Thread: Anandtech News

Ahead of tomorrow’s big CES keynote, AMD is offering a spoiler of sorts for one of their product announcements. As it turns out, one of AMD’s forthcoming products, the Ryzen 6000 Series Mobile processor lineup, is receiving a CES innovation award. And since those awards are being announced this evening, ahead of the show, so too is the Ryzen 6000 Mobile series.
While AMD is clearly saving the bulk of the details for tomorrow’s presentation, for this evening they are revealing a few key details. First and foremost, AMD’s latest generation of mobile APUs is getting a significant upgrade in terms of graphics support, with AMD (finally) replacing the Vega GPU architecture with their current-generation RDNA2 GPU architecture. Along with supporting numerous additional graphics features – namely, the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set – RDNA2 also introduced some significant energy efficiency and computational throughput improvements to AMD’s GPU architecture, which has made AMD’s latest generation of discrete parts among the most competitive in generations.
Curiously, no similar mention is made of the underlying CPU architecture. However, since we’re not expecting Zen 4 until later this year, it stands to reason that these new mobile chips are based around the Zen 3 CPU architecture, just like the current Ryzen 5000 chips.

AMD Ryzen Mobile APU Generations
AnandTech	CPU Arch	GPU Arch	Memory Types	Year
Ryzen 6000 Mobile	Zen 3?	RDNA2	DDR5 / LPDDR5?	2022
Ryzen 5000 Mobile (Cezanne)	Zen 3	Vega	DDR4 / LPDDR4X	2021
Ryzen 4000 Mobile (Renoir)	Zen 2	Vega	DDR4 / LPDDR4X	2020

AMD’s brief announcement also touts support for newer memory standards, specifically “DDR5 technologies.” All of AMD’s current-generation APUs are currently based around DDR4/LPDDR4, so the move to DDR5 will offer a significant boost to total memory bandwidth, something that should pair very well with the increased iGPU capabilities of the Ryzen 6000 Mobile parts. Notably, LPDDR5 isn’t explicitly mentioned alongside DDR5, but this is clearly a less-than-complete detailing of the chips’ architecture.
Finally, the award announcement also confirms that the new Ryzen processors will integrate a Microsoft Pluton-architecture hardware security processor. As well, the chips come with what AMD is calling “AI-audio processing,” which we’ll no doubt hear more about tomorrow.
And with that, we’ll have more tomorrow. Join us at 7am PT (15:00 UTC) for our live blog coverage of AMD’s CES 2022 keynote, where we should hear all about the Ryzen 6000 Mobile series and more.

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Netgear introduced their first Wi-Fi 6E routers last year with the launch of the Nighthawk RAXE500 and the Orbi RBKE960. The addition of 6 GHz support makes it necessary to include more antennae and add more RF components to the board. As a result, the pricing of these routers tend to be high - the RAXE500 retails for $581 currently (launched with a MSRP of $600), while the basic Orbi RBKE962 (a router and a single satellite) had a launch MSRP of $1100.

As part of the 2022 CES launches, Netgear is introducing an affordable Wi-Fi 6E router in the form of the Nighthawk RAXE300. Affordable is a relative term here - the new router has a $400 price point. The cost-down has been achieved by adopting a 8-stream configuration - four in the 5 GHz band, and two each in 6 GHz and 2.4 GHz.

Similar to other Nighthawk routers, the RAXE300 also includes the NETGEAR Armor service support, along with a larger number of wired ports compared to mesh systems. A 1Gbps and a 2.5Gbps port are available for WAN connection (the unused one can be repurposed for LAN usage), and link aggregation support is also built in.

The USB 3.0 Type-A ports in the previous Nighthawks has now been replaced by a Type-C port. Netgear is also claiming better antenna placement for improved performance.
In addition to the RAXE300, the company is also launching the EAX50 6-stream AX5400 extender for $180 later this quarter.

Netgear's line of Nighthawk Pro routers has targeted gamers with their Game Booster feature. This allows gamers to restrict connections to geographically close-by servers (based on ping timings and geo-filters), while also providing fine-grained QoS settings to prioritize certain devices / applications over others. Netgear is now adding ad-blocking to the features list.

