Tech News
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Aspen Transformation Inc. Establishes Regional Headquarters in Boise, Idaho and Expands Leadership Development Portfolio
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | By: EddieBoise, ID – January 26, 2026 – Aspen Transformation Inc., a professional training and consulting firm specializing in organizational transformation, today announced the opening of its new regional headquarters in Boise, Idaho. The company also unveiled an expanded portfolio of leadership development and team-building courses designed to help organizations navigate accelerating change in the age of AI, hybrid work, and digital transformation.
Founded in 2017, Aspen Transformation is built on the belief that sustainable transformation begins with learning. As organizations face unprecedented disruption driven by emerging technologies, evolving workforce models, and increasing service expectations, Aspen Transformation equips leaders and teams with the skills, frameworks, and practical tools needed to adapt and succeed—today and in the future.
“Our mission is to bring people, process, and technology together in ways that build resilient leadership, enable service excellence, and drive measurable organizational success,” said Leslie Landry, Founder and Principal Consultant of Aspen Transformation Inc. “The Boise headquarters reflects both our growth and our continued commitment to serving clients across North America with high-impact, results-driven learning experiences.”
Aspen Transformation offers a comprehensive range of certification and non-certification programs, including the full suite of ITIL® courses, PRINCE2® Project Management, Root Cause Analysis, and Organizational Change Management. The firm also delivers highly immersive simulations focused on IT Service Management, Project Management, and DevOps, enabling participants to apply concepts in real-world scenarios.
All courses and workshops are available in virtual or onsite formats, providing flexibility for distributed and hybrid teams. While headquartered in the Boise area, Aspen Transformation serves organizations throughout North America and selectively supports clients in other global regions.
Aspen Transformation was founded by Leslie Landry, an ITIL Expert, PRINCE2 Practitioner Instructor, and certified Maxwell Leadership Coach with more than 20 years of hands-on experience in IT Service Management, organizational change, and leadership development.
Aspen Transformation’s training and coaching programs are widely recognized for their practical application, high engagement, and measurable outcomes, with certification exam pass rates consistently ranging from 85 to 95 percent, and in some cases achieving 100 percent.
The firm has partnered with a diverse range of organizations, including Microsoft, Siemens, Boeing, the Federal Reserve Bank, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Blue Shield of California, and multiple state governments, including New Jersey, California, Arizona, Colorado, and Washington. Aspen Transformation has also supported higher education institutions such as Louisiana State University and Oklahoma State University.
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Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panorama Computer Case Review @ APH Networks
Published: Monday, January 26, 2026 | By: EddieAPH Networks describes the Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panorama as a big, striking showcase chassis that clearly prioritizes visuals and customization over practicality. With tempered glass wrapping around the system and an illuminated front stage for collectibles, it is designed to be looked at from multiple angles and to encourage creative display builds. Inside, there is support for a vertical graphics card, plenty of fan and radiator mounting options and several metal panels that help hide cables so the visible side stays clean. In practice, though, the reviewer found the building experience more cumbersome than usual, with a strict recommended installation order, a smaller than ideal motherboard cutout and the need to pre-mount the CPU cooler before installing the board.
The Cooler Master MasterFrame 360 Panorama is a big and beautiful computer case that prioritizes form over function.
The tradeoffs show up most clearly in compatibility and usability. Internal storage support is sparse, installation of 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch drives is fiddly, and the alternative tool free SSD mounting method is not very secure. Only one expansion card is supported and it cannot be much thicker than a typical triple slot GPU, although that is still fine for most modern graphics cards. CPU cooling is heavily biased toward liquid cooling or short air coolers, since the 145 mm height limit will not accommodate many standard 120 mm tower coolers without touching the glass. The case does not include any fans, and the open design means noise control depends entirely on the components you choose. With an expected MSRP around 200 US dollars and a final score of 6.5 out of 10, APH Networks concludes that the MasterFrame 360 Panorama is a beautiful, form first case best suited for experienced builders who know exactly what they want to showcase, rather than novices looking for an easy, forgiving chassis. -
ASUS Pulls Back From Smartphones, Redirects Resources to AI PCs, Servers, and “Physical AI” Devices
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2026 | By: EddieASUS is effectively hitting pause on new smartphone launches as it shifts engineering and product priorities toward AI-focused hardware—including AI servers, commercial PCs, and what it describes as “Physical AI” devices.
