SK hynix early in Friday announced that the company has finished the development of it's PCB01 PCIe Gen5 SSD, the company's forthcoming high-end SSD for OEMs. Based on the company's new Alistar platform, the PCB01 is designed to deliver chart-topping performance for client machines. And, as a sign of the times, SK hynix is positioning the PCB01 for AI PCs, looking to synergize with the overall industry interest in anything and everything AI.

The bare, OEM-focused drives have previously been shown off by SK hynix, and make no attempt to hide what's under the hood. The PCB01 relies on SK hynix's Alistar controller, which features a PCIe Gen5 x4 host interface on the front end and eight NAND channels on the back end, placing it solidly in the realm of high-end SSDs. Paired with the Alistar controller is the company's latest 238-layer TLC NAND (H25T1TD48C & H25T2TD88C), which offers a maximum transfer speed of 2400 MT/second. Being that this is a high-end client SSD, there's also a DRAM chip on board, though the company isn't disclosing its capacity.

As with other high-end PCIe 5.0 client SSDs, SK hynix is planning on hitting peak read speeds of up to 14GB/second on the drive, while peak sequential write speeds should top 12GB/second (with pSLC caching, of course) – performance figures well within the realm of possibility for an 8 channel drive. As for random performance, at Computex the company was telling attendees that the drives should be able to sustain 4K random read and write rates of 2 million IOPS, which is very high as well. The SSDs are also said to consume up to 30% less power than 'predecessors,' according to SK hynix, though the company didn't elaborate on that figure. Typically in the storage industry, energy figures are based on iso-performance (rather than peak performance) – essentially measuring energy efficiency per bit rather than toal power consumption – and that is likely the case here as well.

At least initially, SK Hynix plans to release its PCB01 in three capacities – 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. The company has previously disclosed that their 238L TLC NAND has a capacity of 512Gbit, so these are typical capacity figures for single-sided drives. And while the focus of the company's press release this week was on OEM drives, this is the same controller and NAND that is also going into the company's previously-teased retail Platinum P51 SSD, so this week's reveal offers a bit more detail into what to expect from that drive family as well.

Specs aside, Ahn Hyun, the Head of the N-S Committee at SK hynix, said that multiple global CPU providers for on-device AI PCs are seeking collaboration for the compatibility validation process, which is underway, so expect PCB01 drives inside PCs in this back-to-school and holiday seasons.

"We will work towards enhancing our leadership as the global top AI memory provider also in the NAND solution space by successfully completing the customer validation and mass production of PCB01, which will be in the limelight," Ahn Hyun said.

You will be pleased to learn that we did indeed get together on Wednesday night (at 10 Eastern) to podcast this week. Here is the edited version of that podcast recording session. …

After AMD officially announced the Ryzen AI 300 series back at Computex 2024, various reports claimed the new mobile APU series would debut on July 15th. However, that seems to have changed as new reports and listings suggest AMD has ‘pushed' the release of the first devices powered by these APUs to July 28th.

Leakers Golden Pig Upgrade and Hoang Anh Phu (via VideoCardz) have reported the alleged update to the release date. It is important to note that AMD has not officially confirmed this change, so saying that the company “moved”, “pushed”, or “delayed” might not be entirely correct just yet.

According to Hoang Anh, the July 28th date might pertain to lifting the sales embargo and the review NDA. This uncharacteristic choice of a Sunday for the launch date could impact the distribution schedule across different regions.

The alleged change in the release date has prompted retailers like BestBuy (via Hassan Mujtaba) to update their product launch schedules. Several Asus laptops, previously slated for presale in mid-July, have had their launch dates rescheduled to July 28th. As of now, Asus has not updated the release date on its website. However, unless an early presale agreement is reached between Asus and AMD, changes to the website are expected to reflect the revised release date.

KitGuru says: If you were planning on getting a Ryzen AI 300-powered laptop at launch, it seems you'll have to wait a bit longer.

FromSoftware has cautioned players experiencing performance issues while playing Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, suggesting that the culprit may be related to third-party computer mouse software running in the background…

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which launched to critical acclaim on June 21st, has unfortunately been marred by reports of significant performance problems on both console and PC. This has led to a ‘mixed' user rating on Steam despite numerous perfect scores from critics worldwide.

【ELDEN RING】PC版において、マウス制御関連のアプリを起動している状態でゲームをプレイするとフレームレートが安定しない場合がございます。その場合、マウス制御関連のアプリを停止してゲームプレイをお試しいただきますようお願いいたします。

— FROMSOFTWARE PLAYER SUPPORT (@fromsoftware_sp) June 28, 2024

According to a recent tweet from FromSoftware's support page, players may see improvements in performance by closing any third-party mouse control software before launching the game. The tweet, translated by Google Translate, states: “In the PC version, the framerate may not be stable when playing the game while running a mouse-control app. In that case, please try playing the game after stopping the mouse-control app.”

