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Intel's annual keynote at Computex this year is being held in the Plenary Hall of the Taiwan International Convention Center. Gavin and Ian are here to report on news being presented by Intel SVP and GM Gregory Bryant. The presentation is set to start at 1:30pm local time, 1:30am ET and 05:30 UTC.

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Being one of the most successful convertible laptops on the market, Dell’s 13-inch XPS 2-in-1 is something that seems to be good enough already. But with the help of Intel’s latest 10^th Gen Core processors codenamed Ice Lake and Dell’s magic, the new XPS 13 2-in-1 has just got better from all points of view: it is faster, it is sleeker, and it has a better display.
The 2019 Dell XPS 13 7300-series 2-in-1 convertible is based on Intel’s 10^th Gen Core platform that features a smaller motherboard and this enabled Dell to make the convertible notebook 7% thinner while making the keyboard and the screen larger. Furthermore, the new PC also has a 51 Wh battery that promises to last for up to 16 hours (real-world battery life will depend on the usage model, of course). The Ice Lake CPU is accompanied by up to 32 GB of DDR4-3733 memory (which is a rather whopping capacity and speed bin for an ultra-thin laptop) as well as a PCIe SSD of up to 1 TB capacity. As far as connectivity is concerned, the system is outfitted with a Killer AX1650 802.11ax Wi-Fi + Bluetooth controller, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a microSD card reader, a 3.5-mm jack for headsets, speakers, a webcam, and so on.

Featuring a custom 13.4-inch class monitor that is 7% larger than on the previous generation model, the new Dell XPS 13 7300-series 2-in-1 features a Full-HD or Ultra-HD resolution depending on exact SKU. Both types of displays offer 500 nits brightness, a 1500:1 or 1800:1 contrast ratio, wide viewing angles as well as Dolby Vision on the FHD or 90% DCI-P3 on the UHD version.

Since we are talking about a hybrid laptop based on Intel’s 10^th Gen Core processors codenamed Ice Lake, expect the system to offer tangibly higher graphics performance. Besides, since this is a brand-new platform, so it uses a redesigned cooling system and other internals to maximize performance in a very thin chassis.

The new XPS 13 7300-series 2-in-1 convertibles come in a CNC-machined silver or black aluminum body that has a fiber composite palm rest or an arctic white woven glass fiber palm rest. The new hybrid notebooks feature a 7 – 13 mm z-height and weight starting at 1.32 kilograms (2.9 poinds), which is around 100 grams lower when compared to typical 13-inch class mobile PCs.

Dell’s XPS 7300-series 2-in-1 convertible laptops will be available this year starting at $999.99 for an entry-level model and going up for high-performance SKUs.

Source: Dell’s Press Release

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Today at the Intel Keynote at Computex, SVP and GM Gregory Bryant announced that Intel is set to bring new X-Series CPUs to the high-end desktop (HEDT) market during Fall/Autumn, so around Q4. No other details were presented, but these are likely to be based on the new Cascade Lake silicon we’ve seen launched for the Xeon Scalable market in Enterprise later this year.

Acer BOXX: Core X-Series Inside

Core counts for Cascade Lake go up to 28 cores, however the previous generation X series went up to 18 cores. It will be interesting to see what Intel does with these new processors regarding socket support. Intel did state that there will be increases in memory support, CPU frequencies, and Turbo Boost Max beyond two cores.
More information to follow.

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Workstations based on AMD’s Ryzen Threadripper processors with up to 32 cores are available from the vast majority of boutique PC makers. Since we are dealing with hardware for demanding tasks, PC builders tend to leave a lot of space for expandability, so the majority of AMD Ryzen Threadripper-powered PCs are rather large. Computer Upgrade King decided to do something different: its 2990WX-based Stratos Micro uses a Micro-ATX platform and is therefore smaller than its competitors. Meanwhile, it still offers leading-edge performance and expandability, as we discovered at Computex.
Computer Upgrade King’s Stratos Micro featuring AMD’s 32-core Ryzen Threadripper W2990WX uses ASRock’s X399M Taichi motherboard, the only Micro-ATX mainboard for AMD’s TR4 socket on the market. Being compact, this platform still has four DDR4 DIMM slots (thus providing quad-channel performance), three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, eight SATA ports, a U.2 port, three M.2-2280 slots for NVMe/PCIe SSDs, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB 3.0 ports, USB 3.1 connectors, Purity Sound audio, and so on.

