Intel's fourth-generation Core processors, codenamed Haswell, are subject to new security exploits. According to the company, a vulnerability exists inside the graphics controller of 4th generation Haswell processors, happening once the DirectX 12 API loading occurs. To fix the problem, Intel has found that disabling this API results in a fix. Starting with Intel graphics driver 15.40.44.5107 applications that run exclusively on DirectX 12 API no longer work with the following Intel Graphics Controllers: Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200/5100, HD Graphics 5000/4600/4400/4200, and Intel Pentium and Celeron Processors with Intel HD Graphics based on 4th Generation Intel Core.



"A potential security vulnerability in Intel Graphics may allow escalation of privilege on 4th Generation Intel Core processors. Intel has released a software update to mitigate this potential vulnerability. In order to mitigate the vulnerability, DirectX 12 capabilities were deprecated." says the Intel page. If a user with a Haswell processor has a specific need to run the DirectX 12 application, they can downgrade their graphics driver to version 15.40.42.5063 or older.

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(PR) Annual DRAM Revenue for 2022 Expected to Reach US$91.5 Billion, with Prices Likely to Rally in 2H22, Says TrendForce
Despite the forecasted 18.6% YoY growth in total DRAM bit supply next year, the global DRAM market is still expected to shift from a shortage situation to an oversupply, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. This shift can primarily be attributed to the fact that, not only are most buyers now carrying a relatively high level of DRAM inventory, but DRAM bit demand is also expected to increase by only 17.1% YoY in 2022. On the price front, the oversupply situation will result in a drop in DRAM ASP in 2022 but not a major decline in annual DRAM revenue, thanks to the oligopolistic nature of the DRAM industry. Annual DRAM revenue for 2022 is expected to reach US$91.54 billion, which represents a slight YoY increase of 0.3%.



Based on an analysis of DRAM sufficiency ratio (which refers to the surplus of supply in comparison with demand) for each quarter in 2022, TrendForce forecasts a 15% YoY decrease in DRAM ASP for 2022, with prices undergoing the more noticeable declines during the first half of the year. Heading into 2H22, however, owing to the rise in DDR5 penetration rate, as well as the arrival of peak seasonal demand, the decline in DRAM ASP will likely narrow. TrendForce does not rule out the possibility that DRAM ASP may even hold flat or undergo an increase in 2H22.
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(PR) MSI's Business & Productivity Series DT, All-in-One PC, and Monitor are Ready to Be Your Strongest Foundation
MSI, a world leader in high performance and innovative computing solutions, announced the brand new Business & Productivity product lines which support the latest 12th generation Intel Core processors and the latest Summit & Modern series monitors. The new Business & Productivity product lines are developed for a safer and more ergonomic working environment and designed with eye care technology in mind to enhance users' efficiency and productivity.



The MSI Modern AM242 and Modern AM272 Series All-in-One PCs are the best products to style a desk at home, an office, or even a home office. They are both aesthetically pleasing and completely functional for learning, working, or cooking. The innovative Modern AM Series All-in-One PC is designed to stylishly increase visual comfort while performing computer tasks at home or in the office. Both models support the latest 12th generation Intel Core i processors and Windows 11 and come with MSI's Anti-Flicker technology, which eliminates flickering and effectively reduces eye fatigue caused by prolonged use time. The Less Blue Light Mode filters visual exposure of the blue light during daily use and brings you the most comfortable viewing experiences. The Modern AM242 & AM272 ensure you the best video conference quality with a built-in webcam and the exclusive MSI Sound Tune software which supports noise cancellation technology. Modern AM242 and AM272 Series are both designed with efficiency and productivity in mind.
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(PR) MSI unveils 12th Gen Intel Core gaming desktop and definition the new standard of gaming monitor
For those who do not familiar with PC DIY users, MSI also offers pre-built systems. The only thing that customers should worry about is what games you should play and MSI will take over the rest parts. MSI desktop line-up fully implements the concept of G.A.M.E. unlimited into the products, including performance, aesthetics, connectivity, and experience. A prebuild PC user only just enjoys the plug-and-play experience, the rest of the software and hardware integrated MSI will help you to complete the processing, while you get the product.



