Ahead of its April 22 retail availability, AMD confirmed the U.S. MSRP (pre-tax) pricing of its upcoming flagship desktop processor, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition. The chip comes with an AMD MSRP of $899, or $200 higher than the launch MSRP of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This doesn't necessarily mean that the processor will be available to buy at $899, retailers could mark the chip further up, and taxes could push its street price above the $1,000-mark. At launch, the processor will be sold both as retail PIB (processor in box) packages, as well as part of pre-built gaming desktops by popular OEMs and systems integrators.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is a 16-core/32-thread processor powered by "Zen 5" microarchitecture and 3D V-Cache technology, with stacked 3D V-Cache on both its 8-core chiplets, resulting in an on-package L3 cache of 192 MB, and a total cache (L2+L3) of 208 MB. In comparison, the 9950X3D only has 3D V-Cache on 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. Besides cache, the 9950X3D2 Dual Edition is mostly similar to the 9950X3D, except its maximum boost frequency is 5.60 GHz, or 100 MHz lower than the 9950X3D; and it comes with a higher TDP of 200 W, compared to 170 W of the 9950X3D. While technically compatible with any Socket AM5 motherboard, support requires UEFI firmware updates from motherboard vendors.

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Arctic today released the Xtender Black (clear glass), a spacious ATX mid-tower case, and a new variant of the Xtender series that the company launched in August 2025. The case features a pillarless front-left corner, and clear tempered-glass panels along the front- and left side panels. Black SECC steel makes up the overall sheet metal component of the case. The case comes with or without a pre-installed vertical GPU mount, and includes five of Arctic's latest ARGB LED fans pre-installed: that's two P12 Pro (120 mm), and three P14 Pro Reverse (140 mm).

The case supports motherboards up to E-ATX dimensions, with room for graphics cards up to 48.2 cm in length. There's room for up to two 420 mm (420 mm x 140 mm) radiators—along the top panel, and along the front-right panel; the rear panel has room for two 120 mm fans, or a 240 mm radiator. The Xtender Black (clear glass) is normally priced at $159.99, but is up on Amazon at an introductory price of $119.99. Its VG (vertical GPU) variant is priced at $189.99 (introductory price of $142.99). The Accelero Vertical GPU Mount can be separately purchased at $51.99 (introductory price of $38.99).

Microsoft is working on stripping out the last vestiges of the classic Win32 user interface in Windows 11, and the company could completely remove the classic Win32 Control Panel in a future update. March Rogers, partner director of design at Microsoft, in a post on X, said that his team is working on migrating all the old controls from the Win32 Control Panel over to the modern Settings app. This will be a long-drawn-out process as the company wants to ensure the lack of the old Control Panel doesn't break any critical functionality, particularly with control panel applications that are part of device drivers, such as those provided by printer and network adapter manufacturers.

"We're working our way through migrating all the old control panel controls into the modern Settings apps. We're doing it carefully because there are a lot of different network and printer devices & drivers we need to make sure we don't break in the process," Rogers said. Control Panel is a classic Win32 shell application, technically "control.exe," with various software and device drivers including their own applications with the extension *.cpl which run under control.exe. The modern Settings app, on the other hand, is based on UWP (universal Windows platform), and the latest one conforms to Microsoft's WinUI 3 architecture, also known as "fluent design."

Corsair is proud to unveil the newest additions to the modular FRAME Series Case family; the FRAME 4000X RS and the FRAME 4000D WOOD RS. The FRAME 4000X features an all-new ventilated front panel with built-in RGB lighting and 64 RGB LEDs for a customizable light show, while the FRAME 4000D WOOD sports a front panel made with real wood for great airflow and a natural look. Both cases deliver new aesthetic options to the FRAME 4000 Series lineup while offering excellent cooling performance and easy upgradeability.

The all-new FRAME 4000X RS was created for DIY PC builders who want a great looking PC with RGB lighting and excellent airflow. It includes the new RGB Flow front panel that features 64 built-in RGB LEDs for a customizable light show with effective airflow. The RGB lights on the front panel can be connected to the motherboard's +5V RGB header for easy lighting management via motherboard software.

