Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, today announced the immediate availability of the Crucial Ballistix Sport XT memory, which offers a new aggressively-styled, taller heat spreader design that improves thermal performance. Designed for gamers and enthusiasts looking for fast and responsive performance, Ballistix Sport XT modules offer XMP profiles for advanced speeds and timings as well as easy BIOS configuration in supported systems.

"The Crucial Ballistix Sport series is designed to provide mainstream users and performance enthusiasts with a reliable, no-hassle gaming experience," said Jeremy Mortenson, senior product manager, Crucial. "The new Sport XT memory offers an attractive new heat spreader styling for gamers who are looking for enhanced thermal performance, and a new colour that complements popular motherboards."

ASUS announced its first Republic of Gamers (ROG) motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, the Maximus VI Impact, which could go on to become choice number one for SFF gaming PC builders. Arguably the most feature-rich mini-ITX motherboard ever made, the Maximus VI Impact is a socket LGA1150 motherboard based on Intel Z87 Express chipset, which supports 4th generation Core "Haswell" processors.

The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, and conditions it using a 10-phase VRM that off-shoots into its own little PCB, with heatsink. The other three daughterboards on the Maximus VI Impact include the SupremeFX Impact, a sound-card with an audiophile-grade 115 dBA DAC, OPAMPs, and audio-grade capacitors; and an mPCIe combo card that lends it 802.11 ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0; and an ImpactControl card that gives overclockers POST diagnostic readouts and CMOS reset/restore at the push of a button, right from the rear panel.

Corsair, a worldwide designer of high-performance components to the PC hardware market, today announced the Corsair Vengeance Pro Series of high-performance DDR3 computer memory for PC overclockers, enthusiasts, and system builders. Available initially in capacities up to 64 GB and speeds up to 2933 MHz, the Vengeance Pro Series memory modules are designed to set new levels of value and overclocking performance with the 4th generation Intel Core processor family (codenamed Haswell) and previous generation Intel and AMD platforms.

Vengeance Pro Series memory modules are built with eight-layer PCBs and RAM ICs specially selected for speed and overclocking headroom, and like all Vengeance memory, incorporate XMP 1.3 profiles allow for automatic, reliable overclocking. The memory kits are designed with new aggressively styled, aluminum heat spreaders for superior cooling. The memory kits are available in black with silver, red, blue, or gold accents to enable enthusiasts, gamers, and modders to customize the look of their PCs.

At Computex, GIGABYTE showed off the first AMD platform motherboard in its coveted G1.Killer series, which targets gamers and overclockers, the G1.Sniper A85X. The board is based on AMD A85X FCH chipset, and comes with out-of-the-box support for AMD A-series "Richland" APUs, including the AMD A10-6800K quad-core APU, with the fastest integrated graphics in market. Built in the narrow ATX form-factor, the G1.Sniper A85X draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, and uses a 6-phase VRM to condition it for the APU.

The FM2 socket is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, which support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR3-3000 MHz memory; and a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot. In addition, the board offers a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4, wired to the FCH), three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, and two legacy PCI. The board shines in connectivity, where it offers eight SATA 6 Gb/s internal ports, a combination of DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI display outputs, Creative Sound Core3D audio with user-replaceable OPAMP and audio-grade capacitors, four USB 3.0 ports, and gigabit Ethernet. The board is driven by AMI Aptio UEFI BIOS, backed by GIGABYTE Dual-UEFI redundancy, and the new BIOS interface that made its debut with GIGABYTE's socket LGA1150 motherboards.

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today introduced the company's first Windows 8 device designed for business users, the Portege Z10t Detachable Ultrabook. The versatile Portege Z10t is an Ultrabook when needed and a tablet when wanted. Switch instantly between notebook and tablet by simply detaching the screen. Equipped with an 11.6-inch diagonal, Full HD, IPS anti-glare touchscreen display1, the Portege Z10t is an ideal choice for on-the-go professionals looking for a single, versatile device that offers more screen real estate than most tablets, but all the same ultra-responsive performance of a laptop.

