Late Tuesday, Microsoft Azure shared an interesting picture on its social media platform X, showcasing the pinnacle of GPU-accelerated servers—NVIDIA "Blackwell" GB200-powered AI systems. Microsoft is one of NVIDIA's largest customers, and the company often receives products first to integrate into its cloud and company infrastructure. Even NVIDIA listens to feedback from companies like Microsoft about designing future products, especially those like the now-canceled NVL36x2 system. The picture below shows a massive cluster that roughly divides the compute area into a single-third of the entire system, with a gigantic two-thirds of the system dedicated to closed-loop liquid cooling.

The entire system is connected using Infiniband networking, a standard for GPU-accelerated systems due to its lower latency in packet transfer. While the details of the system are scarce, we can see that the integrated closed-loop liquid cooling allows the GPU racks to be in a 1U form for increased density. Given that these systems will go into the wider Microsoft Azure data centers, a system needs to be easily maintained and cooled. There are indeed limits in power and heat output that Microsoft's data centers can handle, so these types of systems often fit inside internal specifications that Microsoft designs. There are more compute-dense systems, of course, like NVIDIA's NVL72, but hyperscalers should usually opt for other custom solutions that fit into their data center specifications. Finally, Microsoft noted that we can expect to see more details at the upcoming Microsoft Ignite conference in November and learn more about its GB200-powered AI systems.

The leaks and rumors surrounding Intel's upcoming Arrow Lake desktop CPU line-up are starting to heat up, with recent rumors tipping the existence of the Core Ultra 9 285K as the top-end chip in the upcoming launch. A new set of Geekbench 6 scores spotted by BenchLeaks on X, however, suggests the Core Ultra 9 285 non-K variant of this CPU might lag its Ryzen 9 counterparts significantly.

The Geekbench 6 test results, which were apparently achieved on an ASUS Prime Z890-P motherboard, reveal performance that falls short of even the current-generation AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, never mind any of the Ryzen 9 variants. The Geekbench 6 multicore score came in at an unimpressive 14,150, while the single-core score was a mere 3,081, falling short of the likes of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, which scored up to 19,381 and 3,624 in multi- and single-core tests, respectively. However, there appears to be more to this story—namely an odd test configuration that could heavily skew the test results, since the "stock" Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores significantly higher in the Geekbench 6 charts than this particular 285 seems to.

Intel has released version 1.2 of its X86S architecture specification. The X86S project, first announced last year, aims to modernize the x86 architecture that has been the heart of PCs since the late 1970s. Over the decades, Intel and AMD have continually expanded x86's capabilities, resulting in a complex instruction set that Intel now sees as partially outdated. The latest specification primarily focuses on removing legacy features, particularly 16-bit and 32-bit support. This radical departure from x86's long-standing commitment to backward compatibility aligns with the simplification of x86. While the specification does mention a "32-bit compatibility mode," we are yet to how would 32-bit apps run. This ambiguity raises questions about how X86S might handle existing 32-bit applications, which, despite declining relevance, still play a role in many computing environments.

The potential transition to X86S comes at a time when the industry is already moving away from 32-bit support. However, the proposed changes are subject to controversy. The x86 architecture's strength has long been its extensive legacy support, allowing older software to run on modern hardware. A move to X86S could disrupt this ecosystem, particularly for users relying on older applications. Furthermore, introducing X86S raises questions about the future relationship between Intel and AMD, the two primary x86 CPU designers. While Intel leads the initiative, AMD's role in the potential transition remains uncertain, given its significant contributions to the current x86-64 standard.

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of two new standards supporting Compute Express Link (CXL ) technology. These additions complete a comprehensive family of four standards that provide the industry with unparalleled flexibility to develop a wide range of CXL memory products. All four standards are available for free download from the JEDEC website.

