Razer has expanded the BlackWidow V4 lineup with two new models that embrace a slimmer, more streamlined design.The new BlackWidow V4 Low-profile HyperSpeed and its Tenkeyless variant are the first to feature Razer's brand-new low-profile mechanical switches, as well as other high-performance features.
Taking centre stage are Razer's new low-profile switches, which are available in the classic Green (clicky), Yellow (linear), and Orange (tactile) variants. These factory-lubricated switches are designed to promote a more natural wrist alignment, thanks to their reduced key height, and are rated for up to 80 million keystrokes. They also feature a new translucent top housing with a circular stem wall for brighter and more vivid Chroma RGB effects.
The keyboards are built with a sturdy 5052 aluminium alloy top case and incorporate two layers of sound-absorbing foam and pre-lubricated stabilisers. This combination is designed to deliver a clean, sharp, and satisfying typing sound without the unwanted ping of some boards. On the performance front, the keyboards connect via Razer's low-latency HyperSpeed Wireless 2.4 G technology (1000 Hz polling rate). They also debut a new feature called Razer Snap Tap, which automatically prioritises the most recent key input between two keys without needing the first to be fully released. This sounds very much like a rapid trigger-style function, which could provide a significant advantage in competitive games.
Both the full-size and TKL models come equipped with a clickable multi-function roller and dedicated macro keys and offer a battery life of up to 980 hours with Chroma RGB turned off in Power Saving Mode. The new BlackWidow V4 low-profile lineup is now available starting at £169.99/€189.99/$199.99 for the Tenkeyless model and going up to £199.99/€219.99/$229.99 for the full-sized variants.
KitGuru says: Of the two BlackWidow V4 low-profile models available, which one would you get for yourself?
Corsair has launched the Nautilus RS LCD line of AIO coolers, a new model that brings a customisable screen to the proven RS liquid coolers.Better yet, those with an existing RS CPU cooler can upgrade with an additional LCD upgrade kit.
As you might've guessed, the key feature of the Nautilus RS LCD cooler series is the 2.1-inch IPS screen built into the pump cap. It boasts a 480×480 resolution and a 600 cd/m² brightness. Using Corsair's iCUE software, users can customise the display to show real-time system stats like CPU temperature and fan speeds or personalise their build with images and animated GIFs.
Underneath the new screen, the cooler uses the same high-performance hardware as the original Nautilus RS. This includes a low-noise pump, a slightly convex copper cold plate that comes with Corsair's XTM60 thermal paste pre-applied, and RS120 PWM fans that can spin up to 2,100 RPM to keep temperatures in check. The cooler is compatible with all modern sockets, including AM5 and the upcoming LGA 1851.
In a very consumer-friendly move, Corsair is also launching a standalone Nautilus RS LCD screen module. This upgrade kit allows existing owners of the original, non-LCD Nautilus RS cooler to get the new feature by simply clipping the new screen module onto their current pump block. It's a great way to add the LCD without having to replace the entire cooling system.
The Corsair Nautilus RS LCD is available now in 240mm and 360mm radiator sizes, in both black and white. The 240mm model is priced at £129.99/$139.99/€149.90, while the 360mm version comes in at £149.99/$159.99/€169.99.
KitGuru says: Which colour variant of the Nautilus RS LCD do you like the most? What about the size format?
Fans eagerly awaiting the spiritual successor to the beloved rhythm-strategy series Patapon will have to wait just a little bit longer. The development team behind Ratatan has announced that the game's Steam Early Access release has been pushed back to ensure a more polished launch experience.
The new release date for the roguelike rhythm game is now set for Friday, September 19th, 2025 (was expected on July 25th). In a post on the game's official Steam page, the developers stated they need “a little extra time to polish the game and deliver it to you in the best possible state”. A special pre-launch livestream hosted by voice actor Tomokazu Sugita will air on Sunday, September 14th, which promises to showcase the game and reveal the post-launch content roadmap for the first time.
The game, which blends the classic rhythm-based commands of Patapon with new roguelike and multiplayer elements, was a massive Kickstarter success, raising over a million pounds from fans excited for the new project.
