ENERMAX is proud to be launching its new workstation-level CPU AIO cooler: LIQTECH XTR. Specifically designed for the AMD Ryzen Threadripper and Intel Xeon W series processors with a cooling capacity of over 550 W. LIQTECH XTR AIO cooler debuted at Computex 2024 with a live demo, achieving a cooling capacity of over 550 W. The LIQTECH XTR 360 mm CPU cooler features an enlarged cold plate design on its water block, fully covering the IHS area of both AMD Threadripper and Intel Xeon W series processors. Thanks to ENERMAX's high-efficient EP1 pump with a 450L/h flow rate and 3000 RPM radiator fans, LIQTECH XTR can provide more than 550 W cooling capacity on both AMD and Intel platforms.

LIQTECH XTR AIO cooler is also the first ENERMAX CPU cooler to implement the magnetic, fully rotatable, real-time status digital display. Users can manually adjust the LED screen on the water block to set their preferred digital direction. The additional software, ENERMAX's tuner, can further provide a real-time data showing on the water block. ENERMAX's LIQTECH XTR AIO cooler is the perfect cooling solution for workstations that need to perform heavy duty tasks such as 3D rendering, product visualization & simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning acceleration. It fully supports AMD socket sTR5/SP6/sWRX8/sTRX4/TR4/SP3 and Intel socket LGA 4677.

Shokz revealed its brand new OpenFit 2 model at last week's CES trade event—naturally, this second generation open earbud plays successor to the original OpenFit model and will exist alongside the already released OpenFit Air (a cheaper alternative). Shokz's OpenFit series utilizes air conduction rather than bone conduction technology (as used by the OpenRun models) to deliver audio into a wearer's ear canals.

The new Open Fit 2 features a Shokz-designed DualBoost driver system—an "extra-large" 17.3 mm composite material dynamic driver produces lower/bass frequencies, while an independent high-frequency unit takes care of its namesake and mid-frequencies. TechPowerUp inspected and handled Shokz's new flagship and enjoyed the feel of its signature "Ultra Soft-Silicone 2.0" outer layer. Shokz has revised the Open Fit 2 earhook design—they believe that its updated shape should provide a better fit for the majority of owners.

AMD's official announcement of new RDNA 4 generation of GPUs—comprised of Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070—listed several manufacturing partners. YESTON did not join the likes of ASRock, PowerColor, Sapphire and XFX in showcasing custom designs "in-person" at CES, but their official social media accounts have unveiled a new Team Red GPU-based Sakura Atlantis edition card. YESTON has once again deployed its signature baby blue and pink color scheme—quite refreshing when compared to the slew of black/gray custom designs presented at last week's trade show.

Yeston was the first AMD AIB to publicly reveal Radeon RX 9070 XT's video memory allocation online—their social media post confirms the presence of 16 GB VRAM. Team Red partners in attendance at CES 2025 were not allowed to divulge this information, but a number of press outlets read model/name text on certain sticker attachments—corroborating previous leaks that listed 16 GB. Yeston's post outlines a white-lit breathing effects, as well as support for ARGB lighting. The new Sakura Atlantis shroud design is quite unconventional—breaking away from boxy aesthetics. Flowing lines and curved surfaces attract the eye, along with a pleasant pearlescent finish. Shell and starfish motif stickers adorn the card's three cooling fans. VideoCardz reports that Yeston has provided additional details—their Radeon RX 9070 XT-16G Sakura Atlantis model will feature an all-white PCB design and a white-colored I/O bracket. No surprises here, given the company's past choices.

KeysFan brings you genuine, globally valid software at the beginning of the year, so you can plan your next-generation PC build in time for Spring-Summer. Spend more on your hardware by saving big on genuine software. Get Windows 11 Pro at just $14.80. Pair it with the powerful productivity suite Office 2021 Professional Plus at $38.98 on its own, or $52.79 in a combo. Save big when you buy multi-PC packs, or older editions of Windows or Office.

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus at $38.98 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.04 | Buy Office 2016 Professional Plus at $17.04 | Buy Windows 11 Pro at $14.80 | Buy Windows 11 Home at $14.46 | Buy Windows 10 Pro at $9.08 | Buy Windows 10 Home at $8.96 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC at $13.48 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac at $108.56 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business at $43.99 | Buy Office 2024 Home for PC and Mac at $131.99 | Buy Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac at $186.99

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 2-PC at $75.53 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 3-PC at $109.99 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 5-PC at $177.70 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus 2-PC at $54.44 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus 3-PC at $76.44 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus 5-PC at $120.44 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac 2-Macs at $214.04 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 2-PC at $27.78 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 3-PC at $38.78 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 5-PC at $60.22 | Buy Windows 11 Home 2-PC at $28.10 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $15.79 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 3-PC at $23.60 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 5-PC at $37.68 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $16.34Check out more great deals after the break.

January 17 will bring Dynasty Warriors: Origins, a thrilling new addition to the Dynasty Warriors series to PC, PlayStation 5 & Xbox, and we recently had the opportunity to play the tactical hack-and-slash action ahead of its release.

The gripping tale of a "nameless hero"
Dynasty Warriors: Origins follows the drama surrounding China's Three Kingdoms period, from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the Battle of Red Cliffs. At the beginning of the game, the protagonist gets caught up in a battle with Guan Yu against the troops of corrupt officials. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was never portrayed in detail in previous installments of the series. Still, this game goes into depth around the origins and woes of the Yellow Turbans, as well as the perspectives of each general belonging to the defeated troops.

Whispers of a brand new high-end Arm-based mobile processor—rumored to be in the works at NVIDIA HQ—emerged late last year. Data miners have since actively searched for any emerging details—initial bits of evidence have seemingly arrived earlier today, courtesy of Hoang Anh Phu (@AnhPhuH) and WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_). An intriguing Lenovo job listing was uncovered—this entry mentions that the candidate will be tasked with "new SoC NV N1x in-house HW design and development." WalkingCat believes that an upcoming Lenovo Yoga 2-in-1 16-inch (2025) model could emerge with an NVIDIA chipset onboard—they deciphered this through Lenovo's "platform code" naming system (see screenshot below).

Further speculation points to a possible N-series reveal around Computex 2025—Qualcomm rolled out similar announcement timing last summer with its Snapdragon X processor series. NVIDIA is reportedly collaborating with MediaTek on this new endeavor—high-end N1x and mid-tier N1 (non-X) chipsets are reported to be built on Team Green's recently unveiled Blackwell architecture. Tech watchdogs believe that a TSMC 3 nm node process is on the cards. Anh Phu proposes that the new SoCs are performant enough to hit a performance range of 180-200 AI TOPS. Additional industry rumors point to a potential launch window around the fourth quarter of this year, with roughly three million units ready at the starting line.

Today Airborne Empire finally takes flight and is live on Steam! We—at the Wandering Band—are super excited for players to get their hands on the game, to celebrate there will be a 10% discount on the game for a limited time. While we celebrate this milestone today we know there is much more to come. We plan on working on the game for at least a year (most likely a little longer) and we've posted a very early + rough roadmap below.

Right now it's just a list of things we plan on doing. The idea is to expand on this roadmap with your input. We have a big game with a lot of cool features, we're happy with what we have, but our goal is to make something great. We need your help; we need to know what you like, what you don't like and what types of additional content you want to see. If you would like to provide feedback, or discuss the game with the team directly, please join us on our Discord. If you find a bug while playing the game please report it with the in-game bug reporting tool (in the pause screen).

Nanya Technology Corporation, today announced its results of operations for the fourth quarter, ended December 31, 2024. Nanya's quarterly sales revenue was NT$ 6,575 million, a 19.2 percent decrease compared to that in the third quarter of 2024. In the fourth quarter of 2024, average selling prices (ASP) decreased by low-teens percent and bit shipment decreased by high-single digit percent quarter over quarter.

Gross loss of the quarter was NT$ 695 million; gross margin was -10.6 percent, a 13.8 percentage points decrease from that in the previous quarter. Operating loss of the quarter was NT$ 2,812 million; operating margin was -42.8 percent; a 12.0 percentage points decrease from that in the last quarter. Non-operating income of the quarter was NT$ 900 million. The Company had net loss of NT$ 1,574 million, with net margin of -23.9 percent. Earnings per share (EPS) was NT$ -0.51 in the fourth quarter (based on weighted average outstanding shares of 3,099 million).

AMD enforced strict conditions upon its manufacturing partners at the recently concluded CES trade event—various custom Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT) models were showcased, but technical details were not revealed. The TechPowerUp team had a hands-on look at PowerColor's selection of Red Devil, Hellhound cards and newly debuted Reaper design—certain information could be pertained from labels and stickers (cough: 16 GB VRAM) yet brand reps remained tight-lipped about technical nitty gritty under-the-hood. News outlets have relied upon less-than-official sources—such as the Chiphell forum—to obtain performance figures. VideoCardz's working weekend session has produced alleged details about PowerColor's planned boost clock speeds—the headline being that a 3.0 GHz barrier has been broken.

The site's insider network proposes that PowerColor's top-flight Radeon RX 9070 XT Red Devil model is ready for launch with an OC BIOS set to boost matters up to 3060 MHz, while the silent performance mode shaves off fifty—bringing things down to a (still impressive) 3010 MHz. The more middle-of-the-pack Hellhound design is reported to achieve a 3010 MHz boost via its OC BIOS mode, and its silent operation is reported to be 2970 MHz. Additionally, a VideoCardz source reckons that game clocks are somewhere in the region of 2460 to 2520 MHz for both models. The "more affordable" PowerColor Radeon RX 9070 XT Reaper variant seems to lack BIOS switching, so its single operational mode is allegedly capable of boosting up to 2970 MHz.

Pwnage, a leader in premium gaming peripherals, proudly announces the launch of the Trinity CF gaming mouse. This groundbreaking device sets new standards in performance, durability, and versatility, catering to gamers seeking the best lightweight gaming mouse on the market. The Trinity CF is now available for purchase at Pwnage.

Engineered for Precision and Comfort
The Trinity CF features a symmetrical shape that accommodates all grip styles and hand sizes, ensuring ergonomic comfort and precision for every gamer. Weighing just 37-39 grams, it stands as one of the lightest gaming mice available, providing swift and effortless movement during intense gaming sessions.

Today, Delta Force developer Team Jade revealed their plans for continuing content updates coming to the game in 2025, as well as gave an update on the release of the mobile version of Delta Force. Delta Force has a bold plan for bringing its players fresh new content in 2025, including five new operators, seven new maps, new gadgets, new vehicles and more. For a full breakdown, please check out the Delta Force 2025 roadmap.

Team Jade will be sharing more when these seasons are dropping in the game soon, in the meantime, please visit the game's official website for more information about Delta Force. Team Jade also provided an update on the release window for the much anticipated mobile version of the game. In a message to Delta Force Players by Game Director Shadow Guo, the team is committed to delivering the top tier experience that players deserve, and to do that means moving the release of the mobile version to the Summer of 2025.

IQVIA, the world's leading provider of clinical research services, commercial insights and healthcare intelligence, is working with NVIDIA to build custom foundation models and agentic AI workflows that can accelerate research, clinical development and access to new treatments. AI applications trained on the organization's vast healthcare-specific information and guided by its deep domain expertise will help the industry boost the efficiency of clinical trials and optimize planning for the launch of therapies and medical devices—ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Operating in over 100 countries, IQVIA has built the largest global healthcare network and is uniquely connected to the ecosystem with the most comprehensive and granular set of information, analytics and technologies in the industry. Announced today at the J.P. Morgan Conference in San Francisco, IQVIA's collection of models, AI agents and reference workflows will be developed with the NVIDIA AI Foundry platform for building custom models, allowing IQVIA's thousands of pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device customers to benefit from NVIDIA's agentic AI capabilities and IQVIA's technologies, life sciences information and expertise.

Over the past weekend, an Intel Arc GPU enthusiast has picked up a pair of embargo-busting ASRock Arc B570 Challenger 10 GB OC graphics cards. Intel has mandated an official launch at retail on January 16, yet Redditor genxontech presented photo proof of his two Arc Battlemage purchases and claimed that their local Micro Center store had stock available on shelves. The lucky customer stated that he was not willing to experience post-Thursday shortages or dreaded price gouging over limited supply: "I'm upgrading my son's PC from a GTX 1080 and the other one is for me. I work, I don't need to scalp it."

Team Blue's Arc B580 GPU series (starting price: $249) launched mid-December and retail units were snapped up swiftly—budget-conscious hardware enthusiasts have oft complained about a lack of choice/value within their market segment of choice. The incoming Intel Arc B570 GPU family is priced $30 below the slightly more capable B580, so it will be interesting to see how the two tiers perform against each other in 2025. Meanwhile, genxontech has toyed around with the latest Arc Drivers—official software is not available until this Thursday, so mixed results have been documented: "My workstation/server/gaming rig now sees the Arc B570 as a B80. Crazy, right?"

Dear Rivals, exciting news for Season 1! Marvel Rivals is now supported on NVIDIA GeForce NOW, NVIDIA's cloud gaming service. Transform nearly any device into a high-performance, GeForce-powered gaming rig. Two new maps have been added for first half of season 1 for the Empire of Eternal Night in New York City: Sanctum Sanctorum and Midtown.

Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum stands as the last beacon of hope in a city consumed by darkness. Protected by ancient wards and powerful magic, it serves as a refuge for those battling the chaos unleashed by Dracula and his legion. Explore its eerie corridors and powerful secrets as you prepare to face the chaos unleashed by Dracula's dark forces.

Halo 5: Guardians has remained exclusive to Microsoft Xbox gaming systems since launching back in October 2015, during the Xbox One era—an approaching ten-year anniversary has fans wishing for a possible port over to PC platforms. Hopes were elevated late last week due to an intriguing image popping up on Lenovo's Legion Go S product page. A certain promo image depicts screen content featuring a Steam menu session with an entry for Halo 5. This discovery (courtesy of Rebs Gaming) prompted much online chatter about the possible PC port being unveiled at the next Xbox Developer_Direct—scheduled for broadcast on January 23.

343 Industries (now Halo Studios) has ported five titles over to PC—neatly compiled in the form of Halo: Master Chief Collection—but the absence of Guardians has been a lingering sore spot. Over the past weekend, Lenovo senior community manager—Ben Green—dampened expectations. In a curt response to a query (on social media) regarding the alleged leak, he shot down the notion that Lenovo had inadvertently leaked the existence of a Halo 5: Guardians PC port. It is possible that Lenovo's marketing department had mocked-up the image in error. Microsoft's gaming division has committed to spreading its most visible IPs to "rival" platforms, so the upcoming Xbox Developer_Direct could harbor a surprise or two.