JESD319: JEDEC Memory Controller Standard - for Compute Express Link (CXL ) defines the overall specifications, interface parameters, signaling protocols, and features for a CXL Memory Controller ASIC. Key aspects include pinout reference information and a functional description that includes CXL interface, memory controller, memory RAS, metadata, clocking, reset, performance, and controller configuration requirements. JESD319 focuses on the CXL 3.1 based direct attached memory expansion application, providing a baseline of standardized functionality while allowing for additional innovations and customizations.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the organization that oversees Bluetooth technology, announced the release of Bluetooth Channel Sounding, a new secure, fine-ranging feature that promises to enhance the convenience, safety, and security of Bluetooth connected devices. By enabling true distance awareness in billions of everyday devices, Bluetooth Channel Sounding opens countless possibilities for developers and users alike.

"Bluetooth technology has become an ingredient of everyday life," said Neville Meijers, CEO, Bluetooth Special Interest Group. "When connected devices are distance-aware, a range of new possibilities emerge. Adding true distance awareness to Bluetooth technology exemplifies the ongoing commitment of the Bluetooth SIG community to continuously enhance our connection with our devices, one another, and the world around us."

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of the JESD406-5 LPDDR5/5X Serial Presence Detect (SPD) Contents V1.0, consistent with the updated contents of JESD401-5B DDR5 DIMM Label and JESD318 DDR5/LPDDR5 Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM2) Common Standard.

JESD406-5 documents the contents of the SPD non-volatile configuration device included on all JEDEC standard memory modules using LPDDR5/5X SDRAMs, including the CAMM2 standard designs outlined in JESD318. The JESD401-5B standard defines the content of standard memory module labels using the other two standards, assisting end users in selecting compatible modules for their applications.

Game Science, the developer behind the highly anticipated action RPG "Black Myth: Wukong," has released a free benchmark tool on Steam for its upcoming game. This standalone application, separate from the main game, allows PC users to evaluate their hardware performance and system compatibility in preparation for the game's launch. The "Black Myth: Wukong Benchmark Tool" offers a unique glimpse into the game's visuals by rendering a real-time in-game sequence. While not playable, it provides valuable insights into how well a user's system will handle the game's demanding graphics and performance requirements. One of the tool's standout features is its customization options. Users can tweak various graphics settings to preview the game's visuals and performance under different configurations. This flexibility allows gamers to find the optimal balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay for their specific hardware setup.

However, Game Science has cautioned that due to the complexity and variability of gaming scenarios, the benchmark results may not fully represent the final gaming experience. This caveat shows the tool's role as a guide rather than a definitive measure of performance. The benchmark tool's system requirements offer a clear picture of the hardware needed to run "Black Myth: Wukong." At a minimum, users will need a Windows 10 system with an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 8 GB graphics card. For an optimal experience, the recommended specifications include an Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc A750 graphics card. Interestingly, the benchmark tool supports DLSS, FSR, and XeSS technologies, indicating that the final game will likely include these performance-enhancing features. The developers also strongly recommend using an SSD for storage.

NVM Express, Inc. today announced the release of three new specifications and eight updated specifications. This update to NVMe technology builds on the strengths of previous NVMe specifications, introducing significant new features for modern computing environments while also streamlining development and time to market.

"Beginning as a single PCIe SSD specification, NVMe technology has grown into nearly a dozen specifications, including multiple command sets, that provide pivotal support for NVMe technology across all major transports and standardize many aspects of storage," said Peter Onufryk, NVM Express Technical Workgroup Chair. "NVMe technology adoption continues to grow and has succeeded in unifying client, cloud, AI and enterprise storage around a common architecture. The future of NVMe technology is bright and we have 75 new authorized technical proposals underway."

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of JESD405-1B JEDEC Memory Module Label - for Compute Express Link (CXL ) V1.1. JESD405-1B joins JESD317A JEDEC Memory Module Reference Base Standard - for Compute Express Link (CXL ) V1.0, first introduced in March 2023, in defining the function and configuration of memory modules that support CXL specifications, as well as the standardized content for labels for these modules. JESD405-1B and JESD317A were developed in coordination with the Compute Express Link standards organization. Both standards are available for free download from the JEDEC website.

JESD317A provides detailed guidelines for CXL memory modules including mechanical, electrical, pinout, power and thermal, and environmental guidelines for emerging CXL Memory Modules (CMMs). These modules conform to SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) EDSFF form factors E1.S and E3.S to provide end-user friendly hot pluggable assemblies for data centers and similar server applications.

