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Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, introduced iGame GTX1080Ti Vulcan X OC in May, and got much more attentions from both China and aboard. Then COLORFUL adds four new modules into iGame Vulcan X series including of GTX1080Ti, GTX1080, GTX1070 and GTX1060 chips, taking the same design shape with the flagship iGame GTX1080Ti Vulcan X OC that also equips with iGame-Status Monitor.

iGame Vulcan X series cards feature iGame-Status Monitor which indicates GPU load automatically, and shows fan speed, core frequency, core temperature as well as memory usage. The load line on its top shows memory usage and load by three colors spaces the same as car's dashboard.

The Alphacool HDX-5 is a combination of a RAID controller card and a massive cooler. It has two slots for M.2 SATA SSDs and two additional SATA slots, allowing you to set up a RAID 0 or 1 group. The PCI-Express 3.0 x4 card also provides a bandwidth of up to 3900 MB/s.

The new generation of HDX coolers from Alphacool is getting another addition. The HDX-5 is not just a cooler, but also lets you run a RAID 0 or 1 group. It boasts two M.2 SATA SSD slots and two classic SATA slots. The combination possibilities are considerable, since you can set up a RAID group over one M.2 SATA SSD and one normal SATA drive, or connect just the M.2 slots to form a RAID group. That leaves the classic SATA slots free to be used for normal connections.

Ashes of the Singularity is one of those games that has always been in the forefront of the latest graphics technologies. One of the first games to support Microsoft's DX12 and async compute, and in receiving a Ryzen-optimized performance patch, the game is routinely used as a benchmark tool not only for graphics solutions, but also CPU benchmarks.

Now, Oxide Games has announced Ashes of The Singularity will feature support for the Vulkan renderer, which will be welcome news for users who don't want to upgrade to Windows 10, but don't want to live without low-level performance optimization in their games. The new Vulkan render path is still a beta feature, which you must enable through your Steam account. Just right click Ashes of the Singularity on your Steam library, hit "Properties", and activate the 2.4 opt-in in the beta features tab.Source: Guru 3D

Naming schemes are pretty interesting nowadays, with AMD firing some warning shots across Intel's bow with their X399 HEDT chipset (thus superseding Intel's X299 by a whole hundred.) This may seem like nothing, and it actually should be nothing; naming schemes are not to be considered indicative of actual performance, especially in regards to competing companies' products. However, as we all know, there is power in numbers. Namely, there is power in bigger numbers, as an i7 will be above an i5, and a Ryzen 7 will be above a Ryzen 3.

AMD threw a curve ball towards Intel with their B350 chipset, which stands in the way of Intel's own historical nomenclature (after the B150 and B250 chipsets from Intel, a B350 would surely follow.) Now, reports say Intel will be upping AMD by releasing a B360 chipset, thus regaining footing in the "bigger is better" battle of wits over consumer's hearts. My Drivers, the source of the information, goes on to say that these chipsets won't be released in 2017 (only Intel's Z370 chipset is expected this year), and that despite using the same socket, Intel's Coffee Lake won't be a drop-in upgrade for Z170 and Z270 platforms, since Intel "changed the alignment of the design." This information had already been advanced by a motherboard maker's social media channel as well.Sources: My Drivers, via Videocardz

GALAX has seemingly found itself in a profitable market position with its products marketed for the premium enthusiast, with their (perspective depending) bold good looks and out of the ordinary propositions for new products. Now, the company has announced an extremely limited edition kit (really; there are just 50 of these) of DDR4 memory, aptly named the HOF Extreme Limited Edition. The "Extreme Performance" engraving on the aluminum heat spreaders serves as a psychological reminder for the kits that they just "gotta go fast", and should put to rest concerns regarding memory performance.

