We have seen previous rumors claim that AMD would launch Ryzen 9000G series APUs for its AM5 platform sometime soon, although there has been no official announcement from AMD, yet. Most recently, though, data miners combing through AMD's AGESA 1207 code have managed to find evidence of new Krackan Point desktop APUs. Krackan Point has been spotted in MSI BIOS updates with references to the 00B60Fxx microcode, and the changelog for ASUS X870 beta BIOS versions mentions "new APU support," which could only really be Ryzen 9000G. These new APUs are said to be based on Zen 5, but previous leaks said that they would instead be a rehash of the 8000G APUs, making them a Zen 4 refresh. At any rate, it will likely still be a while before launch, since this is the first time the code has been spotted in desktop BIOS versions.

Until now, Krackan Point APUs have been limited to mobile applications, with the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 and Ryzen AI 7 350 both coming to laptops earlier this year. Until now AM5 owners looking for an APU have been limited to something like the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G, which launched all the way back in January 2024. If the laptop silicon is anything to go by, Krackan Point will bring AMD's RDNA 3.5 to the desktop, although with iGPUs falling short of the powerful Strix Halo 8060S. We will likely see APUs top out at the same Radeon 860M iGPU as the laptop variants, or potentially step up to the Radeon 890M iGPU, where the Ryzen 8000G APUs topped out at the 780M. The 890M would bring 256 more shaders into the mix for a decent performance uplift, although this seems to be a GPU configuration reserved for Strix Point. Current speculation also suggests that CPU core counts will be limited to eight and six cores for the Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 CPUs, respectively.

AMD seems to be preparing an update to its "Granite Ridge" Ryzen 9000 X3D series, introducing two new chips targeted at high-performance gamers and creators. Among the two, a new SKU type has appeared, carrying the "X3D2" suffix. Leaks suggest a new flagship model, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, featuring 16 cores and 32 threads. This chip reportedly includes 3D V-Cache on both chiplets, totaling approximately 192 MB of L3 cache. It is said to operate at a base frequency of 4.30 GHz, with a boost up to around 5.6 GHz, and has a TDP of about 200 W. The 9950X3D2, with its new naming convention, suggests a tradeoff of slightly lower peak boost speeds (-100 MHz) compared to the single-stack X3D Ryzen 9 9950X3D model, but offers significantly increased cache capacity. This combination could be a sweet spot for cache-sensitive workloads and certain games.

The expanded cache and increased thermal headroom may necessitate more attention to cooling and VRM design for system builders, potentially leading AMD to price these chips at a premium or adjust current MSRPs. A companion model, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, is expected to follow a similar design with eight cores, 96 MB of L3 cache, and a boost up to 5.6 GHz, with a 120 W power envelope. The 9850X3D appears to be a refined, higher-clocked (+400 MHz) alternative to existing 8-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D models, offering improved single-thread performance that is highly valued by gamers, while maintaining a relatively modest TDP.

Lenovo unveiled its new generation of ThinkCentre desktop next-gen AI PCs powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors with up to 50 TOPS of integrated NPU capability: the streamlined ThinkCentre neo 55a Gen 6 all-in-one (AIO), the small form factor ThinkCentre neo 55s Gen 6, and the tiny ThinkCentre neo 55q Gen 6. Designed for small and medium-sized businesses looking to supercharge their productivity with AI, the ThinkCentre neo Gen 6 desktop family offers unique Copilot+ PC experiences, the performance to excel, the flexibility and expandability to adapt, and the efficiency and support for peace of mind.

"AI has, is, and will continue to reshape the way we interact with technology - with 90 percent of organizations planning or exploring AI-powered PC rollouts this year," said Sanjeev Menon, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Desktop Business in Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "Lenovo is helping businesses of all sizes become smarter, more efficient and even more productive through our extensive AI portfolio. The new Lenovo ThinkCentre neo 55 Gen 6 family of desktop AI PCs offer a unique selection that adapts to individual business needs with personalized AI experiences, stable performance, scalability and data security."

