(Editor's Note: Intel says the Stratix 10 contains some 30 billion transistors - and they say that's more than triple the amount in CPUs that run in the fastest desktop processors today. They're really the ones to know it, since Intel has decided to cut on disclosing transistor count on its CPUs for some time now. The amount of data these FPGAs can process in a single second is nothing short of mind-blowing, though: Intel says they can process the data equivalent to 420 Blu-ray Discs... in just one second. If that doesn't spell an unimaginable future in terms of processing power, I don't know what does.)

Because of the Intel Stratix 10's unique design, it can whip through calculations at blinding speeds - often 10 to 100 times faster than the chips in consumer devices. Intel Stratix 10 FPGAs - the latest version came out in February - are capable of 10 TFLOPS, or 10 trillion floating point operations per second. The Stratix 10 is the fastest chip of its kind in the world.

Many of you might have noticed that the Ryzen 7 2800X wasn't part of the initial Ryzen 2000 Series launch yesterday. Jim Anderson, Senior Vice President at AMD, has hinted that AMD might release the Ryzen 7 2800X processor at a later date. The main reason for the move is that the current Ryzen 7 2700X and 2700 models already cover the performance and price points. Therefore, AMD doesn't see the need to release a more powerful model at this time. And they're not wrong. Our review of the Ryzen 7 2700X revealed that AMD's current flagship processor has surpassed Intel's Core i7-8700K in multi-threaded workloads while also closing the gap in single-threaded workloads. While Intel still has the advantage when it comes to gaming performance, the difference in performance is slim and gets even smaller as you climb the resolution ladder. Basically, the ball is in Intel's court right now. Whether the Ryzen 7 2800X see the light of the day is going to depend on Intel's response to the Ryzen 7 2700X.

The highly anticipated horror-survival game Agony will launch on May 29th as developer Madmind Studios and publisher Maximum Games announced the release date for PlayStation 4, Xbox One the all in one entertainment system from Microsoft and PC today. A new teaser trailer revealed with today's launch date showcases the terrifying scenery and cursed creatures awaiting players brave enough to explore Agony's twisted realms.

Agony throws players in the midst of hell where they strive to stay alive and solve the riddle behind the mysterious Red Goddess; architect of this place of sorrow and pain, and the sole entity with knowledge of how escape… but there is more to the story than it seems. Haunted by nightmare creatures, players gain the ability to possess demons and other souls to find their way out of hell.

Honor, a sub-brand of Chinese electronics giant Huawei, has revealed their brand-new 14-inch MagicBook Ultrabook. The MagicBook is powered by a 8th generation Intel Core processor. It's available with either the Intel Core i5-8250U or the Intel Core i7-8550U processor. Both variants come with 8 GB of memory, a 256 GB SATA SSD, and a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. The MagicBook is 15.8 mm thick and weighs 1.47 kg. In terms of design, the Honor MagicBook features a sleek all-aluminum body similar to the previously announced Huawei Matebook. The MagicBook's cooling solution consists of various heat pipes that are connected to the CPU and GPU. A single fan draws cool air from the three vents located around the ultrabook and pushes the heated air through the rear vent.

The Honor MagicBook has been fitted with a 13.3-inch matte IPS LCD display. The panel boasts a 1080p resolution, 45% NTSC color space, 800:1 contrast, and 250 nits of brightness. The ultrabook also possesses four Dolby Atmos-certified speakers, dual mics, and a fingerprint reader. Thanks to the generous 57.4 Wh battery, the MagicBook is certified for up to 12 hours of battery life. It comes with a USB Type-C port for charging the device, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port, a HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Intel Core i5 variant costs CNY 5,000 ($800), while the Intel Core i7 model goes for CNY 5,700 ($910).

Global supercomputer leader Cray Inc. today announced it has added AMD EPYC processors to its Cray CS500 product line. To meet the growing needs of high-performance computing (HPC), the combination of AMD EPYC 7000 processors with the Cray CS500 cluster systems offers Cray customers a flexible, high-density system tuned for their demanding environments. The powerful platform lets organizations tackle a broad range of HPC workloads without the need to rebuild and recompile their x86 applications.