Zyxel Networks, a leader in delivering secure and AI-powered cloud networking solutions, today announced the launch of the WBE665S BE22000 12-stream Wi-Fi 7 Triple-Radio NebulaFlex Pro ruggedized access point. The new solution presents MSPs and installers with an opportunity to address the rising demand for fast, reliable wireless connectivity within industrialized and challenging environments. Combining a durable IP67-rated weatherproof design and AI-powered cloud management, the WBE665S is designed for professional installers deploying networks in demanding locations.

In warehousing and distribution, manufacturing, cold storage, large-scale retail and other sectors, Wi-Fi is now being extended into zones that were once considered too harsh for wireless connectivity. Forklift trucks run connected tablets, while IoT sensors track the movement of consignments and goods, and handheld barcode scanners are used to drive greater efficiency and accuracy. In these environments, hazards such as extreme temperatures, humidity and dust are common and dropped connections, downtime and hardware failures can disrupt operations.

IBASE Technology Inc., a leading manufacturer of embedded and edge computing solutions, launches the MBB1002, a powerful AI-ready eATX motherboard engineered to accelerate next-generation edge AI and data-intensive applications. Powered by AMD EPYC Embedded 8004 series processors, it delivers exceptional multi-core performance and outstanding power efficiency, enabling faster AI inference, real-time analytics, and high-throughput computing at the edge.

Built for scalability and performance, the MBB1002 supports up to 576 GB DDR5-4800 ECC memory for reliable, high-speed data processing. Five PCIe Gen 5 x16 slots unlock unmatched flexibility for integrating GPUs and AI accelerators, empowering system integrators to scale performance based on evolving workload demands. With dual 10GbE LAN and high-speed NVMe storage support, the platform ensures ultra-fast data transfer and seamless system responsiveness for mission-critical deployments.

ASUS today announced the ProArt Router PRT-BE5000 and ProArt Switch PQG-U1080, introducing networking solutions into the ProArt family of Creator-First devices designed for modern studios. Joining the existing ProArt lineup of laptops, displays, graphics cards, motherboards, and other creator-focused products, these new devices help build a more complete studio infrastructure for creators. Combining dual-band Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, intelligent traffic prioritization, and high-speed multi-gigabit wired expansion, the ProArt Router PRT-BE5000 and ProArt Switch PQG-U1080 enable quick file transfers, cloud collaboration, and stable connections across multiple creative devices.

The ProArt Router PRT-BE5000 delivers dual-band Wi-Fi 7 with throughput performance of up to 5000 Mbps plus Multi-Link Operation (MLO), and dual 2.5G WAN/LAN connectivity for flexible, high-speed wired connections. Creator-First adaptive QoE intelligently prioritizes creative traffic in real time, helping to ensure fast file transfers, smooth cloud collaboration, and streaming across connected devices, in harmony with other network activity. ASUS Smart Home Master software further simplifies network segmentation through dedicated SSIDs for IoT devices and VPN connections, enabling more intuitive management across studio and personal environments.

Intel will continue to ensure production of its 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" desktop processors, 700-series motherboard chipset, and ensure continued availability of the Socket LGA1700 platform. In an interview with Club386, Intel's VP and GM of client segment technical marketing, Robert Hallock, said that Raptor Lake remains a big part of Intel's client segment strategy, and that these processors will continue to be "abundantly available." Hallock also hinted that Intel could get motherboard vendors to innovate boards with both DDR4 and DDR5 memory slots, so consumers can choose between the two memory types, picking cheaper DDR4 memory, and upgrading to DDR5 down the line.

"Raptor Lake is a big part of our strategy - I want to be very clear about that," says Hallock. "It's still really, really good, even with multiple generations of hardware from other vendors coming after it, so it's not going anywhere. I want people to understand that Raptor Lake will continue to be abundantly available," Hallock said. "You've also seen some new motherboard announcements that support both DDR4 and 5 on Raptor Lake, as kind of like a bridge between worlds for people," he added. "That is reflective of our overall confidence and expectations." Companies like ASRock are already innovating such boards, and we could expect more such products in 2026.

Seasonic teased the Japan-exclusive FOCUS ATX 3.1 Sakura Limited Edition power supplies. These are design variants of the FOCUS ATX 3.1 line of PSUs that feature a white housing with cherry blossom printed design, Sakura-pink lettering, and a matching white 135 mm cooling fan. The PSU includes white, individually-sleeved modular cables. The PSU offers 80 Plus Gold switching efficiency, and meets both ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1CEM specifications, a native 12V-2x6 connector, Seasonic's innovative OptiSink cooling design, and a segment-leading 10-year product warranty. The company didn't reveal pricing or availability information, the PSU is likely to be Japan-exclusive.

