For our first stop of the week at Computex, Leo heads to the MSI booth to take a closer look at new OLED monitors, new motherboards, coolers and graphics cards.
Timestamps:
MSI is showcasing two new OLED monitors at Computex – the MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 and the MAG 272QP QD-OLED X50. Both monitors use Samsung's 3rd-generation QD-OLED panels, which have scored very well in reviews. Both are 27-inch QHD monitors, with refresh rates up to 500Hz, low 0.03ms response times and DisplayHDR True Black and VESA ClearMR 21000 certifications.
In the motherboard segment, MSI is showcasing the MEG X870E Godlike, along with new AMD ITX motherboards, the MPG X870I Edge TI WIFI and MPG B850I Edge TI WIFi. These new Mini-ITX boards feature silver-white designs, premium cooling, PCIe Gen 5, Wi-Fi 7 (320MHz), and 5G LAN. For Intel Core Ultra 200 chips, there's the MPG B860I Edge TI WIFI, which has the same silver-white look, an 8-phase power architecture, a Lightning Gen 5 PCIe slot, two M.2 interfaces, and Wi-Fi 7 (320MHz) support.
On the systems front, MSI is showing off three new systems. For starters, we have the updated Polar Tempest Edition MSI Claw, powered by an Intel Lunar Lake CPU. For desktops, we have the MEG Vision X AI system, which stands out thanks to its massive HMI touchscreen interface on the front panel. MSI also has Cubi NUC PCs on the way, featuring Intel Core Ultra CPUs and CoPilot+ certification, so you know they are AI-capable.
For storage, MSI has both datacentre storage solutions and consumer-oriented SSDs. The Vortiq portfolio covers enterprise drives in U.2, E3.S, E1.S, and SATA 2.5 formats, offering up to 61TB of storage at 14.8GB/s read speeds. At Computex, MSI is also showing the new Spatium M571, a PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD built with a Phison E28 controller, which is targeted at the gaming market.
On the gaming peripherals front, MSI is showcasing a new line-up of lightweight peripherals, including the Versa 500 and Versa 300 wireless mice, featuring magnetic scroll wheels and Hall-Effect technology. The Versa Pro version comes with extra reprogrammable buttons, and the Strike Pro keyboard is built to sit right alongside it.
For graphics cards, MSI is showing off its current Gaming, TRIO X and SUPRIM designs, alongside a new range of ‘Expert' graphics cards, which come with a very beefy blower-style cooler attached, intended for professional workstations.
KitGuru Says: What do you make of MSI's line-up at Computex 2025?
The post Computex 2025: MSI shows off its new 600Hz monitor, new ITX motherboards and more first appeared on KitGuru.MSI is set to launch a new solution for managing the RGB lighting of your MSI components, promising to simplify the process significantly. Dubbed MSI Portal X, this platform is entirely web-based, eliminating the need for any software installation, allowing users to control their RGB lighting effects directly from a web browser.
When logged into MSI Portal X, the platform instantly recognises all compatible MSI devices on your system via RGB Centre (available exclusively on Windows systems). Users can then customise RGB lighting effects for each device and per port, with adjustable brightness and three customisable speed levels. For added convenience, an ‘All Sync' button enables one-click synchronisation of lighting effects across all recognised devices, removing the need for separate modifications.
MSI highlights Portal X's quick and straightforward user interface, designed to allow users to easily adjust lighting effects separately or synchronise them all at once, streamlining the entire RGB management experience. With its imminent release, MSI PortalX aims to offer a versatile and seamless approach to managing RGB lighting for enthusiasts, directly from their browser.
KitGuru says: Do you have any MSI RGB components in your system? Do you think other brands should follow MSI's example and have a similar web-based platform to customise the RGB lighting?
The post MSI introduces Portal X, its new web-based RGB control platform first appeared on KitGuru.At Computex this week, Leo checked in with Kingston to get a look at all of the new SSDs and memory modules hitting the market. One of the biggest surprises for us was the unveiling of the new Kingston Fury CAMM2 module, bringing memory to desktop PCs in a whole new format.
Timestamps:
Upon entering the Kingston booth, we immediately get a look at a server rack, housing a stack of Kingston Server Premier DDR5 memory, and Kingston's Data Center-class SSDs.
Moving on to consumer-oriented tech, we have Kingston's new Fury Renegade G5 SSD. This is Kingston's latest PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, offering speeds of up to 14,800MB/s, putting it in the upper echelon of PCIe 5 SSDs in terms of speed. We reviewed this drive just recently, so you can find a whole bunch of benchmarks and performance metrics there.
Moving on to RAM, we have the Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 line-up, offering up to 6800MHz speeds and up to 128GB capacity. Kingston also has CUDIMM DDR5 memory on show, which Leo has used in Intel Arrow Lake-based systems before. These modules offer up to 8800MT/s speeds and utilise Infrared Sync technology to keep the RGB lighting uniform across all modules.
Finally, we get to the new Kingston Fury Beast CAMM2 memory module. This is a prototype based on the new CAMM2 standard, running on a prototype Aorus motherboard. These CAMM2 modules are capable of housing up to 128GB of memory. While we were anticipating CAMM2 memory to take over the laptop market, it seems that vendors are also working on desktop variations. Unfortunately, we don't know when CAMM2 devices will become available to the general public, but Leo reckons 2026 could be the year.
KitGuru Says: What do you make of Kingston's Computex line-up this year?
The post Computex 2025: Kingston showcases Fury CAMM2 memory, new SSDs and more first appeared on KitGuru.Xbox is currently in a bit of a state of limbo, with the Series X|S consoles continuing to sell fewer units by the day, all the while fans eagerly await the official announcement of Microsoft’s much-teased handheld. One insider has now shared a ton of details surrounding Xbox’s future plans – including another Xbox Game Pass revamp.
