QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today launched the new lightweight, quiet, and feature-rich TS-230 NAS that can easily fit into any living environment. Adorned with a refreshing baby blue hue, the TS-230 is ideal for home and daily central storage, back up, photo and video sharing. All digital assets on the TS-230 are securely protected by the powerful snapshot function. Coupled with multimedia apps and transcoding feature support, the TS-230 is an ideal entry-level NAS for creating a smart and fun lifestyle.

The TS-230 uses a Realtek RTD1296 quad-core 1.4 GHz processor and built-in 2 GB DDR4 RAM for meeting personal and home NAS applications. It provides one Gigabit port and supports SATA6 Gbps disk drives, AES-256 encryption, and SSD caching. The cooling fan uses an HDB type Sintetico bearing fan for maintaining high airflow and low noise, providing better cooling for the TS-230 to ensure constant system operation. The tool-less hard drive installation makes TS-230 setup easy even for a NAS newbie.

GIGABYTE today announced the refreshed UD Pro line of high-endurance SATA SSDs. Built in the 2.5-inch form-factor with SATA 6 Gbps interface, the drives come in capacities of 256 GB (GP-UDPRO256G), 512 GB (GP-UDPRO512G), and 1 TB (GP-UDPRO1T). The new drives feature updated 96-layer KIOXIA 3D TLC NAND flash memory, with increased endurance rating across the board. The 1 TB variant offers a staggering 750 TBW endurance (for perspective, the NAS-optimized WD Red SA500 1 TB is rated with 600 TBW); while the 512 GB variant offers 370 TBW; and the 256 GB variant 175 TBW.

All three variants offer sequential transfer speeds of up to 550 MB/s reads, with up to 530 MB/s writes. The 1 TB variant offers up to 98,000 IOPS 4K random reads and up to 89,000 IOPS 4K random writes. The 512 GB model offers 97,000/89,000 IOPS. The 256 GB model offers 98,000/89,000 IOPS. All three drives appear to be using a Phison S10-series controller with fixed 256 MB DRAM cache across all three variants. GIGABYTE is backing these drives with 5-year warranties. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Intel today launched its 10th generation Core desktop processor family and its companion Intel 400-series chipsets. Based on the 14 nm++ silicon fabrication process and built in the new LGA1200 package, the processors are based on the "Comet Lake" microarchitecture. The core design of "Comet Lake" and its IPC are identical to those of "Skylake," however Intel brought significant enhancements to the processor's clock-speed boosting algorithm, increased core- or thread counts across the board, and introduced new features that could interest enthusiasts and overclockers. The uncore component remains largely unchanged from the previous-generation, with support for DDR4 memory and PCI-Express gen 3.0. Use of these processors requires a new socket LGA1200 motherboard, they won't work on older LGA1151 motherboards. You can install any LGA115x-compatible cooler on LGA1200, provided it meets the thermal requirements of the processor you're using.

At the heart of the 10th generation Core processor family is a new 10-core monolithic processor die, which retains the same basic structure as the previous-generation 8-core "Coffee Lake Refresh" die, and 4-core "Skylake." The cores are arranged in two rows, sandwiched by the processor's uncore and iGPU blocks. A ring-bus interconnect binds the various components. The cache hierarchy is unchanged from previous generations as well, with 32 KB each of L1I and L1D caches; 256 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The iGPU is the same Gen 9.5 based UHD 630 graphics. As we mentioned earlier, much of Intel's innovation for the 10th generation is with the processor's microcode (boosting algorithms).

Intel NUC 11 Extreme is the spiritual successor to the "Hades Canyon" and "Skull Canyon" NUC, and implements the company's next-generation 10 nm+ "Tiger Lake" processor. Codenamed "Panther Canyon," the NUC 11 Extreme represents a line of ultra-compact desktops with serious computing power, bringing together the company's highest-performance CPU cores and iGPUs. The "Tiger Lake-U" SoC powering the NUC 11 Extreme will reportedly be configured with a 28-Watt TDP, and will come in Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 variants.

