Tech News
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Lexar NM1090 PRO PCIe Gen5 NVMe 2TB SSD Review @ Funky Kit
Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 | By: EddieFunkyKit reviewed the Lexar NM1090 Pro PCIe Gen5 NVMe 2TB SSD, showcasing it as one of the fastest consumer SSDs currently available. Built with the Silicon Motion SM2508 controller and 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash, the drive offers impressive performance, reaching up to 14,000 MB/s read and 13,000 MB/s write speeds. It also includes a 2GB DRAM cache and SLC dynamic caching to maintain consistent throughput. The included aluminum heatsink with integrated fan proved effective in cooling, preventing thermal throttling during extended workloads and helping the drive maintain peak performance even under stress.
" ... The Lexar NM1090 PRO PCIE Gen5 NVMe 2TB SSD is yet another great product in Lexar's ever expanding storage lineup. It offers phenomenal read/write performance, plus you get a large 2TB storage capacity, with an impressive 5-year warranty too. "
In the benchmark testing, FunkyKit found the NM1090 Pro delivered top-tier results across both synthetic and real-world scenarios. Random read performance reached up to 2.1 million IOPS, which is ideal for multitasking, gaming, and creative applications. The drive also comes with a five-year warranty and is competitively priced at around 225 US dollars for the 2TB model. Overall, FunkyKit praised it as an excellent choice for power users looking to take full advantage of the Gen5 platform with strong thermal management and reliable high-speed storage. -
Micron Ships HBM4 to Key Customers to Power Next-Gen AI Platforms
Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 | By: EddieMicron HBM4 36GB 12-high products lead the industry in power efficiency for data center and cloud AI acceleration
The importance of high-performance memory has never been greater, fueled by its crucial role in supporting the growing demands of AI training and inference workloads in data centers. Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), today announced the shipment of HBM4 36GB 12-high samples to multiple key customers. This milestone extends Micron’s leadership in memory performance and power efficiency for AI applications. Built on its well-established 1ß (1-beta) DRAM process, proven 12-high advanced packaging technology and highly capable memory built-in self-test (MBIST) feature, Micron HBM4 provides seamless integration for customers and partners developing next-generation AI platforms.
A leap forward
As use of generative AI continues to grow, the ability to effectively manage inference becomes more important. Micron HBM4 features a 2048-bit interface, achieving speeds greater than 2.0 TB/s per memory stack and more than 60% better performance over the previous generation.1 This expanded interface facilitates rapid communication and a high-throughput design that accelerates the inference performance of large language models and chain-of-thought reasoning systems. Simply put, HBM4 will help AI accelerators respond faster and reason more effectively.Additionally, Micron HBM4 features over 20% better power efficiency compared to Micron’s previous-generation HBM3E products, which first established new, unrivaled benchmarks in HBM power efficiency in the industry.2 This improvement provides maximum throughput with the lowest power consumption to maximize data center efficiency.2
Generative AI use cases continue to multiply, and this transformative technology is poised to deliver significant benefits to society. HBM4 is a crucial enabler, driving quicker insights and discoveries that will foster innovation in diverse fields such as healthcare, finance and transportation.
"Micron HBM4’s performance, higher bandwidth and industry-leading power efficiency are a testament to our memory technology and product leadership," said Raj Narasimhan, senior vice president and general manager of Micron’s Cloud Memory Business Unit. "Building on the remarkable milestones achieved with our HBM3E deployment, we continue to drive innovation with HBM4 and our robust portfolio of AI memory and storage solutions. Our HBM4 production milestones are aligned with our customers’ next-generation AI platform readiness to ensure seamless integration and volume ramp."
Intelligence Accelerated: Micron’s role in the AI revolution
For nearly five decades, Micron has pushed the boundaries of memory and storage innovation. Today, Micron continues to accelerate AI by delivering a broad portfolio of solutions that turn data into intelligence, fueling breakthroughs from the data center to the edge. With HBM4, Micron reinforces its position as a critical catalyst for AI innovation and a reliable partner for our customers’ most demanding solutions.Micron plans to ramp HBM4 in calendar year 2026, aligned to the ramp of customers’ next-generation AI platforms.
