The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) today announced that it has released version 2.0 of the DisplayPort (DP) audio/video standard. DP 2.0 is the first major update to the DisplayPort standard since March 2016, and provides up to a 3X increase in data bandwidth performance compared to the previous version of DisplayPort (DP 1.4a), as well as new capabilities to address the future performance requirements of traditional displays. These include beyond 8K resolutions, higher refresh rates and high dynamic range (HDR) support at higher resolutions, improved support for multiple display configurations, as well as improved user experience with augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) displays, including support for 4K-and-beyond VR resolutions.

The advantages of DP 2.0 are enjoyed across both the native DP connector as well as the USB Type-C connector, which carries the DP audio/video signal through DisplayPort Alt Mode. DP 2.0 is backward compatible with previous versions of DisplayPort and incorporates all of the key features of DP 1.4a, including support for visually lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC) with Forward Error Correction (FEC), HDR metadata transport, and other advanced features. The increased video bandwidth performance of DP 2.0 carried over the USB-C connector enables simultaneous higher-speed USB data transfer without compromising display performance. DP 2.0 leverages the Thunderbolt 3 physical interface (PHY) layer while maintaining the flexibility of DP protocol in order to boost the data bandwidth and promote convergence across industry-leading IO standards.

AnandTech, who spoke with the USB Promoter Group at Computex, have shared that the new protocol is expected to manifest in physical, consumer products by the end of 2020. The specification for the next-generation bus is currently on version 0.7, with the USB Promoter Group expecting it to be finalized by this Summer. Then it's just a matter of manufacturers developing new products powered by the latest protocol.

USB 4.0 borrows heavily from Intel's thunderbolt 3 technology - which, if you'll remember, was made available as an open specification very recently. Intel's contribution of the Thunderbolt 3 protocol will enable USB 4.0 to achieve speeds of up to 40 Gbps with multiple data and display protocols being able to share available bandwidth. Additionally, USB 4.0 will make use of USB Type-C's interface, ensuring backwards compatibility not only with it, but also USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 3. Due to the many improvements in data transfer speeds and ability to stream multiple data and display protocols, the USB Promoter Group is looking at the possibility of changing USB's trademark logo for the next generation interface, alongside a revised branding scheme.

VORTEXGEAR, or simply Vortex for convenience, is another keyboard company that goes the path of atypical form factors, similar to Mistel Keyboard whom the company often collaborates with. Vortex especially gained popularity with the enthusiast keyboard market thanks to their 60% form factor Poker keyboard lineup, with the current iteration being the Poker 3, or Pok3r. At Computex, Vortex showed off a low profile Pok3r using the relatively new Cherry MX Low Profile switches, and the Red RGB variant in particular.

The Pok3r Ultra Slim will come with different keycap options to choose from, with some colors seen in the images below. As with the standard Pok3r, it features near-complete programmability with onboard macro support and three layers to work with. The keyboard will use an anodized CNC-machined aluminium case, with a detachable USB Type-C cable as well. Expect pricing to be similar to the standard Pok3r when this comes out later this year. Read past the break for more new keyboards from Vortex!

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and high-performance storage solutions is pleased to invite everyone to experience the next-generation of COLORFUL products at COMPUTEX 2019 happening in Taipei, Taiwan this coming May 28 - June 1, 2019. COLORFUL will be holding a showcase of its greatest products on the show floor including its most coveted, limited edition graphics card as well as other special releases including its latest motherboards, memory and storage products, amongst others. COMPUTEX 2019 will be held in Taipei, Taiwan at May 28 - June 1, 2019. Please visit COLORFUL at booth M1112.

Manli Technology Group Limited, one of the major Graphics Cards and other components manufacturers, today announced the superior ultimate edition of Gallardo series graphics solution - Manli GeForce RTXTM 2080 Ti & RTXTM 2080 Gallardo, addition of the latest valued software - Turbo Engine and LED Lighting Control. Two lightning flash across cooling cover, and flashing with stunning LED lights. Meanwhile, it is equipped with 5 composite copper heatpipes, and triple 90 mm fans to ensure working in a silent and cool condition.

Phillips announced the latest in their Brilliance line of PC monitors. The 329P9H monitor features a 31.5" diagonal with a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. The panel is of the IPS type, and a fairly basic one at that when it comes to features gamers expect: a 60 Hz refresh rate and 5 ms response times aren't the most attractive for serious gaming - but then again, this monitor isn't really being marketed for serious gaming. And there's life in the PC world besides that one.

