MSI today launched its Creator 17 notebook aimed at content creators, armed with some serious specs to boot. Its product design was first showcased at the 2020 International CES, without getting under its hood. Its star attraction has to be its display: a 17.3-inch miniLED panel with 4K UHD resolution, DisplayHDR 1000 certification, and DCI-P3 wide color gamut. Under the hood, the Creator 17 features some serious kit, with an Intel Core i7-10875H 8-core/16-thread "Comet Lake" processor, 64 GB of DDR4 memory, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Max-Q graphics.

Storage features of the MSI Creator 17 include three M.2 slots (two PCIe NVMe, one SATA-only); from which one is occupied by a 1 TB NVMe SSD. Networking features include 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) WLAN, 2.5 GbE wired Ethernet, and Bluetooth 5. USB connectivity includes two each of USB 3.2 gen 2 type-A and USB 3.2 type-C. A 82 Wh 4-cell battery powers the Creator 17, and can keep it running for up to 6 hours on a full charge. Measuring 396 mm x 259.4 mm x 20.25 mm (closed), it weighs 2.50 kg. In its full configuration, the Creator 17 is priced around USD $3,500 plus taxes.

Samsung today announced the Galaxy Chromebook, a premium Google ChromeOS 2-in-1 device that converts between a conventional notebook and a tablet with a stylus. This is the first time Samsung is bringing its Android-focused Galaxy brand over to its Chromebook family. The $999 price-tag may look like a tall ask for a Chromebook, until you look at some of its specs. The star attraction is the 13.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 4K UHD resolution. Samsung developed the Galaxy Chromebook in close coordination with Intel as part of its ambitious "Project Athena" initiative of developing next-generation portable computing devices that defy conventions on performance and battery-life.

Under the hood is an Intel Core i5-10210U "Comet Lake" processor with 8 GB of LPDDR3-2133 memory, a 256 GB NVMe SSD, UFS + microSDXC card slot, and 802.11ax + Bluetooth connectivity (at this price we'd have expected at least 4G cellular modem). It dumps type-A USB ports and instead features a couple of type-C ports, one of which doubles up as a power input. The 4K UHD display is pulled by integrated Intel UHD 630 graphics. A 47.9 Wh battery powers the thing, with Samsung claiming 8h 20m of run-time. Measuring 30 cm x 20.32 cm x 0.99 cm (closed), the Galaxy Chromebook weighs 1.03 kg. The included S-Pen stylus slots into the body. The Galaxy Chromebook is available in two color options, red and gray, both priced at $999.

Acer today announced its new Predator Triton 500 and Acer Nitro 5 gaming notebooks. Alongside significant developments in thermal performance, both devices come with the latest 10th Gen Intel Core processors and newly announced NVIDIA GeForce RTX SUPER and GTX GPUs.

"In addition to the latest processors and GPUs, we've made exciting across-the-board updates to the Predator Triton 500 and Acer Nitro 5 this year," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer. "Most importantly we've applied new thermal technology which keeps the devices cool so gamers can enjoy the performance improvements from the latest silicon technology."

Intel NUC 11 Extreme is the spiritual successor to the "Hades Canyon" and "Skull Canyon" NUC, and implements the company's next-generation 10 nm+ "Tiger Lake" processor. Codenamed "Panther Canyon," the NUC 11 Extreme represents a line of ultra-compact desktops with serious computing power, bringing together the company's highest-performance CPU cores and iGPUs. The "Tiger Lake-U" SoC powering the NUC 11 Extreme will reportedly be configured with a 28-Watt TDP, and will come in Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 variants.

The "Tiger Lake-U" processor is expected to combine next-generation "Willow Cove" CPU cores with an iGPU based on Intel's new Xe graphics architecture, in what could be the first commercial outing for both. The NUC 11 Extreme "Panther Canyon" will also support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-3200 memory over SO-DIMMs, an M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and option for Intel Optane M10 cache memory. On the connectivity front, and Intel AX-201 WLAN card provides 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5. A 2.5 GbE wired interface will also be available. These will also be among the first NUCs to feature front- and rear-Thunderbolt ports (possibly next-gen 80 Gbps given that the platform implements PCIe gen 4.0). The NUC 11 Extreme "Panther Canyon" is expected to launch some time in the second half of 2020.