As part of their most recent video, known industry insider eXtas1s revealed what is claimed to be Microsoft’s current future plans for the Xbox ecosystem. While this includes quite drastic and sweeping changes such as full integration of Steam and the Epic Games Store, one of the more interesting titbits pertains to Xbox Game Pass.
According to eXtas1s (and as translated by ResetEra user P40L0), Game Pass is set to receive yet another major overhaul following their previous rebranding back in 2023.
Though not quite as transformative as the prior update (which saw the Xbox Live Gold program discontinued and replaced with Game Pass Core), this upcoming change is said to bring with it:
Of course, a shake-up of Game Pass will also be met with changes to its pricing, with eXtas1s claiming that subscriptions will once again go up – especially for the PC tier (which is currently by far the most consumer-friendly tier).
Despite their shift towards a more 3rd-party release strategy, it seems Game Pass is here to stay – albeit at a higher cost. We will have to wait and see exactly what Microsoft has planned for the service.
KitGuru says: What do you think of Microsoft’s plans? How much is too much to pay for a monthly subscription? What Game Pass tier do you use (if any)? Let us know down below.
The post Xbox Game Pass to get another revamp with new tiers and higher prices according to insider first appeared on KitGuru.Ever since the death of E3, Nintendo has mostly kept to itself when it comes to announcing games at showcases – instead focusing on their Nintendo Direct events. With the Switch 2 almost upon us however, it seems the console maker is trying to attract as many eyes as possible; confirming that they will be returning to Gamescom for the first time in a while.
Making the surprise announcement via Twitter, the official German Nintendo page shared the following (as translated by ResetEra user RandomlyRandom67): “Mark your calendar in red: Nintendo will be back at @gamescom in 2025. We look forward to welcoming you to Cologne from August 20 to 24!”
As mentioned, this marks the return of Nintendo to Gamescom following their absence last year. While no reason was given as to why they are coming back, it is quite clear that this has been setup as a result of the upcoming Switch 2.
Whether we will get actual announcements of new games, or simply another opportunity for hands on with the Switch 2 (despite it being out by that point) we will have to wait and see. That said, given the relatively light first-party console launch line-up, hopefully Nintendo has big announcement plans in the works.
KitGuru says: Are you surprised to see them return to Gamescom? Why do you think they skipped the event last year? What do you hope to see shown off during the conference? Let us know down below.
The post Nintendo announces return to Gamescom first appeared on KitGuru.Corsair is entering the DIY keyboard segment with its first barebone keyboard kit, the Corsair Makr 75. This starting kit is designed for enthusiasts who want to craft their dream board without sacrificing cutting-edge gaming features. The company also introduced its new web-based utility software for peripherals, Web Hub.
The Corsair Web Hub is a web-based utility that allows users to customise their peripherals directly from a browser, removing the need for a separate software application. Via the Web Hub, users can easily control RGB lighting effects, remap keys, and record macros for their Makr 75 or other compatible Corsair devices. This builds on Corsair's ongoing efforts to simplify user customisation.
For serious gamers, the Makr 75 offers features like 8K hyper-polling for ultra-low latency inputs and FlashTap SOCD (Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions), which helps to manage situations where you press two opposite directional keys at the same time, ensuring the game recognises the intended direction. It boasts a premium build, featuring an elegant full aluminium frame. Internally, it incorporates gasket mounting, eight layers of sound dampening, and screw-in stabilisers, all contributing to a refined typing feel and superior acoustics. The kit also supports additional upgrades via add-on modules.
Its innovative design and intuitive integration of these elements have already earned the Makr 75 the Red Dot Best of the Best Design Award for 2025 and an iF Design Award for 2025. The Corsair Makr 75 barebones keyboard kit is available today starting at £159.99/$179.99/€169.99.
KitGuru says: Have you ever built a keyboard, or did you always buy pre-assembled? Are you planning on using the Makr 75 to build your first keyboard?
The post Corsair is launching MAKR keyboard kits and a web-based tool to customise peripherals first appeared on KitGuru.Phanteks is showcasing a comprehensive lineup of new products at Computex 2025. These include innovative chassis designs, advanced cooling solutions, and a significantly expanded portfolio of custom water-cooling components.
Leading their case innovations is the new Matrix edition chassis. The Evolv X2 Matrix, an updated version of their tri-panel display chassis, now features fabric panels for a more modern look while retaining its elegant design. This case integrates a unique 900-LED matrix display built into the bottom section, offering customisation options via the Nexlinq app for a blend of elegance and adaptability. Similarly, the XT View Matrix edition chassis sports a soft-touch fabric exterior alongside a 600-LED matrix display. This display can be fully customised through the Nexlinq software to show statistics, time, text, animations, and lighting effects. Both Matrix cases maintain exceptional cooling capabilities, supporting numerous fans and generous GPU clearance, alongside compatibility with back-connect motherboards like MSI Project Zero and Asus BTF for immaculate, cable-management-focused builds.
For builders seeking a cost-effective case solution, Phanteks introduced the Eclipse G370A. This case features a complete front mesh design for optimal airflow, supports up to 7 fans, and offers 360mm top radiator support. It also accommodates SSI-EEB motherboards, making it suitable for professional workstations without a premium price tag.
Phanteks is also setting new standards in PC cooling with its latest fans. The T30-140 fan is designed for those who demand the best, featuring a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) construction. Powered by a 6-pole, 3-phase motor with magnetic twin Vapo bearings, it aims to deliver superior airflow and exceptional longevity. Its 3-mode switch allows users to select quiet, balanced, or extreme profiles, making it versatile for various cooling scenarios. There's also the X30-360/420 fan sets, featuring a 30 mm-thick frame with three high-performance 120mm or 140mm fans, combining sleek designs with aluminium highlights and integrated D-RGB lighting for a striking appearance. This one-piece frame enhances stiffness, reduces vibration, simplifies installation, and promises excellent airflow and static pressure.
