz setting. A brand-new "Super Alloy Ultra" model retains elite-tier membership; as demonstrated by a recently published specification sheet. The Vastarmor design team has opted into using a louder and wider color palette; clearly demonstrated by their fresh RX 9070 XT Super Alloy Ultra's zany pearlescent rainbow-spectrum shroud setup. Unfortunately, this bright aesthetic treatment did not extend to the new flagship's backplate. The AIB's Super Alloy White option was appropriately decorated; on the front and back. Vastarmor's latest offering is not expected to break retail barriers beyond Chinese markets. ASRock's premium Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi OC card is—perhaps—the closest to being a visually "eccentric" option for global audiences. Fittingly, its factory overclocked talents include a 3.1 GHz boost clock.

Late last week, Amazon's prematurely published product pages provided an early insight into XFX's alleged implementation of a 3320 MHz boost clock—90 MHz above AMD's speculated reference setting for not-yet-official Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and 8 GB graphics cards. A couple of hours ago, momomo_us shared a fresher set of leaked specifications. The tenured PC tech industry observer outlined two separate tranches of unnamed hardware clocks—presumably linked to factory overclocked Radeon RX 9060 XT variants: "up to 3320 MHz, Game: 2780 MHz" and "up to 3290 MHz, Game: 2700 MHz." As interpreted by VideoCardz, these numbers align with older RDNA 4 rumors—previously, insiders claimed that Team Red's Navi 44 GPU was capable of clocking higher than the larger "Navi 48" sibling. According to their investigative article: "new information (indicates) that the RX 9060 XT's game clock is actually higher than the boost clock of the RX 9070 (non-XT)...The highest boost clock reported for the RX 9060 XT so far is 3320 MHz, which significantly exceeds the RX 9070 XT's 3100 MHz found on its fastest variants."

The latest momomo_us bulletin contains mostly repeated information, but graphics card analysts were confounded by the mentioning of a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus Interface. Prior disclosures have theorized the utilization of PCIe 5.0 x8; as listed within TechPowerUp's GPU database entry. VideoCardz weighed in with some credence: "small GPUs like Navi 44 typically don't require wider interfaces, as performance gains are minimal. However, with PCIe 5.0, using only 8 lanes would result in slightly reduced performance on PCIe 4.0 systems, something already seen with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB variant. By choosing a wider interface, AMD may be attempting to avoid similar issues." Leading up to AMD's debuting of first wave RDNA 4 gaming cards, opposing speculators fought over the company's selection of PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 standards. A public delivery of finalized Radeon RX 9060 XT specifications is likely due on May 21, during Computex 2025.

Stand And Fight as the super weapon of gods and kings, shred enemies with devastating favorites like the Super Shotgun while also wielding a variety of new bone-chewing weapons, including the versatile Shield Saw. Players will stand and fight on the demon-infested battlefields in the vicious, grounded combat the original DOOM is famous for. Take flight atop the new fierce Mecha Dragon, stand tall in a massive Atlan mech, and beat demons to a pulp with the newly enhanced glory kill system. Only the Slayer has the power to wield these devastating tools of mayhem.

Hell's forces are almost at the gates! Meet them at the ready when DOOM: The Dark Ages launches May 15 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Steam, and PlayStation 5. Lead the charge in id Software's biggest DOOM game yet with our Pre-Launch Checklist (see below). Prepare to unleash your inner Slayer with details on preloading, Early Access timing, PC specifications and more.

GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand, announces the launch of the AI TOP 100 Z890, a desktop PC tailored for both gaming and AI computing, now available in the US and Canadian markets. Designed to deliver extreme performance, the AI TOP 100 Z890 is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, the Z890 AI TOP motherboard, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card, optimizing for AI workloads and high-performance gaming. Combined with the pre-installed Windows 11 operating system, users can access AI computing with a standard power setup and plug-and-play convenience.

At the core of the AI TOP 100 Z890 is an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU featuring built-in AI Boost NPU, paired with D5 Bionic Corsa technology-enhanced GIGABYTE 128 GB DDR5 memory, and the GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 5090 WINDFORCE graphics card that supports NVIDIA DLSS 4.0 and Multi Frame Generation. The system also includes an ultra-fast AORUS Gen 4 7300 SSD and a GIGABYTE 320 GB AI TOP 100E cache drive offering up to 150x TBW compared to standard SSDs and ideal for high-volume data training. The cooling system plays a crucial role under heavy workloads, while the AORUS WATERFORCE II 360 liquid cooler and AORUS AC500G ST AI TOP chassis offer stable operation even under intensive loads.

AMD has officially announced the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, the China-exclusive high-end RDNA 4 gaming GPU, along with a May 8 pre-order date. As with previous iterations of AMD's GRE GPUs, the RX 9070 GRE is a trimmed-back version of the higher-tier models, with both less VRAM and fewer compute units than its other RDNA 4 counterparts. Along with the official announcement and the May 8 release date, at least one pre-order retail listing has been spotted online, with retail prices coming in at 4499 CNY ($617 converted). The retail unit in question is an ASUS tri-fan card, so it comes in slightly above the claimed 4199 CNY MSRP.