Sparkle debuted its new eGPU Studio-G 850 enclosure at last week's CES trade event—sporting a clear upgrade, obvious when inspecting the nearby product placard: a bump up to Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. The Hardwareluxx team managed to get the scoop on this one during their visit to Sparkle's Las Vegas suite—the latter's latest development joins the already released Thunderbolt eGPU Studio-G 750 (black finish) model, that makes do with Thunderbolt 3. The newer standard (offering up to 120 GB/s upstream/downstream) is emerging across a number of new products (mostly premium-tier laptops), but industry experts believe that adoption rates are relatively slow—Intel revealed the TB5 "Barlow Ridge" specification back in September 2023.

Sparkle's newly unveiled white-shelled eGPU Studio-G 850 is generously proportioned (403 x 200 x 237 mm) enough to house 3.5-slot discrete desktop graphics cards—taking a different approach to the likes of ASUS ROG and their XG Mobile model. An integrated handle grants a modicum of portability. Reports from CES suggest that Sparkle did not divulge any details about pricing or upcoming launch windows, but the demonstration sample seemed to be in finalized form. As the model's moniker denotes, the pre-installed internal power supply is an 850 W unit featuring 16-pin connectivity.

For decades, leadership in computing and software ecosystems has been a cornerstone of American strength and influence worldwide. The federal government has wisely refrained from dictating the design, marketing and sale of mainstream computers and software—key drivers of innovation and economic growth. The first Trump Administration laid the foundation for America's current strength and success in AI, fostering an environment where U.S. industry could compete and win on merit without compromising national security. As a result, mainstream AI has become an integral part of every new application, driving economic growth, promoting U.S. interests and ensuring American leadership in cutting-edge technology.

Today, companies, startups and universities around the world are tapping mainstream AI to advance healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, education and countless other fields, driving economic growth and unlocking the potential of nations. Built on American technology, the adoption of AI around the world fuels growth and opportunity for industries at home and abroad. That global progress is now in jeopardy. The Biden Administration now seeks to restrict access to mainstream computing applications with its unprecedented and misguided "AI Diffusion" rule, which threatens to derail innovation and economic growth worldwide.

Although it wasn't present at the ASUS showcase during CES 2025, ASUS has officially announced the new ASUS ROG NUC, pairing it up with Core Ultra 200HX CPUs and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU. According to ASUS, the new ROG NUC will also get an upgraded cooling system, a better "easy-to-upgrade" toolless chassis system, and a slightly different design, all packed in a 282.4x187.7x56.5 mm (bottom: 146 mm) 3L chassis.

As far as the CPU goes, the ROG NUC will get a Core Ultra 9 Series 2 ARL-HX CPU, although it is possible that we will see an SKU with Core Ultra 7 200HX CPU as well. The GPU is NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, and it supports up to 96 GB of DDR5-6400 memory in two SO-DIMM slots. It supports up to 2 TB of SSD storage in M.2 slot, and comes with one Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, a couple of USB 3.2 10 Gbps Type-A and one USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port, two DisplayPort 2.1 and two HDMI 2.1 outputs.

Intel has launched its first wave of Bartlett Lake processors, introducing hybrid-core models specifically designed for embedded systems, with pure performance-core (P-core) variants scheduled to follow later. The initial release, unveiled at CES, showcases the processors through congatec's new COM-HPC modules. The flagship Core 7 251E leads the embedded lineup with 24 cores (8P + 16E) and impressive clock speeds reaching 5.6 GHz boost. Intel claims this processor outperforms the i7-14700 by 6% in single-core and 8% in multi-core benchmarks, despite maintaining a modest 65 W TDP. The series also includes the Core 5 211E with 10 cores (6P + 4E) and the Core 3 201E featuring 4 P-cores. However, the more intriguing development lies ahead.

Earlier sources indicate that Intel plans to release pure P-core variants of Bartlett Lake in Q3 2025, targeting desktop users. These processors will introduce a more traditional approach by replacing E-core clusters with additional P-cores, resulting in configurations of up to 12 P-cores in the upcoming Core 9 series. The pure P-core models will maintain compatibility with existing LGA1700 motherboards, potentially offering an attractive upgrade path for current Intel platform users. The lineup is expected to include 8-core, 10-core, and 12-core variants under the Core 5, 7, and 9 brands respectively, with TDP options ranging from 45 W to 125 W. While the current embedded models focus on specialized applications like medical imaging and edge computing, the future P-core variants seem positioned to appeal to gamers. The processors are expected to utilize Raptor Cove cores, though rumors suggest Intel might consider backporting Lion Cove architecture to the platform.

While Intel is busy with its new Core Ultra 200S series of "Arrow Lake-S" processors for desktops, the start of 2025 is brining some interesting news for the last-generation Intel Core i9-14900KF CPU. The "Raptor Lake" CPU, without a working iGPU has officially broken overclocking world record and reached further into the 10 GHz dream. Achieved by an overclocker named "Wytiwx", the new world record is now sitting in at 9121.61 MHz, beating the previous 9117.75 MHz record held by "Elmor" by 3.8 MHz. This officially breaks Elmor's rule which started in 2022 and currently holds second, third, fourth, and fifth place in the leaderboard. We are curious if the new overclocker will maintain his lead, or if someone new will try to come out on top. Interestingly, for the new world record, Wytiwx used ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX motherboard with CPU cooled by LN2. The run was validated on Windows 7 Ultimate Edition, which is an interesting choice for overclockers as previous records have also been set using Windows 7.

YUNZII has introduced its latest mechanical keyboard, the AL65 QMK/VIA aluminium keyboard, at CES 2025. The AL65 features a CNC-anodized aluminium frame and a distinctive hollow side-cut design that enhances both its aesthetics and RGB lighting effects. The keyboard is equipped with south-facing LEDs capable of displaying 16.8 million colors, with transparent PC keycaps to amplify the lighting. It supports QMK/VIA, allowing users to remap keys, create macros, and adjust lighting on both Windows and macOS systems. The AL65 offers tri-mode connectivity with wired, Bluetooth, and 2.4 GHz wireless options, powered by an 8000mAh battery for extended use. Its gasket-mounted structure reduces typing noise and provides a softer feel while sound-dampening foam layers minimize vibrations. A hot-swappable PCB supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches, enabling users to customize the keyboard with different mechanical switches easily. With its robust build, versatile connectivity, and customizable features, the AL65 is designed to cater to a wide range of users, from typists to gamers.

During CES 2025, THIEAUDIO has unveiled its most ambitious creation yet: the Valhalla in-ear monitors. This flagship model, priced at $1,299, represents an engineering marvel in personal audio technology, combining significant driver configuration with meticulous handcrafting. The Valhalla's most striking feature is its remarkable 38-driver architecture, with 19 drivers positioned in each earpiece. It incorporates premium components from renowned manufacturers Knowles and Sonion, enabling the IEMs to reproduce sound with exceptional precision across the entire frequency spectrum. At the heart of Valhalla's innovative design lies the proprietary Precision Bass System (PBS), which helps with low-frequency reproduction in IEMs. By housing multiple bass drivers within a specially engineered resonance chamber, the PBS delivers subwoofer-quality bass response reaching down to 5 Hz while minimizing listener fatigue.

The production process of each Valhalla unit is equally complex. A single engineer dedicates an entire day to handcrafting each set, carefully measuring and matching drivers before assembly. The implementation of a sophisticated 4-way passive crossover network, combined with advanced acoustic tubing, helps seamless frequency transitions and optimal tonal balance throughout the audio spectrum. Complementing the Valhalla's acoustic prowess is the EliteNoir cable, which features silver-plated LCOFC wires that maximize signal integrity and durability. This premium cable enhances the IEMs' already impressive soundstage and imaging capabilities. Preorders are now open, and production times are estimated at 2-3 weeks. The design is equally interesting, and you can see it in the pictures below.

At CES, AMD unleashed the much awaited Ryzen AI Max "Strix Halo" APUs with mammoth iGPUs, up to a whopping 40 CUs for the Radeon 8060S. These chips are powerful enough to not require discrete graphics at all, making them ideal for mini PCs, which lack the physical room for dedicated graphics. GMK appears to be among the first to announce a mini PC with the top-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU, although any further details are under wraps as of now.

Unlike the Strix Point parts, Strix Halo abandons the smaller and more efficient Zen 5c cores for a Zen 5-only setup, with up to 16 Zen 5 cores for the highest-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 SKU. This allows for some serious performance potential, with AMD promising substantially better performance than both Intel's Lunar Lake and Apple's M4 Pro, although it would be much fairer to compare Strix Halo to Apple's M4 Max, and Intel's Arrow Lake-H/X instead. Regardless, there is no denying Strix Halo APUs open up new doors in terms of performance for compact systems, the rest remains to be seen as and when the products reach reviewers.

The recently unveiled AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has been the epicenter of a plethora of leaks in the past few weeks. We now have not only a rough idea of what kind of synthetic performance the highest-end RDNA 4 GPU is about to bring to the table, but also how much the card is expected to cost. Now, yet another leak seemingly sheds light on perhaps the most crucial aspect of any gaming GPU - it's in the name, gaming.

Hilariously enough, this leak, once again, has been sourced from a now-nerfed forum post on Chiphell. This time around, site admin nApoleon was able to run a few games on the brand-new RDNA 4 card, including Black Myth: Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077. The results have been added as screenshots below, but here is a summary - the RX 9070 XT performs decently well, trading blows with the RTX 4070 Ti Super. In NVIDIA's favorite Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K with ray tracing, the RX 9070 XT managed 26 FPS, neck and neck with the RTX 4070 Ti, whereas the RTX 4080 Super was well ahead with 32 FPS.

Welcome to the middle of January and a busy week of new game releases. We kick off this week with some driving, on tracks though, as these cars might not be entirely road legal. If cars aren't your thing, then how about a city builder, but in the sky? If that doesn't tickle your fancy, how about a unique looking ARPG? This is followed by something of a PC clone of recent Zelda games, just without any defined goals. This brings us a futuristic side scroller where you fight demons. We round off the week with some Chinese hack and slash action back in the feudal era.

Assetto Corsa EVO / This week's major release / Thursday 16 January
As with its predecessor, Assetto Corsa EVO will include cars from different classes spanning across years of motoring history. From road cars, classics, hypercars, and race cars. The most iconic representation of the automotive and motorsport world. Each vehicle is reproduced through an advanced system that simulates mechanical, electronic, and aerodynamic performance, combined with the fidelity of the circuits created using Laserscan technology. Steam link

GameSir has showcased its brand new G7 Pro wireless gaming controller at this week's CES trade event, where they teased a very compelling sub-$100 price point. It seems that a lucky few have already playtested early sample units—leaks from late last year revealed the existence of Xbox and Steam variants. During a showroom visit, the TechPowerUp team discovered that GameSir had left the oft-rumored Valve-licensed "prototype" back at HQ. Fortunately, their Xbox G7 Pro model was available for close up inspection in Las Vegas—reports suggest that a launch is lined up around Spring time.

Highlights from the G7 Pro's feature list include: TMR analogue sticks (first introduced via their Tarantula series), 1000 Hz polling rate (wired on Xbox, wireless on PC), optical microswitch face buttons, two rear programmable back buttons + two programmable shoulder triggers, swappable faceplate system, and a new tactile D-pad. TechPowerUp also spent time with some other new controller models—GameSir has another affordable-tier Nova controller (white example is pictured below) incoming, as well as a retro-gray Tarantula model.

EcoFlow revealed its latest power generation solutions at CES 2025, with the Delta 3 series power stations leading the pack. The flagship Delta 3 Plus features lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells rated for 4,000+ charge cycles, with a total capacity of 3,024Wh and maximum output of 3,000 W. The unit's X-Stream charging technology enables 0-80% charging in 40 minutes when connected to AC power, while supporting 1,200 W maximum solar input. The base Delta 3 model offers similar specifications but with a 2,048Wh capacity.

For small-scale applications, the River 3 Plus delivers 1,200 W continuous output from its 512Wh battery pack. Operating at 30 decibels under normal load, the unit includes two 120 V AC outlets, three USB-A ports, and one USB-C port capable of 100 W output.

If the recent RDNA 4 performance leaks are anything to go by, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 and the RX 9070 XT GPUs are sizing up to be excellent mid-range contenders. That is, of course, if the pricing is sane enough. A subsequent leak revealed that the RX 9070 XT AIB models will command a price tag of roughly around $549, which would easily allow it to undercut the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070.

Now, a further leak has revealed a product listing of an RX 9070 XT by a retailer based in the Philippines. The variant in question is Gigabyte's Gaming OC model, with base and boost clocks of 2,400 and 2,970 MHz respectively. Moreover, 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is also offered, on a 256-bit memory bus. 4,096 shading units and 64 RT cores are present as well - nothing out of the ordinary.

Morse Micro, the world's leading provider of Wi-Fi HaLow chips based on the IEEE 802.11ah specification, has announced the launch of its highly anticipated second-generation MM8108 System-on-Chip (SoC). Building on the success of the first-generation MM6108 SoC, the MM8108 offers even better performance in all key areas of range, throughput, and power efficiency while also reducing the cost, effort, and time to bring the next generation of Wi-Fi HaLow enabled products to market.

The MM8108 delivers class-leading data rates of up to 43.33 Mbps using world-first sub-GHz 256-QAM modulation at an 8 MHz bandwidth, making it ideal for a range of applications in agricultural, mining, industrial, home, and city environments. Its integrated 26dBm power amplifier (PA) with exceptional power efficiency, and low-noise amplifier (LNA) ensure exceptional performance and enable global regulatory certification without the need for external Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) filters. The exceptional power efficiency significantly extends battery life and enables the uptake of solar-powered Wi-Fi HaLow connected cameras and IoT devices.

MSI worked hard to make its Cubi NUC AI series stand out at CES 2025. Showing off small—almost nondescript—black boxes is normally a big ask, but the TechPowerUp team's collective eye was caught by a presentation piece that exhibited an exploded view of MSI's Cubi NUC AI+ 2M model's outer and inner workings (see photo below). Competing devices did not get the same treatment elsewhere in Las Vegas—printed diagrams and spec sheets only go so far in showcasing PC products.

MSI's dissected Cubi NUC AI+ 2M was mounted on a plinth that featured plenty of useful markings and labels surrounding the mainboard. Naturally a fully assembled plus operational demo unit was close by—as evidenced by being hooked up to (and powered by) an MSI PRO MP251 E2 monitor. Cubi NUC AI+ 2M is advertised as the "Ultimate" Windows 11 Copilot+ mini PC—TechPowerUp spotted a dedicated Copilot button on the box's front fascia. An Intel Core Ultra "Lunar Lake" processor (with AI NPU boost) is soldered onto the NUC AI+ 2M board—a product placard states that the top variant can run Team Blue's Core Ultra 7 258V mobile CPU.

