ASUS today announced the Prime 750 W Gold and 850 W Gold power supplies, designed to give mainstream DIY PC users reliability and build quality without breaking the bank. The 750 W and 850 W Gold are the first power supplies to join the Prime family, bringing the ATX 3.0 standard, fully modular cables and an eight-year warranty. And whether it is the Prime AP201 MicroATX case or motherboards like the Prime Z790-A WiFi, the Prime series is synonymous with classy, understated designs that can look amazing in any build.

Build-friendly features
ASUS Prime Gold Series power supplies are loaded with all of the features that PC builders have come to expect from a high-quality PSU. Both models are fully modular, allowing users to cut down on build clutter by only using the cables they need. As ATX 3.0-compatible power supplies, the ASUS Prime Gold Series units are also fully compatible with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards, thanks to their native 16-pin 12VHPWR cable.

During its CES 2023 keynote, AMD announced its latest Instinct MI300 APU, a first of its kind in the data center world. Combining the CPU, GPU, and memory elements into a single package eliminates latency imposed by long travel distances of data from CPU to memory and from CPU to GPU throughout the PCIe connector. In addition to solving some latency issues, less power is needed to move the data and provide greater efficiency. The Instinct MI300 features 24 Zen4 cores with simultaneous multi-threading enabled, CDNA3 GPU IP, and 128 GB of HBM3 memory on a single package. The memory bus is 8192-bit wide, providing unified memory access for CPU and GPU cores. CLX 3.0 is also supported, making cache-coherent interconnecting a reality.

The Instinct MI300 APU package is an engineering marvel of its own, with advanced chiplet techniques used. AMD managed to do 3D stacking and has nine 5 nm logic chiplets that are 3D stacked on top of four 6 nm chiplets with HBM surrounding it. All of this makes the transistor count go up to 146 billion, representing the sheer complexity of a such design. For performance figures, AMD provided a comparison to Instinct MI250X GPU. In raw AI performance, the MI300 features an 8x improvement over MI250X, while the performance-per-watt is "reduced" to a 5x increase. While we do not know what benchmark applications were used, there is a probability that some standard benchmarks like MLPerf were used. For availability, AMD targets the end of 2023, when the "El Capitan" exascale supercomputer will arrive using these Instinct MI300 APU accelerators. Pricing is unknown and will be unveiled to enterprise customers first around launch.

DeepCool, a global brand in designing and manufacturing high-performance computer components for enthusiasts worldwide, announces the CK SERIES Mid-Tower Cases, which consists the CK500, CK500WH, CK560 and CK560WH. Available in black and white, all cases deliver a balance of airflow, silent performance and exceptional cooling for the modern-day builder.

The CK SERIES deliver a no-nonsense approach to a clean, sleek computer chassis design. For Minimalist Builders who appreciate the CK500 and CK500WH minimal solid front panel can be rest assured that airflow performance is not hindered thanks to enlarged ventilation outlets throughout the front, top, and rear panels for additional air movement. For Builders that insist for even more airflow, the CK560 and CK560WH feature a unique cross-hair patterned steel front panel. All cases offer a clean aesthetic and fits a modern day look while being feature-packed for additional hardware expansion and upgrades.

Patriot, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals and flash storage solutions, today announced the release of the Viper Gaming Headset Stand /USB 3.0 Hub providing users with additional, easy-access, USB ports and a convenient storage solution for their favorite headset.

Powered by a USB connection on the rear of the base, the Patriot Viper Gaming Headset Stand is equipped with three USB 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm audio and microphone jack for a seamless connection to USB storage solutions, gaming peripherals and audio/visual devices. Offering easy plug-and-play functionality, no software is needed and connected devices will be detected almost instantly. A power switch at the rear of the stand allows users to easily turn the device off without having to power down their PC.

Lenovo today announced its new ThinkPad S531, a premium laptop PC featuring an ultra-thin bezel and bevelled edges, giving the illusion that the PC is floating. Optimized for Windows 8, the ThinkPad S531 offers small businesses enhanced performance and 15 per cent faster processor speed than previous generations. The ThinkPad S531 is being launched today at the Xander Zhou fashion show at London Fashion Week in conjunction with the designer's new men's fashion collection.

Lenovo's first 15-inch ThinkPad Ultrabook delivers high style and performance to image-conscious small businesses and is ideal for professionals who want a combination of design and substance. It is also a fit for small businesses that need a laptop to do it all - great performance for work tasks and an excellent experience for personal computing

PNY Technologies, Technologies, considered one of a worldwide leaders in Memory and Flash products, announced its authorized HP portable hard drive p2050/p2100 to take care of your portable data storage requirements. It sports a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port that supports speeds up to 4x faster than USB 2.0, thus saving you a lot of time while transferring data. Of course, the drive is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and can therefore be used with older computers. With a single USB port, it doesn't require a separate power cable, thus saving you the trouble of carrying along a power adapter.