Speaking to the media ahead of the company’s year-end celebration on January 16, ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih said ASUS will not add new smartphone models going forward, explaining that the goal is to allocate R&D resources more appropriately toward areas he views as critical to the next major technology transition.
A portfolio reset amid an “All in AI” push
Shih framed AI as the core of a new platform cycle, what he called a “fourth industrial revolution” and said ASUS intends to fully execute an “All in AI” strategy. In practical terms, the company plans to integrate AI across product lines spanning cloud infrastructure to edge devices, targeting both work and everyday-use scenarios.
While ASUS did not use the words “exit” or “shutdown,” the statement signals a clear strategic pullback from smartphones, a category where ASUS has maintained strong brand recognition (particularly in gaming) but limited scale compared to the largest global phone makers.
AI servers and business PCs positioned as key growth drivers
Shih acknowledged the PC market outlook remains soft, but pointed to gaming, AI servers, and commercial PCs as the company’s main growth engines. There will be some slowdown in this segment due to the ongoing memory shortage but, ASUS expects AI server revenue to ramp quickly, citing a goal of 100% growth off a relatively low base.
Component inflation could reshape pricing
Shih also addressed near-term cost pressure from memory shortages and rising prices, noting that the current environment is creating real strain on products outside the AI segment.
He said price increases are one possible lever, while emphasizing ASUS is working across product planning, sales mix, and supply chain coordination to preserve value language that typically points to tighter SKU planning, configuration adjustments, and selective pricing moves depending on category.
A nod to open-source AI momentum
On the global AI race, Shih referenced China-based open-source models such as DeepSeek, describing their progress under compute constraints as evidence the industry is reaching a turning point. His broader view: the market is heading toward an ecosystem filled with “artificial brains” of many sizes, systems capable of self-learning and adapting, which he believes will drive a major shift in how computing products are designed and used.
What it means for ASUS
For ASUS, deprioritizing smartphones aligns with a long-standing strength: building differentiated systems where tight integration and hardware engineering matter most—PCs, gaming gear, and increasingly enterprise infrastructure. The company’s latest messaging suggests it sees AI as the next demand driver across that stack, from servers to endpoints.
In the near term, the market will be watching for clearer definitions of ASUS’s “Physical AI” roadmap, how aggressively it scales AI server offerings, and whether component pricing pressure leads to broader price adjustments across non-AI products.
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Cooler Master Brings Dyn-X Racing Simulators to the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Published: Saturday, January 24, 2026 | By: EddieFirst IMSA appearance highlights motorsports alignment through immersive sim racing experiences
Los Angeles — January 21, 2026 — Cooler Master, a global leader in PC components and tech lifestyle solutions, today announced its first-ever participation at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the opening race of the IMSA season. Inside the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) booth, Cooler Master will showcase its professional-grade Dyn-X racing simulators alongside the Sneaker-X PC case, introducing motorsports fans to the brand’s expanding performance and lifestyle portfolio.
Cooler Master’s Dyn-X Racing Simulator faithfully reproduces the racing experience.
Cooler Master will feature four Dyn-X racing simulators available for public use throughout the event. Each simulator will carry HRC livery and offer approximately five-minute driving sessions. The experience is based on the Civic Type R TCR and uses the Daytona International Speedway road course, giving fans a direct feel for the track and race environment.
“Daytona is an iconic endurance event,” said Wei Yang, General Manager at Cooler Master. “By partnering with HRC and bringing Dyn-X here, we’re showing how our engineering approach is built for experiences that perform consistently, session after session, without compromise.”