"Cray's decision to offer the AMD EPYC processors in the Cray CS500 product line expands its market opportunities by offering buyers an important new choice," said Steve Conway, senior vice president of research at Hyperion Research. "The AMD EPYC processors are expressly designed to provide highly scalable, energy- and cost-efficient performance in large and midrange clusters."

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced the launch of Z370 AORUS motherboards with exclusive built-in 32GB Intel Optane Memory and support for Intel Core i7+/i5+ architecture. By also utilizing Intel Rapid Storage Technology, these motherboards provide users with accelerated read/write speeds for their storage devices, bolstering their data performance for incredible value.

Introducing GIGABYTE motherboards with built-in 32GB Intel Optane Memory, the four models in this series include the Z370 AORUS GAMING 7-OP, Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI-OP, Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING 2.0-OP, and Z370 HD3-OP motherboards, all of which are fully compatible with the newest Intel RST. In addition to adapting the performance enhancement technology from the previous generation, the newest generation of Intel Optane Memory technology is even more potent as it enhances high capacity HDD read/write speeds to match that of SSDs. Under the protection of GIGABYTE Ultra Durable Technology, these boards offer increased system stability as well as durability, making these motherboards a can't miss choice for those seeking enhanced data performance at an unbeatable value.

Thermaltake Gaming Tt eSPORTS, the energetic and powerful challenger is delighted to announce worldwide availability of the new Iris Optical RGB Gaming Mouse - a new high performance entry-level mouse equipped with customizable 16.8 million RGB color, 9 dynamic lighting effects and exclusive side aura illumination. The Iris Optical RGB also comes with a gaming grade sensor that supports up to 5000 DPI, 20-million-click gaming grade switches for maximum durability and new gen gaming software for macro, advanced performance, light and profiles settings. Light up the battlefield with the Iris Optical RGB and play with superior accuracy, tracking, and ergonomic comfort.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today unveiled new TVS-882BR RDX models (including the TVS-882BR-RDX and TVS-882BRT3-RDX) that integrates the Tandberg RDX QuikStor internal SATA 5.25-inch docking station (8813-RDX) for installing removable and portable RDX hard disk cartridges. Compared to standard external hard drives, the Tandberg RDX cartridge features a rugged dust-proof design that protects data for a longer period of time and allows users to easily transfer data with the cartridges.

"QNAP constantly integrates partner backup solutions to our existing NAS solutions. By supporting RDX hard disk backup, the new TVS-882BR RDX models allows users to enjoy longer data protection and the portable cartridges can easily be shared for data exchanging. Coupled with Media Asset Management (MAM) software and a wide range of backup solutions, the TVS-882BR helps improve work efficiency while also providing highly-scalable storage space and powerful hardware that meets the requirements from modern businesses and organizations" said Dan Lin, Product Manager of QNAP.

Raijintek today rolled out the CWB-RGB, a nickel-plated copper CPU water block with a frosted acrylic top, which acts as a diffuser concealing 12 addressable RGB LEDs. The block includes an RGB LED controller module that draws power from a SATA-power connector, and lets you toggle between 184 lighting presets. The block has a mirror finish in its business end. It supports standard G1/4" fittings. Measuring 94 mm x 77 mm x 26.1 mm (WxDxH), it weighs around 180 g. The addressable RGB LEDs can also be plugged into a 4-pin RGB header. Most modern CPU socket types are supported, including AM4, AM3(+), FM2(+), LGA2066, LGA2011(v3), and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing.

EK is proud to announce the launching of pre-built fully liquid cooled Gaming PCs under the name of EK Fluid Gaming Systems. All systems are based on an MSI motherboard and NV graphics cards, G.Skill memory and ... all are Ryzen 2000 based.

Also, with the current GPUs crisis going on, we are allocating GPUs to purebred gaming PCs to be used for gaming. If you are not impressed by our to default offer of PCs, you can fully configure your gaming rig. Each of the offered configurations is a base for your dream PC to come true. You can pick each core component for your perfect gaming PC which will suit your needs. That's right! You can pick a motherboard, graphics card, RAM, power supply, SSD, HDD or both. A large variety of components is available, including the newly released 2nd generation of AMD Ryzen processors. If you like pimping your ultimate gaming PC even more, you can pick an awesome CableMod Pro series sleeved cable kit as well.