Expanding on their successful Glacier One line of AIOs, Phanteks presents the new Glacier One 360M25 LCD. This cooler features a large 6-inch IPS display on the pump, offering 1580×720 resolution at 30 Hz, with full customisation via Nexlinq for system metrics, images, and effects. It includes three M25 Gen 2 fans, balancing performance and value.
Lastly, the Glacier Ez-Fit family has grown, bringing new custom water-cooling PC assembly options. New additions to this ecosystem include a compact 120 RES (reservoir body only) for tighter spaces, new radiators (including 420rad30, 360rad45, and 420rad45 models) to meet diverse cooling requirements, and 5090 GPU blocks designed to support popular graphics cards from brands like MSI (Vanguard, Suprim, Gaming Trio), Asus (TUF, Astral), and Gigabyte (yet to be confirmed). Furthermore, the NV chassis distribution Plates will provide customisation and full water-cooling support for the NV5, NV7, and NV9 models, increasing the custom water cooling options for these models.
KitGuru says: What do you think of the components Phantek is showcasing at Computex 2025?
The post Phanteks unveils new cases, fans and AIO CPU coolers first appeared on KitGuru.2025 marks the 10th anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, generally agreed upon as being one of the best Western RPGs perhaps of all time. With the game now officially hitting its 10th birthday, the team at CD Projekt Red are hosting a celebration live stream alongside a franchise-wide sale.
Making the announcement, the team at CDPR wrote: “Celebrate 10 years of killing monsters and forging unforgettable memories! It's been a decade since you began the search for Ciri, discovering all the choices, adventures, and stories that followed. Thank you for walking this Path with us. #10YearsofTheWitcher3.”
A video was released alongside the announcement, featuring many iconic moments from the 2015 classic. If you have yet to give The Witcher 3 a try, now is as good a time as any to do so, as the entire franchise is currently on sale for a massive discount.
Available across pretty much all platforms, the entire Witcher trilogy can be yours for up to 90% off, with the base Witcher 3 currently as low as £2.50. Alternatively, the Complete Edition is 80% off, going for just £6.99.
Despite releasing 10 years ago, The Witcher 3 still holds its own in 2025 thanks to a timeless narrative; a rich world; brilliant music and more. Speaking of music, CDPR is also celebrating the anniversary with a global concert tour, the details of which can be found HERE.
KitGuru says: What do you think of The Witcher 3 10 years on? Does it hold up in your mind? What’s your favourite side quest from the series? Let us know down below.
The post The Witcher 3 celebrates 10th anniversary with franchise sale and more first appeared on KitGuru.For the past 5 years or so we’ve seen a wide range of different online video game showcases pop up – focusing on specific publishers, platforms and even sub-genres of games. Joining the fray is ‘Indie Quest’: “a brand-new digital showcase spotlighting the best and brightest in independently developed JRPGs.”
Releasing a teaser trailer for the upcoming event, JRPG-focused YouTuber The Gaming Shelf wrote: “Indie Quest is a brand-new digital showcase spotlighting the best and brightest in independently developed JRPGs. Curated by Taylor Hoyt of The Gaming Shelf, the premiere event debuts May 29 at 4PM PDT / 7PM EDT with over 40 exclusive game trailers, a must-see world premiere from a critically-acclaimed studio, and a unique twist.”
It’s worth noting that the term JRPG in this instance likely refers more to the typical style of classic Japanese RPGs – as opposed to RPGs developed in Japan itself.
Regardless, it is always nice to see new video game showcases pop up. With so many titles releasing every single day, having a curated collection of quality games is welcome indeed.
KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to the Indie Quest showcase? What’s your favourite indie showcase around? What does the term JRPG mean to you? Let us know down below.
The post Indie Quest Showcase announced with a focus on JRPGs first appeared on KitGuru.The European Hardware Association (EHA) proudly concluded its 11th annual awards ceremony at the Courtyard Marriott, Nangang, in Taiwan – with the introduction of new categories for AI – adding to the Value Awards from last year. Hosted on the eve of Computex 2025, this prestigious event gathered over 250 industry leaders to honour innovation and excellence in the technology sector.
Established in 2015, the EHA has grown from a small gathering within the Taiwan International Convention Centre in to the largest industry event of its kind. This significant growth highlights the dedication and passion that drives the technology industry, not just in Europe but also globally.
The 11th anniversary of the EHA Awards was made memorable through the collaboration and support of partners from across the sector and trade bodies of Taiwan – all of which help to showcase the unity and strength of the amazing global tech community.
Each year, the industry comes together to shine a spotlight on those companies that are continuing to push the boundaries of technology. This event was not just a celebration of the past eleven years, but also a positive look forward to the future of PC-technology – recognising advanced in AI hardware development.
More than 100 expert editors from Europe’s leading tech publications, including Hardware Upgrade from Italy, PurePC from Poland, io-tech from the Nordics, Geeknetic from Spain, HardwareLuxx from Germany, Technology Insider from the Netherlands, CowCotLand from France, Lab 501 from Romania and KitGuru from the UK have been involved in the nomination and voting process, ensuring that the awards represent a comprehensive view of the best in the market.
Below is a full list of winners for the EHA Awards 2025 – showing clearly which products are setting the standards in each category for this year.
The Highlights
We paid $6,050 for Origin PC’s 5090-powered Genesis when it launched, or $6,500 after taxes. Today, a similar build has a list price of $8,396. Markup is $1,700 to $2,500 over DIY. This computer costs as much as an RTX Pro 6000, or a used car, or a brand new Kia Rio with a lifetime warranty in 2008 with passenger doors that fall off…
The point is, this is expensive, and it also sucks.
