Intel is reportedly preparing two new processor SKUs focused on extremely low-power computing. The first, called "Moon Lake," is designed as a pure low-power efficiency (LPE) core SoC. The "Moon Lake" generation features no P-Cores and up to 4 "Darkmont" LPE-Cores on the Intel 18A die. Unlike "Wildcat Lake," which includes at least 2 P-Cores, "Moon Lake" is intended to be a much smaller design for embedded devices like NAS. The base power of "Moon Lake" is reportedly rated at 6 W, similar to an SoC typically used in smartphones. The number of Xe3 cores in this SKU is unknown, but since "Wildcat Lake" has up to 2 Xe3 cores, we expect "Moon Lake" to have half of that to maintain its 6 W TDP. Intel has manufactured "Moon Lake" on its 18A node and placed it on the BGA1516 package, the same platform used by "Wildcat Lake." The official moniker for "Moon Lake" is MNL, and it could be a successor to the N-Series, like the previous "Alder Lake-N" series of low-power processors.

Additionally, Intel is preparing an overhaul of "Wildcat Lake" with the new "Wildcat Lake Refresh." When Intel launched the Core 300 Series "Wildcat Lake" earlier this year, these processors came with up to 2 P-Cores, 4 E-Cores, and up to 2 Xe3 GPU cores, with a package reaching up to 35 W. However, the new "Wildcat Lake Refresh" is expected to increase the number of P-Cores to 4 while keeping the same base microarchitecture of "Cougar Cove" and maintaining 4 "Darkmont" LPE-Cores. The integrated graphics remain similar, with up to 2 Xe3 cores. Importantly, this refresh adds support for Intel's vPro technology, meaning that enterprise customers are in for a surprise with a new low-cost option for their PCs.

An engineering sample of AMD's never-released Ryzen 9 5900X3D has surfaced on the Chinese forum Chiphell, and it looks quite different from the prototype AMD has shown before. The 12-core, 24-thread Zen 3 chip carries the code 100-000000652 and reports 128 MB of L3 cache, split as 96 MB on one CCD and 32 MB on the other. That means only one of its two six-core chiplets has the 64 MB 3D V-Cache stack. The Ryzen 9 5900X3D and 5950X3D prototypes that AMD showed to Gamers Nexus in 2023 had cache stacked on both CCDs, for 192 MB in total. The single-stack layout apparently lets the chip clock higher. CPU-Z screenshots from the owner show it running at around 4.7 GHz with a 105 W TDP, while the dual-stack 5900X3D topped out at a 4.4 GHz boost.

Getting it to boot took some effort, though. The sample reportedly refuses to work on current BIOS versions and only started with an older one carrying SMU firmware 56.70.0. The owner has apparently asked ASRock to add support in a newer BIOS. At retail, the Zen 3 X3D lineup started with the eight-core Ryzen 7 5800X3D in 2022 and never included a dual-CCD chip. Interestingly, the one-CCD approach seen here is the same one AMD later used for its Ryzen 9 X3D chips on AM5, before the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition put cache on both chiplets this year. AMD hasn't confirmed anything about this sample, of course, but it's interesting to see from an archival standpoint.

AMD has published the full EPYC 9006 "Venice" lineup on its product page, listing specifications and 1,000-unit pricing for all 31 Zen 6 server processors across the SP7 and SP8 platforms. Prices start at $700 for the 8-core EPYC 9016 and top out at $14,904 for the 256-core EPYC 9996. AMD says the specifications are subject to change. The EPYC 9996 is the flagship, with 256 Zen 6c cores and 512 threads, a 2.55 GHz base clock, up to 4.1 GHz boost, 1 GB of L3 cache, and a default CPU power of 600 W (configurable from 400 W to 600 W). That works out to roughly $58 per core, and it costs about the same as the 192-core EPYC 9965 did at launch, which was around $14,800.