The drive has a unique book-style design that lends it elegance and it won't look out of place if you stack several on top of each other in a bookshelf. The casing is made of durable aluminum and has a nice brushed finish. The slim drive is light and portable. Encased within is a 2.5" hard drive, usually found inside laptops, running at 5400 RPM. Available capacities are 500 GB and 1 TB, thus providing ample storage space for your data.

In addition to its latest flagship Obsidian 900D chassis, Corsair plans to launch a new premium micro-ATX gaming PC case this season, the Obsidian 350D (model: CC-9011029-WW). It posed for pictures at various retailers, and some of its press-shots were leaked to the web. Reportedly measuring 450 x 210 x 440 mm, the case will retain the solid matte steel construction with a brushed aluminium front, and a large side acrylic window. Its front-panel features two 5.25-inch drive bays, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, and HD audio jacks.

Internally, the Obsidian 350D doesn't feature any drive cages that can go on to obstruct long graphics cards. Instead, it features two 3.5-inch bays towards its bottom, and what appear to be three 2.5-inch bays towards the top portion, with a gap in between. Ventilation includes two 140 mm fan vents on the top, to which radiators can be latched on to (one 140 mm spinner included), and a rear 120 mm fan (included). The Obsidian 350D should be released some time towards late-April or early-May.

Zalman slipped in a new variant of the Z9 gaming PC chassis, the Z9 U3. The new variant is almost identical to the original Z9, except for two additions: an acrylic window on the side-panel instead of fan inlet meshes, and front-panel USB 3.0 ports (standard header). Measuring 207 x 464 x 504 mm (WxHxD), and weighing 7.2 kg, the Z9 U3 is an ATX mid-tower made primarily of SECC-steel and ABS plastic. It features an all-black color scheme.

Drive bays include three 5.25", six 3.5" (one exposed, five internal), and one 2.5". The case is ventilated by one front-panel 120 mm blue LED-lit fan (provision for 140 mm), one rear 120 mm fan, one top 120 mm fan that's LED-lit, and one optional 120 mm spinner on the bottom. The case has enough room for graphics cards as long as 29 cm. The Z9 U3 is expected to cost US $70.

Here's a picture of Toshiba's its newest gaming notebook in the works, the Qosmio X870. Although unveiled, it will be a little while before we can see this 17.3-incher in stores. That's because it's said to powered by "next-generation" Core processors (Ivy Bridge), and "next-generation" NVIDIA GeForce GPU (Kepler), with 3 GB of GDDR5 memory. Its 17.3-inch TruBrite display packs 1920x1080 pixels resolution. Other notable specifications of this brute includes 2TB SSD+HDD hybrid, Bluetooth 4.0, four USB 3.0 ports, Harman-Kardon speakers, Blu-ray drive, and wired Ethernet. According to the source, the Qosmio X870 is headed for a Q2-2012 launch.

Previous preliminary reports have suggested that the forthcoming Ivy Bridge CPUs will have single threaded performance on par with the existing Sandy Bridge CPUs and will mainly deliver improvements to power consumption and integrated graphics - nothing for PC enthusiasts to get excited about. However, in leaked documents sent to partners, Intel have now revealed official performance figures for IB and they look rather good. They've produced a raft of benchmarks, which reveal improvements such as 56% in ArcSoft Media Expresso, 25% in Excel 2010 and a 199% gain in the 3D Mark Vantage GPU benchmark. Unfortunately, they haven't released any benchmarks based on high performance 3D games, but it's probably safe to say that they will be similarly improved. Now, on to the benchmarks, which compare their new 3.4 GHz i7-3770 (4 cores + HT) with the current 3.4 GHz i7-2600, also with 4 cores + HT:

DisplayLink, the leading provider of technology for virtual and USB-connected computing, and I-O DATA DEVICE (www.iodata.com) today announced the availability of the I-O DATA USB-RGB3/D USB 3.0 to DVI display adapter. Incorporating the DisplayLink DL-3100 chip for connectivity and virtual graphics, it is the first USB 3.0 enabled display adapter to ship in Japan.

"And this is as true in Japan as any other technology-embracing market."

Featuring the robust DisplayLink 3.0 video compression and support for resolutions up to 2048 x 1152, including 1080p, even the newest notebooks, netbooks and PCs can enjoy the benefits of multi-screen computing. And with the throughput of SuperSpeed USB 3.0, those monitors will display high-performance, full-screen HD video, 3D games, rich 2D graphics and multi-channel audio.

