OLED panes are expertise areas of display makers such as LG and Samsung, however, when it comes to Apple, they have to rely on external manufacturers to make a display. For years Apple has been contracting LG and Samsung to make the display for iPhones and Macs, but it looks like Apple is now collaborating with another firm to develop micro OLED technology. According to sources over at Nikkei Asia, Apple is collaborating with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to develop "ultra-advanced display technology at a secretive facility in Taiwan". Despite TSMC not being the traditional choice for panel manufacturing, there is a list of reasons why Apple chose its years-long partner to work with.

TSMC is known for manufacturing silicon chips, however, Apple envisions that the Taiwan maker will manufacture ultra-advanced micro OLED technology using wafers. Building the displays using wafers will result in much lower power consumption and far lower size. Why is this approach necessary you might wonder? Well, Apple is developing a new generation of AR glasses and there needs to be a solid display technology for them to exist. It is reported that the new micro OLED displays are under development and are about one inch in diameter. The source also adds that this is just one out of two projects being worked on inside of Apple's secretive labs located in the Taiwanese city of Taoyuan. What is the other project remains a mystery, however, with more time we could get information on that as well.

Intel's head for architecture, software, and graphics divisions, Raja Koduri, on Wednesday (10/02) teased a Xe HPG discrete GPU prototype running the upcoming 3DMark DirectX 12 Mesh Shaders feature test. Mesh Shaders are one of the four key features for graphics solutions to achieve the DirectX 12 Ultimate logo readiness, the other three being Real-time raytracing, Variable Rate Shading, and Sampler Feedback. Intel has already been supporting VRS tier-1 since Gen11, and the new Gen12 Xe LP carries forward VRS support.

The Xe HPG architecture is being pushed by Intel as the company's first high-performance gaming discrete graphics architecture. The company earlier released entry-level dGPUs based on the same Xe LP architecture as the Gen12 iGPU found in its "Tiger Lake" processors. The presence of VRS and Mesh Shader support, along with foundational work Intel has done in the area of real-time raytracing, hints at the likelihood of Intel gunning for DirectX 12 Ultimate readiness for the Xe HPG.

AeroCool today introduced the LUX RGB 850M power supply. This PSU delivers a high capacity of 850 W, and looks premium thanks to its addressable-RGB LED lighting elements, but packs some mid-tier specs. The PSU offers 80 Plus Bronze efficiency under 230 V EU conditions. It also features active PFC and offers most common electrical protections, against over/under-voltage, overload, overheat, and short-circuit; and uses a 120 mm fan to keep cool.

The AeroCool LUX RGB 850M features a addressable-RGB diffusers along the sides. You can toggle between 13 lighting presets by pressing a button near the AC receptacle; or connect the PSU to a 3-pin ARGB header for control using software or an ARGB controller. The LUX RGB 850M offers partially modular cabling. Fixed connectors include 24-pin ATX, one 4+4 pin EPS, and a pair of 6+2 pin PCIe power connectors. Modular connectors include an additional pair of 6+2 pin PCIe power, a cable with four SATA power connectors, and another with two each of SATA power and 4-pin Molex. Both the fixed- and modular-cables are black, flat, ribbon-type. The company didn't reveal pricing.

In 2018, AMD has decided to introduce a neat concept. By combining HDD with SSD, the technology was named StoreMI. Last year, the technology got re-designed from the ground up and now it reflects a completely safe and efficient way to get a faster PC with little effort. Now, StoreMI is copying the most used files onto a faster drive (SSD), and all the Windows calls are redirected to the copied files on the faster drive. By providing optimizations for storage, AMD has managed to provide a nice performance uplift for all owners of AMD Ryzen processors. However, today the company has introduced another update to its technology bringing in even more features.

Starting with the support for Ryzen Threadripper Pro, AMD now supports these processors for TRX40 and WRX80 motherboard chipsets as well. Next in line is a feature that supports SSD partitions. Now SSD partition can be used as a cache device. If you have an AMD X570, B550, 400 Series, X399, TRX40, or WRX80 motherboard, you can use the StoreMI software, which you can download here.