The Dyn-X is Cooler Master’s professional-grade racing simulator platform, built with a tubular steel and aluminum frame and a modular architecture designed to maintain stability, comfort, and precision across extended driving sessions. With a single adjustment, Dyn-X can be configured into 14 different driving positions, supporting racing setups ranging from Formula and GT to NASCAR, Rally, Trophy Truck, and Semi Truck. Its flexible design supports a wide range of displays, pedals, shifters, and motion systems, making it suitable for enthusiasts, training environments, and professional applications.
In addition to Dyn-X, Cooler Master will also showcase the Sneaker-X PC case, a lifestyle-driven design created in collaboration with footwear designer JMDF. Sneaker-X blends high-performance PC hardware support with layered, ventilated construction inspired by sneaker culture, offering optimized airflow, support for high-end GPUs and liquid cooling, and extensive customization options. At Daytona, Sneaker-X will serve as a visual statement, highlighting Cooler Master’s ability to merge engineering discipline with bold design.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona provides a setting where long-term performance and attention to detail define success, aligning naturally with Cooler Master’s engineering-led approach across both hardware and experiential platforms.
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be quiet! enters high-end gaming mouse market with Dark Perk Ergo and Dark Perk Sym
Published: Friday, January 23, 2026 | By: EddiePrecision engineering meets ultralight design in be quiet!’s first wireless gaming mice, offering up to 110 hours of high-performance control
Glinde, January 20, 2026 - be quiet!, the German manufacturer of premium PC components and peripherals, is expanding its product ecosystem with the launch of its first gaming mice: Dark Perk Ergo and Dark Perk Sym. Designed for gamers and professionals who demand maximum performance, the new mice combine engineering excellence, ultralight construction, and best-in-class components—all delivered with true wireless freedom and complete software control. Each model is engineered to meet the demands of competitive gamers while integrating seamlessly into be quiet!’s growing ecosystem of premium PC hardware.
“Our move into gaming mice had one goal: to deliver an extremely lightweight mouse that helps users compete at the highest levels of the leaderboards,” says Aaron Licht, CEO of be quiet!. “With the Dark Perk Ergo and Dark Perk Sym, we’re offering two clear choices for competitive gamers—one ergonomic, one symmetrical—both built with the precision, comfort, and performance our community expects from us.”
Ergonomic performance with wireless freedom
Designed specifically for right-handed users, Dark Perk Ergo delivers a sculpted, ergonomic shape that fits naturally in your hand, ideal for a relaxed grip during long sessions. Weighing just 55 grams, the mouse ensures effortless aiming and movement for hours of intense gameplay with minimum fatigue.
At its core is the PixArt PAW3950 sensor, tuned for exceptional control with up to 32,000 DPI and an 8,000 Hz polling rate, even in wireless mode. Paired with a Nordic nRF54H20 MCU, the mouse delivers category-leading battery performance, offering up to 110 hours of continuous gameplay at 1,000 Hz polling rate. A braided 1.8-meter USB-A to USB-C cable is included, enabling wired play and charging as needed.
Click performance is handled by optical Omron D2FP-FN2 switches, providing fast and responsive actuation with a quiet, soft feel. All five buttons are fully programmable using the be quiet! IO Center software for Windows, which also allows customization of DPI steps, polling rate, RGB lighting, and the option to reprogram 5 buttons. Onboard memory ensures users can save their settings directly to the mouse, while a dedicated DPI switch enhances daily usability. For optimal glide, the base features pure 100% PTFE skates with rounded edges.
Dark Perk Sym shares the same premium internal architecture as the Ergo, including the PixArt PAW3950 sensor and optical Omron D2FP-FN2 switches. The Sym is built around a symmetrical shell that is good for both left- and right-handed users. With an equally light weight of 55 grams, it delivers the same ideal blend of speed, control, and low fatigue even during prolonged use.
Both Dark Perk models are fully compatible with IO Center Web, meaning it can be configured on Windows, iOS, and Linux using Chromium-based browsers without requiring software installation, expanding their flexibility and user-friendliness.
Pricing and availability
Dark Perk Ergo and Dark Perk Sym will be available starting February 3 at a suggested retail price of $109.90 / €109.90.