The latest Sandy Bridge-E 6 core processors have just been released, to excellent reviews. However, the architecture is designed for 8 cores, so these current i7-3960X & i7-3930K processors actually contain those 8 cores, but with two turned off in order to enable them to fit within a manageable 130 W power envelope. Hence there's quite a bit more potential to be released and soon. Therefore, anyone looking to invest in the premium-priced SB-E platform right now, should note that these processors are at the initial C1 stepping and have the VT-d hardware virtualization issue and PCI-E 3.0 compatibility uncertainty. The VT-d problem will be a real show stopper where hardware acceleration of a virtual machine is a must, so it shouldn't be ignored.

VR-ZONE brings us news that the fully unlocked SB-E 8 core chips will be released as the long awaited Xeon E5 family of processors, which will be built on the C2 stepping, solving the above issues. However, being 8 core, these will be very power hungry indeed, consuming around 150 W at just 3 GHz with all 8 cores active and 20 MB of L3 cache. At 2.5 GHz though, the new processors are expected to fit within the 95 W power envelope.

Thermaltake Technology continues to fulfill the corporate mission of "delivering the perfect user experience", and regard "building Thermaltake Technology into a cultural brand for the enjoyment of entertainment, e-Sports, technology and lifestyle" as a vision, in order to bring the joy to all the users worldwide. Since the collaboration with BMW DesignworksUSA for the creation of "Level 10" and got awarded with "red dot design award : product design 2010", the "Level 10 GT", especially built for e-Sports gamers and DIY enthusiasts, deriving from the concepts of Thermaltake and BMW DesignworksUSA, has also got the award of "red dot design award : product design 2011" which is recognized as the Oscar Award of the designing field this year, breaking an impressive record.

This July, with the special and unique aesthetics evolutionism that Thermaltake has, the new exciting professional eSports chassis Level 10 GT Snow Edition captivates with a purist design and expresses a passion for visual aesthetics combined the dark black and pure white to give all users a new visual experience. It is more than just a high-end gaming chassis, but rather a true piece of art, allowing gamers and enthusiasts to experience the power of their high-end computers through the sophisticated design.

Like most others, Gigabyte is ready with some of its first motherboards to launch with AMD's new Fusion Llano A-Series APU platform, based the new FM1 socket and AMD A75 chipset. Gigabyte's top socket FM1 motherboard is called GA-A75-UD4H. It's a return to the company's signature blue Ultra Durable 3 PCB. The FM1 socket is powered by a 10-phase VRM, it is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-1866 MHz memory. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), supporting AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA 2-way SLI; three PCI-Express x1, and two PCI.

The A75 single-chip chipset handles all the storage connectivity on this board, with five SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, and one eSATA 6 Gb/s. Display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI. Other connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 ports driven by three controllers, including four ports by header, gigabit Ethernet, 8+2 channel HD audio driven by Realtek ALC889 CODEC, and FireWire. Expect this board to be out in mid-June.

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd, maker of high-end, all-aluminum computer chassis since 1983, today launches three new computer cases: The mid-tower PC-Z60, the full-tower PC-Z70, and the full-tower PC-P80N inspired by Lian Li's classic Armorsuit PC-P80, released in 2008. All three cases are made with Lian Li's trademark features like tool-less installations for HDDs, ODDs, PSUs, graphics cards etc., washable air-filters over fans, anti-vibration mounts, cable clamps for organization, ventilation for improved air flow, USB 3.0, fan speed controllers, rubber-ringed holes for LCS, and of course all-black anodized aluminum. These high-end, fantastically designed, all-black PC chassis are now available.

Transcend Information, Inc., a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today introduced the StoreJet 35T3, its latest 3.5" external hard drive featuring the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface. The black, sleek-looking StoreJet 35T3 delivers real-world transfer rates of up to 130 MB/s, offering dramatically enhanced external storage performance for today's speed-conscious users.

As technology marches forward, large files generated by modern devices such as digital cameras and camcorders can quickly fill an internal hard drive and slow the computer down. Designed for users with high-capacity requirements, the StoreJet 35T3 not only offers an enormous 2TB of storage space for large files, but also supports the next-generation USB 3.0 standard that boosts data transfer rates up to 130MB/s in real world testing-fast enough to transfer an entire DVD movie in a mere 30 seconds. Instead of wasting time transferring gigabytes of files and data to an ordinary USB 2.0 drive, users now have a much faster and easier way to store their digital content.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today introduces three new do-it-yourself friendly mini-ITX platforms - the new ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T-series. The new ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T series reinvigorates the ION-ITX series with an added boost of graphics power.