Home and small-business networking solutions major D-Link brought a constellation of 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) products to CES 2020, making the standard's mainstreaming. The company's new lineup includes everything from affordable mainstream Wi-Fi 6 routers to high-end routers for gaming, home mesh kits, and plug-in range extenders. The company also unveiled innovative new 5G routers. These are Wi-Fi 6 routers in which instead of just a 1 GbE wired WAN uplink, you connect to the Internet over 5G mobile networks. This makes your Internet access extremely portable and convenient.

The DWR-2010, DWP-1020, and DWR-978 are D-Link's first 5G-to-802.11ax solutions. The DWR-2010 is a 5G NR "Enhanced Gateway," supporting up to 4 Gbps 5G downlink over 5G NR sub-6 GHz, 802.11ax downstream, and a wired switch that features one 2.5 GbE and three 1 GbE LAN downlinks, and a 1 GbE WAN uplink. The DWR-978 is a 5G gateway with up to 1 Gbps 5G downlink, 802.11ac (up to 2600 Mbps) downlink Wi-Fi, four 1 GbE LAN, and one 1 GbE WAN. There's also an outdoor gateway for your lawn, which supports 5G NR Sub-6 GHz, a stellar 5 GbE LAN port, and can withstand a temperature range from -45°C to 55°C, and offers IP45 water resistance. The three will initially only be available through mobile network service providers and not off-the-shelf.

ZOTAC isn't just a graphics card major, but over the years developed a thriving lineup of compact desktops, mini PCs, and compact gaming desktops. The big buzzword this CES is "creator," and the company unveiled its new Inspire Studio line of compact desktops targeting creators, which are physically similar to the ZBOX Magnus. These are 5.85-liter (volume) boxes that take up minimal space on your desk, but pack serious hardware: a 9th gen Core i7 processor, GeForce RTX 2060 Super graphics, M.2 NVMe storage, and modern networking that include 802.11ax WLAN and 2.5 GbE wired Ethernet.

Next up is the ZBOX Edge. ZOTAC has been pushing the limits of compact desktops, and the ZBOX Edge MI643 is their latest creation. With an ultra-thin design that involves a 2.85 cm tall body and the ability to tuck it away behind your monitor, the MI643 packs a Core i5-10210U quad-core "Comet Lake" processor, DDR4 SO-DIMM memory, M.2 NVMe SSD storage, 802.11ac WLAN, dual 1 GbE networking, and Bluetooth 5.0. A more economical variant of this is the CI341, with 3.21 cm height, Celeron N4100 SoC, M.2 SATA storage, and SO-DIMM memory slots.

ECS unveiled its latest generation Liva Z3 Plus and Z3E Plus compact desktops. The two implement 15-Watt Intel Core i7 "Comet Lake-U" 6-core/12-thread processors. The only thing setting the two apart from each other is the addition of a 2.5-inch SATA drive bay on the Z3E Plus. Both models support an M.2-2280 SSD with both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. An M.2 E-key slot lets you drop in 802.11ax or 802.11ac WLAN cards. Other networking options include two 1 GbE interfaces, one of which is driven by an Intel i219-V controller.

The Liva Z3 Plus series come with Amazon Alexa built in, with four A4PC (Alexa for PC) microphones listening for natural voice input, while a headset combi-jack handles the rest of the audio. USB connectivity includes three USB 3.1 gen 1, and a USB-C 3.1 gen 1. HDMI 2.0 and mini-DisplayPort 1.2 display outputs make for the rest of them.