Epomaker brought four of its latest gaming peripherals to the 2025 International CES. We begin our tour with the Epomaker Carbon 60, which as its name suggests, is a 60% format keyboard, with a carbon fiber pattern along its top and body. The keyboard offers three kinds of connectivity—USB, 2.4 GHz RF (1000 Hz polling rate), and Bluetooth 5.0. They included keycaps are PBT. The switches are hot-swappable, and you choose between Epomaker's in-house Mulan or Wisteria Linear switches. Completing its industrial look is yellow pull-tag.

Next up, is the Epomaker Luma84, a slick business-class keyboard which looks like it could go well with a Mac mini or similar-looking NUC. The keyboard features an 84% layout, and comes with low-profile white PBT keycaps. The keyboard comes with an aluminium top and backplate, with a similar curved-edge to a MacBook Pro. Much like the Carbon 60, the Luma84 comes with three kinds of connectivity.

Congratulations, Sinner. As a non-productive citizen of the Panopticon, the only way to reduce the million-year prison sentence assigned at birth is through the redeeming fire of combat. FREEDOM WARS REMASTERED, the cult classic action game originally released on PlayStation Vita, is now available worldwide for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam.

The cult hit was remastered by the game's original developer, and brings enhancements including 4K resolution, upgraded textures, improved online multiplayer, a new "Deadly Sinner" higher difficulty mode, and 60 frames per second for current gen platforms. The story remains unchanged, but upgraded player systems help streamline looting, crafting, and other player interactions from the original release. For more information, visit the official website. Choose to provide value to society through combat and helping support the Panopticon and productive citizens or die a Sinner.

Cougar at the 2025 International CES brought two new power supply lines in the performance segment, the GEX Pro series, and the GLE series. The latter is the more premium of the two, and comes in wattage variants ranging between 650 W and 1200 W. These offer a compact build that's 15 cm in depth, full modular cabling, and modern connectivity. The GLE series meets ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 specs. These use a single 135 mm hydro dynamic bearing fan to keep cool. The GLE series offers Cybenetics Platinum switching efficiency, and Cybenetics A- acoustic rating. All models 750 W and above come with a 600 W-capable 12V2x6 connector, the 650 W model does 450 W on this connector.

The GEX Pro is more of an upper mid-range product. It comes in 650 W, 750 W, and 850 W models, and is a little more compact than the GLE series, with a depth of just 14 cm, relying on a 120 mm HDB fan to keep cool. The PSU meets ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 specs, and offers Cybenetics Gold switching efficiency, along with Cybenetics A+ acoustics rating. You get fully modular cabling, and a 12V2x6 connector that's capable of 600 W continuous output in the 750 W and 850 W models, but 450 W continuous on the 650 W model. Under the hood, both PSU lines rely on a single +12 V rail design, with most common electrical protections, against over/under voltage, overload, overheat, and short-circuit.

Microsoft announced updates to the DirectX API that would pave the way for neural rendering. Neural rendering is a concept where portions of a frame in real-time 3D graphics are drawn using a generative AI model that works in tandem with classic raster 3D graphics pipeline, along with other advancements, such as real-time ray tracing. This is different from AI-based super resolution technologies. The generative AI here is involved in rendering the input frames for a super resolution technology. One of the nuts and bolts of neural rendering is cooperative vectors, enable an information pathway between the conventional graphics pipeline and the generative AI, telling it what it's doing, what needs to be done by the AI model, and what the ground truth for the model is.

Microsoft says that its HLSL team is working with AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm to bring cross-vendor support for cooperative vectors in the DirectX ecosystem. The very first dividends of this effort will be seen in the upcoming NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series "Blackwell" GPUs, which will use cooperative vectors to drive neural shading. "Neural shaders can be used to visualize game assets with AI, better organize geometry for improved path tracing performance and tools to create game characters with photo-realistic visuals," Microsoft says.

Samsung has revealed two new laptop models at CES 2025: the Galaxy Book5 Pro and Galaxy Book5 360, both featuring Intel's latest processors and artificial intelligence capabilities. The Galaxy Book5 Pro comes in two sizes. The 16-inch version weighs 1.56 kg and includes a 76.1Wh battery, while the 14-inch model weighs 1.23 kg with a 63.1 Wh battery. Both laptops use AMOLED displays with 2880×1800 resolution and variable refresh rates from 48 to 120 Hz. Storage options reach 1 TB, with either 16 GB or 32 GB of memory available.

The Galaxy Book5 360 features a 15.6-inch touchscreen that can fold back 360 degrees, effectively turning the laptop into a tablet. It has a 1920×1080 resolution display and weighs 1.46 kg, with a 68.1 Wh battery. Both models use Intel's Core Ultra processors with built-in NPUs that Samsung uses for features like AI Select for searching and Photo Remaster for image enhancement. The laptops also integrate with other Samsung devices through features like Multi Control for unified device navigation and Quick Share for file transfers. The new laptops include standard connectivity options like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Samsung claims the Pro models can achieve up to 25 hours of battery life, though real-world usage typically yields shorter durations.

LG unveiled its UltraGear GX9 gaming monitor series at CES 2025, with three primary models featuring WOLED display technology and curved panels. The 45GX990A features a 45-inch bendable WOLED panel that transitions between flat and 900R curvature. The display offers 5K2K resolution (5,120 x 2,160), a 21:9 aspect ratio, and a 0.03 ms gray-to-gray response time. The 45GX950A utilizes the exact panel specifications but with a fixed 800R curve. Both models include DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and USB-C connectivity with 90 W power delivery. The displays support variable refresh rates through NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification. The second-generation Dual-Mode system is a distinct feature that enables switching between different aspect ratios (21:9 and 16:9) and screen sizes (39-, 34-, or 27 inches). The system provides eight preset configurations for resolution and refresh rate combinations.

The 39GX90SA rounds out the lineup with a 39-inch OLED panel featuring an 800R curve. This model integrates webOS for direct streaming functionality and includes USB Type-C ports for device connectivity. All monitors in the series utilize WOLED technology for color reproduction and incorporate Anti-Glare & Low Reflection coating to reduce screen reflections. The panels are certified for reduced blue light emissions. The 45-inch models achieve 125 pixels per inch through an RGWB subpixel layout. These displays maintain compatibility with current graphics cards while supporting the latest variable refresh rate technologies. The monitors feature a 4-side borderless design and, in the case of the 39GX90SA, include an L-shaped stand for space efficiency.

LG Electronics has announced its 2025 Gram laptop lineup at CES 2025, featuring Intel's latest processors and a new AI system that combines on-device EXAONE language processing with cloud-based GPT-4o capabilities. The flagship Gram Pro (17Z90TR) features a 17-inch WQXGA LCD display with 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and a 31-144 Hz variable refresh rate. Powered by Intel Core Ultra 9 or Ultra 7 processors and an NVIDIA RTX 4050 with 6 GB GDDR6 memory, it supports up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X RAM at 8,533 MHz. The device includes dual SSD slots supporting up to 2 TB Gen 4 NVMe storage and a 90Wh battery, all within a 3.26-pound chassis.

The Gram Pro 2-in-1 (16T90TP) employs a 16-inch WQXGA+ OLED panel with 2,880 x 1,800 resolution and a 48-120 Hz refresh rate. Running on Intel Core Ultra 7 or Ultra 5 processors with Intel Arc graphics, it features up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X memory at 8,400 MHz. The convertible weighs 3.08 pounds and includes a 77Wh battery and a mega dual cooling system. At 2.73 pounds, the Gram Pro 16Z90TS combines Intel Core Ultra 7 processors with Intel Arc graphics, featuring a 16-inch WQXGA LCD display and 77Wh battery. All Pro models include dual USB4 Gen3x2 Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support and HDMI 2.1 outputs capable of 4K@60 Hz.

XFX at the 2025 International CES showed off a pair of Radeon RX 9070 series custom-design graphics cards. The company will keep these designs common to both the flagship RX 9070 XT, and the RX 9070. Both board designs were shown off at AMD's RX 9070 series booth. The premium custom design is being referred to as "Black." There are actually two sub-variants of this card, one called Black, which lacks any RGB LED lighting, but a second more premium one where the top of the card has an RGB LED diffuser spanning the entire top-front edge, including the triangular ends with the XFX and Radeon logos. This card wasn't shown to use, but is part of AMD's CES pre-brief.

The premium Black card features a large aluminium fin-stack heatsink, along with a trio of what look like 100 mm and 90 mm axial airflow fans. The metal backplate has a ridged pattern. The PCB underneath appears to be about three quarters the length of the card, with a large cutout in the backplate letting much of the airflow from the third fan go through the heatsink and out the back. This card draws power from three 8-pin PCIe power connectors, for a total power input configuration of 525 W, which is obviously high for what is expected to be a 300 W-class GPU, but this isn't the only card with an over-the-top power input configuration. The ASUS TUF Gaming has three 8-pin PCIe power, while the ASRock Taichi uses a 16-pin 12V2x6. Most RX 9070 series cards we've seen have just two 8-pin power connectors.

Huion specializes in graphics tablets and pen displays. Its products go up against those from Wacom. We've seen a host of announcements at the 2024 Computex, but the company was saving its next-gen for the 2025 CES. The company showed us their latest Kamvas 16 Gen 3, a 16-inch high-precision pen display for hand-drawn graphics applications. The display comes with a QHD resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels), which lends a respectable 184 ppi of pixel density. The display also features a 120% sRGB wide color gamut. The display features Huion's PenTech 4.0 technology, a high-resolution graphics pen input interface that the company introduced in 2024. This gives the input surface 16,384 pressure sensitivity levels. The display is compatible with Huion's PW600, and PW600S digital pens.

HAVN and King Mod Systems have partnered up on putting together a high-end gaming PC—a sample build was assembled in good time and sent out to Las Vegas. TechPowerUp inspected the fruit of their labors earlier this week at CES 2025. Unsurprisingly, the two collaborators have opted to use a white finish HAVN HS 420 VGPU Edition case—feel free to check out Darksaber's glowing review of this exact model. A black variant was positioned close by, so it was convenient to compare and contrast between the sibling enclosures. Coincidentally, TechPowerUp and HAVN teamed up on a giveaway competition of four HAVN HS 420 models last month.

The HAVN x King Mod Systems Gaming PC utilizes some fine internals, but its AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D processor will become less cutting-edge in the near future. Team Red is lining up the Ryzen 9 9900X3D CPU for launch around March 2025. HAVN and King Mod Systems have selected Gigabyte's B650E AORUS Elite X AX ICE mainboard for their showroom build, along with a white TRYX PANORAMA 360 mm AIO ARGB liquid cooler, an MSI RTX 4080 SUPER GAMING X SLIM WHITE graphics card, and a 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 5600 CL36 memory kit.

Struggling to balance space, performance, and thermal management in compact industrial platforms? The new Cervoz T445 M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD delivers with its space-saving single-sided design, high-speed capabilities, and wide temperature resilience. Ideal for IoT gateways, industrial tablets, and automation systems. Ready to elevate your storage solution? Discover how the T445 drives efficiency in demanding industrial environments.

Single-Sided Design for Space-Limited Environments
One of the standout features of the T445 is its single-sided design, making it especially suited for space-constrained systems. By consolidating critical components like the NAND flash, controller, and power management IC on one side, it optimizes space efficiency and improves thermal management for better airflow and heat dissipation. This design is particularly important for fanless systems and compact environments, ensuring reliable performance even in extreme conditions. With a slim profile—single-sided design that reduces height by 1.35 mm compared to dual-sided models—the T445 is engineered for easy installation in tight industrial setups, providing high efficiency without compromising durability or speed.

MAINGEAR has collaborated on developing and building a Signature Edition Gaming PC with popular Twitch streamer "Shroud" (aka Michael Grzesiek). This high-performance system made its debut at CES 2025—the TechPowerUp team took a closer look during a demo session with MAINGEAR. Shroud and his partners at the New Jersey-based gaming and workstation specialist have settled on building inside HAVN's HS 420 VGPU Dual-Chamber ATX mid-tower case (available in black or white finishes). This premium chassis is a great match for the crème de la crème of high-performance gaming-centric components—naturally, AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D is the de-facto choice of CPU here.

Shroud's Signature Edition Gaming PC will be specced with the latest NVIDIA flagship graphics card—TechPowerUp noticed that the demonstration build featured a Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4090. It is possible that MAINGEAR is working on updating this system with a GeForce RTX 5090 card, once the "Blackwell" GPU family heads to market. The specification sheet also lists MAINGEAR's Epic 420 mm AIO liquid cooler, an AsRock Phantom Gaming X870E Nova WiFi motherboard, 48 GB (2 x 24 GB) T-Force Xtreem ARGB 8000 MHz CL34 memory, a 2 TB T-Force Cardea A440 Gen 4 M.2 SSD, and an FSP PTM Pro Gen 5 80+ 1200 W PSU.

After a break for the holiday season to recharge, refresh, and spend time with our families, we're back this week and hard at work updating Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024! As we begin the new year, our teams are focused on delivering the first major updates, including Sim Update 1, while also finalizing preparations for the Marketplace launch in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.

We have analyzed all the feedback provided over the past weeks and months and are prioritizing bug fixes and improvements based on community input. Because of this, we are spending this week working on the Feedback Snapshot and will have an updated version for you in next week's blog. We are also excited to announce that World Update: Brazil is on the horizon! These updates are coming soon, and we will provide more information on the timeline as it becomes available. We appreciate your support as we continue to enhance the simming experience for our community.

MSI's Back-Connect motherboard design provides the foundation of Project Zero X—specific components were not listed when TechPowerUp examined this sleek PC build. A panoramic glass case design houses an all-MSI ecosystem that is "clean and cable-free" thanks to the aforementioned back-mounted layout. Clutter is kept out of view in a rear compartment and the I/O panel is positioned at the back of Project Zero X's enclosure (see photo below). TechPowerUp enjoyed looking at this refreshingly simple arrangement through the case's four-sided glass panel. The build's vertically-mounted MSI-brand GeForce RTX graphics card is positioned next to a signature Project Zero X-branded motherboard.

A product placard mentions that Project Zero X features an integrated "Full-Coverage Heatsink"—providing "comprehensive" cooling coverage across the system. MSI also claims that there are no air circulation dead spots—thanks to a unified airflow design. The cooling system seems to be mostly hidden away inside the enclosure's rear and bottom compartments.

Aetina, a leading provider of edge AI solutions and a subsidiary of Innodisk Group, today announced a collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., who unveiled a revolutionary Qualcomm AI On-Prem Appliance Solution and Qualcomm AI Inference Suite for On-Prem. This collaboration combines Qualcomm Technologies' cutting-edge inference accelerators and advanced software with Aetina's edge computing hardware to deliver unprecedented computing power and ready-to-use AI applications for enterprises and industrial organizations.

The flagship offering, the Aetina MegaEdge AIP-FR68, sets a new industry benchmark by integrating Qualcomm Cloud AI family of accelerator cards. Each Cloud AI 100 Ultra card delivers an impressive 870 TOPS of AI computing power at 8-bit integer (INT8) while maintaining remarkable energy efficiency at just 150 W power consumption. The system supports dual Cloud AI 100 Ultra cards in a single desktop workstation. This groundbreaking combination of power and efficiency in a compact form factor revolutionizes on-premises AI processing, making enterprise-grade computing more accessible than ever.