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Best Monitor Light Bars Under $100 on Amazon for Home Offices and Gaming Setups
Published: Thursday, January 22, 2026 | By: EddieIf you work or game in a dim room, a regular desk lamp is kind of like shining a flashlight at your monitor: lots of glare, weird reflections, and tired eyes by the end of the day. Monitor light bars solve that by clipping directly onto the top of the display and throwing an asymmetric beam onto the desk instead of the screen. The result is a cleaner, more modern setup with better contrast on the panel, readable documents on the desk, and far less eye strain during long sessions.
For this roundup, the goal is simple: highlight four monitor light bars on Amazon US that stay under about US$100, are actually in play right now, and feel like real upgrades rather than just RGB sticks with marketing copy. All four picks use glare-free optical designs, support adjustable brightness and color temperature, run off simple USB power, and are currently listed with active purchase options on Amazon US (not marked “Currently unavailable”) as of mid-January 2026. Based on recent pricing from Amazon and regional retailers, they typically land in the US$40–60 range, comfortably below the $100 ceiling.
The 4 best monitor light bars under $100
1) Laliled Monitor Light Bar (Curved Computer Monitor Lamp) – Best sub-$100 curved option
Why this pick
Laliled’s monitor light bar is a strong under-$100 alternative to the big-name flags if you want an asymmetric, eye-care focused light that also plays nice with curved displays. It’s designed specifically for flat and curved screens, uses a beam pattern that illuminates only the desk area, and offers three color temperature modes plus stepless dimming via touch controls. A built-in one-hour timer is a small but thoughtful touch—it’s basically a gentle reminder to stop doom-scrolling and give your eyes a break. Recent regional listings put it around the equivalent of US$40–50, keeping it safely within budget.Key specs & features (high level)
- Asymmetrical optical design that lights the desktop only, avoiding screen glare and flicker to reduce eye strain
- Three color temperature modes (warm / neutral / cool) with stepless brightness adjustment via touch controls
- 1-hour timer mode to encourage breaks during long work or gaming sessions
- 180° adjustable clip plus 90° lamp adjustment to aim the beam exactly where you need it
- Designed for curved and standard monitors (around 15.6" class in its curved variant), USB-powered with a compact clamp that doesn’t eat desk space
Best for:
Users running curved or conventional monitors who want a clean, eye-care-oriented light bar with proper dimming and color control, and who explicitly want to stay in the sub-US$100 bracket without dropping premium BenQ money.2) Quntis Computer Monitor Lamp (Auto-Dimming Screen Light Bar) – Best value eye-care pick
Why this pick
Quntis has quietly become the default recommendation when someone asks, “What’s a good light bar that doesn’t cost as much as the monitor?” This 40 cm model is built for eye comfort: it uses an asymmetric “downward” beam pattern to avoid screen reflections, includes an ambient light sensor for auto-dimming, and pushes a high color-rendering index (up to Ra≥98), which helps documents and objects look natural instead of washed out. Ubuy and other international sellers list it in roughly the US$40–50 window, and the Amazon US page shows it as an actively sold, well-reviewed bar.Key specs & features (high level)
- Asymmetric optics that illuminate only the desk and keyboard area, with no direct screen glare
- Ambient light sensor with auto-dimming to keep brightness comfortable throughout the day
- Stepless adjustment for both brightness and color temperature, covering warm to cool whites
- High CRI (Ra≥98) LED array for natural, accurate color rendering on documents and objects
- USB-powered clamp design that frees up desk space and works with most standard monitors
Best for:
Students, office workers, and creators who want a very capable eye-care bar that behaves like a more expensive model while staying comfortably under US$100.
3) Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar (with Wireless Remote) – Best minimalist + remote combo
Why this pick
The Xiaomi Mi Computer Monitor Light Bar is what you buy when you want your desk to look like a clean Instagram setup instead of an IT closet. It uses a slim metal bar that magnetically docks onto the mount, an asymmetric beam pattern to avoid screen glare, and a low-profile 2.4 GHz wireless knob that sits on the desk for one-finger control of brightness and color temperature. Regional price trackers show it usually in the sub-US$60 equivalent range, which keeps it well below the $100 cap while still feeling like a premium object.Key specs & features (high level)
- 17.6" wide bar with magnetic mount; easily attaches to the top of the monitor without taking up desktop space
- 2.4 GHz wireless remote dial for quick brightness and color temperature changes from your seat
- “No screen reflection” optical design to keep light on the desk and off the panel
- High-quality, flicker-free LED output with up to around 500 lumens, tuned for comfortable, extended use
- Metal body, USB-powered, compact enough for both single and dual-monitor setups
Best for:
Users who care as much about minimalist aesthetics and a nice control experience as they do about raw specs, and who like the idea of a physical volume-style knob instead of reaching up to tap the light bar.
4) OOWOLF Monitor Light Bar with Remote & Backlight – Best “extras” under $100
Why this pick
OOWOLF’s monitor light bar is the feature-packed value option: high color-rendering index (CRI≥95), flicker-free main beam, adjustable color temperature, a separate backlight strip on the rear of the bar, and a bundled remote that handles brightness, color, and backlight effects. It’s pitched as an eye-care lamp that filters blue light and uses an “ambient light eye-care system” to reduce strain. Regional pricing sites list it around the equivalent of US$35–45, making it a budget-friendly way to add both functional and ambient lighting on top of the monitor.Key specs & features (high level)
- High color rendering (CRI≥95–98 range) LEDs that reproduce more realistic colors and reduce eye fatigue
- Asymmetric beam pattern aimed at the desktop, with no direct glare on the screen
- Adjustable color temperature and stepless dimming via wireless remote; dedicated controls for both front light and backlight
- Integrated backlight strip to soften contrast between the bright monitor and the wall behind it
- USB-powered, low-profile clamp with aluminum construction and modern styling
Best for:
Home-office and gaming users who want a bit more personality and flexibility—main task lighting plus a controllable backlight—while staying clearly under US$100.Quick buying tips
When you’re picking a monitor light bar, it helps to start with eyes and ergonomics, then worry about fancy extras. Look for an asymmetric optical design that lights the desk without bouncing directly off the panel, plus flicker-free output and at least decent color rendering. Quntis and OOWOLF lean hardest into high-CRI, eye-care credentials, while Laliled and Xiaomi still cover the basics but emphasize flexibility (curved-screen support and a magnetic mount with remote control).
Next, decide how “hands-off” you want the experience to be. If the dream is to never touch the lamp again after setup, auto-dimming options like Quntis and timer modes like Laliled’s 1-hour shutoff are appealing. If you like to tune the vibe between work sessions and late-night gaming, Xiaomi’s desk-friendly wireless knob and OOWOLF’s full remote plus backlight give you fine-grained control without reaching over the monitor. Finally, check clamp compatibility and monitor shape: all four picks are designed for standard flat panels, but Laliled explicitly calls out curved-screen support, while the others are best with typical thin-bezel 16:9 or 21:9 displays.
Final thoughtsA good monitor light bar quietly fixes a lot of everyday annoyances: it cleans up the desk, reduces reflections that make text harder to read, and lets you run your display at a comfortable brightness without working in a dark cave. Within the sub-US$100 bracket, Laliled’s curved-friendly bar is the flexible, eye-care-focused option for people running modern panels, while Quntis delivers a very strong auto-dimming, high-CRI package that feels more expensive than it is. Xiaomi’s Mi Light Bar leans into minimalist hardware and that slick wireless dial for people who care about how their setup looks as much as how it works, and OOWOLF rounds out the list with a high-CRI, remote-controlled bar that adds a controllable backlight for a bit of extra atmosphere. As of mid-January 2026, all four are actively listed on Amazon US and typically price well under US$100; just use the ASINs and links to re-check current price and stock before you publish, so your article stays aligned with whatever deals Amazon decides to run next.