The service is also being rolled out to Orbi owners, with a 30-day free trial, and then billed annually at $50. In recent years, most hardware vendors have shifted to a service model to create a recurrent revenue stream. It is no surprise that Netgear is adding features to and trying to expand their offerings such as Game Booster and ARMOR.
Gallery: Netgear Expands Wi-Fi 6E Portfolio with Affordable Nighthawk RAXE300 Router





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It’s hard to avoid that autonomous vehicles are a key part of how we are going to be discussing technology and machine learning of the future. For the best part of a decade, we’ve been discussing the different levels of autonomy, from Level 1 (basic assistance) to Level 4 (full automation with some failover) and Level 5 (full automation with full failover), and what combined software and hardware solution we need to create it. One of the major companies in this space is Mobileye, acquired by Intel in 2017, and the company has recently celebrated 100 million chips sold in this space. Today we’re talking with CEO and Co-Founder Professor Amnon Shashua about the latest announcements from Mobileye at this year’s CES, including the company’s next-generation all-in-one single chip solution for Level 4.

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While CES may have started out as the Consumer Electronics Show, the global event has over the years expanded to include everything from enterprise technologies to automobiles. As a result, the show has not only been a regular keystone event for things like CPU and GPU announcements, but it’s also become home to major automotive technology announcements as well. And for Intel’s autonomous driving subsidiary, Mobileye, those two paths are coming directly together this year, as this morning the group is announcing their next-generation Level 4 autonomous driving SoC, the EyeQ Ultra.



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When Intel launched its 12^th Generation Core family of processors late last year, it was only a small set of overclockable parts for desktops that came to market. Featuring Intel’s new hybrid core design, the hardware proved competitive and cost effective, making it a very interesting time to be a consumer. However, the main battle for volume sales is typically in the mid-range and notebook segments which power millions of devices, and Intel is launching these processors today. These include the 35 W and 65 W desktop processors, new desktop coolers, and a handful of 45W+ laptop offerings for the creator and gaming markets.

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Today is a day for CES keynotes, and up next is Intel. Here we'll be getting SVP Greg Bryant to talk us through the next generation of hardware launches coming in 2022. We already know that Intel is launching graphics in Q1, but will this be the place to share more details?


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With the announcement of Intel’s Alder Lake H series of laptop processors, MSI is one of the first out of the gate to announce their refreshed gaming laptop series featuring the newest Intel processors. As one of the market leaders in gaming notebooks, MSI has some new tricks up its sleeves to boost performance even further.
New this year for MSI are some key software features to boost performance across the lineup, as well as functionality. As an example, MSI will offer a new Smart Auto Power system to adjust the laptop performance levels based on what application is running, rather than relying on the end user to configure the settings manually. For users that want to tweak their own system, the manual system will of course still be around, but the automatic mode should help consumers who are not as familiar with the product get the most out of it, or those who just don’t want to have to fiddle with things to get the best out of the laptop.
Also in line with power and performance, MSI has always offered a “Silent” mode on their laptops which has targeted keeping the fans at 15 dB to prevent unwanted noise intrusions while working. Their new software update will leverage the system microphone to measure the ambient noise level in the room, which will then let the Silent mode use more system cooling without being audible. Although this may not sound like much, MSI has found up to a 30% boost in performance in their Silent mode while still not being audible.
MSI will also include background noise cancellation on incoming audio calls, rather than just the outgoing audio stream, so if your co-worker has a noisy dog in the weekly team meeting, it at least won’t bother you anymore.
All three of these features will be available across the lineup. Let’s take a look at the refreshed products.
MSI Raider GE76/66

At the top of the product stack is the 17” Raider 76 series and 15” Raider 66 series, and the first change for those familiar with MSI’s lineup is the name itself. For 2022, MSI is reversing the name from GE76 Raider to Raider GE76, with the goal of dropping the code names from their products to simplify the shopping experience for their customers, which I think makes a lot of sense.
New for this year is a Phase Change thermal pad which is solid at room temperature, but when it reaches 58°C the pad melts and fills the spaces between the CPU and thermal block for a more efficient transfer of heat. MSI is claiming up to 10% more performance over traditional thermal pastes and liquid metals, without the crystallization issues that can occur. The new phase change thermal pad will be available on both the Raider and Stealth with Intel processors.