The SP7 platform covers nine chips, from the 64-core EPYC 9556 at $8,008 up to the 9996. The 22 chips on the SP8 platform run from 8 cores up to the 128-core EPYC 9746 at $11,679. AMD has also retired TDP as its power label for this generation, using "Default CPU Power" instead. SP7 systems are expected in Q4 2026, with SP8 following in the first half of 2027. These are 1Ku prices, so what OEMs charge for complete systems will probably look quite different. Nevertheless, it looks like the EPYC 9996 is the one to watch for this generation, especially after AMD's claims of beating NVIDIA's Vera CPUs by a significant margin.

We recently covered a low-profile GeForce RTX 3060 that was spotted in a Bilibili video from China. Now, a very similar single-slot GeForce RTX 3060 with no external power connector is available to buy at a major retailer. The SRhonyra RTX 3060 Low Profile showed up on Newegg for $495.59, and it's built to run entirely off the PCIe x16 slot's own power budget. It keeps the full 12 GB of GDDR6 and the GA106 die, but drops the 6-pin and 8-pin connectors a standard RTX 3060 needs to hit its 170 W TDP. Newegg lists a 70 W TDP for this card, which is just under the 75 W that the PCIe slot can provide by itself.

It features a single-slot blower cooler, and just one HDMI 2.1 and one DisplayPort 1.4a output on the card. Similar to the Bilibili card, this one also required shunt-modding the power-sensing circuit, since the 70 W TDP is below the 100 W floor the RTX 3060 can normally reach through undervolting alone. Although we don't have any performance figures for this particular card, we do have a reference point. Testing on a similar card showed the clocks struggling to reach 900 MHz against a rated 1,777 MHz boost, with 3DMark Time Spy scores around half of a normal RTX 3060 and even behind a GTX 1060.

Someone in China has taken the GeForce RTX 3060 and stripped it down to run entirely off the PCIe slot, with no 6-pin or 8-pin connector in sight. A Bilibili creator going by WestmereX shared the card, first spotted by UNIKO's Hardware, showing a single-slot, low-profile design about the size of a smartphone, with just one HDMI and one DisplayPort output. The card uses a blower-style cooler with a single fan that's pushing hot air out the back. The shroud itself is a thin metal sheet handling all the heat dissipation, with no fin stack, no backplate, and only a basic heatsink in the middle.

The PCIe slot tops out at 75 W, well under the RTX 3060's stock 170 W TDP, so apparently getting there required a shunt mod to fool the card's power-sensing circuit into accepting the lower limit. The results aren't pretty at all. Clock speeds barely creep past 900 MHz despite a rated 1,777 MHz boost, and the card posted just 4,821 points in 3DMark Time Spy. That's well behind the roughly 9,000 a standard RTX 3060 manages, and even below older cards like the GTX 1060 and RX 580.

Brazilian YouTube group TecLab has bypassed the RTX 5090's notorious melting problem in the most direct way possible. The group removed the 16-pin connector from the equation entirely and soldered power wires straight onto the PCB. The demonstration used a Galax RTX 5090D HOF OC LAB XOC, an extreme-overclocking variant with two 16-pin inputs and a custom BIOS rated for up to 2,000W, far above the 575W TDP of a standard RTX 5090. TecLab framed the mod as a sarcastic jab at NVIDIA, saying that enthusiasts are tired of hearing about connectors melting and that they wanted to show how it should have been done from the start.

The team stripped the card's stock cooler entirely, running the bare GPU under an industrial liquid chiller with two loosely mounted fans for extra airflow. Two adapters converted standard 16-pin PSU cables into bare wires, which were then soldered directly onto the connector traces on the board. No temperature readings were shared, but a roughly 50A draw on the 12V rail put the card at around 600W during testing, and it booted and ran benchmarks without issue.

The latest mVolt+ v0.36 update added a number of video card power and voltage management features that appear to make it possible to bypass the stock power limits of some NVIDIA RTX 50-series GPUs without the typical shunt mod or flashing a new vBIOS. Using the new capabilities, one user on r/Overclocking on Reddit claims to have reached 700 W total power draw on their NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, scoring 16,523 points in 3DMark Steel Nomad in the process. That's a 125 W up from a stock 5090 TDP of 575 W.

