Components
Preview: ASUS TUF RTX3080 O10G GAMING
The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 O10G GAMING graphics card features a buffed-up design with chart-topping thermal performance. It features the NVIDIA Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors, which are the building blocks for the world’s fastest, most efficient GPU. The all-new Ampere SM brings 2X the FP32 throughput and improved power efficiency.
For reference, NVIDIA’s blueprint for a 3080 calls for a 1.44-GHz base clock and 1.71-GHz boost clock. It also features 8,704 CUDA cores and 10GB of GDDR6X memory at 19Gbps on a 320-bit bus, which yields 760.3GB/s of memory bandwidth. NIVIDIA considers the 3080 its flagship consumer GPU, with the higher spec’d 3090 primarily intended for creators.
The TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 has been stripped down and built back up to provide more robust power and cooling. A new all-metal shroud houses three powerful axial-tech fans that utilize durable dual ball fan bearings. Fan rotation has been optimized for reduced turbulence, and a stop mode brings all three fans to a halt at low temps.
Beneath, independent heatsinks for the GPU and memory keep thermals under tight control. Additional features, including TUF components, Auto-Extreme Technology, a new GPU bracket, and a backplate vent make the TUF a proper powerhouse. For builders looking for a new “old faithful”, this card has your back.
Since the GPU comes with 2nd Generation RT Cores, you can experience 2X the throughput of 1st gen RT Cores, plus concurrent RT and shading for a whole new level of ray tracing performance. You also get 3rd Generation Tensor Cores, that allows you to get up to 2X the throughput with structural sparsity and advanced AI algorithms such as DLSS.
Now with support for up to 8K resolution, these cores deliver a massive boost in game performance and all-new AI capabilities. The new Axial-tech Fan Design has been newly tuned with a reversed central fan direction for less turbulence. The three fans work in tandem to satisfy the thermal demands of NVIDIA’s new high-octane design. The fans rely on dual ball fan bearings to ensure consistent performance and increased longevity compared to sleeve bearings and other bearing types.
To get heat into the heatsink array efficiently, so that it can be whisked away by the powerful axial-tech fans, ASUS uses a manufacturing process that improves the surface smoothness of the heatspreader at the microscopic level. The extra flatness allows for better contact with the die for improved thermal transfer.
The heat spreader draws heat up into heatpipes that carry it through a fin stack that fills most of the card’s large, 2.7-slot footprint. This generation of TUF Gaming graphics cards also feature a dedicated heatsink for VRAM to keep temperatures well under maximum operating specs. The card offers a digital max resolution of 7680-by-4320 pixels.
In terms of connectivity, you get two native HDMI 2.1 ports, three native DisplayPort 1.4a ports, and HDCP 2.3 Support. The GPU also comes with Dual Ball Fan Bearings that are known to last up to twice as long as sleeve bearing designs. You also get military-grade capacitors and other TUF components that enhance durability and performance. GPU Tweak II, meanwhile, provides intuitive performance tweaking, thermal controls, and system monitoring.
Top-notch components are selected for TUF Gaming graphics cards based on their durability and performance. In addition to top-shelf chokes and MOSFETs, capacitors that meet military-grade certification make the TUF stand tall amongst the competition.
The components are soldered to the PCB using our advanced Auto-Extreme automated manufacturing process. Smooth joints on the rear of the PCB and the elimination of human errors ensure each graphics card meets our rigorous specifications. Finally, to ensure flawless performance when it counts, the cards are subjected to a grueling 144-hour validation trial.
An all-aluminum shroud adds robust protection to TUF Gaming graphics cards and a no-nonsense industrial design and grayscale colorway fits into any build with ease. The underside of the card reveals a host of improvements. Most of the rear is swathed in a protective metal backplate that prominently features a wide vent. The vent allows hot air to escape towards chassis exhaust fans instead of being recycled back into the GPU cooler.
Beneath the GPU, a bracket provides consistent mounting pressure between the die and heat spreader. Stainless steel is used for the I/O bracket to protect ports and provide a more secure mount. A conveniently placed Dual Bios switch allows customization of the card’s default performance profile without software.