PNY today introduced the CS1030 line of value M.2 NVMe SSDs. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, the drive takes advantage of PCI-Express 3.0 x4 host interface, and NVMe 1.3 protocol. The company doesn't mention controller or the type of 3D NAND flash memory used, but it's likely that the drive is using a 4-channel DRAM-less setup. Capacity-based variants include 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. Among these, the 256 GB model offers faster reads, with up to 2,500 MB/s sequential reads, but with up to 1,100 MB/s sequential writes. The 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB variants read at speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s, and up to 1,900 MB/s sequential writes. PNY is backing the drives with 5-year warranties.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) today announces that Toshiba, a committed technology leader, led all HDD companies in year-on-year Nearline HDD average capacity growth in 2020. Toshiba followed up an astounding 55% year-on-year growth in 2019 with an impressive 35% year-on-year growth in 2020 to lead the industry for a second consecutive year, according to TRENDFOCUS, Inc.'s data.

"Toshiba has done an admirable job of leveraging its industry-first 9-disk helium design to introduce competitive Nearline HDD products in a timely fashion. This has been the cornerstone in the company's ability to launch higher capacity Nearline HDD programs," stated John Chen, Vice President at TRENDFOCUS, Inc. "Toshiba's 9-disk helium-sealed HDD platform has enabled the company to achieve the highest five-year Compound Annual Growth Rates for Nearline HDD Units, Exabytes, and Average Capacity shipped through 2020."

Proliferation of digital content being created and replicated has led to an explosive growth of data centers around the world. Demand for storage has fueled HDD Exabyte growth, and for the first time in 2020, HDD Exabyte shipments topped 1ZB¹ across all storage applications, from edge to core. The meteoric climb in capacity shipped is a testament to the HDD industry's ability to deliver the most cost-effective and performance delivering storage medium in the market.

Yuzu is an experimental Nintendo Switch emulator from the creators of the Citra 3DS emulator. The emulator has come a long way since the early days with more games becoming supported and general performance improvements. The first major update of 2021 brings a rewrite of the buffer cache along with general bug fixes and stability improvements. The new buffer cache was tested with the Ryzen 5 3400G and resulted in an average performance improvement of 89% for tested games with the average FPS rising to 30. These improvements should greatly benefit those with lower-end hardware and are likely to increase in the future as the emulator is further developed.

EVGA has recently released the SuperNova 1300 M1 mining power supply for cryptocurrency mining rigs. The new fully modular power supply is rated at 80+ Gold efficiency and can support six GPUs. The power supply includes a single 4+4 pin CPU interface along with six VGA power cables which each include a 6+2 pin and 6 pin connector for high power graphics cards. The 1300 W power supply includes limited SATA and Molex connectors while forgoing the typical EVGA branding with a minimalistic cardboard box packaging. The EVGA SuperNova 1300 M1 is currently listed on Newegg.com for 299.99 USD, the product is not currently listed on EVGA's site.

Earlier this week, Intel shook the DIY PC market, particularly the vast mainstream segment, by revealing that its mid-tier B460 and entry-level H410 desktop motherboard chipsets will not be compatible with 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" processors, and that only its top-tier Z490 and H470, will. We have an explanation into what's going on, after consulting with people in the know, thanks to our friends at Hardware Zone Israel, who spoke with sources within Intel. It turns out, that some batches of B460 and H410 PCH dies are re-badged from older generations of PCH, and built on the 22 nm silicon fabrication process; whereas the Z490 and H470 are based on a newer generation that's built on 14 nm. This is similar to Intel's move to carve out the B365 chipset from the older H170.

In addition to being limited to an older version of Intel ME (Management Engine), the H460 and H410 PCH lack the ability to communicate with "Rocket Lake-S" processors over side-band, using PMSYNC/PMDN signals, a design change Intel introduced with the "Tiger Lake" and "Rocket Lake" microarchitectures. The chipsets faced no such limitation with "Comet Lake-S." Intel's decision to re-badge older 22 nm-class PCH silicon as B460 and H410 may have been dictated by the company's 14 nm node volume constraints. HotHardware reports that some motherboard vendors, such as GIGABYTE, found a clever (albeit expensive) way around this limitation, by creating "V2" revisions of their existing B460 and H410 motherboards, which actually use the 14 nm H470 chipset.

AMD is slowly preparing the launch of its next-generation Ryzen Pro 5000 series of APUs designed for desktop applications. The biggest difference over the previous generation Renoir 4000 series is that this generation is now offering a major improvement in microarchitecture. Using Zen 3 core at its base, the Cezanne processor lineup is supposed to integrate all of the IPC improvements and bring them to the world of APUs. Doubling the level three (L3) cache capacity from 8 MB to 16 MB, Zen 3 cores are paired with a good amount of cache to improve performance.

