Linksys at its exhibition alongside the 2018 CES, showed off its latest gaming-grade Wi-Fi router, the WRT32XB. The router comes in two main "variants," one with co-branding from Alienware, Razer, GIGABYTE, and MSI; while another with exclusive Xbox One co-branding, named WRT32XB. Both variants are based on Rivet Networks Killer WLAN processors, and firmware optimization. The WRT32XB comes with a little more firmware fine-tuning that gives your Xbox One console a slight edge in pings and bandwidth prioritization. The router can sense that an Xbox One is seeking traffic (you're playing on it), and automatically run QoS rules that give it priority. The router comes with 802.11AC (2x2 dual-MIMO), with gigabit Ethernet WAN ports, and USB 3.0 ports for mass-storage sharing. When it comes out this February, it will be priced at the same USD $299.99 price as the WRT32X.

GIGABYTE today introduced the Aorus X299 Ultra Gaming Pro motherboard, a similar revision to the original X299 Ultra Gaming, as the recently announced X299 Gaming 7 Pro is to the original X299 Gaming 7. The board is nearly identical to the X299 Ultra Gaming, but comes with an added wireless networking module.

GIGABYTE deployed the Killer Wireless-AC 1535 module, which provides 802.11ac 2x2 (dual-band) Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. The wired networking is still handled by an Intel i219-V controller, with an included license to cFosSpeed, a traffic-shaping utility that you can use to improve online gaming latencies. The Aorus X299 Ultra Gaming Pro will be priced roughly 20% higher than the X299 Ultra Gaming.

Razer today has also announced a revamp of their Blade Stealth laptop, which sees the introduction of the latest generation of Intel processors. The new Razer Blade Stealth features the i7-8550U processor - a quad-core, Hyper Threading (HT) enabled processor that brings eight threads to bear - albeit clocked at a low 1.8 GHz base and a staggering 4.0 GHz max single-core Turbo. This means this is the first version of the Razer Blade Stealth to sport such a core configuration, which should aid in both gaming and production environments. Don't let yourself be fooled, though - the 8th Gen here doesn't mean Coffee Lake. Intel has done all of us the favor of mixing things up a little, and their mobile 8th Gen architecture is actually "Kaby Lake Refresh".

MSI has recently added a new member to their Vortex family of gaming solutions with the minuscule Vortex G25. Unlike its predecessor, the Vortex G65, the G25 has abandoned the cylinder shape in favor of a sleek console design. The specifications are nothing short of impressive for a system crammed into a 2.5-liter enclosure weighing in at just 2.5 kilograms. Based on Intel's latest Z370 platform, the Vortex G25 is powered by a 8th Generation Core i7-8700 processor with six cores, 12 threads, and a boost clock up to 4.3 GHz. MSI's Cooler Boost Titan solution, consisting of eight heatpipes and dual Whirlwind Blade fans, provides adequate cooling for the Coffee Lake processor and Pascal graphics card.

According to the manufacturer, the Vortex G25 was designed with focus on expandability. It's equipped with four DDR4 SO-DIMM slots to house DDR4 2400 MHz modules and support up to 64 GB of memory. In terms of storage, two PCIe 3.0 M.2 slots are available for creating high-speed RAID arrays with NVMe drives. Another 2.5" slot is present to provide additional storage if need be. Performing upgrades to the Vortex G25 is a walk in the park thanks to a rapid disassembly design that employs slotted screws.

MSI launched two of its first socket LGA1151 motherboards based on Intel Z370 chipset, for 8th generation Core "Coffee Lake" desktop processors, the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC, and the Z370 GODLIKE Gaming ACK. The company may launch its other motherboards based on this chipset, closer to Intel's October 5th launch date for the platform. The Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC is an upper-performance segment product, which could be priced close to the $200-mark, while the Z370 GODLIKE Gaming could command a >$300 price.

Built in the ATX form-factor, the Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC covers all the features you'll possibly need for a fairly high-end gaming PC build. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU using a 10-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and two reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 with both populated). The third x16 slot is electrical gen 3.0 x4, and wired to the Z370 PCH. Three x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion. Storage connectivity includes two 32 Gb/s M.2 slots, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports. One M.2 Shield heatspreader accessory is included.

Here are some of the first pictures of GIGABYTE's Aorus branded Z370 series motherboards. The lineup begins with the Aorus Z370 Gaming 3 and Aorus Z370 Gaming K3. These two boards are nearly identical to each other, and differ with only their onboard gigabit Ethernet controller, with the Gaming K3 featuring the latest Killer E2500 controller, while the Gaming 3 features Intel i219-V. Both boards feature just the one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot wired to the CPU, with the second slot being electrical x4 and wired to the PCH. GIGABYTE has been traditionally generous with its onboard audio solutions, and these boards are no exception. You get a Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) CODEC strapped to a single headphones amp circuit, ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors.