While a delay, however short, is always a bit disappointing for those who have been waiting since the demo, a one-month pushback for the sake of quality is a move that most will likely appreciate, as it's far better than a buggy and unoptimised Early Access launch. Ratatan's early access will be available exclusively on Steam, but the final release will be available on PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch as well.
KitGuru says: Did you play the original Patapon games? Are you interested in Ratatan? How do you feel about the delay?
GameMax is getting into the high-end segment of AIO liquid coolers with its new Glacier Series. Available in 240 mm and 360 mm sizes, these new coolers feature an innovative design that completely conceals the tubing for an ultra-clean look, which is complemented by a large, high-resolution LCD screen on the pump block.
The Glacier series has a hidden tube design, which routes the braided tubing behind the radiator to eliminate the usual visual clutter in the main chamber of a PC case. This cooler comes with a large 3.95-inch HD LCD on the pump head, which boasts a 720×720 resolution, a 60 Hz refresh rate, and 300 nits of brightness. The screen is magnetic and rotatable for easy installation and can be customised via GameMax's software to display a variety of real-time system stats and animations.
On the cooling front, GameMax claims the 360 mm Glacier model can handle a TDP of up to 330W, while the 240 mm version is rated for 280W. The coolers come with daisy-chained ARGB fans that connect via a single cable to reduce clutter. These fans are rated to produce up to 85.82 CFM of airflow with a static pressure of 2.23 mmH₂O at a reported noise level of 31.5 dB(A).
To further aid with clean builds, the cooler includes an adjustable sliding tube clamp, allowing users to fine-tune the angle of the tubes as they exit the radiator. As for compatibility, the Glacier series supports all modern sockets, including Intel's LGA 1851/1700 and AMD's AM5/AM4. The Glacier 240 LCD is priced at $149.99, and the Glacier 360 LCD at $169.99.
KitGuru says: Considering their price and feature set, the new GameMax Glacier series looks like a solution worth considering for anyone looking for a highly-customisable AIO liquid cooler. However, without knowing its performance, it becomes hard to recommend it.
Blizzard has already revealed the World of Warcraft team's massive plans for Gamescom next week, but it looks like the Diablo team will have some announcements to make as well. In preparation for the event next week, someone at Blizzard accidentally revealed the next class for Diablo 4.
As spotted by WoWhead, a Diablo 4 server update went out earlier this week. Through public APIs, sites can see the full names of these update files. Normally this is just a series of numbers to correspond with the game version number, but this new update stuck out like a sore thumb thanks to the inclusion of ‘paladin' in the name.
It is now believed that Blizzard will tease the Paladin class for Diablo 4 at Gamescom. Assuming someone at Blizzard isn't just messing with us, this version's existence could also point to the Paladin being playable for Gamescom attendees.
The next class for Diablo 4 isn't expected to drop until the next expansion, which is due out in 2026. If news is coming next week, then we may get a trailer reveal and a release date along with it.
KitGuru Says: I wasn't a big fan of the theme for the previous Diablo 4 expansion. I'm hoping Expansion 2 can turn things around – a Paladin class would certainly be a great start.
The latest drive to join Seagate's IronWolf Pro family of hard drives is the new flagship 30TB model. Designed for use in multi-bay commercial and enterprise RAID solutions, the IronWolf Pro comes with a feature set which includes HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording).
Seagate's flagship 30TB IronWolf Pro (ST30000NT011) is a CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) drive using Helium technology, but to achieve the high areal density of the platters, it also employs Seagate's HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording). Seagate has managed to cram 10 3TB platters and 20 heads into a 3.5-inch format drive with a height of just 26.11mm. The drive has a spindle speed of 7,200rpm and uses 512MB of cache. Seagate quotes an official maximum transfer rate of 275MB/s while the average latency is quoted at 4.16ms.
Seagate quotes power ratings for the 30TB IronWolf Pro as 8.3W for average operating (which is only 0.6W more than the last IronWolf Pro we looked at, the 20TB model) and 6.8W average idle. For standby and sleep, the drive is rated at 1.2W.
The official workload rating of the drive is 550TB/year with an MTBF of 2.5M hours, and Seagate backs the drive with a 5-year warranty.