The MSI MEG MAESTRO 900L PZ Concept Case Series was revealed a few days ago, coinciding with CES's kick-off. Later on in the week, TechPowerUp took the opportunity to absorb these voluminous prototypes—other press outlets have expressed great enthusiasm about MSI's extremely bold approach. It is not clear whether these new models will reach retail—the MEG MAESTRO-700L-PZ case managed this feat last year.

The first demonstration sample spotted by TechPowerUp formed the basis of MSI's "MEG PC Build"—filled up with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, MSI MEG X870E motherboard and two GeForce RTX 4080 SUPRIM X graphics cards. Lots of RGB-lit cooling solutions surrounded this hardware cluster—including the MEG CORELIQUID S360 and fifteen(!) MPG EZ120 ARGB fans. MSI's MEG Ai1600T PCIe 5 PSU is tasked with keeping this setup alive—it was up and running, as evidenced by being connected to a nearby monitor. TechPowerUp then checked out the other working prototype—a very snazzy case modding project that houses two PC systems.

As we reported yesterday, the Radeon RX 9070 XT appears to be all set to disrupt the mid-range gaming GPU segment, offering performance that looks truly enticing, at least if the leaked synthetic benchmarks are anything to go by. The highest-end RDNA 4 GPU is expected to handily outperform the RTX 4080 Super despite costing half as much, with comparison to its primary competitor, the RTX 5070, yet to be made.

Now, a fresh leak has seemingly hinted at how heavy the RDNA 4 GPU is going to be on its buyers' pockets. Also sourced from Chiphell, the Radeon RX 9070 XT is expected to command a price tag between $479 for AMD's reference card and roughly $549 for an AIB unit, varying based on which exact product one opts for. At that price, the Radeon RX 9070 XT easily undercuts the RTX 5070, which will start from $549, while offering 16 GB of VRAM, albeit of the older GDDR6 spec. There is hardly any doubt that the RTX GPU will come out ahead in ray tracing performance, as we already witnessed yesterday, although traditional rasterization performance will be more interesting to compare.

At CES 2025, Khadas captivated global audiences with groundbreaking product designs and innovative technologies, showcasing the immense potential of next-generation computing devices. As a technology brand dedicated to addressing diverse user needs, Khadas delivered an impressive display of cutting-edge solutions that seamlessly blend innovation with practicality.

Mind 2s: The Modular Mini PC Powered by Arrow Lake
Since the launch of its first Mind series, Khadas has earned widespread recognition for its exceptional craftsmanship and superior performance. To meet the demand for the latest technology, Khadas unveiled Mind 2s, modular mini PC powered by the Intel Arrow Lake platform. Featuring the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H processor, built on the all-new Arrow Lake-H architecture, the Mind 2s offers not only significant performance enhancements but also outstanding energy efficiency, improved integrated graphics, and superior AI processing capabilities.

Corsair at the 2025 International CES launched a couple of updates to its PSU lineup, the 2025 HXi series, and the 2025 RMe series, and you can read all about them here. Something else caught our eye at the Corsair booth, an unnamed, unlabeled PSU with a coolant tube from a DIY liquid cooling loop going in. It turns out that Corsair is dabbling with liquid-cooled high-wattage PSUs that can stay completely fanless, even under load. The PSU passes the coolant through an array of heatsinks that make contact with the hottest components, such as the switching MOSFETs, Schottky diodes, APFC, IGBTs, etc. Corsair is still deciding on whether to release this as an actual product. Tell them what you think in the comments.

AeroCool's P500C and P300C compact cases were on show at this year's CES trade event. The TechPowerUp team has documented plenty of empty enclosures across many booths and suites, so it was refreshing to see AeroCool present a fully operational system built inside a black P500C model. This is a mid-tower ATX PC case that sports an uninterrupted/frameless tempered glass design, spread across its front and side panel. The curved edges are a nice touch. TPU took in a "panoramic view" of the case's numerous "mirage infinity mirror effect" cooling fans—three 120 mm reverse-blade ARGB units are factory pre-installed on the side panel. A standard ARGB 120 mm fan is also included on the rear section—all controllable via the AeroCool P500C's integrated 4-port PWM ARGB fan hub.

During our CES 2025 Alphacool booth visit, Alphacool has showcased its newest update in the Eiswolf AIO watercooling lineup, tailored specifically for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series "Blackwell" GPUs. The updated design features a GPU waterblock with an integrated pump and a radiator connected via quick-disconnect links, simplifying installation and maintenance. Alphacool continues its use of TPV hoses from the Enterprise Solution series, known for their durability and heat resistance, thanks to their EPDM/PP construction. These hoses, commonly used in servers and workstations, are free of plasticizers and paired with connectors from the same series to ensure robust performance. The GPU waterblock also includes an LED matrix display, demonstrated at the booth showing "RTX 5090," which reflects the GPU it cools. Designed with aesthetics in mind, the block incorporates an acrylic body with a top coat, illuminated by RGB lighting to suit various setups.

USound demonstrated its fully developed ultrasonic sensing module, showcasing the potential of MEMS technology beyond audio applications. Displayed during the CES 2025 show, the module integrates USound's Conamara MEMS tweeter, Tarvos amplifier, and a third-party MEMS microphone. It uses ultrasonic waves for precise distance and proximity measurements, with calculations processed by proprietary firmware. Designed for commercial use, the module is compact at just 5 mm in diameter and 1.5 mm thick, making it suitable for space-constrained devices. Its energy-efficient operation and use of standardized components ensure scalability for applications in consumer electronics, robotics, IoT devices, and industrial systems. By delivering high accuracy through a flat frequency response across the ultrasonic spectrum, the module is an interesting solution for embedded sensing tasks.

USound also presented its Zero VDC technology, an innovation that allows its MEMS speakers to operate without a DC bias. This advancement increases sound pressure levels (SPL) while simplifying circuit design by reducing the required components, enabling cost reductions and simplified implementations. CES attendees observed live demonstrations of the ultrasonic sensing module and Zero VDC functionality, emphasizing their readiness for commercial deployment. We are awaiting USound's MEMS-based technology in commercial products to see how companies adapt its technology.

Courtesy of serial leaker @momomo_us, who dug up the product pages for Intel's two new retail boxed CPU coolers, we now know what they'll look like ahead of them shipping. The two coolers are known as the Laminar RH2 and Laminar RM2, with the RH2 being the higher-end model of the two. The RH2 has a copper heat column that attaches to aluminium fins and it's decorated with an aRGB LED ring, as well as a white Intel LED logo. It stands 71 mm tall from the base of the heatsink to the top of the fan and is overall 103 x 103 mm and it weighs in at 450 grams. It's rated for CPUs up to 65 W TDP and the fan operates between 1000 and 3000 rpm and supports variable speed via PWM control. It will output 23 dBA at 1600 RPM with the CPU at 40 degrees C, according to the specs. It appears to come with some kind of back plate and it's screwed in place. It will only ship with the Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 285 for now.

The much more basic RM2 cooler is designed for 65 W TDP CPUs and it measures 100 x 100 mm, but it only stands 47 mm tall. Here only the base of the cooler is made out of copper, the fins are once again made from aluminium and this results in a lower weight of 340 grams. The fan speed range is 600 to 3250 rpm and we're looking at a PWM controlled fan here too. The downside is that the fan has to run at 2400 rpm to produce the same 40 degrees at the inlet with a 65 W CPU underneath it, which results in a noise level of 30 dBA, which is a lot louder than the RH2. Unlike the RH2, the RM2 uses standard Intel socket push-pins for mounting. The RM2 will ship with the Intel Core Ultra 5 Processor 225, 225F, 235, 265 and 265F CPUs, but according to the product page, it will also ship with some Core Ultra 7 desktop chips. Both coolers come with a three-year warranty. Design wise, both of the new coolers are a lot less flashy compared to the previous generation of Intel CPU coolers.

Fancy a rendering farm with four NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards sitting on top of an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000WX platform with its 128 PCIe Gen 5 lanes and 8-channel DDR5 memory? You'll need juice for that, and the In Win P250II is where you'll get it. From the company's PII line of ultra high-end PSUs, this jug puts out 2500 W under 200-240 VAC, or 1650 W under 115-240 VAC. It meets ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM specifications, and offers 80 Plus Platinum (EU 230 V) switching efficiency. The star attraction here is that the PSU puts out four 16-pin 12V2x6 connectors—this isn't using trickery such as converting PCIe connectors to 12V2x6, but native connectors on the PSU's backplane. Each of the four is capable of 600 W of continuous output, and excursions meeting the PCIe 5.1 CEM spec.

In Win didn't put out the power distribution table of this PSU, but we're not sure if it uses a single +12 V rail. Besides the four 12V2x6 connectors, it puts out five 6+2 pin PCIe power, two 4+4 pin EPS, a 24-pin ATX, and a dozen SATA power connectors. Next up, In Win introduced two new lines of fans, the LYNX LN120 series and the LYNX LN140 series. Both are stackable fans, and feature mechanical interlocks that allow you to join up to four of these at the hip, to minimize cable clutter. The interlock is based on the USB-C physical connector, which relays both 4-pin PWM and 3-pin ARGB pins. The LYNX LN140 turns at speeds between 900 and 1,800 RPM, pushing 44.57 to 89.14 CFM of airflow, at 0.77 to 3.07 mm H₂O static pressure, and 14 to 39 dBA noise output. Its sleeve bearing is rated for 30,000 hours. The LYNX LN120 turns along a wider speed range, of 900 to 2,200 RPM, pushing 25 to 65 CFM of airflow.

APNX has debuted its new LC1-D 360 high-performance liquid cooler at CES 2025—its standout feature is a generously proportioned 4-inch IPS display. The pump head is angle-adjustable, so users are able to reorient the screen to best effect. APNX's Control Center application takes care of on-screen changes—CPU temperature, CPU load, memory load, backgrounds (JPEG & GIFs) and other bits of information can be loaded up. TechPowerUp noticed that the LC1-D 360's feature set is not too far removed from AeroCool's Spectro Vision L360 AIO model.

APNX is a sister brand, so it is not surprising to see some cross-pollination across product lines. The LC1-D 360's water block has a pure copper construction, granting superior heat conductivity. The APNX engineering team has implemented a micro channel design—thus optimizing heat dissipation. Familiar products were also showcased next to APNX's liquid cooling option. The AP1-V is a slick-looking CPU air cooler—the stylish white demo sample was inspected by a TechPowerUp staffer. APNX's 30 mm deep FP2-120 high performance cooling fans were also within reach—their frames are reassuringly chunky.

Kioxia had a small dugout at the 2025 International CES. The NAND flash major tends to have a much bigger booth at FMS than CES. The one in Vegas had its latest enterprise SSDs, all of which were launched through 2024, and a couple of new things. We first got a practical demo of how Kioxia achieves 218 layers of NAND flash in its latest generation of BiCS Flash using an architectural innovation called CBA—CMOS directly bonded to array. In CBA, the cell array acts like a pizza topping to the crust that is the CMOS layer, rather than being arranged side-by-side. This allows for greater density of flash cells. This also has certain performance and power advantages.

Next up, the company showed us their automotive-grade UFS 4.0 non-volatile storage device, which uses the latest 218-layer 3D NAND flash memory. This device was announced toward the end of 2024, and gathered a salad of certifications that make it fit for the latest generation of automobiles with advanced technology such as FSD, or an infotainment system that's practically as powerful as a PC. We also got a fascinating look at the testbed Kioxia uses to validate its automotive UFS 4.0 devices.

Alphacool has unveiled new waterblocks for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards at CES 2025. The company has redesigned its Core GPU waterblock series with updated component spacing and flow characteristics, developed through fluid dynamics simulations and practical testing. A change from previous water blocks for RTX 40 series includes the switch to chrome-plated copper cooling surfaces instead of nickel plating, which offers improved durability and surface finish. The waterblocks retain brass fittings and feature a Core emblem above the jetplate. The waterblocks will support cards from major manufacturers including ASUS, MSI, Palit, Gainward, and Inno3D. Specifically, compatibility extends to ASUS ROG Strix and TUF Gaming models, as well as MSI Suprim and Gaming variants. Both RTX 5090 and 5080 Core waterblocks are priced at €199.98.

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, proudly launches today at CES 2025 the TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 7200 MT/s 32 GB (16 GB x2), now equipped with the latest CKD (Client Clock Driver) technology. This new addition to Thermaltake's high-performance DDR5 memory lineup integrates advanced technology with a sleek design, offering an exceptional solution for PC enthusiasts and professionals. With CKD technology, the TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 Memory ensures superior signal integrity, improved power efficiency, and enhanced overclocking stability, delivering consistent performance under the most demanding workloads. Ideal for gaming, creative projects, and AI-driven applications, this memory module is engineered to exceed the expectations of modern high-performance computing.

"Thermaltake is committed to redefining the limits of DRAM memory technology to meet the evolving needs of gamers and professionals," said Kenny Lin, CEO of Thermaltake. "The TOUGHRAM XG RGB D5 with CKD technology exemplifies our dedication to delivering cutting-edge solutions that offer superior speed, stability, and customization; whether for serious gamers, creators, or even AI development, this memory sets a new benchmark in high-performance computing."

Besides the new Endorfy Onyx White gaming mouse and Crystal mousepads that TechPowerUp introduced here, Endorfy's first appearance at CES 2025 in Las Vegas featured more than just two products. The company announced and showcased several new items, including the Supremo FM6 power supply series and the Arx 700 White ARGB PC chassis. To complement their offerings, Endorfy also displayed their full lineup of CPU coolers, featuring the newest Fortis 5 Black/ARGB and Fera 5 Black ARGB models. The Navis AIO liquid cooling systems and several other peripherals completed Endorfy's showcase.

The Supremo FM6 power supply series continues the legacy of the Supremo FM5 line, now featuring compliance with the ATX 3.1 standard. Internally, the PSU employs a DC-to-DC topology with 100% Japanese capacitors and utilizes Endorfy's proprietary Fluctus fans for cooling. The Supremo FM6 series will initially launch with two models; 850 W and 1000 W, both backed by a 10-year warranty. The Arx 700 White ARGB PC chassis represents an evolution of Endorfy's Arx 700 case series, featuring a full white design and ARGB lighting that caters to users seeking to build lighter-toned PC systems. The chassis is expected to be available in Q2 2025 with a price point of approximately 130 Euros. To show the capabilities of their Arx 700 case series, Endorfy had a custom system built by ModMyMods, a bit sad that they didn't use the white chassis.