Possible specifications of the various NVIDIA GeForce "Blackwell" gaming GPUs were leaked to the web by Kopite7kimi, a reliable source with NVIDIA leaks. These are specs of the maxed out silicon, NVIDIA will carve out several GeForce RTX 50-series SKUs based on these chips, which could end up with lower shader counts than those shown here. We've known from older reports that there will be five chips in all, the GB202 being the largest, followed by the GB203, the GB205, the GB206, and the GB207. There is a notable absence of a successor to the AD104, GA104, and TU104, because NVIDIA is trying a slightly different way to approach the performance segment with this generation.

The GB202 is the halo segment chip that will drive the possible RTX 5090 (RTX 4090 successor). This chip is endowed with 192 streaming multiprocessors (SM), or 96 texture processing clusters (TPCs). These 96 TPCs are spread across 12 graphics processing clusters (GPCs), which each have 8 of them. Assuming that "Blackwell" has the same 256 CUDA cores per TPC that the past several generations of NVIDIA gaming GPUs have had, we end up with a total CUDA core count of 24,576. Another interesting aspect about this mega-chip is memory. The GPU implements the next-generation GDDR7 memory, and uses a mammoth 512-bit memory bus. Assuming the 28 Gbps memory speed that was being rumored for NVIDIA's "Blackwell" generation, this chip has 1,792 GB/s of memory bandwidth on tap!

At Computex 2024, we paid a visit to the Patriot booth and found a few new product announcements from the company. From record-shattering DDR5 memory speeds to next-generation Gen 5 SSDs, the company has prepared it all. Headlining the showcase is the Viper Xtreme 5 DDR5 memory series, achieving regular speeds of up to 8,200 MT/s and an astonishing 11,500 MT/s when overclocked. Patriot is also launching something for professional workstations with its overclockable ECC RDIMM modules, offering error correction, larger capacities, and the ability to exceed industry specifications through overclocking.

The next-generation PC DDR6 memory standard (not to be confused with GDDR6), will offer a 10-times increase in bandwidth over DDR4, according to a presentation by Synopsys, a major vendor of memory controller and PHY IP blocks. The initial draft of DDR6 specification by JEDEC is expected to be ready within 2024, with version 1.0 of the spec ready by mid-2025. Speeds (data-rates) of DDR6 start at DDR6-8800, and range up to DDR6-17600 in the first generation; with future generations of DDR6 going all the way up to DDR6-21333 (or 21 Gbps). This is exactly 10 times the bandwidth of DDR4-2133, the initial speed of DDR4 that debuted with 6th Gen Core "Skylake" processors, almost a decade ago. It hence makes sense for a memory specification 10 years since to offer such a linear scaling in bandwidth.

Synopsys also talks about LPDDR6 in this presentation, the future low power memory standard for thin-and-light computing devices and smartphones. LPDDR6 will have an introductory data-rate of LPDDR6-10667 over a 24-bit memory channel, with two 12-bit sub-channels. The highest defined data-rate for LPDDR6 is expected to be LPDDR6-14400 (likely 14466 MT/s). Besides generational increases in bandwidth, both PC DDR6 and LPDDR6 are expected to introduce several security and energy-efficiency features, including an "efficiency mode" that reduces idle power draw for the memory devices.

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA ) today announced that it has published a major update to its widely adopted High-Performance Monitor and Display Compliance Test Specification (DisplayHDR), which launched the display industry's first fully open standard specifying high dynamic range (HDR) quality. The updated spec, DisplayHDR version 1.2, includes significantly tighter performance requirements, including for luminance, color gamut and bit depth, as well as several new test requirements for color accuracy, contrast ratio, black levels, and subtitle flicker, to address recent advances in display technology.

Companies can begin certifying products under the new DisplayHDR 1.2 spec today. In addition, VESA will continue to allow products to be certified under the previous DisplayHDR 1.1 spec through the end of May 2025 for monitors, and May 2026 for laptops, to allow for products already in development that have been designed to meet the previous spec. To date, more than 3000 display models have been certified to the DisplayHDR standard.

