TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

Unreal Engine 5.7 is here, bringing you the tools you need to build expansive, lifelike worlds filled with rich, beautiful details, and cleanly render them in real time at high fidelity on current-generation hardware. With this release, you can procedurally generate dense, lush foliage and other content at massive scale; author complex layered and blended materials with true physical accuracy; and use a magnitude more lights than ever before to illuminate your worlds with complete artistic freedom.

You'll also experience more powerful and intuitive animation and rigging workflows; deeper and more flexible MetaHuman integrations; and expanded virtual production possibilities—all while getting expert guidance along the way from the new in-editor AI Assistant. Let's dive into the details.
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[NextPowerUP]

Valve has finally put an end to the months-long rumor cycle about its next-generation hardware. Today, Valve has introduced three new additions to its hardware library with Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller. Starting with the more interesting hardware, we finally have a successor to the original Steam Machine more than a decade after the original was introduced. Also called the Steam Machine, this one brings more modern hardware optimized to co-exist with the SteamOS Linux build, and a powerful software stack to run any game. Available in 512 GB and 2 TB SSD models with microSD expansion, it pairs a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 processor with RDNA 3 graphics to achieve supposed 4K gaming at 60 FPS with ray tracing and FSR support. Being semi-custom GPU, it might be closer to AMD's RDNA 3.5, than the pure RDNA 3.

Bundled with a Steam Controller, the system features an integrated 2.4 GHz radio alongside Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth for wide peripheral compatibility. Video output options include DisplayPort 1.4 for up to 4K at 240 Hz and HDMI 2.0, complemented by Ethernet, USB-C 10 Gbps, and four USB-A ports. Running SteamOS with rapid suspend/resume and wake-on-controller functionality, it combines 16 GB DDR5 system memory with 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM, an internal power supply, and a customizable LED bar that reflects system status for a complete living room experience. Valve has packaged it as a small black box, which will blend in with any HTPC environment.
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[NextPowerUP]

More than 800 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Last week, FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH added DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, The Last Caretaker entered in Early Access with DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, and Europa Universalis V launched with DLSS Super Resolution.

This week, Assetto Corsa Rally and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launch with day-one DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation support. Chip 'n Clawz vs. The Brainioids is available now with DLSS Frame Generation. And Anno 117: Pax Romana is launching with DLSS Super Resolution. Plus, you can grab a free DOOM: The Dark Ages Slayer skin from NVIDIA app with GeForce Rewards.
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[NextPowerUP]

ASUS has cautioned that it might need to raise prices for its PC solutions across the board if component shortages, such as DRAM and NAND flash, continue for a while longer. Speaking for Taiwan's Liberty Times, ASUS co-CEO has made remarks that: "For distribution channel pricing, ASUS will take into account costs, distribution partners and consumer demand, and then adjust the product mix and adjust product prices accordingly." This means that the increase in industry costs will be reflected in the final pricing that ASUS offers its customers. For example, if the price of DRAM increases, a PC with 16, 32, or 64 GB of DDR5 memory will likely see a price increase of a few hundred US dollars.

We recently reported that DRAM prices have surged 171.8% year-over-year, making this "commodity" one of the most valuable assets for applications ranging from data centers to home builds. Even more concerning is the fact that vendors can expect only 70% order fill rate, and smaller OEMs and channel distributors have been told to expect only 35-40% fulfillment through the first quarter of 2026. In addition to DRAM, NAND flash storage has also doubled in the past six months. Phison CEO Khein-Seng Pua recently noted that the price of a 1 Terabit TLC NAND jumped from $4.80 in July 2025 to $10.70 in November 2025, marking an increase of over 100% in less than six months. Other types of NAND flash, such as MLC and QLC, have also seen spot prices double.
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[NextPowerUP]

Tachyum today announced details and specifications for its 2 nm Prodigy Universal Processor, which will enable AI models with parameters many orders of magnitude larger than those of any existing solution at a fraction of the cost.

Prodigy Ultimate provides up to 21.3x higher AI rack performance than NVIDIA Rubin Ultra NVL576. Prodigy Premium provides up to 25.8x higher AI rack performance than Vera Rubin 144. Technical details of the 2 nm Prodigy, the first ever chip to exceed 1,000 PFLOPs on inference, will be published within a week. NVIDIA Rubin delivers 50 PFLOPs.
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[NextPowerUP]

Panmnesia, a pioneer in AI infrastructure link solutions, announced sample availability of its PCIe 6.0/CXL 3.2 Fabric Switch—the industry's first CXL switch silicon supporting port-based routing (PBR). The company is currently in the process of providing switch silicon samples to early access partners.

