ZOTAC has walked me through the very impressive Zbox Pico mini PC, which features AirJet solid state active cooling.

Computex 2023 has kicked off with a bang, and I was lucky enough to get a complete walkthrough of the ZOTAC booth, where I was introduced to the Zbox Pico, a palm-sized PC that features an impressive cooling solution. ZOTAC explained to me that typically in the past, its previous mini PC used Pentium or Celeron processors, while the newer model, as pictured above, is the first to feature an Intel Core i3 processor.

This upgrade in power can be attributed to the AirJet solid state active cooling, which is able to reduce the amount of heat produced and, thus, enabling a higher-end processor to be implemented. These solid state cooling chips are able to draw in air from the side, reducing the internal temperature of the mini-PC, and then spitting out the hot air through the other side out its exhaust, as displayed by the blurry fan shown above. ZOTAC explained to me that typically in the past, these systems would feature heat sinks, but since the emergence of solid state cooling chips, they are no longer necessary in this particular build.

Computex 2023 is off to a roaring start, and as you can probably imagine, ASUS is very excited to show off its latest products. Introducing the already-released ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.

ASUS was kind enough to give me an introduction to the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED and explained to me that the product is designed for versatility as it can be transformed into multiple modes depending on what the user requires. ASUS explained to me that the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED comes with an ASUS Lumina OLED display for more accurate color, which tiers perfectly into the video-watching mode as pictured above. More specifically, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED comes with a 17.3' 4:3 2.5K FOLED touchscreen that folds down to a 12.5" 3:2 laptop, as pictured below.

ASUS has equipped the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED with a laptop mode for users that need to work in tight spaces, such as on a flight, or users that are looking to conserve battery life. Additionally, users have the option of using a virtual keyboard if the physical keyboard isn't their forte. Furthermore, the Zenbook 17 Fold OLED comes with a 12th Gen Intel Core 17 processor.

Yesterday we were invited out to the ASUS HQ here in Taipei where we were fortunate enough to be shown some new products ahead of Computex, which is starting today.

One of the new products that were available at the ProArt booth area; ASUS, will display the complete ProArt component ecosystem, featuring the new ProArt LC 420 all-in-one CPU cooler, as well as a range of ProArt motherboards and graphics cards renowned for their minimalist design, all-in-one CPU cooler, as well as a range of ProArt motherboards and graphics cards renowned for their minimalist design.

"ProArt is designed to empower creators, artists, and case modders alike, and this ethos will be exemplified through a stunning ProArt case mod artwork entitled Island, which will also be at the show. Inspired by the ProArt spirit, it beautifully exemplifies the seamless integration of technology and creativity."

ASUS is bringing back the Matrix naming (last seen with the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti) for its new flagship liquid-cooled ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 all-in-one.

ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 all-in-one.

With a power rating of 600W and boost clock speeds that ASUS states is the highest for an off-the-shelf GeForce RTX 4090 to date, this is set to become one of the most powerful GPUs when it eventually releases.

The GPU features a liquid metal thermal compound, with the shroud featuring a large copper cold plate for heat dissipation. The embedded pump and 360mm radiator make it a formidable GPU in terms of physical size and look - with magnetic daisy chainable fans adding another dose of high-end quality to the build.

When NVIDIA chose to adopt the new 12VHPWR connector for the new Ada Lovelace-powered GeForce RTX 40 Series, which can deliver up to 600W through a single 16-pin connector, it presented a new wrinkle for those looking to upgrade. Without a brand-new ATX 3.0 PSU, the GeForce RTX 4090 is required to be connected via an adaptor. Anyway, it meant more cables dangling and visible around the GPU.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Hidden-Connector Concept VGA by ASUS

At Computex 2023, ASUS presents a concept GeForce RTX 4070 and motherboard that removes the need for a cable to be connected to the GPU entirely. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Hidden-Connector Concept VGA paired with the TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS Hidden-Connector Concept Motherboard. And yeah, it presents a clean, cable-free look that we'd love to see become a thing.