Moving slightly up the ladder is the Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming, pictured below. You get a similar CPU VRM implementation to the Gaming K3, but with two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 with both populated) wired to the CPU, for multi-GPU setups. You also get a stylish I/O shroud. Positioned above the Ultra Gaming, is the Aorus Z370 Gaming 5. This board features a stronger CPU VRM, three M.2 slots as opposed to two on the Ultra Gaming, a higher grade onboard audio with a high-grade OPAMP, more USB 3.1 ports, 802.11 ac + Bluetooth WLAN; and a full-length I/O shroud. Leading the pack (for now) is the Aorus Z370 Gaming 7. Positioned further above the Gaming 5, this board features the highest-grade onboard audio solution from GIGABYTE, with an ESS Sabre AMP; M.2 SSD heatsinks, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces (Intel + Killer), and reinforcement braces around even more slots. These boards are expected to launch on the 5th of October, 2017.

MSI is proud to announce the on-shelf availability of its latest high-end AM4 motherboard - the X370 GAMING M7 ACK. To satisfy even the most demanding gamers who are looking for the best performance and style, the new AM4 Enthusiast GAMING flagship, X370 GAMING M7 ACK, is in stores now and ready to cater to any type of gamer, PC enthusiast, or case modder. The X370 GAMING M7 ACK is also world's first AM4 motherboard to feature Killer DoubleShot PRO, combining Killer Ethernet with Killer WIFI AC.

The X370 GAMING M7 ACK is a prime example of why MSI leads the gaming industry in both innovation and performance. Gamers know and trust MSI because MSI always delivers the hardware they need to stay on top of their games. Providing the best networking experience is critical and by including the Killer Ethernet E2500 and Killer Wireless 1535 on the X370 GAMING M7 ACK motherboard, MSI ensures that their customers will have the best possible online gaming experience.

Linksys has announced their latest in gaming routers, the WRT32X AC3200, developed in partnership with Rivet Networks, developer of the Killer NIC solutions. The boasts are real with this products: Vince La Duca, global product manager at Linksys, had this to say: "Serious gamers are spending money on game play and expect to have technology that provides significant advantages to beat their opponents. The Linksys WRT32X provides advantages that no other routers have - and that is the Killer Prioritization Engine. The router, when paired with a Killer-enabled PC, provides a powerful end-to-end connection to prioritize gaming traffic to reduce peak ping times up to 77%; Providing a real advantage for faster kills over opponents that use regular "so-called" gaming routers."

The new Linksys WRT32X AC3200 Gaming Router, therefore, enables the Killer Prioritization Engine, should your PC's integrated NIC be a Killer solution. This prioritizizes gaming network traffic above all others, thus lessening lag and response times. Linksys is also introducing a new firmware and GUI for this particular router.

Intel is rushing in its 8th generation Core mainstream-desktop (MSDT) processor lineup, codenamed "Coffee Lake," later within Q3-2017. The first four of these will be six-core SKUs, which while built in the "LGA1151" package, the same ones as the 7th generation "Kaby Lake" and 6th generation "Skylake," will not be compatible with motherboards based on the older 100-series and 200-series chipsets, for reasons unknown. Upcoming motherboards based on the 300-series chipset, could support not just 8th generation "Coffee Lake" processors, but also older LGA1151 processors. The chipset lineup consists of the Z370 Express, which features support for CPU overclocking and 2-way multi-GPU; and the mid-range B360 Express chipset, which could launch either in late-2017 or early-2018, alongside the first Core i3 "Coffee Lake" chips. The first wave of motherboards to go with "Coffee Lake" processors will hence be Z370-based. VideoCardz compiled a partial, but growing list of motherboards which could make up the first wave.

TweakTown has put forth an article wherein they claim to have received info from industry insiders regarding the upcoming Vega 56's performance. Remember that Vega 56 is the slightly cut-down version of the flagship Vega 64, counting with 56 next-generation compute units (NGCUs) instead of Vega 64's, well, 64. This means that while the Vega 64 has the full complement of 4,096 Stream processors, 256 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and a 2048-bit wide 8 GB HBM2 memory pool offering 484 GB/s of bandwidth, Vega 56 makes do with 3,548 Stream processors,192 TMUs, 64 ROPs, the same 8 GB of HBM2 memory and a slightly lower memory bandwidth at 410 GB/s.