34 different companies (which include Microsoft, Facebook, Cisco, Nokia, and Oracle) signed the Cybesecurity Tech Accord this week. The Accord, which is being hailed as the "Digital Geneva Accord", ratifies a new era of corporations' protection of customers, and a new way to engage and protect from cyberattacks. The biggest part of this? The pledge not to aid governments in performing any type of cyberattacks against customers. The usage of the word customers isn't an innocent one: a consumer is such in any part of the world, regardless of any given countries' definition.

The idea behind the Accord is to allow "public commitment among 34 global companies to protect and empower civilians online and to improve the security, stability and resilience of cyberspace." This is an effort from tech companies to distance themselves from all manner of centralized government power, and to place themselves in a new, customer-protective light. At the same time, companies are looking to engender a coordinated response to global-scale ransomware attacks, such as last years' WannaCry and NotPetya events. "The devastating attacks from the past year demonstrate that cybersecurity is not just about what any single company can do but also about what we can all do together." said Microsoft President Brad Smith. "This tech sector accord will help us take a principled path towards more effective steps to work together and defend customers around the world." You can read the entire post on the mission and signing of the Accord after the break.

BioShock is like mom's home-cooked meals. You might remember how great they were, but you've certainly forgotten how good they tasted. It's hard to blame anyone given that the last BioShock game was released almost five years ago. And to make matters even worse, the last installment (BioShock Infinite) wasn't even a sequel or a prequel to the previous BioShock 2 game. But fear not, Big Daddy is making his comeback. Kotaku's lengthy article on Hangar 13 revealed that a secret BioShock title, codenamed 'Parkside', is under development. According to Kotaku's report:

A year and a half later, however, Hangar 13 is a far different place. This past year was a turbulent time for the studio, as it floundered while trying to figure out what its next game would be. Many of the people who helped make Mafia III are now gone, including the game's art director, technical art director, senior producers, design director, many design leads, and a number of other key staff. Some left voluntarily; others were let go or asked to move. Some went to other game companies; others moved to the top-secret studio next door to work on an unannounced new BioShock game.

A mysterious Radeon RX Vega Nano graphics card from manufacturer PowerColor made a surprise appearance at AMD's Ryzen 2000 series launch event held in Munich. Although based on AMD's reference design, this PowerColor model differs a little from the RX Vega Nano prototype that was showcased back in SIGGRAPH 2017 by Raja Koduri. In terms of design, PowerColor's prototype lacks the illuminated Radeon cube on the corner, and the axial fan sits further to the left. The heatsink is physically longer and extends slightly beyond the graphics card's PCB. The manufacturer also added an additional 6-pin PCIe connector for more power delivery. At the time of this article's publication, PowerColor hasn't confirmed if their Radeon RX Vega Nano will be available to the public.

Croteam today released a teaser trailer and screenshot for Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass. As the name implies, Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass is the fourth installment in the Serious Sam franchise and will supposedly reignite the series with high-adrenaline action, enormous hordes of enemies to kill, and a plethora of new weapons to choose from. A full reveal of the game will take place at the Devolver Digital E3 conference this coming June. For those who are interested, the Steam page for Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass is live if you want to add the game to your wishlist. Unfortunately, Croteam didn't announce the official launch date, so we'll have to wait until E3 to get more information.

AMD today announced the global availability of its 2nd Generation Ryzen Desktop processors, starting with four models optimized for gamers, creators, and hardware enthusiasts: Ryzen 7 2700X, Ryzen 7 2700, Ryzen 5 2600X, and Ryzen 5 2600 processors. Using the world's first 12 nm process technology, these 2nd Gen Ryzen processors can offer up to 15% higher gaming performance than 1st Gen Ryzen processors, while delivering the highest multiprocessing performance you can get on a mainstream desktop PC, and enhanced capabilities including Precision Boost 2 and Extended Frequency Range 2 (XFR 2), an included Wraith Cooler, unlocked performance accessed with the new Ryzen Master Utility, and more.