When news first broke about the ASUS Xbox Ally gaming handheld, there was a lot of talk about Xbox abandoning its first-party hardware in favor of similar partnerships. Recent rumors refuted these suppositions already, but now a more official statement has been made by Sarah Bond, president of Xbox, in an interview with Variety. The executive explained that the decision to partner with ASUS for the Xbox Ally because the two could innovate and "transform the experience" more quickly and more innovatively working together rather than separately.

Bond goes on to say that, while the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally is meant to be just one tool in the Xbox gaming arsenal and that Xbox has not wavered in its development of next-gen console hardware. "We are 100% looking at making things in the future... We have our next-gen hardware in development." She also emphasized Microsoft's partnership with AMD, which was only just announced in June 2025 and would see the two companies collaborate to combine "the power of Ryzen and Radeon for consoles, handhelds, PCs, and cloud." She goes on to comment that there's "more innovation to come," hinting that Xbox would lean further into its handheld development, which will seemingly materialize in both hardware and software. Currently, it is expected that the next-gen Xbox console will arrive in 2027.

AMD is gearing up to introduce the "Zen 6" family of processors, with initial "Olympic Ridge" designs set to launch on the familiar AM5 socket. The company is staying true to its commitment to maintain socket compatibility across multiple generations, and Zen 6 is expected to follow suit. However, modern motherboards are increasingly equipped with larger BIOS ROM chips, moving from the standard 32 MB to 64 MB. Since the AM5 platform is intended to support several CPU generations, all the necessary microcode for various processors needs to be accommodated. This can lead to space constraints, and we've already seen some manufacturers drop support for older CPUs in newer BIOS versions to make room.

While companies have not been very clear about the reasons for this change, they often use marketing phrases like "Future CPU Ready" or "Ultimate Compatibility." Notably, ASUS mentioned "Zen 6" support in their materials for the X870 AYW GAMING WIFI W, which is intriguing since AMD has not officially confirmed Zen 6 compatibility with AM5. Over the weekend, a well-known hardware leaker, HXL, confirmed that both 600 and 800-series boards will support Zen 6, regardless of whether they have 32 MB or 64 MB BIOS chips. This is reassuring news. However, a lingering question remains: will manufacturers start dropping Zen 4 support on those 32 MB boards to make room, similar to what happened with first-generation Zen when Zen 3 launched on 16 MB boards? This is likely a significant concern for those purchasing motherboards now, and planning an upgrade later on when Zen 6 CPUs arrive.

ASUS today announced a groundbreaking collaboration with GoPro to streamline 360° video workflows from capture to editing. By combining GoPro's world-class capture technology with ASUS ProArt's creator-focused tools, the partnership reduces friction in the creative process and helps storytellers focus more on their craft. To celebrate the partnership, ASUS laptop customers will receive up to six months of GoPro Subscription Premium+, unlocking unlimited cloud storage, automatic highlight reels, and more.

World's first Windows app integrating GoPro Cloud and 360° media
StoryCube is an exclusive ASUS-engineered, AI-powered content-management solution. It's the world's first Windows app to support both GoPro Cloud media and 360° video. Integration with the GoPro Cloud allows users to view and download all their content directly from StoryCube. The exciting part is that users can preview native.360 files, whether stored locally or online. They can reframe GoPro MAX and MAX2 360 footage using the GoPro Player and then drag-and-drop from StoryCube for further editing in programs like Adobe Premiere Pro or CapCut (included for free subscription with ProArt laptops). In addition, it's also the world's first app for AI scene categorization in 360° video (including regular photos, videos and 360° video MP4/MOV). The AI scene feature helps users categorize popular GoPro activities such as biking, surfing, and snowboarding.

Industrial computing is rapidly evolving, with new demands for platforms that balance performance, energy efficiency, and long-term reliability. AMD is meeting this challenge with the introduction of Ryzen Embedded 9000 Series processors built for industrial PCs, automation systems, and machine vision applications. This new series delivers exceptional performance-per-watt, low latency, and the long-term stability required by industrial customers.