The Vega 56 has been announced to retail for about $399, or $499 with one of AMD's new (famous or infamous, depends on your mileage) Radeon Packs. The RX Vega 56 card was running on a system configured with an Intel Core i7-7700K @ 4.2GHz, 16 GB of DDR4-3000 MHz RAM, and Windows 10 at 2560 x 1440 resolution.

Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today announced its upgraded 13.3-inch version of the award-winning 12.5-inch Razer Blade Stealth. The new Razer Blade Stealth is one of the most portable laptops for professionals in the world, measuring 0.52 inches thin, weighing 2.93 pounds and with up to nine hours of battery life.

Razer's latest chassis is CNC-milled out of aircraft grade aluminum, and it is now available in a black or gunmetal gray finish. The gunmetal gray variant features a tone-on-tone Razer logo and white backlit keyboard, offering a sleek, solid and professional design. Gunmetal gray will be available in the United States and Canada.

ECS took to Computex to showcase seven different motherboards from both AMD and Intel. First up we have the Z270 Lightsaber, which is great at deflecting laser blaster shots. It's an LGA 1151 socket motherboard, features 8-channel audio courtesy of a Realtek ALC 1150 audio chip, a Killer E2500 Gigabit controller, 1x M.2 slot with support for SATA, NVMe, and Intel Optane. There are 3x PCIe x16 slots, which work at x8 x8 x4 when all slots are populated, as is usual with Z270 motherboards.

MSI showed off three of its premium-segment socket LGA2066 motherboards, the X299 Gaming Pro Carbon, X299 Gaming M7, X299 SLI Plus, and X299 Tomahawk. All four boards are based on a common PCB, with subtle variations to the designs of the PCH/VRM heatsinks, I/O shroud, and PCB paintjobs, besides some included accessories. Kudos to MSI engineers for minimizing R&D costs, let's just hope that these boards are priced within 10 percent of each other.

The board draws power from 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and 4-pin ATX (on some of the higher-end models). A 9-phase VRM conditions power for the CPU. Eight DDR4 DIMM slots, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots are wired to the CPU. Three 32 Gb/s M.2 and one 32 Gb/s U.2 are common across all boards. Also common here is the Audio Boost IV onboard audio solution, with a 120 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade capacitors, and OPAMP. Some of the models feature just the one GbE interface driven by i219-V controller, some feature two; and some of the higher-end models such as the Gaming M7 and Gaming Pro Carbon even feature Killer 802.11ac+BT4.1 WLAN cards. The higher-end boards also feature a bigger spread of RGB LEDs. Pricing-wise, one can expect the X299 SLI Plus to be the cheapest, followed by the X299 Tomahawk, X299 Gaming Pro Carbon, and the X299 Gaming M7. We wonder why.

MSI is proud to announce a brand new Enthusiast GAMING motherboard, the Z270 GAMING M6 AC. Inspired from a futuristic armored spaceship, the Z270 GAMING M6 AC design with multilayer plating, wings and armaments emphasize an ultramodern style.

The complete motherboard and heatsink design offers a strong look and feel and uses heavy quality components to deliver the best performance and stability as the base of any gaming rig. Added features such as Audio Boost 4 with Nahimic 2, Twin Turbo M.2 with M.2 Shield, VR Boost, Killer LAN & Intel WIFI AC, and the option to fully customize the RGB LEDs to any color using Mystic light, makes the Z270 GAMING M6 AC one of the most high-end and desirable Z270 motherboards to build a gaming rig with.

GIGABYTE showed off four socket AM4 motherboards, designed for the upcoming AMD Ryzen processors and 7th gen. A-series APUs, at its 2017 CES booth. The lineup begins with the AB350M-D3H, an entry-level micro-ATX board based on the mid-tier B350 chipset; the mid-range AB350-Gaming 3, the mid-high segment AX370-Gaming K5, and the AX370-Gaming 5. The AB350-D3H covers the basics, with a 7-phase VRM, one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot wired to the AM4 socket, a second x16 slot that's electrical x4 and wired to the B350 chipset, one legacy PCI slot; one 32 Gb/s M.2 slot and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports (from which two are directly wired to the AM4 socket); and connectivity that includes 6-channel HD audio, gigabit Ethernet, two USB 3.1 (10 Gb/s) ports, DVI, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort.