The "Tiger Lake-U" processor is expected to combine next-generation "Willow Cove" CPU cores with an iGPU based on Intel's new Xe graphics architecture, in what could be the first commercial outing for both. The NUC 11 Extreme "Panther Canyon" will also support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory over SO-DIMMs, an M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and option for Intel Optane M10 cache memory. On the connectivity front, and Intel AX-201 WLAN card provides 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5. A 2.5 GbE wired interface will also be available. These will also be among the first NUCs to feature front- and rear-Thunderbolt ports (possibly next-gen 80 Gbps given that the platform implements PCIe gen 4.0). The NUC 11 Extreme "Panther Canyon" is expected to launch some time in the second half of 2020.

AMD today announced four new desktop processors across three very diverse markets. To begin with, the company crowned its socket AM4 mainstream desktop platform with the mighty new Ryzen 9 3950X processor. Next up, it released its new baseline entry-level APU, the Athlon 3000G. Lastly, it detailed the 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper HEDT processor family with two initial models, the Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and the flagship Ryzen Threadripper 3970X. The company also formally released its AGESA Combo PI 1.0.0.4B microcode, and with it, introduced a killer new feature for all "Zen 2" based Ryzen processors, called ECO Mode.

The Ryzen 9 3950X is a 16-core/32-thread processor in the AM4 package, compatible with all socket AM4 motherboards, provided they have the latest BIOS update with AGESA Combo PI 1.0.0.4B microcode. The processor comes with clock-speeds of 3.50 GHz base, with 4.70 GHz maximum boost frequency, and the same 105 W TDP as the 12-core Ryzen 9 3900X. With 512 KB of dedicated L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache, the chip has a mammoth 72 MB of "total cache."

Here is the first picture of a motherboard based on AMD's upcoming mid-range desktop motherboard chipset, the AMD "B550A," the ASRock B550AM Gaming. The board was spied inside a pre-built desktop at a Best Buy store. This is the first time we've seen the mid-range chipset being referenced as "B550A" and not "B550." The "A" may not be part of the motherboard's model name as the "M" denotes Micro-ATX and usually succeeds the chipset model in ASRock's nomenclature. The B550(A) will be an important chipset for AMD as it will enable motherboards priced under the $150 mark that support AMD's 3rd generation Ryzen processor's I/O natively.

While the X570 is an in-house development by AMD, the B550 is sourced from ASMedia, and is expected to be a new version of the "Promontory-LP" silicon. The only thing that sets this chip apart from the 400-series "Promontory-LP" is PCI-Express gen 3.0 certification. The chipset talks to the AM4 SoC over a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 link, and puts out up to 8 PCI-Express gen 3.0 downstream lanes. A 3rd gen Ryzen processor on a B550 motherboard still puts out PCI-Express gen 4.0 connectivity, which means you get one PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot, and one M.2 slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring. The rest of the chipset's I/O will be similar to the 400-series, which includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports, up to two 10 Gbps USB 3.1 ports, up to four 5 Gbps USB 3.1 ports, and eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports. If the AM4 SoC installed is a 3rd gen Ryzen, then you'll get a couple more 10 Gbps USB 3.1 ports. AMD partners could use the opportunity to launch some of the more upscale B550 motherboards with the latest 2.5 GbE wired LAN, and 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6.Update (16/10): We learn later down in the referenced Reddit thread, including from comments by AMD's Robert Hallock, that the B550A is a rebranded B450 targeted at OEMs. The B550 (non-A) is what is the upcoming chipset detailed in this article.

AMD X570 is the company's first in-house design desktop motherboard chipset for the AM4 platform. The company sourced earlier generations of chipset from ASMedia. A chipset in context of the AM4 platform only serves to expand I/O connectivity, since an AM4 processor is a full-fledged SoC, with an integrated southbridge that puts out SATA and USB ports directly from the CPU socket, in addition to LPCIO (ISA), HD audio bus, and SPI to interface with the firmware ROM chip. The X470 "Promontory Low Power" chipset runs really cool, with a maximum TDP of 5 Watts, and the ability to lower power to get its TDP down to 3W. The X570, on the other hand, has a TDP of "at least 15 Watts." A majority of the X570 motherboards we've seen at Computex 2019 had active fan-heatsinks over the chipset. We may now have a possible explanation for this - there are just too many things on the chipset.