Speaking of Intel processors, the Raider lineup offers the latest Alder Lake H lineup, with the i7-12700H and i9-12900HK overclockable processor on tap. With the shortage of DDR5, MSI is unfortunately stuck with a situation where the memory available is not uniform across the range, but the Raider comes out in the best shape with only the lowest-tier GE76 model with a Core i7-12700H and RTX 3060 offering DDR4. The rest of the lineup is all DDR5-4800 memory, including all current models of the GE66 being announced.
On the graphics side, which is always critical in a gaming notebook, MSI is turning to the latest refreshed RTX cards from NVIDIA, up to the RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU which is the new king of the hill in terms of laptop graphics. The 3080Ti Laptop will be paired with 16 GB of GDDR6.
The display options are the same as the previous generation, with 1920x1080 144/360 Hz options, 2560x1440 240 Hz with P3 gamut support, and 3840x2160 120 Hz Adobe RGB.
The Raider GE76 and its smaller GE66 cousin have not changed on the chassis side. We just reviewed the latest 17.3-inch Raider laptop so for a feel for the chassis, please check out that review. It is very good, albeit a bit flashy, and being at the top of the MSI lineup (at least until they decide to bring back the Titan) it is very fast. MSI expects their Alder Lake models with their new cooling solutions to be the most performant of the current generation of gaming notebooks on the market.

For the 17-inch GE76, prices start at $1599 for the RTX 3060 model, $2249 for the RTX 3070, $2499 for the RTX 3070 Ti, and $3599 for the RTX 3080 Ti.
For the 15-inch GE66, prices start at $2249 for the RTX 3070 model, $2599 for the RTX 3070 Ti model, and $3499 for the RTX 3080 Ti.
MSI Stealth GS77

If you want performance, but want a bit less bling, MSI has you covered with their aptly named Stealth lineup. The chassis has been reworked to make it more durable, and it packs a lot of performance into a relatively small and light design.
MSI has moved the hinge to the middle of the notebook to increase its durability, and the notebook offers a CNC milled aluminum display cover. The notebook is all black to blend in for work and play.

MSI is offering a Full HD webcam, which helps with the business side of this device, as well as a hard switch for the webcam on the side of the device. Sadly, most notebooks still offer 1366x768 webcams still, or some gaming notebooks forego the webcam altogether, which seems like a mistake in 2022. MSI also includes a fingerprint reader for quick logons.
The keyboard has been revamped, and the keys are 8% larger than the previous generation. User feedback on the previous design was that the touchpad was not tall enough to move the cursor from the top of the display to the bottom in one stroke, so MSI has also make the touchpad taller to remedy this. MSI also moved the most important ports such as power and USB to the rear of the device to allow for better cable management.
On the performance side, the Alder Lake design offers options of the Core i7-12650H, Core i7-12700H, and Core i9-12900H processors and all feature DDR5-4800 memory, up to 32 GB dual-channel. On the graphics side, customers can choose from the RTX 3060L, RTX 3070L, RTX 3070L Ti, and RTX 3080L Ti.
The display options on this 17.3-inch notebook are the same are 1920x1080 360 Hz, 2560x1440 240 Hz P3, and 3840x2160 120 Hz Adobe RGB.

The Stealth is a thinner and lighter design, but still packs in plenty of performance. The 17-inch 5.7 lb laptop is over 3 lbs lighter than the Raider series, making it much more portable, and the 15-inch model is 4.63 lbs, which is about 2.5 lbs less than the 15-inch Raider.
For the 17-inch Stealth GS77, prices start at $1799 for the RTX 3060, $2399 for the RTX 3070, $2699 for the RTX 3070 Ti, and $3699 for the RTX 3080 Ti.
For the 15-inch Stealth GS66, prices start at $2499 for the RTX 3070 Ti, $3099 for the RTX 3080, and $3499 for the RTX 3080 Ti.
MSI Vector