At CES 2025, we stopped at the booth of cooling specialist Alphacool, which showcases several products aimed at both PC enthusiasts and data center operators. The company's portfolio included fans, reservoirs, distribution plates, and enterprise cooling solutions. The Core Stealth Aurora Fan features a metal frame construction and operates between 400 and 2,600 RPM. While the fan includes ARGB lighting effects, its primary focus is on airflow performance for high-powered systems.

For liquid cooling systems, Alphacool introduced the Core Reservoir, which uses an acrylic body with G1/4" brass connectors. The reservoir comes with an integrated VPP Apex or D5 pump and is designed for space-efficient installations. ARGB lighting is built into the unit, allowing for system illumination.

ThunderX3 and the TechPowerUp team were reacquainted with each other at this week's trade event in Las Vegas—the previous hands-on session occurred back in 2023! A new gaming chair and desk were up for analysis this time—a brand rep proceeded to show off their black mesh throne: dubbed "FLEX Pro." It is encouraging to see a design that takes more inspiration from premium ergonomic office chairs, rather than doubling down on the usual gamer-oriented features. An aluminium base is always nice to have—within this market segment.

A specification placard mentions a SYNC6 mechanism, this is ThunderX3's new six-way adjustability system—the already released XTC Mesh model makes do with SYNC5 (five-way). The rep demoed FLEX Pro's various adjustable parts—4D headrest, backrest, 3D lumbar support and 5D x 360° armrests. The latter can be seen at all sorts of angles in our second row of photos (see below).

Today, XPPen has officially launched a remarkable addition to its professional digital drawing display lineup: the Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2), a 22-inch unparalleled drawing display that ignites all-round performance, making it an ideal choice for artists and creative professionals at a competitive price.

"With the introduction of the Artist Pro 22 (Gen 2), we are excited to offer professional creatives a dynamic platform that truly empowers their artistic vision. This 22-inch high-performance drawing display not only maintains the exceptional color performance and digital pen responsiveness of the Pro series but also features an upgraded 2.5K etched glass screen, designed to meet the demands of professional users. This enhancement significantly boosts overall performance while still offering an impressive competitive price. It's the perfect companion for anyone committed to achieving high-quality work," said Amy Yuan, Marketing Director of XPPen.

Cooler Master, a leading provider of PC components, gaming peripherals, and tech lifestyle solutions, today announced the CH351—a wireless gaming headset that redefines immersive audio. With built-in 3D surround sound, the CH351 is designed to deliver dynamic audio. Whether you're gaming, working, watching movies or listening to music, the CH351 offers seamless connectivity and rich sound, elevating your experience to a new level.

Key features and benefits of the CH351 include:

• Versatile connectivity: Switch between Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz wireless, and 3.5 mm wired connections for the ultimate flexibility.
• Smart, seamless Bluetooth: Seamless pairing with up to three devices, effortlessly switchable with the push of a button.
• Clear voice chat: Unidirectional microphone minimizes background noise, sidetone confirms your voice is clear.
• Ergonomic design: A Y-frame design minimizes sound leakage while providing all-day comfort.
• Range and power: With up to 30 hours of battery life and a 20-meter range in 2.4 GHz mode, the CH351 ensures uninterrupted use whether you're at your desk or on the move.

With two colorways, black and macaron, the CH351 is the ultimate choice for anyone who wants a clear sound experience in a sleek and stylish package.

Corsair at the 2025 International CES brought a couple of new products from its memory and storage lines. This company used to be called "Corsair Memory" before it became Corsair Gaming, so they know a thing or two about enthusiast-segment memory and storage products, going back decades. We begin our tour with the new EX400U, a portable SSD with a 40 Gbps USB4 interface. The drive comes in 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB capacities, and offers sequential transfer speeds of up to 4000 MB/s reads, with up to 3600 MB/s writes. The company hasn't made any claims on minimum write performance, so we don't know if the drive can be used for 4K or 8K RAW cinematography. More than PC, Corsair wants you to be enthused about its mobile chops. It can connect to an iPhone 15 or later as a mass-storage device, and supports MagSafe. Corsair plans to formally launch this on January 23.

Corsair has been agile in the PC overclocking memory space, responding to new trends with product launches, without having to wait for platforms such as trade shows, so there are no new products as such (You can feast your eyes on a DDR5-10000 Vengeance kit which uses CKD), but the company made two new accessory announcements for its Vengeance and Dominator product lines. For Vengeance, Corsair's mainstream and performance-segment memory line, the company announced Corsair Custom Lab, a service that allows you to customize die-cast designs onto the module's heat spreaders. We've seen a few examples at CES, but we're sure there will be more. The Custom Lab Vengeance RGB modules should be available in Q1 2025.

Cooler Master, a global leader in PC components and tech lifestyle solutions, today announced the Ncore 100 Air, a small form factor (SFF) PC case crafted for gamers, content creators, and SFF enthusiasts. Designed to streamline PC building and upgrading, the Ncore 100 Air features an open, tool-less design, an innovative expandable design and compatibility with the latest hardware, ensuring users can easily keep up with their performance needs while enjoying a sleek, minimalistic look.

The Ncore 100 Air builds on Cooler Master's commitment to empowering users to create high-performance PCs in small spaces. Designed with modern users in mind, this case delivers the perfect blend of power, versatility, and minimalism, supporting the latest GPUs, ITX motherboards, and SFX power supply units while maintaining an efficient thermal layout.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the ROG Slash Sling Bag 4.0, ROG Slash Sleeve 4.0, and ROG Backpack 4.0—all of which are new additions to the ROG urban gear range. Boasting bold aesthetics and functional designs, these bags are the ideal lifestyle travel gear for the urban jungle.

Compact commuter
The ROG Slash Sling Bag 4.0 offers a sleek and elegant carrying case for the ROG Ally or other gaming handhelds, complete with soft inner lining and custom cutouts to safely secure the device. Built from tear- and water-resistant materials, the Sling Bag 4.0 is designed to protect gear from inclement weather as well as the bumps and knocks of daily life. A magnetic Fidlock quick-release buckle enables easy access to the main compartment, while 360° snap hooks and adjustable shoulder straps ensure the bag is always perfectly suited to the user's body and preferred carrying position. Custom ROG monograms inside the bag and ROG logo on the exterior fabric accentuate the bag's bold style.

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd, the world's leading brand of performance overclock memory and PC components, demonstrates high-speed DDR5 CSO-DIMM memory operating at DDR5-8133 with 48 GB (2x24GB) kit capacity on the newly announced ASRock DeskMini B860 system. CSO-DIMM is a relatively new form factor that adds a clock driver (CKD) onto the compact SO-DIMM design, and is supported by the latest platform generation with Intel Core Ultra 200 series processors.

DDR5-8133 48 GB (2x24GB) Extreme Speed with CSO-DIMM Modules
Thanks to the ASRock DeskMini B860 system that implements DDR5 CSO-DIMM support and provides outstanding memory overclock performance, G.SKILL is able to unleash the ultimate overclock potential of the new high-speed CSO-DIMM memory kits. The screenshot below shows the G.SKILL CSO-DIMM memory kit with 48 GB (2x24GB) running at DDR5-8133 CL46-52-52-130 with the ASRock B860M-STX motherboard and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 desktop processor.

Advantech, a leader in embedded IoT computing solutions, is excited to introduce their AI-integrated desktop platform series: the Mini-ITX AIMB-2710 and Micro-ATX AIMB-589. These platforms are powered by Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2) S-Series, featuring the first desktop processor with an integrated NPU, delivering up to 36 TOPS for superior AI acceleration. Designed for data visualization and image analysis, both models offer PCIe Gen 5 support for high-performance GPU cards and feature 6400 MHz DDR5 memory, USB4 Type-C, multiple USB 3.2 Gen 2 and 2.5GbE LAN ports for fast and accurate data transmission in real time.

The AIMB-2710 and AIMB-589 excel in high-speed computing and AI-driven performance, making them ideal for applications such as medical imaging, automated optical inspection, and semiconductor testing. Backed by comprehensive software support, these platforms are engineered for the next wave of AI innovation.

ENERMAX, an industry-leading force dedicated to design high-performance computer hardware and cooling solutions, announces its new 80 Plus Gold power supplies: REVOLUTION III and CyberG II series. Integrated with Intel ATX 3.1 and offering a max. 600 W 12V-2x6 cable, the new PSUs deliver competitive price-to-performance ratio to mainstream gamers. The REVOLUTION III series offers a fully modular design with premium individually mesh-sleeved cables and cable combs for effortless cable management. The 120 mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan ensures quiet operation, while the 100% Japanese capacitors guarantee long-lasting durability. The series is available with 650/750/850 W models.

The CyberG II series provides a non-modular solution with a sleek all-black flat cable design for easy installation. It is equipped with 100% Japanese capacitors and a 600 W 12V-2x6 cable for 750/850 W models while maintaining the trusted ENERMAX quality.

Ventiva, the leader in thermal solutions, today announced that its Ventiva ICE9 thermal management suite is being featured in a fan-less proof-of-concept laptop design, powered by Intel Lunar Lake processors at CES. By collaborating with Dell Technologies and Intel on the PC design, this concept introduces a new level of silent productivity for sub-12 mm laptops.

"Ventiva ICE technology offers a revolutionary approach to help achieve thin, light, and silent laptop designs that offer great performance," said Josh Newman, Vice President, Client Computing Group, and General Manager, Product Marketing & Management, Intel. "Intel is excited about the result of the close co-engineering collaboration with Ventiva and Dell Technologies to help ready their technology for future Intel Core Ultra devices."

ASRock, the global leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, mini PCs, gaming monitors and power supply units, today launches two light gaming monitors, the CL25FFA and CL27FFA. In competitive gaming, image quality and responsiveness are critical. Standard commercial monitors often fall short of meeting gamers' needs, which is why the CL25FFA and CL27FFA were developed. With a 120 Hz refresh rate, these monitors deliver an impressive balance of performance and affordability, offering gamers a superior alternative to commercial monitors.

120 Hz Refresh Rate for Smooth Visuals
The CL25FFA and CL27FFA are equipped with a 120 Hz refresh rate, significantly outperforming the standard 60 Hz refresh rate of most commercial monitors. This means double the frames per second, ensuring smoother gameplay. Whether it's high-speed FPS games or precision-dependent MOBA battles, these monitors provide a competitive edge, enabling gamers to stay ahead.

Bitspower is known more for its DIY liquid cooling gear for the PC enthusiast, and workstation market segments, but is looking to broaden its reach. At the 2025 International CES, the company showed off its first all-in-one liquid CPU coolers—or at least their boxes. The Bitspower Atlas series of AIO CLCs come in 240 mm and 360 mm size variants, with black and white color variants. The pump-block has a cubical shape with coolant fittings coming from the side, and an infinity reflection ornament on top. The coolers include two or three of Bitspower's Griffin series 120 mm ARGB fans. The cooler uses a copper cold-plate and an aluminium radiator to stay in the market segment.

Each of the Griffin 120 mm ARGB fans included with the Atlas series AIOs turns at speeds of up to 2,200 RPM, pushing up to 83.83 CFM of airflow, at 2.77 mm H₂O static pressure, and around 38 dBA of noise. The company didn't mention bearing type. These fans can also be had in packs of 3. Bitspower also showed off its liquid cooling loop for 2P workstations or servers, as well as its premium AIOs built around its 2U radiators and 60 mm industrial fans. Lastly, there was an assortment of Concept X and Summit series CPU water blocks. We've seen many of these blocks at last year's CES and Computex, so nothing new to report here.

It's time to get a look at what's next - Developer_Direct is back. On Thursday, January 23 at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK, fans will get an inside look at a selection of highly anticipated games coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass players this year.

Presented by the game creators themselves, Developer_Direct offers an in-depth look at upcoming titles, how they're being created, and who's creating them. We'll visit Compulsion Games in Montreal, Canada to learn more about South of Midnight, head to Montpellier, France to see Sandfall Interactive for a look at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, stop by the legendary id Studios in Richardson, Texas to check in on DOOM: The Dark Ages, and visit a surprise location to see another studio's brand new game.

In addition to the Xeneon Edge LCD touchscreen which was the star of the show, a bunch of PSUs, memory modules, and storage devices, Corsair's new Frame 4000D PC case with the FRAME Modular System also caught our attention. The 4000 series was quite popular and it does not come as a surprise that Corsair is pushing for further innovations. By matching the popular system with the FRAME Modular Case System, which, according to Corsair, "sets a new standard for customization," giving users an option to modify, upgrade, and personalize the case with a variety of options.

The FRAME 4000D PC Case is a standard mid-tower ATX PC case built with steel and tempered glass materials, and 3D Y-pattern perforated front panel. The aforementioned FRAME Modular Case System, according to Corsair, gives users a PC case that can change and grow with their needs, with nearly limitless options. According to Corsair, it should offer 12.7 percent better airflow compared to the previous models. It also features Corsair's InfiniRail Fan Mounting System, which brings support for up to 200 mm fans at the front and 140 mm at the top. This means that it can house even larger fans like iCUE LINK RX140. It has three radiator mounting locations, front, top, and side, with support for dual 360 mm radiators.

GameMax, an emerging brand of PC gaming components including gaming cases and power supply units, is thrilled to announce the Dragon Knight 2 full-tower gaming PC chassis. Designed for high-end gaming PC and workstation configurations, the GameMax Dragon Knight 2 features a massive interior with extensive hardware support.

The Dragon Knight 2 full-tower chassis supports up to an E-ATX motherboard, up to 8x HDDs, and has 8 PCIE slots for add-in-cards and expansions other than graphics cards. It has a built-in HDD hotswap bay on the top panel that's easily accessible. The Dragon Knight 2 comes with 5 pre-installed ARGB fans out of the box providing excellent cooling and good value for builders. The ARGB fans are fully customizable and can be synchronized with the rest of the system via the motherboard. With its cutting-edge features and sophisticated aesthetics, the Dragon Knight 2 is poised to captivate gamers and PC enthusiasts worldwide.

AAEON, has today announced the release of the GAR-A750E, the company's first advanced graphics card. Built on Intel Arc A750E GPU architecture, the GAR-A750E features 28 Xe-Cores and supports a variety of advanced AI development frameworks in a discreet 236 mm x 109 mm x 42 mm form factor. Designed to handle intensive AI workloads, the GAR-A750E offers substantial raw computing power, with a graphics turbo frequency of 2400 MHz alongside the AI task acceleration capabilities of 448 Intel XMX Engines. Along with its high performance benchmark, the card's Intel Deep Link Technology support—which includes Hyper Compute, Hyper Encode, and Stream Assist - allows it to optimize the Intel Arc A750E GPU's capabilities while maximizing efficiency for efficient multi-tasking and accelerated workflows.

The GAR-A750E is easily integrated into a number of systems and motherboards via PCIe Gen 4 (x16) interface, with AAEON already having confirmed its suitability for use with a number of its own industrial motherboard platforms, including the ATX-Q670A, MAX-Q670A, and MIX-Q670A1, all supporting 13th Generation Intel Core CPUs and built on the Intel Q670E Chipset.