Canadian online retailers have started putting up early listings of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition desktop processor, which was launched earlier this month, but without a price announcement. The processor will start selling from April 22, 2026. Ahead of this date, Canadian retailers, ShopRBC and PC-Canada, listed the processor. ShopRBC listed it for CAD $1,375, while PC-Canada had it up for CAD $1,374. It so happens that these prices convert to approximately USD $990, confirming the popular theory that AMD could give the 9950X3D2 Dual Edition an MSRP of $999, making it the Ryzen-branded desktop processor with the highest launch price, not counting Threadripper HEDT SKUs.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is designed to be a flagship 16-core/32-thread Socket AM5 desktop part with 3D V-Cache memory on both its 8-core "Zen 5" chiplets, for a combined L3 cache of 192 MB, and total cache of 208 MB. The chip should, in theory, offer better gaming performance than the regular 9950X3D, since game workloads could be executed on either of the two CCDs. Multithreaded productivity workloads that are heavy on streaming data should benefit from the large caches, too. The chip comes with a feisty TDP of 200 W.

Sapphire introduced two new China-specific graphics cards, the Radeon RX 9070 GRE Pulse Pro, and the Radeon RX 9060 XT Pulse S. The two feature a price-performance ratio that's highly optimized for the Chinese market, banking on the success of China-specific products from previous generations. The RX 9070 GRE Pulse Pro features a board design that's similar to that of the RX 9070 series Pure brand from the company, but colored black overall. The card appears high-end when installed, with a meaty triple-slot cooling solution, and a board length of 32 cm. It uses a pair of 8-pin PCIe power inputs. Sapphire has given this card a Game clock of 2920 MHz boost, and 2340 MHz Game clock. Display outputs include two each of HDMI 2.1b and DisplayPort 2.1a.

Carved out from the 4 nm "Navi 48" silicon, the RX 9070 GRE has 48 RDNA 4 compute units, for 3,072 stream processors. It gets 12 GB of 20 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit wide memory bus. The RX 9070 GRE is hence positioned between the global RX 9070 and RX 9060 XT 16 GB. Next up, is the Sapphire Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB Pulse S. This is a compacted version of the global RX 9060 XT 8 GB Pulse. While the global card has a 24 cm board length with 12.4 cm height, the China-specific Pulse S card is just 20 cm in length, with 12.2 cm height. Both cards are 2 slots thick.

MSI today introduced the Herald BE9400, a PCIe network adapter that provides Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity to any PC with a vacant PCIe slot and USB 2.0 header. The card supports 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7), 802.11axe (Wi-Fi 6E), 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6), and older standards, across the 6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz radio bands, with a peak Tri-Band bandwidth of 5764 Mbps. The adapter offers a channel width of 320 MHz. Other features include MLO (multi-link operation) and 4K QAM. Under the hood, the Herald BE9400 appears to be based on the MediaTek MT7927 controller, with a PCI-Express 4.0 x1 host interface. MSI includes an antenna module with a magnetized base that sits firmly on top of your PC case. The company didn't reveal pricing information.

Imagine you're a web hosting vendor leasing out specific number of CPU cores of a large core-count processor. You'd want to specify QoS limits on the shared L3 cache performance for those cores, so they don't hamper performance of other tenants. AMD this week released a technical document detailing the Platform Quality of Service (PQOS) ISA extensions for its next-generation Zen 6 microarchitecture. These ISA enhancements provide sysadmins and cloud providers with greater control over processor and memory subsystem performance. The latest document outlines three primary additions to the Zen 6 PQOS feature set, Global Bandwidth Enforcement (GLBE), Global Slow Bandwidth Enforcement (GLSBE), and Privilege-Level Zero Association (PLZA). These features are designed to scale performance management across complex multicore environments by allowing software to regulate bandwidth and execution privileges more effectively across expansive groups of logical processors. The development shows that AMD is steering toward a more closely collaborative hardware QoS solution for its multicore processors.