Under the heatspreaders rest handpicked Samsung B-die chips, which should guarantee better performance and stability compared to other memory dies (particularly in the AMD Ryzen platform). The modules are available for direct purchase from the GALAX store, and the company is currently offering a 20% discount for users who have previously acquired one of the company's GALAX GTX 1080Ti OC Lab Edition. The kits are available in 16 GB (2x 8GB) dual-channel pairs, and orders will receive free shipping with an estimated shipping date towards the end of the month. The kits run at particularly impressive speeds of 4133MHz, with CL 19-21-21-41 timings, at 1.35V. Pricing is slightly less limited in this product, though; a dual-channel kit will set you back some $368 (around $294 if you have previously bought the OC Lab Edition GTX 1080 Ti.)Sources: ETeknix, GALAX Store

The previously announced Infinite A gaming desktop from MSI is now officially shipping to consumers, retailers and etailers worldwide, with a wide choice of configuration being available for users who know exactly what they want (from MSI's portfolio of products, naturally.) The desktop is built around a custom-designed chassis by MSI, which incorporates RGB LED elements (controlled by MSI's Mystic Light RGB software), along with a standoffish, tempered glass side panel.

MSI says the Infinite A is infinitely upgradeable, which I guess is true of most ATX cases. The vertical GPU mount is surely a distinguishing feature, though MSI seems to have found that the perfect solution for correct cooling of the graphics card was the usage of standoffs in the tempered glass panel, which seem a little impractical in dusty environments. There goes the benefit of all those dust filters in your case! The Infinite A desktop is available now directly from MSI and other etailers; luckily, pricing isn't infinite, as the base Infinite A starts at $1,299 and goes up to $1,999 according to the chosen configuration.Source: ETeknix

Alphacool has been growing their product portfolio immensely as of late, and now, the company is teasing the Eisblock Flatboy, the company's specifically-designed waterblock for AMD's Ryzen Threadripper CPUs. Threadripper CPUs have one of the biggest surface areas ever encountered in a consumer processor; because of that, not all cooling solutions are appropriate to cool the up-to 16 cores and 32 threads monsters, with a higher surface area than normal being needed.

Still in the prototype phase, the Eisblock Flatboy integrates a reverse, silent flow pump system, like the company has already introduced on their Eiswolf product. The prototype as is seems to obstruct clearance for the rightmost DIMM slot to the left of the CPU socket, which shouldn't pose a problem for some people, but would be an extremely sore point for prospective buyers should that design decision overflow towards the final version.Source: ETeknix

Japanese cooling expert Scythe adds the new premium-grade Kaze Flex 120 mm case fan series to its portfolio. The Kaze Flex PWM fan had its debut with the award-winning Mugen 5 CPU Cooler followed by today's release of a whole line-up of 5 models. The new line-up is featuring two PWM models with a dynamic fan speed range as well as three regular models with constant speeds. Thanks to the unique Sealed Precision FDB bearing, all Kaze Flex 120 mm case fans assure excellent quietness and very long life span of 120.000 hours. The fans are equipped with an integrated anti-vibration system, which is made of shock absorbing rubber pads in the corners of the frame in order to prevent the transfer of vibration. It is thanks to these advantages, that Kaze Flex 120 series is well suited to be used as either a reliable case fan or versatile companion for a CPU Cooler.

Scythe offers two Kaze Flex 120 PWM models with a dynamic fan speed range, which can be controlled using the motherboards PWM fan controller. The model SU1225FD12M-RHP suits the most purposes thanks to its wide fan speed range from 300 to 1.200 RPM. It is the exact same model as the one supplied with the award-winning Mugen 5 CPU Cooler. Users seeking a reliable and really silent fan are going to love the model SU1225FD12L-RDP due to its narrow PWM bandwidth of 300 to 800 RPM, which allows it to operate at incredibly low noise levels from 4 to 14,5 dBA. The regular Kaze Flex 120 mm case fans are divided into 3 models and tweaked for different fields of application. Maximum airflow for power-users reaching 89,04 CFM (151 m³/h) at 2.000 RPM is assured by the SU1225FD12H-RP model, whereas steady airflow at almost inaudible 14,5 dBA is covered by the 800 RPM model (SU1225FD12L-RD). In between these two versions is the all-rounder SU1225FD12M-RH, which runs at 1.200 RPM.

Xilence, specialist in cooling, power supply and noise reduction of PCs and notebooks, is introducing its all-new Performance X power supply series. The new series features everything a demanding gamer would expect from a reliable power supply. Available in four models ranging from 550 watts to 850 watts, Performance X boasts high efficiency, stable output, a silent and durable fan design and a full suite of protection circuits, all at low purchase cost.