Seasonic introduced a new 12V-2x6 modular PSU cable model late last year—at the time, interested parties were also invited to Beta test early examples. Finalized versions have been introduced, via a freshly uploaded YouTube video (see below) and a dedicated product page. The "H++" connector standard—part of a new ATX 3.1 specification—is expected to replace the troubled "H+" 12VHWPR design. The PC hardware community has engaged in long-running debates about the development and rollout of a danger/peril-free alternative. PCI-SIG drafted the 12V-2x6 design last summer.

Seasonic's introductory section stated: "with the arrival of the new ATX 3 / PCIe 5.0 specifications, some graphic cards will now be powered by the new 12V-2x6 connector. Offering up to 600 W of power, the Seasonic native 12V-2x6 cable has been crafted with high quality materials, such as high current terminal connectors and 16 AWG wires to ensure the highest performance and safety in usage." The new cables are compatible with Seasonic's current ATX 3.0 power supply unit range—including "PRIME TX, PRIME PX, VERTEX GX, PX, GX White and Sakura, FOCUS GX and GX White" models. Owners of older Seasonic ATX 2.0 PSUs are best served with an optional 2x8-pin to 12V-2x6 adapter cable—although 650 W rated and single PCIe connector-equipped units are not supported at all. Two native cable models, and a non-native variant are advertised in the manufacturer's video.

JEDEC is expected to announce a next-gen low-power RAM memory (LPDDR) standard specification by the third quarter of this year. Earlier today, smartphone technology watcher—Revegnus—highlighted insider information disclosed within an ETnews article. The International Semiconductor Standards Organization (JEDEC) has recently concluded negotiations regarding "next-generation mobile RAM standards"—the report posits that: "more than 60 people from memory, system semiconductor, and design asset (IP) companies participated" in a Lisbon, Portugal-situated meeting. A quoted participant stated (to ETnews): "We have held various discussions to confirm the LPDDR6 standard specification...(Details) will be released in the third quarter of this year."

The current generation LPDDR5 standard was secured back in February 2019—noted improvements included 50% performance and 30% power efficiency jumps over LPDDR4. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are in the process of mass-producing incremental improvements—in the form of LPDDR5X and LPDDR5T. A second source stated: "Technology development and standard discussions are taking place in a way to minimize power consumption, which increases along with the increase in data processing." A full-fledged successor is tasked with further enhancing data processing performance. Industry figures anticipate that LPDDR6 will greatly assist in an industry-wide push for "on-device AI" processing. They reckon that "large-scale AI calculations" will become the norm on smartphones, laptops, and tablet PCs. Revegnus has heard (fanciful) whispers about a potential 2024 rollout: "support may be available starting with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, expected to be released as early as the second half of this year." Sensible predictions point to possible commercialization in late 2025, or early 2026.

Earlier in the week it was revealed that NVIDIA had distributed next-gen AI GPUs to its most important ecosystem partners and customers—Dell's CEO expressed enthusiasm with his discussion of "Blackwell" B100 and B200 evaluation samples. Team Green's next-gen family of gaming GPUs have received less media attention in early 2024—a mid-February TPU report pointed to a rumored PCIe 6.0 CEM specification for upcoming RTX 50-series cards, but leaks have become uncommon since late last year. Top technology tipster, kopite7kimi, has broken the relative silence on Blackwell's gaming configurations—an early hours tweet posits a slightly underwhelming scenario: "although I still have fantasies about 512 bit, the memory interface configuration of GB20x is not much different from that of AD10x."

Past disclosures have hinted about next-gen NVIDIA gaming GPUs sporting memory interface configurations comparable to the current crop of "Ada Lovelace" models. The latest batch of insider information suggests that Team Green's next flagship GeForce RTX GPU—GB202—will stick with a 384-bit memory bus. The beefiest current-gen GPU AD102—as featured in GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards—is specced with a 384-bit interface. A significant upgrade for GeForce RTX 50xx cards could arrive with a step-up to next-gen GDDR7 memory—kopite7kimi reckons that top GPU designers will stick with 16 Gbit memory chip densities (2 GB). JEDEC officially announced its "GDDR7 Graphics Memory Standard" a couple of days ago. VideoCardz has kindly assembled the latest batch of insider info into a cross-generation comparison table (see below).