The Stratos Micro comes equipped with AMD’s Radeon VII graphics card, 32 GB of DDR4 memory, a 2.5-inch SATA SSD, and so on. To ensure proper cooling, the PC maker uses a custom soft-tube open loop cooling solution and to provide enough power for the CPU and the GPU it uses a 1300 W power supply.

Because the Stratos Micro is aimed primarily at enthusiasts looking not only for performance but also cool look, it comes in a custom chassis with loads of controllable RGB LEDs that can be customized to enable unique lighting effects matching style of the owner.

Obviously, like all extreme workstations, the Stratos Micro is not cheap. The default configuration costs $4999 and when the specs are beefed up, only sky is the limit.

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Built to strike a balance between performance, style and compact sizes, Dell’s Alienware m-series of gaming laptops were originally introduced last fall, and seem to have quickly risen in popularity. At this year's Computex trade show, Dell is rolling out redesigned Alienware 15-inch m15 and 17-inch m17 laptops, which feature higher-performance components, better displays – including an optional OLED panel – new storage options, and other improvements.
Though designed for slightly different usage models, the all new Alienware m15 and m17 gaming laptops have a lot in common when it comes to their external design as well as internal components. Both systems are based on Intel’s 9^th Gen Core mobile processors (up to Core i9-9980HK) as well as NVIDIA’s GeForce GPUs with Max-Q design (up to GeForce RTX 2080). To maximize the performance of the new notebooks and ensure their powerful, power-hungry processors are well-fed, Dell’s Alienware division has equipped the machines with a 6-phase digital VRM for the CPU, as well as a separate 8-phase digital VRM setup just for the GPU. The PC maker is touting its new VRMs as ‘hyper efficient’.

Meanwhile, the key components of the Alienware m15 and the Alienware m17 are being cooled by an all-new cooling system for Alienware, which features thick copper and zinc alloy heatpipes, new fans, as well as massive air intake and air exhaust openings. To a large degree, the design of the new laptops is determined by the cooling system. In any case, the new PCs look very futuristic, and are a notable departure from Alienware's previous m15 design.

Apart from the new revamped internals, the new Alienware m15 in particular can also be equipped with a rather wide selection of different display panels: along with the default 60 Hz Full-HD panel, the manufacturer offers a 4K OLED option (with DCI-P3 and HDR400), or a Full-HD IPS panel with a 240 Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, the m17 only comes with Full-HD LCD options – so no 4K or OLED – but buyers can choose between 60 Hz and 144 Hz panels. Both machines, however, now also feature Tobii's eye tracking technology.

As far as DRAM and storage is concerned, the new Alienware m15 and Alienware m17 laptops can pack up to 16 GB of DDR4-2666 memory as well as up to 4 TB of NVMe storage (with dual drive options). In addition, the latest gaming laptops from Dell’s Alienware will feature 1 Gigabit or 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet by Killer, 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.2, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 Gen 1, HDMI 2.0b, mDP, and a 3.5-mm connector for headsets. Interestingly, both 15.6-inch and 17.3-inch laptops will come with identical capacity 76 Wh batteries.

Dell plans to make its new Alienware m15 and Alienware m17 gaming notebooks available on June 11, with prices starting from $1,499. The entry-level models will feature a quad-core processor as well as NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, with prices and performance going up from there.

Source: Dell’s Press Release

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On the opening day of Computex, HP introduced its first laptops and convertible notebooks featuring premium wooden inlays on their palmrests. The new HP Envy PCs will be available later this year in a variety of configurations.

The look and feel of laptops in general and convertible laptops in particular are no less important than their performance and display quality. Makers of PCs tend to experiment with various materials, but when it comes to high-performance premium PCs, it generally all comes down to various alloys of aluminum. Late last year HP introduced a notebook featuring leather inlays for a premium feel. This time, HP decided to do it differently, wedding an aluminum body and a wooden palmrest.

