Chieftec has announced the immediate availability of its new Stealth Series power supplies, a high-end lineup designed for enthusiast systems that demand substantial power delivery. The new series launches with 1000W and 1200W models, both boasting 80 Plus Platinum certification and full compliance with the latest ATX 3.1 and PCIe Gen 5 standards.

The Stealth series is built around a new platform featuring an LLC Half-Bridge converter with DC-to-DC technology and high-quality Japanese capacitors. This internal design allows the units to achieve Platinum-level efficiency, minimising heat and energy waste under load. To keep thermals in check, Chieftec has equipped the units with a 135mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) fan, which is managed by Automatic Fan Speed Control (AFC) to balance airflow and noise.

Chieftec's Stealth series PSUs were designed to make it easier for builders to manage the cabling. The series is fully modular and uses ultra-soft embossed cables, which are designed to be more flexible than standard ribbon or braided cables, simplifying the routing process in tight chassis spaces.

Connectivity is robust across both models. Users get a native 16-pin 12V-2×6 connector for the latest Nvidia graphics cards, alongside three traditional 8-pin PCIe connectors. The CPU power delivery is handled by one 8-pin EPS and one 4+4-pin EPS connector. For storage and other devices, the units provide eight SATA connectors and four Molex connectors.

The Chieftec Stealth Series is now available, starting at €170 for the 1000W model at some retailers. The 1200W variant is priced slightly higher at €190. Both units are backed by a 5-year warranty.

KitGuru says: Considering their price and feature set, would you consider a Chieftec Stealth PSU to power your PC build?

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The era of the “Made in Germany” Cherry MX switch has officially come to a close. Facing severe financial pressure, Cherry has confirmed it is ceasing all production at its headquarters in Auerbach, Germany, while simultaneously looking to sell off one of its core business divisions.

According to a report from German outlet Heise, the decision follows a net loss of over €20 million (about £17.5 million) in the first nine months of 2025 alone. To stem the bleeding, switch manufacturing will now be handled entirely by partners in China and Slovakia. The Auerbach facility will remain open, but its role will be reduced to development, logistics, and administration rather than manufacturing.

The restructuring efforts go beyond just factory locations. The board has initiated a process to sell one of its two remaining business units: either the Peripherals division (covering gaming and office devices) or the Digital Health & Solutions sector. The company intends to use the proceeds from this sale to provide the liquidity needed to focus on and stabilise the remaining division.

Considering Cherry was the company that effectively birthed the modern mechanical keyboard market, this news is quite surprising. However, since its original MX patent expired in 2014, Cherry has faced relentless competition from Asian manufacturers like Gateron and Kailh.

KitGuru says: It would be a shame to see Cherry-made peripherals go away, though its real strength always seemed to be as an OEM. 

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One of the recurring frustrations for PC builders is the frequency of socket changes, which often renders expensive cooling hardware obsolete or requires the sourcing of new mounting brackets. However, Noctua has quietly confirmed that owners of its current air coolers can breathe a sigh of relief regarding Intel's future platforms.

Spotted by @momomo_us (via VideoCardz), an update to the official Noctua support FAQ explicitly states that all of its CPU coolers currently compatible with LGA1700 and LGA1851 will also be compatible with Intel's upcoming LGA1954 socket. The Austrian cooling company clarified that no additional mounting components are required, as the installation process will remain identical to the existing mechanism used for the last few generations.

Remember that the LGA1954 socket is claimed to be used by Intel's “Nova Lake-S” desktop processors, which are currently expected to be released in late 2026 at the earliest.

This is welcome news, particularly given the reportedly short lifespan of the current LGA1851 socket. While that platform only recently launched with Arrow Lake, and is expected to see a refresh announced at CES in January, Intel is already working on its successor. For those who have invested in premium Noctua hardware, this confirmation ensures their coolers will remain viable well into the Nova Lake era. Hopefully, other brands will follow suit.

KitGuru says: Are you running a Noctua cooler? Do you plan to upgrade and retain the cooler you're currently using?

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Grasshopper Manufacture has confirmed it will broadcast its third ‘Grasshopper Direct' next week, with the presentation set to focus primarily on its upcoming action title, Romeo Is a Dead Man.

The broadcast is scheduled to air on the studio’s official YouTube channel on Friday, December 5th, at 10 AM JST (1 AM BST). According to the press release, the showcase will provide a behind-the-scenes look at development and reveal new gameplay.

The title, which was first teased during a State of Play earlier this year, is described as a hyperviolent sci-fi action game. Grasshopper Manufacture is marketing it as their “bloodiest action game yet”, featuring a combat system that blends firearms and swordplay.

The narrative premise follows the protagonist, Romeo, who is recruited as an interdimensional special agent after a near-death experience coincides with a rupture in the space-time continuum. As an agent, players will be tasked with hunting down wanted criminals across these fractured dimensions. Romeo Is a Dead Man is currently targeting a 2026 release window and is confirmed for launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

KitGuru says: Are you curious about Romeo is a Dead Man? Will you be watching the showcase?

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Thermaltake has unveiled the Minecube 360 Ultra ARGB Sync, a new all-in-one liquid cooler that takes the current trend of integrated LCDs to a new level. Available in both black and white editions, the cooler features a patented “Quad-LCD Cube Display” that sits atop the CPU block, turning the pump housing into a four-sided digital centrepiece.