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Memblaze PBlaze7 7940 30.72 TB SSD Review @ TechPowerUp
Published: Monday, June 23, 2025 | By: EddieTechPowerUp examined Memblaze’s entry into the PCIe 5.0 enterprise market with the PBlaze7 7940 in its highest capacity 30.72 TB variant. The drive features a Marvell Bravera controller, paired with Micron’s 232-layer TLC NAND and a substantial 40 GB DRAM cache. It offers up to 14,000 MB/s sequential read, 9,700 MB/s write, 2.7 M IOPS random read, and 410 k IOPS random write. Designed with a U.2 form factor and aimed at data center applications, it delivers one drive write per day endurance (56,064 TBW) and a solid five-year warranty.
The Memblaze 7940 30.72 TB is among the most efficient Gen5 enterprise SSDs we’ve tested, offering strong performance and low latencies. While it doesn’t lead in every benchmark, it’s still one of the fastest high-capacity TLC drives we've reviewed, delivering great real-world speed, solid efficiency, and strong value for enterprise use.
When evaluated under benchmark and real-world workloads, the PBlaze7 showed consistently strong results. It matched or exceeded performance of smaller-capacity variants across most tests, maintaining high sustained speeds and low latency. During simulated server workloads like OLTP and email, it performed reliably, although peak random performance hovered just below the fastest Gen 5 enterprise SSDs. Under airflow conditions, it avoided throttling and reached sustained speeds close to 7 GB/s. It also proved efficient under load with better watt-per-GB performance than some rivals, though idle power usage was higher than lower-capacity models. At approximately $3,600 in bulk pricing, TechPowerUp praised it as a well-rounded package for high-density, high-performance enterprise storage needs -
T-FORCE XTREEM CKD DDR5 8400MHz 48GB Review @ Vortez
Published: Sunday, June 22, 2025 | By: EddieThe UK Tech media outlet, Vortez, reviewed the T-FORCE XTREEM CKD DDR5 8400 MHz 48 GB memory kit, highlighting its exceptional speed and advanced design. This dual-channel kit includes two 24 GB modules running at 8400 MHz with CL42-54-54-84 timings and a voltage of 1.4V. What sets it apart is the use of CKD (Clock Driver) technology, typically found in server-class memory, which enhances signal quality and stability at ultra-high frequencies. The modules also feature a thick aluminum heatsink and a 10-layer PCB, providing both durability and thermal efficiency, along with on-die ECC for error correction.
What sets the XTREEM CKD apart is its use of CUDIMM (Client Unbuffered DIMM) architecture, which incorporates an onboard Clock Driver (CKD) to improve signal integrity and timing accuracy at ultra-high frequencies. This design change departs from traditional unbuffered DDR5 modules and allows for better electrical stability—essential when pushing past 8000MHz.
When put through benchmarks, Vortez reported excellent stability and out-of-the-box performance when paired with supported Intel 800-series motherboards. The memory ran smoothly using XMP profiles, achieving impressive results across bandwidth and latency benchmarks. While compatibility may be limited on older platforms, the kit showed promise for further tuning in enthusiast setups. At around 290 US dollars, the XTREEM CKD kit was praised for offering top-tier performance at a surprisingly reasonable price, making it a strong choice for gamers, overclockers, and power users aiming to push their systems to the next level.
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ASRock Radeon RX 9060 XT Steel Legend 16Gb OC graphics card Review @ Funky Kit
Published: Saturday, June 21, 2025 | By: EddieFunkyKit reviewed the ASRock Radeon RX 9060 XT Steel Legend 16GB OC graphics card, spotlighting its bold white aesthetic and factory overclocked performance. The card features AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture with 32 compute units, 16 GB of GDDR6 memory running at 20 Gbps, and a 128-bit memory interface. ASRock equipped it with a triple-fan cooler, reinforced backplate, and ARGB lighting with a dedicated on-off switch. It also includes modern display outputs such as three DisplayPort 2.1a and one HDMI 2.1b. The review praised the card’s excellent thermal design and strong 1080p performance, although it noted that ray tracing capabilities are still limited and 1440p results are average for more demanding titles.