Thanks to a user from Chiphell forums, we have the first details about AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 5750G APU. The new generation design is bringing a big improvement with clock speeds. Having a base frequency of 3.8 GHz, the Zen 3 based design now goes up to 4.75 GHz, representing a 350 MHz increase over the past generation Ryzen 7 Pro 4750G APU. For more details, we have to wait for the official announcement.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced the Snapdragon X65 5G Modem-RF System, its fourth-generation 5G modem-to-antenna solution. It is the world's first 10 Gigabit 5G and the first 3GPP release 16 modem-RF system, which is currently sampling to OEMs and targeting commercial device launches in 2021. Snapdragon X65 is the Company's biggest leap in 5G solutions since the commercialization of its first modem-RF system. It is designed to support the fastest 5G speeds currently available with fiber-like wireless performance and makes best use of available spectrum for ultimate network flexibility, capacity and coverage. In addition to the Snapdragon X65, Qualcomm Technologies also announced the Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF System, a modem-to-antenna solution optimized for mainstream adoption of mobile broadband applications.

Moshi today launched the latest addition to its award-winning series of powerful, compact USB-C hubs. Joining the Symbus and Symbus Q desktop hubs, Symbus Mini brings powerful portable connectivity to the collection.

With modern laptops thinner than they've ever been, a key factor in reducing device thickness has been the implementation of USB-C ports to replace everything from video output to wired networking and charging. Although laptops less than an inch thick are undoubtedly better for portability, the lack of desktop-like connectivity could leave you hunched over your laptop for extended periods with limited connectivity and charging, which is good for neither productivity nor well-being.

ARCTIC, one of the leading manufacturers of low-noise PC coolers and components, is adding five new variants to its extensive fan lineup. The black case fans complement the F-Series, which is known for an excellent balance of efficient ventilation, quiet operation and affordable pricing.

With the F8 PWM Black, F9 PWM PST Black, F12 Silent Black, F12 PWM PST CO Black and the F14 Value Pack Black product variants, some of ARCTIC's best-selling standard models are now available in all-black versions. "By producing the black add-on models, we are responding to our customers requests for PC fans with sleek and classic design" said Vincent Andre, technical director at ARCTIC. The products can be found starting now in the ARCTIC webshop, on Amazon and in retail stores.

While AMD has only released a few Zen 3 processors which are still extremely hard to purchase for RRP we are already receiving leaks on their successors. Zen 3 Milan processors will likely be the final generation of AM4 processors before the switch to AM5. AMD appears to be preparing a bridging series of processors based on the Zen 3+ architecture before the release of Zen 4. Zen 3+ is expected to be AMD's first AM5 CPU design and should bring small IPC gains similar to the improvements from Zen to Zen+ in the range of 4% - 7%. The Zen 3+ processors will be manufactured on TSMC's refined N7 node with a potential announcement sometime later in 2021.

Zen 4 is expected to launch the next year in 2022 and will bring significant improvements potentially up to 40% over Zen 3 after clock boosts according to ChipsandChesse. A Zen 4 Genoa engineering sample reportedly performed 29% faster than an existing Zen 3 CPUs at the same clock speeds and core counts. The Zen 4 architecture will be manufactured on a 5 nm node and could potentially bring another core count increase. This would be one of the largest generational improvements for AMD since the launch of Ryzen if true. Take all this information with a heavy dose of skepticism as with any rumor.

L-com, an Infinite Electronics brand and a preferred manufacturer of wired and wireless connectivity products, announced today that it has introduced a new series of audio/video, active optical cables (AOC) that were developed to extend high quality audio and video signals up to 100 meters without the use of a repeater.

L-com's new AOC cables include HDMI 2.0 assemblies, DisplayPort 1.4 cable assemblies and DVI video cable assemblies. Each series features cable lengths ranging from 10 meters up to 100 meters off-the-shelf. These new long-reach AOC cables are lightweight and flexible, require no external power supply and are resistant to EMI and RFI.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is proud to announce the new Lexar Professional 1066x SDXC UHS-I Card SILVER Series. Designed for professional photographers and videographers, the 1066x SDXC UHS-I Card SILVER Series lets you accelerate workflow from start to finish to maximize creativity. With speeds up to 160MB/s read, and up to 120MB/s write, the 1066x SDXC UHS-I Card is designed for your DSLR or mirrorless camera and allows you to quickly capture and transfer high-quality photos, including Full-HD and 4K UHD video with ease.

This Class 10 card leverages UHS-I, UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and Video Speed Class 30 (V30) technology giving you the high-speed performance you need to stay on top of all the action even with sequential burst mode shots. The new 1066x SDXC UHS-I Card also provides the performance and durability needed to capture and store valuable data in a variety of elements as they are built to be water, shock, vibration and X-ray proof.