The top-side RGB element can be customized with Armoury Crate and synced with other ASUS components to enable uniform lighting. To fulfill the power demands of the GeForce RTX 3080, two 8-pin power connectors are present, along with an onboard circuit that monitors PSU rail voltage. The circuit is fast enough to catch any transients that result in the rail voltage dropping too low. If that happens, a red LED will light up so you know the power supply wasn’t able to keep up with the GPU’s power draw.
The card accompanies the ASUS GPU Tweak II utility, which takes graphics card tuning to the next level. It allows you to tweak critical parameters including GPU core clocks, memory frequency, and voltage settings, with the option to monitor everything in real-time through a customizable on-screen display. Advanced fan control is also included along with many more features to help you get the most out of your graphics card.
In addition, ASUS has partnered with wtfast to help you to play free from lag, latency issues, and lost packets. With a 6-month subscription to the wtfast Gamers Private Network, users can enjoy lower ping for a smoother, more fluid online gaming experience.
In addition, you also get the XSplit Gamecaster, which offers a premium streaming experience with in-game annotations and other advanced features. A free license is included with select ASUS graphics cards. Another service called Quantumcloud is also included. This is a simple and secure service that lets you effortlessly earn extra money by putting your idle GPU to work. Earnings are automatically transferred to your WeChat or PayPal account, and your privacy remains intact because Quantumcloud doesn’t collect your personal data.
Price: $888
Components
Cooler Master Launches MasterLiquid Core II
Cooler Master has announced the MasterLiquid Core II, a next-level liquid cooler that comes in both 240mm and 360mm sizes. This latest version of Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid series builds on the excellence of that renowned series of liquid coolers while bringing an array of new features to the table. With a refined G9R dual chamber pump, updated CPU compatibility, and more, the MasterLiquid Core II is an upgrade fit for the next generation.
Key features and benefits of the MasterLiquid Core II include:
- Dual chamber pump: Upgraded design resulting in a compact cooler with superior performance.
- Updated CPU compatibility: The Core II is compatible with all the latest AMD and Intel CPUs.
- Innovative design: An infinity mirror pump cover gives the Core a stellar aesthetic.
- Revamped fans: Brand-new fan blades and revamped visuals deliver outstanding performance with a fresh look.
- Easy installation: Now includes a quick-mount kit compatible with all mainstream processor sockets, along with pre-installed fans.
- Optimum tubing length: 400mm of tubing enables effortless mounting in any orientation.
Components
NVIDIA Announces Blackwell GeForce RTX 50 Series
NVIDIA today unveiled the most advanced consumer GPUs for gamers, creators and developers — the GeForce RTX 50 Series Desktop and Laptop GPUs. Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture, fifth-generation Tensor Cores and fourth-generation RT Cores, the GeForce RTX 50 Series delivers breakthroughs in AI-driven rendering, including neural shaders, digital human technologies, geometry and lighting.
“Blackwell, the engine of AI, has arrived for PC gamers, developers and creatives,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Fusing AI-driven neural rendering and ray tracing, Blackwell is the most significant computer graphics innovation since we introduced programmable shading 25 years ago.”
The GeForce RTX 5090 GPU — the fastest GeForce RTX GPU to date — features 92 billion transistors, providing over 3,352 trillion AI operations per second (TOPS) of computing power. The Blackwell architecture’s innovations and DLSS 4 mean the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU outperforms the GeForce RTX 4090 GPU up to 2x.
GeForce Blackwell comes to laptops with all the features of desktop models, bringing a considerable upgrade to portable computing, including extraordinary graphics capabilities and remarkable efficiency. The Blackwell generation of NVIDIA Max-Q technology extends battery life by up to 40% and allows for thin and light laptops that maintain their sleek design without sacrificing power or performance.
DLSS 4 debuts Multi Frame Generation to boost frame rates by using AI to generate up to three frames per rendered frame. It works in unison with the suite of DLSS technologies to increase performance by up to 8x over traditional rendering, while maintaining responsiveness with NVIDIA Reflex technology.