How it achieves this isn't magic, but impressive engineering with an additional PCIe power connection on the underside of the GPU. This connects to a custom board and draws power from the hidden connectors on the underside. So, yeah, not magic - but something that we'd love to see move beyond the concept stage and be adopted widely by companies that dabble in both the GPU and motherboard spaces.

In this post, we will be going through the process of recovering and rebuilding an Exchange Server setup after a failed migration from Exchange Server 2010 to Exchange Server 2019. We will be using Stellar Repair for Exchange as the recovery tool.

A client had a setup on a physical server with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010 (Standard) with three mailbox databases. The client purchased a new server with Windows Server 2022, and Hyper-V with the Active Directory already moved onto a Windows Server 2022 virtual machine. The plan was to also move to Exchange Server 2019 and decommission the old server as the Exchange Server 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are out of support and end of life. Though they had some legacy applications, they were not compatible with the new systems. However, after the re-development of some APIs, this was rectified.

This is a big leap from an all-in-one box with one point of failure to splitting the services and virtualizing the system. This is ideal for the mobility and operability of the system. To do this, they cannot just install the Exchange Server 2019 as it cannot co-exist with Exchange Server 2010. They must first install the Exchange Server 2013 or 2016, move all the data to it, and decommission the Exchange Server 2010. After that, install the Exchange Server 2019, move all the data to it, and then decommission the Exchange Server 2013 or 2016. As they have around 1000 mailboxes, this isn't an easy task. It needs to be planned correctly.

CD Projekt Group CEO Adam Kicinski has officially squashed recent rumors that Sony is seeking to acquire The Witcher publisher.

Video games industry consolidation has been ramping up in recent years following the big COVID-19 boom. We've seen EA, Take-Two, Sony, and more recently Microsoft, all make and attempt high-profile multi-billion dollar acquisitions. Although CD Projekt is about to venture into unexplored territory, the company has no desire to sell itself to a larger entertainment parent.

In a recent earnings call with investors, CD Projekt Group President and CEO Adam Kicinski laid rest to the rumors of Sony buying out the Polish games-maker. "Nothing has changed on our end. I can repeat what we've been saying throughout the years: CD Projekt is not for sale," Kicinski said in response to the very first question asked at the Q&A session.

The Witcher 3 has now sold over 50 million copies worldwide and is among the top best-selling games of all time.

Today, CD Projekt announced its Q1 2023 earnings results and also updated total franchise sales of The Witcher series. According to the report, The Witcher franchise has now sold over 75 million copies, and the company's widely-acclaimed third chapter in the saga has broken a new milestone.

The Witcher 3 has now sold-through over 50 million copies from its original launch in 2015 to the present day. In eight years, Geralt's generation-defining adventure has become one of the top 10 best-sellers of all time.

NASA's Inspector General has released a new audit on NASA's management of the Space Launch System rocket, which is slated to be the transportation astronauts will take to the Moon.

The audit states that NASA will spend as much as $93 billion on the Artemis Moon Program by the end of 2025, with $22 billion being spent just in 2022 on the development of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Notably, the audit states that mounting costs can be attributed to development hurdles and missteps, resulting in the SLS rocket being behind schedule by six years. Furthermore, NASA's audit states that the space agency expects these costs to increase as well as the SLS schedule.

The development of the SLS rocket has already pushed NASA's budget for its Artemis Moon Program over by $6 billion, and according to the audit, these schedule delays and mounting costs can be traced back to poor assumptions of reusing salvaged engines from Space Shuttle launches. More specifically, the SLS rocket uses four RS-25 engines for every launch, which are either destroyed or abandoned entirely after launch.

Computex 2023 is off to a racing start and while the showroom floor is inundated with PC gaming hardware we have spotted a pretty unique cryptocurrency mining rig.

While cryptocurrency has certainly taken a downward turn since the price of Bitcoin dropped, there are still some interesting products emerging from various companies. One of those companies is Engineered Fluids, which walked us through their custom cooling solution for a Bitmain Antminer S19 90T.

As showcased by the above image, the Antminer has been completely submerged in oil which is then filtered through a cooling unit. The cooled oil keeps the system running at lower temperatures, enabling better performance, and thus, a higher hashrate.