Members form the UK Parliament are apparently preparing to introduce a bill that would regulate the scalping phenomenon that's being witnessed worldwide. According to Scottish politician Douglas Chapman, in an interview to IGN, "The issue of scalping first came up with constituents contacting me to explain their frustration about being unable to get hold of certain games consoles or computer components pre-Christmas." He then expanded on that by adding that "On investigation, we uncovered more details of the unscrupulous practice of 'scalping' by automated bots to bulk buy these goods and sell them on at inflated prices." Oh, and this bill is unlikely to pass, by the way.

Scalping, however, isn't done only in the UK; it's a pervasive international issue that crosses borders. And scalping, as it is known, is nothing but a form of speculation, which some might say is part of the backbone that keeps the world's capitalist blood pumping through the economy - some might even argue that scalping occurs directly due to mechanisms of supply and demand, and thus, isn't an unlawful activity in and of itself. Companies, corporations, and all other legal entities, however, have to adhere to strict anti-monopoly/anti-cartelization laws, which deal with the same base issue, although in another facet of it. The problem is that it appears that in some countries, speculation is regulated at the enterprise level, but not at the citizen level. And herein lies the crux of it.

[Editor's note: Our review of the EVGA Z20 keyboard can be found here.]

Introducing the EVGA Z20/Z15 Series Gaming Keyboards, and X20/X17/X15 Gaming Mice. The Z20/Z15 Keyboard is powered by a 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 core microprocessor to support a 4K Hz report rate. Offering the most advanced gaming keyboard experience, 4K Hz is 4x more responsive and inputs can be more precise. Five dedicated and programmable Macro E keys, customizable via the UNLEASH RGB Software. Dedicated volume wheel and media keys give you full control at your fingertips.

The EVGA Z20 Elite Keyboard brilliantly outshines the competition with fully-customizable Per-Key RGB LEDs, with left & right edge RGB Light bar customization to fit any color scheme. The Z20 Elite LED backlighting can be configured via the EVGA UNLEASH RGB software, and multiple lighting effects can be instantly dimmed or brightened via the LED brightness function combination keys.

In XMG's product line-up, the XMG CORE 15 and CORE 17 gaming laptops embody first-class hardware adoption in the upper-mid performance bracket. The new E21 model generation not only brings an update with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3060, but also introduces for the first time an optional 165 Hz IPS display with WQHD resolution. Featuring both current AMD and Intel 8-core processors, the laptops offer versatile memory and storage options. With their discreet and solid design, they provide a classic aesthetic counterpoint to the playful RGB lighting and aggressive gaming-biased design trend.

In contrast to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the RTX 3060 in the XMG CORE laptops from the new E21 model generation shows a significant performance increase: with 3840 CUDA Cores, opposed to previously just 1920, the GPU is prepared for more demanding tasks than simply Full HD gaming at high quality settings. This explains why, for the first time, XMG now also offers the CORE 15 and CORE 17 with optional high-resolution WQHD displays. Since the graphics card operates at the maximum TGP specified by NVIDIA of up to 115 watts, it can unleash its full potential. XMG continues to offer both models with processors from AMD and Intel. However, the Intel version gets an upgrade to the Core i7-10870H, meaning that 8-core CPUs are now used across the board. The AMD-based laptops will utilise a Ryzen 7 5800H in the future, but until the Cezanne processors are more readily available, XMG is still planning on offering a transitional generation that combines the GeForce RTX 3060 with a Ryzen 7 4800H.

Intel has reportedly caught an ex-employee stealing confidential company files for the Xeon processor lineup. Dr. Varun Gupta, who left Intel last year to join Microsoft as Principal for Strategic Planning in Cloud and AI, has reportedly walked away with over 3900 files of confidential information. The stolen files, contain information about Intel's Xeon processors, pricing data, corporate strategies, and Intel's manufacturing capabilities of the chips. Dr. Gupta is being sued by Intel for 75,000 USD and liability to not use confidential Intel information again. The security forensics team at Intel has discovered that Dr. Gupta downloaded almost 4000 files on multiple USB drives, however, Dr. Gupta is denying these claims. We are waiting to hear more information about the situation as it evolves.