One of two big standard announcements at CES this year was the new addition of DP80LL active cables, that extends the range of UHBR20 cables from one meter to at least three meters. In fact, the cable that VESA was showing at CES was 3.5 meters long. To be fair, it has already been possible to make longer 80 Gbps DisplayPort cables, but there hasn't been a certification that guarantees that the cables will work. As we know, it's easy for a company to make claims about their cables that often mean very little in practical terms and with a very limited range of DP 2.1 graphics cards and monitors on the market, it has been impossible as a consumer to verify some of the claims. Starting this year however, it seems like DP 2.1 will take off and as such, it's great to see that VESA finally has a certification in place, so consumers can buy the right cables with confidence.

In addition to the new DP80LL cables, VESA was demoing several ClearMR 21000 displays and for those that have forgotten what ClearMR is, it's VESA's certification standard for measuring motion blur. ClearMR 21000 is the highest tier of ClearMR and it's pretty much exclusive to high refresh-rate OLED type displays. The ClearMR 21000 tier was announced at the end of last year, so the monitors on display are some of the very first to receive this certification level. In addition to this, the world's first display to gain VESA DisplayHDR True Black 1000 certification—which was a laptop display—was also shown. It's made by Samsung Display, but beyond that we don't have much in terms of technical details, but it delivers 1000 nits peak brightness and it can deliver 120 percent of the DCI-P3 colour space, which puts it squarely in the professional display category.

Corsair at the 2025 CES showed off its latest power supply units. At CES, the company is debuting its 2025 RMe line of performance-segment PSUs. These meet the latest ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM standards, and offer Cybenetics Gold rated switching efficiency, along with Cybenetics A acoustic rating. The PSU uses a 120 mm fan, along with a zero RPM mode for most low-load situations. The 2025 RMe series comes in four variants based on wattage, the RM650e, RM750e, RM850e, and RM1000e. The 750 W, 850 W, and 1000 W models put out a 12V2x6 that's capable of 600 W continuous power delivery, while the 650 W model puts out a 450 W capable 12V2x6.

Next up, are updates to Corsair's enthusiast-segment HXi series. The new 2025 HXi series comes in two high-wattage models, the HX1200i, and the HX1500i. The HXi series in its 2025 refresh is updated with ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM compliance. These offer Cybenetics Platinum switching efficiency, and Cybenetics A acoustic rating. The 140 mm fan cooling these are programmed with a zero RPM mode. You can take control of its fan curve by connecting the PSU to a USB 2.0 header and using the Corsair iCUE software. Both the 1200 W and 1500 W models offer two 12V2x6 connectors, both of which are 600 W capable. The 2025 RMe series is available now, but the 2025 HXi series should be available some time in Q2 2025.

This GFN Thursday recaps the latest cloud announcements from the CES trade show, including GeForce RTX gaming expansion across popular devices such as Steam Deck, Apple Vision Pro spatial computers, Meta Quest 3 and 3S, and Pico mixed-reality devices. Gamers in India will also be able to access their PC gaming library at GeForce RTX 4080 quality with an Ultimate membership for the first time in the region. This follows expansion in Chile and Columbia with GeForce NOW Alliance partner Digevo. More AAA gaming is on the way, with highly anticipated titles DOOM: The Dark Ages and Avowed joining GeForce NOW's extensive library of over 2,100 supported titles when they launch on PC later this year. Plus, no GFN Thursday is complete without new games. Get ready for six new titles joining the cloud this week.

Head in the Clouds
CES 2025 is coming to a close, but GeForce NOW members still have lots to look forward to. Members will be able to play over 2,100 titles from the GeForce NOW cloud library at GeForce RTX quality on Valve's popular Steam Deck device with the launch of a native GeForce NOW app, coming later this year. Steam Deck gamers can gain access to all the same benefits as GeForce RTX 4080 GPU owners with a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership, including NVIDIA DLSS 3 technology for the highest frame rates and NVIDIA Reflex for ultra-low latency.

The new Xeneon Edge is a 14.5-inch LCD touchscreen that's meant to be installed in the gap between your main monitor and the base of its stand or table as shown below. The concept borrows heavily from automobiles. Imagine the monitor is your windshield, and the Xeneon Edge is your instrument cluster. It plugs into HDMI (for display input) and USB (for the touchscreen HID), or can even plug into a USB-C that passes DisplayPort through. The display has a fairly high resolution of 2560 x 720 pixels, and can be used to display and input a variety of widgets as shown in the example below. For gamers, this could mean pushing your HUD or simulator dials down to this, freeing up FOV on your main display. The touchscreen takes up to 5 points of multitouch. The display has a magnetized rear, and can be made to latch onto one of the metal panels of your case à la HYTE Y70 Touch, as shown below. Corsair plans to make the Xeneon Edge available in Q2 2025.

IceGiant at the 2025 International CES showed us their ProSiphon TITAN series CPU coolers for workstations and gaming desktops. These are closed loop liquid CPU coolers based on the ProSiphon technology IceGiant innovated. It works on the fluid siphon technology, where a thermal gradient in the loop drives coolant instead of a pump. Heat dissipates more efficiently to the coolant, and there's no crackling noise from the pump. The only downside to this are that the siphon tubes are rigid and you have to plan your build well.

There were two models on display. The TITAN-TR 360 is designed for AMD Socket SP5 or sTR5, which seats Ryzen Threadripper 7000 series workstation processors, which is a testament to the technology. Some of the processor models in the Threadripper WX7000 series come with TDP as high as 350 W. The other cooler shown is the ProSiphon TITAN 360, which is designed for mainstream desktop CPU socket types, such as AM5 and LGA1851. The cooler can tame high-power flagship chips from Intel and AMD, such as the top-spec Ryzen 9 9000X3D series with their 170 W TDP and 230 W PPT, or the Core Ultra 9 285K with its 125 W base- and 250 W maximum turbo power. IceGiant is backing the coolers with lifetime warranty, although the included fans come with 6-year warranties. The company says that the cooler will outlast the fan, unlike in the case of pump-based CLCs that give in to pump wear and structural degradation over time.

You've seen Splave on top of overclocking leaderboards, get ready to see him on PC hardware store shelves. The professional overclocker now has a line of high-end PC memory kits and power supplies in partnership with G.Skill and Enermax. The new Enermax Revolution DFX Pro 1350 W Splave Edition (the show demo was a different model as proof of concept) has a few features custom designed by him. The first one is a button that flushes all capacitors to make sure there's no residual power left in it when the AC input is switched off. Overclockers tend to need this between resets, and even waste a few seconds waiting on their PSUs to drain, or getting their motherboards to do that job (not recommended). The PSU has individually sleeved cables that are designed to not get in the way, and make them easier to manage; and the fan is configured to turn backwards for 20 seconds, blowing air out, each time the PSU is sent an ACPI shutdown command.

The TechPowerUp team was invited up to Cougar's Las Vegas suite where two new PC cases sat alongside a familiar product. A brand rep started proceedings by introducing the white Omnyx RGB case—featuring a symmetric design with two tempered glass panels (one on top and another across the front face). Cougar's engineering team has implemented a novel modular I/O system—users can reposition this panel around the enclosure's base. The Omnyx's lower chamber provides a convenient hideaway space for a power supply, while the spacious upper section is dedicated to displaying visually striking components.

Cougar's Omnyx RGB case is supplied with four pre-installed 160 mm RGB cooling fans—an additional three can be added aftermarket. The enclosure's cable management compartment resides behind the motherboard tray, thus keeping clutter away from the main interior chamber. The Omnyx is ready to support motherboards with back connectors—convenient timing, since hardware manufacturers are sending more of these products to market.

Pimax, a global leader in high-performance VR technology, debuted its Crystal Super headset on the world stage at CES2025, letting global media get their first taste with the 29 million pixel VR headset.

The world meets the Crystal Super
The Crystal Super is Pimax's latest flagship headset, featuring a resolution of 3840x3840 per eye, meaning it's the first VR headset reaching retina levels of clarity. Glass aspheric lenses provide 57 PPD at over 120° horizontal field of view, with an incredible brightness of 280 nits.

Inno3D, a devoted NVIDIA partner showcased at CES 2025 its own implementations of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs powered by NVIDIA Blackwell architecture. Inno3D custom cooling solutions include the impressive iChill Frostbite liquid cooling and the huge iChill air cooling alternative complemented by the X3 and Twin X2 solutions. Before moving on we like to mention that all the graphics cards, even the RTX 5090 are powered by a single 12-pin connector.

Immediately our eyes observed the iChill Frostbite GeForce RTX 5090 dual-slot graphic cards with an impressive liquid cooling system, something enthusiasts looking for a compact yet high-performance system will surely desire. Next to it, even a blind man could not miss the huge iChill X3 RTX 5080, a 3.5-slot monster. The gargantuan proportions are due to the oversized cooling solution that relies on a combination of three fans (with the outer fans rotating in an anticlockwise direction to reduce turbulence and improve airflow), a huge vapor chamber complemented by a heatsink and a custom backplate that aid hot air extraction to protect the PCB from overheating.

The MSI Forge GK600 TKL Wireless gaming keyboard is making quite the impression at CES 2025—a reported $80 price point is remarkable when cross-examined with the product's specification and feature set. The TechPowerUp team believes that rival brands with equivalently appointed keyboard models would charge a lot more. MSI had three color options on display: Sky, Violet and Pink. The latter was powered up for demonstration purposes—TPU observed RGB lighting and the operational (top-right positioned) status screen. KTT HIFI Linear mechanical switches are factory installed, but users can replace these with their preferred brand/model—the keyboard's hot-swappable PCB design comes into play here.

MSI did not skimp on the keycap front—"robust" PBT material should resist wear and not become shiny over time. The keycap legends are dye-sublimated according to product placards. The Forge GK600 TKL Wireless also comes with gasket mounting and sound-dampening layers—ideal for a satisfyingly rattle-free typing experience. Tri-mode connectivity is mentioned on the spec sheet—comprised of 2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth and wired modes. A generous high-capacity 4000 mAh battery keeps things ticking along—ideal for extended gaming or productivity sessions.

The Firaxis team is happy to announce that Sid Meier's Civilization VII is officially Steam Deck Verified! Whether you're at home or on the go, get ready to take one more turn when Civilization VII launches on February 11, 2025! The award-winning strategy game franchise returns with a revolutionary new chapter. Sid Meier's Civilization VII empowers you to build the greatest empire the world has ever known!

In Civilization VII, your strategic decisions shape the unique cultural lineage of your evolving empire. Rule as one of many legendary leaders from throughout history and steer the course of your story by choosing a new civilization to represent your empire in each Age of human advancement. Construct cities and architectural wonders to expand your territory, improve your civilization with technological breakthroughs, and conquer or cooperate with rival civilizations as you explore the far reaches of the unknown world. Pursue prosperity in an immersive solo experience or play with others in online multiplayer.

MSI presented multiple pre-built AI gaming desktop PCs at CES—their showroom tables were laden with offerings from the MEG, Aegis, Vision and Codex families. A lot of high-end components were mentioned on neighboring spec sheet placards—MSI has picked up the latest processor technology from Intel and AMD. Most of the showcased systems are not cutting-edge enough to feature NVIDIA's RTX 50 "Blackwell" series. A big exception is their second generation MEG VISION X AI gaming desktop—a specific GPU model was not mentioned, but it would be safe to assume that a custom MSI GeForce RTX 5090 card would be worthy enough for such a fancy system. Certain press outlets have reported that MSI organized a preview event last October—a lucky few inspected the MEG VISION X AI 2nd during a factory tour.

Intel's Core Ultra 9 285K "Arrow Lake-S" processor is reportedly a constant across all MEG VISION X AI 2nd build configurations. MSI has not revealed pricing, but industry experts reckon that the most expensive variant could be configured with the market's top-tier GPU, memory and storage options. Customers are encouraged to update hardware in the future—a product placard states that internals are easily accessed and simple to upgrade. A TechPowerUp staffer felt the need to examine the MEG VISION X AI 2nd's "AI HMI" touch screen interface. This unique selling point—with AI functionality—absolutely dominates the case's front panel.

Today's gamers are not just players; we are the innovators and leaders of tomorrow's workforce. As someone who recognizes the incredible potential within our gaming community, I'm committed to supporting your journey both in and out of the game. In our latest announcements focusing on the future of play and work, we've shared exciting updates across various fronts, including some major innovations in gaming. I'm thrilled to introduce even more gear designed to enhance your gaming experience. From the powerful OMEN 16 Laptop and the compact OMEN 16L Desktop to our stunning new OMEN displays and precise HyperX mice, I can't wait to dive into the details and show you how these products will elevate your play and keep you ahead of the curve. We're not just creating innovations; we're shaping the future of play.

Power and Performance for All: The OMEN 16 Laptop and OMEN 16L Desktop
At HP, your feedback is our guiding star. You told us you want smooth, immersive gameplay on machines that stay cool and quiet; we created the third-generation OMEN 16 to be our coolest and quietest version yet. The OMEN 16 elevates your gaming experience with cutting-edge technology and thoughtful design, keeping performance at its peak. Let's dive into the technical specifics.

Although the TPU team at CES haven't snagged any hands on pics of LG's latest monitor at the show as yet, it looks like the Korean electronics giant has decided to give Apple's Pro Display XDR a run for its money. The new UltraFine 32U990A is a 32-inch display with a 6K resolution, although the company hasn't detailed the specifics, but it's highly likely to be the same 6144 x 3456 resolution as Dell's UltraSharp U3224KB monitor, which also uses a Nano IPS Black panel. However, design wise, LG has taken a leaf out of Apple's book and gone for a metal look with a very Apple-esque stand design, for better or worse.

The 32U990A should be the world's first monitor with Thunderbolt 5 support, which can deliver up to 80 Gbps of data, or technically 120 Gbps when connected to a monitor, far more than would be needed to drive the display in this case. This also means that it's compatible with DisplayPort 2.1, although this might be exclusive via a USB Type-C port. The only other specs that LG has shared is that the panel offers a wide colour gamut, covering 99.5 percent of the Adobe RGB and 98 percent of the DCI-P3 colour space. The monitor also has calibration support, something that matters for those that work in product where colour accuracy matters. Expect this one to be pricey, as even Dell's rather munduane looking U3224KB is going for close to US$2,500.

Samsung Display unveiled two new, game-changing QD-OLED panels today at the CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, that are expected to reinforce the company's plans to dominate the premium, self-luminous monitor market.

The new products includes the world's first 27-inch UHD (3840x2160) OLED panel with 240 Hz refresh rate and 27-inch 500 Hz OLED panel with QHD (2560x1440) resolution, boasting the highest refresh rate when compared to OLED displays currently on the market with the same resolution. Recently, global electronics manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, ASUS, MSI, and others, announced the launch of their 2025 monitor lineups featuring these panels. Samsung Display intends to commence mass production of both panels in the first half of the year.