Performance X reaches extremely stable voltage on all rails thanks to its DC/DC technology. This method transforms alternating current into 12-volt direct current, generating the required 5-volt and 3.3-volt rails, and resulting in stable output values even under cross load conditions. An LLC resonant converter is also built in to further boost efficiency, especially at high output power levels while significantly reducing switching loss. Thanks to its cutting-edge technologies, Performance X reaches an efficiency factor of up to 92 percent and an 80PLUS Gold 230V EU rating. The power supply series meets all ErP2014 standards, including stand-by power of under 0.25 watts and an ecoPSU rating of 91 points, suggesting extremely economical operations that well exceed European targets.

Intel recently concluded an event intended for local distributors in China, a key presentation slide of which was snapped and posted online. The slide confirms the company's product-stack for the mainstream desktop platform, and its augmentation with the first wave of 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" SKUs. The slide also confirms that Intel will be replacing current Core i7 4-core/8-thread SKUs with Core i7 6-core/12-thread ones; Core i5 4-core/4-thread SKUs with 6-core/6-thread ones, and Core i3 2-core/4-thread SKUs with 4-core/4-thread ones, marking the biggest fundamental update to the product stack since the Core MSDT family started out a decade ago, with the Core "Lynnfield" and "Clarkdale" processors.

The slide further describes per-core performance increases ranging between 11-29 percent owing to higher clock-speeds and a slightly newer micro-architecture, and 51-65 percent increases in multi-threaded performance owing to the increasing core-counts across the board. While these SKUs are expected to logically replace the various Core "Kaby Lake" SKUs from their current price-points, there could be a tiny price increase, across the board, which Intel could justify using the higher core-counts.

The first 3-litre PC from Shuttle with a fully-fledged PCI Express x16 3.0 slot virtually spells the end of limitations. This is because almost any expansion card can now be fitted in the Mini-PC, which is only around 7 cm high. Computing power is delivered by new Intel Core processors of the 7th generation and the latest of storage and drive technology.

The XH110G model from the XPC slim category is a compact barebones PC in a 25 x 20 x 7.85 cm (DWH) format. Its mainboard with an Intel H110 chipset can accommodate up to 32 GB of DDR4 memory and Intel processors (LGA1151) with up to 65 W of TDP. Two M.2 slots, one being M.2-2280 and one M.2-2230, may for example accommodate an NVMe SSD and a WLAN module - or also lots of other commercially available M.2 add-on cards.

Noctua today updated its range of ruggedised 24V industrialPPC fans. Using the novel NE-FD4 motor driver IC that complies with the Automotive Electronics Council's highly rigorous AEC-Q100 failure-mechanism-based stress test qualification, the new Q100 revision NF-F12 (120mm) and NF-A14 (140mm) models complement the industrialPPC line's signature rigidity and IP67 ingress protection with extreme electrical robustness and sophisticated inrush current suppression. This makes them ideal not only for automotive applications but also for use in hostile or sensitive electronic environments.

"With its highly rigid polyamide construction and IP67-class water and dust protection, the industrialPPC line has opened up a wealth of new industrial markets for us since its introduction in 2014," explains Roland Mossig (Noctua CEO). "True to the industrialPPC's tagline of 'Protected Performance Cooling', we have now also toughened up these fans from an electronics point of view so that they are equally well protected against environmental and electrical hazards."

Alphacool will soon be offering brackets fitted for the Alphacool Eisblock XPX and the Alphacool Eisbaer CPU AIO series. Both coolers were designed for large DIE surfaces from the beginning and provide an ideal foundation for a water cooling system on the new AMD Threadripper CPUs.

Additionally, Alphacool plans to release a special cooler later this year that is specifically made for CPUs with an extremely large DIE surface and multiple cores: The Alphacool Eisblock Flatboy. This extremely flat CPU cooler was originally designed for server systems. Because of this, it has connection points not just on its surface, but also on its sides. The side connections make the Flatboy very flat, making it easy to install in the flat casing of a 19" server rack.