Based on the screenshots of the aforementioned 3DMark benchmark, the GPU topped out at 3,127 MHz, which is a substantial 720 MHz higher than the reference design's 2,407 MHz clock speed. Another user, reporting their results to VideoCardz, managed to overclock an ASUS ROG Astral NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 OC to draw a total of 680 W, up from a stock TDP of 400 W—although this can be increased to 450 W with an official tool. In this case, the user notes that there is no shunt mod in use.

According to the latest information shared by long-time Intel leaker Jaykihn, Intel's upcoming Xeon 7 "Diamond Rapids" will feature a flagship SKU with up to 256 P-Cores. This contradicts previous reports suggesting that Intel's flagship Xeon 7 SKU would be limited to 192 P-Cores and 192 threads, as this generation does not include Hyper-Threading. From Intel's VLSI Symposium 2026 presentation, we learned that "Diamond Rapids" includes four Compute tiles, also known as "core building blocks" (CBBs), each built on the Intel 18A-P foundry node. Each Compute tile contains a CPU complex with 48 "Panther Cove" P-Cores and an L3 cache localized to the tile. However, a 256-core design implies CBBs with 64 cores each and possibly a larger L3 cache.

Using Intel's latest 18A-P node, the "Diamond Rapids" CBBs are expected to achieve a 9% increase in performance at the same power level compared to the standard 18A node, or an 18% power reduction at the same performance level. Since Intel aims for maximum performance, we can expect these improvements to enhance performance further or to optimize power consumption with the additional cores. Earlier claims suggested a 500 W TDP design for 192 P-Core version, featuring 16 DDR5 memory channels and running on a new LGA-9324 socket on the "Oak Stream" platform. However, a 256-core design could go much higher, and cooling manufacturers have indicated 800+ W TDP designs for this socket.

GMKtec has been moving fast with its SFF PC launches, with its latest compact PC, the Neo-X1 and Neo-X1 Pro, reportedly packing some impressive gaming power at an equally high price. The new mini PC uses a mobile AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX in the regular X-1 or an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D in the Pro model, both of which are 16-core, 32-thread CPUs with 55 W TDPs. The Pro comes with an NVIDIA RTX 5070 12 GB, and the non-Pro variant uses an RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB.

The GMKtec Neo series is also water cooled by a built-in AIO, but it's currently not known if that only includes both the CPU and the GPU. The chassis of the Neo series measures in at a very compact 14.6 L, although the company has not yet shared exact dimensions. It features a minimalist design with two metal grab handles on the top, and what looks to be a completely closed off front panel. The front panel has two USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack, although exact speeds of the front panel I\O is not yet known.

With Moore's Law off the rails and as the computing industry becomes more dependent on liquid cooling, and pressure to make cooling as water-efficient as possible, a need has arisen to make liquid cooling more efficient, so heat from today's high-TDP components such as AI GPUs and high core-count server CPUs can be better dissipated to coolant. Enplas is a company that specializes in injection molding manufacturing, and has invented new ways to create pure-copper cold plates for water blocks with new forms of microfin lattices (where the coolant interacts with the heat source inside the block).

Enplas's original design calls for a topology-optimized design. The copper structure in the glass plate below (next to the ruler) is a scale-out exaggeration of what the fin-lattice looks like. Coolant is made to flow through channels of interweaving copper that make up significantly higher surface area for heat dissipation than a traditional extruded copper microfin lattice created by slicing a block of copper would.

Enermax at the 2026 Computex showed off its latest cooling, casing, and power supply innovations. The most interesting exhibit is its PFA (pump-free AIO) liquid CPU cooler. This closed-loop liquid CPU cooler uses Daikin's DAISAVE SF-49, a coolant that vaporizes at 49°C, and uses vapor pressure to circulate itself within the loop, all the way from the block to the radiator, where it's condensed, and returned to the block. A PFA with 360 mm radiator is capable of handling thermal loads of up to 900 W TDP, Enermax claims.

