The Federal Trade Commission staff has sent warning letters to six major companies that market and sell automobiles, cellular devices, and video gaming systems in the United States.

The letters warn that FTC staff has concerns about the companies' statements that consumers must use specified parts or service providers to keep their warranties intact. Unless warrantors provide the parts or services for free or receive a waiver from the FTC, such statements generally are prohibited by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a law that governs consumer product warranties. Similarly, such statements may be deceptive under the FTC Act.

CORSAIR, a world leader in PC gaming peripherals and enthusiast components, today announced the launch of the new CORSAIR T2 ROAD WARRIOR gaming chair, as well a new version of the CORSAIR T1 RACE gaming chair, updated for 2018. Created for comfort, no matter how long you play, the T2 ROAD WARRIOR boasts a wide seat, tall back, and deep cushion that supports you through the most demanding gaming sessions.

Finished in premium perforated PU leather with two-layer embedded color accents, T2 ROAD WARRIOR is available in five different colors to match any setup, while rollerblade-style wheels ensure smooth movement on most floors, including carpet. Built around a solid steel skeleton and sturdy cast aluminum chair base, adjustable in eight different ways, and assembled in minutes, the T2 ROAD WARRIOR is a gaming chair for the long haul.

Patriot, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals and flash storage solutions today announced a new addition to its Viper V570 gaming mouse line, Viper V570 RGB Blackout Edition Laser Gaming Mouse. The V570 RGB Blackout Edition's innovative MMO+FPS hybrid design and its rich feature set offer high performance, versatility, and customization for the most serious gamers.

"We are excited to announce the launch of the new addition to our innovative and bestselling Viper V570 RGB laser gaming mouse series. "said Roger Shinmoto, Patriot's Vice President of Product Development. "The unique FPS and MMO hybrid design allows gamers to dominate a wide array of games." V570 RGB Blackout Edition's also comes with a dedicated sniper button, a feature that gives the user a tactical advantage in any FPS game. The Viper software allows programming of thirteen available buttons on the V570. Also, it allows setting up of custom RGB profiles as well as sensitivity to suit individual gaming strategies. For greater control and feel, gamers can add up to 34.2 grams or weight allowing flexibility and comfort while using the gaming mouse.

ENERMAX announces the launch of new Platinum-rated power supply series, Platimax D.F. 1200W/1050W/850W/750W. The new lineup is 80 PLUS Platinum certified power supply with fully modular cable design. In addition to the DFR self-cleaning technology, new Platimax D.F. incorporates a D.F. switch for users to manually activate the self-cleaning function anytime during operation. Moreover, the series features smart semi-fanless control which ensures absolute quiet operation at lower loads. With rock-solid stability and superior performance, Platimax D.F. is without doubt a perfect solution for high-resolution gaming rigs or multi-GPU systems.

Built with high-density PCB design, Platimax D.F. supports Max. 1200W with only 160mm in depth gives enthusiasts greater flexibility in case selection. Current power supplies over 1000W on the market are generally larger, many of them measuring 180mm to 225mm in depth. The larger dimensions necessitate a PC case with a lot of interior space, which decreases a builder's freedom in selecting a chassis. Platimax D.F. 1200W is the smallest of its kind.

The mining craze has generated overwhelming demand for graphics cards in the last few months, which led to increased prices from distributors, retailers, and the secondhand market. Miners usually don't look towards which brand they're buying their graphics cards from for their POW endeavors; they just buy whatever is available at the cheapest price, with some considerations thrown in for the cooling solution that is implemented.