Moving up the ladder, the AB350-Gaming 3 is a gaming-grade board in the ATX form-factor, featuring a red+black color scheme. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors; conditioning it for the CPU with a 7-phase VRM. The APU is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. Other expansion slots include two x16 slots that are electrical x4, and two x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes one 32 Gb/s M.2 and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports (from which two are low-latency ports). Display outputs include DVI, DisplayPort, and HDMI. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 (10 Gb/s) ports, and six USB 3.0 ports. GIGABYTE deployed its gaming-grade AMPUp! onboard audio solution with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, ground-layer isolation, audio-grade capacitors, a headphones amp, and gold-plated audio jacks. Network is care of an Intel-made gigabit Ethernet controller.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, is proud to announce its latest motherboard for enthusiasts and gamers featuring the latest Intel Z270 chipset to support LGA1151 processors including the newly announced 7th generation Core processors from Intel with their new iGame Z270 Gamer. Customization motherboard. This latest products joins the family of iGame enthusiast and performance series of motherboards and graphics cards which focuses on not just the needs of gamers for a faster and robust system but serves as a canvas to promote their creativity and idea with great customization options.

Gigabyte announced six new Z270 motherboards as part of its Aorus product line - and all of them feature RGB LED lighting and swappable LED overlays. Apparently, Gigabyte opted for the standardization of their RGB Fusion LED lighting up and down their Aorus product line - all of the boards have at least two areas that are RGB LED backlit, including a space on the right edge beside the RAM slots. This RAM RGB lighting can be removed and replaced with different overlays according to the users' taste, and each motherboard is also equipped with a LED strip header. Dubbed the Z270X-Gaming 9, Z270X-Gaming 8, Z270X-Gaming 7 , Z270X-Gaming K7, Z270X-Gaming 5, and the Z270X-Gaming K5, these Gigabyte Aorus motherboards are quite well-rounded, as you can see after the break.

GIGABYTE introduced a new line of compact desktops designed for serious gaming, the BRIX Gaming GT series. Measuring 276 mm x 384 mm x 128 mm (DxHxW), this desktop has the chops for gaming at 1440p or even 4K Ultra HD, although GIGABYTE is marketing this as the ideal desktop for VR gaming in the living room. Its case features a chimney-type common air channel that pushes hot air from top-vents. A 400W custom-design PSU powers the machine.

Under the hood is an Intel Core i7-6700K quad-core processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics, 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2133 SO-DIMM memory, a 240 GB M.2 SSD, an additional 1 TB 2.5-inch HDD, and a vacant 2.5-inch drive bay. Audio is care of a Realtek ALC1150 HDA codec, backed by TI Burr Brown OPA2134 AMP circuit over the headphones jack. Networking includes an Intel 3165NGW dual-band 802.11ac WLAN with dual Bluetooth 4.0 interfaces, and Killer E2400 gigabit Ethernet. Other connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports (of which one is type-C), four USB 3.0 ports (of which one is type-C, total two type-C ports), and 6-channel audio. Windows 10 comes pre-installed. GIGABYTE didn't reveal pricing.

Rivet Networks Thursday announced its latest gigabit Ethernet controller, the Killer E2500. The E2500 is characterized by advanced QoS features, such as the proprietary ASD 2.0 (advanced stream detect). ASD 2.0 is a feature with which the NIC driver shapes traffic specific to applications. It senses which kind of applications deserve priority over the others. The driver also provides optimization for the top-500 websites on the Internet, by squeezing out the best page-load performance at the web-browser level. The PHY itself offers checksum offload, interrupt moderation, frame-spacing, and large-send offload.

Another major change on the software-side is the new Killer Control center, which gives you manual control over network performance specific to not just games and apps, but also specific websites. The company's asymmetric teaming tech DoubleShot Pro also received an update, giving you control over which app/traffic you want to send through which pipe. The company claims that it has already scored design wins for the chip with motherboard makers ASRock, MSI, Gigabyte; and notebook design wins with Dell-Alienware, Dell-XPS, Lenovo, Clevo, Acer, and Razer.

MSI is proud to announce the new Z170A GAMING M6 motherboard for the enthusiast gamers. Premiering two significant new features, Lightning USB and the next generation Killer networking technology, the Z170A GAMING M6 adopts evil gray as its major color scheme, bringing a whole new look and feel to the game table. This motherboard also offers Twin Turbo onboard M.2, Audio Boost 3 and a plethora of other game enhancing features.