The versatility of Ryzen Embedded 9000 Series processors is evident across its target applications. For industrial PCs, it delivers a combination of performance, integrated graphics, and efficiency that are needed to power and sustain operation in harsh environments. In industrial control and automation, the processor provides the low-latency, high-throughput performance required for robotics, edge computing, and smart-factory operations. In machine vision, the combination of real-time AI inference and advanced video processing helps to ensure that tasks like defect detection, quality control, and test and measurement can be executed with exceptional precision and speed.

ASUS today announced ExpertCenter PN54-S1, a mini PC powered by the latest AMD Ryzen 200 Series processors. This mini PC handles everyday workloads easily, with robust performance and enterprise-grade security making it a reliable solution for businesses. With its 0.6-liter premium aluminium chassis, ExpertCenter PN54-S1 Mini PC offers exceptional capabilities in a small footprint, delivering a perfect combination of efficiency, flexibility, and 24/7 dependability.

Optimized for productivity and multitasking
The Ryzen 200 Series processor that powers ExpertCenter PN54-S1 Mini PC is built on the AMD Zen 4 architecture with up to eight high-performance CPU cores and support for up to 64 GB of memory, ensuring low-latency multitasking for daily workloads. ExpertCenter PN54-S1 Mini PC provides up to 16 AI TOPS for responsive processing of AI tasks to support local AI operations such as voice recognition, image enhancement, and real-time translation.

Attention all Jujutsu Kaisen 0 fans! Starforge Systems is excited to announce the launch of their all-new Limited Edition PC collection celebrating the iconic anime film, Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Featuring powerful components and striking artwork that stars the movie's cast, this collection is a must have, no matter how obsessed you are with Gojo.

The Jujutsu Kaisen 0 PC bundle ($2399.99) brings the world of Jujutsu Kaisen to life, and fans can now channel their inner sorcerer with the PC, desk mat and wall art from Starforge Systems' collection.

MSI has quietly pushed a long-awaited stable update for its Afterburner utility, turning years of beta evolution into an official v4.6.6 stable release that many in the PC community have been waiting for. The new build bundles a refreshed RivaTuner Statistics Server and folds a large number of previously experimental features into the supported release, bringing broader GPU compatibility, more flexible fan and power controls, and several important security fixes. Users will notice official handling for the newest GeForce RTX 50 series desktop cards, support for more complex multi-fan layouts, and added hooks for advanced voltage management on boards that expose those rails. Because some of the deeper hardware controls depend on how a card's firmware and driver behave, a subset of functionality will be most useful on partner designs engineered for overclocking. Additionally, unofficial RDNA 4 support is added, and since MSI doesn't offer RDNA 4 cards, it will remain unofficial.

Beyond device compatibility, the update modernizes the toolchain and usability, as the app now targets the current Visual C++ runtime, and older systems, such as Windows XP, are no longer supported. The installer approach minimizes bloat by fetching required runtime components when needed. The release also introduces UI polish, featuring new skins, localization improvements, and a simplified method for hiding integrated GPUs from the interface, along with an expanded voltage and frequency editor and increased on-screen telemetry capacity. The bundled statistics server gains many behind-the-scenes enhancements and security patches that improve stability and reduce risk.

MAINGEAR, the leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs, just dropped two groundbreaking additions to its APEX line: the all-new APEX FORCE and the upgraded fourth-generation APEX RUSH. These state-of-the-art gaming PCs redefine performance, cooling, and customization for the most discerning gamers.

APEX FORCE: There's No Replacement for Displacement (Starting at $7,469)
APEX FORCE features a full-tower chassis design based on the popular Phanteks NV9, concealed rear external cable management, and panoramic tempered glass panels trimmed with a diffused illuminated edge, that maximizes the premium aesthetics of the FORCE. Inside, it's immediately noticeable that MAINGEAR spent countless hours precisely engineering the revolutionary dual-loop APEX hardline cooling system with 10-degree offset tubing to perfectly align with the chassis' unique design language, making the FORCE a masterpiece of functional design and engineering. Upgradable RGB lighting accentuates the cooling components and premium hardware perfectly.

ASUS today announced ExpertCenter P600 AiO, the first ASUS all-in-one Copilot+ PC, designed to deliver next-generation AI performance for business. Powered by up to an AMD Ryzen AI 7 processor with up to 50 NPU TOPS, this 27-inch or 24-inch-class AiO combines immersive visuals, AI-enhanced collaboration and enterprise-grade security in a sleek and versatile design.