One side effect of running multiple graphics cards in systems/racks that don't possess sufficient ventilation is damage to the graphics cards; some fans also give in to the strain of working 24/7 at maximum (or close to) speeds, and a look through mining forums or threads is enough to show that the amount of RMA'd cards that are used for mining is much greater than what usually results of "normal" usage of said products. Inno3D has apparently been affected by enough RMA requests and the economic effects of these that they have begun distributing their graphics cards with stickers warning users against mining on their GPUs, under threat that they reserve themselves "the right to void the warranty if there is any damage associated with this application." The sticker may be enough to deter some users; however, these are hardly legally binding, and should pose no problems for users in Europe or the United States looking to RMA their graphics card. Adding to this the fact that it would be very hard for any company to prove that damage on their graphics card products originated from a particular workload, it seems as a simple bluff from Inno3D - one that can be easily called by users.

Acer, a global leader in computer monitors, today announced the U.S. availability of the Acer ProDesigner BM320, a large 32- inch monitor producing brilliant 4K UHD (3840x2160@60Hz) visuals with professional-grade color. "We're pleased to offer this cutting-edge monitor primed to meet the high demands of graphic designers, film and video producers, animators and others who require optimum color precision and image quality," said Ronald Lau, director - stationary computing.

Outfitted with the Acer ColorPlus technology suite, the Acer ProDesigner BM320 ensures consistent color output in addition to sharper and clearer visuals. These technologies include built-in 100 percent Adobe RGB and 100 percent sRGB coverage for storing, producing and presenting a wide and accurate range of hues required for color matching across applications and print output. Providing the ability to adjust hue and saturation, 6-axis color adjustment lets professionals obtain the exact shade they prefer. In addition, super sharpness technology optimizes the quality of even low resolution images by slightly enhancing the edges.

HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Company, today announced it is now expanding the HyperX FURY DDR4 memory product line with several new colors options - red and white - with frequencies up to 2666 MHz to support the demand of our gaming community. HyperX is the first company to offer plug and play memory to gamers and continues to develop industry leading gaming gear. FURY DDR4 memory is optimized to be compatible with Intel 200 series processors and X99 chipsets. Additionally, FURY DDR4 memory has been compatibility tested with AMD's new Ryzen processors, in the HyperX Labs and by our motherboard partners.

"FURY DDR4 memory is our most popular DDR4 memory range, and our new products offer more options to choose from", said Edward Baily, HyperX Business Manager, EMEA. "With three color options, builders and enthusiasts have more ways to customize their new PC's or upgrade the PC they use today."

In early 2003 the ATX Mainboard 20-Pin connector was upgraded to the current ATX 24-Pin connector. Although rumors for another change have since been around, the 24-Pin standard continues and there is still no significant change in sight. Even as CPU speed, system components evolve, we still see many of our customers holding on to the most basic and important of their components, the power supply. We have end users reporting to us that their 10 years old Seasonic power supply is still running strong and we are so happy to hear this because this affirms that we have done what we set out to do; provide a long term, cost effective, and environmentally sustainable solution to our customers.

Buffalo Americas, a leading provider of USB storage, network attached storage (NAS) and networking solutions, announces the availability of the LinkStation 520DN, a network attached storage device made specifically for the home. The LS520DN is a customizable NAS solution designed to serve as the hub of consumers' connected homes by making it easier to store, share, and secure all digital data for the modern family.

"We are excited to introduce the Buffalo LS520DN as a way for consumers to organize and protect their digital life," said Arthur Traub, Director of Strategic Accounts at Buffalo Americas. "This new product allows home users to easily store, organize, access, stream and protect all their digital assets. We provide NAS-grade disk drives for always-on performance in the LS520DN to ensure ease of use and reliability. And, as with all our Buffalo products, if a customer needs any help, they simply need to contact our 24/7 US-based customer support team."

CRYORIG, PC thermal solutions expert, has built upon the successful QF120 line of system fans so to release the new QF140 Performance and QF140 Silent 140 mm fans. The QF140, like the original QF120 line, features CRYORIG proprietary Quad Air Intake system. Four strategically placed air intakes are located on the corners of the QF140 fan frame, allowing the static pressure optimized fan blades take in extra air from the sides of the fan frame increasing overall air output. CRYORIG HPLN High Precision Low Noise fluid bearing is used again for low noise performance. Integrated rubber Vibration Absorbers also come preinstalled to absorb excess vibration. Both QF140 models are fully PWM capable for advanced user RPM control.