A highlight of the Zen 6 PQOS updates is the implementation of Global Bandwidth Enforcement (GLBE), which allows system software to specify L3 external bandwidth limits for groups of cores that span across multiple traditional QoS Domains. By grouping these into a unified "GLBE Control Domain," AMD enables a competitively shared bandwidth ceiling for specific Classes of Service (CoS). This upgrades older architectures that only provided L3 external bandwidth enforcement on a strictly per-domain granularity. Next up, AMD introduced Global Slow Bandwidth Enforcement (GLSBE), a parallel feature that applies the exact same multi-domain bandwidth limiting principles to system memory explicitly designated as "Slow Memory." Both GLBE and GLSBE provide granular controls via specific model-specific registers.

Alphacool International GmbH from Braunschweig is a pioneer in PC water-cooling technology. With one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry and over 20 years of experience, Alphacool is once again expanding its portfolio with the long-awaited Apex Monoblocks. The monoblocks combine high cooling performance with an elegant design that is perfectly matched to the respective motherboard. In addition to the CPU, they also cool the voltage regulators (VRMs) and the M.2 NVMe SSD located below the CPU socket. This allows the waterblock to cover all key motherboard components.

As with the Apex 1 CPU cooler, the Apex Monoblocks feature an offset cold plate. This directs the coolant flow straight to the thermal hotspot of the AM5 CPU. Combined with the proven Cross-Slot structure and 3D Jetplate 2.0, the design generates high water pressure for particularly efficient heat dissipation. The Apex Monoblocks were developed for demanding systems that require both high cooling performance and seamless integration into the motherboard design. Their combination of technical precision, targeted coolant flow and clear design language makes them ideally suited to modern custom water-cooling setups.

Intel's next-generation mobile processor for gaming notebooks and portable workstations, the Core Ultra Series 4 "Nova Lake-HX," will come in two distinct core configurations, according to a leak by Jaykihn, a reliable source for Intel leaks. "Nova Lake-HX" is segmented from the mainstream "Nova Lake-H" with a wider I/O that supports configurations with discrete GPUs. The top-of-the-line "Nova Lake-HX" processor will come with a CPU core configuration of 8P+16E+4LPE, that's eight "Coyote Cove" P-cores, and 16 "Arctic Wolf" E-cores, both of which are upgrades over the current "Cougar Cove" and "Darkmont" core architectures, respectively. The Compute tile features 8P+16E cores sharing an L3 cache, while the chip's 4 low-power island E-cores, also based on "Arctic Wolf," will be located in the SoC tile.

Intel is also planning a performance-segment "Nova Lake-HX" core configuration, with 6P+8E+4LPE under the hood. This will likely reuse the 6P+8E Compute tile from the mainstream "Nova Lake-H" processor, but with the SoC + I/O tiles Intel plans to use for the "Nova Lake-HX". This would give the chip a maximum core count of 6P+8E+4LPE. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of both these chip types is the iGPU, and its Graphics tile will be the tiniest variant in the series, with just 2 Xe cores. The iGPU of "Nova Lake" family is based on the Xe4 "Druid" graphics architecture. These chips feature a basic iGPU because they are expected to come with a full fat PCI-Express 5.0 PEG interface for discrete GPUs, and ideally you'd want the iGPU to be as small as possible.

EK by LM TEK, is proud to introduce the EK-Quantum Vector³ TUF RTX 5070 Ti/5080 - Plexi, a high-performance full-cover water block compatible with both the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5080 and the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Designed to deliver exceptional thermal performance across the GPU core, VRAM, and power stages, the EK-Quantum Vector³ TUF RTX 5070 Ti / 5080 features an optimized open split-flow cooling engine, next-gen pre-cut thermal pads,and a full-coverage black anodized aluminium backplate. Now available now at the EK Shop and local resellers.

Engineered for the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5080 and the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, the EK-Quantum Vector³ delivers high performance liquid-cooling for enthusiasts who demand more. Featuring EK's expanded next-gen cooling engine, pre-cut high-performance thermal pads, and an advanced gasket design, this block ensures your GPU stays cool and efficient - even under the heaviest gaming, rendering, or overclocking loads.

Since the announcement of their collaboration at Computex 2025, Noctua, a leading quiet PC cooling brand, and Asetek, a pioneer in all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling, have continued to advance their flagship AIO liquid coolers. The products have now successfully completed the Production Validation Test (PVT) phase, confirming performance and manufacturing readiness ahead of the planned Q2 2026 launch.