The highlight of the Minecube 360 Ultra is the cube display, which consists of four separate 3.95-inch TFT LCD panels, each boasting a resolution of 720 x 720. Through the TT LCD Screen Software, users can configure each panel independently to show real-time system statistics, images, or animations, or combine them to create a single, continuous wraparound visual effect. The software supports a wide range of formats, including JPG, GIF, MP4, and AVI.

To handle thermal loads, the Minecube 360 Ultra is equipped with three of Thermaltake's Swafan EX12 ARGB Sync fans that operate at up to 2000 RPM. These units feature the company's swappable fan blade design, allowing builders to switch the airflow direction without physically turning the fan frame around. Connectivity is handled by the MagForce 2.0 magnetic interface, which uses larger contact pads to ensure a secure, cable-free daisy-chain connection between fans.

The cooling loop itself utilises a 27mm thin radiator connected to a pump with a polished copper base and an embedded 3500 RPM VRM fan used to cool the motherboard power delivery components surrounding the CPU socket.

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KitGuru says: With so many AIO liquid coolers with LCDs out there, it's hard to stand out from the competition. Thermaltake has found a great solution to that by adding more LCDs to the equation. 

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Intel has not yet officially announced its next generation Core Ultra 300 series processors, but a recent benchmark database entry may have given us our first look at the performance for the high-end Core Ultra 9 386H CPU. 

The chip featured in the Geekbench entry shared by Benchleaks appears to be an Intel Core Ultra 386H featuring a 16-core configuration comprising four P-cores, eight E-cores, and four low-power E-cores. During the test, the CPU was able to push to 4.7 GHz.

Running on a system equipped with 64GB of RAM and a Windows 11 Pro balanced power plan, the processor achieved a single-core score of 2,849 and a multi-core result of 15,434 in Geekbench 6.5.0. These figures place the Ultra 9 386H slightly ahead of the performance range offered by the current-generation Arrow Lake-H Core Ultra 9 285H, putting the upcoming CPU around 5% faster in single-core and 9% faster in multi-core.

We have no way of verifying this result ourselves as Intel have not yet officially announced the new generation of Core Ultra CPUs. Benchmark listings like this can be faked, so take the information with a grain of salt. Intel should formally announce its new CPUs in early 2026 around the same time as CES.

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KitGuru says: How much of a performance improvement are you expecting to see for Intel's next-gen Core Ultra processors? 

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The collaboration between Asus and Microsoft continues to deepen with a significant software update for the ROG Xbox Ally series of handhelds. The latest patch, which is available now in preview, introduces a feature designed to remove the guesswork from balancing performance and battery life.

Dubbed Default Game Profiles, this new functionality automatically adjusts frame rate targets and power consumption (TDP) for supported titles. The new feature in the November update allows users to apply hand-crafted profiles when a compatible game is launched. These profiles are designed to cap frame rates to conserve energy if the device is over-performing or boost power if the game struggles to hit its target.

Asus claims this can lead to substantial gains in efficiency. For instance, the company notes that while playing Hollow Knight: Silksong, the device can see its battery life extended by approximately an hour compared to the standard Performance mode, all while maintaining a fluid 120 FPS. At launch, the preview supports about 70 titles, including major releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Gears of War: Reloaded, and Fortnite.

Beyond the power profiles, the new system update addresses general system responsiveness. Users should notice improved gamepad performance, as well as faster loading times for the game library. Cloud Gaming pages have also been optimised for better speed. Additionally, a new “Performance Fit” filter has been added to the Game Gallery, giving players a clearer indication of how well a specific title will run on the handheld.

Looking ahead, Asus plans to keep improving the ROG Xbox Ally with Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) and automated highlight reels, leveraging the device's NPU. In the more immediate future, a “Game Save Sync Indicator” is scheduled to arrive next week. Other planned improvements include increasing the sleep and wake reliability, improving formatting options for microSD cards, and more.

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KitGuru says: Do you have a ROG Xbox Ally handheld? What do you think of the new and upcoming updates? What other features would you like to see on the handheld?

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AMD has dominated CPU gaming performance benchmarks in recent years with its 3D V-Cache equipped models. We've been waiting for Intel's answer to this technology for quite some time and according to new reports, we will see it first in the next-generation Nova Lake-S desktop CPUs. 

Starting with the cache, Jaykihn (via VideoCardz) stated that only the upcoming unlocked/K-series CPUs will feature the bLLC integration. This feature, long-rumoured as Intel's direct answer to AMD's 3D V-Cache, is said to have a massive 144 MB size on select SKUs, finally providing a cache-first option to compete against AMD's gaming leadership. The cache is expected to reside on the compute tile itself.

Another significant upgrade in the upcoming desktop CPUs seems to be their AI performance. Nova Lake-S will completely skip the NPU generations used in Lunar Lake and Panther Lake, jumping from Arrow Lake-S’s NPU3 (13 TOPS) straight to NPU6, according to Jaykihn. This NPU6 block is rumoured to target 74 TOPS of raw performance, representing a massive 5.6x increase over its predecessor and easily eclipsing the 50 TOPS NPU target set for the Panther Lake mobile chips. This dramatic boost ensures the desktop platform is Copilot+ ready and future-proofed for local AI applications.

The leaker also mentioned that the integrated GPU usage in Nova Lake-S CPUs will ship with only 2 Xe3-LPG cores, a reduction from the four cores used in Arrow Lake-S. This concession is minimal, given that these desktop SKUs are intended to be paired with high-end discrete GPUs.

KitGuru says: Do you think big amounts of cache are what Intel needs for its CPUs to be competitive in the desktop gaming space?

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