Some players have already reported that following this advice helped to alleviate stuttering issues caused by mouse software, though we are sceptical considering the widely-reported performance issues that have been present since Elden Ring's launch. FromSoftware has also advised players to ensure that ray-tracing settings are not accidentally enabled when loading save data from a previous version of the game, as this could also lead to unstable frame rates. Furthermore, FromSoftware has stated that additional bug fixes and balancing tweaks are in the pipeline for future updates, though we will have to see if performance is improved.

KitGuru says: Have you been playing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree on PC? What has your experience been with in-game stutters?

Lian Li has launched its new line of HydroShift AIOs, first introduced at Computex 2024. Featuring a “tubeless” design, the HydroShift AIOs come in three variants: HydroShift S, HydroShift R, and HydroShift TL. All models pack a 2.88″ LCD on the pump block, customisable through L-Connect 3.

The HydroShift 360S, 360R, and 360TL liquid cooling AIOs sport a unique design that conceals tubing to the side of the radiator, aimed at delivering a cleaner aesthetic. Constructed with ribbed tubing for optimal performance and aesthetics, the tubing curves around the radiator with the assistance of pre-installed retaining brackets. The units also sport a brushed aluminium plate, left/right tube cover plates, and a pump mounting hardware cover.

Diving deeper into the specifics, the HydroShift 360S features a revamped pump design, operating at 3800 RPM, enhancing performance while minimising noise. The pump comes with two cables: one to synchronise with the motherboard via PWM and another that divides into SATA, PWM for the fans, and USB 2.0 for L-Connect communications. The 27mm thick radiator houses three pre-installed 28mm non-RGB fans, prioritising silent operation without compromising on performance. The fans reach speeds of up to 2500 RPM and support Uni Fan P28's side ARGB kit.

Meanwhile, the 360R model has a larger propeller, allowing it to function optimally at up to 3200 RPM speeds. It features a single cable solution with SATA for power, PWM for fan daisy-chaining, and USB 2.0 for L-Connect connectivity. With a 31mm thick radiator and three pre-installed 28mm thick ARGB and PWM fans capable of reaching speeds of up to 2400 RPM, the 360R offers efficient cooling solutions.

Lastly, the HydroShift 360TL shares the 3200 RPM pump and radiator dimensions of the 360R but distinguishes itself with three pre-installed Uni Fan TL fans. The AIO features a single cable solution enabling comprehensive control over the pump and fans through L-Connect 3, with the pump cable designed for discreet routing behind the tubes, connecting to daisy-chained TL fans and the accompanying TL hub.

The HydroShift 360S, 360R, and 360TL AIOs, available in black and white colour options, come with a 6-year guarantee and are now available for pre-order. The MSRPs are $179.99 (360S), $199.99 (360R), and $259.99 (360TL).

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: The idea of hiding a portion of the cables is interesting. However, because it is side-mounted, users have to ensure that their case is wide enough to fit the cooler with the bracket.

The recent attacks against customers of Polyfill.io, BootCDN, Bootcss, and Staticfile were a complete CDN nightmare this week, but there is some semi-good news for everyone.  Thanks to eagle eyed security researchers,…

Forza Motorsport has unfortunately not hit in the way Microsoft were hoping – not helped by the fact that the final product appeared visually downgraded from its pre-release material. Though RTGI has yet to make its way into the game, some subtle visual tweaks were discovered in Motorsport’s latest patch.

As discovered by MotoGamesTV, the most recent ‘update 9.0’ for Forza Motorsport seems to have stealthily included some visual tweaks which were absent from the patch notes.

Based on the comparison, players have deduced that the update introduces improvements to the overall colour grading and contrast; better atmospheric scattering as well as sky rendering changes.

As mentioned, the much-advertised and long-promised ray-traced global illumination is still nowhere to be seen. Still, an improvement is an improvement.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you notice the changes? How big of a difference is it to you? Let us know down below.

Valve has been on a spree recently, updating many of its services while giving others a facelift. Following the Steam Families revamp and the just-announced Steam Screen Recording function, Valve’s Steam Charts page has just gotten a new section.

Making the announcement on Twitter, the official Steam Deck page revealed that “We just shipped a new Steam Charts page featuring the top-played games on Steam Deck. This list is updated daily, and you can explore the top 100 games on Deck by week, month, or year.”

