Lian-Li Industrial Co. Ltd, today announces a new brushed aluminum Mini-ITX chassis ? PC-Q13. With its curve-shaped design and large acrylic front window the fully aluminum PC-Q13 allows users to show off their systems, and is sure to be the talking piece of any room. Whether in the living room, bedroom, or office, the PC-Q13 with its curve-shape and brushed aluminum finish takes visual command without being ostentatious. Additionally, DIY builders can put their stylized internal components and intricate builds on full display ? as they should not be hidden from sight.

Thanks to the two expansion slots on the top of the chassis, the PC-Q13 supports graphics cards up to 200mm (7.8"). For storage, up to four 2.5" hard drives or SSDs can be mounted in the removable hard drive cage at the bottom of the chassis. A 140mm fan in the rear of the chassis expels hot air, while ventilation on the top and side allows for cool air to enter. A small form factor power supply up to 125 mm (4.9") is placed on rubber pads in order to reduce vibrations.

With its 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors, Intel is putting in a serious effort to improve integrated graphics (IGP) performance to catch up with AMD's Radeon HD 8600 series on its latest APUs. There are three classes of Intel IGPs for Haswell, the GT1, which features 10 execution units (EUs), and will feature on entry-thru-mainstream Pentium, Core i3, and Core i5 chips; GT2, which features 20 EUs, featuring on mainstream-thru-performance Core i5 and Core i7 chips; and GT3, a large 40-EU IGP, which uses an L4 eDRAM cache. Chips with GT3 graphics are multi-chip modules (MCMs) of the CPU die and this eDRAM due, as detailed earlier. It was earlier believed that Haswell chips with GT3 graphics cores will be confined to notebook and Ultrabook-specific CPU models, but it turns out that it will make an appearance on the desktop platform as well.

Lian-Li Industrial Co., Ltd. today announces two new brushed aluminum Mini-ITX chassis: PC-Q27 and PC-Q28. These two compact cases feature Lian Li's new railing mount motherboard tray design, and allow for the Mini-ITX platform to be combined with traditional full-sized components.

In addition to the new motherboard tray, both of Lian Li's new Mini-ITX chassis have a new side panel removal design. After removing a single screw, the side panel easily slides off with minimal effort.

The processor-motherboard combination as PC enthusiasts know it could end, with Intel LGA1150 processors under the "Haswell" micro-architecture, likely to becoming the last client processors to ship in the retail channel (processor-in-box). Future Intel client processors, codenamed "Broadwell" could ship only in BGA (ball-grid array) packages, with existing motherboard vendors selling their products with processors permanently soldered onto them. The information comes from Japanese PC Watch, which cites sources in the PC industry.

With a compacted socket-processor launch cycle that spans nearly 2 years under the company's "tick-tock" product strategy, the scope for processor updates in the client computing industry might be lower than what it was in the LGA775 days. Perhaps statistics at Intel don't show a sizable proportion of people upgrading processors on existing motherboards, or upgrading motherboards while retaining the processor, rather buying a combination of the two, not to mention the fact that pre-built PCs outsell DIY assembled ones in major markets. With the processor being "tied" to the motherboard, Intel gets room to compact the platform further, combining processor and core logic completely into a single package. It's likely that Intel could still leave processor interchangeability to its HEDT (high-end desktop) platform, which sees processors start at $300, and motherboards at $200.Source: X-bit Labs

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, today confirmed its OWC Data Doubler Kit is compatible with the new 2012 Mac mini announced by Apple earlier this week. The 'do-it-yourself' kit enables mini owners to add a second internal 2.5" SATA hard drive up to 1.0TB or a high-performance Solid State Drive to complement the existing internal factory drive. Fully supported with all required parts, tools, and a step-by-step 'how-to' video, users can add an OWC Mercury 6G SSD up to 480GB in capacity starting from $83.99. With this kit, users can enjoy near instantaneous booting and application launches along with an incredible boost to overall system and application performance thanks to real-world sustained data rates of up to 559MB/s. While OWC highly recommends its Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSDs for the 6.0Gb/s data bus equipped 2011-2012 Apple mini, this DIY kit is fully compatible with all 9.5mm or smaller 2.5" Serial ATA SSDs, including the largest capacity in the 3G speed class OWC Mercury Electra 960GB SSD.

Icy Dock is proud to introduce the MB981U3N-1SA USB 3.0 2.5" / 3.5" SATA & IDE Hard Drive Adapter. This adapter is an ultra portable yet space saving solution for users who require high transfer speed with multiple hard drives to swap, whether it is IDE / SATA or a 2.5" / 3.5" form factor.