The Tomahawk line of motherboards by MSI gained popularity in recent times on the back of high cost/performance and an aspirational feature-set for its price, but has seen competition from the likes of ASUS TUF Gaming. When MSI launched its AMD X570 chipset motherboards, a Tomahawk product was MIA. The company finally got around to one, with the MAG X570 Tomahawk Wi-Fi. In its product-stack, MSI appears to be positioning this product above the MPG X570 Gaming Plus, but a notch below the MPG X570 Gaming Edge Wi-Fi and the popular X570 Gaming Pro Carbon. The Tomahawk is equipped with a visibly bigger chipset fan-heatsink than the Gaming Plus, and a more powerful CPU VRM solution, with a 14-phase setup. You also get chunky VRM heatsinks, a metal I/O area shroud, and an integrated I/O shield.

The MAG Tomahawk X570 upstages competition with networking: 2.5 GbE wired Ethernet and 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6). The 2.5 GbE interface is pulled by a Realtek 8125B-CG controller, while the WLAN is Intel AX200-family. Other noteworthy specs include two M.2 PCI-Express gen 4.0 slots with heatsinks on both; and a premium ALC1220-based onboard audio solution (which is a segment-first for the Arsenal Gaming series). The MAG Tomahawk X570 Wi-Fi will begin selling within Q1-2020, priced around $180.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the global leading motherboard, Mini-PC, Notebooks, mobile device, IoT, IoV, and smart solutions provider, is proud to announce the participation of the "2020 CES'' at Booth No. : 40842, Sands Expo, Level 2, Hall A-D, Las Vegas from January 7 to 10. We will introduce our latest technology and smart application equipment to provide complete solutions for edge computing, digital signage, IoT, IoV, modern classroom and so on. Versatile Utilization out from Multi-functional Sorts of PCs

ECS is going to kick off CES with much fanfare, firstly announcing the new LIVA Mini PCs and All-in-One PCs adopted in all kinds of situations with our continuous innovation to fulfill the needs of being used in various categories like entertainment, offices, schools, banks, transportation etc. In addition, ECS's aggressive endeavor on the collaboration and exploration with our partners blossoms this year, and we also keep discovering more potential. A series of successful applications springs up in the scenarios of information KIOSK, retail store, vending machine, hospitality, smart home, public security and children's safety system.

Intel is expected to finally refresh its mainstream desktop platform with the introduction of the 14 nm "Comet Lake-S" processors, in Q2-2020. This sees the introduction of the new LGA1200 socket and Intel 400-series chipsets, led by the Z490 Express at the top. Platform maps of these PCI-Express gen 3.0 based chipsets make them look largely similar to current 300-series platform, with a few changes. For starters, Intel introducing its biggest ACPI change since C6/C7 power states that debuted with "Haswell;" with the introduction of C10 and S0ix Modern Standby power-states, which give your PC an iPad-like availability while sipping minimal power. This idea is slightly different from Smart Connect, in that your web-connected apps and processor work at an extremely low-power (fanless) state, rather than waking your machine up from time to time for the apps to refresh. 400-series chipset motherboards will also feature updated networking interfaces, such as support for 2.5 GbE wired LAN with an Intel i225-series PHY, 802.11ax WiFi 6 WLAN, etc.

HyperThreading will play a big role in making Intel's processor lineup competitive with AMD's given that the underlying microarchitecture offers an identical core design to "Skylake" circa 2015. The entry-level Core i3 chips will be 4-core/8-thread, Core i5 6-core/12-thread, Core i7 8-core/16-thread; and leading the pack will be the Core i9-10900K, a 10-core/20-thread processor. According to a WCCFTech report, this processor will debut in April 2020, which means at CES 2020 in January, we'll get to see some of the first socket LGA1200 motherboards, some even based on the Z490. The platform also mentions an interesting specification: "enhanced core and memory overclocking." This could be the secret ingredient that makes the i9-10900K competitive with the likes of the Ryzen 9 3900X. The LGA1200 platform could be forwards-compatible with "Rocket Lake," which could herald IPC increases on the platform by implementing "Willow Cove" CPU cores.

ASUS today announced ZenWiFi, a new series of mesh WiFi systems that deliver extremely fast and reliable whole-home WiFi and offer easy, flexible and powerful configurability. ASUS Zen series products are known for their balance of premium design and ultimate performance, and ZenWiFi continues this tradition with a beautiful, low-profile design that blends perfectly with any décor and ultrafast, seamless and WiFi coverage for the entire home. The ZenWiFi series offers two models: ZenWiFi AX with the latest WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and ZenWiFi AC with WiFi 5 (802.11ac).