" ... The ASRock Radeon RX 9060 XT Steel Legend 16Gb OC graphics card is ideal for those who's after a GPU that offers great aesthetics and decent performance for 1080p gaming, furthermore it's capable of 1440p gaming at a push. With an MSRP of only USD $389 (16GB version), it's cheaper than the Geforce RTX 4060 Ti and the RTX 5060 Ti, while offering similar performance. "
In testing, the RX 9060 XT Steel Legend delivered smooth gameplay in popular games and held up well against similarly priced competitors. The card remained cool and quiet even under stress, with temperatures averaging around 56 degrees Celsius. While it may not outperform Nvidia’s midrange options in ray tracing, its higher VRAM capacity and support for technologies like FSR 4 and HYPR-RX help it stay competitive. At around 390 dollars, FunkyKit found it to be a solid choice for gamers seeking a visually appealing and efficient card with future-ready features, especially for 1080p and light 1440p gaming setups. -
NVIDIA Partners With Europe Model Builders and Cloud Providers to Accelerate Region’s Leap Into AI
Published: Friday, June 20, 2025 | By: EddieNVIDIA GTC Paris at VivaTech -- NVIDIA today announced that it is teaming with model builders and cloud providers across Europe and the Middle East to optimize sovereign large language models (LLMs), providing a springboard to accelerate enterprise AI adoption for the region’s industries.
Model builders and AI consortiums Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Bielik.AI, Dicta, H Company, Domyn, LightOn, the National Academic Infrastructure for Supercomputing in Sweden (NAISS) together with KBLab at the National Library of Sweden, the Slovak Republic, the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), the University College of London, the University of Ljubljana and UTTER are teaming with NVIDIA to optimize their models with NVIDIA Nemotron™ techniques to maximize cost efficiency and accuracy for enterprise AI workloads, including agentic AI.
Model post-training and inference will run on AI infrastructure in Europe from NVIDIA Cloud Partners (NCPs) participating in the NVIDIA DGX Cloud Lepton™ marketplace.
The open, sovereign models will provide a foundation for an integrated regional AI ecosystem that reflects local languages and culture. Europe’s enterprises will be able to run the models on Perplexity, an AI-powered answer engine used to answer over 150 million questions per week. Companies will also be able to fine-tune the sovereign models on local NCP infrastructure through a new Hugging Face integration with DGX Cloud Lepton.
“Europe’s diversity is its superpower — an engine of creativity and innovation,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Together with Europe’s model builders and cloud providers, we’re building an AI ecosystem where intelligence is developed and served locally to provide a foundation for Europe to thrive in the age of AI — transforming every industry across the region.”
Optimizing Model Accuracy and Inference Savings With NVIDIA Nemotron
Europe — the world’s third largest economic region — is home to industries spanning manufacturing, robotics, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, finance, energy and creative.To accelerate the region’s AI-driven transformation, NVIDIA partners are delivering their open LLMs with support for Europe’s 24 official languages. Several models also specialize in national language and culture, such as those from H Company and LightOn in France, Dicta in Israel, Domyn in Italy, Bielik.AI in Poland, the University of Ljubljana and the Slovak Republic models, BSC in Spain, NAISS and KBLab in Sweden, TII in the United Arab Emirates and the University College London in the U.K.
The LLMs will be distilled with NVIDIA Nemotron model-building techniques — including neural architecture search — as well as reinforcement learning and post-training with NVIDIA-curated synthetic data. These optimizations will reduce operational costs and boost user experiences by generating tokens faster during inference. The Nemotron post-training workloads will run on DGX Cloud Lepton hosted by European NCPs including Nebius, Nscale and Fluidstack.
Developers will be able to deploy the sovereign models as NVIDIA NIM™ microservices running on AI factories — on premises and across cloud service provider platforms — using a new NIM microservice that supports more than 100,000 public, private and domain-specialized LLMs hosted on Hugging Face.