At CES 2017, Cooler Master unveiled a limited edition of their MasterWatt line of power supply units: the MasterWatt Author ME 1200 W. As the name implies, this is a 1200 W power supply, rated at 80 Plus Titanium efficiency levels (which means >94% energy efficiency), though Cooler Master claims this PSU is able to achieve >95% efficiency levels. Built exclusively with Murata components, Cooler Master are presenting this one as the best power supply they've ever made, and they're therefore pitting it as a special, limited edition PSU, of which only a few thousand samples will be produced and sold: at an over $1000 price-tag.

Western Digital has announced the WD Black PCIe SSD, their first PCIe SSD for the consumer market. This particular SSD is aimed at the cheaper half of the M.2 PCIe SSD market rather than competing for the highest performance: it will be available in 256GB and 512GB capacities for $109 and $199.99 respectively, making it cheaper than any currently available M.2 PCIe SSD except the Intel 600p.

CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast memory, high-performance gaming hardware and PC components, today reached two new milestones, celebrating ten years since first entering the PSU market and the sale of the ten millionth CORSAIR PSU. Over the past decade, CORSAIR has revolutionized the enthusiast PSU industry with an unrelenting commitment to product quality and innovation that has seen the PSU evolve from an after-thought into the high-quality heart of a modern PC. CORSAIR has championed a range of key features to push PC power supplies to new levels of performance, functionality and customization. Modular PSUs have made building PCs easier, Zero RPM fan mode allows the PSU's fan to switch off entirely under low loads and with digitally controlled power and CORSAIR LINK PSU monitoring, users can find out exactly how their PSU is performing in an instant.

To commemorate this achievement, CORSAIR is proud to announce the extremely limited CORSAIR RM1000i Special Edition. Individually numbered, finished in striking arctic white and equipped with both a white LED-lit cooling fan and new individually sleeved white cables, only 100 of these PSUs will be built, giving enthusiasts a chance to own a unique piece of CORSAIR history.

After reports of EVGA cards overheating and sometimes becoming non-operational, which we covered right here on TPU, the company has now issued a statement further clarifying the steps it's taking towards solving the issues. Though it was first reported that only the GTX 1070/1080 FTW series of cards were having issues, the company has also extended its efforts towards the GTX 1060 cards, in both 3 GB and 6 GB flavors, which may point to either underlying problems with those cards as well, or simply EVGA extending that bit of extra support to their customers.

While at first it seemed that the company-distributed, free-of-charge thermal pads (which EVGA stressed were optional in nature) would be enough to fix any and all issues, the company is also issuing a BIOS revision in a few days, which "adjusts the fan speed curve" to "ensure sufficient cooling of all components across all operating temperatures".

PowerColor today released an optional "Unlocked BIOS" for its Radeon RX 480 RED Devil graphics card. Available through PowerColor DevilClub (and TechPowerUp), the BIOS is optional because it is intended only for power-users. The BIOS increases power-limits on the card, facilitating higher overclocking headroom and clock speed sustainability.

The obvious trade-offs here are higher power-consumption, temperatures, and noise. In fact, PowerColor strongly recommends against using the modded card with FurMark as the company found that it will damage even non-overclocked cards with the new BIOS. PowerColor, however, stated that flashing your card with the optional BIOS will not void your warranty.

DOWNLOAD: PowerColor RX 480 Unlocked BIOS

Corsair, the world's most awarded and recommended PC power supply brand, today announced the immediate increase in warranty from 7 years to 10 years for several series of Corsair computer power supply ranges. From today all current and future Corsair AXi, HXi, RMi and RMx PSUs will benefit from an additional three years of warranty, with no extra registration or action required by customers.