For those users that still think this monitor is interesting, the anti-glare coating and 350 nits of brightness should be interesting propositions for a more work-inspired usage scenario. The 178º angle of view and 1.07 billion colors join a wider than usual color gamut, covering 108% of the sRGB, 90% of the NTSC CIE1976, or 87% of the Adobe RGB color spaces to serve creative professionals' (or just color-correct amateurs) a precise environment. The Brilliance 329P9H also ships factory-calibrated to a Delta E < 2 accuracy. Height, tilt, and swivel are available, as well as a 90 degree rotation capability. I/O stands at 1x DisplayPort 1.2 input, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 output, 2x HDMI 2.0a, 1x USB Type-C (with DP 1.2, 65 W PD, data), as well as a 4-port USB 3.0 hub (one supports fast charging) and one Ethernet, GbE port. The recommended price for the Philips 329PH9 stands at £809, so MSRP in the US should land around the $899 mark.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced the new Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD. The Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD features a stylish brushed aluminum finish and comes in a conveniently small, slim size that makes it easy to slip in your pocket and go. It's the perfect companion to accompany you across any terrain as it's drop-, shock-, vibration-resistant and comes with DataVault Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption to help protect your essential files against corruption, loss, and deletion. Primed for power, the SL100 Pro has superior performance on the go, with speeds up 950 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write making it up to 2x faster than the SL1003. It also features a USB Type-C port that enables the users to store and share quickly with USB 3.1 speeds.

"We are proud to announce the Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD, which is sleek, compact, and provides superior SSD-level performance at a competitive price. With professional photographers and videographers in mind, we created an SSD solution so they could travel at ease knowing their content is secure when compared with traditional hard drives," said Joel Boquiren, Director of Global Marketing.

Intel is well on its way to making the innovation delivered with Thunderbolt 3 available to everyone. Today, Intel announced that it contributed the Intel Thunderbolt protocol specification to the USB Promoter Group, enabling other chip makers to build Thunderbolt compatible silicon, royalty-free. In addition, the USB Promoter Group announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, based on the Thunderbolt protocol. The convergence of the underlying Thunderbolt and USB protocols will increase compatibility among USB Type-C connector-based products, simplifying how people connect their devices.

"Releasing the Thunderbolt protocol specification is a significant milestone for making today's simplest and most versatile port available to everyone. This, in combination with the integration of Thunderbolt 3 into upcoming Intel processors is a win-win for the industry and consumers," said Jason Ziller, general manager, Client Connectivity Division at Intel.

While we just recently covered the USB 3.2 specification. The USB Promoter Group has today announced the pending release of the USB4 specification, a major update to deliver the next generation USB architecture that compliments and builds on the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. The USB4 architecture is based on the Thunderbolt protocol specification recently contributed by Intel Corporation. It doubles the bandwidth of USB and enables multiple simultaneous data and display protocols.

The new USB4 architecture defines a method to share a single high-speed link with multiple end device types dynamically that best serves the transfer of data by type and application. As the USB Type-C connector has evolved into the role as the external display port of many host products, the USB4 specification provides the host the ability to optimally scale allocations for display data flow. Even as the USB4 specification introduces a new underlying protocol, compatibility with existing USB 3.2, USB 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3 hosts and devices is supported; the resulting connection scales to the best mutual capability of the devices being connected. "The primary goal of USB is to deliver the best user experience combining data, display and power delivery over a user-friendly and robust cable and connector solution," said Brad Saunders, USB Promoter Group Chairman. "The USB4 solution specifically tailors bus operation to further enhance this experience by optimizing the blend of data and display over a single connection and enabling the further doubling of performance."

You would have thought that the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) would have learned their lesson the first time around with the rebranding of USB standards; however, that doesn't seem to be the case. At MWC 2019, they announced that the USB 3.2 standard would include the previous USB 3.0 and 3.1 specifications, but with a twist. USB 3.0, which has a data rate of 5Gbps, had already been rebranded as USB 3.1 Gen 1, will now once again be rebranded as USB 3.2 Gen 1. Meanwhile, USB 3.1 Gen 2 with a data rate of 10Gbps will be renamed USB 3.2 Gen 2. Finally, the new kid on the block which has a data rate of 20Gbps will be officially named USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