The ZenWiFi system offers an intuitive setup process with upgraded AiMesh technology that makes getting a whole-home mesh network up and running fast and easy. For users who prefer more hands-on control, ZenWiFi offers advanced configuration options that lets them fine-tune every aspect of their network. To ensure a safe and enjoyable home-networking experience, ZenWiFi also comes with AiProtection Pro, built-in network security with free lifetime signature updates from Trend Micro for ongoing protection. AiProtection also includes advanced parental controls to keep kids safe online.

MSI updated its Cubi line of NUC-like mini-PCs with the new Cubi 5 10M, powered by 10th generation Core "Comet Lake" mobile processors. Measuring 124 mm x 124 mm X 53.7 mm (WxDxH), and weighing 550 g (excluding the power-brick), the Cubi 5 10M is powered by a Core i7 "Comet Lake-U" SoC (either i7-10510U quad-core or i7-10710U six-core), with its integrated UHD Graphics putting out pixels. Two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots let you drop in up to 64 GB of dual-channel memory, while your storage options are an M.2-2280 slot with both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and a 2.5-inch drive bay with SATA 6 Gbps. Connectivity includes USB 3.2 gen 1 type-C and type-A ports along the front panel, next to the audio jacks; additional type-A gen 1 ports at the rear; DisplayPort and HDMI making up the display outputs; a gigabit Ethernet interface driven by an Intel i219-V controller, and Intel AX201 WLAN card that provides 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.0. The company didn't reveal pricing.

For those wanting 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 on their desktops without an M.2 E-key slot on their motherboards, ASUS came up with the PCE-AX3000, a low-profile capable (half-height) NIC that provides up to 3000 Mbps (2.4 Gbps over 5 GHz and 600 Mbps over 2.4 GHz) wireless connectivity, and the added convenience of Bluetooth 5.0 for short-range communications. A set of MU-MIMO antennae come included. Besides MU-MIMO, the card supports OFDMA for better collision-prevention with other devices in the same channel, and WPA3 security protocol. The NIC is essentially a PCI-Express 3.0 x1 add-on card with an M.2 E-key slot that holds an Intel AX200 "Cyclone Peak" WLAN card. We expect the AX3000 to be priced well under $50 given that the "Cyclone Peak" card at the heart of it costs just $10-17 in volume pricing.

Here are some of the first pictures of Intel's new generation "Frost Canyon" NUC based on the company's 10th generation Core "Comet Lake-U" SoC. The top-spec variant, NUC10i7FN, is powered by a Core i7-10710U SoC, which packs a 6-core/12-thread CPU with 12 MB L3 cache, up to 4.70 GHz Turbo Boost, UHD Graphics clocked at 1.15 GHz, and 25 W cTDP (configurable TDP). The middle variant, NUC10i5FN, is powered by the 4-core/8-thread Core i5-10210U (up to 4.20 GHz CPU Turbo Boost, UHD Graphics with up to 1.00 GHz clocks, 8 MB L3 cache, and 25 W cTDP). At the entry level is the NUC10i3FN powered by the Core i3-10110U (2-core/4-thread CPU clocked up to 4.10 GHz, 4 MB L3 cache, UHD Graphics clocked up to 1.00 GHz, and 25 W cTDP).

Physically, these 10th generation NUCs look similar to their "Coffee Lake" powered predecessors codenamed "Bean Canyon," with the exception of just one each type-C and type-A USB 3.2 front panel ports. Other connectivity includes possible Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax WLAN), 1 GbE, HDMI 2.0, Thunderbolt 3 with DP output on the top model, and an additional pair of 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports. Intel is likely to launch "Frost Canyon" on December 12.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today launched the TRX40 AORUS motherboards which deliver the best performance on the newest 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors. The flagship TRX40 AORUS XTREME packs a beastly direct 16+3 phase digital power design and pairs it with an equally impressive thermal solution consisting of Fins-Array Technology, a Nanocarbon Baseplate, an 8 mm mega heatpipe, aluminium I/O armor, and a 5 cm chipset fan. TRX40 AORUS motherboards are PCIe 4.0 ready and are designed to maximize PCIe 4.0 performance with lower impedance and superior PCIe 4.0 signal quality.