Editor's note: This was originally published on May 16, 2025 as a video. This content has been adapted to written format for this article and is unchanged from the original publication.
Steve Burke
Mike Gaglione
Jeremy Clayton
Tim Phetdara
Jimmy Thang
The RTX 5090 is the most valuable thing in this for its 32GB of VRAM, and to show you how much they care about the only reason you’d buy this prebuilt, Origin incinerates the memory at 100 degrees Celsius by choosing to not spin the fans for 8 minutes while under load.
The so-called “premium” water cooling includes tubes made out of discolored McDonald’s toy plastic that was left in the sun too long, making it look old, degraded, and dirty.
But there are some upsides for this expensive computer. For example, it’s quiet, to its credit, mostly because the fans don’t spin…for 8 minutes.
Originally, this Origin Genesis pre-built cost $6,488 – and that’s after taxes and a $672 discount off the initial sticker price of $6,722. We ordered it immediately after the RTX 5090 launch, which turned out to be one of the only reliable ways to actually get a 5090 with supply as bad as it was (and continues to be). It took a while to come in, but it did arrive in the usual Origin crate.
We reviewed one of these a couple years ago that was a total disaster of a combo.
The system had a severely underclocked CPU, ridiculously aggressive fan behavior (which is the opposite of the system we’re reviewing today), chipped paint, and a nearly unserviceable hardline custom liquid cooling loop. Hopefully this one has improved. And hopefully isn’t 1GHz below spec.
| Part Name | Retail Price 4/25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | MSI PRO B650-P WIFI | $190 |
| CPU | Ryzen 7 9800X3D | $480 |
| Graphics Card | NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition | $2,000 |
| RAM | Corsair Vengeance DDR5-6000 (2x16GB) | $93 |
| SSD 1 | Corsair MP600 CORE XT 1TB PCIe 4 M.2 SSD | $70 |
| Custom Loop | "Hydro X iCUE LINK Cooling" / Pump, Rad, Block, Fittings | $712 |
| Fans | 12x Corsair iCUE LINK RX120 120mm Fan | $360 |
| Case | Corsair 7000D Airflow | $240 |
| PSU | Corsair RM1200x SHIFT 80+ Gold PSU | $230 |
| RGB/Fan Controller | 2x Corsair iCUE Link System Hub | $118 |
| Operating System | Windows 11 | N/A |
| T-Shirt | ORIGIN PC T-Shirt | N/A |
| Mousepad | ORIGIN PC Mouse Pad | N/A |
| Shipping | "ORIGIN Maximum Protection Shipping Process: ORIGIN Wooden Crate Armor" | N/A |
| ??? | "The ORIGIN Difference: Unrivaled Quality & Performance" | Priceless |
| Total retail cost of all parts as of April 2025 | $4,493 |
We’ll price it out based on the original, pre-tariff $6,050 build before taxes and with a 10% off promo. Keep in mind that the new price is $7,500 to $8,400, depending on when you buy.
The good news is that nothing is proprietary – all of its parts are standard. The bad news is that this means we can directly compare it to retail parts which, at the time we wrote this piece, would cost $4,493, making for a $1,557 markup compared to the pre-tax subtotal. That’s a huge amount to pay for someone to screw the parts together.
Given the price of the system, the MSI PRO B650-P WIFI motherboard and 1TB SSD are stingy and the 7000D Airflow case is old at this point. The parts don’t match the price.
Just two months after we ordered and around when it finally arrived, Origin now offers a totally different case and board with the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Elite. The base SSD is still just 1TB though – only good enough for roughly two or three full Call of Duty installs.
The detailed packing sheet lists 22 various water cooling fittings, but, curiously, the build itself only has 15, plus one more in the accessory kit, making it 16 by our count. We don’t know how Origin got 22 here, but it isn’t 22. Hopefully we weren’t charged for 22.
Oh, and it apparently comes with “1 Integrated High-Definition.” Good. That’s good. We wouldn’t want 0 integrated high definitions.
Similar to last time, you also get “The ORIGIN Difference: Unrivaled Quality & Performance” as a line item. Putting intangible, unachievable promises on the literal receipt is the Origin way: Origin’s quality is certainly rivaled.
Against DIY, pricing is extreme and insane as an absolute dollar amount when the other SIs are around $500-$800 markup at the high end. In order for this system to be “worth” $1,500 more than DIY, it would need to be immaculate and it’s not. The only real value the PC offers is the 5090. Finding a 5090 Founders Edition now for $2,000 is an increasingly unlikely scenario. Lately, price increases with scarcity and tariffs have resulted in 5090s closer to $2,800 or more, so the markup with that instead would be $777 if we assume a 5090 costs $2,800. That’s still a big markup, and the motherboard is still disappointing, the tubes are still discolored, the SSD is too small, and it still has problems with the fans not properly spinning, but it’s less insane.
Getting into the parts choices:
This new Genesis has a loop that’s technically set up better than the last one, but it only cools the CPU. That means we have a $6,500 computer with water cooling, but only on the coolest of the two silicon parts -- the one that pulls under 150W. That leaves the 575W RTX 5090 FE to fend for itself, and that doesn’t always go well.
Originally, Origin didn’t have the option to water cool the 5090. It’s just a shame that Origin isn’t owned by a gigantic PC hardware company that manufactures its own water cooling components and even has its own factories and is publicly traded and transacts billions of dollars a year to the point that it might have had enough access to make a block...
A damn shame. Maybe we’ll buy from a bigger company next time.