According to the specifications released by AMD, the RX 9070 GRE features 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with up to 432 GB/s bandwidth. Instead of the 56 compute units found in the Radeon RX 9070, the 9070 GRE has 48 CUs, which should make it a fair bit slower than the 9070 and 9070 XT. However, the GPU boost frequency has been bumped up to 2,790 MHz on the 9070 GRE, from 2,520 MHz on the RX 9070. AMD claims the new GPU is 6% faster than the RX 7900 GRE in "more than 30 games." The RX 9070 GRE also features a standard 2×8-pin power connector, so no need to worry about melting 12VHPWR cables. Much like the other RDNA 4 GPUs, the RX 9070 GRE has launched without a first-party reference design, meaning it may become difficult to find MSRP variants of the 9070 GRE.

The unannounced Radeon RX 9070 GRE 12 GB graphics card model seems to be next in line within AMD's RDNA 4 range. Despite official presentation material teasing a Q2'25 launch of Radeon RX 9060 Series cards, insiders believe that Team Red will debut an in-between option—possibly before the arrival of Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB and 8 GB SKUs. Rumored new-generation "Great Radeon Edition" (GRE) cards are expected to launch as Chinese market exclusives; potentially as a "strategic" gap fill. Local board partner moles have whispered about almost zero replenishments of Radeon RX 9070 (non-XT) 16 GB stock in the region. As reported earlier today, some of VideoCardz's inside sources insist that Radeon RX 9070 GRE cards will—eventually—replace Radeon RX 9070 options. Initial leaks suggested fundamental "step-down" specification pillars: 12 GB of VRAM, a 192-bit memory interface, and a "reduced" "Navi 48" GPU die.

According to fresh claims, the Radeon RX 9070 GRE model could utilize a "Navi 48 XL" GPU variant. VideoCardz reckons that a quarter of the original GPU core count has been shut off; resulting in a total of 3072 stream processors. Comparatively, the Radeon 9070 XT arrived with 4096 SPs. The Radeon 9070 launched with 3584 units. The report delved into alleged core frequency details: "the RX 9070 GRE's clocks will be higher than the RX 9070, reportedly at 2.79 GHz boost, resulting in around 17.1 TFLOPS compared to 18 TFLOPS on the RX 9070...Some custom variants we know of will approach a 3.0 GHz boost clock, so there is definitely room for overclocking." The latest spec sheet leak confirms a 12 GB pool of VRAM, in GDDR6 form—VideoCardz weighed in with some embellishments: "the memory will not be clocked at 20 Gbps, as on (already launched) RX 9070 (XT) and (incoming) RX 9060 XT, but at 18 Gbps. This means that the memory bandwidth will be about 1/3 lower than the RX 9070 (XT) at 432 GB/s." Certain industry observers reckon that AMD will continue to rely on AIBs to produce an all-custom lineup of forthcoming RDNA 4 products. So-called "reference designs" (MBA) have turned up in China, but only in very limited numbers—sold via hazy avenues.

The UALink Consortium today announced the ratification of the UALink 200G 1.0 Specification, which defines a low-latency, high-bandwidth interconnect for communication between accelerators and switches in AI computing pods. The UALink 1.0 Specification enables 200G per lane scale-up connection for up to 1,024 accelerators within an AI computing pod, delivering the open standard interconnect for next-generation AI cluster performance.

"As the demand for AI compute grows, we are delighted to deliver an essential, open industry standard technology that enables next-generation AI/ML applications to the market," said Kurtis Bowman, UALink Consortium Board Chair. "UALink is the only memory semantic solution for scale-up AI optimized for lower power, latency and cost while increasing effective bandwidth. The groundbreaking performance made possible with the UALink 200G 1.0 Specification will revolutionize how Cloud Service Providers, System OEMs, and IP/Silicon Providers approach AI workloads."

Last month, PG152 board designs were linked to NVIDIA's rumored lineup of upcoming GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, RTX 5060, and RTX 5050 "Blackwell" GPUs. Despite the emergence of fairly legitimate looking "incomplete" technical information, claimed "128-bit memory bus" spec points (for all lower end cards) did not sit well with a portion of the PC gaming hardware community. In theory, Team Green could roll out truly next-generation budget offerings with 192-bit buses, rather than repeat some of its GeForce RTX 4060 "Ada Lovelace" series homework. Two weeks ago, a GeForce RTX 5060 Ti-specific "full specification" leak reiterated the design's (alleged) 128-bit wide GDDR7 memory interface.

Earlier today, VideoCardz unearthed another example—sourced from shipping manifests—of NVIDIA outfitting PG152 boards with a 128-bit memory bus. The "PG152 SKU 25" and "PG152 SKU 10" identifiers seem to confirm the existence of GeForce RTX 5060 and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards (respectively)—the latter design is reportedly due for launch next week. The "wallet friendly" end of Team Green's "Blackwell" GPU spectrum is expected to utilize GDDR7 memory; thus elevating new-gen options above preceding hardware. An advantageous generational leap grants bandwidths of 448.0 GB/s, rather than 288.0 GB/s.

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.