The Asetek Emma (G8) V2 pump operates at a nominal speed of approximately 3,600 RPM (±300 RPM). Through collaboration with Noctua, several key performance aspects have been enhanced. Firstly, a triple-layer noise-reduction pump cover reduces both air-borne noise and structure-borne vibrations. Secondly, a dedicated mode switch allows users to choose between three different pump speed profiles to fine-tune performance-to-noise characteristics.

Intel Core 200 "Bartlett Lake" is probably the most interesting processor gamers can't buy—built on the Intel 7 node and designed for Socket LGA1700, "Bartlett Lake" is a non-Hybrid, pure P-core chip, a monolithic silicon, with 12 "Raptor Cove" P-cores, and no E-core clusters. The 12-core/24-thread chip was launched earlier this month as an exclusive for the commercial and industrial PC OEM markets, as an edge AI PC processor, it is not drop-in compatible with consumer Intel Z790 chipset motherboards, or at least that was the plan.

A motherboard UEFI firmware mod by "kryptonfly" got a consumer ASUS Z790-AYW OC motherboard to POST with an Intel Core 9 273QPE "Bartlett Lake" processor. The modder used Claude AI to mod the UEFI firmware of the board without tripping safeguards that prevent the motherboard from booting with modded firmware. The 273QPE is a 12-core/24-thread pure P-core processor with 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Its uncore components and iGPU are carried over from "Raptor Lake-S." The 273QPE has a base frequency of 3.30 GHz, an all-core boost frequency of 5.30 GHz, and a single-core TVB frequency of 5.90 GHz. The chip has 125 W processor base power, and 250 W maximum turbo power. You can watch kryptonfly's firmware mod video from the source link below.

Intel earlier this month debuted the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus desktop processors at launch prices of $299 and $199, respectively. At the time, the company hadn't launched "KF" variants of the two chips, which lack integrated graphics and are priced around $15 less than their regular "K" variants. It turns out, that Intel is planning to launch the Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus, while there's no sign of a "Core Ultra 7 270KF Plus." The 250KF Plus is almost identical to the 250K Plus, except it comes with the iGPU disabled—something you don't need if you plan on using a graphics card.

As with most "KF" SKUs from the past, the Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus will be priced around $15 less than the regular Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. Intel's own 1,000-unit tray quantity pricing for the chip ranges between $174 and $184. Given how tight memory pricing is, and given that you'll need an aftermarket cooler, the $15 saving might come in handy. Then of course the integrated graphics is nice to have if your graphics card is bricked due to a burnt power connector, and you need something to light your screen up for troubleshooting or during RMA. The Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus is based on the "Arrow Lake" microarchitecture, and packs a 6P+12E core configuration, with 3 MB of L2 cache per P-core, 4 MB of shared L2 cache for each of the three E-core clusters, and 30 MB of L3 cache shared among the six P-cores and three E-core clusters. The Core Ultra 5 250KF Plus should start selling from April 3, 2026.

Acer today introduced the FA300, a mid-range M.2 NVMe Gen 5 SSD. The drive brings PCIe Gen 5 speeds to a wider audience, and is based on a DRAMless controller. The company doesn't specify the controller type. Popular DRAMless Gen 5 controllers include Phison E31T and Silicon Motion SM2504XT. The FA300 comes in 1 TB and 2 TB capacity variants, which differ in performance. Both variants offer up to 11 GB/s of sequential reads, but while the 1 TB variant offers up to 9.7 GB/s sequential writes, the 2 TB variant goes a bit further, posting up to 10 GB/s sequential writes.

In terms of random access performance, the 1 TB Acer FA300 offers up to 1.4 million IOPS 4K random reads, with up to 1.6 million IOPS 4K random writes, while the 2 TB variant offers up to 1.7 million IOPS for both 4K random reads and writes. The company does not specify the 3D NAND flash type used. The 1 TB model is rated for 750 TBW (TB written) write endurance, while the 2 TB model offers 1,500 TBW. Both models are backed by 5-year warranties. Acer did not specify pricing, because it tends to be dynamic in the current market environment, but expect the FA300 to be among the more affordable Gen 5 SSDs.

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