DLSS 4 also introduces the graphics industry’s first real-time application of the transformer model architecture. Transformer-based DLSS Ray Reconstruction and Super Resolution models use 2x more parameters and 4x more compute to provide greater stability, reduced ghosting, higher details and enhanced anti-aliasing in-game scenes. DLSS 4 will be supported on GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs in over 75 games and applications on the day of launch.
NVIDIA Reflex 2 introduces Frame Warp, an innovative technique to reduce latency in games by updating a rendered frame based on the latest mouse input just before it is sent to the display. Reflex 2 can reduce latency by up to 75%. This gives gamers a competitive edge in multiplayer games and makes single-player titles more responsive.
Twenty-five years ago, NVIDIA introduced GeForce 3 and programmable shaders, which set the stage for two decades of graphics innovation, from pixel shading to compute shading to real-time ray tracing. Alongside GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs, NVIDIA is introducing RTX Neural Shaders, which bring small AI networks into programmable shaders, unlocking film-quality materials, lighting and more in real-time games.
Rendering game characters is one of the most challenging tasks in real-time graphics, as people are prone to notice the smallest errors or artefacts in digital humans. RTX Neural Faces takes a simple rasterized face and 3D pose data as input and uses generative AI to render a temporally stable, high-quality digital face in real-time.
RTX Neural Faces is complemented by new RTX technologies for ray-traced hair and skin. Along with the new RTX Mega Geometry, which enables up to 100x more ray-traced triangles in a scene, these advancements are poised to deliver a massive leap in realism for game characters and environments. The power of neural rendering, DLSS 4 and the new DLSS transformer model is showcased on GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs with Zorah, a groundbreaking new technology demo from NVIDIA.
GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs bring industry-leading AI TOPS to power autonomous game characters in parallel with game rendering. NVIDIA is introducing a suite of new NVIDIA ACE technologies that enable game characters to perceive, plan and act like human players. ACE-powered autonomous characters are being integrated into KRAFTON’s PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and InZOI, the publisher’s upcoming life simulation game, as well as Wemade Next’s MIR5.
In PUBG, companions powered by NVIDIA ACE plan and execute strategic actions, dynamically working with human players to ensure survival. InZOI features Smart Zoi characters that autonomously adjust behaviours based on life goals and in-game events. In MIR5, large language model (LLM)-driven raid bosses adapt tactics based on player behaviour, creating more dynamic, challenging encounters.
Use cases span LLMs, vision language models, image generation, speech, embedding models for retrieval-augmented generation, PDF extraction and computer vision. NIM microservices include all the necessary components for running AI on PCs and are optimized for deployment across all NVIDIA GPUs.
Showcasing how RTX enthusiasts and developers can use NIM microservices to build AI agents and assistants, NVIDIA will release a pipeline of NVIDIA NIM microservices and AI Blueprints for RTX AI PCs from top model developers such as Black Forest Labs, Meta, Mistral and Stability.AI. To demonstrate how enthusiasts and developers can use NIM to build AI agents and assistants, NVIDIA today previewed Project R2X, a vision-enabled PC avatar that can put information at a user’s fingertips, assist with desktop apps and video conference calls, read and summarize documents, and more.
The GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs supercharge creative workflows. RTX 50 Series GPUs are the first consumer GPUs to support FP4 precision, boosting AI image generation performance for models such as FLUX by 2x and enabling generative AI models to run locally in a smaller memory footprint, compared with previous-generation hardware.
The NVIDIA Broadcast app gains two AI-powered beta features for live streamers: Studio Voice, which upgrades microphone audio, and Virtual Key light, which relights faces for polished streams. Streamlabs is introducing the Intelligent Streaming Assistant, powered by NVIDIA ACE and Inworld AI, which acts as a cohost, producer and technical assistant to enhance live streams.
For desktop users, the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU with 3,352 AI TOPS and the GeForce RTX 5080 GPU with 1,801 AI TOPS will be available on Jan. 30 at $1,999 and $999, respectively. The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU with 1,406 AI TOPS and GeForce RTX 5070 GPU with 988 AI TOPS will be available starting in February at $749 and $549, respectively. The NVIDIA Founders Editions of the GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 GPUs will be available directly from nvidia.com and select retailers worldwide.