Enermax also demonstrated Daikin's DAISAVE SF-49 in a sealed, liquid-immersion case called Cirrus Mk II. The non-conductive liquid is seen bubbling into vapor since the components are hotter than 49°C. The vapors then make their way to a heatsink that transfers heat to air via ventilation. The condensate then makes its way back down. Sticking with cooling products, Enermax unveiled its PF-II series 120 mm fan. This 28 mm-thick fan offers industrial-grade performance, and is recommended for radiator applications. It uses a liquid-crystal polymer impeller, a 6-pole motor, and hydro dynamic bearings. The frames of these fans are made of an aluminium alloy.

AMD has formally launched the EPYC 8005 series, codenamed "Sorano" after its announcement at MWC 2026 back in February, and now the full details are in. The new lineup succeeds the EPYC 8004 "Siena" family and sits between the high-end EPYC 9005 and the entry-level EPYC 4005, targeting single-socket low-power platforms with eight to 84 Zen 5 cores across a 95 W to 225 W TDP range. The flagship is the EPYC 8635P featuring 84 cores, 168 threads, 384 MB of L3 cache, and a 225 W TDP with a 1.6 GHz base clock. Compared to its 64-core EPYC 8004 predecessor, AMD claims 40% higher integer performance and 9.5% better performance per watt. Against Intel's 40-core Xeon 6716P-B at 235 W, it offers 2.1 times the core count (84 vs 40), a 10 W lower TDP (225 W vs 235 W), and 91% higher integer performance. AMD also claims 48% better integer performance per CPU watt per dollar versus Intel 72-core Xeon 6776P-B in a single-socket configuration.

The full lineup spans seven SKUs, from the 8-core EPYC 8025P at 95 W up to the 84-core 8635P at 225 W. All models are single-socket only and support six channels of DDR5-6400 ECC memory with up to 3 TB total capacity, 96 lanes of PCIe Gen 5, and full AVX-512 support. AMD is positioning the 8005 series around dense edge deployments and software-defined storage workloads. In those scenarios, core density, I/O bandwidth and power efficiency matter more than raw single-threaded performance.

AMD's China store on JD has just started accepting pre-orders for the upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition desktop processor. Priced at an MSRP of $899, this model is $200 more expensive than the launch MSRP of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. In China, AMD's store requires pre-orders with a deposit of 100 RMB, which counts as 300 RMB towards the final payment due to the "early bird" pre-order benefit. The final payment will be made on April 22, the planned retail launch date. Additionally, at launch, the processor will be available both as retail PIB (processor in box) packages and as part of pre-built gaming desktops by popular OEMs and system integrators. Currently, no Western stores offer pre-orders for this CPU, either in the United States or Europe. Most likely, these stores will start accepting orders on April 22. Some, like B&H, have a placeholder to notify customers when it becomes available.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is a 16-core, 32-thread processor built on the "Zen 5" microarchitecture and features 3D V-Cache technology, with stacked 3D V-Cache on both of its 8-core chiplets. This configuration results in an on-package L3 cache of 192 MB and a total cache (L2+L3) of 208 MB. In comparison, the 9950X3D has 3D V-Cache on only one of its two CCDs and relies on software-based OS scheduler guidance to ensure gaming workloads are directed to the CCD with 3D V-Cache. As a result, this new processor is more suited for productivity and workstation tasks, while the 9950X3D remains focused on gaming. Aside from the cache differences, the 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is mostly similar to the 9950X3D, except its maximum boost frequency is 5.60 GHz, which is 100 MHz lower than the 9950X3D, and it has a higher TDP of 200 W compared to the 170 W of the 9950X3D. While technically compatible with any Socket AM5 motherboard, support requires UEFI firmware updates from motherboard vendors.

