Smart battery generators were a recurring theme this CES. These are devices with large batteries—usually lithium ion—connected to an integrated sine-wave AC inverter, and other goodies such as direct low-voltage DC charging points for all your devices. These come in pretty handy as a replacement for small gas-powered gensets you take along for camping, as the battery drains much slower than the genset burns fuel at its lowest-load state; and many of these batteries include a means to recharge with solar power, using portable, foldable PV panels.
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NVIDIA Could Release AI-Optimized Drivers, Improving Overall Performance
NVIDIA is using artificial intelligence to design and develop parts of its chip designs, as we have seen in the past, making optimization much more efficient. However, today we have a new rumor that NVIDIA will use AI to optimize its driver performance to reach grounds that the human workforce can not. According to CapFrameX, NVIDIA is allegedly preparing special drivers with optimizations done by AI algorithms. As the source claims, the average improvement will yield a 10% performance increase with up to 30% in best-case scenarios. Presumably, AI can do optimization on two fronts: shader compiles / game optimization side or for power management, which includes clocks, voltages, and boost frequency curves.



It still needs to be made clear which aspect will company's AI optimize and work on; however, it can be a combination of two, given the expected drastic improvement in performance. Special tuning of code for more efficient execution and a better power/frequency curve will bring the efficiency level one notch above current releases. We have already seen AI solve these problems last year with the PrefixML model that compacted circuit design by 25%. We need to find out which cards NVIDIA plans to target, and we can only assume that the latest-generation GeForce RTX 40 series will be the goal if the project is made public in Q1 of this year.

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DeepCool Unveils PX-P and PX-G Series ATX 3.0 + PCIe Gen 5 PSUs at CES
At CES, DeepCool unveiled its latest PX-P and PX-G line of new-generation power supplies meeting the ATX 3.0 and PCI-Express Gen 5 specifications. The PX-P series offers 80 Plus Platinum switching efficiency and comes in two high-wattage variants of 1000 W and 1300 W. The PX-G, on the other hand, gives you 80 Plus Gold switching efficiency, and comes in 850 W, 1000 W, and 1200 W variants. What's common to both is that they offer one 16-pin ATX 12VHPWR connector that's capable of 600 W continuous power delivery, along with 200% excursions within the PCIe Gen 5 specs. The PX-P series PSUs offer five PCIe power connectors on the PSU's end besides the 12VHPWR, while the PX-G offers three. Each of these split out to two 6+2 pin connector's on the cable's end. The PX-P series uses a 120 mm fluid-dynamic bearing fan, while the PX-G uses 135 mm FDB fan.

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DeepCool AIO CLCs at CES and Unique FT14 Case Fan
DeepCool brought a pair of new all-in-one liquid CPU coolers to the 2023 International CES. These include the LT series, the LS520 series, and the new FT14 case fan. The LT series is characterized by the unique geometric shape of its pump-block, which looks like a metal cube has been peeled to reveal a more solid geometric shapes inside, thanks to an illusion created by an infinity-mirror setup. DeepCool already launched debuted the LT series in October 2022, but at CES it introduced new all-white variants.



The LS520 series "smart" AIOs feature pump-blocks with LCD displays that provide real-time monitoring of the pump-speed, base-plate- and coolant temperature. These are otherwise identical to the LS series from mid-2022. Also making its debut is the FT14, a unique 140 mm case fan with a square fan-frame, which can be made to fit 120 mm fan vents, by pulling out the four corners of the frame, to reveal an inner frame with 120 mm mounts. This could prove useful where you have a 120 mm fan vent that has room for a larger impeller.

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(PR) QoQ Decline in DRAM ASP Will Moderate to Around 13~18% for 1Q23, but Slump Will Continue, Says TrendForce
TrendForce's latest analysis of the DRAM market finds that the inventory pressure on suppliers remain significant due to the persistently weak demand for consumer electronics. Among the top three DRAM suppliers, only Samsung has seen a slight drop in inventory level thanks to its highly competitive pricing strategy. To prevent DRAM prices as a whole from making another sharp dive, a few suppliers such as Micron have been cutting production. Therefore, the QoQ decline in DRAM prices are projected to shrink to around 13~18% for 1Q23. However, the slump will have yet to reach the bottom at that time. Regarding the QoQ changes in the prices of the major categories of DRAM products for 1Q23, PC DRAM and server DRAM are projected to again register a drop that is near 20%. Conversely, mobile DRAM will experience the smallest price decline because its profit margin is ready the thinnest.
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DeepCool Gives Air CPU Coolers the Smarts with the Digital Series
With the latest crop of AIO liquid coolers getting some smarts such as displays on the pump-block that put out real-time monitoring information, DeepCool figured why not extend this to air coolers? The new Digital series air CPU coolers by DeepCool come with LCD displays that put out real-time monitoring information such as CPU temperature (as measured at the base-plate), and fan speed.



These are essentially upgrades to the company's aluminium fin tower-type CPU coolers with top-plates that have the display and some electronics, instead of what should normally be a die-cast aluminium plate with some optional lighting. Shown at CES were at least four models with a single fin-stack (type-U) design of various sizes, and one dual fin-stack (type-D) design. All of these have a glossy piano-black acrylic top-plate that's framed by an ARGB diffuser. The LCD segment display is somewhere toward the center. The electronics work independently, but you'll need a 4-pin PWM connection for the fan(s), which also power the electronics; and 3-pin ARGB for the lighting.

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