"Last year we started changing the PC industry with the introduction of our first wave of Ryzen processors - delivering more performance, features, and choice to our customers than before. Our 2nd Gen Ryzen CPUs continue this pursuit by raising the standards for enthusiast gamers and creators," said Jim Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Business Group, AMD. "With this launch we're also demonstrating that we are just getting started, that we are committed to delivering a multi-generational roadmap of leadership high-performance processors that will drive innovation and competition into the industry for years to come."

G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is excited to announce the release of new Trident Z RGB and Sniper X series specifications launching in conjunction with the release of the AMD Ryzen 2000 series processors and the X470 platform. Kit specifications starting from DDR4-3200MHz CL16-18-18-38 16GB (2x8GB) to DDR4-3600MHz 18-22-22-42 16GB (2x8GB), these new specifications push the boundaries of AMD system performance to the next level.

Armed with the latest IMC on the new 2nd generation AMD Ryzen processors, G.SKILL aims to bring users ultra-fast high performance memory kits to help increase overall system performance with the new X470 systems. Trident Z RGB, with model numbers ending with TZRX, and Sniper X memory series now introduce several new AMD X470-specific memory specifications. Please see below for a complete list of the new specifications.

Antec Inc., a leading provider of high-performance computer components and accessories for the gaming, PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself market, presents the latest mid tower of their award-winning Dark Fleet Series: the Antec DF500 RGB. The case is now commercially available from 79€. The DF500 without the RGB is available for 59 Euros (suggested retail price including VAT).

BIOSTAR adds a mini-ITX motherboard with the RACING X470GTN for the second generation AMD Ryzen processors, Pinnacle Ridge and Raven Ridge. The BIOSTAR RACING X470GTN packs powerful features in a small form factor for gamers on the move. It has a premium black RACING themed PCB design, Digital Power+, Hi-Fi zone design, integrated USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type A + C), Iron Slot Protection, and Advanced VIVID LED DJ for more RGB lighting control.

BIOSTAR RACING X470GTN
The BIOSTAR RACING X470GTN is a mini-ITX form factor motherboard with one PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot and supports two dual-channel memory of up to DDR4-3200MHz (OC). The RACING X470GTN has a 7-digital power phase design to harness the power of the new Ryzen 7 2700X 8-core, 16-thread processor. The motherboard also packs 4x SATA III ports, 1x M.2 32Gb/s port and integrated USB 3.1 Gen 2 (Type A and C).

Sharkoon widens its range of low profile keyboards, and, with the PureWriter RGB and the PureWriter TKL RGB, introduces two versions with stepless adjustable RGB illumination. Both versions - with or without number block - benefit from additional function keys with preset multimedia actions. Following from the previous PureWriter models without RGB, Sharkoon is continuing with the mechanical switches from the Kailh manufacture. Both RGB Keyboards are available with either red or blue switches.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performanceDRAM modules and NAND Flash products, announces its next generation XPG SPECTRIX D41 DDR4 RGB memory module. The memory module brings together a new refreshing aesthetic design, striking speeds and stunning programmable RGB lighting to offer avid gamers a worthy upgrade for their setups. What's more, the XPG SPECTRIX D41 supports Intel X299 2666 MHz and AMD AM4/Ryzen platforms and comes in two color options - Crimson Red and Titanium Gray.

Inspired by armor, the SPECTRIX D41's medal heatsink features a bold silhouette to symbolize its impressive performance. On top is a fully exposed RGB LED light strip that glows unhindered, letting the colors and lighting effects of the user's choosing shine through. Users can enhance their gaming experiences with programmable lighting effects to set up patterns, pulse speed, lighting intensity and more. This can all be controlled with the ADATA RGB Sync app or an existing RGB light control software from a major motherboard maker.

Phanteks is excited to be releasing three new colors to the P300 Lineup: Black/Red, Black/White, and White. With its full metal exterior and a tempered glass side panel, the Eclipse P300 has an exceptional build quality in its class. The new PSU shroud design enhances the clean interior and exterior looks. It's packed with features to create an intuitive and convenient installation experience. The P300 comes with easy cable management tools, AIO water-cooling support, dustproof interior, full length GPU support and RGB lighting with possibilities to expand with more Phanteks RGB products. The Eclipse P300 is a great starting point for new and budgetoriented users.