A handful of Canadian online stores were a good source of pre-release "Raptor Lake Refresh" information in 2023—that tradition continues into the new year, with DirectDial publishing Intel Core i9-14900KS CPU specifications. This premature listing was highlighted by momomo_us, everyone's favorite PC hardware sleuth—prior to this week's discovery, they tracked down two Core i9-14900KS packages in France. The upcoming special edition flagship Raptor Lake Refresh SKU is expected to launch midway through next month—DirectDial's product page mentions that the item is a "New Arrival," with its status listed as "backordered." The BX8071514900KS part code also appeared on PC21 France's online store—confirming that both places will be offering Intel's retail packaged version. Canadian customers could be paying CA$1005 (~$740 USD) on launch day—the French leak outed a possible initial price of €768.34 (~$828 USD).

Intel's 14th Gen Core i9-14900KS is a "Tetracosa-core (24-Core) 3.20 GHz Processor" according to the DirectDial listing—basic specifications appeared online earlier in the month, so there are no big surprises here: 36 MB L3 Cache, 32 MB L2 Cache, 64-bit Processing, 6.2 GHz Overclocking Speed, Socket LGA-1700 and an Intel UHD 770 integrated graphics solution. The i9-14900KS's Thermal Design Power (TDP) max. spec is listed as 150 W, while its Thermal Specification is set at a maximum of 212°F (100°C). A mid-February HKEPC report put the spotlight on leaked OCCT results—the test unit was tracked with a 409 W maximum package power draw at stock speeds—the processor's PL2 power limit was unlocked via BIOS tweaks. High-end PC enthusiasts expected to Team Blue to unveil the selectively-binned special edition SKU at CES 2024—based on past traditions—but their Core i9-14900KS remained under wraps. We hope to see an official unveiling in March.

Eurocom, a pioneer in high-performance mobile computing solutions, is thrilled to announce that its 780 W AC Adapter, specifically designed to power the most powerful laptops Eurocom offers, now supports the formidable MSI Titan 18HX gaming laptop. This groundbreaking accessory addresses the power limitations of the stock 400 W AC adapter that ships with the MSI Titan 18HX, ensuring peak performance for demanding tasks and resource-intensive applications.

Mark Bialic, President of Eurocom: "Our mission has always been to empower users with high-performance, upgradeable solutions. The 780 W AC Adapter for the MSI Titan 18HX exemplifies our commitment to excellence." The DC cable is detachable, allowing customers to use the same AC adapter with multiple laptops unlike any other AC adapter available on the market. Eurocom has added a variety of detachable DC cables with different connections at the laptop end for flawless integration. An optional splitter box is available for laptops that support dual DC Cables.

HXL (@9550pro) has highlighted an intriguing pinned post on the Chinese Zhihu community site—where XZiar, a self described "Central Processing Unit (CPU) expert," has shared a very fuzzy/low quality screenshot of a Windows Task Manager session. The information on display indicates that a "Genuine Intel(R) 0000 1.0 GHz" processor was in use—perhaps a very early Lunar Lake (LNL) engineering sample (ES1). XZiar confirmed the pre-release nature of the onboard chip, and teased its performance prowess: "It's good to use the craftsmanship that others have stepped on. It can run 2.8 GHz with only A1 step, and it is very smooth."

The "A1" designation implies that the leaked sample is among the first LNL processor prototypes to exit manufacturing facilities—Intel previewed its "Lunar Lake-MX" SoC package to press representatives last November. XZiar's followers have pored over the screenshot and ascertained that the leaked example sports a "8-core + 8-thread, without Hyperthreading, 4P+4LPE" configuration. Others were confused by the chip's somewhat odd on-board cache designations—L1: 836 KB, L2: 14 MB and L3: 12 MB—XZiar believes that prototype's setup "is obviously not up to par," when a replier compares the spec to an N300 series processor. It is theorized that Windows Task Manager is simply not fully capable of detecting the sample's full makeup, but XZiar reckons that 12 MB of L3 cache is the correct figure.