While there is a reason for these names, the fact remains that it doesn't do consumers any favors. USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 gets its name from the two high-speed 10Gbps channels it uses to achieve the new data rate. Keep in mind that previous USB standards only allowed for one channel, and only USB Type-C connectors allow for dual channels. This, as you may have guessed by now, means USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 is only usable via USB Type-C connectors. To try and reduce confusion, USB-IF has suggested that vendors use marketing terms on top of the current naming scheme to help consumers understand what is what in the world of USB. USB 3.0 USB 3.1 Gen 1 USB 3.2 Gen 1 will be marketed as SuperSpeed USB, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 will be marketed as SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps as per our sources. Finally, the newest standard will use SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps as its marketing term, not that it will do much if implementation of the new standard will take as long as it took for USB 3.2 Gen 2 and the Type-C connector.

Transcend Information Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, today announced the release of a new series of USB Type-C portable SSDs, including the ESD230C, ESD240C, and ESD250C. These drives can be used with devices equipped with USB Type-C or USB Type-A interfaces, and are fast, light, and portable. Featuring impressive storage capacity, each model sports a different kind of elegance, meaning users can choose the one that fits their own fashion sense.

The all-new ESD230C, ESD240C, and ESD250C SSDs are equipped with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 compatible interface with UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), providing transfer speeds of up to 520MB/s, meaning that even 4K resolution videos transfer in an instant. The SSDs are compatible with desktops, laptops, on-the-go mobile devices, as well as gaming consoles. They provide the perfect expansion with their large capacities and speedy file-transfer capabilities.

Years after year, MSI dominates the memory frequency record to show the strength on overclocking performance. Just in the beginning of 2019, MSI's in-house overclocker, Toppc, pushes the DDR4 speeds to 5.6GHz, setting another barrier using Kingston memory and the MSI Z390I GAMING EDGE AC motherboard by liquid nitrogen cooling. Undoubtedly, this is a revolutionary breakthrough for the Intel 9th generation processors for the first time. This world record not only shows MSI's dominant position on performance for Intel 9th generation processors by using MSI MPG Z390I GAMING EDGE AC and MSI's unique and patented DDR4 Boost technology, but also reveals team-up power with Kingston DDR4 memory.

More information on the record can be found here.

Making its debut at CES 2019, the all-new ROG Zephyrus S GX701 takes hardcore gaming to the next level with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs with Max-Q design and 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor plus the GX701 doubles down on the display. It expands the 144Hz refresh rate screen to 17 inches, frames it with super-narrow bezels and adds NVIDIA G-SYNC and Optimus technology for the best gaming experience. The panel is Pantone Validated for serious content creation work before playing the latest blockbuster games.

Even with these upgrades and a much larger screen, the ROG Zephyrus S GX701 maintains an impressively slender profile and surprisingly compact footprint. It's more immersive, powerful, and versatile than any Zephyrus before without sacrificing the portability that defines the family.

USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, today announced the launch of its USB Type-C Authentication Program, marking an important milestone for the optional USB security protocol. The USB Type-C Authentication specification defines cryptographic-based authentication for USB Type-C chargers and devices.

USB Type-C Authentication empowers host systems to protect against non-compliant USB chargers and to mitigate risks from malicious firmware/hardware in USB devices attempting to exploit a USB connection. Using this protocol, host systems can confirm the authenticity of a USB device, USB cable or USB charger, including such product aspects as the capabilities and certification status. All of this happens right at the moment a connection is made - before inappropriate power or data can be transferred.

"USB-IF is excited to launch the USB Type-C Authentication Program, providing OEMs with the flexibility to implement a security framework that best fits their specific product requirements," said USB-IF President and COO Jeff Ravencraft. "As the USB Type-C ecosystem continues to grow, companies can further provide the security that consumers have come to expect from certified USB devices."

Today marks the debut of the ASUS Chromebook Education series that provides lightweight, ruggedized Chrome OS computer solutions for educational use, and continues the ASUS commitment of providing an extensive range of innovative products and services for the education sector.

The series includes two traditional clamshell laptops - the 11.6-inch ASUS Chromebook C204 and the 14-inch ASUS Chromebook C403 - and the 14-inch ASUS Chromebook Flip C214 convertible. There's also a brand-new form factor introduced, with the ASUS Chromebook Tablet CT100, a stunning 9.7-inch QXGA wide-angle touch-display tablet. The new series features durability, spill- and tamper-resistant keyboards and all-around rubber bumpers to withstand the rigors that electronics often face in schools. This lineup provides educators and parents with a full-range of lightweight, ruggedized options that can cater to their specific curriculum choices and unleash the creativity and productivity of their students. The new ASUS Chromebook Education series will be available in the coming months with configurations, pricing, and availability to be announced at launch.