Released worldwide on March 26, the PC version of Far Cry 5 has been cracked 19 days after its launch. Nevertheless, the Denuvo 5.0 protection served its purpose as the game sold nearly five million copies in its first week. What's more impressive, though, is that it took prolific warez group CPY less than three weeks to circumvent the game's multiple layers of DRM. Nevertheless, CPY's feat wasn't a complete walk in the park. According to the information provided by the Italian entity, Far Cry 5's cocktail of copy protections included Denuvo 5.0, EasyAntiCheat, uPlay, and VMProtect. Given the speedy release for this one, maybe CPY has finally discovered the secret to Denuvo's formula. Or perhaps Denuvo is starting to lose its touch.

exklim today introduced the eX Core , the world's first, portable eGPU that turbocharges your computer, turning any laptop or desktop into a powerful gaming rig. eX Core sets out to provide gamers, Bitcoin miners, students and on-the-go professionals with a lightweight, high-performance solution to run any application, at any time. The eX Core is now live on Kickstarter.

As games and applications are becoming graphically demanding, central processing units (CPUs) are being rendered useless. While CPUs may be fast enough to run a game, the graphics power is limited. The eX Core solves this problem by opening up the door for any computer to have the same high-end graphics or design capabilities as even the most advanced computers - at a fraction of the cost. It leverages NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1050 Factory OC at 1680 MHz and high bandwidth GDDR5 vRam to run the most graphically demanding PC games and video applications on the market.

AVerMedia Technologies, Inc., a leader in digital video and audio, today introduced its brand-new line of SonicWave gaming audio solutions. The two headsets, the stereo SonicWave GH335 and the virtual 7.1 surround sound SonicWave GH337, have both been designed to give gamers a satisfying, immersive audio experience on PC, all current consoles and even mobile platforms. AVerMedia listened to gaming community feedback to ensure the SonicWave line measures up to the most demanding gaming audio needs.

Both headsets feature oversized 50mm neodymium drivers delivering powerful sound at a fraction of the weight of regular magnets. The stereo SonicWave GH335 features analog audio and microphone connections and its oversized drivers and closed back design help keep gamers focused on their gaming experience.

Display specialist AOC is proud to announce the new addition to its AGON premium gaming monitor family, the AOC AGON AG322QC4 that offers stunning gaming visuals with its HDR400-compliant 3-sided frameless 31.5" VA panel, a razor-sharp Quad HD (2560x1440 px) resolution in 16:9 aspect ratio, deep and inky 2000:1 static contrast ratio and an aggressive 1800R curvature. The 144 Hz refresh rate, 4 ms GtG response time combined with FreeSync 2 support ensure a smooth gameplay experience at the utmost competitive level.

The AG322QC4 comes with recent display technologies for lifelike visuals and the smoothest gameplay experience, VESA DisplayHDR 400 and Radeon FreeSync 2. The VESA HDR400 specification ensures 400 cd/m² peak brightness, improved black levels, higher color gamut and more bit depth (color depth) to display High Dynamic Range (HDR) visuals.

Enabling new lower levels of total cost of ownership (TCO) for cloud and enterprise customers, Western Digital Corporation today introduced the Ultrastar DC HC530 hard drive - at 14TB, no other CMR (conventional magnetic recording) hard drive in the industry offers a higher capacity. The breadth and depth of big data is driving the universal need for higher capacities across a broad spectrum of applications and workloads. Built on Western Digital's fifth-generation HelioSeal technology, the Ultrastar DC HC530 drive is designed for public and private cloud environments where storage density, watt/TB and $/TB are critical parameters for creating the most cost-efficient infrastructure.

The data explosion caused by big data, IoT, artificial intelligence, machine learning, rich content and fast data applications is challenging hyperscale cloud data centers and enterprises to efficiently build massive petabyte-scale infrastructures. This ability to cost-effectively scale-up or scale-out is business critical, not only for cloud service providers but for organizations leveraging big data analytics and machine learning in medical, science, agriculture and other fields seeking innovation, discoveries and unique insights, as well as for creating new business models.