Set to be available in two form-factors — notebook and convertible notebook — HP’s Envy Wood Series collection will include Envy 13, Envy x360 13, Envy x360 15, as well as the range-topping Envy 17 Wood Series (the 17-incher even has an ODD). Depending on exact SKUs, HP will be offering three types of wood, including Nightfall Black with Natural Walnut, Ceramic White with White Birch, or Natural Silver with Pale Birch

The systems will be based on a selection of processors from 2^nd Gen AMD (with Radeon Vega GPU) and 10^th Gen Intel Core, yet HP does not name the exact models. Meanwhile, since we are talking about 2019 systems, expect the latest CPUa as well as RAM/SSD/I/O configurations.

Without any doubts, wood is a premium material and HP deserves a kudos for using it (not from nature activists though, but still). By using leather or wood on its notebooks, HP clearly differentiates its premium machines from those by competitors. Since customers willing to pay extra for PCs demand quite a lot, it is simply crucial for HP to offer something they can actually feel. Of course, it remains to be seen how durable wood is when it comes to palmrests, but this is something only time will tell.

It is noteworthy that HP is not the first company to experiment with wood on the laptops. One of the first things that comes to mind is the ASUS Bamboo laptop from 2007. While it was demonstrated at CeBIT back then and even released, the company for some reason decided not to refresh this product line later on, even though it looked and felt very well. Perhaps, the consumer was just not ready back then?

Source: HP

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During Computex 2019, ASUS has unveiled a series of new AM4 motherboards designed for the impending Ryzen 3000 series processors. The top tier X570 Crosshair VIII Formula model features dual PCIe 4.0 M.2, Aquantia AQC111 5 GbE, as well as the new Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 interface for cutting edge network connectivity.
The ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII Formula represents its high-end X570 entry onto the market with some very notable features, including a revamped design with a strong focus on performance, and ROG themed aesthetics. First of all, the ROG Crosshair VIII Formula uses EKWB heatsinks which can be connected to a custom water cooling loop for better power delivery temperatures, or as passive cooled. This has been seen on numerous iterations of its Maximus Formula boards created for Intel chipsets. This marks a shifting tide where ASUS seem to have confidence in AMD and the ability of its 7nm Ryzen 3000 processors, by opting for such a premium model for the X570 chipset. Also featured are a LiveDash OLED screen, a full metal backplate for a more rigid frame, and ROG armor across the majority of the PCB; not to forget about the swathe of RGB LED zones and the integrated fan within the chipset heatsink.

(apologies for the image quality, it was a busy post-presentation melee to get photos. Will try and get better ones at the booth later this week.)

One of the main focal points of the X570 chipset is its native PCIe 4.0 support. The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula has three-full length PCIe 4.0 slots operating at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4, with the final x4 coming from the chipset. This allows users to use two-way NVIDIA SLI and two-way AMD Crossfire multi-graphics card configurations. For add-on cards, a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot is also present. There are also four DDR4 memory slots with a maximum supported capacity of up to 128 GB.

On the componentry, the Crosshair VIII Formula uses a premium controller set with the most notable inclusions coming on the networking side. An Aquantia AQC111 5 GbE controller with a secondary Intel I211AT gigabit chip offers users dual LAN, but more impressively, ASUS has jumped onto the Wi-Fi 6 bandwagon by including the new Intel AX200 2x2 Wi-Fi adapter. The onboard audio is controlled by the Realtek SupremeFX S1220 HD audio codec. On the rear panel is a wide array of connections including seven USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, and four USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports. Users can add to this with one USB 3.1 G2, two USB 3.1 G1 and two USB 2.0 front panel headers, with the USB 3.1 G2 offering one additional port, and the rest each offering an additional two ports per header.

Pricing and availability are currently unknown at present, but it is likely that the ROG Crosshair VIII Formula, along with its other X570 models will be available prior to the launch of the AMD Ryzen 3000 series processors on 7/7.