Valve had been highly proactive when it came to sharing Steam Deck player charts, but being able to check it out yourself at any point is welcome.

Unsurprisingly, in going to the Steam Deck Top 100, Elden Ring is currently the most-played game – followed by Stardew Valley; Balatro; Baldur’s Gate 3 and Kingdom Hearts.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: How much do you game on Steam Deck? Do you care about charts like these? What’s been your most-played Deck game over the past week? Let us know down below.

Ubisoft has made it well known that it plans to go all out on Assassin’s Creed over the coming years, with almost a dozen games in the works and a hub to play them all in. It therefore comes as little surprise that at least a couple of those games are set to be remakes.

In an interview published by Ubisoft themselves titled ‘CEO Yves Guillemot on Ubisoft’s Upcoming Portfolio, the Future of Assassin’s Creed’ the aforementioned CEO revealed (among other things) that multiple remakes are currently in the works, saying:

“Firstly, players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them.”

He continued, “There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich.”

We’ve heard word of an Assassin’s Creed Remake for a while now, with reports claiming that Black Flag will be getting the remake treatment.

That said, with Ubisoft having stuck to remasters for the AC series so far, it’ll be interesting to see how much they decide to switch things up.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you excited for the remakes? What games are you hoping will be included? What game needs it the most? Let us know down below.

Among the packed field of PC hardware manufacturers, Lian Li is a company that arguably shouldn't even need an introduction. The quirky company has developed a devout following thanks to its focus on premium-quality aluminum computer cases that, more often that not, and come with in some rather unique designs. Over the years, the company has developed a solid reputation for its meticulous craftsmanship, durability, and elegant aesthetics. And consequently, when the company made the decision to expand beyond aluminum cases and in to other PC peripherals, that development attracted quite a bit of attention to see what kind of a touch Lian Li could bring to the rest of the PC ecosystem.

Lian Li's focus on premium products means that the company doesn't really make much in the way of products that are merely basic, and that kind of mentality has extended beyond cases and into the rest of their peripherals. Case in point is the subject of today's review: Lian Li's new all-in-one CPU cooler, the HydroShift LCD 360S AIO. Not content just to make a powerful 360 mm cooler, Lian Li has gone a step above by integrating recesses and other features to help hide the tubing around the cooler, and then for the coup de grace, added a high-quality 2.88-inch IPS display to the pump block.

Overall, this new product marks a significant milestone for Lian Li, as it combines advanced cooling technology with the company's signature aesthetic appeal, making for a cooler that's aimed at both enthusiasts and professional users seeking high-end thermal performance and visual customization. Overall, the HydroShift LCD 360S is undeniably designed first and foremost with aesthetics in mind, but the shiny pump block is backed up with one of the most powerful 360 mm cooler designs on the market today. So Lian Li is throwing everything they have at the new HydroShift coolers.

Overall, the 360S is part of a trio of HydroShift 360 mm coolers the company is launching this summer. All three share a similar design, although with some pump changes and the addition of RGB fan lighting, depending on the specific model, with the 360S effectively serving as the base model.

More benchmarks for Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake CPUs are slowly trickling out ahead of launch. The new data gives us the first glimpse of the integrated Xe2 graphics performance, which apparently matches the AMD Radeon 890M that will power the upcoming Ryzen AI 9 HX370.

Designed for low-power devices like lightweight laptops, the Intel Lunar Lake CPUs are expected to target the U-series (17-30W) segment. On the other hand, AMD's Strix Point will target systems with power requirements ranging from 15W to 54W. The Lunar Lake CPUs bring a new CPU architecture, an updated NPU (AI accelerator), and the new Xe2 graphics.

Image credit: Jaykihn

Further into the integrated graphics of Intel's upcoming platform, we expect two models: Arc A130V and Arc 140V, each boasting 7 and 8 Xe2 cores, respectively. These cores are based on the Battlemage architecture. According to the data shared by Jaykihn (via VideoCardz), the Intel Lunar Lake iGPU will be pretty capable, achieving a Timespy graphics score of 3438 at 17W and a 4151 score at 30W. The latter is on par with what we've seen from the Radeon 890M seen in the flagship Strix Point APUs.

However, it's worth noting that the Lunar Lake system used 16 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory (soldered to the base tile). This configuration introduces considerations around power usage, particularly as it impacts the comparison, which does not account for memory power usage estimated at 2-3W. In addition, there's also the memory speed itself, which could significantly boost Intel's CPU performance.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Were you expecting this level of performance of the Lunar Lake iGPU? 

Just yesterday, we reported on Microsoft’s cancelled cloud-streaming Xbox console, with details on the abandoned technology being discovered through submitted patents. It appears Microsoft has no need for its own cloud streaming box, as they have just announced a partnership to bring Xbox Game Pass to Amazon’s Fire TV stick.