At least now, with the new sticker price of $8,400, you can spend another $200 and add a water block to the GPU. Problem solved -- turns out, we just needed to spend even more money.
Here’s a closer look at Origin’s “premium” cooling solution, complete with saggy routing that looks deflated and discolored tubing that has that well-hydrated catheter tube coloring to it.
The fluid is clean and the contents of the block are fine, but the tubing is the problem. In fact, the included drain tube is the correct coloring, making it even more obvious how discolored the loop is.
Corsair says its XT Softline tubing is “UV-resistant tubing made to withstand the test of time without any discoloration or deforming.”
So clearly something is wrong. Or not “clearly,” actually, seeing as it’s not clear. The tubing looks gross. It shouldn’t look gross. The spare piece in the accessory kit doesn’t look gross. The coolant is even Corsair’s own XL8 clear fluid, making it even more inexcusable.
We’re not the only ones to have this problem, though – we found several posts online with the same issue and very little in the way of an official response from Corsair or Origin. We only saw one reply asking the user to contact support.
Even without the discoloration, it comes off as looking amateurish from the way it just hangs around the inside of the case. There’s not a lot you can do about long runs of flexible tubing, unless maybe you’re the one building it and have complete control of everything in the pipeline...
There is one thing we can compliment about the loop: Origin actually added a ball valve at the bottom underneath the pump for draining and maintenance, which is something that we directly complained about on the previous Origin pre-built. We’re glad to see that get addressed.
The fans in the build are part of Corsair’s relatively new LINK family, so they’re all daisy chained together with a single USB-C-esque cable and controlled together in tandem by two of Corsair’s hubs. It’s an interesting (if expensive) system that extends to include the pump and CPU block – both of which have liquid temperature sensors.
We’re starting the tear-down by looking at the cable management side.
Opening up the swinging side panel, we noticed masking tape on the dust filter, which we’re actually okay with as it’s to keep it in place during shipping and is removable.
Internally, they’ve included all of the unused PSU cables in the system’s accessories box, which we’ll talk more about down below.
The cable routing makes sense and is generally well managed. While they tied the cables together, not all of the ties were tied down to the chassis. The system uses the cable management channel for the 24-pin connector. Overall, it’s clean and they’ve done well here.
Looking at the other side of the system, we can see that the power cable leading into the 5090 is mostly seated, and isn’t a concern to us.
Removing the water block’s cable, it had a little piece of plastic which acted as a pull tab. That’s actually kind of nice.
Removing the screws on the water block reveal that they are captive, which is nice. Looking at the pattern, we can see that they used pre-applied paste via a silk screen. That allowed contact for all 8 legs of the IHS, which looked good with overall even pressure. The block application was also good.
Looking at how well all of the cables were seated, everything was fine from the CPU fan header down to the front panel connectors.
Removing the heat sync off the NVMe SSD, we didn’t see any plastic on the thermal pad, which is good.
Look at the 16GB DDR 6000 RAM modules, they are in the correct slots and Origin outfitted them with Corsair 36-44-44-96 sticks, which are not the greatest timings.
Examining the tightness of all the screws on the motherboard, we didn’t encounter any loose screws.
Removing the motherboard from the case, everything looked fine.
Looking at the motherboard out of the case, it’s a lower-end board than we’d like to see out of a premium system.
Looking at the fans, they are immaculately installed, which is partially due to how they’re connected together. This results in a very clean setup.
The back side of the PC has a massive radiator. And overall, the system has very clean cable management and the assembly was mostly good. This relegates the system’s biggest issues being the value and its water-cooling setup. We didn’t drain the loop so we’re going to keep running it and see what it looks like down the road.
Getting into the benchmarking, we’ll start with thermals.
Right away, the 96-degree result on the memory junction is a problem -- especially because this is an average, which means we have spikes periodically to 100 degrees. The technical rating on this memory is 105 degrees for maximum safety spec. This is getting way too close and is hotter than what we saw in our 5090 FE review. This is also when all of the thermal pads are brand new.
The Origin pre-built uses a large case with 12 fans, so it should be impossible for the GPU to be this hot.
The Ryzen 9800X3D hit 87C at steady-state – which is also not great for how much cooling is in this box. All of the various motherboard and general system temperature sensors fell well within acceptable ranges.
Finally, the watercooling parts provide a couple of liquid temperatures. The pump is on the “cool” side of the loop and read 36.7C at steady state, while the coolant in the block on the “hot” side of the loop got up to 41.3C. You typically want liquid temperature to stay under 55C (at the most) to not violate spec on the pump and tubing, so this is fine.
We need to plot these over time to uncover some very strange behavior.
CPU temperature during the test starts out on a slow ramp upwards during the idle period. When the CPU load first starts, we see an immediate jump to about 72C, a brief drop, then a long and steady rise from roughly 250 seconds to 750 seconds into the test where it levels off at the 87C mark. The VRM temperature follows the same general curve, but takes longer to reach steady-state. Adding the liquid temperatures to the chart shows the same breakpoints.
Finally, adding pump and fan speeds gives us the big reveal for why the curves look like this. The pump stair steps up in speed while the temperatures rise, but the fans don’t even turn on for over 8 minutes into the load’s runtime. Once they’re actually running, they average out to just 530RPM, which is so slow that they might as well be off.
This is an awful configuration. Response to liquid temperature isn’t new, but this is done without any thought whatsoever. If you tie all fans to liquid temperature, and if you have parts not cooled by liquid like VRAM on the video card, then you’re going to have a bad time. And that’s the next chart. But before that one, this is an overcorrection from how Origin handled the last custom loop PC we reviewed from the company, which immediately ramped the fans up high as it could as soon as the CPU started doing anything. Maybe now they can find a middle ground since we’ve found the two extremes of thoughtless cooling.