With its edge-to-edge touchscreen, adjustable stand options and built-in security features, ExpertCenter P600 AiO is engineered for the evolving needs of modern offices, retail counters and educational environments—empowering employees to work faster, collaborate smarter and stay more secure.

AMD has rolled out a public preview of ROCm 6.4.4 that finally lets PyTorch run natively on Windows and Linux for a broad swath of its consumer silicon. The update brings official framework support to Radeon RX 9000 (RDNA 4) and RX 7000 (RDNA 3) GPUs, as well as to select Ryzen AI 300 "Strix" and Ryzen AI MAX "Strix Halo" APUs, fulfilling a promise AMD made at Computex 2025 to make ROCm more cross-platform and developer-friendly. "At Computex this year, I shared our commitment to making ROCm a true cross-platform, developer-first stack. I said we'd bring ROCm to Radeon on Windows and Linux in the second half of 2025. I'm proud to say that today, we're delivering on that promise," says Andrej Zdravkovic, Senior Vice President and Chief Software Officer.

For Windows users, this is a genuine quality-of-life change: no more dual-booting, convoluted workarounds, or constant reliance on cloud instances to test and run AI models locally. AMD describes the release as a foundation rather than a finished product. The preview provides native PyTorch wheels, allowing developers to prototype, benchmark, and provide feedback while AMD iterates on performance and feature coverage. The company positions this step as part of a broader effort to extend ROCm beyond the data center and into the everyday machines of creators and developers. At the same time, enterprise customers continue to get higher-scale optimizations through the ROCm 7.0 family for Instinct and EPYC platforms. If community testing is successful, users can expect more frequent updates and enhanced Windows support in the next release cycle.

Previous leaks pertaining to the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally purported to reveal a retail price around the $550 mark, and as the official October 16 launch date approaches, a new leak disputes that price and adds that the gaming handheld will be available for pre-order as early as September 24. Pre-order pricing on the leaked documentation indicates a pre-order price of £499.99, which would convert to roughly $605 at the time of writing. While tech pricing almost never converts that linearly, the ASUS ROG Ally retails for £549.99 in the UK and $649.99 in the US, so the conversion more or less lines up. On the other hand, Xbox console pricing converts at a 1:1 ratio, although it seems as though ASUS will handle production, pricing, and distribution, so it seems unlikely that the Xbox Ally will follow Microsoft's pricing strategy.

The Reddit user who shared the information, u/FriendlyPharma, claims to work at UK retailer Argos and has shared promotional material that claims to contain the pre-order information for the ROG Xbox Ally with the AMD Ryzen Z2A. The Z2 Extreme is notably missing from the leak. The actual marketing materials make no mention of a pre-order date, but the redditor said in the September 23 post that pre-orders would start "tomorrow," meaning September 24. That said, no official announcement has been made, so if the leak is accurate, it would mean the pre-orders will likely open at midnight, making the supposed pre-order date September 25. While the leaked pre-order pricing is still significantly higher than the Steam Deck LCD price, it's dangerously close to the price of the Steam Deck OLED, which retails for $549, with the 1 TB version costing $649.

Beelink has officially released the EQR7 mini PC, which was previously limited to China, for global markets, and it pitches the mini PC as a quiet workstation PC for office use, although it should be more than capable of some light gaming workloads, as well. The EQR7 is only available with 32 GB of soldered LPDDR5 RAM in dual channel and a 1 TB 2280 M.2 SSD, but it can be had from Beelink directly with an AMD Ryzen 7 7735U for $339 or AMD Ryzen 5 7535U for $329. It is also available on Amazon, albeit at a slightly higher price. While RAM is soldered, the EQR7 has dual 2280 M.2 slots for expandable storage. Those AMD APUs mean that the EQR7 is available with up to an AMD Radeon 680M, which is more than capable of casual gaming, even if it is showing its age.