NVIDIA has added another graphics card to its server lineup, this time in the form of a passively cooled, single-slot RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server Edition GPU. The company positions this release as a highly efficient GPU for compute-dense environments. It comes with 10,496 CUDA cores, 82 Ray Tracing cores, and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory running on a 256-bit bus, providing 800 GB/s of memory bandwidth, all within a total graphics power of 165 W. This specification is similar to the current RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell with an active dual-slot cooler but saves a few watts of TGP, as the actively-cooled edition has a 200 W TGP. The difference in TGP is attributed to higher-binned "Blackwell" GB203 dies with better frequency tuning, resulting in a similar performance target for this GPU. This server edition SKU also reduces memory bandwidth, running the 32 GB GDDR7 modules at 25 Gbps effective, while the regular blower-style RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell uses full 28 Gbps modules.

This server edition SKU is designed for server configurations that require hyper-dense setups, where a single-slot solution will be cooled by high-RPM server fans. For example, server farms could install a dozen of these GPUs in parallel within a single system, stacking them as long as there are available PCIe slots. High airflow chassis would push air through the passively cooled GPU shroud, cooling the 165 W TGP. Interestingly, this is not even the most efficient GB203 bin with 10,496 CUDA cores, as NVIDIA offers a GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile GPU SKU with only a 95 W TDP. However, that comes at the cost of some clock speeds, which are still unknown for the newest RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell Server Edition GPU.

NVIDIA is reportedly preparing to update its GeForce RTX 5050 GPU with a new variant featuring 9 GB of GDDR7 memory. A well-known leaker on X, @kopite7kimi, confirmed that the upcoming card will maintain the same 130 W TDP and thermal envelope as the current GeForce RTX 5050, which has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The current RTX 5050 uses 8 GB of 20 Gbps GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320 GB/s of bandwidth. The new model is expected to use three modules of GDDR7 memory, each with 3 GB of capacity, resulting in a total of 9 GB across a 96-bit memory bus. While the narrower bus decreases the interface width, the switch to new 28 Gbps GDDR7 memory would increase total memory bandwidth to 336 GB/s, a roughly 5% improvement, along with a 12.5% boost in VRAM capacity. The new leak also claims that NVIDIA is using GB206 as a GPU base, while the older RTX 5050 8 GB with GDDR6 used GB207 die. However, the core count remains at 2,560 CUDA cores, suggesting that lower-binned GB206 dies found in RTX 5060 and other mid-range SKUs are repurposed for the new RTX 5050.

NVIDIA's switch to GDDR7 memory likely helps the company manage supply chain procurement better, as memory modules are in short supply. Instead of using four GDDR6 modules with 2 GB capacity each, NVIDIA is switching to three modules of GDDR7 with 3 GB capacity each, reducing the number of memory modules needed for this GPU. Interestingly, memory makers like Samsung, Micron, and SK hynix could now produce more of the 3 GB GDDR7 modules, with GDDR6 being in much shorter supply, forcing manufacturers to focus on the newer memory technology while GPU makers have to adapt. This has resulted in a situation where procuring three modules of 3 GB GDDR7 memory is now easier than finding a sufficient supply of GDDR6 modules, which NVIDIA needs to secure for each RTX 5050 GPU. As we approach Computex 2026, this GPU is expected to arrive sometime during that period.

AMD has reportedly stopped driver updates for its Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU solution for handheld consoles, according to the latest Lenovo Korea update. This means that only after 2 and a half years, AMD is pulling support for its SoC, leaving many enthusiasts in a difficult spot. Confirmation from multiple sources are piling up as Reddit users and customers of other handheld consoles are stating that support for their specific devices, based on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC, are also stuck using drivers that are several months old. For example, a user has commented that his ASUS ROG Ally non-X version based on the Ryzen Z1 Extreme SoC has been stuck with six-month-old SoC drivers from August 2025. This means that AMD has effectively placed the Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme chips into a periodic update window, with no latest driver support coming to this 2023 SoC.