This chart shows GPU temperatures versus GPU fan speed.
The GPU temperature under load rises to around 83C before coming back down when the case fans finally kick on. As a reminder, 83-84 degrees is when NVIDIA starts hard throttling the clocks more than just from GPU Boost, so they’re dropping clocks as a result of this configuration.
The 5090’s VRAM already runs hot on an open bench – 89 to 90 degrees Celsius – and that gets pushed up to peak at 100C in the Origin pre-built. This is unacceptable. Adding the GPU fan speed to the chart shows us how the Founders Edition cooler attempts to compensate by temporarily boosting fan speed to 56% during this time, which also means that Origin isn’t even benefiting as much from the noise levels as it should from the slower fans. Balancing them better would benefit noise more.
As neat of a party trick as it is to have the case fans stay off unless they’re needed in the loop, Origin should have kept at least one or two running at all times, like rear exhaust, to give the GPU some help. Besides, letting the hot air linger could potentially encourage local hot spots to form on subcomponents that aren’t directly monitored, which can lead to problems.
Now we’ll look at full system load power consumption by logging it at the wall – so everything, even efficiency losses from the PSU, is taken into account.
Idle, it pulled a relatively high 125W. At the 180 second mark, the CPU load kicks in. There’s a jump at 235 seconds when the GPU load kicks in.
We see a slight ramp upwards in power consumption after that, which tracks with increasing leakage as the parts heat up, before settling in at an average of 884W at steady state.
Next we’ll cover dBA over time as measured in our hemi-anechoic chamber.
At idle, the fans are off, which makes for a functionally silent system at the noise floor. The first fans to come on in the system are on the GPU, bringing noise levels up to a still-quiet range of 25-28dBA at 1 meter. The loudest point is 30.5 dBA when the GPU fans briefly ramp and before system fans kick in.
For CPU frequency, fortunately for Origin, it didn’t randomly throttle it by 1GHz this time. The 9800X3D managed to stay at 5225MHz during the CPU-only load portion of torture test – the same frequency that we recorded in our original review for the CPU so that’ good. At steady state with the GPU dumping over 500W of heat into the case, the average core frequency dropped by 50MHz. If Origin made better use of its dozen or so fans, it should hold onto more of that frequency.
BIOS for the Origin pre-built is set up sensibly, at least. The build date is January 23, which was the latest available in the time between when we ordered the system at the 50 series launch and when the system was actually assembled.
Scrutinizing the chosen settings revealed nothing out of line. The DDR5-6000 memory profile was enabled and the rest of the core settings were properly set to Auto. This was all fine.
The Windows install was normal with no bloatware. That’s also good.
The desktop had a few things on it. A “Link Windows 10 Key to Microsoft Account” PDF is helpful for people who don’t know what to do if their system shows the Activate Windows watermark. Confusingly, it hasn’t been updated to say “11” instead of “10.” It also shepherds the user towards using a Microsoft account. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but we don’t like how it makes it seem necessary because it’s not and you shouldn’t.
There’s also an “Origin PC ReadMe” PDF that doesn’t offer much except coverage for Origin’s ass with disclaimers and points of contact for support. One useful thing is that it points the user to “C:\\ORIGIN PC” to find “important items.”
That folder has Origin branded gifs, logos, and wallpapers, as well as CPU-Z, Teamviewer, and a Results folder. Teamviewer is almost certainly for Origin’s support teams to be able to remotely inspect the PC during support calls. It makes sense to have that stuff on there.
The results folder contains an OCCT test report that shows a total of 1 hour and 52 minutes of testing. A CPU test for 12 minutes, CPU + RAM, memory, and 3D adaptive tests for 30 minutes each, then finishing with 10 minutes of OCCT’s “power” test, which is a combined full system load. It’s great that Origin actually does testing and provides this log as a baseline for future issues, and just for base expectations. This is good and gives you something to work from. Not having OCCT pre-installed to actually run again for comparison is a support oversight. It’s free for personal use at least, so the user could go download it easily.
There weren’t any missing drivers in Device Manager and NVIDIA’s 572.47 driver from February 20 was the latest at the time of the build – both good things.
There wasn’t any bundled bloatware installed, so points to Origin for that.
iCUE itself isn’t as bad as it used to be, but it’s still clunky, like the preloaded fan profiles not showing their set points.
On to packaging.
The Origin Genesis pre-built came in a massive wooden crate that was big enough for two people to move around. Considering this PC was $6,500 after taxes (at the time), we’re definitely OK with the wooden crate and its QR code opening instructions.
Origin uses foam, a fabric cover, a cardboard box within a crate, and the crate for the PC. The case had two packs of expanding foam inside it, allowing the GPU to arrive undamaged and installed. The sticker on the side panel also had clear instructions. These are good things.
Unfortunately, there’s a small chip in the paint on top of the case, but not as bad as the last Origin paint issues we had and we think it’s unrelated to the packaging itself.
The accessory kit is basic, and came inside of a box with the overused cringey adage “EAT SLEEP GAME REPEAT” printed on it. Inside are the spare PSU cables (that we’re happy to see included), an AC power cable, stock 5090 FE power adapter, standard motherboard and case accessories, a G1/4 plug tool and extra plugs, and a piece of soft tubing with a fitting on one end that can be used to help drain the cooling loop. All of this is good.
During this review process, the price went even higher. You already shouldn’t buy this, but just to drive it home:
Now, for the same configuration, the Genesis now costs $7,557 after the discount, off the new sticker price of $8,396. That’s an increase of over $1,000, making the premium over current DIY pricing roughly $1,700-$2,500.