After nearly a year from first announcing the Cu line of full copper coolers PC cooling innovator CRYORIG is now releasing the C7 Cu copper enhanced SFF ITX cooler. The C7 Cu is built from the award winning C7 architecture with one obvious upgrade, the extravagant use of copper for the whole heatsink body. By exchanging for a full copper build from aluminum has allowed the C7 Cu see improvements of up to 15% in thermal performance. The increased thermal performance without increased size is a key advantage of the C7 Cu especially in ultra compact SFF/ITX builds where space is limited.

Aimed at solving the space limits of Small Form Factor ITX systems, the C7 Cu was set with the task of further improving performance but without increasing size or fan speed. Utilizing higher thermal conductive materials was the only answer for the C7 Cu. Copper is nearly twice as thermal conductive as aluminum but nearly three times as expensive. That's why copper is normally only used on the most thermal critical components such as heatpipes and heatsink base plates. With the C7 Cu, CRYORIG has swapped out the aluminum elements of the C7 with pure copper. Thermal performance gains are close to 15% when compared to the original C7.

News reported by Polygon paint the next installment in the metronome-like cadence of annual Call of Duty game releases as a much less interesting package than gamers are used to. Citing industry sources, Polygon is reporting that Call of Duty Black Ops 4 is going to shed its single player campaign entirely, citing a lack of development time to deliver it on launch. This is strange for a number of reasons. First, Treyarch, who's helming the games' development this time around, enjoyed a three-years development period to make the game happen; second, there's no need to do anything else than some incremental changes to the game's engine, as has been the case for COD games for years, so that couldn't have taken up much development time; third, using development resources to "just about" finish the games' campaign and then ultimately deciding to scrape it altogether just seems like a very bad business move.

BenQ announced a new entry to its monitor lineup under the model name EX3203R. It sports a 31.5" VA panel with 2560 x 1440 resolution, and can display frames at up to 144 Hz refresh rates. The slight 1800R curvature is expected to keep all points of the monitor at the same distance from users' eyes. AMD's FreeSync 2 technology is also being employed here, making this a more attractive proposition for gaming scenarios. Since this is FreeSync 2 we're talking about, the effective FreeSync range should be quite high, since support for LFC (Low Frame-Rate Compensation) is an essential part of the certification.

Like most BenQ (and other brands') monitors, BenQ is touting this panel as HDR-compatible, and sporting a HDR-specific luminance mode that achieves a top 400 cd/m² luminance - the basest of the base values allowed by AMD for HDR compatibility. Non-HDR content, however, will default to a top 300 cd/m² luminance. BenQ is quoting 90% DCI-P3 coverage. Connectivity options include 2x HDMI 1.4 ports, 1x DisplayPort 1.2a, 2x USB 3.1 ports, and 1x USB Type-C port. Pricing hasn't been announced at time of writing.

In a blog post on its gaming website, AMD has decided to put on the white gloves for a distinctive strike against NVIDIA's GPP initiative, which has seen rivers of ink and public discussion already. In the blog post, entitled "Radeon RX Graphics: A Gamer's Choice", the company is clearly putting its footing on the same stance it always finds itself positioned to by NVIDIA: the freedom of choice, and freedom of standards side of the equation.

The blog post entirely reads as an anti environment-lock manifesto, extorting the virtues of PC gaming and the open-ended building and assembly of parts from various manufacturers that it's built upon. As a move against NVIDIA's decision to enforce their GPP initiative to lock-in AIB partners towards having an NVIDIA-exclusive brand, AMD has come out of the gates saying that the simple solution is for partners to announce new, AMD-exclusive brands as well. This is logical; was to be expected; and is really AMD's only move out of this forced hand it was dealt with.

MSI proudly announces the new Gaming Desktop series. The product will include the Aegis Ti3, Aegis 3, Infinite A, Trident 3, Trident 3 Arctic and Nightblade MI3. Based on the latest Intel 8th-generation processor technology, powered by MSI's unmatched game-enhancing features, a true gaming experience without any boundaries is now possible. Go beyond the ordinary and experience the extraordinary. Moreover, MSI is honorably expanding its current Gaming Desktops with the Optix Curved Gaming monitors to introduce the concept of G.A.M.E. Unlimited: Gaming Power, Accessibility, Monitor, and Experience.