CD Projekt RED just announced that it has been hit by a cyber-attack on its internal network, with the attacker having gained access to certain sensitive information belonging to the CD Projekt group. In a press note posted to Twitter, the studio included the screenshot to a plain-text ransom note left on its servers by the attacker, who claims to possess source-code of the company's most popular titles, including "Cyberpunk 2077," "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," "Gwent," and an unreleased version of "The Witcher 3" (possibly a remaster). They also claim to have confidential documents related to CDPR's financial accounting, administration, legal, HR, IR, and more. The note ends with information on how to reach out to the attacker to discuss ransom within 48 hours. CDPR announced that it will not give into the demands of the attacker, and has reached out to law enforcement.

The availability of NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3000 series "Ampere" graphics cards has been a problem ever since it launched. High demand paired with insufficient supply has caused quite some disturbance in the supply chain and has caused the MSRP of the GPUs to increase. Firstly, we were promised that the situation would resolve around May when NVIDIA is expecting to match the supply with the demand. However, according to the recent report, that might not be the case. Alternate, a European retailer operating in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, has spoken to NVIDIA about the supply of the GeForce RTX 3000 series Ampere graphics cards.

According to the retailer, the situation with the card is such that the availability is scarce. When it comes to the GeForce RTX 3090, there are very few deliveries, but only a few open orders. The RTX 3080 sees very few cards coming with many open orders. The RTX 3070 has few cards incoming, but few open orders. And last but not least, the RTX 3060 Ti has very few cards coming, and a moderately high amount of open orders. If you are aiming to buy a card, your best chances would be with RTX 3090 and RTX 3070, as they do not have such high demand. On the other hand, RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti cards are almost impossible to source as they all have a big waiting list. Alternate says that they work on a "first in first out" principle of delivering cards to consumers, so if you are not on the list you are likely going to wait for even longer.

The PC Gaming and hardware industry generated 40 billion dollars in revenue in 2020. In 2021 hardware sales continue to rise exponentially, with an expected influx of $3.6 billion in revenue. With an unprecedented incline in new Gamers and hardware sales across all segments (entry to advanced); Gamers have a vested interest in protecting their significant investment (Source: Superdata). Go Chiller has been designed by FlexeGRAPH to provide the best PC Liquid coolant for Gamers who require the ultimate in performance.

The thermal conductivity of Go Chiller is the highest for a commercially available coolant and even out-performs water as a result of Flexegraph's proprietary nanomaterial additive package. A high thermal conductivity means rapid heat transfer from the processors giving an immediate fast reduction in temperatures. It has ultra-low viscosity ensuring high flow rates and low temperatures. this aids in heat rejection by reducing radiator heat soak and temperatures over extended gaming play.

SSUPD, the sister brand of LIAN LI and developer of high-end PC cases introduces Meshlicious—a revolutionary ITX PC case built in collaboration with Ncase—that features three full mesh panels and a tempered glass panel to deliver unbeatable cooling while displaying the PC's internals. An optional fourth 1 mm thick steel full mesh panel can be snapped on to encase the PC in full mesh for maximum airflow with a functional, minimalist aesthetic. The Meshlicious is available in matte black and white finishes.

"For years, small form factor cases have been on the market for users looking for low-key, compact PC builds." says Ssu, Founder of SSUPD. "But with the Meshlicious, we aimed to push the boundaries of what's possible in a PC build by surrounding it in mesh. It's aiming to be the top full mesh-capable ITX case, and designed with user-friendliness in mind to the smallest details. With a clean and stripped down look and excellent cooling, DIY enthusiasts can take their PC builds in exciting new directions."

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, intends to acquire console accessories brand Controller Gear. The acquisition of Controller Gear, which specializes in creating licensed peripherals and merchandise for popular console brands including Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo, will strengthen Razer's position in the fast-growing premium console market as the entire gaming market is forecast to cross its first US $200 billion year in 2023.

The console gaming market is forecast to grow 21.0% year-on-year in 2020 to US $51.2 billion according to Newzoo, more than double the growth projection made before the COVID-19 pandemic. This considerable growth is a result of three factors: strong demand for the latest gen consoles, pandemic fueled demand for all consoles across generations, as well as the highly accessible, plug-and-play nature of console gaming being easy to pick up. In recognition of the high growth potential of the console gaming market, Razer has continually innovated in this category to introduce premium console peripherals, including the popular Razer Wolverine controller and Razer Kaira headset lineups. The acquisition is a testament to Razer's commitment to delivering high performance peripherals to all console gamers around the world.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, at their February RazerStore Live event last night, announced their first external dock, the Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma, and an updated version of their laptop stand, the Razer Laptop Stand Chroma V2. The two new desktop accessories aim to provide a connectivity solution to every type of user, no matter their desktop setup, with an expansive selection of ports, premium aluminium build, and signature Razer Chroma RGB under glow.