Physical Specifications:
Usable Capacities: 30TB.
Spindle Speed: 7,200rpm.
No. Of Heads: 20.
No. Of Platters: 10.
Cache: 512MB.
Recording Method: Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) / HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording).
While there’s not been a new mainline entry in the Fallout franchise for almost a decade at this point, Amazon’s TV show adaptation from last year kept many fans satiated. Fortunately, unlike the games they are based on, the show has been quick on the draw when it comes to launching a sequel. Despite the first season only arriving back in April of 2024, Fallout Season 2 is already almost upon us – set to premiere this December.
Releasing a teaser poster (via IGN) alongside confirmation of Season 2’s December launch, the teams at Bethesda/Microsoft/Amazon have started to promote Fallout Season 2.
As was suggested at the end of the first series, Season 2 will take the main crew of characters to the colourful streets of New Vegas – a region of the world which we’ve not seen since Obsidian Entertainment’s 2010 classic.
While Season 1 of the Fallout show was an undeniable hit – amassing over 100 million viewers – more hardcore fans of the franchise did share their grievances regarding the show’s lack of consistency with the games’ lore and history.
As such, it will be interesting to see what fans of the games think when Season 2 arrives later this year. Regardless however, with just how successful the first Season was, Fallout Season 2 is set to be another massive moment for TV when it premieres in just a few months’ time.
KitGuru says: What did you think of Fallout Season 1? Are you excited for its follow-up? Were you bothered by the lore inconsistencies in the show? Let us know down below.
Ever since Apex Legends took the free-to-place space by storm, the team at Respawn Entertainment have been kept busy maintaining and updating the battle royale shooter with new modes, mechanics and more. While the much-requested Titanfall 3 may never come to pass, those yearning for more of that franchise’s movement tech can look forward to Apex’s Galactic Games Event – introducing wall running for a limited time.
While Apex Legends shared many of Titanfall’s gameplay elements, gun-feel and physics, the free-to-play battle royale kept things more grounded due to its lack of any wall-running mechanics.
Finally however, EA / Respawn have now detailed Apex Legends’ upcoming and game-changing Galactic Games Event, writing: “Welcome to the Galactic Games, Legends! Consider this your invitation to three weeks of wild times in the Outlands. Wildcard has been updated with a new, aptly named, Wild Card mechanic—giving you a chance to change the tides with new craftables and limited-time variants for the event.”
While likely to be a fun LTM in and of itself, by far the most interesting and exciting aspect of this mode is the aforementioned ‘wildcard care packages’ – “a new craftable” giving you access to “powerful abilities like wall-running, extra melee knockback, or bonus melee damage.”
Speedy Charge: Tactical and Ultimate abilities charge faster
Given the sheer number of gameplay-altering mechanics, this won’t feel quite like Titanfall 3. Still, the wall-running aspects of Respawn’s much-loved shooter have been sorely missed, and so it is exciting to see the team experimenting once again with more impactful gameplay alterations.
The Galactic Games LTM will run from the 19th of August until the 9th of September.
KitGuru says: Are you looking forward to this new LTM? Have you missed wall-running in FPS games? Will we ever get a true Titanfall 3? Let us know down below.
In recent months, Valve has been introducing a ton of changes to its Steam app, enhancing the overall experience with a visual refresh alongside plenty of quality-of-life improvements. In furthering these efforts, Valve has now announced an overhaul of its Store pages, game descriptions and more.
Making the announcement on their blog, the team at Valve detailed the changes set to come to its Steam Store. Available right now via the beta channel, this latest update brings with it “wider, responsive store pages” with Valve explaining:
“Individual product pages, as well as the overall store menu, is now up to 1200px wide for players opted into the Steam client beta. This improves the shopping experience in a number of ways, allowing for bigger screenshots and trailers, and allowing more room to describe your features in the written description area.”
While a subtle change, it should help make the overall visual experience more pleasing – and possibly look less like a HTML web wrapper.
Last but not least, developers can also now more freely align text in said video descriptions, letting them format each line individually “for greater flexibility in how you present your game.”
While merely a bunch of subtle changes, this should have a notable impact on the overall browsing experience of Steam’s Store pages.