According to AMD, the X570 chipset by itself can be made to put out a staggering twelve SATA 6 Gbps ports (not counting the two ports put out by the AM4 SoC). A possible rationale behind this may have been to enable motherboard designers to equip every M.2 slot on the motherboard with SATA wiring in addition to PCIe, without needing switches that reroute SATA connection from one of the physical ports. It's also possible that AMD encouraged motherboard designers to not wire out SATA ports from the AM4 SoC as physical ports to save costs on switches, and dedicate one of them to the M.2 slot wired to the SoC. With the two SATA ports from the SoC out of the equation, and every other M.2 slot getting a direct SATA connection from the chipset, motherboard designers can wire out the remaining SATA ports as physical ports, without spending money on switches, or worrying about customer complaints on one of their drives not working due to automatic switching. This is an extreme solution to a rather simple problem.

Patriot Memory's SSD lineup for 2019-20 includes two new SATA SSDs to cater to the mainstream market, the P200 and Burst. Both drives are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gbps interface. The Burst is available in capacities of up to 960 GB, and is powered by a Phison S11 controller with DRAM cache. The drive offers sequential transfer rates of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 540 MB/s writes, and endurance of up to 835 TBW, benefiting from the drive's overprovisioning. The P200 is an interesting drive, in that it comes in two controller options. Capacities 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB ship with Silicon Motion SM2258XT DRAM-less controller, while the 2 TB version is powered by a Maxiotech MAS0902A. On offer are up to 530 MB/s reads, up to 460 MB/s writes, and up to 1 PBW endurance.

Response from motherboard manufacturers to the Intel B365 Express mid-range socket LGA1151 chipset has been rather lukewarm, with very few product launches. The B365 Express is a rebadged H270 Express with 8th and 9th generation Core CPU support replacing 6th and 7th gen. ASUS launched one of its first ATX form-factor boards based on this chipset, with the Prime B365-Plus. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 4+3 phase VRM. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The board supports 9th generation Core processors out of the box.

Besides the main x16 slot, the board's expansion slots loadout is designed to benefit from the increased 20-lane PCIe budget of the B365 Express. You get a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4) slot, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots. There are two M.2 slots on offer. The bottom slot has PCI-Expres 3.0 x4 wiring only, and supports M.2-22110 drives, while the top M.2 slot has PCI-Express 3.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. There are six SATA 6 Gbps ports. Display connectivity includes one each of D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. USB connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, four by headers. The board's sole 1 GbE network interface is controlled by a Realtek 8111H PHY. The onboard audio solution is driven by an entry-level Realtek ALC887 CODEC. Expect this board to be priced around $90.

ASUS expanded its TUF Gaming motherboard series for the AMD platform with the new TUF B450M-Pro Gaming, positioned above its existing TUF B450M-Plus Gaming. This board features a more upscale CPU VRM design, chunkier VRM heatsinks, a more premium onboard audio solution, an additional M.2 slot, and more fan headers than the B450M-Plus Gaming. To begin with, the board features a 10-phase CPU VRM compared to the simpler 6-phase design of the B450M-Plus Gaming. Both areas of the CPU VRM are cooled by visibly bigger heatsinks, while the B450M-Plus Gaming features no heatsink over the VSoC phases. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors.

ASUS rearranged the expansion slot layout to make room for a second M.2 slot. The upper slot features both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, while the lower slot features PCI-Express 3.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. Both slots use SATA switching logic to divert SATA links from the board's six SATA 6 Gbps ports. The third major area of improvement is the onboard audio solution, which uses a top-grade Realtek ALC1220A CODEC compared to the entry-level ALC887 of the B450M-Plus Gaming. This chip is still wired out to 6-channel analog jacks. There are a couple of additional 4-pin fan headers. The onboard gigabit Ethernet solution is unchanged, driven by a Realtek RTL8111H PHY. The ASUS TUF B450M-Pro Gaming is expected to be priced at USD $99.