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the launch of Supporters of Chromium-Based Bowsers. This initiative aims to fund open development and enhance projects within the Chromium ecosystem, ensuring broad support and sustainability for open source contributions that will drive technological advancement.

"With the launch of the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers, we are taking another step forward in empowering the open source community," said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation. "This project will provide much-needed funding and development support for open development of projects within the Chromium ecosystem."

Welcome to our first "Coming Soon" announcement for 2025! And special welcome to all you new friends that picked up gaming hardware the last few weeks. Let's get you prepped for what to install or play next. To the games!

Road 96 (Cloud, Console, and PC) - available now!
Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, Game Pass Standard. Returning to the Game Pass library, Road 96 is a crazy, beautiful road-trip. On this risky road trip to the border, you'll meet incredible characters and discover their intertwined stories and secrets in an ever-evolving adventure. But every mile opens a choice to make. Your decisions will change your adventure, change the people you meet, and maybe even change the world.

Although it has only been a few days since the RDNA 4-based GPUs from Team Red hit the scene, it appears that we have already been granted a first look at the 3D Mark performance of the highest-end Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, and to be perfectly honest, the scores seemingly live up to our expectations - although with disappointing ray tracing performance. Unsurprisingly, the thread has been erased over at Chiphell, but folks have managed to take screenshots in the nick of time.

The specifics reveal that the Radeon RX 9070 XT will arrive with a massive TBP in the range of 330 watts, as revealed by a FurMark snap, which is substantially higher than the previous estimated numbers. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, along with base and boost clocks of 2520 and 3060 MHz, the Radeon RX 9070 XT managed to rake in an impressive 14,591 points in Time Spy Extreme, an around 6,345 points in Speed Way. Needless to say, the drivers are likely far from mature, so it is not outlandish to expect a few more points to get squeezed out of the RDNA 4 GPU.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ gaming handhelds were previewed late last year—powered by Intel's Lunar Lake Core Ultra APUs and "enhanced with XeSS" graphics technology. MSI's first generation Claw models (based on Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra processors) launched around early 2024 and struggled to keep up with the competition—many rivals utilized the highly performant AMD Ryzen Z1 APU series. The MSI gaming division has knuckled down on implementing many improvements with its second-gen handhelds—namely a bump up to Team Blue's Core Ultra 7 258V processor. TechPowerUp made a return trip to the Taiwanese multinational's CES floor space in order to find out more. The Claw 8 AI+'s two-tone design was very striking—drawing many eyes away from the muted black shell present on its smaller sibling (Claw 7 AI+).

Company representatives were happy to inform TPU about the aforementioned improvements—comfort levels have been boosted thanks to re-shaped contouring and all control inputs have been re-tuned for precision and easier operation. Users will find it easier to navigate the system's multi-platform interface, thanks to an extensively updated MSI Center M application. The demonstration units were running Steam during TechPowerUp's photo session. MSI has selected IPS display technology for its eight and seven-inch screens—picky customers prefer OLED on their handhelds. We will be witnessing another major battle between Intel and AMD APUs across the 2025 portable gaming market—Lunar Lake versus Strix Point. MSI has already sent Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ evaluation units to several outlets—early impressions are promising.

CES 2025 marked the worldwide debut of XYZ brand, a company that is not really a newcomer to the field. Actually, it was founded in 2007 by engineers and hardware experts, and in 2021 they conceived the XYZ brand with a focus on "enhancing the PC user experience to exceptional levels." The TechPowerUp team made their way towards XYZ's booth at CES where a plethora of products were on display. From PC chassis series like Atom, Quantum, Tesseract, Airwave, Trifecta, Aurorax, Airone, and Qubex, to the Thermax air coolers family, AIOs like Aquapulse, Hydrotemp and Hydraview, Vortex and Pulsar fans, to power supply units like the Phantom and Hypervolt series.

We will go over each of them in a few moments (words), but what we would like to mention straightforward is that XYZ brand arrived with a very distinct and clear lineup of products, featuring a minimalist approach that relies on white and black tones with some dashes of color from RGB lighting, doubled by straight lines and sharp edges and corners. XYZ's lineup looks unified, which makes us believe that the company has a clear vision about how they want to present themselves.

Supermicro, Inc. a Total IT Solution Provider for AI/ML, HPC, Cloud, Storage, and 5G/Edge is commencing shipments of max-performance servers featuring Intel Xeon 6900 series processors with P-cores. The new systems feature a range of new and upgraded technologies with new architectures optimized for the most demanding high-performance workloads including large-scale AI, cluster-scale HPC, and environments where a maximum number of GPUs are needed, such as collaborative design and media distribution.

"The systems now shipping in volume promise to unlock new capabilities and levels of performance for our customers around the world, featuring low latency, maximum I/O expansion providing high throughput with 256 performance cores per system, 12 memory channels per CPU with MRDIMM support, and high performance EDSFF storage options," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "We are able to ship our complete range of servers with these new application-optimized technologies thanks to our Server Building Block Solutions design methodology. With our global capacity to ship solutions at any scale, and in-house developed liquid cooling solutions providing unrivaled cooling efficiency, Supermicro is leading the industry into a new era of maximum performance computing."

xMEMS is a company that so far is best known for its MEMS—or microelectromechanical systems—based speaker drivers, but since around the middle of last year, the company has also developed a range of MEMS based cooling solutions. The xMEMS µCooling is competing with a range of new cooling solutions from several new companies and, although their current solution is unlikely to find its way into laptops today, the company has tested to cool hotter running chips using multiple MEMS µCooling modules to great success. The XMC-2400—also known as Sequoia—is the first product and it has an airflow of up to 35 cubic centimeters per second, which isn't a huge amount, but the cooler is said to be inaudible during operation and it also has the added benefit of being waterproof and the entire MEMS cooling module can be soldered in place. At an estimated power consumption of a mere 30 mW, it's also a very power efficient cooling solution. xMEMS had some demos at its booth, of which the one pictured below shows the XMC-2400 blowing or sucking air, with a small fan-wheel spinning to show the movement of the air. Another showcased the static pressure, pushing air through tubing and into a beaker filled with water. Potential applications include removing hot air from phones, although we may see some smaller SoCs getting cooled too.

Endgame Gear has displayed plenty of their OP and XM gaming mice at this week's CES trade event—TechPowerUp discovered that wired options outnumbered the brand's popular wireless models. The addition of limited edition colorway has certainly boosted the count of wired 8K mice—Endgame Gear's "Purple Frost" finish OP1 8K model attracted immediate attention when TPU headed over to the gaming peripheral's counter. The standard black variant was reviewed by pzogel last summer—earning "Editor's Choice" and "Innovation" rewards.

EINAREX seems to be a fledgling brand, but the TechPowerUp team was impressed with the company's wide selection of products on show at the January CES event. EINAREX's CPU coolers and power supplies have already received coverage, but it is high time to take a look at their case range. This group is split into three distinct series: Pulse, Zenith and Prisma. Wood panels have become an increasingly common sight on PC enclosures—EINAREX's compact M-ATX Pulse PM400 model is a new candidate in this field. A stylish exterior is combined with an interior that is optimized for airflow—builders can mount up to nine cooling fans and the top section can accommodate a 240 mm liquid cooler. TPU sleuthing revealed that there is no USB-C port on the top I/O panel—up here you get two USB 3.0 ports and a combined audio/mic 3.5 mm jack.

EINAREX is targeting the enthusiasts and elite content creator market with its Zenith ZM800 model—this M-ATX flagship case sports glass panels on the front and side—thus providing a full panoramic view of its interior space. The CES demonstration sample is a white enclosure (also available in black) equipped with four RGB fans. Non-RGB "Core" white and black variants are listed on the ZM800 product page. Builders can fit a maximum of seven 120 mm cooling fans, and there is plenty of room and multiple mounting points to take on a 360 mm liquid cooler.

PNY today announced the specifications and availability of its high-performance DDR5 notebook memory, offered in 64 GB (2x32GB) and 32 GB (2x16GB) kits. Designed for tech enthusiasts, creators, and gamers who demand unrivaled performance, premium quality, and blazing-fast speeds, this new memory module harnesses the power of DDR5, runs at 5600 MHz, and features a CAS latency of 46.

Next Generation Technology
PNY Performance DDR5 is built to support the growing lineup of motherboards compatible with the new DDR5 memory standard. This cutting-edge technology introduces a host of new features previously unavailable or limited in earlier generations of notebook memory. DDR5 enables higher-density modules, with capacities up to four times greater per module than DDR4 and supports faster standard frequencies. PNY's Performance DDR5 memory offers speeds of 5600 MHz for outstanding performance and is available in 64 GB (2x32GB) and 32 GB (2x16GB) kits.

Minisforum, a leader in innovative compact computing solutions, is thrilled to announce its participation in CES 2025, the world's premier technology showcase. Minisforum will unveil two game-changing products: the AI X1 Mini PC and the N5 Pro NAS as part of its commitment to pushing technological boundaries.

Minisforum AI X1 Mini PC: Where AI Meets Compact Computing
The Minisforum AI X1 Mini PC sets a new benchmark in miniaturized computing, leveraging the latest AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, the NO.1 Low Power Efficiency Chip. Designed for seamless AI integration, it utilizes cutting-edge features such as:

• Copilot AI Compatibility: Elevating productivity and optimizing workflows with intelligent AI integration.
• 60+ FPS 3 A Gaming: Powered by the AMD Radeon 890M, delivering smooth, high-quality visuals.
• Versatile Extension Support: Featuring Dual USB4 and Oculink for enhanced connectivity and expansion.

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, is proud to announce the release of the TT RGB PLUS 3.0, an upgraded all-in-one software platform designed to enhance the TT RGB PLUS ecosystem. Building on the foundation of its predecessor, the 3.0 version introduces an optimized interface, expanded compatibility, and advanced features to provide seamless system integration and customization for PC enthusiasts. The new software update, scheduled for release in Q1 2025, supports a broader range of products, including the TS120/140 EX RGB Fans (3-Fan Pack), the Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1650 W / 1250 W Titanium, and the MAGFloe and MAGCurve AIO Liquid Coolers.

"Thermaltake's TT RGB PLUS 3.0 software takes system customization to the next level by integrating advanced functionality features and expanding product compatibility," said Kenny Lin, CEO of Thermaltake,"This upgrade reflects our commitment to empowering users with innovative tools for personalized RGB illumination, performance monitoring, and seamless system management. Whether to enhance aesthetics or optimize functionality, TT RGB PLUS 3.0 is designed to meet the diverse needs of PC enthusiasts and gamers."

At the 2025 International CES, we went hands on with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition "Blackwell" graphics card. This thing is huge—longer and taller than the RTX 4090 FE, and yet just 2 slots thick. This is because NVIDIA's designers have figured out that the heat dissipation area of the heatsink lost to thinning the card can be recovered by stretching it in other directions. The card retains the essential aesthetic of Founders Edition cards from the past two generations going back to the RTX 30-series, but changes the concept of the dual-axial flow-through.

While past generations used an intake fan on one side, blowing onto the PCB, and another fan at the tail end of the backplate pull air through the heatsink and out the back, the RTX 5090 FE has two large fans, both of which blow cold air through the heatsink, and out the back of the card. The PCB is located in the center of the card, and relies on a set of breakout PCBs for host interface and display outputs.

YEYIAN Gaming has unveiled an ambitious lineup of gaming hardware at CES 2025, featuring advanced PCs, monitors, and peripherals designed for professional gamers and content creators. During TechPowerUp's hands-on session in Las Vegas, where the showcase runs, we got an in-depth look at their latest products. Star of YEYIAN's exhibition is the GEMINI PRO PC, a high-performance gaming system housed in a dual-chamber fish tank case with digital display capabilities. The system integrates AMD's latest Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super graphics card, complemented by 64 GB of DDR5 memory and advanced cooling solutions. The system can maintain optimal temperatures under load with the 360 mm LCD AIO and seven ARGB fans.

We first announced Raspberry Pi 5 back in the autumn of 2023, with just two choices of memory density: 4 GB and 8 GB. Last summer, we released the 2 GB variant, aimed at cost-sensitive applications. And today we're launching its bigger sibling, the 16 GB variant, priced at $120.

Why 16 GB, and why now?
We're continually surprised by the uses that people find for our hardware. Many of these fit into 8 GB (or even 2 GB) of SDRAM, but the threefold step up in performance between Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5 opens up use cases like large language models and computational fluid dynamics, which benefit from having more storage per core. And while Raspberry Pi OS has been tuned to have low base memory requirements, heavyweight distributions like Ubuntu benefit from additional memory capacity for desktop use cases. The optimized D0 stepping of the Broadcom BCM2712 application processor includes support for memories larger than 8 GB. And our friends at Micron were able to offer us a single package containing eight of their 16Gbit LPDDR4X die, making a 16 GB product feasible for the first time.

Audio manufacturer TOZO revealed its new Golden X2 Pro wireless earbuds at CES today, featuring dual digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and expanded smart features. These new earbuds are TOZO's push into the premium audio segment. The X2 Pro uses a hybrid driver system, pairing a 12 mm dynamic driver with a Knowles balanced armature. New earbuds support LDAC codec and Hi-Res Wireless Audio certification, with a frequency response ranging from 12 Hz to 44.1 kHz. The active noise cancellation system employs six microphones to reduce environmental noise by up to 50 decibels, while automatically adjusting to surrounding conditions. For spatial audio, the earbuds incorporate gyroscopic sensors to enable head tracking.

A notable hardware addition is the 1.47-inch color display built into the charging case, which shows battery status and allows users to adjust settings without using their phone. The earbuds also include a feature called Vocal Vibration Detection that automatically adjusts audio when the user starts speaking. On the software side, TOZO has added several AI-powered features through its companion app, including language translation, voice transcription, and meeting note generation. The implementation of these features and their effectiveness in real-world use remains to be tested.

Palit Microsystems, a global leader in graphics technology, introduces Pandora, its first AI computer powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX Super. Available in 8 GB and 16 GB configurations, it delivers 117 and 157 AI TOPS respectively, helping address the demand for high-performance edge AI computing. Compact at 123x145x66 mm and weighing only 470 g, Pandora is designed for space-constrained environments where performance and efficiency are critical. Its active cooling system ensures optimal thermal performance, enabling reliable operation during demanding tasks. Built to handle complex edge AI workloads, Pandora excels in applications such as smart retail, education, robotics, and generative AI, making it a versatile solution for diverse industries.