The all-new Razer Thunderbolt 4 Dock Chroma has been designed to expand desktop connectivity and empower users to do more - whether on a Windows or Mac¹ laptop or desktop. It features the latest standards in connectivity, including a UHS-II SD card reader to quickly transfer files from a camera, an Ethernet port for fast and stable internet connectivity, three USB Type-A ports for connecting legacy devices, and four USB Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports for connecting everything else.

NVIDIA is slated to launch its performance-segment GeForce RTX 3060 "Ampere" graphics card on February 25, 2021, according to a WCCFTech report. The company launches the card at an MSRP (starting price) of USD $329. 12 GB is the standard memory size for the RTX 3060. The card marks the debut of the new 8 nm "GA106" silicon, NVIDIA's 4th chip based on the GeForce "Ampere" graphics architecture.

While the "GA106" silicon features up to 3,840 CUDA cores across 30 streaming multiprocessors, the RTX 3060 is reportedly being carved out by enabling 28 SM, working out to 3,584 CUDA cores. It features 12 GB of 15 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit wide memory interface, which means 360 GB/s memory bandwidth, slightly higher than the 336 GB/s of the RTX 2060. The card has a typical board power rating of 170 W, which means plenty of custom-design graphics card models should come with single 8-pin PCIe power connector configurations. NVIDIA's design goal for the RTX 3060 could be doubling performance over the GTX 1060 "Pascal," and a significant performance uplift over the RTX 2060.

Cougar today rolled out the Vantar AX Black slimline keyboard. This is a variant of the original Vantar AX keyboard the company launched in mid-2020, but with a big design change—the keycaps are finally legible. The original uses frosted, translucent keycaps with black lettering, which are hard to read with the lighting turned on. The new Vantar AX Black uses more sober-looking black keycaps with the letters being illuminated (like on most illuminated keyboards). The underlying scissor-type switches are unchanged from the original, as is the aluminium unibody with diamond-cut edges. The keyboard measures 445 mm x 127 mm x 15 mm (WxDxH), weighing 626 g. The company didn't announce pricing.

Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Cooling, Gaming Gear, and Enthusiast Memory solutions, today announced the W1 WIRELESS Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. Go wireless and type freely with the W1 WIRELESS, which supports 2.4 GHz, low energy Bluetooth and wired USB connection modes. It is also equipped with Cherry MX mechanical switches and ultra-durable PBT keycaps for the best typing and gaming experience.

Supports ultra-fast 1 ms 2.4 GHz technology, with a wireless range of approximately 10 meters, and battery lasting up to 1.5 months. Another wireless option is through Bluetooth. Connect to Bluetooth 4.2 enabled devices with battery lasting up to 2.5 months, or plug in for wired USB Type-C connection mode.

It seemed has if NVIDIA was dropping the Max-P and Max-Q differentiators for their mobile graphics card, which would throw consumers into disarray and confusion as to what exactly was the performance of the graphics card built into their RTX 30-series laptop. In essence, due to the RTX 30-series configurable TGP (Total Graphics Power), as well as each laptop's own capability of supplying power and cooling to that chip, users might see themselves in situations such as their mobile RTX 3080 offering lower performance than a mobile RTX 3070, configured for a higher TGP. This meant that more attentive users would have to hunt for reviews of the laptops they were eyeing, or to be forced to count on system manufacturers to actually list specifications for the included graphics solution in their laptops. This would mean, more often than not, something akin to chaos, and could in truth impact NVIDIA's brand recognition and consumer confidence in expected performance.

NVIDIA, as a way to circumvent this, has decided to not only encourage, but actually require that manufacturers list their graphics cards' TGP as well as specific clock speed stats on their online product pages. Some manufacturers, such as Asus, Acer, Razer, Origin, MSI, Alienware, and Gigabyte have already updated some product pages - but not all. An NVIDIA spokesperson clarified to The Verge that "We're requiring OEMs to update their product pages to the Max-Q technology features for each GeForce laptop, as well as clocks and power — which communicates the expected GPU performance in that system." Perhaps that will help consumers make a more informed decision.

A well-known leaker from NVIDIA cards past, Kopite7Kimi, has launched a rumor wherein the previously "indefinitely postponed" RTX 3080 Ti graphics card might see the light of day as early as April. Designed as an NVIDIA response to the price/performance offering from AMD's RX 6900 XT graphics card, the RTX 3080 Ti with an overkill 20 GB GDDR6X was rumored to have been in the works following the AMD launch. However, inventory difficulties related not only to wafer production from Samsung, but also GDDR6X supply from Micron and delays in the logistics channels meant that NVIDIA chose to shelve this graphics card release.