With features such as server-class Intel X550-AT2 Dual GBE LAN, 8DIMM quad-channel DDR4 memory with XMP 4400 MHz+ performance, Intel WIFI 6, 4-way dual width PCIe slots, GC-TITAN RIDGE AIC, and more, the enthusiast-grade TRX40 AORUS motherboards are ideal for content creators looking to build a high-end workstation, hardcore gamers who want a powerful new gaming rig, or even users who want the best of both worlds.

The leading global motherboard, manufacturer, ASRock, is proud to announce its latest two AMD powered motherboards that are built on the AMD 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper platform. The ASRock TRX40 comes in two flavors, the TRX40 Creator and the TRX40 Taichi. Both are super cool motherboards that extend the meaning of quality and pushes the boundaries of tech.

Creating content, images or video, requires a stable machine with good specs and reliable components. The TRX40 Creator bears the hallmarks of a sturdy ship powered by AMD's Ryzen chipset and dedicated graphics so all design work flows smoothly without sinking components. Trust ASRock to provide design quality with speed and uncompromising workmanship within a design masterpiece. It stands out in the crowd as it supports NVIDIA's Quadro graphics cards and it fully supports the Quadro SLI which is the best tool for creating VR content.

Ahead of their launch, low-resolution pictures of two nearly identical MSI TRX40 PRO series motherboards surfaced on the web, the TRX40 PRO 10G, and the TRX40 PRO WiFi. The former is characterized by a 10 GbE wired Ethernet connection through an included add-on card, while the latter features 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 WLAN. The two appear otherwise identical, with a couple of M.2 slots on the board, four additional M.2 slots on a cooled add-on card, four PCI-Express x16 slots, eight DDR4 DIMM slots, and other storage connectivity that includes four SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and U.2 port. From the looks of it, the new for the 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper looks identical to TR4, which bodes well for people wanting to use their TR4-compatible CPU coolers or water-blocks on the new platform.

Here is the first picture of a motherboard based on AMD's upcoming mid-range desktop motherboard chipset, the AMD "B550A," the ASRock B550AM Gaming. The board was spied inside a pre-built desktop at a Best Buy store. This is the first time we've seen the mid-range chipset being referenced as "B550A" and not "B550." The "A" may not be part of the motherboard's model name as the "M" denotes Micro-ATX and usually succeeds the chipset model in ASRock's nomenclature. The B550(A) will be an important chipset for AMD as it will enable motherboards priced under the $150 mark that support AMD's 3rd generation Ryzen processor's I/O natively.

While the X570 is an in-house development by AMD, the B550 is sourced from ASMedia, and is expected to be a new version of the "Promontory-LP" silicon. The only thing that sets this chip apart from the 400-series "Promontory-LP" is PCI-Express gen 3.0 certification. The chipset talks to the AM4 SoC over a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 link, and puts out up to 8 PCI-Express gen 3.0 downstream lanes. A 3rd gen Ryzen processor on a B550 motherboard still puts out PCI-Express gen 4.0 connectivity, which means you get one PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot, and one M.2 slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring. The rest of the chipset's I/O will be similar to the 400-series, which includes six SATA 6 Gbps ports, up to two 10 Gbps USB 3.1 ports, up to four 5 Gbps USB 3.1 ports, and eight USB 2.0/1.1 ports. If the AM4 SoC installed is a 3rd gen Ryzen, then you'll get a couple more 10 Gbps USB 3.1 ports. AMD partners could use the opportunity to launch some of the more upscale B550 motherboards with the latest 2.5 GbE wired LAN, and 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6.Update (16/10): We learn later down in the referenced Reddit thread, including from comments by AMD's Robert Hallock, that the B550A is a rebranded B450 targeted at OEMs. The B550 (non-A) is what is the upcoming chipset detailed in this article.