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Biostar Edgecomp MS-1335U Brings Performance to the Edge
Published: Wednesday, January 21, 2026 | By: EddieJanuary 21st, 2026 – TAIPEI, TAIWAN – BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of edge computing solutions, industrial motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today introduces the EdgeComp MS-1335U, a compact fanless embedded PC designed to bring smart, reliable performance closer to the edge.
Built to meet the growing demands of smart cities, intelligent retail, and industrial automation, the EdgeComp MS-1335U delivers flexible edge computing capabilities in a space-efficient, energy-conscious, and completely silent platform. Powered by Intel® Raptor Lake Core i5-1335U 10-core processors, the system provides enhanced computing performance while maintaining low power consumption, making it well-suited for long-term, continuous operation in both commercial and public infrastructure environments.
Designed with versatility in mind, the EdgeComp MS-1335U supports up to four simultaneous display outputs, enabling advanced multi-screen applications across a wide range of edge scenarios. With HDMI® and DisplayPort outputs, the system is ideal for smart factories, digital signage deployments, traffic control centers, and healthcare terminals. In addition, dual USB Type-C display support allows flexible integration into AI vision systems, portable edge gateways, robotics platforms, and mobile inspection units, expanding deployment possibilities where mobility and adaptability are required.
To address the connectivity needs of industrial and commercial deployments, the EdgeComp MS-1335U features four COM ports, enabling seamless integration with kiosks and a wide range of industrial peripherals. This makes the system an effective solution for Industrial IoT applications, manufacturing automation, energy management systems, and smart utility infrastructure, where stable device communication is essential.
Wireless connectivity is further enhanced by support for 4G and 5G SIM cards, enabling reliable communication across smart transportation systems, remote surveillance installations, outdoor kiosks, and mobile edge computing nodes. Optional WiFi and Bluetooth module support also enables efficient deployment in smart buildings, healthcare monitoring environments, retail analytics platforms, and asset tracking applications.
The fanless design of the EdgeComp MS-1335U ensures completely noiseless operation while improving system durability by eliminating moving components. The system supports up to 96GB of high-speed DDR5 5200MHz SO-DIMM memory, providing ample performance headroom for data-intensive edge workloads. Storage flexibility is delivered through an M.2 Key-M slot with PCIe x4 interface support, accommodating multiple form factors to meet diverse installation requirements.
For network-intensive edge applications, the EdgeComp MS-1335U features dual Intel® 2.5GbE LAN ports, ensuring fast, stable, and redundant connectivity for mission-critical deployments. Combined with support for up to 4 simultaneous 4K display outputs, the system delivers a robust, scalable platform for next-generation edge computing solutions.
With the EdgeComp MS-1335U, BIOSTAR continues to provide dependable edge computing platforms that enable system integrators, OEM/ODM partners, and solution providers to build more intelligent, more connected environments at the edge. -
Funky Kit Review - EPOMAKER TH99 PRO Keyboard
Published: Monday, January 19, 2026 | By: EddieFunky Kit presents the Epomaker TH99 Pro as a versatile 1800-style mechanical keyboard that delivers nearly full-size functionality in a more compact 99-key layout. It keeps the numpad and navigation keys but trims the footprint, making it suitable for both productivity and gaming setups where desk space still matters. Tri-mode connectivity (2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth and USB-C), hot-swappable switches, durable PBT keycaps, long battery life and customizable RGB are all highlighted, along with an integrated display and control knob that help the board feel more “enthusiast grade” than a typical mainstream keyboard. Build quality is described as solid and reassuring, with the gasket-mounted structure and internal dampening layers contributing to a premium feel that punches above its price.