The built in digitizer adds even more functionality for those who want to write and take notes on-screen. Ultra-slim, lightweight, encased in sleek style and dressed in durability with all the essential ports and security features, the Portege Z10t makes it easy to create, share or consume content anytime, anywhere. Powered by the latest Intel Core processors the device is equipped with all the business essential ports needed for a "dongle-free" experience, the Portege Z10t delivers excellent speed and performance - everything expected from a business-class Portege.

We've had GIGABYTE's premium mainline socket LGA1150 motherboards, the Z87-UD4H and Z87-UD5H detailed last week. A little earlier, we've been through the company's gamer-centric G1.Sniper series, and Z87 OC Force. Below are pictures of the company's sub-$150 lineup based on the Z87 Express and B85 Express chipsets, the B85M-D3H, the Z87-D3HP, and the Z87-UD3H.

The B85M-D3H, as the name might give away, is based on Intel's B85 chipset that gives you most of the platform's feature-set, including Small Business Advantage, but excluding CPU overclocking features. Built in the micro-ATX form-factor, the board offers a simple 4-phase CPU power supply, four DDR3 DIMM slots, a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16, a PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), two legacy PCI, four SATA 6 Gb/s and two SATA 3 Gb/s, four USB 3.0 ports (two rear, two by header), a combination of DVI, HDMI, and D-Sub display outputs; gigabit Ethernet, and 8-channel HD audio.

After bagging chip supply deals for all three new-generation consoles -- Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U, things are looking up for AMD. While Wii U uses older-generation hardware technologies, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 use the very latest AMD has to offer -- "Jaguar" 64-bit x86 CPU micro-architecture, and Graphics CoreNext GPU architecture. Chips that run the two consoles have a lot in common, but also a few less-than-subtle differences.

PlayStation 4 chip, which came to light this February, is truly an engineer's fantasy. It combines eight "Jaguar" 64-bit x86 cores clocked at 1.60 GHz, with a fairly well spec'd Radeon GPU, which features 1,156 stream processors, 32 ROPs; and a 256-bit wide unified GDDR5 memory interface, clocked at 5.50 GHz. At these speeds, the system gets a memory bandwidth of 176 GB/s. Memory isn't handled like UMA (unified memory architecture), there's no partition between system- and graphics-memory. The two are treated as items on the same 8 GB of memory, and either can use up a majority of it.

ASUS announced a fleet of socket LGA1150 motherboards, covering its mainline (classic), Republic of Gamers (ROG), and The Ultimate Force (TUF) lines. With this series, ASUS is adopting a new color scheme for its mainline motherboards, breaking away from the black PCB with blue heatsinks scheme it maintained since the first LGA1156 motherboards, almost four years ago. The new mainline motherboards from ASUS feature black PCBs with golden-colored heatsinks covering the VRM and PCH, and simpler naming. ASUS' first wave of Z87-based mainline (classic) motherboards include the entry-level Z87-C and Z87-A, mid-range Z87-PLUS and Z87-PRO, and premium Z87-DELUXE.

Here are some of the first clear pictures of MSI Z87 MPower, one of the company's top socket LGA1150 motherboards, which will be unveiled a little later. The board retains the black+yellow color-scheme from its predecessor, the Z77 MPower, built more solidly. The board appears to feature a 16-phase CPU power delivery, which uses a combination of SFC chokes, DrMOS, and high-C tantalum capacitors. It draws power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, in addition to the 24-pin ATX.

The CPU socket on the Z87 MPower is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel memory, and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4); three PCI-Express x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion area. Connectivity includes an enhanced onboard audio solution named "Audio Boost," which we imagine is an onboard amp for select channels; gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, Bluetooth, display outputs that include dual-HDMI and DisplayPort connectors, and a number of USB 3.0 ports. Storage connectivity includes eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Find more pictures at the source.

AMD today announced availability of servers based on its AMD Open 3.0 specification, defined as part of the Open Compute Project, delivering workload versatility and performance equal to competing proprietary OEM servers at significantly lower cost. In comparison to benchmarks running virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), the AMD Open 3.0-based system supported just as many virtual desktops and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) by 57 percent: $4,589 versus $10,669 for just a single server. This cost effectiveness translates into a dramatic reduction in cost per virtual desktop, from $91.19 to only $38.24 per desktop. More details on the findings are available online and will be discussed at a roundtable event tomorrow in New York City and other select cities. The servers will be available through distributor partners.