Features of Pandora
Pandora offers comprehensive connectivity with a wide range of I/O options, including dual 1G Ethernet ports, four USB ports with OTG functionality, an HDMI 2.0 interface, and audio input/output capabilities, ensuring seamless integration with peripherals for diverse AI applications. Equipped with a pre-installed 128 GB SSD, its advanced expandability includes four M.2 slots for simultaneous support of SSDs, Wi-Fi, and 5G/LTE modules. Features like MIPI inputs, an additional 14-pin UART, and CAN bus interfaces enhance compatibility with robotics, autonomous vehicles, and industrial systems, providing exceptional flexibility.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of Edge AI embedded computers, IPC solutions motherboards, graphics cards, and PC peripherals, is excited to announce x86 Edge AI platform showcase at CES 2025. Scheduled to take place from January 7 to 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, BIOSTAR, in partnership with DEEPX, an AI semiconductor company from South Korea, will showcase cutting-edge x86 Edge AI solutions at DEEPX's booth (#9045) in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

DEEPX is a pioneering company in on-device AI. It develops advanced AI semiconductors that optimize performance, reduce power consumption, and enhance cost efficiency across various industries, including smart camera modules, smart mobility, smart factories, consumer electronics, smart cities, surveillance systems, and AI servers. Building upon their successful collaborations, BIOSTAR and DEEPX set to unveil their latest joint innovations at CES 2025, further enhancing their prominence in the industrial computing ecosystem.

Most of you might be familiar with GL.iNet as a manufacturer of cheap travel routers intended to share a hotel Wi-Fi connection with, but the company has expanded to more capable devices over the past couple of years and it's Flint 2 Wi-Fi 6 router has been a popular option, especially as it runs a fork of OpenWRT, but native support for OpenWRT is in the late stages of development. At CES the company was showing its upcoming Flint 3 router—also known as the GL-BE9300—although unfortunately we weren't given any more specs than the company has already shared in terms of what hardware is under the hood, this is as far as we're aware, the first time the Flint 3 has been publicly shown. That said, the model number suggests this should be a tri-band router that will most likely deliver up to 5760 Mbps on the 6 GHz band, 2880 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and finally 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band. This somewhat disappointingly suggests that the router could be limited to a 2x2 antenna configuration on all three bands, if 320 MHz channel width is supported on the 6 GHz band. In terms of announced features, the Flint 3 is said to come with multi-WAN support that can do failover or load balancing, VPN client and server support and at least a pair of 2.5 Gbps LAN/WAN ports carried over from the Flint 2.

Also on display was the Slate 7 or GL-BE3600 which is GL.iNet's first Wi-Fi 7 travel router. This is most likely a 2x2 dual-band 2.4 and 5 GHz router with speeds of up to 2882 Mbps for the 5 GHz band and 688 Mbps for the 2.4 GHz band. It too will offer VPN support and this is GL.iNet's first small form factor router with dual 2.5 Gbps ports. It is powered via a 12 Volt USB-C port and it has a USB 3.0 that can most likely be used for data sharing or a USB data dongle. The Slate 7 also appears to have a small LCD around the front that can generate QR codes to make it easier to connect to it. Finally GL.iNet showed off a new product range with the Comet—or GL-RM1 if you prefer—which the company refers to as an "open-source remote KVM". This connects to your PC or laptop via HDMI and USB to enable the KVM part and then the Ethernet port of the device is connected to your network to allow you to remotely access the computer. This is being touted as failsafe means of being able to access a system remotely, be it a PC, server or any other device with and HDMI port, although some precautions would have to be taken against the system losing power. It's a neat solution that isn't easy to DIY and hopefully it'll be priced reasonably, like most of GL.iNets products. All three products are expected to launch later this year.

Recently, SpacemiT, a RISC-V AI CPU company from China, announced breakthrough progress in the development of its server CPU chip SpacemiT Vital Stone V100. It now provides a complete RISC-V CPU chip hardware and software platform that fully supports server specifications.

RISC-V CPU core X100, AIA and APLIC supporting interrupt virtualization, IOMMU supporting memory virtualization, IOPMP supporting security functions, LPC and eSPI supporting communication with mainstream BMCs, etc.

• The 64-bit server-grade RISC-V CPU core X100 delivers a single-core performance of >9 points/GHz on SPECINT2006 at 2.5 GHz 12 nm. X100 supports the RVA23 Profile, full virtualization (Hypervisor 1.0, AIA 1.0, IOMMU), RAS features, Vector 1.0 extension, vector encryption and decryption, security, 64-core interconnect, and more.
• The IOMMU IP adheres to the RISC-V IOMMU architecture specification and the AXI4-Stream DTI interface, supporting configurable DID, PID, virtual address, physical address width, and various levels of translation cache sizes. It can be flexibly integrated into different locations within the SoC bus system to enable distributed peripheral virtualization and accelerator acceleration.

EINAREX brought a slick little lineup of fans, AIO CLCs, and air-based CPU coolers, to the 2025 International CES. The EINAREX EX12CI is a premium and durable fan designed for moderate air pressure, but low noise due to the profile of its impeller blades. It features the company's unique lighting design consisting of four silicone diffusers near the edges of the fan frame, each with a couple of addressable RGB LEDs. The fan features a fluid-dynamic bearing. It comes in white and black. The EX12A trades some of that silence for higher airflow, with a different impeller profile. It retains the fluid-dynamic bearing, and lighting design.

The EINAREX Echo line of AIO CLCs come with two or three EX12A fans depending on the model and radiator size, which ventilate a 240 mm or 360 mm radiator. The star attraction with these is a cubical pump-block with what looks like a 2.7-inch true-color LCD. Besides radiator sizes, the Echo series come in white or black color trims. The EINAREX Vertex is essentially the same cooler as the Echo, but with a 3-D glass structure on top of the pump-block which displays the company logo as a hologram. There are addressable LEDs studded, so you can change the color of this holographic logo.

EINAREX is a new entrant at this year's CES, and brought a large lineup of cases, coolers, fans, and power supplies. We begin our coverage with the PSUs. The Nexus series forms the company's upper-mid segment. These are contemporary with support for ATX 3.2 and PCIe 5.1 CEM readiness. The PSU boasts of Cybenetics Gold switching efficiency. The Nexus line comes in upper-mid Wattage, ranging from 750 W to 1200 W, offering full modular cabling, which includes a 600 W 12V2x6 connector. The Apex L1 series forms the company's mainstream segment offering, with partially modular cabling, along with Cybenetics Bronze switching efficiency.

The Apex LS series is a slight step up, with full modular cabling, ATX 3.0 + PCIe 5.0 readiness, and Cybenetics Silver efficiency. The Apex SFX series is designed to offer fairly high Wattage in the compact SFX form-factor. These come with full modular cabling, Cybenetics Bronze efficiency, and a 12V2x6 connector. This isn't the company's only SFX product, there's also the upmarket Nexus SFX, offering Cybenetics Gold efficiency, and more advanced ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 CEM.

TCOMAS brought a slick lineup of air and liquid CPU coolers to the 2025 International CES. We begin our tour with the AF640, a premium aluminium dual fin-stack CPU cooler. Its most striking feature is its top-plate, which has an LED segment display that talks to software over a USB 2.0 header, and puts out system monitoring info from the ACPI—CPU temperature, fan speed, CPU power draw, clock speed, etc. The cooler includes a pair of pre-installed fans with custom frames. The external "push" fan is 92 mm, with a frame size of 108 mm x 125 mm x 30 mm; while the inner "pull" fan located between the two fin-stacks is a 120 mm, with a 125 mm x 125 mm x 30 mm frame. The two fans slide out from the sides. The cooler comes in black and white trims.

Next up, are the company's stackable fans. The F700 comes in packs of 3, and features a mechanical interlock that lets you stack these up on a radiator with cabling for just one fan. There are physical control buttons on each fan to control their spin direction. Illumination is care of a Gen 2 ARGB LED setup. Each fan features a double ball-bearing. It turns at speeds between 600 and 2,000 RPM. In its conventional direction, the fan pushes up to 67.5 CFM of airflow, at 3.42 mm H₂O static pressure, and up to 38 dBA of noise output. In the reverse setting, it does up to 70.33 CFM of airflow, at 3.53 mm H₂O static pressure, and 40.3 dBA of noise output.

Micron at the 2025 International CES showed us product that hint at the company planning a strong comeback to the client and PC-DIY market segments. The company's Crucial brand is already a high-volume player in the client segment, but the company never really approached the enthusiast segment. Products like the company's new T705 Pro and P510 NVMe SSDs, and DDR5 Pro Overclocking memory, seek to change this. We begin our tour with PC memory, and the DDR5 Pro OC CUDIMMs. Crucial has jumped onto the CKD bandwagon, introducing memory modules and kits that come with DDR5-6400 out of the box, but which are geared for manual overclocking to take advantage of the 1β DRAM chips underneath (hence the name).

The company also showed us their first DDR5 CSODIMM suitable for the next generation of notebooks with HX-segment processors. This module comes with a CKD and a DDR5-6400 JEDEC-standard SPD profile out of the box. Lastly, there's the Micron-branded LPCAMM2, which comes in speeds of up to LPDDR5X-8533, and is suitable for the next generation of ultraportables.

PCCooler brought a vast lineup of high performance air CPU coolers to the 2025 CES. For now, the company hasn't assigned names to these models, referring to them with their generic cooler types. We begin our tour with the "5U dual-tower," a D-type dual fin-stack cooler with two fans in push-pull configuration, and a powerful pair of 140 mm high-RPM fans. There's also the 5U Single Tower, with a single included fan. Then there's the 4U cooler with an 80 mm fan, and a 3U passive heatsink that relies on your rack's airflow. The four coolers on this tray are meant for workstations and server's it's likely that they feature base for server/workstation sockets.

For the client segment, PCCooler brought a pair of top-flow fan-heatsinks, the RC400-53, a 53 mm-tall top-flow cooler with an 80 mm fan; and the larger RC600-67, a 67 mm-tall cooler that relies on a 15 mm-thick 120 mm fan for ventilation. The RT400 is the company's most affordable single tower cooler, it relies on four heat pipes, a fairly slim fin-stack, and a basic FDB-based 120 mm fan. The RZ400 V2 is a step-up, with a slightly thicker heatsink, a more premium FDB fan, a neat-looking top-plate, and cladding on the sides of the fan. For some reason, the design language of PCCooler reminds us a lot about DeepCool.

PCCooler brought a selection of new cooling produces to the 2025 International CES, and we begin our coverage with AIO liquid CPU coolers and fans. Right off the bat, we have the flagship DT360 ARGB Display, which gets its name from its 360 mm radiator, and of course, the 5-inch true-color display on top of the pump-block, which plugs into HDMI, and can be made to show just about anything. PCCooler includes its F7X120 ARGB fans with these coolers, which feature ARGB LED diffusers both in the impeller hubs, and along the bores of the frames. The coolers come with fluid-dynamic bearings.

Next up, is the DA360 LCD. A slightly premium variant of the DA### ARGB series, these come with LCD segment displays on their pump-blocks that put out coolant temperature readings. Lastly, we spied a DA240 ARGB, the company's mainstream AIO CLC with an infinity reflection ornament on the pump-block. Moving on to the company's case fan series, and the company put out the F5R120, and flagship F9R120 high-endurance fan. Both come with FDB bearings, the F9R120 is designed for high RPM and static-pressure, mainly for radiator applications.

Akko can be relied upon to bring splashes of color and zany printed graphics to trade events. A TechPowerUp staffer was refreshed—after poring over countless boxy products all day—by an assortment of the peripheral specialist's quirky keyboards, keycaps and oddball mice. Akko's YU01 "Jade" keyboard—comprised of a resin-crafted case and transparent PC plastic keycaps—drew plenty of interest from CES attendees. The opaque properties of this resin material produced some interesting results when combined with the YU01's internal RGB lighting—almost hypnotic when in motion. The chosen keycap font may offend purists, but Akko's design team has clearly gone for that unique factor.

The Akko Colorful Cats keycap set is destined to boost cuteness on any compatible keyboard—a 100% layout was showcased in Las Vegas. The (fittingly named) MAO profile sports a cat-ear shaped design. Akko's Bun Wonderland keycap set was visible on two keyboards—full-size/100% and 75% layouts. There are a variety of baked good graphics emblazoned across these "MOG Mushroom-style" profile keycaps—TPU observed all sorts of baguettes, biscuits, bits of toast, pretzels and bakeshop paraphernalia printed on PBT material.

At CES 2025, Creative showed off its next generation external streaming audio hub and DAC, the SXFI "Project Alphard 1." The unit is roughly the size of a mini PC. It takes input from a PC or Mac over USB-C, HDMI ARC from your TV or projector, Wi-Fi, and SPDIF (TOSLINK), with outputs to ARC, TOSLINK, and analog. The company also showed off its Pebble Nova desktop speakers. Compatible with USB, analog, and Bluetooth, the Pebble Nova may look like space-saving 2.0 speakers, but produce powerful stereo output with deep base. They are built on the same principles as premium Bluetooth portable speakers.

MAINGEAR, the leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs, today announced its lineup of desktops and laptops equipped with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs. Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring groundbreaking capabilities to gamers and creators. Equipped with a massive level of AI horsepower, the GeForce RTX 50 Series enables new experiences and next-level graphics fidelity. Users can multiply performance with NVIDIA DLSS 4, generate images at unprecedented speed, and unleash creativity with the NVIDIA Studio platform.

Plus, NVIDIA NIM microservices - state-of-the-art AI models that let enthusiasts and developers build AI assistants, agents, and workflows - are available with peak performance on NIM-ready systems.

MAINGEAR, the leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs, just dropped the curtain on two groundbreaking additions to its APEX line: the all-new APEX FORCE and the upgraded APEX RUSH. These state-of-the-art gaming PCs redefine performance, cooling, and customization for the most discerning gamers.

APEX FORCE: There's No Replacement for Displacement
The APEX FORCE features a full-tower chassis design based on the popular Phanteks NV9, concealed rear external cable management, and panoramic tempered glass panels trimmed with a diffused illuminated edge, that maximizes the premium aesthetics of the FORCE. Inside, it's immediately noticeable that MAINGEAR spent countless hours precisely engineering the APEX hardline cooling system with 10-degree offset tubing to perfectly mate with the chassis' unique design language, making the FORCE a masterpiece of functional design and engineering. Upgradable RGB lighting accentuates the cooling components and premium hardware perfectly.

We had a chance to get close and personal with the new ZOTAC ZONE GAMING prototype at the CES 2025 show. While it is not a final product, we had a chance to see it in action as it is a working prototype and thanks to updated hardware, it should provide much higher performance compared to the ZOTAC Zone that we had a chance to review last year.

The biggest update is the 4 nm Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. The Strix Point architecture brings 12-core/24-thread CPU (four performance and eight efficiency) based on Zen 5 architecture, 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. It also comes with Radeon 890M, a RDNA 3.5 architecture GPU with 16 Compute Units. ZOTAC also increased the amount of LPDDR5X RAM to 32 GB and raised M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD storage space to 1 TB. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 has a standard TDP of 28 W, and a configurable TDP between 15 W and 54 W, so it gives ZOTAC a lot of room to work with. It also features 50 TOPS XDNA NPU.