Thermaltake, a leading premium gaming tower manufacturer, launches the new Level 20 MT ARGB Mid-Tower Chassis and the Level 20 GT ARGB Full Tower Chassis. Both chassis come with addressable 5V ARGB LED fans which can deliver 16.8 million-color RGB illumination. Furthermore, the Level 20 MT and GT ARGB are ready to sync with RGB capable motherboards from ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light Sync and ASRock Polychrome. The Level 20 MT ARGB and Level 20 GT ARGB take our latest case innovations and wrap them in an ultra-modern style that is utterly unique in the case market today.

Constructed with an enlarged side panel window to show off the internal components, the Level 20 MT ARGB ATX mid-tower chassis delivers a sleek look to complement its excellent cooling. The Level 20 MT ARGB is preinstalled with three 120mm 5V ARGB LED front fans and one 120mm rear fan to illuminate and dissipate heat more efficiently. The Level 20 GT ARGB edition is a premium full tower that features four tempered glass panels with locking hinged doors, E-ATX motherboard support, patented PCI-E slot design and a removable power cover. The Level 20 GT ARGB comes preinstalled with two 200 mm 5V ARGB LED front fans and one 140mm rear fan. The new Level 20 MT ARGB Mid-Tower Chassis and the Level 20 GT ARGB Full Tower Chassis offer premium design, newest technology, and ultimate compatibility.

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial LCD displays and projectors, today announced the availability of the 27" MultiSync EA271U, a full-featured, business-class desktop display delivering superior 4K UHD image quality and enhanced USB-C connectivity.

The EA271U features a 3-sided ultra-narrow bezel of just 1.00mm, designed to eliminate distractions while delivering a large desktop workspace that enhances productivity for high-end corporate and small-business customers. The EA271U is also compatible with NEC Display's SprectraViewII color calibration tool, which is ideal for healthcare and education users who need advanced imaging quality.

The VirtualLink Consortium was formed in July 2018 with some of the major VR industry players such as Oculus, AMD, NVIDIA, Valve and Microsoft as founders. HTC has joined the group, and will therefore begin to support the implementation of the VirtualLink specification, which makes it possible to connect VR headsets to the PC with just one USB-C cable. Enjoying premium virtual reality experiences has so far been cumbersome. The cables needed to keep the headset connected to the PC limit the movements, and in fact that is one of the reasons that the standalone headsets are beginning to gain interest among users.

VirtualLink cable spec is based on the Alternate Mode function of the USB Type-C standard, and allows the cables and connectors to carry non-USB signals. The VirtualLink cable can carry four high-speed DisplayPort High Bit-Rate 3 (HBD3) lanes, a single USB 3.1 data channel, and 27 watts of power for the headset's displays and sensors. Setting up and using the VR headset with this kind of cable and connector will be therefore easier and not as clunky as before.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced the release of the Z390 DESIGNARE motherboard with full support for the newest 8-core Intel Core i9-9900K processors. The newest addition to the GIGABYTE DESIGNARE series is a feature-packed motherboard that provides content creators the fastest and most efficient tools to showcase their creativity and craftsmanship. GIGABYTE DESIGNARE Series motherboards bring out the best in workstation graphics cards, maximize M.2 SSD and DDR4 RAM performance, and fully support powerful CPUs such as the newest 8-core Intel Core i9-9900K CPU. With built in USB Type-C Thunderbolt , and native USB 3.1 Gen 2 to provide 40Gb/s transmission speed, the board is designed with effective storage performance as a key feature. GIGABYTE Ultra-Durable Technology and exclusive software also bring additional value for digital content creators and design professionals.

"Today's content creators are seeking faster and more efficient performance from their PCs. GIGABYTE created the DESIGNARE series a few years back to fulfill these user demands," stated Jackson Hsu, Deputy Director of the GIGABYTE Channel Solutions Product Development Division. "Z390 DESIGNARE is the newest addition to this constantly evolving content creation focused series and is loaded with features that enable content creators to express their artistic creativity through their PCs with excellent performance and efficiency."