The MB981U3N-1SA accepts almost all kinds of drives including ATA (IDE), SATA, 2.5", 3.5" hard drives and SSDs. It allows universal adaptability with modern PCs or Macs via SuperSpeed USB 3.0. With a theoretical maximum of 5Gb/s, you get the lightning fast transfer performance you need to finish your tasks fast. With USB 3.0 capable of backwards compatibility, the adapter can be used in older systems that only have USB 2.0. This is the best interface to date with reliable compatibility for many different systems.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage, and enthusiast computer products today launches its new wireless personal storage enclosure the Gauntlet Node. Previously announced as the Gauntlet Wifi, the Gauntlet Node will allow users to break free from the hardware limited storage options offered in today’s most popular tablets, smart phones, and laptops by offering up to 1 terabyte of untethered external storage.

Providing an extremely flexible wireless storage solution, the Gauntlet Node can be fitted with any new or used 2.5” mechanical hard drive or solid state drive and is hot swappable for no hassle use with multiple drives. Using Gauntlet Connect, available through Google Play, Amazon App Store, and iTunes, the Gauntlet Node is capable of sharing or streaming to 8 connected devices for excellent on the go productivity or entertainment. Powered by a lithium ion battery, the Gauntlet Node can stream movies, music, and photos or transfer data continuously for up to 5.5 hours.

LEPA is working on a closed-loop liquid CPU cooler, which features an "ultra slim" CPU block. Called the HDB120, this closed-loop cooler appears to have its pump located with the radiator, rather than with the block. As a result, its block is no different in form and function, than a DIY CPU water block. It is just 12 mm-thick, with its coolant tubes factory-fitted on its side, rather than on its top. LEPA plans to unveil (and probably demonstrate) the HDB120 at the upcoming Computex 2012 event.Source: Expreview

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and a channel manufacturer, today launches the ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme - a next-generation mini-ITX platform for DIY home theater PC users. The ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme combines the latest energy-efficient Intel Atom processor with world-class NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors for superior energy-efficiency and stunning high-definition video playback.

The latest generation Intel Atom D2700 CedarTrail processor with dual cores and Intel HyperThreading technology enables the ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme to deliver snappy multitasking responsiveness for everyday computing tasks. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520 graphics processor equips the ZOTAC D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme with hardware-accelerated Blu-ray 3D playback capabilities and HDMI 1.4a technology for the ultimate 3D high-definition experience.

Windows 8 implements a radical new user interface called Metro for desktop PC's, which has so far received a mixed reception. However, there's many other changes under the hood and one of those is how password security is handled, which we look at here. It's a fact of life, that in today's modern world, we have to remember a plethora of passwords and PIN's, which can be daunting. This leads to security issues as users end up writing down passwords and/or create very insecure ones which can be easily guessed. Windows 8 aims to uphold strong password security, while at the same time, easing the burden on the user. Also, passwords can be obtained in various ways by miscreants, such as phishing, keylogging, guessing, and cracking. Windows addresses each of these problems in three main ways:

Cooler Master, an industry leading chassis, thermal solution, power supply, peripheral, and accessory manufacturer, today announced the Elite 431 Plus. This new mid-tower case brings premium case features to a mainstream price and design.

The Elite 431 Plus focuses on a classic subdued outlook with clean and attractive lines. A large windowed side panel is included to allow others to admire your new build. In addition, accent lighting from the front 120mm blue LED fan provides an extra touch to the overall look.

Do you want a really small PC that fits in the palm of your hand? Well, if you do, then VIA Technology have got you covered with their new ARTiGO A1150. As you can see from the pictures, it has a high 'cuteness' factor, due to its diminutive size of just 5.7" x 3.9" x 2". For processing, it sports a 64-bit VIA 1.0 GHz dual core Eden X2 CPU and a VX900H media system processor supporting the latest HD video codecs including H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2/4 at up to 1080p. Interfaces include HDMI and VGA ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, five USB ports including one USB device port, three audio jacks with optional wireless IEEE 802.11 b/g/n and SD card reader modules.

Target uses include the usual home/office environments, use as a super space-saving desktop PC, a home server, media streaming and surveillance applications. Of course, the real question is what kind of performance can one expect out if it, given that it's targeted at the desktop PC market, so one hopes that it can run Windows 7 at a decent performance level. Oddly, the VIA press release doesn't say anything about the RAM, so it's not clear how much can be fitted, which type and what speed grades are supported.