Cooler Master, a global leader in manufacturing CPU coolers, computer components and peripherals, introduces its first addressable RGB all-in-one (AIO) liquid CPU coolers. The MasterLiquid ML240R RGB and MasterLiquid ML120R RGB are certified compatible with ASUS, MSI and ASRock motherboards and feature addressable RGB LEDs on both the fans and water block.

16.7 Million Color Customizing with Software or Wired Controller
The MasterLiquid ML240R RGB and MasterLiquid ML120R RGB feature a newly designed pump with 12 addressable RGB LEDs on the water block and eight addressable RGB LEDs on each fan, capable of 16.7million color options. Users can easily customize each LED, individually, through the addressable RGB software from ASUS, MSI and ASRock motherboards, or with Cooler Master's upcoming MasterPlus+ software for complete ambient control.

ASUS today announced AREZ, a new brand identity for ASUS Radeon RX graphics cards. Derived from Ares, the Greek god of war, AREZ-branded graphics cards are built using industry-leading automated manufacturing to provide AMD gamers and enthusiasts with superior cooling technology and a robust software ecosystem. The new AREZ brand underlines the strong working partnership between ASUS and AMD that spans decades. Gamers and enthusiasts will enjoy a combination of exclusive ASUS innovations and technologies and AMD's Radeon graphics processors and software.

"Gamers around the world rally behind AMD Radeon because of what the Radeon name stands for: a dedication to open innovation such as our contributions to the DirectX and Vulkan APIs, a commitment to true transparency through industry standards like Radeon FreeSync technology, and a desire to expand the PC gaming ecosystem by enabling developers to take advantage of all graphics hardware, including AMD Radeon graphics. We invite gamers everywhere who believe in these values and the value of the exceptional gaming experience Radeon graphics delivers to join the Red team," said Scott Herkelman, Vice President and General Manager, AMD Radeon Technologies Group.

MSI, a world leader in computer hardware, continues to innovate its workstation line with the Vortex W25 and updated WT75, WS63 and WE series of mobile workstations. The Vortex W25 is the world's first 2.5L desktop powered by NVIDIA's Quadro P5200 GPU. "The Vortex W25 is one of the smallest and most capable workstations on the market," said Andy Tung, President of MSI. "We first created the chassis for powerful gaming performance with the Vortex G25, but we believe the innovative design will translate easily to those who need desktop-grade power in a small form factor."

Vortex W25
The Vortex W25 is the world's first 2.5L desktop powered by the NVIDIA Quadro P5200 GPU. In addition to its powerful graphics card, the Vortex also comes equipped with the latest Intel 8th generation processor. The new processor with its six cores of computing power, is up to 30 percent more powerful than the previous generation. The Quadro GPU provides up to 40 percent more performance than its predecessor. These performance upgrades make the Vortex W25 ideal for high-end 3D or VR tasks.

Ballistix, a leading global brand of gaming memory, today announced the availability of Ballistix Tactical Tracer RGB DDR4 memory. The new Tactical Tracer RGB modules, available in 8GB and 16GB densities with speeds up to 3000 MT/s, allow gamers to light up their systems with 16 RGB LEDs in 8 zones on each module. PC modders can customise their system's look by removing the Ballistix-labeled light bar for maximum brightness, or 3D printing their own light bar to truly leave their mark on their memory.

"A lot of the members in our community love to personalise their gaming rigs and the new Tactical Tracer RGB DDR4 modules help achieve just the style they are looking for," said Jim Jardine, Director of DRAM Product Marketing. "Having an RGB module with a removable light bar that enables you to custom-make your own system gives system builders the best options for customisation and personalisation."

A new Intel platform vulnerability emerged, chronicled by the company under CVE-2017-5703, dated April 3, which could let malware erase your motherboard UEFI BIOS, or render the EEPROM chip storing it "read-only" forever, preventing future BIOS updates, exploiting vulnerabilities in Intel's implementation of the SPI (serial peripheral interface) on its platforms. The vulnerability affects all Intel processors dating all the way back to 5th generation "Broadwell." The company quietly passed on fixes to its OEM partners to release as BIOS updates.