MyDigitalSSD is out with a relatively ingenious solution for users looking to get the best portable, external SSD performance available. Their new M2X external M.2 enclosure will allow users to create an external storage solution via a DIY kit. The M2X is built on JMicron's JMS583 USB 3.1 Gen 2 to PCIe 3.1 x2 bridge chip (meaning that a PCIe 2x NVMe will be sufficient in maxing out available performance), will only be limited by USB 3.1 Gen 2's 1GB/s throughput. The DIY assembly packs a thermal pad and the enclosure, as well as USB Type-C and Type-A cables, and will be available from Amazon for $39.99 or through MyDigitalDiscount for $36.14.

ASUS has revealed their entire lineup, interpreting NVIDIA's RTX 2070 silicon (and its TU106 die, a first - remember that **70-class cards previously featured cut-down versions of the full NVIDIA chip). There aren't many surprised here - ASUS has already spent enough R&D in previous years so as to only need to minimally iterate on their designs for each new generation.

The ROG Strix graphics cards sit at the top of the heap, featuring the company's DirectCU III cooling tech (triple fan) in a 2.5-slot design. RGB lighting and dual BIOS support are par of the course by now, as are some of the other features - backplate and metal brace included. Connectivity-wise there are 2x HDMI 2.0b ports, 2x DisplayPort 1.4 outputs, and 1x USB Type-C port for VirtuaLink. The graphics card draws power from the 6-pin and 8-pin PCIe power connectors and will be available in three versions (Gaming OC, Gaming Advanced, and Gaming) according to factory overclocks.

PATRIOT, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals, and flash storage solutions today has announced the availability of the EVLVR Thunderbolt 3 external SSD, offering a breakthrough evolution in SSD technology. The amount of data that users transfer and store has been getting larger over the years due to major evolutions in technology and the ability to quickly process large amounts of data. Ideal for HD content, portable boot drives, video game libraries, high capacity jobs and more, Patriot's EVLVR Thunderbolt 3 external SSD brings fast speeds and convenience for consumers everywhere.

"EVLVR" is an abbreviation for "Evolver", and the technology itself presents a breakthrough evolution in SSD technology. "We dedicate to offer power users an evolutive idea about an SSD product, evolving appearance with an evolutionary technology, that's how EVLVR has been created. It's perfect for video editing, photography, multi-app usage, and more content creation. "said Les Henry, Vice President of Engineering at Patriot, "Our R&D team especially proud of implementing Thunderbolt 3 which allows Patriot to build such portable storage solutions with blasting-speed and ultra-quality," he added.

NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc., a leading provider of commercial displays and projectors, today announced the availability of two new desktop monitors: the MultiSync EA271Q and MultiSync P243W.

"The 27" MultiSync EA271Q significantly updates our popular E275WMi monitor, and the 24" MultiSync P243W refreshes the P242W," said Art Marshall, Senior Product Manager for Desktop Displays at NEC Display Solutions. "These two new models provide users sleeker, more productive monitors and show our ongoing commitment to technological innovation and to helping our customers improve their workflows."

Straight off the heels of Gamescom 2018, where Dell announced their new gaming monitors and the refresh of their Alienware desktops, the excitement continues at IFA 2018. Dell is unveiling a new suite of innovative devices that elevate the computing experience for the everyday consumer, mobile professional and fast-paced small business owner. The enhanced Inspiron, XPS and Vostro portfolio is built with a combination of beautiful design, superior materials and top performance dedicated to deliver a device for every function and user. In addition, Dell is expanding its monitor leadership with a stunning new Dell 27 USB-C Ultrathin Monitor built with beauty and function.

Dell's commitment to thoughtful design and truly immersive cinematic experiences on the PC continues with this generation of new products. Launched at CES 2018, Dell Cinema is the combination of several cutting-edge technologies all working in concert to give the viewer an immersive, captivating experience on their PCs. Dell Cinema is available across the XPS portfolio and new Inspiron products starting this autumn.

In the aftermath of NVIDIA's RTX 20-series announcement, we returned to NVIDIA's Palladium venue to see if there were any new "faces" to spy. And sure enough, there were. Lo and behold, a non-rendered RTX 2080 Ti, which was left to reporters' guises and cameras, where we can look at the dual fan solution and NVIDIA's industrial design - which still looks great, perhaps even better, in this latest iteration.

It has to be said that the new generation of graphics cards sports internal changes as well as on the shroud: there's a revised vapor-chamber solution to keep the increased power consumption in check - and keeping that low noise profile. You'll also note the added USB Type-C connector to the back of the card, aiding in the new data transfer protocol (VirtuaLink) for VR headsets.