In terms of functionality, Steam has been ahead of the pack for many years now. That said, their UI was getting a bit long in the tooth, and as such it is exciting to see Valve giving Steam a bit of a visual refresh.
KitGuru says: What do you think of these changes? Would you have noticed anything different? What else is Steam lagging behind on? Let us know down below.
At a regular cadence, Humble announces and releases brand new game bundles, allowing you to get your hands on a wide selection of titles for a relatively low price – all the while supporting charity. Available now, the Point Blank Humble Bundle includes a solid selection of first-person shooters, including High on Life, Wild Bastards and more.
Available for the next 3 weeks or so, Humble’s Point Blank bundle is purchasable in 3 different forms. Paying just £6.25 or more will get you the throwback boomer shooter POSTAL: Brain Damaged alongside the procedurally generated rogue-like horror shooter EMPTY SHELL.
EXFIL (“A high-tech extraction shooter with a focus on immersive, realistic gunplay”)
As always, a portion of the proceedings will be going towards charity, with this bundle said to be supporting the American Civil Liberties Union – an organisation which “takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.”
If you’re a fan of first-person shooters in any capacity, then this bundle should include at least a couple games which are up your alley.
KitGuru says: What do you think of this bundle? What style of FPS games are your favourite? Are you more into arcadey or realistic shooters? Let us know down below.
It is competition time again! This month we are teaming up with KIOXIA to give away not one, not two, but THREE PCIe 5.0 M.2 2TB SSDs! Three winners will walk away with a new KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G4 SSD, powered by a speedy Phison controller and KIOXIA's 218-layer 3D TLC NAND.
At the heart of the EXCERIA PLUS G4 is a Phison PS5031-E31T 4-channel controller paired up with KIOXIA's BiCS8 218-layer 3D TLC NAND. KIOXIA rates the Sequential performance as up to 10,000MB/s for reads and up to 8,200MB/s for writes for the 2TB model. The write speed drops down to 7900MB/s on the 1TB model. Both are rated for up to 1.3M IOPS. We reviewed this SSD back in April, so if you want to see how it performs across a range of benchmarks, be sure to check that out.
So we've established that the EXCERIA PLUS G4 is a great PCIe 5.0 upgrade for those in need of a speedy new drive, but how do you go about winning one? That part is simple, all you need to do is head over to our competition posts on Facebook or X and reply with an answer to the following question – how big is your current SSD?
Winners will be picked randomly and announced within two weeks of the competition closing.
Terms and Conditions: This competition is open worldwide, starting at 12PM BST on August 8th and ending at 12PM BST on August 22nd. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.
KitGuru Says: Good luck to everyone entering, we'll be back in a couple of weeks to announce the winners!
Intel's Application Optimisation (APO) technology, which offers game-specific performance boosts for its CPUs, is here to stay, but its future development may leave some users behind.In a Reddit discussion, a user claiming to be an Intel developer shed some light on the future of the software, confirming that support for more games is coming soon, and more is planned for the future.
According to Intel developers who wrote on Reddit (via Uniko's Hardware), the company is still actively developing APO and plans to grow its capabilities for future applications. Additionally, the developer claims APO will start to have updates in a “~quarterly release cadence”. This should reassure users of the new Core Ultra 200 series that the technology will still be relevant in the future.
However, the developer also shared unfortunate news for owners of older-gen CPUs. When asked about APO's future, they explained that due to resource constraints and the complexity of testing across different hardware configurations, the team is now focusing its efforts on supporting current and upcoming processor generations. Support for the older 12th and 13th Gen CPUs is reportedly no longer a priority.
While APO was officially expanded to support the entire LGA-1700 platform after its initial 14th Gen launch, the developer claims suggest that owners of 12th and 13th Gen CPUs are unlikely to see a significant number of new game profiles added in the future. The existing optimisations will likely remain, but it seems that new game support will be primarily targeted at the Core Ultra 200 series and whatever comes next.
This is a fairly standard industry practice as platforms mature. Still, it serves as a valuable example for those who invested in the LGA-1700 platform, hoping for long-term APO game updates.