Despite the small form factor, measuring in at just 126 mm × 126 mm and 44.2 mm tall, the Beelink EQR7 features decent connectivity, with dual gigabit Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2. The physical ports include a front-mounted USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-A port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm combo audio jack. On the rear, there are dual HDMI 2.0 ports, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a solitary USB 2.0 port, alongside the aforementioned Ethernet ports and an AC power input. That AC power input also conveniently connects directly to the wall, with no power adapter necessary. There are no USB4 ports, so gamers can forget about connecting an eGPU for additional performance, but the EQR7 isn't really marketed as a gaming mini PC, to begin with. Beelink says that the MCS2.0 cooling system and the "silent" internal fan allow the EQR7 to operate at 32 dB, but it's unclear whether that is under load or at idle, so this claim should be taken with a grain of salt.

IBASE Technology Inc., a leading provider of rugged embedded and edge computing solutions, today introduced the MBB1001, a powerful ATX motherboard designed for embedded computing and industrial applications. Powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded 7000 Series processors and the B650 chipset, the MBB1001 delivers up to 128 GB DDR5-5200 ECC memory capacity, PCIe Gen 5 expansion, and dual NVMe RAID support for high-reliability embedded use cases including automation, smart retail, kiosks, robotics, and more.

The MBB1001 supports up to 128 GB of DDR5-5200 ECC memory (via 4 UDIMM slots), with dual-channel memory enabling enhanced stability under load. It offers triple independent display outputs (DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D), providing versatile graphics support in multi-monitor setups. It includes a rich expansion suite: PCIe Gen 5 x16, Gen 5 x4, Gen 4 x4, Gen 3 x1, plus a legacy PCI slot for long-life industrial add-on cards, giving integrators extended flexibility to tailor system capabilities with GPUs, accelerators, or I/O cards as needed.

Lenovo recently opened pre-orders for the Legion Go 2, the company's latest Windows gaming handheld, but it looks like the manufacturer underestimated the hype around the Legion Go 2. A number of reports on Reddit indicate that, despite confirming pre-orders, Lenovo has cancelled or delayed pre-orders for the Legion Go in numerous regions. Initially, pre-order confirmations indicated shipping dates in early October, but as the end of September approaches, more and more users have reported that their shipping dates are now closer to mid-November—delays range between five and ten weeks, just based on comments online. It seems as though the majority of the delayed pre-orders have been in the EU, and Lenovo has since had to admit that it will be cancelling some pre-orders in order to meet demand, indicating that it anticipates the stock shortage to last for more than just the immediate future.

Lenovo has admitted to the stock shortage, and it has closed pre-orders on the official Lenovo store and in stores across the US and EU until stock is available. In general, the stock shortage, and what many perceive as a poorly managed launch, has generated frustration in the handheld gaming community, with many prospective buyers going so far as to cancel their Legion Go 2 orders in favor of something like an MSI Claw A8 with the same AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. Others have opted to wait out the stock shortage, hoping that the five-week delay is the worst of it.

GMKtec today announced the global availability of its latest high-performance Mini PC, the NucBox M5 Ultra, on the Global website and European website. Designed for professionals, creators, and everyday users seeking performance in a compact form, the M5 Ultra delivers cutting-edge specifications with flexible configurations and worldwide power compatibility (Japan, US, EU, UK, AU).

The NucBox M5 Ultra is available in multiple configurations - Barebone, 16 GB RAM + 512 GB SSD, and 32 GB RAM + 1 TB SSD - allowing users to choose the ideal setup for their specific performance needs.

AMD has announced the Ryzen 5 5600F, a new six cores processor for the AM4 platform, nearly nine years after the socket's initial launch. According to VideoCardz, the 5600F is a lower-clocked variant of the existing Ryzen 5 5600, featuring a 3.0 GHz base clock and 4.0 GHz boost clock—300 MHz and 400 MHz lower than the standard 5600, respectively. The processor uses Vermeer (Zen 3 architecture) silicon instead of mobile Cezanne architecture, which means proper PCIe support and desktop-level performance features. It adds to AMD's extensive AM4 lineup, which now has over 24 processors just from the Ryzen 5000 series.