The vulnerability came to light in the public as Lenovo, Intel's largest OEM partner, deployed BIOS updates for its vulnerable products, while detailing it. Lenovo describes the vulnerability as "the configuration of the system firmware device (SPI flash) could allow an attacker to block BIOS/UEFI updates, or to selectively erase or corrupt portions of the firmware." It goes on to add that "this would most likely result in a visible malfunction, but could in rare circumstances result in arbitrary code execution." Intel said it discovered the vulnerability internally and hasn't noticed any exploits in the wild that take advantage of it. "Issue is root-caused, and the mitigation is known and available," the company said in a security advisory. "To Intel's knowledge, the issue has not been seen externally."

AMD is reportedly readying a new high-end motherboard chipset positioned higher than even its upcoming X470 chipset, which makes its market debut on April 19. The new Z490 chipset, as it's called, is emerging to be significantly different from X470, and could finally overcome its biggest limitation - downstream PCIe connectivity. While the X470, like its predecessor, puts out just 8 downstream PCIe lanes, which are PCI-Express gen 2.0 at that, the new Z490 will put out a total of 12 PCI-Express gen 3.0 downstream lanes, which will power additional bandwidth-hungry devices, such as additional M.2 slots, external USB 3.1 controllers, 10 GbE controllers, etc. The Z490 was first leaked through a GIGABYTE Aorus internal presentation.

In its current implementation, socket AM4 motherboards have a total of 24 PCI-Express gen 3.0 lanes from the AM4 SoC, besides 6-8 gen 2.0 lanes from the chipset. From this SoC budget, 16 lanes are allocated for PEG (PCI-Express Graphics), 4 lanes as chipset-bus (connecting the SoC with the chipset), and the remaining 4 lanes powering one 32 Gbps M.2 slot. Additional M.2 slots are either gen 2.0, from the chipset's downstream lane budget, or split from the PEG budget. The Z490 overcomes this with a downstream PCIe root complex that's not just 50% broader, but also twice as fast, with PCI-Express gen 3.0. The rest of its feature-set appears to be identical to the X470. There's no timeline on when we can expect Z490 to launch.

Despite not wanting to do away with Intel's dominance in its portfolio anytime soon, Dell is obviously looking to better round up its product lineup with some red team-powered goodies. Case in point: the 2-in-1 convertible Dell Inspiron 13 7000, which makes use of AMD's latest Ryzen mobile APUs to deliver a strong computing performance, whilst also emphasizing content consumption. There's an option for all budgets (starting from $700 for the base version and up to $1019 for the top-tier one), and the CPU choices are naturally based around either AMD's Ryzen 5 2500U with a Radeon Vega 8 iGPU, or the more powerful Ryzen 7 2700U with a Radeon Vega 10 iGPU (both 4 core, 8-thread CPUs, but with 512 and 640 Vega Stream processors, respectively).

The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), an international committee headed by an EPFL professor, has just unveiled JPEG XS. A new time of higher amounts of content consumption - and the ways we consume it - requires a new way to send its data. With this new format, the image-compression process uses less energy, and higher-quality images can be sent with low latency over broadband networks like 5G. JPEG XS will have applications in areas such as virtual reality, augmented reality, space imagery, self-driving cars and professional movie editing.

Headed by Touradj Ebrahimi, a professor in EPFL's School of Engineering (STI), the JPEG XS format was essentially designed to stream live video and VR - it's not a replacement to JPEG, and file-sizes will actually end up being slightly bigger. The big push with this format is lower compression and decompression latency, as well as energy efficiency of the decompression process itself. The fact that it's open source and has a universal HDR coding format also means that its uptake should be relatively high.

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") today announced six new series of internal hard drives for the consumer market: P300 Desktop PC Hard Drives, L200 Laptop PC Hard Drives, X300 Performance Hard Drives, and N300 NAS Hard Drives.

The P300 Desktop PC Hard Drive series offers high performance ideal for home and business users and is available with up to 3 TB of storage capacity. They operate at 7,200 rpm and have built-in shock sensors that detect impacts and reduce vibration during read and write operations, improving tracking accuracy and performance.