Now, there are good reasons for the price to go up. Tariffs have a real impact on pricing and we’re going to see it everywhere, and tariffs are also outside of Corsair’s control. We don’t fault them for that. But that doesn’t change the fact that the cost over DIY is so insanely elevated. Even Corsair’s own competitors offer better value than this, like Maingear.
At $8,400 sticker price, you’d have to be drunk on whatever is discoloring Origin’s loop to buy it. Nobody should buy this, especially not for gaming. If you’re doing productivity or creative work that would seriously benefit from the 5090’s 32GB of VRAM, then look elsewhere for a better deal. This costs nearly as much as an RTX Pro 6000, which has 96GB of VRAM and is better.
It would actually be cheaper to get scalped for a 5090 on Ebay and then buy the whole rest of the computer than to buy this Origin system. That’s how crazy this is.
The upcharge, even assuming a 5090 price of $2,800, is just way too high versus other system integrators. Seriously, Alienware is cheaper at this point – by thousands of dollars. Alienware.
We can’t recommend this PC. Ignoring the price, the memory on the video card is hitting 100 degrees C in workloads when the fans aren’t turning on because the fans are set to turn on based on the liquid temperature and the liquid doesn’t touch the GPU. For that reason alone, it gets a failing grade. For our thermal testing, pre-builts have to pass the torture test. If they don’t, they instantly fail. That’s how it always works for our pre-built reviews. This system has, unfortunately, instantly failed.
Prior to Computex, Nvidia invited members of the media to a briefing on upcoming announcements for gaming and AI. We've already gone over the RTX 5060 launch today, so now our attention turns towards Nvidia's latest AI software updates.
The Nvidia AI PC software stack now covers over 750 games and applications, making use of RTX GPUs' accelerating hardware. For instance, TensorRT still provides best-in-class AI performance with gains of up to 2x compared to DirectML. TensorRT for RTX will be available to developers in June, offering an optimised inference backend for PCs running AI applications.
The new NIM for RTX container will further aid development efforts, with pre-packaged generative AI models, optimised for TensorRT. NIMs and AI blueprints will be available to download via Nvidia's own website, as well as through partners.
Project G-Assist also continues to grow. This is Nvidia's locally-run AI digital assistant for PCs. Through new plugins, users can now use G-Assist in conjunction with popular apps like Discord, Twitch and Spotify, as well as more professional apps like IFTTT, Gemini, SignalRGB and penRGB.
The tools for developers to build their own plugins are now publicly available, so we should see even more functionality added to G-Assist over time.
KitGuru Says: As Leo noted during Nvidia's keynote presentation, the primary focus now is AI, with gaming starting to feel like a footnote in Nvidia's plans. With that said, some AI projects do intersect with gaming, like Project G-Assist.
The post Computex 2025: Nvidia reveals latest AI tools and Project G-Assist improvements first appeared on KitGuru.MSI is showcasing a new gaming monitor at Computex 2025. Meet the MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M, a 27-inch display featuring a Mini-LED panel with Quantum Dot technology and AI-powered features.
The MSI MPG 274URDFW E16M boasts a Mini-LED panel with 1,152 full-array local dimming zones, providing high brightness and deep contrast for accurate lighting adjustment, resulting in deep blacks and bright highlights. It carries VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification, extensive colour coverage (98% DCI-P3, 100% Adobe RGB, 140% sRGB), and Delta E≤2 colour accuracy, aiming for lifelike graphics. Response time is a fast 0.5 ms (GtG, Min.), suitable for competitive play.
The monitor's Dual Mode is a key feature, allowing users to switch between UHD (4K) resolution at 160 Hz and FHD (1080p) at a 320 Hz refresh rate. As an AI Navigator monitor, it includes an AI Menu that allows customising display settings (such as AI Vision, AI Crosshair, brightness, and contrast) to activate automatically when opening a game, with easy import/export options.
Connectivity options are robust, including HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, and a versatile USB-C port supporting DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 98W Power Delivery. Practical features include KVM compatibility for multi-device control and a 4-way adjustable stand for ergonomic comfort. The monitor features a white design with 44 LEDs, supporting Mystic Light for customisable RGB effects and certified for Windows Dynamic illumination for synchronised lighting across peripherals.
KitGuru says: Are you planning on upgrading your monitor? Have you considered a Mini-LED display but felt that none of the options available meet your criteria? MSI's new MPG 274URDFW E16M could be worth checking if you're looking for a high-end Mini-LED display for gaming.
The post MSI launches Dual Mode Mini-LED MPG 274URDFW E16M gaming monitor first appeared on KitGuru.
The Borderlands franchise continues to be a sales powerhouse in the looter-shooter genre. According to Take-Two Interactive's latest financial report, the series has sold approximately 93 million copies since its inception in 2009. However, it's far from being its most successful series, with GTA, NBA 2K, and Red Dead Redemption already exceeding 100M since their inception.
Starting with Borderlands, Borderlands 2 remains the series' best-seller, having moved over 30 million units since its 2012 debut. Borderlands 3 is positioned as ‘2K's fastest-selling title', surpassing 22 million units sold since its 2019 release. Beyond the main sequels, spin-offs like Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands have expanded the franchise's reach, even if at the same level as Borderlands 2 and 3.
With the next main instalment, Borderlands 4, just a few months away, the series' sales figure will surely increase. The game is expected to propel the franchise above the 100 million sales mark, putting it at the same level as the Red Dead Redemption series. However, the Red Dead Redemption series only has two entries, with Red Dead Redemption alone being able to sell over 74 million units.
The Grand Theft Auto series is still (and should maintain for the foreseeable future) Take-Two's best-selling franchise, with almost 450 million units sold, up from 440 million in the previous quarter. Grand Theft Auto V alone has sold over 215 million units, 5 million more than last quarter. As for the NBA 2K series, it has sold over 160 million units globally, an increase from over 155 million. Lastly, Sid Meier's Civilisation series has sold over 76 million units, up from over 73 million.