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, introduces the VP2785-4K, a 27-inch 4K UHD (3840x2160) monitor that delivers precise and consistent color representation and performance to ensure incredible image quality. Built to deliver unmatched color accuracy for professional color-critical applications, the ViewSonic VP2785-4K ensures vibrant and intense color reproduction, making this monitor the perfect display solution for photographers, video and content producers and editors.

The ViewSonic VP2785-4K offers 4K UHD resolution, a wide color gamut and consistent performance with 99 percent Adobe RGB and 98 percent DCI-P3 colors and factory calibration to achieve Delta E <2 across multiple color spaces. Hardware calibration capability allows users to ensure best-in-class color accuracy, while the built-in uniformity function guarantees screen consistency. With USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort, Mini DisplayPort 2.1 connectivity options, the VP2785-4K can be used with a variety of external devices. The HDCP 2.2 input provides content protection for 4K content playback, streaming and gaming.

ATI RX Vega cooler, Alphacool has the perfect cooling solutions for the start of the new AMD Vega graphics card generation. The NexXxoS GPX Vega Version now offers an improved backplate with a side shield to cover the PCB. This also improves its cooling performance, since heat is distributed more evenly over the front connection. If you use a graphics card with a NexXxoS GPX cooler and want to switch over to an AMD Vega, you'll be happy to hear about the corresponding upgrade kits for your cooler.

The Eiswolf GPX-Pro will still be an AIO solution, and will still come pre-filled with an integrated pump built around new "reverse flow" technology for whisper-quiet operation. The pure copper radiator from the well-known NexXxoS series with 120mm and a thickness of 45mm provides outstanding cooling performance.

IBM Research scientists have achieved a new world record in tape storage - their fifth since 2006. The new record of 201 Gb/in2 (gigabits per square inch) in areal density was achieved on a prototype sputtered magnetic tape developed by Sony Storage Media Solutions. The scientists presented the achievement today at the 28th Magnetic Recording Conference (TMRC 2017) here.

Tape storage is currently the most secure, energy efficient and cost-effective solution for storing enormous amounts of back-up and archival data, as well as for new applications such as Big Data and cloud computing. This new record areal recording density is more than 20 times the areal density used in current state of the art commercial tape drives such as the IBM TS1155 enterprise tape drive, and it enables the potential to record up to about 330 terabytes (TB) of uncompressed data on a single tape cartridge that would fit in the palm of your hand. 330 terabytes of data are comparable to the text of 330 million books, which would fill a bookshelf that stretches slightly beyond the northeastern to the southwestern most tips of Japan.

Phanteks introduces the latest variant to the EVOLV Series, the EVOLV ITX Tempered Glass Edition. Big on features and small in size, the EVOLV ITX is a budget oriented chassis that uses a metal exterior, complemented with a tempered glass side panel to showcase all your hardware components.

The case introduces innovative features for a convenient installation experience in an ITX enclosure, such as a unique bracket solution for mounting a radiator on top and a multifunctional bracket for reservoir, pump, and SSD/HDD. Available in Black, Black/Red and White.

The DRAM industry is experiencing an acute shortage of various classes of GDDR memory (graphics DDR), which could affect graphics card prices come Holiday. Supplier quotes for various graphics memory components have risen by as much as 30.8% in August, from an average of USD $6.50 in July, to $8.50. Top graphics memory suppliers Samsung and SK Hynix have committed a bulk of their inventories to manufacturers of servers and mobile handsets, which triggered the price rally. Samsung is the largest supplier of graphics memory, with a 55 percent market-share, followed by SK Hynix at 35 percent, and Micron Technology at 10 percent.Source: DigiTimes

GALAX is apparently on the verge of launching two GPU overclocking-specific products, materialized in the HOF Power Board and an LN2 memory pot kit. Built to increase overclockability in your graphics card of choice, the GALAX power board will allow you to feed the GPU with way more power than it is designed to receive - provided you have decent cooling for the increased temperatures and operating voltages. And with the caveat of whether or not your GPU manufacturer of choice allows such changes in voltage.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation, a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, announced the availability of the industry's broadest portfolio of merchant turnkey SSD (solid state disk) controller solutions, including the new ultra-high speed SM2262EN and SM2262 for client, the SM2263 for mainstream and the SM2263XT DRAM-less controller, which supports the BGA form factor.