However, the situation is quite complex. OEMs like Lenovo and ASUS receive drivers from AMD and test them for their specific configurations. AMD offers configurable TDP (cTDP) for the Z1 Extreme with values ranging from 9 to 30 W. This means that OEMs can get a SoC with reduced clocks and power settings to match their desired handheld designs, or simply run the most aggressive 30 W configuration that will sacrifice some battery life but deliver overall higher CPU and GPU clocks. Hence, drivers must be tested to ensure they work properly on the specific TDP configuration by the OEM before they are installed by the user. Finding the "blame" is proving to be difficult, as it could be that AMD is not bothering with new updates, or OEMs are not eager to test their specific configurations.

Thanks to a new table specification matrix published by a known leaker Jaykihn on X, we are seeing the final specifications of Intel's long-rumored "Bartlett Lake-S" Core 200E family of CPUs with P-Cores only. This platform is designed to fit inside Intel's LGA-1700 socket, but from a consumer standpoint represents a non-existent product that will not reach their hands, as Intel has abandoned the plan to launch this highly anticipated gamer CPU. Instead, Intel will only offer it for its edge and embedded products. At the top of the stack is the Core 9 273 PQE SKU, which is a 12 P-Core variant with 24 threads and a base frequency of 3.4 GHz. This model can boost all of its 12 cores to 5.3 GHz, while a single thread can go up to 5.9 GHz independently for tasks that require intensive single-threaded performance. It is equipped with 36 MB of L3 cache and an integrated GPU with 32 EUs of Xe-LP graphics.

Interestingly, the entire lineup is separated into three categories. One is a high-TDP PQE with a base power of 125 W, while the middle PE models are 65 W designs with lower clocks. The weakest models are the PTE SKUs that have a TDP of 45 W, which are more ideal for edge deployments where power/efficiency is the most important factor. Across the lineup, there are versions with 8, 10, and 12 cores, all with Hyper-Threading for 16, 20, and 24 threads. Some SKUs from the PE and PTE lineups do not enjoy Intel vPro and ECC memory support, while the PQE high-power SKUs are all equipped with vPro and ECC memory support. You can check out the complete table comparison and product segmentation below for more specific information on different models.

Akasa has expanded its H6L(S) low-profile CPU cooler lineup with six new entries. To be more precise, there are five models and one additional color variant. The lineup includes the Viper H6L M2, SOHO H6L M2, Alucia H6L M2, and Alucia H6LS M2. These new coolers are targeting compact and SFF systems, offering cooling capacities up to 165 W TDP at heights ranging from 67.2 mm to 77.6 mm. All models use a black aluminium heatsink paired with six copper heatpipes and a top-down airflow design. Akasa says the coolers are intended for high-performance CPUs in space-constrained builds, including Mini-ITX and thin Mini-ITX systems, while the footprint is optimized to ensure full RAM clearance on all memory slots. Socket support covers Intel LGA1851, LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA115x, and AMD AM5 and AM4. The T5 ProGrade+ thermal compound from Akasa is included.

The Viper H6L M2 focuses on airflow, using an S-FLOW fan design and supporting up to 165 W TDP in a 76 mm profile. It is available with black or white fans. The SOHO H6L M2 adds addressable RGB lighting, supports up to 160 W TDP, and uses a 120 mm fan with hydro-dynamic bearings. It comes in black (Dusk) and white (Dawn) variants. The Alucia H6L M2 focuses on keeping low-noise levels while offering up to 160 W TDP cooling in a 77.6 mm profile. The lineup also includes the Alucia H6LS M2, aimed at ultra-compact builds with strict height limits. Standing just 67.2 mm tall, it supports CPUs up to 150 W TDP, making it one of the smallest six-heatpipe coolers in the Akasa portfolio. It is designed for SFF cases with sub-70 mm clearance and is now available in both Photic Blue and a new Hadal Black finish.

Late last month, AMD's speculated Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 and Ryzen 7 9850X3D gaming CPUs reportedly moved closer to becoming a reality. A series of late 2025 leaks have pointed to an eventual introduction of expanded Ryzen 9000 series "Zen 5" desktop product range; possibly at this week's CES trade show. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D SKU has broken cover on numerous occasions, even emerging very briefly from an official source last November. Fresh sleuthing activities have focused on a French e-tailer: LDLC—as evidenced by VideoCardz receiving a tip-off earlier today. The LDLC webstore has inadvertently listed Team Red's not-yet-launched Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU model, in retail and tray (OEM) forms. Both product pages bear the same release date: January 29, 2026.