KitGuru says: What do you think of Intel APO? Do you think it will become more relevant and valuable, or will it just be a gimmick Intel will be using in its marketing material?
Lexar has thrown itself into the high-end storage ring with the announcement of its new flagship M.2 NVMe SSD series, the Ares Pro.Aimed at PC enthusiasts and hardcore gamers, these new drives leverage the PCIe 5.0 interface to deliver some impressive performance figures.
The Ares Pro series will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, all of which are rated for a blistering sequential read speed of up to 14GB/s. Sequential write speeds vary by model, with the 4TB flagship hitting up to 11GB/s, the 2TB model reaching up to 10GB/s, and the 1TB version coming in at 7.5GB/s. Random performance is also top-tier, with the 4TB drive boasting up to 2 million read and 1.5 million write IOPS.
Interestingly, Lexar has opted not to use a large, bulky heatsink on the Ares Pro. Instead, the drive comes equipped with a thin, graphene-based heat spreader. This design choice should ensure better compatibility, lower costs, and allow the drive to be easily installed in tight spaces or under a motherboard's own M.2 cooling solution without interference.
The drives come with some solid endurance ratings, starting at 750 TBW for the 1 TB model and scaling up to an impressive 3000 TBW for the 4 TB variant.Lexar is backing the entire Ares Pro series with a 5-year warranty, which is standard for a premium drive of this class.
Pearl Abyss has announced that its highly anticipated open-world action fantasy game, Crimson Desert, has been delayed. During its latest investor call, the developer confirmed that the release has been pushed back from its original Q4 2025 window to Q1 2026.
Despite the delay, Pearl Abyss confirmed that it is still planning a major marketing push in the coming months. As reported by PCGamer, the company intends to show off an “open-world prototype” at both Gamescom in Cologne next week and PAX West in Seattle at the end of the month. The game will also have a presence at the Tokyo Game Show in September to bolster its promotion in the Japanese market.
The developer explained that the delay is an “unavoidable” consequence of the complexities of a major global launch. The official statement cited “longer than expected timelines” related to coordinating with multiple partners for tasks like offline distribution, voiceover recording, and the console certification process for PlayStation and Xbox.
The delay is certainly disappointing for those eager to play, but the promise of seeing the game at three major upcoming events should keep the hype train rolling towards its new launch window. A more specific release date is expected to be announced at Gamescom. The game will be available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The Battlefield 6 Open Beta returned today for the second weekend of public playtesting. Unfortunately, those looking to get an early start, there have been matchmaking issues present today, something that EA is looking to quickly address.
The second weekend for the open beta started today but early players were quick to face issues. As reported by Eurogamer, there have been complaints of not being able to load into the game with a party, being unable to start queuing for a match and even game crashes.
The open beta for Battlefield 6 did get a 2.3GB update ahead of the servers going back online earlier today. It appears a few bugs made their way through as well.
The official Battlefield social accounts have confirmed that the developers are aware of the ongoing issues today and fixes are in the works. Players will need to ensure their EA client is also up to date to help avoid some issues.
Chances are, at least one hotfix patch will be pushed before the massive influx of players logging on over the actual weekend.
Last year after the official announcement for Tales of Graces F Remastered, a leak claimed that the former PS3 exclusive, Tales of Xillia, would be next. Now, it appears that an official announcement is imminent.
Tales of Xillia was a late-cycle exclusive for the PlayStation 3. Since then, Bandai Namco has improved its release situation, doing away with staggered Japan, EU and US launches, and ensuring multiplatform availability. Tales of Vesperia Remastered for instance, was announced during an Xbox E3 showcase, and released across Xbox, PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. The most recent mainline game in the series, Tales of Arise, was also a multiplatform release with day-one availability globally.
Fans eager to return to Tales of Xillia were quick to spot an update to the Bandai Namco Europe website, which teased an announcement coming on the 18th of August. The thumbnail for the video showed characters from Tales of Xillia, confirming that an official remaster announcement is on the way.
Interestingly, the announcement will be coming the day before Geoff Keighley's Gamescom: Opening Night Live stream, leading fans to wonder if we'll see two ‘Tales Of' games announced this year.