With the new SM2262 and SM2263 series, Silicon Motion provides PCIe G3 x 4 Lanes NVMe 1.3 controllers while supporting the latest 3D NAND from the main flash manufacturers. The SM2262EN, an ultra-high performance SSD controller solution, delivers peak sequential read and write transfer speeds of up to 3,500 MB/s and 3,000 MB/s, respectively, and random read and write IOPS of up to 370,000 and 300,000. The SM2263 is targeted at mainstream client applications and features sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,400 MB/s and 1,700 MB/s respectively. The SM2263XT, a DRAM-less controller solution, reduces BOM cost and form factor without compromising performance while enabling 11.5mmx13mm BGA SSDs ideally suited for 2-in-1 systems, chromebooks and mobile devices.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced the Razer Atheris, the ultimate wireless notebook mouse with the world's longest-lasting battery life and lag-free wireless gaming-grade performance. Designed for mobile work and play to outlast any competition, the Razer Atheris offers up to 350 hours of continuous use on a single pair of AA batteries, providing power for even the most enduring boardroom meetings or intense gaming sessions.

The Razer Atheris is equipped with Razer's proprietary wireless Adaptive Frequency Technology (AFT) providing industry-leading transmission for the most reliable, stable connection. AFT is enabled through a compact USB dongle that stores away conveniently in the mouse, and Bluetooth LE connectivity is also available for devices without a USB port.

Paraphrasing our own VSG, "So, this happened". AMD has gone out and done it: they've released a Beta driver specifically geared towards blockchain-based workloads, which should improve the company's GPU performance in generating money for miners. The driver is compatible with close to the entirety of AMD's GCN lineup - all the way from hot-from-the-foundry Vega to AMD's HD 7900 series. As AMD puts it, this is a driver solely purposed towards blockchain workloads - no gaming or graphics workloads (read, what graphics cards were originally meant to do) are officially supported in this release.

Apparently, AMD took it upon themselves to release this driver due to AMD's well documented DAG performance decrease for Ethereum mining hashrates. Specifically, according to Legit Reviews, the Radeon RX 480 went from an expected 14.8 MH/s at DAG #199 (down from 24.6 MH/s at DAG #130) to a prospective 24.8 MH/s DAG #199 performance according to Claymore's benchmark script. Performance improvements from the non-blockchain-geared driver release seem to stand at around 10-15%, which isn't too shabby from a single, Beta driver release.

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd is delighted to present the new PC-Q39 WX Mini-ITX mini tower chassis. The PC-Q39 is an evolution of the PC-Q37 and allows the use of ATX power supplies as well as triple slot graphics cards in a mini-ITX chassis. Internally, dedicated grommets for liquid cooling tubing have been placed in order to move reservoir and pumps to the wider secondary chamber. This enables motherboard, graphics card, and other main components to shine behind the tempered glass panel. Furthermore, the front panel has been upgraded and now features an USB 3.1 Type-C connector.

The PC-Q39 continues the traditional Lian Li design with dual chambers for extremely clean builds. The main compartment houses the Mini-ITX motherboard and graphics cards up to 320mm in length, while the second compartment has a tool-less drive rack for two 3.5" and one 2.5" drives, there is another one 2.5"in the back, and one on the motherboard tray, totally three 2.5" drives. An ATX PSU up to 160mm in length and optional liquid cooling reservoir or pump. Two grommet holes in the motherboard allow liquid cooling tubing to pass between chambers. Five holes in the motherboard tray allow cabling to pass from the main to the secondary chamber for clean designs.

SteelSeries announced the APEX M750, the 'complete package' mechanical keyboard, delivering durability in a beautifully simplified package. The M750 brings new QX2 mechanical switches, per key RGB lighting and SteelSeries Engine Apps to gamers, giving them the ultimate combination of beauty, performance, and customization.