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At Computex 2019, MSI has unveiled its mid-range MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI motherboard which includes two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, six SATA ports. and two full-length PCIe 4.0 slots.
Following on from MSI's X570 range reveal, the MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI offers a more modest variety of specifications. The MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI uses an Intel 3168 802.11ac Wi-Fi module which is capable of speeds of up to 433 Mbps. This is in addition to a single 1 GbE LAN port on the rear panel which is likely Intel controlled.

Its design is similar to the MPG X570 Gaming Pro Carbon WIFI in that it has a black PCB, but without the carbon inspired decorations on the heatsinks. A single PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot which is passively cooled by a heat shield which MSI is calling Lightning Gen 4 M.2, and it molds into the shape of the actively cooled X570 chipset heatsink. In addition to this another PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot located at the bottom of the board, but it is without a heatsink.
Gallery: MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI Motherboard Gallery


A total of two full-length PCIe 4.0 slots with support for two-way AMD CrossFire multi-graphics card setups, four DDR4 memory slots, and a pre-installed rear panel I/O shield make up the bulk of its features. The rear panel also includes five 3.5 mm audio jacks, an S/PDIF optical output, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, four USB 3.1 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports. Also present is an HDMI video output for use with compatible AMD Ryzen APUs, as well as a BIOS flashback button, and a PS/2 combo port.

The MSI MPG X570 Gaming Edge WIFI represents a more modest offering in the line-up and is expected to be released sometime before AMD launches its Ryzen 3000 series processors.

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With the introduction of the new X570 chipset designed for use with the AMD Ryzen 3000 series, ASUS has lifted the lid on its launch day range. The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi model both include the Realtek RTL8125AG 2.5 GbE networking chip, with an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax adapter being the only difference between the two models.
Both the ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi and ROG Crosshair VIII Hero are both targeted at gamers with a strong balance between enthusiast, and gaming features. First of all, both models are identical with the exception of the Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 wireless adapter. The design follows the traditional ROG style with a similar ROG armor covering that the Crosshair VIII Formula does, but not as extensive. The chipset heatsink includes a fan to keep the X570 chipset running cool, and also includes plenty of customizable RGB with the Hero logo, and ROG logo.

Similar to the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Formula, the Crosshair VI Hero features dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 and also has seven USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, as well as a single USB 3.1 G2 Type-C port on the rear panel. A single front panel USB 3.1 G2 port is also available for users to expand upon, with two USB 2.0 ports providing an additional four ports, and two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A headers for a total of four ports.
The newest inclusion for ASUS is the use of the Realtek RTL8125AG Dragon 2.5 GbE gaming LAN. Onboard audio is taken care of by a Realtek SupremeFX S1220 HD audio codec and as a result, adds five 3.5 mm audio jacks, and a single S/PDIF optical output on the rear panel. On both models is three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots with x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4; this allows for both two-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD Crossfire multi-graphics card setups to be used. A single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot is present and storage capabilities are provided by two PCIe 4.0 M.2, and eight SATA ports.

At present, there is no information on the pricing or availability of the ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi and non-Wi-Fi model. It is expected that most X570 models from ASUS will be available prior to the launch of AMD's Ryzen 3000 processors on 7/7.

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It’s been 4 years since Apple last updated the iPod lineup with the 6^th generation iPod Touch in 2015. Today Apple did the unexpected and released a hardware refresh of the dedicated media player.
In an age where everybody uses their phones as music and media players, I think it’s fair to say that the market for dedicated devices such as iPods has shrunk quite a lot. Nevertheless, Apple wants to cover this niche with the new iPod Touch and advertises it as the cheapest iOS device one can get.

The new iPod touch is now powered by Apple’s A10 chipset and features the same 4” 1136 x 640 pixel display as its predecessor, promising a relatively meagre 800:1 contrast ratio and a 500cd/m² maximum brightness.
One great benefit of going for an iPod Touch is the fact that it’s almost half the weight of modern smartphones. At 88g it’s a relatively featherweight device.
Other than the SoC, the only other apparent upgrade to the hardware is the addition of 802.11ac WiFi, although Bluetooth remains at version 4.1.
Apple has also upgraded the storage option, but disappointingly the smallest model is still only 32GB and comes at a price point of $199. Upsell variants at 128GB and 256GB come at $299 and $399.

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