KitGuru Says: Tales of Xillia is one of the few games in the series to have a direct sequel, so it will be interesting to see if we get remasters for both.
The next chapter in World of Warcraft's Worldsoul saga is coming very soon. At Gamescom this year, Blizzard will be debuting much more about the new expansion, including the new opening cinematic.
Gamescom 2025 kicks off with Opening Night Live on August 19th. You can catch the reveal of Midnight for the first time during Opening Night Live. After that, Blizzard will be hosting a series of panels and other events at Gamescom, where even more information will be revealed.
There will be a couple of World of Warcraft: Midnight developer panels during Gamescom, during which attendees can hear more about the expansion and its development straight from the developers making it.
Blizzard teases that we'll hear more about the Midnight zones, quests, stories and new features. You can see Blizzard's full Gamescom schedule, including times for all livestreams, HERE.
Seven more games join the ever-growing GeForce Now library this week. Beyond that, Nvidia has announced its plans for Gamescom next week.
Nvidia will return to Gamescom this year, starting on Wednesday, 20th of August. There is no word on any announcements happening just yet but with the event starting in less than a week, we won't have to wait very long for news.
In the meantime, there are seven games joining the GeForce Now library today. This includes several new PC Game Pass titles, like 9 Kings and the recently released Heretic + Hexen remaster bundle, which shadow-dropped during QuakeCon last weekend.
Here is the full list of games joining GeForce Now today:
Echoes of the End (New release on Steam, Aug. 12)
9 Kings (New release on Xbox, available on PC Game Pass, Aug. 14)
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition (New release on Steam, Aug. 14)
Supraworld (New release on Steam, Aug. 15)
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time (New release on Steam and Battle.net)
Guntouchables (Steam)
Heretic + Hexen (Steam and Xbox, available on PC Game Pass)
Image editing on your PC has typically been a complex task reserved for developers with technical knowledge. Nvidia is looking to change that, announcing the new FLUX.1 Kontext [dev] image editing model from Black Forest Labs is now available as an easy-to-deploy Nvidia NIM microservice for RTX AI PCs.
The FLUX.1 model is a generative tool designed to modify existing images using simple text and image prompts in a guided, step-by-step process. The magic here is the NIM (Nvidia Inference Microservice), which acts as a pre-packaged, highly optimised container. It takes the raw, complex AI model and handles all the difficult setup work that used to require expert knowledge, making it accessible to enthusiasts through popular tools like ComfyUI.
To make this feasible on consumer hardware, Nvidia and Black Forest Labs have heavily optimised the model. Through a process called quantisation (SVDQuant), the original 24 GB model has been shrunk down to a 12 GB FP8 version for GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs and an even smaller 7 GB FP4 version for the latest RTX 50 Series cards. On top of this, the NIM uses Nvidia's TensorRT framework to deliver more than double the performance compared to running the original model in PyTorch.
For those interested in trying it out, getting started is straightforward. Start by installing the Nvidia AI Workbench and then get ComfyUI. Using the ComfyUI manager, install the NIM nodes for FLUX.1 and accept the model licenses on Black Forest Labs' FLUX.1 Kontext's [dev] Hugging Face. Once you click “Run”, the node will help download the required models and set up the appropriate process.
KitGuru says: Image editing models like these are a good example of simplification of complex processes using AI. Instead of losing hours in image edits, the FLUX.1 Kontext can make it probably better (especially if you're not well-versed in this area) and faster using simple prompts.
Gamescom has always had a strong PC focus, with many PC hardware companies often attending. This year, ThermalTake will be making its first-ever appearance at Gamescom to showcase its new racing sim gear.
Over the past few years, ThermalTake has been building out its own line-up of Racing Sim gear. We've seen quite a few of these products at events like CES and Computex. Earlier this year, ThermalTake launched its G6 Direct Drive Racing Wheel at CES and now, you'll have the chance to win one, along with a set of pedals, at the ThermalTake booth.
ThermalTake teases that Gamescom attendees will be treated to an interactive booth with a number of activities planned for the chance to win prizes. The grand prize is, as mentioned above, the G6 Direct Drive Racing Wheel with Pedals bundle. However, there will be other exclusive rewards and you'll also get to play around with different setups with games running.