AMD launched its AM5 platform in 2022 with Ryzen 7000 series processors; however, to upgrade, you need new DDR5 memory and PCIe 5.0 motherboards. The ongoing AM4 support helps users who don't want to switch platforms. This makes sense because high-end AM4 processors like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D can still handle modern graphics cards at 1440p and 4K resolutions. AMD seems to aim the Ryzen 5 5600F at OEMs and system integrators for budget builds, not enthusiast upgrades. This new processor (probably the last for the AM4 platform) is another example of AMD keeping affordable options on its well-established platform, especially as any other higher-tier AM4 processors will most likely not be released.

At AMD event in China, AMD made bold claims that its latest Ryzen 9000X3D family can achieve the 1,000 FPS mark in competitive esports titles, marking a never-before-utilized marketing point. AMD pointed to three processors, the desktop Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and the mobile Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, as members of a so-called "1000 FPS Club." In demos shared by the company, six popular esports games were shown running above 1,000 FPS at 1080p: Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, Valorant, PUBG, Naraka: Bladepoint, and Marvel Rivals. AMD credits its 3D V-Cache design, which stacks extra cache directly on top of the compute die, for the unusually high frame rates. This pitch is clearly aimed at competitive players and teams that prize every millisecond of latency reduction, and AMD framed the results as proof that cache-boosted CPU design still matters for gaming performance.

For testing, AMD paired the X3D chips with high-end GPUs. NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090D reportedly topped 1,000 FPS in all six titles, while AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT reached that threshold only when running Valorant and League of Legends. The systems utilized DDR5 at 6000 MT/s with CL30 timings, Windows 11 with Smart Access Memory and virtualization features disabled to minimize any potential interference. AMD itself noted that current consumer monitors typically stop at around 720 Hz at smaller resolutions and that true 1,000 Hz panels are not yet available, so the announcement is mostly a technical showcase for now rather than a practical feature. Still, the extra headroom could matter in pro play where shaving input lag is everything.

ASUS today announced a new configuration of ProArt P16, its flagship Copilot+ PC for creators. Now featuring the ASUS Lumina Pro OLED touchscreen display - the best display in an ASUS laptop to date - ProArt P16 offers stunning color accuracy, visual clarity, seamless motion, and eye care for exceptional visuals. Combined with this best-in-class visual experience is a significant performance boost provided by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU for demanding creative tasks - most notably the acceleration of 10-bit 4:2:2 video workflows. Additionally, Copilot+ PC capabilities along with NVIDIA RTX AI acceleration, and exclusive ASUS AI tools like StoryCube and MuseTree empower creators to work smarter, faster, and more intuitively than ever.

Workstation-class Power
Driven by the latest AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, ProArt P16 makes light work of even the most demanding and resource-intensive professional tasks. Boasting up to 50 TOPS of NPU processing power, it accelerates AI-driven tasks, such as speech-to-text transcribing, auto sequence-framing, and scene-edit detection, so creators can focus on storytelling, not workflow. Meanwhile, 64 GB of lightning-fast LPDDR5X RAM and a 4 TB PCIe 4.0 upgradable SSD slash loading times, rapidly elevating projects to masterpieces, whenever and wherever.

MSI is finally bringing its legendary MPOWER series back to AMD platforms with the B850 MPOWER motherboard, which will officially launch in China on September 17 at 1,599 RMB, or 1,549 RMB for early buyers, with pre-orders starting tomorrow. At this year's Computex, we managed to catch a glimpse of the motherboard, which set nine overclocking records in live demonstrations, proving that MSI means business with this AMD comeback. The company had promised a Q3 launch, and they're delivering exactly on schedule with what appears to be a genuine enthusiast-grade platform rather than a half-hearted effort.

What makes this board special is the engineering underneath. MSI built this on an 8-layer server-grade PCB with 2oz copper foiling for serious thermal management, while the signature dual-DIMM design creates direct CPU-to-memory pathways that overclockers dream about. Interestingly, the newer Ryzen 9000 chips can achieve memory speeds of 8,400 MT/s or higher, while the older Ryzen 8000 processors can surpass 10,200 MT/s. The 12-phase VRM with 60 A stages and dual 8-pin CPU connectors delivers the clean power required for extreme performance. VRM phases are covered in low-profile heatsinks so that LN2 coolers, often large and chunky, don't interfere with motherboard elements, which would usually require removal and later thermal isolation. Connectivity options include 20 Gbps USB-C, Wi-Fi 7, and 5-gigabit Ethernet. MSI has even launched the "MPOWER D5 Alliance" with 12 memory manufacturers like G.SKILL and ADATA to ensure optimal compatibility, so buyers know which memory kits to use for maximum overclocking performance.