Intel's 14th Generation "Raptor Lake Refresh" processor series debuted in "enthusiast" SKU form last October—Team Blue's official product unveiling was less than surprising, since multiple SKUs and specifications had been leaked throughout mid-to-late 2023. The true top-of-the-pile Intel Core i9-14900KS SKU was first linked to a possible announcement at January's CES trade show, but did not appear in any of last year's leaked product lists. Team Blue proceeded to introduce its 14th Gen "mainstream" 65 W SKUs to the crowd in Las Vegas, but the leaked Core i9-14900KS model did not pop up, contrary to tipster claims—Intel had a history of presenting "KS" variants during January showcases.

Industry experts reckon that the current Raptor Lake Refresh flagship—Core i9 14900K—is getting some extra time in the spotlight, before its inevitable dethroning courtesy of a "Special Edition" sibling. BenchLife has reached out to its cadre of insiders, following yesterday's reports of a "gargantuan 409 W maximum package power draw." The alleged top dog 14th Gen Core part is perhaps only a month away from launch, as leaked by industry moles: "According to our reliable sources, Intel plans to launch the Intel Core i9 in mid-March 2024. 14900KS is a limited edition processor with a clock speed of 6.2 GHz, but we cannot confirm whether it will be sold to a specific system vendor or a specific channel."

An interesting Intel document leaked out last month—it contained detailed pre-release information that covered their upcoming 15th Gen Core Arrow Lake-S desktop CPU platform, including a possible best scenario 8+16+1 core configuration. Thorough analysis of the spec sheet revealed a revelation—the next generation Core processor family could "lack Hyper-Threading (HT) support." The rumor mill had produced similar claims in the past, but the internal technical memo confirmed that Arrow Lake's "expected eight performance cores without any threads enabled via SMT." These specifications could be subject to change, but tipster—InstLatX64—has uprooted an Arrow Lake-S engineering sample: "I spotted (CPUID C0660, 24 threads, 3 GHz, without AVX 512) among the Intel test machines."

The leaker had uncovered several pre-launch Meteor Lake SKUs last year—with 14th Gen laptop processors hitting the market recently, InstLatX64 has turned his attention to seeking out next generation parts. Yesterday's Arrow Lake-S find has chins wagging about the 24 thread count aspect (sporting two more than the fanciest Meteor Lake Core Ultra 9 processor)—this could be an actual 24 core total configuration—considering the evident lack of hyper-threading, as seen on the leaked engineering sample. Tom's Hardware reckons that the AVX-512 instruction set could be disabled via firmware or motherboard UEFI—if InstLatX64's claim of "without AVX-512" support does ring true, PC users (demanding such workloads) are best advised to turn to Ryzen 7040 and 8040 series processors, or (less likely) Team Blue's own 5th Gen Xeon "Emerald Rapids" server CPUs.

MSI presented a massive table of GeForce RTX 40 SUPER series custom design graphics cards at CES 2024—TPU spent a lot of time photographing and documenting everything GPU-related at the tech company's booth. The kind-of mysterious GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G EXPERT model seemed to get a lot of attention from online PC hardware communities. The brand new and very substantial EXPERT shroud design integrates a Zero Frozr cooling solution, but folks were quick to link its aesthetic (and vapor chamber setup) to NVIDIA's dual fan Founders Edition cooling solution. MSI has not yet published a dedicated GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G EXPERT product page, while all of the other models from CES are uploaded and active.