Adding Europe’s Sovereign AI Insights to Perplexity
Supporting AI diversity for enterprises across the region, Perplexity will integrate the sovereign AI models into its answer engine, which is used by European enterprises, publishers and organizations, including telecommunications and media giants. Perplexity uses LLMs to improve accuracy in search queries and AI outputs. The answer engine draws from credible sources in real time to accurately answer questions with in-line citations, perform deep research and complete assistive tasks.“Perplexity’s goal is to provide accurate, trustworthy answers to any question from any person, wherever they are,” said Aravind Srinivas, cofounder and CEO of Perplexity. “Bringing NVIDIA-optimized sovereign AI models to Perplexity empowers innovation in Europe with AI built and running in the region.”
Availability
The first distilled models from Europe’s model builders are expected to be available later this year. -
Pulsar TenZ Gaming Mouse Signature Edition @ TechPowerUp
Published: Thursday, June 19, 2025 | By: EddieTechPowerUp reviewed the Pulsar TenZ Signature Edition wireless gaming mouse, a collaboration with pro esports player Tyson "TenZ" Ngo. With a solid outer shell and a featherweight design at just 48 grams, the mouse balances build quality and performance. It features Pulsar's custom XS-1 sensor (based on PixArt’s PAW3950), capable of 32,000 CPI and true 8,000 Hz polling in wireless mode. The mouse includes optical switches, a TTC Gold scroll encoder, onboard memory, and a symmetrical shape with side buttons on both sides, catering to various grip styles and handedness. Its construction impressed the reviewer, showing no creaking or flex, and the bundled software allowed fine-tuning of key settings.
Designed by TenZ, the ambidextrous TenZ Signature Edition comes with Pulsar's latest tech: the custom XS-1 sensor, 8000 Hz wireless polling, and optical main button switches. Unlike previous Pulsar releases, the TenZ Signature Edition uses a fully solid shell to reach its 48 g weight.
In performance testing, TechPowerUp found the TenZ mouse delivered excellent click responsiveness and precise tracking. However, at higher polling rates like 4,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz, occasional polling inconsistencies were observed. The real-world benefit of these higher rates was relatively minor, offering latency improvements of less than half a millisecond, mainly noticeable for competitive players using high refresh rate monitors. Battery life at these settings also took a hit, with less than 10 hours at 8,000 Hz. While the $129.95 price places it on the premium end, the combination of lightweight design, professional-grade features, and smooth performance makes it a strong contender for competitive gamers and TenZ fans alike. -
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Gaming OC 8G Graphics Card @ Funky Kit
Published: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 | By: EddieFunkykit reviewed the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Gaming OC 8G graphics card, noting its appeal as a budget-friendly solution for 1080p gaming. Built on Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture, the card comes with 3,840 CUDA cores, 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, and a factory overclock of up to 2,595 MHz. It features Gigabyte's Windforce cooling system with triple 90 mm fans, composite copper heat pipes, and a metal backplate, helping the card run cool and quiet under load. The compact design and standard output options (three DisplayPort 2.1 and one HDMI 2.1) make it an easy fit for most modern PC builds.
" ... If you're after an affordable GPU for standard 1080p gaming, then you might want to consider the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 Gaming OC. It appeals to the budget-conscious gamer who prefer efficiency with options to enable ray tracing features. It comes with a slightly overclocked GPU, along with some nice aesthetics, a decent cooling solution and a Dual BIOS switch. "
In performance testing, Funkykit gave the card a score of 7.8 out of 10, commending its efficiency, solid frame rates at 1080p, and support for DLSS 3.5. However, the review pointed out limitations such as the 8 GB memory capacity and relatively weak ray tracing performance. While it may not be ideal for demanding 1440p or 4K workloads, Funkykit concluded that the RTX 5060 Gaming OC offers excellent value for casual and mainstream gamers who want smooth gameplay at full HD resolution without overspending. -
be quiet! Pure Power 13 M: ATX 3.1 power supply with high efficiency and silent operation
Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 | By: EddieTop-selling Pure Power power supply series gains ATX 3.1 compatibility and semi-passive cooling
be quiet!, the German manufacturer for premium PC components, is proud to introduce Pure Power 13 M, the next evolution of its popular mainstream PSU line. Fully compliant with the ATX 3.1 standard, the Pure Power 13 M offers improved performance and high efficiency, modern PCIe 5.1 compatibility, a semi-passive cooling system that ensures virtually silent operation during low to medium loads and remarkably quiet active cooling under higher loads, and modular cables for a clean installation. This future-proof power supply is available in five wattages: 1000W, 850W, 750W, 650W, and 550W, each with 80 PLUS® Gold and Cybenetics Gold certifications.