If you are going to Gamescom, you'll find Thermaltake in Hall 10.1, Booth D060. Gamescom begins on the 20th of August.
ASRock has a new thin Mini-ITX motherboard hitting the market. The new H810M-ITX is a very small motherboard designed for commercial environments, complete with support for Intel Core Ultra Series 2 CPUs.
The ASRock H810TM-ITX supports Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors and dual DDR5 memory configurations. Despite the small size, this motherboard does support up to four storage drives, and has outputs for up to five displays.
ASRock highlights the highly customisable I/O configuration as well, which includes HDMI, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt 4 and you can keep everything secure through TPM 2.0.
Here are the full technical specifications:
Category
Specification
CPU Support
Intel Core Ultra Processors (Series 2), LGA1851 socket, up to 65W
Memory Options
CSO-DIMM: 2 x DDR5-6400MHz slots, up to 128GB; SO-DIMM: 2 x DDR5-5600MHz slots, up to 128GB
Video Outputs
1 x DisplayPort 1.4; 1 x HDMI 2.1 (Rear Side); 1 x HDMI 2.1 (Internal); 1 x LVDS; 1 x Intel® Thunderbolt 4 (optional)
Storage Devices
1 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 SSD; 1 x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 SSD; 2 x SATA3 6.0Gb/s ports
USB Ports
2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A; 2 x USB 2.0
Naturally, the motherboard also meets all of the requirements for a modern Windows 11 system.
While many fans had hoped that the Nintendo Switch 2’s performance upgrade over its last-gen counterpart would allow for a greater degree of cross-platform parity, developers still need to go through their games with a fine-toothed comb in order to optimise the experience for Switch 2. Though many studios have already started to put in the work, Tekken 8 Director Katsuhiro Harada admitted that bringing the latest entry in the fighting game franchise to Switch 2 would “require a lot of work on the game to get it running on that hardware.”
While fighting game fans have plenty to enjoy on Switch 2, with the likes of Street Fighter 6 already present on the system, its contemporary – Tekken 8 – might not make it to Nintendo’s latest console.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Tekken 8 director Katsuhiro Harada spoke on the possibility of the latest Tekken coming to the Switch 2, stating:
“It's an interesting option, and not totally off the table. But it would require a lot of work on the game to get it running on that hardware. From a business standpoint, [the Switch 2] is doing quite well, so it would be a very good business decision if you're trying to get a bigger audience. But the amount of work that would have to be done on the game makes it not a very easy decision.”
As expected, Harada didn’t entirely rule out the possibility, concluding by saying “At this point in time, there are no… (laughs) There is nothing to announce.”
As we saw with the aforementioned Street Fighter 6, developers are of course able to tweak many of the game’s aspects in order to squeeze out the necessary frame times for a competent Switch 2 port. As explained by Harada however, this takes time and work, and so we will have to wait and see whether Bandai Namco chooses to (eventually) bring Tekken 8 to Switch.
Thanks to the introduction of Call of Duty’s unified launcher CODHQ, leakers and dataminers have been able to gather details on future content updates and even future titles far ahead of their official announcements. While we’ve only seen a brief teaser cinematic for the game so far, many of Call of Duty Black Ops 7’s biggest upcoming gameplay changes have now leaked.
As reported by known COD insider TheGhostofHope, the upcoming Black Ops 7 is set to make some interesting changes to its core gameplay.
Though far from the biggest change, the insider claimed that the next Call of Duty entry will get rid of openable doors in its 6v6 multiplayer maps (a feature popularised by 2019’s COD Modern Warfare reboot).
Another major gameplay change which was introduced with MW2019 was the tac-sprint, allowing you to run forwards at greater speeds for a short amount of time. While a welcome addition back then, this movement mechanic clashes somewhat with COD’s current omni-movement system, and as such according to Hope, BO7 will be getting rid of tac-sprint.
Other notable gameplay changes said to be coming include the return of looping killstreaks (though only available as a perk) and new specialist-styled abilities such as active camos; grappling hooks etc…
Black Ops 6 launched with a ton of potential, but Treyarch dropped the ball somewhat with their post-launch support. Unfortunately, this was to be expected somewhat due to them working on a direct successor (BO7) for the following year. Still, though it’s too early to tell, Treyarch seems to be making a lot of correct moves so far with Black Ops 7.