Next-Generation NVIDIA ION graphics and a dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor combine to deliver a perfect balance of performance and energy-efficiency in the new ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T series. High-definition video playback capabilities enable the ZOTAC ION-ITX R, S and T series to deliver a premium multimedia experience with hardware decode acceleration for smooth playback of high-definition Blu-ray 3D and streaming Internet video content.

I-O Data unveiled its latest line of USB 3.0 SuperSpeed flash drives under the TB-XT "ToteBag" series. Measuring 18.0 (W) x 69.6 (D) x 8.6 (H) mm and weighing around 12 g, the TB-XT drives are made of plastic and brushed aluminum bodies. The drives are available in capacities of 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB. The company did not detail the data transfer speeds, though it did mention the drives are slated for an early December release in the Japanese market.

Earlier this year, Gigabyte surprised us by displaying its first motherboards that use a black-colored PCB, the higher end of its socket LGA1155 motherboard lineup based on the P67 Express chipset, the GA-P67A-UD5 and GA-P67A-UD7; the company's mid-thru-entry range of P67 and H67 based motherboards got their photo-shoot. Pictured below (in order) are the P67A-UD3R, P67A-UD3, and H67MA-UD2H. The P67A-UD3R is the third Gigabyte motherboard to be pictured with a black PCB, it is decked in black overall (slots and connectors), with a dash of white. The LGA1155 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel memory. Expansion slots include three PCI-E x1, one PCI-E 2.0 x16, one PCI-E x16 (electrical x4), and two PCI.

The P67A-UD3 marks a return to blue PCB (indicating that lower-mainstream Gigabyte motherboards will retain the blue color-scheme. It's is a slightly skimpier version of the UD3R, and probably has the SATA RAID function disabled. Connectivity of this, and the UD3R are nearly identical: 8+2 channel HD audio, two USB 3.0 ports, a number of USB 2.0 ports, two SATA 6 Gb/s and four SATA 3 Gb/s ports. The H67MA-UD2H is a micro-ATX motherboard optimized for processors with on-die graphics, it features the flexible display interface (FDI), with display connectivity including one each of DVI, D-Sub, DisplayPort, and HDMI. Expansion slots include two PCI-E x16 (electrical x16, x4); and two PCI-E x1. Connectivity includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, three SATA 3 Gb/s, one eSATA, 8 channel HD audio with optical SPDIF, two USB 3.0 and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Gigabyte's P67 and H67 series motherboard will launch in early 2011, in time for Intel's latest processor lineup.

Here's something you'll need to see to believe: Gigabyte made its first motherboards with black-colored PCBs, breaking away from its blue PCB mold! The company's high-end LGA1155 motherboard lineup includes two models: the GA-P67A-UD5 and the GA-P67A-UD7. Apart from the black-colored PCB, the color scheme also includes graphite-colored heatsinks with a dash of blue (UD5) or with a dash of gold (UD7), black-colored memory and expansion slots, mostly black internal ports and headers. The GA-P67-UD7 uses a 24-phase VRM to power the LGA1155 processor. Its expansion slots include four PCI-E 2.0 x16, there seems to be a PCI-E bridge chip (likely nForce 200 or something from PLX), which lets it run in 2-slot x16, or 4-slot x8 modes. There are two PCI and a PCI-E x1. Connectivity on this includes six SATA 3 Gb/s, two SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, two gigabit Ethernet, 8-channel HD audio, four USB 3.0 ports, FireWire, and eSATA.

The GA-P67A-UD5 has a 20-phase VRM, a slightly lighter expansion area with three PCI-Express x16 slots (likely x16, NC/x8, x8), the third slot could be electrical x4. Connectivity on this one includes two SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s, two eSATA, 8-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.0 ports, and FireWire. Both motherboards feature Ultra Durable 3 construction. The two could be part of the company's first wave of LGA1155 motherboards.

PQI's USB3.0 2.5" portable hard drive H566 has been officially released and it is the world's first USB3.0 2.5" portable hard drive to the market. Since H566 began mass production last week, it has already resulted in a volume of inquiries from domestic and international buyers, making it the first USB3.0 device with significant sales volume. PQI's H566 not only has spectacular bandwidth provided by USB3.0, but its 2.5" hard drive dimensions make it convenient to carry and has aesthetically pleasing looks, making it the new IT toy you just have to have!

Less than a week after we covered Chrome reaching version 2.0 for the public, Google have already started working on version 3.0 and it has been released to developers today. For the full list of fixes and changes go here. The full version string of this release is 3.0.182.2 and can be downloaded here