Corsair's commitment to PSU quality and longevity has always been at the heart of its entire PSU line-up, and is why millions of customers have chosen Corsair PSUs to power their PCs. This commitment isn't just made at the manufacturing level - it's also at the heart of Corsair's customer support experience, ensuring customers who choose a Corsair PSU have faith and confidence in their purchase for years to come.

Corsair, the most awarded and recommended PC power supply brand in the world1, today announced the addition of the RMi Series PC power supplies to the company's award-winning line of PSUs. The new RMi Series PSUs raise the bar for what PC enthusiasts can expect from an 80 Plus Gold certified power supply with the addition of silent Zero-RPM fan operation, Corsair Link customization and monitoring, all 105°C- rated Japanese capacitors, and fully modular cables. The new RMi Series PSUs are immediately available in 650, 750, 850, and 1000-Watt capacities.

Building on Corsair's legacy of enthusiast class PSUs, the RMi Series PSUs are designed from the ground up to deliver 80 PLUS Gold energy efficiency, reducing operating costs and excess heat, while delivering superior electrical performance, thanks to extremely tight voltage regulation and minimal ripple noise. To do this, Corsair has used only industry-leading 105°C-rated Japanese capacitors, providing unwavering power and reliability for high-end PCs. This ensures the electricity reaching a gaming PC's power hungry components is as clean and stable as possible. The RMi Series PSUs are also stable, with a 140 mm fluid-dynamic-bearing equipped cooling fan that runs in Zero RPM fan mode, only spinning up when the PSU needs to and operating virtually silently at low and medium loads.

Corsair, a worldwide designer of high-performance components to the PC hardware market, today announced the release of the addition of 960GB and 480GB capacity models to the existing line of Force Series LS SSD drives. The new Force Series LS SSD models, like the previously announced 240GB, 120GB, and 60GB models, provide consumers a cost-effective way to upgrade their notebook or desktop PCs to faster, more reliable solid-state storage.

The 7mm-high Force Series LS SSDs can be installed into most desktop or notebook PC with a standard 2.5" or 3.5" drive bay (3.5" bays require optional adapter). The drives feature SATA 3 6Gb/s support for optimal performance with the latest systems, and are backward compatible with SATA revision 1.0 and 2.0 for maximum compatibility. A copy of the powerful Corsair SSD Toolbox software utility is included as a free download.

Announcing the world's first consumer 2000W power supply unit on the market. Super Flower and Ian '8Pack' Parry have collaborated to produce an extreme PSU that can handle 4-Way SLI and 4-Way CrossfireX with ease, and with efficiency levels of up to 94%. Offering extreme power without compromises, the 8Pack way.

8Pack is the world's number one overclocker, with several hundred records broken and many competitions smashed, he is known for benching high end hardware, from processors to graphics cards, and also his ultra high-end systems range exclusive to Caseking Group.

Seagate Technology today announced its new Enterprise NAS HDD - a high capacity drive targeting businesses seeking to optimize their computing for performance and reliability using Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems. With enterprise reliability and NAS optimized performance in up to 16-bays, the Enterprise NAS drive is available in capacities up to an industry-leading 6TB, and is designed to perform at high levels even under demanding workloads and in environments that call for global availability and 24x7 accessibility.

"As the industry moves deeper into the cloud era, all businesses need solutions that enable applications to be accessed anywhere at any time," said Scott Horn, Seagate vice president of marketing. "With our portfolio of NAS products, we can effectively target the needs of all types of businesses and scale with them as they grow in size. These drives are tailored to the requirements of businesses, ensuring customers have choices so they are only paying for the features they need."

Fractal Design is proud to announce the NEW modular PSU family, Edison M, available in a variety of wattage levels. The Fractal Design Edison M series of power supplies feature excellent electrical performance, including 80PLUS Gold efficiency certification. Designed for maximum reliability, the Edison M units feature Japanese electrolytic capacitors with a full protection suite, including over-temperature protection. The modular cable system assists with a clean installation and the extra-long ATX12V cable accommodates cases with bottom mounted PSU positions.