We have reviewed a wide variety of systems from PCSpecialist over the years, so this time we wanted to take a different approach. PCSpecialist offers the ability to choose a custom list of components to make up your build, so today we're running through their system configurator to customise a prebuilt gaming desktop. We'll then give you the rundown on how this system was built and how it performs in a variety of games and benchmarks…
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:47 Getting started with the configurator
01:52 Case, CPU and mobo
03:47 Memory + GPU
05:46 Storage / PSU / cooling
08:55 Other components and extras
14:04 The system is here! First impressions
15:19 Mat looks at fan config
16:59 Build quality and other thoughts
18:33 Cable management
21:20 1440p gaming examples
26:49 CPU / GPU power and thermals
28:58 Noise levels
29:25 Closing thoughts
CPU Cooler – PCS FrostFlow 360 Series ARGB Liquid Cooler
OS – Windows 11 Home
The core specs are confirmed in the following CPU-Z and GPU-Z screenshots:
While the main focus of our video was looking at the ability to customise the specification of a gaming desktop when ordering a machine from PCSpecialist, we did test the machine through a selection of gaming titles at 1440p resolution with maximum graphics settings. Examples of the performance in some of the titles can be seen in the below screenshots. For full details of system performance, including synthetic benchmarks and thermal output, watch our full review on YouTube.
Cyberpunk 2077 (1440p – FSR Quality and Frame Generation On)
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (1440p)
Black Myth: Wukong (1440p – FSR Quality and Frame Generation On)
Closing Thoughts
PCSpecialist built the system well and delivered the exact specification which was chosen in the first half of the video (and don't forget the full review is on YouTube, linked at the top of this page).
Cable management was finished to a high standard, with lots of zip ties being used alongside the cable management options included on the ThermalTake Tower 600 case.
The case was chosen not only for aesthetic reasons, but it's something a bit different compared to the system we regularly look at from PCSpecialist. It has a plethora of fan mounting locations as well as support for two different GPU orientations. No additional fans were added to the parts list when configuring the system, so the system arrived with just the included 2 x 140mm fans (installed as top exhaust) which come with the case.
This, when coupled with the fact that the PCS FrostFlow 360mm AIO CPU cooler had been installed as side exhaust, left the system with no air intake at all. While this is understandable due to no additional fans being included in the specification, it was not highlighted during the ordering process which could lead to issues for potential customers if they do not realise it will ship this way. It would be nice to see PCSpecialist add a reminder related to this, as well as the option to choose GPU orientation (with purchasing a PCIe riser cable if needed) during the customisation that highlights this potential issue.
That being said, during our full video review we did test the system with this ‘out of the box' fan set up, as well as moving the two case fans to intake – but this didn't result in any notable improvement in thermal performance, with the GPU temperature sensors in fact increasing by a couple degrees.
Aside from that, the system was set up and configured well out of the box. Memory was running at the stated 6000MT/s, all cables were connected and still place after delivery and all drivers were up to date.
Overall, the machine has been built with care and attention to detail and the experience of speccing up a custom prebuilt desktop from PCSpecialist was a positive one. Adding a few more in-depth options related to customisation (GPU orientation, RGB setup, personalisation options) to the specification process could see it be elevated to feel more 'boutique', but the end result speaks for itself.
You can access the desktop gaming PC system configurator over on the PCSpecialist website HERE. You can also buy this system with our exact spec for £1499 HERE.
Pros:
The system was built and packaged well when it arrived.
All chosen parts were installed and set up correctly.
Cable management was done mostly to a high standard.
Cons:
When configuring the system on the PCSpecialist website using the Thermaltake Tower 600 case, there was no notification that the system did not include any intake fans.
There was no option to choose a different GPU installation orientation (which is supported by the selected case).
KitGuru says: The system configurator provides a relatively easy way to pick up a custom gaming PC, with our machine well built and set up correctly. It could be made to feel more 'boutique' with a few additions relating to system personalisation and cooling, though.
Connexion
4 (optional)