The APEX M750 features SteelSeries' QX2 linear mechanical gaming switches to deliver ultra-fast and consistent gameplay. Their low-force, linear actuation point also deliver a whisper-quiet response and have a guaranteed lifespan of 50 million key presses. The keyboard was designed with an aerospace aluminum core for durability, stability and a sleek, modern look.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced the introduction of the Samsung Portable SSD T5 - the newest portable solid state drive (PSSD) that raises the bar for the performance of external memory products. The T5, built with Samsung's latest 64-layer V-NAND technology, delivers industry-leading transfer speeds with encrypted data security in a compact and durable design, making it easier than ever for consumers to access their most valuable data anywhere, at any time.

"Samsung has been pushing the envelope of what is possible in portable storage and solid state drives for years, and the Portable SSD T5 continues our legacy of leadership and innovation," said Un-Soo Kim, Senior Vice President of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are confident that the T5 will exceed consumers' expectations for external storage by offering faster speeds and a solid design that is lightweight and conveniently pocket-sized. It is the ideal portable storage product for consumers and professionals who are in search of a fast, durable and secure device."

Overclockers UK staff member Gibbo, who posted the renowned British company's Vega stocks and deals for the red team's graphics cards, has just come out with something that might put our inner buyers to attention. Apparently, AMD has allowed launch prices to be as they currently are ($499 for the Vega 64 and $399 for the Vega 56 in the Americas; £549 for the Vega 64 in the UK) through rebates and other offers to retailers, who, according to Gibbo, couldn't keep those prices at all if that was not the case. According to the Overclockers UK staffer, " (...) the good news is AMD are rebating early launch sales to allow us to hit £449.99 on the stand alone black card which has no games. This is a launch only price which AMD at present are saying will be withdrawn in the near future, when if it happens is unknown, but remember do not be shocked if the price jumps nearly £100 in a few days. This time around there is no early adopter tax, quite the opposite on the stand alone black card, so do be quick."

A pretty underwhelming post on Intel's official page has pulled the curtains of the company's architecture name post their 8th generation processors. Actually, it's a little more puzzling than that, since Intel is actually detailing the codename of an architecture that's supposed to come right after their 8th generation - read, Coffee Lake - processors. Keep in mind that Coffee Lake, whilst being supposed to bring a reorganization of Intel's product stack in response to AMD's Ryzen success, will still be in the 14 nm++ process - the third such architecture in the same process, after Skylake (14 nm) and Kaby Lake (14 nm+) before it. Cannon Lake, however, is supposed to be the company's first tick into the 10 nm process.

Intel has moved over from their famed tick-tock (where tick is a process shrink and tock is a new architecture on the same process) cadence, and are now telling customers to expect at least three "tocks" per process. It's expected that Intel will launch mobile processors on the 10 nm process before any desktop parts are launched on the same process; this could stem from the fact that mobile parts are typically lower-power, smaller-sized dies, which are easier and cheaper to produce out of a still maturing 10 nm process, which usually implies lower than ideal yields.Sources: Intel Codename Decoder, Intel's Ice Lake Page, via AnandTech

What is it?
The Alphacool Eisbaer is an expandable, refillable CPU all-in-one watercooler with a pure copper radiator. The Eisbaer can be expanded with additional Eisbaer Ready products such as the Eiswolf GPX-Pro graphics card cooler, among others.

With the Eisbaer 420mm, Alphacool presents what is currently the largest and most powerful AIO water cooler in the world. With its mighty 420mm pure copper radiator and three 140mm Eiswind fans, the ability to cool any current CPU is more than just guaranteed. The quick connectors mean you can add any Eisbaer Ready products or custom water cooling gear to the cooling loop. The cooling performance of the mighty 420mm pure copper radiator is enough to add more than one graphics card to the loop, or any other components that will be cooled with water. The 420mm pure copper radiator and the included Eiswind fans can easily provide the necessary cooling power.

SilverStone has just announced availability of their Redline chassis lineup. Aimed towards a more budget-conscious consumer, the Redline offers a standard ATX support and seven expansion slots in black and red or white and black color schemes (yes, you physics pundits are right when you say that black or white aren't colors... Let's let that one slide now, shall we?)

The RL06-G and RL06-GP cases are able to accommodate CPU coolers 158 mm tall, full-length graphics cards up to 348 mm, and power supplies up to 200 mm. Both chassis have mounting locations for 3x 3.5" hard disks (trays located in front of the PSU) and 2x 2.5" solid state drives (behind the motherboard tray.) The latest additions to the Redline series come standard with a full length power supply shroud that covers both the PSU and the three 3.5" trays.