“With Pure Power 13 M, we’re delivering the features and performance users expect from be quiet!.” says Aaron Licht, CEO of be quiet!. “We’ve improved on our proven fan technology with a semi-passive mode as well as lower noise levels during active cooling. The result is a reliable and extremely quiet PSU that’s fully compatible with the latest GeForce RTX 5000 and Radeon RX 9000 series and that meets the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s PC builders.”
Gold-rated efficiency with semi-passive cooling
Thanks to a proven combination of LLC, SR, and DC/DC topology, Pure Power 13 M delivers exceptional stability and voltage regulation. Certified with both 80 PLUS® Gold and Cybenetics Gold, it achieves high efficiency levels while maintaining low power consumption. A newly introduced semi-passive cooling mode allows the 120mm be quiet! fan to remain off under low and moderate loads, ensuring a virtually inaudible operation when full cooling isn’t necessary. When active, its airflow-optimized blades and temperature-controlled curve maintain the company’s hallmark quiet performance.
Designed for next-gen hardware
Pure Power 13 M fully supports Intel’s ATX 3.1 specification and is PCIe 5.1 ready, featuring a 12V-2x6 connector delivering up to 600W1 for the most demanding graphics cards, alongside up to four traditional PCIe 6+2 connectors2. The stricter safety standards of ATX 3.1 ensure improved support for next-gen GPUs. This makes it a highly compatible solution for both current high-end setups and future upgrades.
Improved design and functionality
Pure Power 13 M features a single 12V rail for stronger, more consistent power delivery and includes fully modular cable management, making cable routing easier and reducing clutter inside the chassis. The PSU is housed in a sturdy steel enclosure and continues to reflect be quiet!’s high standards in design and manufacturing, with quality assurance conducted in Germany. All models are backed by a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty, reinforcing be quiet!’s commitment to reliability and customer satisfaction.
Pure Power 13 M is available now.
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Crucial X10 Portable Solid State Drive Review @ ThinkComputers
Published: Monday, June 16, 2025 | By: EddieThinkComputers reviewed the Crucial X10 Portable SSD, positioning it as a compelling and affordable high-speed storage option for users needing portability and large capacity. While the drive features a plastic enclosure instead of the X10 Pro’s aluminum design, it offers a more rugged IP65 water and dust resistance rating and introduces higher capacity models, including 6TB and 8TB. The X10 supports USB 3.2 Gen2x2, and in testing, it achieved transfer speeds close to 4,056 MB/s read and 3,630 MB/s write, making it one of the fastest portable SSDs in its class despite lacking hardware encryption.
"Back at the end of 2023 we took a look at the Crucial X10 Pro portable solid state drive, which really represented Crucial's flagship portable SSD product at the time. While it still does sit as the flagship, Crucial has recently introduced the X10 (non-Pro). At first glance the only real difference I am seeing is that the X10 (non-Pro) does not have the anodized aluminum enclosure. The Crucial X10 still offers the same transfer speeds of 2100 MB/s with its USB 3.2 gen 2×2 connection it will be available in larger capacities up to 8TB. Let's take a look at the X10 and see what it is all about!"The review notes that the drive is highly compact and lightweight, ideal for travel and mobile professionals. Although the plastic casing is more prone to scratches, the overall build remains durable and practical. ThinkComputers also emphasized that the X10 delivers great value, particularly for U.S. buyers, where pricing on higher-capacity versions is competitive. For users who prioritize performance, large storage, and portability without the need for added encryption, the Crucial X10 stands out as a top-tier choice.