Panmnesia's switch is a hybrid solution that supports both PCIe Gen 6 and CXL 3.2 protocols on a single chip, while maintaining full backward compatibility with all previous PCIe and CXL generations. Fully implemented in strict accordance with the CXL 3.2/PCIe 6.0 specifications, it ensures complete standards compliance and seamless interoperability across all subprotocols. The switch can also operate in PBR mode and hierarchy-based routing (HBR) mode.
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[NextPowerUP]

KIOXIA Europe GmbH today announced the launch of the EXCERIA BASIC SSD Series, a new addition to its Consumer SSD line-up, delivering the speed of PCIe 4.0 performance at a price everyday users can afford. Designed for consumers who want to breathe new life into their PC or notebook without overspending, the EXCERIA BASIC Series is the ideal upgrade from older SATA or PCIe 3.0 drives. With sequential read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,800 MB/s, users can expect faster boot times, quicker file transfers, and smoother multitasking - whether at work, at home, or on the move.

Available in capacities up to 2 TB and in the popular M.2 2280 form factor, the EXCERIA BASIC SSDs offer the perfect balance of performance, reliability, and value. Backed by KIOXIA's decades of innovation as a global leader in flash memory, the series combines cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 (Gen4x4) technology with competitive pricing that stands out in a crowded market.
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[NextPowerUP]

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, is delighted to announce a new 2 TB capacity for both the Lexar Professional GOLD and SILVER series of CFexpress 4.0 Type A cards. The 2 TB Lexar Professional GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Type A Card and the 2 TB Lexar Professional SILVER CFexpress 4.0 Type A Card are engineered to help creatives stay in the field longer, with the capacity to store multiple burst photo collections and capture seamless cinema-quality 8K video.

Featuring max read speeds of 1800 MB/s and max write speeds of 1650 MB/s, the 2 TB Lexar Professional GOLD CFexpress 4.0 Type A Card can capture vibrant, fast-action shots and accelerate post-production. Combined with sustained write speeds up to 1400 MB/s, this card allows users to capture video without missing a frame.
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[NextPowerUP]

In the age of AI reasoning, training smarter, more capable models is critical to scaling intelligence. Delivering the massive performance to meet this new age requires breakthroughs across GPUs, CPUs, NICs, scale-up and scale-out networking, system architectures, and mountains of software and algorithms. In MLPerf Training v5.1—the latest round in a long-running series of industry-standard tests of AI training performance—NVIDIA swept all seven tests, delivering the fastest time to train across large language models (LLMs), image generation, recommender systems, computer vision and graph neural networks.

NVIDIA was also the only platform to submit results on every test, underscoring the rich programmability of NVIDIA GPUs, and the maturity and versatility of its CUDA software stack.
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[NextPowerUP]

GPU prices are finally coming down. After we saw AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics cards have finally dip below their MSRPs, it seems that NVIDIA cards are now in order. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti slipped below its MSRP this week after Newegg applied a rebate that brought widely available listings to $729.99, under the $749 MSRP tied to this "Blackwell" SKU. The new pricing may not instantly alter the narrative around the 5070 Ti, but rather give this GPU some price breathing room for card that carried persistent price premiums, turning some buyers away.

The SKU in question is MSI Ventus 3X OC BLACK edition, which apparently has not been listed on MSI's official site, meaning that retailers are now the exclusive place to get this GPU. We had a pleasure of reviewing the non-BLACK MSI RTX 5070 Ti Ventus 3X OC GPU, which stood out as a sensible and well-rounded offering. Its factory overclock, strong headroom for further tuning and efficient gaming power draw make it especially attractive to 1440p high refresh gamers, compact-system builders and overclocking enthusiasts. Taking performance, features and price into account we awarded the Ventus 3X OC a "Recommended" badge. It is a very good value for its audience, but it missed our Editor's Choice due to the thermal and noise trade-offs. However, at the time the actual retail price was a bit higher than MSRP at launch. Now, PC builders can get this GPU at prices below MSRP from the Newegg listing here.