The new, reinterpreted RTX 3080 Ti graphics card is rumored to axe the 20 GB of GDDR6X memory in favor of a more tenable 12 GB - which some might argue is but a slight, but sufficient improvement from the RTX 3080's 10 GB. That memory amount, however, means that the card will have to carry a different, wider, 384-bit memory bus, which should mean improved memory performance, but also increased board costs. The RTX 3080 Ti is now rumored as carrying 80 enabled Streaming Multiprocessors (12 more than the RTX 3080's 68, and 2 less than the fully-enabled chip present in the RTX 3090.

EMTEK has only graced our news feed once before, mostly due to it being a behind-the-scenes board partner for NVIDIA. More than release their in-house designs, the South Korean company usually provides them for other AIBs, such as Palit. However, the company has recently been moving their graphics cards towards the consumer market as well, and the latest in the batch is a custom-designed GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card, marketed under the "Blower Edition" product SKU.

The "Blower Edition" RTX 3090 from EMTEK features a more mainstream dual-8-pin power delivery connector with a twist: the company adapted NVIDIA's PCB design and added a daughter card, which extends the original PCB so as to allow the connectors to be placed in the more practical manner of generations past. The RTX 3090 "Blower Edition" otherwise offers the usual 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI connectors, and features a bronze design with a bronze backplate as well; a somewhat subdued design language is used, though the color choice would be a hard one to integrate into most hobbyists' systems.

In a controversial move that baffles our technical understanding of how processor+chipset (platforms) work, Intel has decided to restrict the mid-tier B460 and entry-level H410 desktop motherboard chipsets from supporting 11th Gen Core "Rocket Lake-S" processors. A BIOS Updates Support page for Intel 400-series chipsets on the company website mentions "Motherboards based on Intel B460 or H410 chipsets are not compatible with upcoming 11th Gen Intel Core processors."

The company states that only the top Intel Z490 and next-best H470 chipsets support "Rocket Lake-S" from the 400-series, and such motherboards require a BIOS update from the motherboard manufacturer or pre-built OEM. We're having a hard time figuring out why the B460 or H410 have been excluded. With the H410, an argument can be made on insufficient CPU VRM capabilities of most motherboards; but the same can't be made for the B460, with several motherboard manufacturers having developed premium DIY motherboards with capable VRM solutions (eg: the ROG B460-F Gaming, or B460 AORUS Elite). Those looking to save some dough on mid-tier motherboards to use with "Rocket Lake" should now wait for Intel to launch the B560 chipset.

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The XTREEM ARGB GAMING MEMORY, winner of the 2020 German Red Dot Design Award, and the DELTA MAX RGB SSD with its ultra-large, cutting-edge RGB panel continue to receive great attention inside and outside the industry. Today, TEAMGROUP is releasing brand new models in a lustrous, clean white for both series. Not only do they have strikingly beautiful lighting effects but also patented tech that provides even more stable overclocking performance. T-FORCE's design marks a new trend of white-colored hardware, introducing a fresh and unique aesthetic to the gaming industry.

The sleek XTREEM ARGB WHITE GAMING MEMORY is fitted with a fully-translucent cover and a 10-layer PCB board that provides superior overclocking capabilities and performance. This model has a frequency of up to 4000 MHz and a capacity of 32 GB for a single module, giving gamers a compelling option for their next upgrade. The XTREEM ARGB WHITE GAMING MEMORY also features overclocking profiles, so users can enjoy outstanding performance with a single click.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, a professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions, and high-performance storage, launches the iGame VULCAN DDR4 gaming memory and SL500 Mini SSD.

The COLORFUL iGame VULCAN DDR4 memory is designed to meet the performance and aesthetic needs of gamers and enthusiasts. The iGame VULCAN memory is a product of two years of design and innovation. It features an addressable RGB lightbar on top which can be synchronized with other iGame products using the iGame Center software. The module sports a silver on white heatsink design with white PCB, designed to perfectly match all-white gaming PC builds.

With the debut of PCIe 4.0 standard, SSD manufacturers have started launching a new generation of storage devices, with unseen speeds before. Today's PCIe 4.0 SSDs can reach up to 8.0 GB/s reads and writes, all thanks to the bandwidth-heavy PCIe protocol. However, enterprise workloads are always requiring more and more bandwidth to satisfy their needs. Data is being moved in immense quantities and faster hardware is always welcome. The previous PCIe 4.0 standard is about to kneel to its successor - PCIe 5.0 protocol. Having double the amount of bandwidth, the new standard is set to bring unseen speeds.