Announcing the collaboration on their Xbox Wire Blog, Ashley McKissick – the Corporate Vice President of Xbox Experiences and Platforms Engineering – said:

“At Xbox, we’re committed to bringing the joy and community of gaming to everyone. Today, we’re announcing a collaboration with Amazon where Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members in over 25 countries can play games directly from the Xbox app on select Fire TV devices via cloud gaming, giving people even more choice in how they play their favorite games.”

The app will be made available sometime next month for Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K (2023) and its ‘Max’ variant, with McKissick concluding by stating:

“Over the past several years, we have been on a journey to deliver cloud gaming to more devices and to more people around the globe. We are excited to add Fire TV to our growing family of cloud gaming devices and eager to welcome new players into this experience.”

It makes sense for Microsoft to partner with hardware makers who already have their products in millions of people’s homes. It’ll be interesting to see how much this boosts Game Pass sign-ups.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think about the upcoming app? Is it better than buying a dedicated cloud box? Could you see yourself casually using this? Let us know down below

Fractal Design has done something unusual with its new Mood case, starting with the fact it is named Mood. In addition to giving it a name, they have covered it in fabric and have completely avoided the use of tempered glass and RGB lighting. The result is a 20 litre Mini-ITX PC case that barely resembles a piece of technology. The swish looks earn it pride of place on your desk or somewhere in your living room.

Time Stamps

00:00 Start
00:40 The Mood
01:30 Taking it apart
03:47 Hardware support
04:47 Installing hardware in the case
11:18 Graphics card support / install
14:47 Thermal and Noise tests
16:30 Leo's closing thoughts

Main features

• Discrete SFF case with sliding textile enclosure
• Supports GPUs up to 325 mm in length
• Large 180 mm fan included
• Tool-less removal of rear panel and casing
• Water-cooling support for radiators up to 280 mm
• Small footprint through slim design
• Sliding textile enclosure allows for easy hardware access
• Accessible 2.5” SSD brackets with ball catchers
• Supports installing a 3.5” HDD
• Removable dust filter (magnet-fastened on reverse/GPU side)
• Front IO for easy access
• Many tie-points for easy cable routing

Specification:

• Motherboard support: Mini-ITX.
• Power supply support: SFX-L, SFX.
• Expansion slots: 2.
• Included fans: 1x 180mm top exhaust.
• Fan mounts: 2x 120/140mm side, 1x 180mm top.
• Radiator mounts: 240mm/280mm side.
• 5.25-inch optical drive bays: None.
• Internal drive bays: 1x 3.5-inch, 2x 2.5-inch.
• Front I/O ports: 2x USB 3.0 5Gbps Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 2×2 20Gbps Type-C, audio.
• Dimensions: 453mm H x 212mm D x 212mm W.

Testing

To put this case through its cooling paces we will be using a test system consisting of an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT and an SSD. This system allows us to produce a substantial amount of heat and effectively test the Fractal Design Mood‘s cooling capabilities.

Test System:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B650I Aorus Ultra
• Memory: 32GB G.Skill Z5 Neo DDR5-6000
• Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB
• Power supply: Seasonic Focus SPX 650W Platinum
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4.0 M.2 NVMe
• OS: Windows 11

Cooling Performance

Cooling Performance Overview

Temperatures inside the Fractal Design Mood are reasonably low, and that is despite the novel use of materials and the compact nature of the case. Having said that, we expect that anyone expressing an interest in the Mood would be well advised to use low power hardware that minimises both heat and noise.

Closing Thoughts

The obvious point to make about the Fractal Design Mood is that it barely resembles a PC product, and only then when you look around the back and spot the mesh panel that covers the graphics card.

Clearly it is aimed at normal people who don't much like tempered glass and RGB lighting in their living room, and that is absolutely fine by us, although it raises an obvious snag. Imagine you don't like PC hardware and rarely build a system and then you are faced with a somewhat tricky 20 litre case that packs in the hardware rather snugly.

We suggest you grab the superb Fractal user guide in one hand and your screwdriver in the other and persevere. It might take you a while to build the PC  but we are confident you will be fine and the finished result will deserve pride of place on your kitchen table.

You can buy the Fractal Design Mood for £149.99 HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

• Stylish good looks.
• Excellent user guide.
• Clean and simple design.

Cons:

• Restricted to a two-slot graphics card under 325mm.
• Price is high.
• Limited to Mini-ITX and SFX power.

KitGuru says: Fractal Design's Mood is compact and stylish and should fit equally well in your living room or home office.