TP-Link, a leading global provider of consumer and business networking products, today introduced two highly affordable WiFi routers, Archer AX3000 and Archer AX1500. Both support the newest 802.11ax wireless standard, also known as Wi-Fi 6. TP-Link's next-generation AX routers provide much stronger and more reliable WiFi coverage throughout the home at a price more consumers can afford.

"Wi-Fi 6 technology is redefining the home, leaving previous generations of WiFi routers in the dust," said Louis Liu, CEO at TP-Link USA. "With our new Wi-Fi 6 routers, Walmart customers can experience up to 3-times faster speeds, connect more devices than ever before and dramatically reduce network congestion compared to the previous AC Wi-Fi 5 standard. Now, every household can enjoy the benefits of blazing fast, high capacity WiFi without breaking the bank." With the increase of WiFi-dependent devices, these AX routers are the perfect solution for modern living. TP-Link is committed to delivering more affordable solutions that meet the increasing bandwidth demands in today's homes.

As AMD launched the 3rd Gen Ryzen processors and immediately gained lots of attention recently, MSI also released a bunch of motherboards for various use. To fulfill different gamers offer diversified options, MSI is pleased to introduce our new MEG X570 UNIFY motherboard into gaming market. Belonging to the top gaming segment MEG series, MEG X570 UNIFY is our brand new premium product with modest and pure black design, emphasizing on the true value of the motherboard instead of fancy LED decoration.

By eliminating all the redundant RGB LED from the motherboard and adopting the UV black printing, the heatsink shows the gleam and the shining reflection of the dragon to symbolize a mysterious and high quality image. For MEG X570 UNIFY motherboard, MSI put great efforts on those essential parts concerned by those enthusiast gamers, enhancing not only the thermal but also power solution to run with the AMD 3rd Gen Ryzen processors. Emphasizing the ultimate performance, MEG X570 UNIFY also brings astonishing overclocking records to enthusiast gamers. With AMD Ryzen 9 3900X processor, it is an incredible result to push CPU frequency to 5857 MHz, which is by far the top 1 of all records.

Ahead of their October 7th product launch and November availability, we have confirmation of the specifications and pricing of Intel's 10th generation Core X "Cascade Lake-X" HEDT processors in the LGA2066 package. These chips feature compatibility with existing socket LGA2066 motherboards with a UEFI BIOS update, although several motherboard manufacturers are launching new products with some of the latest connectivity options, such as 2.5 GbE wired Ethernet, and 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 WLAN.

The 10th generation Core X HEDT processor family is based on the new 14 nm++ "Cascade Lake" silicon, which comes with hardware fixes against several classes side-channel vulnerabilities, and introduces an updated instruction-set that includes more AVX-512 instructions, and the new DLBoost instruction. DLBoost leverages new fixed-function hardware on silicon to accelerate AI deep-learning neural-set building and training by up to 5 times. Intel's first wave of 10th gen Core X lineup is rather slim, with just four processor models. The company did away with the Core i7 brand extension, as core-counts in the mainstream desktop segment have already reached 8-core. The lineup now begins at 10-core/20-thread, with the chip's full 48-lane PCI-Express and 4-channel DDR4 interfaces enabled across the board. All models feature the "XE" brand extension, and feature unlocked base-clock multipliers.

ASUS over the past week rolled out its flagship socket AM4 motherboard for SFF gaming PC builds, the ROG Crosshair VIII Impact. Based on the AMD X570 chipset and supporting the latest 3rd generation Ryzen processors, this board is slightly longer than the Mini-ITX specification, while retaining its mount-hole layout. The logic here is that most ITX gaming PC cases have two expansion slots to accommodate dual-slot graphics cards, and so it would make sense to extend the motherboard's PCB up until there, reclaiming precious PCB real-estate. Technically this board would qualify as mini-DTX, but ASUS believes it should fit in most ITX cases that have two expansion slots. The board's dimensions are 203 mm x 170 mm.