Crucial late Thursday rolled out a 960 GB variant of its entry-level BX500 SATA SSD series (model: CT960BX500SSD1). The BX500 earlier came in capacities only up to 480 GB. The drive implements Micron's latest 96-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory mated to an SMI SM2258XT DRAM-less controller. Its rated performance is same as the 480 GB model, with up to 540 MB/s reads and up to 500 MB/s writes. Built in the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor, the drive takes advantage of the SATA 6 Gbps interface. The drive is now selling for USD $129.99 ($0.13 per GB).

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today launched its ADATA Ultimate SU750 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s solid-state drives (SSD). With next-generation TLC (Triple-Level Cell) 3D NAND Flash and a host of other features, SU750 SSDs deliver terrific value, great performance, and superb reliability to offer users an excellent option for their next upgrade.

Implementing 3D NAND Flash, Ultimate SU750 SSDs features higher storage capacities of 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. With SLC Caching, the drives can achieve read/write speeds of up to 550/520MB per second to accelerate PC performance. Users will revel in not having to wait around to access files and for programs to load. What's more, with no mechanical components, SU750 SSDs are more resilient than HDDs. They are more resistant to shock and vibration (1500G/0.5ms), therefore providing better protection of data. Also, SSDs also run silently and consume less power than HDDs.

Intel is giving final touches to a "Crimson Canyon" fully-assembled NUC desktop model which combines the company's first 10 nm Core processor, and AMD Radeon discrete graphics. The NUC8i3CYSM desktop from Intel packs a Core i3-8121U "Cannon Lake" SoC, 8 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4 memory, and discrete AMD Radeon RX 540 mobile GPU with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. A 1 TB 2.5-inch hard drive comes included, although you also get an M.2-2280 slot with both PCIe 3.0 x4 (NVMe) and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. The i3-8121U packs a 2-core/4-thread CPU clocked up to 3.20 GHz and 4 MB of L3 cache; while the RX 540 packs 512 stream processors based on the "Polaris" architecture.

The NUC8i3CYSM offers plenty of modern connectivity, including 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5.0 powered by an Intel Wireless-AC 9560 WLAN card, wired 1 GbE from an Intel i219-V controller, consumer IR receiver, an included beam-forming microphone, an SDXC card reader, and stereo HD audio. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.1 type-A ports including a high-current port. Display outputs are care of two HDMI 2.0b, each with 7.1-channel digital audio passthrough. The company didn't reveal pricing, although you can already read a performance review of this NUC from the source link below.

Seagate at CES 2019 unveiled its first NAS-grade solid state drives, under the Ironwolf 110 series. A "NAS-grade" HDD/SSD is typically that which has its durability or endurance rated halfway between client- and enterprise segments. The Ironwolf 110 series boasts of 1 DWPD endurance, and comes in capacities of up to 3.84 TB. Backing these endurance chops is a 5-year warranty. The drive is also designed keeping in mind the rigors of 24x7 operation and RAID environments. Although built in the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor with SATA 6 Gbps interface, Seagate understands that a lot of home/SOHO NAS devices only feature 3.5-inch caddies. It's likely that these drives will include a simple accessory that lets you use them with 3.5-inch trays.

Available in capacities of 3.84 TB, 1.92 TB, 960 GB, 480 GB, and 240 GB, the Ironwolf 110 incorporates 3D TLC NAND flash memory. All variants are capable of up to 560 MB/s sequential reads, and barring the 240 GB variant that writes at up to 345 MB/s, all variants offer up to 535 MB/s sequential writes. The 4K random access read performance ranges between 85,000 to 90,000 IOPS for the 960 GB thru 3.84 TB variants, and between 55,000 to 75,000 IOPS for the 240 thru 480 GB ones.

GIGABYTE introduced the X299-WU8, a high-end desktop motherboard being sold as a quasi-workstation-class board, in the CEB form-factor (305 mm x 267 mm). Based on Intel X299 Express chipset, it features out-of-the-box support for Intel's socket LGA2066 Core X 9000-series processors, in addition to existing Core X 7000-series. A design focus with this board is on PCIe connectivity. The board employs two PLX PEX8747 PCIx gen 3.0 x48 bridge chips, which convert two gen 3.0 x16 links from the processor to four downstream x16 links, which can further be switched to x8. All seven expansion slots are PCI-Express 3.0 x16 physically, which are electrically "x16/NC/x16/NC/x16/NC/x16" or "x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8." The topmost slot stays x16, while the other six share three x16 links depending on how you populate them. The board has certifications for 4-way SLI and CrossFireX.