If you like the bigger desktop replacement style devices but don’t like the RGB, MSI offers the Vector series as a more affordable Raider. The Vector lineup will also get the latest Alder Lake processors, from the Core i7-12700H to the Core i9-12900HK. Due to supply, the Vector will forego DDR5 and stick with DDR4, with up to 32 GB from MSI via two SODIMMs. On the graphics side, options are the RTX 3060L, RTX 3070L, RTX 3070L Ti, and RTX 3080L.
Prices start at $1899 for the RTX 3060, $2249 for the RTX 3070, $2549 for the RTX 3070 Ti, and $2799 for the RTX 3080 model.
MSI Crosshair 15 Special Edition Rainbox Six Extraction

Every year, MSI does a special edition laptop which is usually from the Raider series, but for 2022, MSI is using a mid-level gaming notebook to make it more affordable for more people. Themed for Ubisoft’s Rainbox Six Extraction, the laptop features a unique paint scheme and even comes with a copy of the game. It features a map of Los Angeles under the logo, and features laser engraving throughout the design. It comes with a matching mouse and mouse pad as well. The special edition laptop will be available for $1999 USD.
MSI’s new Alder Lake laptop lineup will be available for pre-order starting January 25th at 06:00 Pacific, with products available starting February 1st.

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At CES 2022 in Las Vegas, ASRock has unveiled many new 600 series motherboards. This includes three Steel Legend series models, one B660, one B660M, and one H670 model. All three can support up to 128 GB of DDR4 memory, include a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec, as well as a single 2.5 GbE port, and all follow the same Artic urban camouflage themed design, each with advertised 9-phase power delivery.
Intel announced a total of 22 new Alder Lake Desktop-S processors ranging from budget Celerons starting at $42, with higher spec and ultimately higher-priced Core i3, i5, i7, and i9 parts. Intel also launched three new chipsets to supplement the processors, including the H670, B660, and H610. Among ASRock's dropship of new 600 series models designed for users on a tighter budget than what Z690 offers are a total of three Steel Legend branded motherboards designed for Intel's Alder Lake platform with DDR4 memory.

The ASRock H670 Steel Legend ATX motherboard

Both the ASRock H670 Steel Legend and B660 Steel Legend are very similar in specifications as the pairing features a 6-layer ATX sized PCB. Both models with two full-length PCIe 5.0 slots that can operate at x16 and x8/x8, and three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Both models include four SATA ports capable of supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays, as well as one front panel USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C header.

The ASRock B660 Steel Legend ATX motherboard

The difference between the H670 and B660 Steel Legend models is that the third full-length PCIe 4.0 slot operates at x4 on H670 Steel Legend (x2 on the B660), and all three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots can support up to x4, while the B660 Steel Legend has two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with one operating at PCIe 3.0 x 2 M.2 slot.
Both the ASRock H670 and B660 Steel Legend models can support up to 128 GB of DDR4-5000 across four memory slots, with other features including a Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 GbE controller, a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec, as well as a Key-E M.2 slot for users wishing to add a wireless interface.

The rear panel on the ASRock H670 Steel Legend with USB 3.2 G2 connectivity

On the rear panel of the H670 Steel Legend is one USB 3.2 G2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, two USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports. The H670 Steel Legend also has a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec that powers three 3.5 mm audio jacks. The B660 Steel Legend has a similar rear panel minus the USB 3.2 G2 connectivity, with one USB 3.2 G1 Type-C, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A and two USB 2.0 ports. The B660 version also uses a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec but utilizes the extra space and includes five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output.
Both the B660 and H670 Steel Legends include a handy BIOS Flashback button, a PS/2 combo port, and a video output pairing consisting of one HDMI 2.1 and one DisplayPort 1.4.