"Global IT organizations have the difficult task of choosing between price and performance when investing in servers," said Bob Ogrey, cloud evangelist and fellow, AMD. "We don't believe organizations have to compromise one for the other. Using systems based on the AMD Open 3.0 specification -- the first open source, modular platform for the masses -- enables high performance and energy efficiency at a reasonable price, making it the best choice for organizations.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a leading independent designer, manufacturer and supplier of value added subsystems including memory modules, flash memory cards and other solid state storage products, today announced the addition of a 24GB CoolFlex RDIMM to its product lineup. The 24GB DDR3-1333 1.35V RDIMM helps solve unique memory capacity constraints in servers. SMART's CoolFlex module product family uses state-of-the-art flexible substrate technology to increase system memory capacity.

Servers configured with two processors and sixteen registered DIMMs are generally limited to a maximum memory capacity of 256GB. When using 16GB DDR3-1333 RDIMMs these systems can be fully populated. However, when switching to 32GB four-rank RDIMMs, the maximum number of DIMMs per Channel (DPC) drops down to one. A system configured with two channels per processor and four DIMMs per channel can only be populated with one 32GB RDIMM per channel for a total memory capacity of 128GB. SMART's new 24GB Coolflex RDIMM solves this constraint by allowing these systems to be fully populated with sixteen 24GB RDIMMs totaling 384GB and representing a 50% increase in memory capacity.

Silicon Power, the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions today unveils the new generation of Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series memory module. Built in a special-made metallic heat sink, the new Xpower DDR3 is able to provide a better cooling solution and increase the heat dissipation area, maintaining a powerful speed and stability to meet the needs of overclocking enthusiasts and hardcore gamers.

Silicon Power new Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series are available in various duel channel kits in DDR3-1600, 1866, 2133, and 2400 MHz variants, reaching the high capacity from 8 GB (4 GBx2) to 16 GB (8 GBx2). Compatible with Intel Core Gen 3 and the latest Z77 platform, Xpower Overclocking series can maximize the transfer speed, unleashing the extreme system performance to the next level.

At a media event held in its Taipei headquarters, GIGABYTE demonstrated its AMP-UP integrated audio solution that will feature on some of its upcoming motherboards. On that pretense, it even got to show of two of its top socket LGA1150 motherboards, built for Core "Haswell" processors, the G1.Sniper 5, and the G1.Sniper M5. Positioned in gamer-overclocker targeted G1.Killer series, the two boards are based on Intel Z87 Express chipset. The G1.Sniper 5 is the larger standard ATX motherboard; while the M5 is a compact micro-ATX offering. The pictures also confirm that socket LGA1150 retention module and bolt-spacing is identical to sockets LGA1155 and LGA1156.

The G1.Sniper 5 appears to feature a 16-phase VRM, which uses ferrite-core chokes, and the same International Rectifier PowIRstage components as Ultra Durable 5 motherboards from the previous generation. This time around, the CPU plays a greater role in voltage regulation. The driver-MOSFETs on the board are cooled by an active fan-heatsink, which also has a liquid channel running through it, so you could make it part of your CPU loop. Thankfully GIGABYTE didn't let its imagination run away with designs of the other heatsinks on the board, one of which cools the Z87 Express chipset, and the other we imagine, a PLX PEX8747 48-lane PCI-Express 3.0 bridge chip. This chip gets you 4-way SLI/CrossFireX support.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the release of the Turbo NAS TS-x21 and TS-x20 series for home users and home offices. The new models in the TS-x21 series are equipped with 2.0 GHz CPU, 1GB DDR3 RAM, and the TS-x20 series with 1.6 GHz CPU, 512MB DDR3 RAM. Both series deliver superior performance for daily routines in file storage, sharing, and data backup, and serve as ideal media centers for storing and sharing huge multimedia files.