The traditional ASMedia 1142 USB 3.1 controller chip on current motherboards is connected via either PCIe Gen2 x2 (10Gb/s) or Gen3 x1 (8Gb/s) which limits the USB 3.1 Gen2 transfer rates (10Gb/s). MSI is now proud to introduce the first ever motherboard to have the next generation Lighting Asmedia 2142 USB 3.1 Gen2 controller chip which runs at PCIe Gen3 x2 (16Gb/s) which is twice as fast. In combination with MSI's exclusive USB Speed Up there is no faster USB 3.1 Gen2 solution on the market. The PCIe Gen3 connection will also help to boost transfer speeds enormously when using two USB 3.1 Gen2 devices at the same time. The MSI Z170A GAMING M6 comes with both an USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C interface.

MSI, world leader in high-end gaming hardware, is excited to launch a new addition to the Aegis Series, MSI Aegis Ti. This is the ultimate gaming power supreme for gamers who want max performance and power. The Aegis Ti, uses a powerful unlocked Intel Core K-series processor to give gamers ultimate overclocking abilities. On top of that, Aegis Ti houses MSI's recently released full size MSI GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card.

But to give more power, the Aegis Ti is 2 way SLI Ready meaning you can double the GPU power for more details and supporting gamers with the best possible graphical performance. Besides all extreme hardware, Aegis Ti harnesses the Aegis series breathtaking case design that is unmatched and easy to upgrade. Coupled with its own Silent Storm Cooling 3 solution, not only the performance but also its unique interior layout is unmatched and provides gamers with a top-notch performance.

ECS Elitegroup showed off its latest flagship socket LGA1151 board, the Z170-Lightsaber, likely designed for its RGB LED product styling. The board features a 14-phase VRM powering the CPU, and expansion slots that include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), a third x16 (electrical x4) slot wired to the PCH, and four other x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes a 32 Gb/s M.2 with NVMe boot support, 16 Gb/s SATA-Express, and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports.

The modern connectivity on offer include two USB 3.1 ports (apparently both of them are type-A), six other USB 3.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4, a gigabit Ethernet interface driven by Killer E2400 controller, and an audio solution with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, ground-layer isolation, electrolytic capacitors, and a user-replaceable OPAMP. Overclocker friendly features include dual-BIOS with an on-demand BIOS backup/restore button, three performance preset buttons, power/reboot buttons, and a 3-digit POST error readout.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards and motherboards, proudly debuts its high-end gaming motherboard: the iGame Z170 Ymir-X for the latest 6th-generation Intel Core processors. As part of the iGame family of high-performance products intended for gamers and enthusiasts, this board sports the most sought-after features for the best gaming experience.

Sporting a rich arsenal of features, the iGame Z170 Ymir-X motherboard is built to let gamers experience the best from Colorful with powerful hardware built and designed for the most demanding gamers. Featuring 14-phase power delivery design for stable and reliable power delivery, complimented by 10K black gold solid caps and SANYO tantalum capacitors.

At Acer's next@acer Global Press Conference in New York today, the company announced new notebooks, desktops and monitors in its powerful and award-winning Predator gaming line. The new Predator 17 X notebook and compact Predator G1 desktop include top-of-the line computing technology and are NVIDIA GeForce VR-Ready, as well as ready for virtual reality (VR) devices from Oculus, HTC Vive, OSVR and StarVR.

"The new Acer Predator gaming systems are designed to deliver the ultimate gaming and virtual reality experiences for our customers," said James Lin, general manager, Consumer Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Virtual reality offers unlimited new possibilities, not just in gaming, but across a wide variety of industries and applications in professional environments. As we showed today in our VR partner demos, Acer intends to give our customers the tools they need for both playing and working in this new digital world."

GIGABYTE unveiled a new high-end socket LGA1151 motherboard, the X170-Extreme ECC. Positioned as a workstation motherboard for the high-end desktop crowd, this board is based on Intel C236 chipset, and comes with support for Intel Xeon E3-1200 V5 processors in addition to 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. It also supports DDR4 ECC memory, which partly lends it its name. Built in the standard ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x8/x8 with both populated), a third PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4, wired to the PCH), and three other PCIe 3.0 x1 slots.

A star attraction here is GIGABYTE's choice of an Intel-made 2-port USB 3.1 controller, which connects to the PCH over PCI-Express 3.0 x4, compared to most other USB 3.1 controllers in the market, which connect over PCI-Express 3.0 x2. This ensures consistent 10 Gb/s bandwidth dedicated to each of the two ports, without any bandwidth loss to overhead. The board offers one each of type-A and type-C ports, wired to this controller. The board offers an additional four USB 3.0 ports from the chipset and a Renesas-made hub chip. Also on offer is a 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3 port, with DisplayPort 1.2 passthrough.