Today at Lenovo Innovation World 2025 Lenovo announced the newest entries to its lineup of gaming devices, consumer tablets and software, including a host of new AMD-powered Legion and LOQ devices, monitors and software—including the new Lenovo Legion Go (8.8", 2), as well as the new Legion Pro 7 equipped with AMD's Ryzen 9000 HX series processors. Rounding out the new gaming lineup are a trio of Legion Pro OLED gaming monitors for gamers who demand clarity, speed, and color accuracy, as well as a free software update to the Legion Glasses Gen 2 first announced at CES 2025 with 3D conversion support for over 20 AAA games and counting. The new Yoga Tab and Idea Tab Plus are designed to be the ultimate companions for on-the-go digital natives who need creative and productivity devices that are both portable and powerful.

These newly announced products represent Lenovo's commitment to customer-focused innovation, taking user feedback to design and deliver products that address people's needs while driving the industry innovation forward.

AMD is expanding its AM5 lineup with two iGPU-less "Granite Ridge" processors, which have been spotted in retailer feeds, indicating a likely near-term launch. ShopBLT listed the Ryzen 7 9700F and Ryzen 5 9500F, with the 9700F shown as an eight-core, 16-thread part with a 65-watt TDP, priced at $294, and the 9500F listed as a six-core, 12-thread part with a 65-watt TDP, priced at $218. Both chips were previously hinted at in motherboard BIOS updates and benchmarking logs, and they were widely expected during the late summer window. AMD has not confirmed dates, but seeing retail listings in September after an August forecast suggests the company is close to announcing availability. For builders who do not require integrated graphics, these F variants offer the same core counts and thermal envelopes, relying on a discrete GPU instead. Retail availability could surface within the coming weeks.

The pricing snapshot is currently painting a messy picture. Retail and distributor feeds sometimes show placeholder numbers, and early listings do not always match final street prices. For context, the 9700X is currently listed near the $329 range, while six-core parts have been trading under $200 in some channels. Since F variants lack an iGPU, they are usually positioned below their iGPU-equipped siblings, but the ShopBLT figures do not yet paint a consistent picture. In terms of performance, the two F SKUs are expected to match their non-F counterparts since the architectural configuration appears the same. Official AMD product pages and independent reviews should settle the details shortly, so we are waiting to see if these new SKUs make sense for AMD to add to the AM5 product family.

ASRock released BIOS version 3.40 for its AMD 800-series motherboards, presenting the update as a general stability and compatibility refresh for memory and CPU operation, while subtly addressing the AM5 socket burn issue. The release notes claim improved memory compatibility and system stability, as well as enhanced CPU operating stability, without explicitly mentioning socket or CPU burns. Reported differences include a fixed Load Line Calibration setting for the SoC at level 3, instead of Auto, and a default SoC voltage of around 1.20 volts, which lowers the likelihood of voltage spikes and sustained overvoltage. Those changes suggest that the new firmware will attempt to maintain operating parameters closer to conservative limits, which in turn would reduce stress on sensitive Ryzen 9000-series X3D processors that some users have found to be more susceptible to socket burning on certain boards.

AMD has previously blamed motherboard vendors and BIOS ODMs for this behavior, which suggests that motherboard vendors use ODM BIOS that do not adhere to AMD's official specifications. For ASRock motherboard owners, even if you are not experiencing unexplained instability, consider applying the update while following ASRock's official flashing instructions and backing up critical data. For users with already damaged processors, a BIOS update cannot reverse any hardware failure/burn, but 3.40 may reduce the chance of further incidents by enforcing safer defaults. We are monitoring user reports for the ASRock motherboard model to determine if this release effectively resolves the issue.