The TS-x21 and TS-x20 series feature the brand-new Turbo NAS operating system QTS 4.0. The new QTS 4.0 integrates multi-window operations into the web-based user interface, adds cross-device file synchronization, several smart mobile apps, and more. In an era where almost everyone has at lease one mobile phone or tablet device, the QTS 4.0 fulfills people's needs of mobile data access and synchronization, and storage for huge quantities of data. What's more, the QTS 4.0's multi-window user interface introduces users to an unprecedented NAS management experience. In addition, the multimedia applications and multi-tasking designs not only increase management efficiency but also transform home entertainment.

ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. a world leader in DRAM modules and NAND Flash storage application products, today announced the start of shipments of its latest advanced in gaming technology, the XPG Gaming v2.0 Series DDR3-2600 MHz DRAM 8GB modules. These dual channel kits are designed and engineered to bring optimum performance to third generation Intel Core processors and the Z77 platform.

XPG DRAM modules signify Xtreme Performance Gear, providing the extreme speed and performance required by advanced users. The XPG Gaming series v2.0 is targeted specifically at the distinct performance and cooling needs of the worldwide gaming community. These latest DDR3 2600G 8GB modules offer new levels of data transfer speed, along with the many features that are hallmarks of the XPG series.

AMD is ready to launch the next generation of company's APUs in June, 2013, codenamed "Richland". The new Fusion S-Series "Richland" CPU Series will have an updated graphics code which turns out to be HD-8000 series graphics and support native DDR3-2133. Today, BIOSTAR full range FM2 motherboards are ready to support the new "Richland" series; users just need to update BIOS and Drivers which are available at BIOSTAR homepage.

HABEY USA, a leading manufacturer of embedded computer and an Associate member of the Intel Intelligent Systems Alliance, introduces the PRO-6820. This is a fanless barebone system, with a chassis built tough for extended industrial processing indoors or outdoors. The system measures in at 9.45"x9.96"x4.53", not much bigger than our small form factor systems, running off Intel's 3rd Generation Ivy Bridge Quad Core i3/i5/i7 processor, and capable of up to 8GB of memory from 2x 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM slots.

Rich with I/Os, the PRO-6820 offers 6x instal USB slots, 2x front accessible USB 3.0 slots and 4x rear USB 2.0 slots. The system also has 2x PS2 ports, 1x externally accessible 8-bit GPIO port, 4x COM ports, 6x LAN ports, 1x mic-in, 1x audio-out, 1x CF Card Socket & 1x externally accessible 2.5" SATA HDD. The Intel Integrated HD Graphics controller allows 1x VGA port with resolution up to 2048x1536 & 1x DVI-D ports with resolution up to 1920x1200.

The EUROCOM Uno 3.0 is designed primarily for corporate customers, the Eco-Friendly 120 Watts, 7.5kg (16.5lbs) easy to move around All in One PC allows companies to improve overall productivity and security, reduce downtime caused by power interruptions and greatly reduce energy costs.

The EUROCOM Uno 3.0 has an integrated battery pack, which provides backup power in case of electrical failure, or unstable incoming electrical current, while also allowing for easy relocation without system shutdown. When AC power suddenly shuts down, backup battery can keep you working for up to 70 minutes and/or allow users to save uncompleted documents.

Prices of graphics cards with DDR3 memory are set to rise by 10-15 percent. The roughly 10 percent hike in prices of DDR3 memory chips, due to inventory-digestion, aided by reduced production from DRAM makers, is responsible for the hike. The June 2013 launch of Intel's Core "Haswell" platform could see a flurry of system upgrades, which could strain on DDR3 chip supply even further. Luckily for most DIY buyers, DDR3 memory is only used in sub-$100 graphics cards, with proliferation of GDDR5 to current-generation graphics cards around the $100 mark.

Giada Technology, a world famous manufacturer of compact desktop PCs, has announced the launch of compact barebones-system: The D300. The D300 family is based on the 3rd generation of Intel Core processors. The D300 systems are designed for builders of home assembly or all-purpose, unique compact PCs and multimedia systems with a wide range of applications. In addition, support for the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) which provides extensive security with high levels of data encryption, allows the use of D300-based systems in various applications in IT departments of large enterprises.