GELID today introduced its Phantom series CPU coolers. Available in two variants, the Phantom (model: CC-Phantom-01-A), featuring a clear chrome finish with all-black fans; and the Phantom Black (model: CC-Phantom-Black-01-A), featuring a black nickel-plating on the aluminium fins and copper heat pipes; the Phantom is a "D-type" dual fin-stack heatsink cooler. From a copper base, seven nickel-plated copper heat-pipes pass, with aluminium fin-stacks along their two ends. The cooler is designed for thermal loads of up to 200W.

The innovation here is in the thickness of these heat pipes. Three of these are 8 mm-thick, and four are 6 mm-thick. The thicker heat pipes pass through the center of the base, while two of the thinner ones pass through the edges, and two of the thinner ones layer up on top of the central heat pipe. The cooler can mount up to three 120 mm fans, although two are included. The included fans take in 4-pin PWM input, spin between 750-1,600 RPM, with a static pressure of up to 2.18 mmAq, and a noise output of 12-26.7 dBA. Measuring 120 mm x 126 mm x 160 mm (WxDxH, minus fans), the cooler weighs a little over 1 kg. Among the CPU sockets it supports are AM4, LGA2066, and LGA115x. The company didn't reveal pricing but mentioned that the coolers will be backed by a 5-year warranty.

Cooler Master, a Taipei-based leader in designing and manufacturing computer components and peripherals releases a new closed-back ear cup gaming headset, the MasterPulse MH320. Whether you're a marathon gamer looking for versatile sound options or a casual gamer looking for an all-around headset, the MasterPulse MH320 is the perfect gaming companion.

"We designed this headset with gaming in mind so we made the headset lightweight to ensure comfort for hours on end, coming in at only 280 grams. We didn't make any compromises on quality though and the MH320 has a self-adjusting headband with a steel support structure," says Bram Rongen, Peripheral Product Marketing Manager.

The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is pleased to announce is pleased to announce the X10 IoT router, a unique next generation smart IoT hub that is designed as an integral part of a smart home environment and essential part a secure domicile. As an IoT router, the ASrock X10 is well equipped to control various "Smart Home" devices, including light systems like smart lighting devices, smart locks, smart water meters, television, air-conditioning units and much more without requiring any additional hubs thanks to its ZigBee controller and advances mesh networking technology.

"We believe a qualified digital l ife is built on a well-connected and user-friendly environment, that's why ASRock created the X10, an all-round Wi-Fi router that integrates IR and ZigBee functions." says Jason Chou, vice president of the ASRock R&D division. "The ASRock X10 will serve your simple and smart life perfectly."

GIGABYTE today announced its latest motherboard based on Intel's 'Denverton' architecture. This new CPU architecture offers a whole new level of performance efficiency in the cold storage and enterprise network space. This motherboard is the first in the product series and adopts the top-end SKU of Intel's next generation Atom(R) Processor C3000 Product Family - the C3958 - and addresses the cold-storage and network-edge needs of efficiency-conscious users . The major development in this platform is around the core count, performance/power leadership and flexible, highly-integrated I/O. These enable performance improvements of up to 2.5x generation-on-generation which support light, low-cost storage and scale-out applications.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launched the XPG SX9000, its fastest consumer SSD yet. The SX9000 caters to gamers and PC overclockers. It arrives in an M.2 2280 form factor and uses the PCIe3x4 interface to deliver up to 2800MB/s read and 1450 MB/s write. ADATA has selected a new Marvell controller to ensure consistently optimized performance, while in-house ADATA manufacturing, assembly, and quality control result in up to a 1000TB terabytes/total bytes written (TBW) rating. The SX9000 uses MLC NAND Flash and ships in 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB capacities.

The SX9000 goes even beyond the XPG SX8000 thanks to balanced ADATA design and the integration of a new Marvell controller. It reaches 2800MB/s read and 1450 MB/s write, leveraging the PCI Express Gen 3x4 interface and the NVMe 1.2 protocol. A compact M.2 2280 drive, the SX9000 also manages 310K/140K IOPS random 4K read/write. For fast boot, reduced cross-drive transfer times, shorter game loads, and quicker in-game asset delivery, the SX9000 offers an excellent foundation.