Also, a very specific "3 PM" local launch time is mentioned. No pricing details are outlined (at the time of writing), but basic specifications seem to align with past leaks—again, we are looking at an 8-core 16-thread "Granite Ridge" processor, destined for the AM5 socket. Additionally, the two active pages outline base 4.7 GHz and turbo/boost 5.6 GHz clocks, (a total of) 104 MB of 3D V-Cache, a 4 nm node process, and a 120 W TDP rating. Mid-way through December, a Swiss shop presented a $553 price point (by mistake)—positioning the new chip about $70 over the related Ryzen 7 9800X3D SKU (at launch MSRP). Interestingly, the LDLC site does not list the more mysterious Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 SKU.

Update: A VideoCardz follow-up report claims/re-confirms that AMD's Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor will arrive at retail outlets on January 29 (9 am EST), based on information in a leaked sales embargo document. Apparently, no pre-sales are permitted—meaning that pre-orders will not be opened up when reviews start appearing online.

At CES 2026, Sapphire introduced its latest motherboard featuring AMD's Ryzen AI Embedded P132 APU. This APU includes six "Zen 5" cores with 12 threads, achieving a boost frequency of 4.5 GHz, and offers a configurable TDP ranging from 15 W to 54 W. It also integrates an RDNA 3.5 iGPU and an XDNA 2 NPU for local AI processing. Additionally, Sapphire's EDGE+ VPR-7P132 motherboard includes an unexpected accelerator: AMD's Versal AI Edge Series Gen 2 FPGA, which allows the motherboard to process various external signals and create custom data paths as needed. Designed for industrial PCs that require continuous operation, this motherboard is ideal for applications such as smart cameras with sensor fusion and industrial robotics.

ASUS today announced ASUS ExpertCenter P500 Mini Tower (PM500MH), a high-performance desktop PC for that's designed to redefine value and performance for small businesses. With the new ASUS Tower Air Cooler thermal design and powered by the latest up to AMD Ryzen 7 processor, P500 Mini Tower unleashes up to 45 W TDP—delivering 40% better peak performance than competitors in its class.

Security is paramount with ExpertCenter P500 Mini Tower, so it's backed by the reassurance of multiple ASUS ExpertGuardian protections. This powerhouse meets commercial-grade standards with a NIST SP 800-155-compliant BIOS, while ASUS assures at least five years of BIOS and driver updates to protect critical data. Enhanced with ASUS AI ExpertMeet, part of the ASUS MyExpert suite, ExpertCenter P500 Mini Tower revolutionizes virtual meetings through advanced AI tools like real-time translation and automated summaries, making collaboration seamless. With an optional up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 graphics, this new desktop also supports high-end visuals and demanding graphical tasks.

AMD has quietly introduced a new RDNA 4 SKU targeting lower overall GPU power consumption. According to the updated website listing, AMD has released the Radeon RX 9060 XT Low-Power GPU SKU, designed to fit within a reduced TDP envelope. With a TDP of 140 W, AMD recommends a minimum power supply of 450 W. The card features 32 Compute Units (CUs), 2,048 Stream Processors (SPs), 32 ray tracing accelerators, 64 AI accelerators, 128 texture units, and 64 ROPs, all on a die with 29.7 billion transistors. This is 20 W lower than the standard Radeon RX 9060 XT SKU, which also has 32 CUs and 2,048 SPs but operates at a 160 W TDP.

Memory and I/O specifications remain consistent for this class. The RX 9060 XT LP comes with up to 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit memory interface, supported by 32 MB of AMD Infinity Cache, and offers an advertised memory speed of up to 20 Gbps for a peak bandwidth of up to 320 GB per second. Display outputs include DisplayPort 2.1a and HDMI 2.1b. The card supports modern codecs and formats, including AV1 encode and decode, H.264 and H.265 encode and decode, and 4K HDMI support.