“ … the EPOMAKER TH99 PRO stands out as a versatile and well-built mechanical keyboard that delivers strong performance across productivity and everyday use. Its thoughtful feature set and comfortable typing experience make it an excellent choice for anyone seeking a reliable, premium daily driver without an excessive price tag. ”
In daily use, Funky Kit reports that the TH99 Pro offers a comfortable, “thocky” typing experience that works just as well for long work sessions as it does for casual gaming, with response and acoustics both scoring highly in their breakdown. The companion software is considered simple rather than fancy, but still sufficient for most users to customize lighting, remap keys and set up macros without hassle. Overall scores are strong across the board, with 10 out of 10 for features, 9 for build quality, aesthetics, response and acoustics, and 8 for price, yielding an average of 9.0 out of 10 and a clear recommendation as a well-built, feature-rich daily driver that balances practicality, customization and value. The reviewer explicitly notes no real negatives under “The Bads,” which underscores how complete the package feels at its asking price. -
ASRock X870E Taichi OCF @ TechPowerUp
Published: Sunday, January 18, 2026 | By: EddieTechPowerUp and other reviewers position the ASRock X870E Taichi OCF as a purpose-built AM5 flagship for serious manual overclocking, especially with liquid nitrogen and high-speed DDR5. It uses an overbuilt VRM with 22 Vcore phases rated at 110 A each, a full OC toolkit with onboard buttons, switches and voltage read points, plus a 1-DIMM-per-channel layout designed to push DDR5 to extreme speeds, with official support listings up to 10 400 MT/s on compatible CPUs. In everyday use it still behaves like a full-featured premium X870E board, offering six M.2 slots (two PCIe 5.0), dual PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, dual front USB Type-C headers, USB4 on the rear, 5 GbE LAN, WiFi 7 and a high-end audio solution with a Realtek ALC4082 codec and ESS DAC. Priced around 500 US dollars, it is clearly aimed at enthusiasts who actually plan to exploit those overclocking and expansion features rather than just run stock settings.
Balancing daily driver credentials with potent overclocking features is no easy task, but ASRock claims to have blended its popular Taichi brand with tools focused on extreme CPU and memory overclocks. We'll see if it has truly mastered everything in just one PCB.
The verdict from mainstream testing is that it is an excellent, cost-effective board if your goal is extreme overclocking or record chasing, but overkill for most users. If you do not manually overclock, many of its special features and tools will simply go unused, and there are trade-offs such as lane sharing that can downgrade or disable rear USB4 when certain M.2 slots are populated, plus WiFi 7 support limited to 160 MHz channels instead of wider 320 MHz. The bold black and yellow Taichi OCF styling is also noted as somewhat polarizing. For builders who do not intend to pour LN2 or spend time tuning every last parameter, boards like the standard Taichi or other high-end X870E models offer similar specs at lower prices, but for overclockers who want a robust, feature-packed AM5 platform specifically designed for pushing CPUs and memory, the X870E Taichi OCF hits its target very well. -
Team Group GA Pro 2 TB @ TechPowerUp
Published: Saturday, January 17, 2026 | By: EddieTechPowerUp presents the Team Group T-Force GA Pro 2 TB as a PCIe Gen 5 SSD that looks very strong on paper and puts up impressive synthetic numbers, especially in 4K random writes and sustained write workloads. The drive benefits from a very large SLC cache that helps it maintain high speeds over longer transfers, and in benchmarks it clearly shows the raw throughput potential you expect from a modern Gen 5 design. In that sense, it succeeds as a high end performance product for users who routinely push heavy write or mixed workloads and want strong sustained behavior rather than only short burst peak speeds.
The Team Group T-Force GA Pro is a PCIe Gen 5 SSD that delivers excellent 4K random write performance, a very large SLC cache, and strong sustained speeds. In our testing, however, real-world performance can't match the best Gen 4 drives, while power consumption and heat output are high, making effective cooling a critical requirement.
However, the review makes it clear that these strengths do not automatically translate into best in class real world performance. In application style tests and everyday usage patterns, the GA Pro often fails to pull ahead of the fastest PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, which narrows the practical advantage of going Gen 5 in the first place. At the same time, power consumption and heat output are both high, so effective cooling is critical: without a substantial heatsink and good airflow, the drive is more likely to throttle and lose some of the performance it can show on an open test bench. Overall, TechPowerUp sees the GA Pro 2 TB as a capable but demanding high performance drive that makes sense if you can cool it properly and have workloads that lean on its strong random and sustained write capabilities, but it is not a simple across the board upgrade over the very best Gen 4 options.