KitGuru says: Surprised by any of the sales figures shared by Take-Two on the earnings call?
The post Borderlands closing in on 100M copies sold first appeared on KitGuru.
CyberPowerUK is introducing a new line-up of Mini Gaming PCs this week. The new MNML range is perfect for those looking to save on space, with small but powerful gaming PCs for the living room, bedroom or dorm room.
The CyberPowerUK MNML PC range includes three models, the Ion Elite SFF PC, the Ion Pro SFF PC and the highest-end option, the Sigil Elite SFF PC. CPU options range from a 14th Gen Intel Core i5 at the entry level, all the way up to a Ryzen 7 9800X3D at the top-end.
Here are the specs for each system-
Ion Pro SFF Mini Gaming PC (£1359):
Ion Elite SFF Mini Gaming PC (£1533):
Sigil Elite SFF Mini Gaming PC (£2068):
Those specs aren't final, if you have the budget for it, you can swap out most components for a build that fits your needs. You can find CyberPowerUK's new MNML range of mini gaming PCs, HERE.
KitGuru Says: Are you in the market for a gaming PC? Are you thinking of going with a compact, small form factor build over a traditional desktop?
The post CyberPowerUK launches new line of MNML Mini Gaming PCs first appeared on KitGuru.
At Computex this week, Intel is showcasing two new graphics cards – the Intel Arc Pro B50 and Arc Pro B60, designed for professional workstations, rather than gaming PCs. Intel is also furthering its push in AI with the new Gaudi 3 accelerator and the new Intel AI Assistant Builder.
Starting off with new graphics cards, Intel has expanded its Arc Pro graphics card line-up with the new B50 and B60 GPUs. These are the latest GPUs based on Inte's Arc Battlemage architecture, as well as Intel Xe Matrix Extensions (XMX) AI cores and Ray Tracing units to accelerate intensive visual and AI workloads.
The GPUs are optimised for architecture, engineering, construction and inference workstations, offering stability and performance through a wide range of independent software vendor (ISV) certifications and optimized software. The Intel Arc Pro B-Series GPUs are compatible with consumer and pro drivers on Windows. On Linux, the GPUs support a containerized software stack to simplify AI deployments, and will be progressively upgraded with features and optimisations.
The Intel Arc Pro B60 GPU will be sampling from add-in board partners including ASRock, Gunnir, Lanner, Maxsun, Onix, Senao and Sparkle starting in June 2025. The Intel Arc Pro B50 GPU will be available from Intel-authorized resellers starting in July 2025.
Moving more into the topic of AI, Intel has launched the Gaudi 3 AI accelerator. These PCIe cards support scalable AI inferencing within existing data center environments. Customers can expect Gaudi 3 to provide a use when running AI models like Llama, and Maverick. These PCIe cards will be available starting in the second half of this year. The rack-scale version supports up to 64 accelerators per rack and offers up to 8.2TB of high-bandwidth memory. The racks are designed with liquid cooling in mind too for those seeking the highest performance possible.
The final thing on Intel's Computex list is the AI Assistant Builder. This lightweight, open source software framework is now available, allowing developers to create custom AI assistants that run locally. The public beta release is now available through GitHub, and systems from the likes of Acer and Asus will be demonstrating examples at Computex.
KitGuru Says: Unfortunately the rumoured high-end ‘Battlemage' gaming GPU was a no show here. However, Battlemage is expanding in other areas as Intel looks to take a larger piece of the AI enterprise market.
The post Computex 2025: Intel unveils new Arc Pro Battlemage GPUs, Gaudi 3 accelerators and more first appeared on KitGuru.
Wooting, known for making analogue and Hall-Effect keyboards popular, is back with an updated version of the 60HE. Building on that foundation, they've introduced the Wooting 60HE v2, incorporating years of feedback and technological advancements to push the original model to new heights. The new keyboard will be available in Q4 2025.
One upgrade in the 60HE V2 is the updated MCU, enabling the keyboard to poll at up to a blistering 8K Hz. With Tachyon Mode enabled (which turns off RGB), it achieves ‘real 8K polling' with precise analogue key scanning, reducing input latency to 0.125 ms. The keyboard comes pre-assembled with the new linear Lekker Tikken switches (MX stem), the latest addition to the Lekker family. These are the first closed-bottom switches with a full 4 mm actuation range, designed to provide a marbly sound profile. With a rated lifespan of 100M clicks, the Lekker Tikken switches have a 40cN start and 60cN end force.
The 60HE v2 features a full aluminium casing with an enhanced design, including a friction-fit mount and silicone standoffs to protect the PCB. Users can also customise the look with replaceable strap and no-strap components on each side and choose between a standard or split space bar layout.
To shape the keyboard's sound and feel, Wooting is including a PET film layer behind the switches for a marbly sound, a PC plate sandwiched in HD Poron layers to soften keystrokes and add low-frequency sound, and an FR4 switch plate for a thocky sound. The bottom case dampening is made with a removable silicone block that can be replaced with EPDM foam or left empty for different acoustic profiles.
KitGuru says: Have you ever tried a keyboard with analogue or Hall-Effect switches? What do you think of the upcoming Wooting 60HE V2 keyboard?
The post Wooting is launching a 60HE V2 keyboard in Q4 2025 first appeared on KitGuru.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 8GB: MSRP $299 The mainstream GeForce RTX 5060 brings NVIDIA's latest Blackwell GPU architecture down to a $300 price point and targets mainstream 1080p gamers, but DLSS4 with multi-frame generation is a must to achieve peak performance. Blackwell Architecture Power Efficient Smaller Form Factors Cool And Quiet Tons... 
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