The GIGABYTE X299-WU8 draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with an 8+1 phase VRM. An additional 6-pin PCIe power input, which is optional, stabilizes slot power delivery to the graphics cards. The CPU socket is flanked by eight DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory. Storage connectivity is surprisingly sparse, with just one M.2-2280 slot that has PCIe 3.0 x4 wiring, and eight SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes USB 3.1 gen 2 (including a type-C port), a number of USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, both on the rear panel and via headers; high-end onboard audio including an ALC1220 CODEC and headphones amp; and two 1 GbE networking interfaces. Expect this board to be priced around $600, given that the PEX8747 isn't cheap these days, and this board has two of it.

In addition to the Savage EXO, Kingston also announced the HyperX Fury RGB series internal SSDs. These drives are characterized by RGB LED diffusers lining the top panels of the drives. Besides SATA 6 Gbps and SATA Power, each drive features a micro USB port that lets you not only use it as a portable drive, but also lets you plug the drive either into a standardized ARGB header of your lighting controller, or a USB header on your motherboard, for software control. The drive is sold in two packages - the base package includes only the drive and a license to Acronis True Image. The Bundle package, on the other hand, also includes a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch spacer, a portable SSD enclosure, USB cables, and a multi-function screwdriver.

Moving on to the drive itself, the HyperX Fury RGB combines a Marvell 88SS1074 controller with 3D TLC NAND flash memory. The drive comes in capacities of 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB. Sequential transfer rates for all models is rated at up to 550 MB/s reads, with up to 480 MB/s writes, although you could expect reduced performance in the USB-powered external drive mode. Endurance numbers (total bytes written) are 120 TB, 240 TB, and 480 TB, for the 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB variants, respectively. The company didn't reveal pricing.

MSI today announced the MEG X399 Creation, its flagship socket TR4 motherboard, with out of the box support for 2nd generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000 processors. The company showed off this board at the 2018 Computex, held this June. Although built in the ATX form-factor, this board is recommended only for EATX-capable cases. The highlight of this board is its gargantuan 19-phase CPU VRM that's optimized for overclocking event the 32-core Threadripper 2990WX. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, and an optional 4-pin Molex. Heat drawn from the CPU VRM MOSFETS is dissipated not just by a large heatsink that spans almost the entire width of the board, but also a secondary heatsink cooling the SoC phases, via a heat-pipe. The huge chipset heatsink cools not just the X399 chipset, but also three M.2-NVMe slots (two M.2-22110 and one M.2-2280). You get 4 more M.2-2280 slots over the new M.2-Xpander Aero, which is a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 riser card that converts the slot to four M.2-2280 slots with x4 wiring, ventilating them with a 100 mm fan. It ends up looking like a graphics card in doing so.

Expansion includes eight DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 2048 GB of DDR4 ECC memory; four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (full-time x16/x8/x16/x4), and an x1. Storage connectivity includes 7 M.2-NVMe slots (3 onboard, 4 via the included M.2-Xpander Aero accessory); and eight SATA 6 Gbps ports. Connectivity includes MSI's highest-grade onboard audio solution combining an ALC1220 with a headphones amplifier, and audio-grade capacitors; and two 1 GbE interfaces driven by Intel i219-V controllers (10 GbE is a notable absentee); and 802.11ac + BT 5.0 WLAN. You get 10 USB 3.1 ports on the rear panel (including a type-C port), and four USB 3.1 ports via front-panel headers). RGB LED diffusers dot the rear I/O shroud, the chipset heatsink, and the reverse side of the PCB. The board is expected to be priced around $500.