Stock-clocked and factory-overclocked models will be available from top add-in card providers such as ASUS, Colorful, Gainward, GALAX, GIGABYTE, INNO3D, KFA2, MSI, Palit, PNY and ZOTAC, and in desktops from system builders including Falcon Northwest, Infiniarc, MAINGEAR, Mifcom, ORIGIN PC, PC Specialist and Scan Computers.
Laptops with GeForce RTX 5090, RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPUs will be available starting in March, and RTX 5070 Laptop GPUs will be available starting in April from the world’s top manufacturers, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo, MECHREVO, MSI and Razer.
Accessories
CORSAIR Unveils Cutting-Edge Hardware at CES 2025: New Cases, PSUs, RAM, and More
CORSAIR has announced a wide range of new hardware for PC builders and content creators at CES 2025, including power supplies, cases, storage solutions, and memory. Notable new products include the XENEON EDGE 14.5″ Touchscreen, EX400U USB4 External SSD, DOMINATOR TITANIUM Wave Accessory Kit, and CORSAIR Custom Lab memory. Additionally, there are updates to the RMe and HXi power supplies, featuring enhanced capabilities for next-gen GPUs. The revamped 5000T Series of mid-tower cases also introduces support for reverse-connector motherboards.
XENEON EDGE 14.5″ LCD Touchscreen
The XENEON EDGE 14.5″ LCD Touchscreen offers a versatile display with a native resolution of 2560×720. It can be connected via USB Type-C DP-Alt Mode or HDMI and features five-point multi-touch capabilities. The compact and flexible display can be mounted internally or externally, offering a sleek and interactive experience for various uses.
RMe Series (2025) Power Supplies
The updated RMe Series power supplies come in 650W, 750W, 850W, and 1000W capacities, offering Cybenetics Gold-certified efficiency. These fully modular PSUs support NVIDIA RTX 40 and future RTX 50 Series GPUs, with ATX 3.1 compliance and PCIe 5.1 compatibility. The RMe Series ensures stable power delivery and quiet operation with premium capacitors and Zero RPM Fan Mode.
5000T Series Mid-Tower Cases
The updated 5000T Series cases support reverse-connector motherboards and are available in two versions: the iCUE LINK 5000T LX RGB and the standard 5000T. Both versions offer excellent cooling potential and builder-friendly features, including the CORSAIR RapidRoute cable management system and vertical GPU mounting support.
HXi Series (2025) Power Supplies
The legendary HXi power supplies now feature dual 600W-capable 12V-2×6 GPU power connectors, supporting dual-GPU setups and next-gen GPUs. The 1200W HX1200i and 1500W HX1500i models will be updated in Q2 2025. These quiet and efficient power supplies come with a 10-year warranty and modular cables for easy management.
EX400U USB4 External SSD
The EX400U USB4 External SSD delivers high-speed data transfer rates of up to 4,000MB/s sequential reads and 3,600MB/s sequential writes. It supports USB Type-C and is compatible with Thunderbolt 4, making it ideal for on-the-go professionals and mobile content creators. The EX400U will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities starting January 23.
CORSAIR Custom Lab DRAM
CORSAIR’s Custom Lab now offers personalized DRAM, allowing users to choose from eight design options for Black, White, or Gray VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 modules. Speeds of 6,000MT/s or 6,400MT/s with CAS latencies ranging from 30 to 36 are available. This new customization option enhances the aesthetic appeal of memory modules.
DOMINATOR TITANIUM Wave Accessory Kit
CORSAIR has announced the DOMINATOR TITANIUM Wave Accessory Kit, an elegant upgrade for their renowned DOMINATOR TITANIUM DDR5 memory. This kit features two robust metal top bars, each adorned with a unique wavy RGB LED lightbar, adding a refined visual touch to any setup. Installation is quick and hassle-free, allowing users to achieve a striking new look within minutes. The lightbars are also easy to disassemble, offering DIY enthusiasts the opportunity for personalized customization. With its premium build quality and distinctive design, the Wave Accessory Kit enhances the aesthetics of DOMINATOR TITANIUM memory seamlessly.
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