The ROG Crosshair VIII Impact draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning power for the AM4 SoC using a massive 8-phase VRM. The AM4 socket is wired to a pair of DDR4 DIMM slots, the board's sole expansion slot, a PCI-Express 4.0 x16, and the interestingly-named SO-DIMM.2 slot. Physically, this is an SO-DIMM slot that's been re-wired with PCIe gen 4.0 leading up to a proprietary SO-DIMM daughterboard that holds two M.2-2280 slots with PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, each. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports make for the rest of the storage connectivity. The area of the motherboard just below the PCIe x16 slot has another proprietary slot that holds the second daughterboard, this one with the SupremeFX Impact IV onboard audio solution, which has been physically isolated from the main PCB, and has an EMI-shielded Realtek ALC1220 main CODEC, ESS Sabre ES9023P DAC for the main stereo channel, a de-pop circuit, and audio-grade capacitors.

The Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 certification program from Wi-Fi Alliance is now available and delivers the best user experience with devices based on IEEE 802.11ax. The certification program brings new features and capabilities that enable substantially greater overall Wi-Fi network performance in challenging environments with many connected devices such as stadiums, airports, and industrial parks. With adoption of the latest Wi-Fi generation increasing, product vendors and service providers can trust Wi-Fi CERTIFIED will distinguish Wi-Fi 6 products and networks that meet the highest standards for security and interoperability. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 provides significant capacity, performance, and latency improvements to the entire Wi-Fi ecosystem, while ensuring products across vendors to work well together to deliver greater innovation and opportunity.

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 supports a more diverse set of devices and applications, from those requiring peak performance in demanding enterprise environments to those requiring low power and low latency in smart homes or industrial IoT scenarios. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 delivers nearly four times the capacity of Wi-Fi 5, and is an evolutionary advancement for Wi-Fi's ability to deliver high-performance infrastructure and optimized connectivity to all devices on a network simultaneously - bringing noticeable improvements in densely connected Wi-Fi environments. Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 6 delivers critical connectivity that supports cellular networks, and leverages high speeds, low latency, power efficiency, greater capacity, and enhanced coverage to deliver many advanced 5G services.

ASUS started selling its premium Mini-ITX motherboard based on the AMD X570 chipset, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Strix X570-I Gaming. The board was announced as part of ASUS' X570 motherboard lineup back in July, but is only now reaching selves, with an MSRP of USD $220. The board features an elaborate thermal solution that cools the CPU VRM, the fiesty X570 chipset, and an M.2-2280 SSD over a network of interconnected heatsinks that are ventilated by two 30 mm fans. Despite crippling space constraints, ASUS managed to cram in a 10-phase VRM to power the socket AM4 CPU, which is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, an M.2-2280 slot, and the board's sole expansion slot, a PCI-Express 4.0 x16.

Storage connectivity on the ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming includes not one, but two M.2-2280 slots, one wired to the AM4 socket, and the other from the X570 chipset. The two M.2 slots are stacked one on top of the other, with a metal heatspreader between them, pulling heat from the drive below to the board's heatsink network. Four SATA 6 Gbps ports make the rest of the storage connectivity. Networking includes WiFi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.0 from an Intel "Cyclone Peak" AX200 card; and 1 GbE wired Ethernet pulled by an Intel i211-AT chip. The onboard audio solution features a Realtek ALC1200A CODEC with dual OPAMPs.

NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of mesh WiFi systems that power smart homes, today announced the worldwide release of Orbi WiFi 6 Mesh System an innovative solution that delivers a new standard for wireless networks.

This next generation Orbi Mesh WiFi System is designed for the connected world of today and the future. Households now have a multitude of always-on and always-connected smart home devices many of which are running high-bandwidth applications like streaming 4K/8K Ultimate HD connections across multiple screens. The Orbi WiFi 6 mesh system has the capacity to support the traffic generated by the multitude of connected devices that are in the home today and for years to come. Similar to the difference experienced between driving on a congested four-lane highway compared to that of a sixteen-lane superhighway, WiFi 6 provides more streams so there is an increased capacity for more traffic ensuring that the fastest high-speed WiFi connected devices are not stalled by the slower ones.