QNAP Systems, Inc. (QNAP) today announced the launch of the TS-1635AX NAS - the successor of the landmark TS-1635 NAS. With 16 drive bays (twelve 3.5-inch and four 2.5-inch) and dual 10GbE SFP+ ports, the TS-1635AX is further boosted with a high-performance Marvell ARMADA 8040 ARMv8 Cortex-A72 64-bit quad-core 1.6 GHz processor and two M.2 SATA SSD slots (2280 form factor) and supports Linux virtualization, SSD caching, and Qtier 2.0. The TS-1635AX sets a new standard for ARM-based NAS and marks a new milestone for high-capacity and affordable desktop NAS models.

The TS-1635AX supports QNAP's proprietary Qtier 2.0 for automatic tiered storage and provides a cache-like mechanism in volumes and LUNs to boost the performance of applications where high-efficiency data access is necessary (such as virtualization). The TS-1635AX also supports containerized virtualization (LXC and Docker ) and Linux command-line interface (CLI) virtual machines* for deploying virtualization applications to fully realize the potential of the Marvell ARMADA 8040 processor.

ASUS rolled out one of its first crypto-currency miner-friendly motherboards based on the Intel 300-series chipset platform, now that cheaper Pentium Gold and Celeron processors for this platform are available. The H370 Mining Master puts out all 20 PCI-Express gen 3.0 lanes of the H370 Express chipset as x1 slots. It does this in a space-saving way - wiring out each PCIe "port" as USB 3.0 physically (using its 9 pins), which you wire out using USB 3.1 type-A male-to-male cables into open-ended PCIe x1 risers. You can plug in 20 graphics cards over risers, besides a 21st card on the board's PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.

The rest of the board is pretty spartan, which is what miners need. The LGA1151 socket is powered by a simple 4+2 phase VRM. Power is drawn from three 24-pin ATX, and one 8-pin EPS. The CPU socket is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory, the x16 slot, and the H370 Express chipset. Storage connectivity includes just two SATA 6 Gbps ports. You get six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two via headers). Display outputs include DVI and HDMI. Legacy connectivity includes PS/2 combo, and one serial COM header. 6-channel HD audio, and one 1 GbE interface, driven by an Intel i219-V, makes for the rest of it. ASUS threw in onboard power/reset buttons, and POST debug display to sweeten things.

ASUS expanded its Expedition line of motherboards and graphics cards purpose built for gaming iCafes (they're still a thing in the developing world), with the new B360-V Expedition motherboard for 8th generation "Coffee Lake" processors. Built in the slim micro-ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. A simple 5-phase VRM powers the CPU, which is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 32 GB of memory; and one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.

Storage connectivity includes four SATA 6 Gbps ports. 6-channel HD audio, and gigabit Ethernet make for the rest of it. What makes this board suited for iCafes, is high-grade electrical components, better anchored PCI-Express slots, surge protection across all LAN and USB ports, and slightly better onboard audio than other boards in its class, with separate PCB layers handling left and right audio channels; and 144 hours of rigorous stress-testing of each board before it's packaged.

Here are some of the first pictures of ASRock X470 Fatal1ty Gaming ITX/ac, one of the first few upcoming AMD X470 chipset motherboards built in the mini-ITX form-factor. The board draws power from a 24-pin ATX, and an 8-pin EPS connector, and uses an 8-phase VRM to power the SoC. The AM4 socket is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory; a reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot, and a 32 Gbps M.2-2280 slot (reverse side), besides two of the board's four SATA 6 Gbps ports, four of its USB 3.0 ports, and the onboard audio. The AMD X470 chipset puts out the remaining two SATA 6 Gbps ports and two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports, including a type-C port. High-grade 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, and 802.11 ac WLAN with Bluetooth 4.1, make for the rest of it.

GIGABYTE today rolled out a variant of its Brix S mini-PC barebone powered by Pentium Silver J5005 SoC (model: GB-BLPD-5005). This chip packs a quad-core "Goldmont Plus" CPU, and faster UHD Graphics 605 iGPU than the one which Celeron J4005 comes with. You add your own DDR4 SO-DIMM memory (up to 8 GB of dual-channel memory over two slots); and storage. Storage options include an M.2-2280 slot with PCIe gen 2.0 x2 wiring, and a 2.5-inch drive bay with SATA 6 Gbps interface (up to 9.5 mm-thick drives supported).