The PCIe 5.0 protocol offers 32 GT/s per lane, making up to 64 GB/s in the full x16 implementation. However, when it comes to SSDs, as they use x4 lanes, it will increase the maximum speed to 16 GB/s, doubling the previous bandwidth. Silicon Motion, the maker of NAND flash controllers, has announced that the company is going to debut a PCIe 5.0 controller next year. "We are excited about enterprise-grade PCIe Gen5 controller, which we will have taped out early next year and sample in the second half of 2022", said Wallace Kuo, chief executive of Silicon Motion, during a conference call. Launching just in time to pair with Intel's Sapphire Rapids Xeon processors that support the PCIe 5.0 protocol, Silicon Motion is probably expecting to grab its market share there.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers (Hong Kong Stock Code: 1337), today announced the new Razer Huntsman V2 Analog - a feature-packed keyboard equipped with Analog Optical Switches, Razer's cutting-edge switch innovation. With the introduction of analog input, true full-range directional motion is finally available on PC gaming without a controller. Gamers can now also unlock a whole new dimension of gaming with the ability to fully adjust and program each keystroke down to the millimeter.

The Razer Analog Optical Switch is not only a ground-breaking evolution in keyboard switch technology, but also the key to unlocking an unparalleled gaming experience. The unique innovation combines three components: analog input, adjustable actuation, and dual-step actuation. "We are constantly innovating at the forefront of gaming keyboard switch technology. Through iterations of testing and research with our community, we have designed a completely new switch that opens the door to a whole new gaming experience," said Alvin Cheung, Senior Vice President of Razer's peripherals business unit. "With the new Razer Analog Optical Switch technology, gamers can now reap the benefits and unlock the full potential of PC gaming to experience absolute control."

NAND Flash demand continues to rise as strong sales of notebook (laptop) computers spur PC OEMs to place additional orders for client SSDs, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. Also, the supply-side inventory for NAND Flash memory has already fallen considerably due to the aggressive stock-up activities of some smartphone brands. With customers in the data center segment expected to ramp up procurement in 2Q21, NAND Flash suppliers have decided to scale back the supply of NAND Flash wafers. Compared with other product categories, wafers have a lower gross margin. As a result of these factors, the decline in contract prices of wafers has been easing over the past two months (i.e., from December of last year to January of this year).

Expanscape has recently unveiled the Aurora 7 laptop with a stunning 7 displays and weighing a hefty 11.8 kg (26 pounds). The four primary displays measure 17.3" and feature a resolution of 3840x2160 running at 60 Hz while the three auxiliary displays measure 7" and are only 1920x1200. The laptop can be equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 3950x or an Intel Core i9 10900k paired with up to 128 GB DDR4 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070. The machine also features dual M.2 drive bays and two 2.5" bays for a maximum of 8 TB SSD storage. The Aurora 7 runs of two internal batteries totaling 230 Wh and achieves 2 hours and 20 minutes under normal load. The laptop is currently just a prototype but interested parties can contact Expanscape to order a unit.

The value of Ethereum (ETH) has surged over the last few months, improving the profitability for cryptocurrency miners and increasing the demand for hardware. We have seen several stories where miners are recognized as one of the causes of desktop GPU price rises however it now seems gaming laptops will be their next target. The gaming laptops in question feature RTX 30 series GPUs most commonly the RTX 3070, these laptops come at a significant premium over a bare desktop card showing just how insane the situation has become. This will likely exacerbate the already limited supply of RTX 30 series laptops.

Boosted by a new type IPS - Fast IPS panel technology, the new G-Masters #monitors4gamers guarantee not only high-fidelity, vivid battleground scenes displayed with outstanding color accuracy, but also provide an outstanding 0.8 ms Moving Picture Response Time. Both the 24" GB2470HSU and 27" GB2770HSU feature Full HD resolution. They offer FreeSync Premium support which means dynamic adjusting of the monitors' vertical refresh rate to the frame rate of the graphics card resulting in virtually zero tearing or stuttering issues. The low framerate compensation effectively removes the minimum refresh rate boundary.

To enhance visibility in shadowed areas, users can switch on the Black Tuner function improving viewing performance and helping to spot the enemy earlier. Whether you're on First Person Shooter or Strategy, predefined and custom gaming modes are available via the on-screen-display menu and make it easy to adjust the screen settings to anyone's personal preferences.