The new MSI gaming desktops are equipped with Intel's latest 12th Gen Alder Lake processors. The advanced Intel 7 process technology with hybrid architecture combining P-Core (Performance) and E-Core (Efficiency) increases multi-thread performance by up to 47%. The gaming performance also has more than 13% increase compared to the previous generation. The full lineup of K Series gaming desktops adopted DDR5 memory with read speed up to 60% higher than the previous generation equipped with DDR4. This can provide players with faster data reading. In addition, the MSI 12th Gen gaming desktops are all equipped with Windows 11. The Direct Storage technology can help players quickly read the games while the Auto HDR function can even improve SDR game scenes to HDR quality. This time MSI launched the all new 12th Gen Series Intel unlocked processors models including MEG Aegis Ti5, MEG Trident X and MAG Codex X5. All of these models embody the G.A.M.E. Unlimited sprit to bring gamers to the new era of gaming.
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(PR) Sharkoon Unveils SKILLER SGK50 S4 60% Keyboard
Sharkoon Technologies, an international supplier of high-performance quality PC components and peripherals, now presents the SKILLER SGK50 S4 - Sharkoon's first mechanical 60 percent keyboard. Its hot-swap function allows switches to be installed and removed easily, and all switches with 3 and 5 pins are supported. The Kailh switches that are typical of Sharkoon are already pre-installed on the keyboard: The linear red switches, the tactile brown switches or the clicky blue switches. But if the factory-lubricated Gateron switches are preferred, these can be purchased separately with the Sharkoon Switch Set. The keyboard has two pairs of feet and can therefore be positioned at up to three different angles. In addition, two macros with up to 16 macro actions can be recorded or overwritten without the use of any separate software.



The compact layout of 60 percent saves a considerable amount of space on the desk, allowing the mouse to be moved more freely, while the keyboard can be positioned more conveniently while gaming. Thanks to the multiple assignment of the keys, all the functions of a TKL keyboard are provided. This means that the SKILLER SGK50 S4 can still demonstrate full functionality with its handy and compact size.
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(PR) G.SKILL Trident Z5 Breaks DDR5-8704 World Record with ASUS ROG Z690 Apex
G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd., the world's leading manufacturer of extreme performance memory and gaming peripherals, is excited to claim yet another world record, in close partnership with the ASUS ROG motherboard team, for the fastest memory frequency of an incredible DDR5-8704. This incredible feat was achieved with the G.SKILL Trident Z5 DDR5 memory on the latest Intel Core i7-12700KF processor and ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 APEX motherboard.



Laying claim to the world record for the fastest memory frequency with the latest DDR5 memory, G.SKILL and ASUS worked closely together to achieve an incredible DDR5-8704, using liquid nitrogen to cool the system to subzero temperatures. Solidifying DDR5 memory as the new extreme performance standard, this memory frequency world record was achieved with the new Trident Z5 RGB memory on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 APEX motherboard. See below for a screenshot of the world record, achieved by the extreme overclocker "hocayu":
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(PR) AMD EPYC Processors Expand Performance and Security Innovation Across Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines Portfolio
Today, AMD announced its continued momentum and collaboration with Microsoft Azure, who is offering the 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processor in the latest generation of Dasv5 and Easv5 Azure Virtual Machines (VMs). Azure is also introducing new confidential VMs, DCasv5 and ECasv5, which use the latest advanced security features available in 3rd Gen EPYC processors, including Secure Encrypted Virtualization-Secure Nested Paging (SEV-SNP).



The new Azure confidential VMs, DCasv5 and ECasv5, the first EPYC processor-based confidential VMs at Azure and the first confidential VMs to use SEV-SNP, will enable customers to have the data in their security focused applications encrypted in use, in transit and at rest. The updated Dasv5 VMs, optimized for general purpose workloads, and the Easv5 VMs, optimized for memory-based workloads, deliver better price-performance for most general purpose and memory intensive workloads compared to prior EPYC processor-based Microsoft Azure VMs.
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(PR) PNY Announces Specifications and Availability of XLR8 Gaming and Performance DDR5 Desktop Memory
PNY today announces specifications and availability for its upcoming Desktop Performance and XLR8 Gaming DDR5 memory products. The three models include the overclocked XLR8 Gaming MAKO and MAKO RGB models, running at 5600 MHz and a CAS latency of 36, as well as the PNY Performance model that follows JEDEC standards.