The D300 system is also ideal for industrial control applications, smart traffic control systems, security and surveillance systems, commercial terminals and other similar applications which require small size, wide choice of interfaces, simplicity and reliability of use.

Kingston Technology Company Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, continues to celebrate its 10th HyperX anniversary by announcing all-new black printed circuit boards (PCB) on two of its product lines. Kingston's high-performance HyperX Beast and entry-level enthusiast 'black' lines will incorporate black PCB under the signature heatspreader designs.

HyperX Beast, a part of the Predator family, matches large capacity with ultra-fast frequencies. Now featuring black PCB, HyperX Beast is available in various dual- and quad-channel kits in capacities from 8GB to 64GB and speeds up to an ultra-fast 2400MHz. It is perfect for hardcore gamers, PC modders, content creators and overclockers. The 2133 MHz, 64GB and 2400 MHz, 32GB Beast memory are the fastest and highest capacity certified Intel XMP-ready kits on the market.

Stealth.com Inc. (Stealth Computer) a leading ISO 9001 manufacturer of industrial rugged computers and peripherals has released a new powerful small form factor PC. The new Stealth Extreme Power model LPC-480 mini PC is Stealth's most powerful small form factor computer to date continuing their history of delivering small high performance computers for demanding applications.

The LPC-480 outperforms other small sized PC systems due to the integration of the latest Intel 3rd Generation Core i7 mobile processors. The LPC-480 ships with a standard Intel i7 Processor 3610QE CPU exceeding the performance of computers many times its physical size. The LPC-480 LittlePC measures an amazing 5.7" x 9.9" and less than 1.65" in height or about the size of a hard cover novel.

Axiomtek is pleased to release a new 15.6" WXGA TFT widescreen fanless multi-touch panel computer, the GOT3157W-832-PCT. This panel PC comes with an industrial design with refined aesthetics, and brings the easy-to-deploy feature and advanced touch experience to a variety of commercial and industrial applications such as the self-service kiosk in retail and control panel of machine in automation field.

With the extraordinary modulized design, the GOT3157W-832-PCT gives operator hassle free benefit, no more annoying deployment and maintenance jobs! It uses 15.6-inch projected capacitive multi-touch screen to enhance mutual interactive experience. In addition, the Intel Atom processor D2550 at 1.86 GHz with Intel NM10 Express chipset has been integrated into the GOT3157W-832-PCT, offering an excellent balance between high graphics performance and low power consumption.

Axiomtek rolls out a fanless embedded system in palm size featuring Intel Atom Cedarview processor N2600 1.6 GHz dual core with Intel NM10 Express chipset. The eBOX530-830-FL has an IP40-rated and rugged aluminum & cold-rolled steel enclosure to endure severe environment. It supports one VGA or one DisplayPort interface to fit more video resources. To resist extreme working temperatures and severe environments, its fanless operation design has unique thermal solution that allows it to perform noiseless at operating temperatures of -10°C to +50°C. The eBOX530-830-FL compact system is an application-ready platform that targets for nearly any field of space-limited and mobile applications like in-vehicle PCs, in-flight infotainment systems, digital signage, entry-level gaming, medical healthcare, and other automation & embedded applications.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC hardware market, today announced new Vengeance Extreme 8GB dual-channel DDR3 memory kits rated at 3000MHz, the world's fastest rated production PC memory kits. Fitted with low profile "racing red" heat spreaders, the new 2x4GB memory kits operate at 3000 MHz air-cooled, with latency settings of 12-14-14-36, at 1.65V. A Kingpin Cooling memory cooler is included for overclockers who want to use LN2 (liquid nitrogen) to reach memory speeds well beyond 3000 MHz.

The extreme-speed 3000 MHz rating of the Vengeance Extreme memory kits is the result of a rigorous internal four-stage hand-screening process performed by Corsair engineers. This process is passed by fewer than one in 50 memory ICs. Performance qualification is performed on select Intel Z77 based motherboards, including the ASUS P8Z77-I DELUXE and ASRock Z77 OC Formula. To hit their rated speeds, the modules require a 3rd Generation Intel Core unlocked processor with an Integrated Memory Controller capable of running 3000 MHz.