A mysterious "OneXPlayer X1 i" handheld gaming device has leaked out via benchmark result databases. Pre-launch leaks indicate the presence of an Intel "Core Ultra 5 338H" APU within evaluated hardware. PC hardware news outlets have focused on an intriguing FurMark 2 diagnostic—published around mid-November, but brought to light by momomo_us this week. Driver information points to "Panther Lake-H" processor test subjects being engineering samples, and quick interpretations of benchmark data demonstrate performance lagging behind previous-gen equivalents. Tom's Hardware compared the leaked results to archived "Lunar Lake" (Xe-LPG+) and "Arrow Lake" (Xe2-LPG) scores in GPU Magick's database.

"Xe3 iGPU scoring 2383 points in Furmark's benchmark test at a reported max boost clock of up to 2300 MHz, and up to 36 watts of power—possibly for the entire APU. However, the GPU is outperformed by Intel's outgoing Arc 140V and 140T counterparts, with the 140 V scoring 2736 points and the 140T scoring 2398 points, respectively...Both 140-series iGPUs operate at between 10 and 12 watts (below the next-gen design's 35 W TDP), making the B370 worse on energy efficiency as well." The Arc B370 integrated solution is touted as being part of an entry-level package. Curiously, Intel's official slides—from two months ago—only outline a "smaller four-Xe-core GPU tile" and a "larger twelve-Xe-core version." The early "Core Ultra 5 338H" candidates seem to leverage a "somewhere between" 10-core iGPU design. The Arc B370's apparent "B-series" designation adds extra confusion—"B" is normally associated with the "Battlemage" generation, but recent Team Blue declarations have "Panther Lake" Xe3 iGPUs not categorized as using next-gen "Celestial" graphics architecture.

Fresh evidence of AMD's upcoming Ryzen 7 9850X3D CPU has been found in an NBD shipping manifest. This afternoon, Olrak29 shared another block of information: part number (DVTP/N) 100-1000001973-00 and a TDP rating of 120 W. Late last month, they spotted Team Red's "official" publication of placeholder material—indicating the new 3D V-Cache-augmented "Granite Ridge" product's boost capability (up to 5.6 GHz) and a 120 W power envelope.

Since then, AMD's French website no longer displays this information. Returning to aforementioned shipment documentation (dated October 18), the much-leaked 8-core Ryzen 7 9850X3D SKU shares many credentials (including a 120 W TDP) with the reigning gaming CPU champion: 9800X3D. To no surprise, the new contender is expected to do slightly better in benchmarks, thanks to a +400 MHz advantage. In theory, higher-binned dies have been deemed worthy of an elevated (+50) moniker. The next "Granite Ridge" Zen 5-based flagship—16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 SKU—has turned up in parallel leaks. Speculated timelines could lead to both models receiving a proper introduction at CES 2026, followed by a potential mid-January launch at retail outlets.

AMD has launched an official website placeholder for the Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor, which was leaked in October. As a part of the "Granite Ridge" Ryzen 9000 X3D series, AMD is reportedly developing two additional updates to the lineup. One is a flagship model, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, and the other is a refined eight-core, 16-thread X3D design. Today, AMD's website confirms the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads, 96 MB of L3 cache, and a boost clock up to 5.6 GHz, with a 120 W power envelope. This represents a 400 MHz increase over the Ryzen 7 9800X3D model, which has the same cache and core configuration. AMD is likely using higher-binned dies it has saved over the past few months to offer a better alternative to Intel's upcoming "Arrow Lake Refresh," scheduled for early 2026, and "Nova Lake," scheduled for late 2026.

However, details about the new flagship model, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2, featuring 16 cores and 32 threads, remain uncertain. 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. Today only the higher-clocked Ryzen 7 9850X3D is confirmed by AMD, so we might have to wait on the dual-chiplet X3D2 SKU a bit more.