The XLR8 Gaming MAKO and MAKO RGB modules have been designed to meet the needs of gamers and enthusiasts. The designs for both modules feature aluminium heat spreaders with elements inspired by the powerful, fast and aggressive Mako shark from which they get their name. An XLR8 logo and GAMING text is proudly emblazoned on the side of the module and silver angled relief lines are machined into the heatspreader to reflect other components' lighting and provide unmatched flair and style.
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(PR) HyperX Ships Over One Million USB Microphones
HyperX, the gaming peripherals team at HP Inc. and brand leader in gaming and e-sports, today announced it has surpassed the one million shipping milestone with its line of USB microphones. Initially introduced into the microphone market in 2019, the HyperX QuadCast USB microphone became a popular choice for gamers, streamers and influencers. As demand for microphones increased, HyperX expanded its portfolio with the customizable QuadCast S and affordable SoloCast to fulfill the need for gamers, content creators, students, and WFH pros to be heard and stay active in their communities and productive at work.



"HyperX is pleased to support a thriving community of content creators, influencers and gamers with the highest quality gaming products to meet their individual setup needs," said Kevin Hague, general manager, HyperX. "Our continued efforts have created a lineup of microphones that deliver clear and consistent sound not only for gamers, streamers, and casters, but also students and business professionals alike."
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GIGABYTE Prepares AORUS Z690 First Look Event to Showcase the Launch of the new Intel Alder Lake Platform
The launch of Intel's Alder Lake processsors has opened an exciting chapter for team blue and motherboard makers who are finally transitioning to new technologies like DDR5 and PCIe Gen5 standards. Today, GIGABYTE AORUS has prepared a complete lineup of motherboards designed to satisfy all kinds of workloads powered by Alder Lake processors as these AORUS Z690 motherboards are about to hit the market. These new boards include an upgraded feature set like 16+ phases power delivery on all boards, upgraded heatsinks to keep VRM temperatures under control, and built-in DDR5 overclocking features.



The event will be live-streamed on YouTube, so tune in to the First Look Event as the AORUS team gives an in-depth overview and cover the performance increase you can experience with Intel 12th gen CPU and DDR5 memory on the AORUS Z690 platform. They will be going over the new platform's entire lineup and feature set, so make sure you get to the event on time. It will start at 18:00 UTC zone, and you can tune in to watch here: AORUS Z690 First Look Event.

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AMD Radeon PRO V620 GPU Delivers Powerful, Multi-Purpose Data Center Visual Performance for Today's Demanding Cloud Workloads
AMD announced the AMD Radeon PRO V620 GPU, built with the latest AMD RDNA 2 architecture which delivers high-performance GPU acceleration for today's demanding cloud workloads including immersive AAA game experiences, intensive 3D workloads and modern office productivity applications at scale in the cloud.



With its innovative GPU-partitioning capabilities, multi-stream hardware accelerated encoders and 32 GB GDDR6 memory, the AMD Radeon PRO V620 offers dedicated GPU resources that scale to multiple graphics users, helping ensure cost-effective graphics acceleration for a range of workloads. Built using the same GPU architecture that powers the latest generation game consoles and PC game experiences, the AMD Radeon PRO V620 GPU is also designed to develop and deliver immersive AAA game experiences.
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Truck Full of EVGA Graphics Cards Gets Stolen in California
Unexpected events tend to happen in the world of graphics cards, and today seems like no exception. According to the public announcement on EVGA forums, a truck delivery full of the latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards got stolen. The truck was going on its route from San Francisco to the EVGA Southern California distribution center. Inside the vehicle, countless GPUs were ranging in MSRP from $329.99 up to $1959.99. However, the company doesn't specify how many GPUs are now missing. It is important to note that any sale of these stolen GPUs is considered a felony, and if you have any information regarding this, please get in touch with EVGA at stopRTX30theft@evga.com email address.
Here is the full announcement from EVGA's forum:
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