Fractal Design Edison M units are equipped with a large, temperature-controlled FDB-bearing 120mm fan contributing to a maximum lifespan while keeping noise levels at a minimum. The Edison M is a highly reliable choice, for both gaming computers and powerful workstations.

French tech publication 01net noticed something odd about the ZBOX CI540 from ZOTAC it was reviewing. Even for a fan-less compact desktop, its Core i5-4210Y dual-core chip was idling around 80°C. The reviewer then opened it up to find that ZOTAC left the protective plastic film on the thermal pad which conducts heat from the CPU to the body intact. Temperatures dropped with that film peeled. The kicker? Reaching for that thermal pad voids your product warranty.

Even if the ZBOX CI540 is a barebones unit, in which you drop in your own 2.5-inch HDD/SSD and SO-DIMM memory, requiring you to unscrew its body; the storage and memory compartments are located on the reverse side of the motherboard. You're not supposed to unscrew the motherboard to reveal its obverse (front) side, as there's nothing for you to "upgrade" there. The CPU is in the BGA (ball-grid array) package, and hardwired to the motherboard. The screws that let you reveal the front side are capped with warranty seals. We're not sure if it's a one-off bad piece 01net got, or an entire batch hit by one lazy hand on the production line.Update Jun 24: We received following statement from ZOTAC:
ZOTAC has found the plastic film to be isolated to preproduction units. These preproduction units were only used for press sampling and are not representative of final units shipping to retail. However, the plastic film has very little impact on the cooling capabilities of our passive ZBOX C-series nano chassis since the cooling fins that are responsible for the majority of the heat dissipation duties is below the thermal pad. The thermal pad is only used to transfer heat to the secondary heat dissipation plate integrated into the chassis for added cooling capabilities.

Nevertheless, the temperatures observed while testing under load with the erroneous plastic film still in place is still within the thermal guidelines of Intel's 100°C maximum T Junction and does not cause instability. Temperatures observed by users can vary greatly depending on room temperature and system placement since the ZBOX CI540 nano is passive cooled. We apologize for the error but assure our mass production units are not affected.

Razer, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today announced the addition of a warranty function to Razer Synapse 2.0, allowing gamers to quickly register and monitor their warranty period in a single convenient location through Razer's cloud-based hardware configurator.

The new opt-in Warranty function allows for quick registration of Razer's Synapse 2.0-supported products, and also allows users to register other Razer gear, such as analog headsets and mouse mats. Specific to North America, Razer is also removing proof-of-purchase requirements in its product return policy, if the guarantee can be verified automatically with the serial number.

CRYORIG's first launch product the CRYORIG R1 Ultimate is the accumulation of years of research and design. CRYOIG is now revealing a more detailed explanation and closer look at the R1 Ultimate's extremely long list of trademarked technology and patented designs. CRYORIG's patented DirectCompress Soldering, increases the actual contact surface between the heatpipe and heatsink fins. Traditional soldering requires a cut out area next to the heatpipe through hole in order to pass through soldering tools. DirectCompress Soldering requires no cut out and has on average at least 10% more contact surface compared to traditional soldering, and the more contact surface the faster the heat conduction.

ZOTAC International, a global innovator and manufacturer of graphics cards, mainboards, mini-PCs and accessories, today announces enhancements to the Extended Warranty Program in Europe to better benefit end users. The Extended Warranty Program enhancements now include ZBOX mini-PCs and an increased registration deadline of 28-days instead of the former 14-days for all ZOTAC graphics cards, mainboards and mini-PCs in select regions.

"ZOTAC stands by the quality of its hardware. By including the ZBOX mini-PCs to the Extended Warranty Program, we are providing excellent warranty coverage for an additional 3-years for up to 5-years of total coverage," says Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International. "Increasing the registration deadline to 28-days enables our customers and end users to relax and have plenty of time to register their ZOTAC graphics card, mainboards or mini-PC for the Extended Warranty Program as well."