An included Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168 card sitting in its own M.2 slot (other than the vacant M.2-2280 slot) provides dual-band 802.11 ac and Bluetooth 4.2. Wired networking is care of a Realtek RTL8111HS controller, putting out a GbE interface. The Realtek ALC255 HD audio codec puts out stereo audio with around 89 dBA SNR. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.0 ports (two on the rear panel, two up front, including a type-C port). Display outputs include one each of mini-DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 2.0a. Measuring 46.8 mm x 112.6 mm x 119.4 mm (HxWxD), it supports VESA mounting. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Plextor today introduced its latest line of value SATA SSDs, under the M8V series. Available in 2.5-inch and M.2-2280 form-factors, the drives leverage SATA 6 Gbps interface, combining Toshiba's latest-generation 64-layer BiCS TLC NAND flash memory, with Silicon Motion SM2258 controller. This controller offers LPDC and redundant array of NAND flash. Both variants come in capacities of 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB.

Performance differs by capacity variants. All three capacity-variants read at speeds of up to 560 MB/s. The 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB variants write (sequentially) at speeds of up to 400 MB/s, up to 510 MB/s, and up to 520 MB/s, respectively. Their 4K random-access speeds are rated at 60,000/70,000 IOPS (reads/writes), 81,000/80,000 IOPS, and 82,000/81,000 IOPS, respectively. Plextor rates their endurance at 70 TBW for the 128 GB variant, 140 TBW for the 256 GB variant, and 280 TBW for the 512 GB variant. Plextor is backing these drives with 3-year warranties.

ASRock introduced a pair of mini-ITX desktop motherboards implementing Intel's new Celeron "Gemini Lake" SoCs. The ASRock J4105-ITX and J4105B-ITX, as their names suggest, are powered by Celeron J4105 "Gemini Lake" SoCs, which combine a quad-core "Goldmont Plus" CPU ticking at 2.50 GHz, with new Intel UHD 600 Graphics. The integrated graphics features hardware-acceleration of 10bpc HEVC video encoding and decoding in addition to new DRM standards, which should enable Netflix 4K, and other on-demand video services at 4K UHD resolution. The J4105-ITX and J4105B-ITX are similar, but for the latter featuring legacy connectivity such as LPT and RS232 COM ports, replacing 8-channel HD audio with 6-channel, and a DVI port. While the former has a PCIe x1 slot, the latter has an x16 slot with x2 wiring.

The board draws power from a 24-pin ATX connector. The SoC is cooled by a fan-less heatsink, and is wired to DDR4 SO-DIMM slots, supporting up to 8 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2400 memory. The 22 mm M.2 slot that has x1 wiring, is recommended only for a WLAN card. Storage connectivity includes four SATA 6 Gbps ports on the J4105-ITX, and two ports on the J4105B-ITX. Both boards come with gigabit Ethernet. Display outputs include DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub on the J4105-ITX; while the J4105B-ITX features D-Sub and HDMI. Both boards are expected to be priced around $170, given that the SoC itself costs $107.

Hot on the heels of Samsung updating its website with its next performance-segment SSD 860 Pro series, with its range-topping 4 TB variant, a similar pre-launch website update revealed the company's next mainstream SATA SSD, the 860 EVO. The drive will be available in three form-factors, 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch, M.2-2280, and mSATA; all with SATA 6 Gbps interface. The 2.5-inch version comes in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB variants; while the M.2-2280 version comes in just 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB variants; and the mSATA version in 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB variants. The drives combine Samsung's latest generation 3D VNAND flash memory built in the 10 nm-class sliicon fabrication process, with an updated controller and refined firmware.

The 860 EVO offers sequential transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s, with up to 520 MB/s sequential writes, up to 97,000 IOPS 4K random reads, and up to 88,000 IOPS 4K random writes. The new-generation flash is rated for "8 times higher" endurance than the 850 EVO series; with up to 2,400 TBW. Samsung is reinforcing its faith in the drive by backing it with 5-year warranties. The company is introducing the new TurboWrite feature, which is a user-configurable SLC cache. You can set anywhere between 12 GB to 72 GB of the NAND flash to function as SLC, so the controller can juggle hot data in and out of it, for improved performance, using the Samsung Magician software.