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[NextPowerUP]

Today, we are announcing a $50 billion investment in American computing infrastructure, building data centers with Fluidstack in Texas and New York, with more sites to come. These facilities are custom built for Anthropic with a focus on maximizing efficiency for our workloads, enabling continued research and development at the frontier. The project will create approximately 800 permanent jobs and 2,400 construction jobs, with sites coming online throughout 2026. It will help advance the goals in the Trump administration's AI Action Plan to maintain American AI leadership and strengthen domestic technology infrastructure. We are proud to create good American jobs and bolster American competitiveness.

"We're getting closer to AI that can accelerate scientific discovery and help solve complex problems in ways that weren't possible before. Realizing that potential requires infrastructure that can support continued development at the frontier," said Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of Anthropic. "These sites will help us build more capable AI systems that can drive those breakthroughs, while creating American jobs."
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[NextPowerUP]

Other World Computing (OWC), a trusted leader in high-performance storage, memory, connectivity, software, and accessories that empower creative and business professionals to maximize performance, enhance reliability, and streamline workflows, today announced the launch of the OWC StudioStack, the world's first, fastest, and highest-capacity Thunderbolt 5 stackable hybrid storage solution for Mac Studio and Mac mini machines. In addition, the company announced the OWC Mercury Helios 5S, the most powerful and easiest way to utilize PCIe cards with Thunderbolt 5/4/3 and USB4 notebooks and small form factor computers like the Mac Studio, as well as add more Thunderbolt 5 ports.

OWC StudioStack
With the OWC StudioStack, users can upgrade their Mac Studio and Mac mini devices with the fastest and highest capacity stackable hybrid storage solution on the planet - all wrapped up in an aircraft-grade aluminium that nestles perfectly underneath your setup.
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[NextPowerUP]

From the souls and blood of the fallen, a wounded spirit follows. The Dreglord awaits. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, the standalone multiplayer co-op survival action game by FromSoftware, Inc. and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., is unleashing a new abomination onto players in the form of The Dreglord - one of the new final bosses in the upcoming ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN: THE FORSAKEN HOLLOWS DLC. The DLC introduces two new third day bosses, new field bosses, a new Shifting Earth -- a special condition where the map sees massive geographical changes, and new points of interest in Limveld for players to explore.

Two new Nightfarers are joining the fray as well, with new abilities to take on the Night's Tide. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN: THE FORSAKEN HOLLOWS DLC will launch on Dec. 4 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. Players who own or purchase the Deluxe or Collector's editions of ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN will automatically receive the DLC at launch; other players are able to purchase the DLC separately. For more details on the game, the Nightfarers, and more, visit the game's official website: nightreign.com.
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[NextPowerUP]

Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX), a global leader in mass-capacity data storage, today introduced its new Seagate Exos 4U100 and 4U74 JBOD systems, setting a new standard for enterprise storage ahead of the SuperComputing (SC25) conference. Purpose-built for data-centric environments at the data center and edge, these flagship platforms deliver up to 3.2 petabytes of storage in the most complete high-density single enclosure on the market.

As organizations encounter significant data growth fueled by generative AI, disaggregated storage architectures, and evolving data sovereignty requirements, both the Seagate Exos 4U100 and Seagate Exos 4U74 systems provide advanced SAS-4 JBOD storage solutions. These systems are designed to streamline operations, enhance energy efficiency, and offer scalable storage capabilities, powered by Seagate's Mozaic innovation.
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[NextPowerUP]

The LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (TPCs), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, International Business Machines Corporation and Quantum Corporation, today announced specifications for a new generation of LTO Ultrium data cartridges with 40 TB native capacity (up to 100 TB compressed, assuming 2.5:1 compression), extending the industry's most widely adopted open tape format for long-term, cyber-resilient, and energy-efficient data preservation. At the same time, the TPCs are optimizing the technology roadmap for future LTO products to better align with customer priorities regarding reliability, affordability and efficiency for managing colossal amounts of data.

As organizations generate and retain unprecedented volumes of data to power AI, analytics, data insight, and compliance, the 40 TB LTO-10 cartridge offers enterprises and other large-capacity users superior storage density to efficiently archive greater amounts of information. This leap in capacity is made possible by innovations in the LTO-10 drive head design and a new, highly stable base film material, which together unlock the increased native media capacity of 40 TB. This new 40 TB cartridge is compatible with the same LTO-10 drive organizations are using for the 30 TB cartridge.
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