The ASRock B660M Steel Legend micro-ATX motherboard

Last is the ASRock B660M Steel Legend, which has a smaller micro-ATX sized PCB but has fewer PCIe slots than the ATX sized version due to size constraints. Included is one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, with two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots. Other storage options include six SATA ports, with four powered by the chipset with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays, while an ASMedia ASM1061 SATA controller powers the other two.
The ASRock B660M Steel Legend also has four memory slots supporting DDR4-5000 and up to 128 GB of capacity. The rear panel has four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A and two USB 2.0 ports, with one Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 GbE controller and a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec that powers five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output. Also present is a PS/2 combo port, an HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 video output pairing, as well as a small BIOS Flashback button.
At the time of writing, ASRock hasn't provided when the H670, B660, and B660M Steel Legend motherboards will be available in retail channels or how much they might cost.
Gallery: CES 2022: ASRock Announces B660, B660M, and H670 Steel Legend Motherboards


Source: ASRock

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Akasa is introducing four new products at the 2022 CES - two fan models under the OTTO series, a 185W TDP CPU cooler, and a fanless case for the NVIDIA Jetson Nano.
The OTTO series consists of IP68-rated fans - imagine applications involving rugged embedded systems requiring active cooling operating in harsh environments. The 120mm fans are ergonomically designed with emphasis on avoiding vibrations. The SC12 model has sickle flow blades for centralized pressure, making it a fit for heavy-duty heatsink and radiator applications. The SF12 model has a S-Flow blade design meant to optimize overall airflow, making it a fit for computing system enclosures.

The Alucia H4 premium CPU cooler is Akasa's solution for the 185W TDP Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 processors. The fans are colored blue to complement any RGB lighting scheme used in the rest of the system. Akasa claims that the black fins and their dense packing helps achieve high cooling efficiency. Akasa is also bundling their high-performance AK-T656-5G thermal paste with the fan.

The heatsink also has a slanted design to allow for wider motherboard compatibility with respect to RAM placement.
On the fanless chassis front, Akasa is introducing an aluminum case for the NVIDIA Jetson Nano under the 'Machina' tag. The 'Machina N' is the first product in this series. The TDP handling requirements and the size of the board have allowed Akasa to adopt a minimalist-styled finned design. The rear I/O cutouts allow full access to all the I/O features of the Jetson Nano board.

The chassis of the Machina N appears to be based on the Newton lineup of fanless cases marketed by Akasa for the Intel NUCs. With the case already having proven its rated TDP-handling credentials over multiple NUC generations, the Machina N is likely to be a credible passive cooling solution for the NVIDIA Jetson Nano.
Gallery: CES 2022: Akasa Introduces Thermal Solutions for PCs and Industrial Applications

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OWC is introducing a number of CFexpress products as part of their 2022 CES announcements today. The new Atlas Pro and Atlas Pro Ultra CFexpress cards join the Atlas FXR Thunderbolt / USB card reader to expand OWC's offerings in the media storage / card reader space. These products are CFexpress Type-B ones, and are backwards compatible with XQD.
The OWC Atlas series of media cards was augmented with the Atlas S Pro UHS-II V90 SDXC model recently. The differentiating aspect about these cards is that OWC advertises the use of pseudo-SLC (pSLC) flash with claims of 10x the endurance of other cards in the market. The claimed real-world speeds are also slightly higher than other V90 UHS-II cards - read/write rates of up to 290/276 MBps. Today's introductions expand the Atlas series into the CFexpress space.
The Atlas Pro cards come in capacities ranging from 256GB to 2TB. Peak read/write speeds are around 1700/1400 MBps, allowing them to be used for RAW footage capture. The Atlas Pro Ultra is available in two capacities - 320GB and 640GB. The key difference between the two families is the guaranteed sustained write rate of 1224 MBps for the latter, with peaks of 1500 MBps writes and 1700 MBps reads. This write rate allows for the usage of the card for 8K capture and high frame rate bust mode photo captures.
The Atlas FXR CFexpress Type-B card reader is a bus-powered pocket-sized device operating at speeds of up to 1500 MBps when used with Thunderbolt 3 / Thunderbolt 4 ports and up to 900 MBps with USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports. The plug-and-play reader is bundled with a Thunderbolt cable along with an attached USB-A adapter for compatibility with a wide range of systems.
OWC expects the CFexpress offerings to be available for purchase in early Q2 2022. Pricing for the new products was not officially specified, though some distributor documents from late 2021 indicate the planned pricing of the Atlas Pro 256GB to be at $159 and the Atlas Pro Ultra 320GB at $349.



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