Bykski, known as one of the biggest water block provider in China, releases the water blocks A-VEGA-FE-X for AMD latest Vega series graphics cards, including Vega Frontier Edition, RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56.

The Bykski A-VEGA-FE-X is made of cooper of the base and designed as a full cover water block, and all the cooper is nickel plated with anti-oxidation treatment. The full cover design allows the water block provides direct cooling for both GPU and RAM. Bykski new logo is used on the A-VEGA-FE-X, and users can see the 0.5 mm micro water flow fins trough the lucid PMMA material cover.

MSI, the leading gaming motherboard brand, is proud to announce the X299M GAMING PRO CARBON AC, world's fastest microATX X299 motherboard. Built on the Intel LGA Socket 2066 means it offers up to 44 PCIe lanes and Quad Channel DDR4 memory support. This model is specifically designed for Intel Skylake-X processors to ensure a flawless operation of any heavy gaming rig during long gaming sessions. The new X299M GAMING PRO CARBON AC is future-proof, ready for the upcoming 12,14,16 and 18-core Intel Core-X Series CPUs.

By adding a 16 GB Intel Optane Memory device on the 2 new OPT BOOST motherboards, MSI not only delivers support for the latest Intel technology, besides this you get an added value of $50,-. Optimize your computer by delivering a responsive computer experience with short boot times, fast application launches, extraordinary gaming, and responsive browsing. Gamers can now enjoy SSD levels of high performance and have a large storage capacity at the same time.

AMD today has made available for early adopters the Crimson ReLive Edition 17.8.1 drivers. Users of other AMD graphics cards other than the newly released RX Vega 64 beware: these drivers are for exclusive use on those graphics cards.

For those early adopters who have a Vega 64 on their hands already, these drivers are for you. If you're currently on the fence on whether or not to make the plunge to a new red-powered graphics card, make sure to read our own resident W1zzard's reviews of AMD's latest foray into the high performance graphics processing market for both the RX Vega 56 and RX Vega 64 graphics cards. You might be surprised. Download the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Relive Edition Radeon RX Vega Series Driver​Source: AMD

NVIDIA today released the latest version of their GeForce drivers, which enable your green-powered card to run smoothly and without issues. This latest driver release is a Game-Ready WHQL one, which aims to enable the smoothest possible experience on recently-released game titles. The focus for this 38.28 version of NVIDIA's GeForce drivers was on Agents of Mayhem, Crossout and Killing Floor: Incursion, while also introducing a number of fixes. You can grab the drivers from the link below.DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 385.28 WHQL Game-Ready Drivers

A prototype true 480 Hz monitor has found its way to the hands of Blur Busters, who aptly tested whether or not that feature made their blur busting name irrelevant at some point in the future. The verdict? While 480 Hz refresh rates do offer a visible difference in step distances and blur reduction, things can be improved further. But we're talking about a refresh rate where most high-end monitors typically achieve 144 Hz - so 480 Hz is a totally different beast.

While display tech has seen some interesting evolutions as of late (mainly the introduction of OLED displays and HDR technology (which seems to be facing some delays of its own), refresh rates have somewhat stagnated in recent times. A true 480 Hz refresh rate will surely get some users drooling over it, and justify yet another round of upgrades to your entire system - though of course, the usability of such a high refresh-rate monitor begins to dwindle as resolution increases (and frame rates necessarily decrease.) Let's see where this goes.Sources: Blur Busters, via HotHardware

In a slightly anemic post on their website, Gigabyte has been the first of AMD's AIB partners to showcase a reference design RX Vega 56 graphics card. This was a silent addition to their website; no press releases have been sent out as of yet. There is only so much a company can say about their reference design graphics cards, though, absent of coming up with interesting phrases to sell the card's capabilities. Specifically, Gigabyte praised:

Next Gen Compute Units
These revamped nCUs (1 nCU = 64 stream processors) are designed to operate at incredible clock speeds and deliver extreme gaming experiences with the newest high resolution and high refresh rate monitors.