A tipster on social media has posted a screenshot of the 16G EXPERT's specification sheet—wxnod has uncovered alleged factory settings ahead of review and launch day embargos, although pricing is still unknown at the time of writing. The leaked core figures include a boost clock of 2610 MHz in GAMING and SILENT modes (60 MHz above reference), while the MSI Center software suite can activate an Extreme Performance mode: 2625 MHz. These figures align with the SUPER SUPRIM model's core clock specs—the SUPRIM X sits above everything else as the fastest card in MSI's RTX 4080 SUPER stable. MSI's official introduction stated that the 16G EXPERT: "features a push-pull airflow design for enhanced cooling efficiency. The enclosure is constructed with aluminium Die-Casting for structural strength, while Core Pipe and a Vapor Chamber work to efficiently dissipate heat. Lastly, a patented fan design provides quiet yet reliable airflow." We hope to see the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER 16G EXPERT's addition to the TPU GPU database.

Today, The Khronos Group, an open consortium of industry-leading companies creating advanced interoperability standards, announced the latest roadmap milestone for Vulkan, the cross-platform 3D graphics and compute API. The Vulkan roadmap targets the "immersive graphics" market, made up of mid- to high-end smartphones, tablets, laptops, consoles, and desktop devices. The Vulkan Roadmap 2024 milestone captures a set of capabilities that are expected to be supported in new products for that market, beginning in 2024. The roadmap specification provides a significant increase in functionality for the targeted devices and sets the evolutionary direction of the API, including both new hardware capabilities and improvements to the programming model for Vulkan developers.

Vulkan Roadmap 2024 is the second milestone release on the Vulkan Roadmap. Products that support it must be Vulkan 1.3 conformant and support the extensions and capabilities defined in both the 2022 and 2024 Roadmap specifications. Vulkan roadmap specifications use the Vulkan Profile mechanism to help developers build portable Vulkan applications; roadmap requirements are expressed in machine-readable JSON files, and tooling in the Vulkan SDK auto-generates code that makes it easy for developers to query for and enable profile support in their applications.

GPD has disclosed to ITHome that a specification refresh of its Win Max 2 handheld/mini-laptop gaming PC is incoming—this model debuted last year with Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix" APUs sitting in the driver's seat. A company representative provided a sneak peek of an upgraded device that sports a Team Red Ryzen 8040 series "Hawk Point" mobile processor, and a larger pool of system memory (32 GB versus the 2023 model's 16 GB). The refreshed GPD Win Max 2's Ryzen 7 8840U APU was compared to the predecessor's Ryzen 7 7840U in CPU-Z benchmarks (standard and AX-512)—the results demonstrate a very slight difference in performance between generations.

The 8040 and 7040 APUs share the same "Phoenix" basic CPU design (8-cores + 16-threads) based on the prevalent "Zen 4" microarchitecture, plus an integration of AMD's Radeon 780M GPU. The former's main upgrade lies in its AI-crunching capabilities—a deployment of Team Red's XDNA AI engine. Ryzen 8040's: "NPU performance has been increased to 16 TOPS, compared to 10 TOPS of the NPU on the 'Phoenix' silicon. AMD is taking a whole-of-silicon approach to AI acceleration, which includes not just the NPU, but also the 'Zen 4' CPU cores that support the AVX-512 VNNI instruction set that's relevant to AI; and the iGPU based on the RDNA 3 graphics architecture, with each of its compute unit featuring two AI accelerators, components that make the SIMD cores crunch matrix math. The whole-of-silicon performance figures for "Phoenix" is 33 TOPS; while 'Hawk Point' boasts of 39 TOPS. In benchmarks by AMD, 'Hawk Point' is shown delivering a 40% improvement in vision models, and Llama 2, over the Ryzen 7040 "Phoenix" series."

The TechPowerUp team visited the EK water blocks booth at the CES 2024 international show. We previously covered the company's latest direct-die all-in-one (AIO) water cooler, but many more products were on display. First in line is EK's Quantum-X NoCase chassis, which contradicts traditional PC enclosures with its open, no outer shell design. This radical departure from convention results in a nearly invisible frame crafted from aluminium for a featherlight weight of approximately 3 pounds. Its design is meticulously engineered to be as airy and lightweight as possible without compromising the support needed for essential hardware and liquid cooling components. The case integrates the advanced Reflection² distro plate, equipped with dual D5 pumps to facilitate separate cooling loops for both the CPU and GPU, ensuring optimal thermal management in a minimalist aesthetic.