Tech News
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Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex CPU Cooler Review @ APH Networks
Published: Friday, June 27, 2025 | By: EddieAPH Networks took an in-depth look at Cooler Master’s Hyper 612 Apex air cooler, finding plenty to like in both design and presentation. The single-tower heatsink relies on six copper heat pipes and a pair of 120 mm Mobius PWM fans tucked under a magnetic top cover. At 127 × 114 × 159 mm it clears most RAM slots, and the bundle includes a tidy cardboard tool kit, CyroFuze thermal paste, and brackets for all current Intel LGA 1851/1700/1200/115x and AMD AM5/AM4 sockets. A five-year warranty rounds out the premium feel of what APH Networks describes as a surprisingly refined unboxing experience.
The Cooler Master Hyper 612 Apex air cooler offers high performance with sleek aesthetics at a very good price.
During hands-on testing the Hyper 612 Apex kept a Ryzen 5 5600X idling at 25 °C and topped out at 48 °C after 20 minutes of Prime95, matching the larger dual-tower be quiet Pure Rock Pro 3 while staying impressively quiet. APH Networks rated noise just 1 on a 0-10 scale at idle and about 3.5 at maximum fan speed, noting the sound remained a gentle whisper even up close. With cooling that rivals bigger, pricier heat sinks and acoustics that stay civil under load, the Hyper 612 Apex came away recommended as an effective, well-built option for mid-range and enthusiast systems alike. -
ASRock Phantom Gamming B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard Review @ Funky Kit
Published: Friday, June 27, 2025 | By: EddieFunkyKit reviewed the ASRock Phantom Gaming B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard, highlighting its strong feature set in a compact Mini-ITX form factor. Designed for AMD’s AM5 platform, it supports Ryzen 7000, 8000, and upcoming 9000 series processors. The board features a 10+1+1 power phase design with 110A power stages and large aluminum heatsinks for effective thermal control. It also offers support for DDR5 memory up to 8200 MHz, one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, and dual M.2 slots including one PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0 at the rear. Connectivity is well-rounded with Wi-Fi 6E, 2.5 GbE LAN, USB-C with DisplayPort, 13 USB ports in total, RGB headers, and BIOS Flashback functionality.
"... If you love Mini-ITX motherboards like me, and you want to build a mini PC powered by a Ryzen 9000 series processor, then the ASRock Phantom Gaming B850I Lightning WiFi motherboard is your answer. It's packed with features and offers good performance, plus you can get it at an extremely affordable price too. "
In performance testing, FunkyKit found the B850I Lightning WiFi to be stable, power efficient, and capable of handling high-end components without issue. It delivered consistent results with no throttling, making it suitable for both gaming and productivity. The cooling solution proved effective during extended use, although users with Gen5 SSDs may need to monitor temperatures closely. Overall, the board was praised for offering premium-level performance and connectivity at a competitive price point, making it a smart choice for small form factor builds using the latest AMD CPUs. -
2025 Summer Buying Guide - The Best Bluetooth Speakers under $150
Published: Thursday, June 26, 2025 | By: EddieThe sub-$150 Bluetooth speaker market has grown increasingly competitive, with brands pushing the limits of what compact, wireless audio can deliver. Whether for immersive gaming, backyard parties, podcast listening, or just filling a room with rich sound, today’s best Bluetooth speakers offer a compelling mix of portability, durability, and well-balanced audio fidelity.
From an audiophile’s perspective, the sweet spot for sound quality and cost-performance now lies between $80 and $150. At this price point, speakers are expected to deliver crisp highs, balanced mids, and punchy but not overpowering bass, all while packing smart design features like waterproofing, stereo pairing, and extended battery life. This guide highlights five of the most popular and well-reviewed options on Amazon US, each with a unique edge and from a different brand to help you diversify your shortlist.
Top 5 Bluetooth Speakers Under $150:
1) JBL Clip 5 – Ultra Portable Rugged Sound
Results Provided by Amazon- Key Specs:
- IP67 waterproof and dustproof
- 12-hour battery life
- Integrated carabiner clip
- Overview: The JBL Clip 5 packs signature JBL Pro Sound into a compact, go-anywhere design. It’s built for those who need durable portability without compromising audio clarity. With over 3,000 reviews and a 4.8-star rating, it's a top choice for outdoor adventurers and daily commuters alike.
2) Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 – 360-Degree Sound in a Pocket
Results Provided by Amazon- Key Specs:
- IP67 waterproof, dustproof, and floatable
- 13-hour battery life
- 360-degree soundstage with podcast mode
- Overview: Delivering impressive volume and clarity for its size, the Wonderboom 4 is praised by RTINGS and audiophiles alike for its well-balanced sound and immersive output. A favorite for poolside listening, its rugged build and floating capability make it ideal for active lifestyles.
3) Sony SRS-XB100 – Compact Bass Enhanced Performer
Results Provided by Amazon- Key Specs:
- IP67 waterproof and dustproof
- Up to 16-hour battery life
- Passive radiator for enhanced low-end response
- Overview: Don’t be fooled by the small form factor. The XB100 delivers tight bass and clean vocals, making it a standout for value. Its minimalist design hides serious engineering, including a passive radiator and sound diffusion processor. It’s a go-to for casual listeners who appreciate deeper audio texture.
4) Anker Soundcore Flare 2 – Customizable Party Audio
Results Provided by Amazon- Key Specs:
- IPX7 waterproof rating
- 12-hour playtime
- 360-degree sound with BassUp technology and dual LED rings
- App-controlled EQ and lighting modes
- Overview: The Flare 2 caters to those who want more control over their listening experience. With user-customizable EQ, strong stereo imaging, and a vibrant LED light show, it’s perfect for home use or casual parties. It supports stereo pairing, making it ideal for creating a wireless mini soundstage.
5) Tribit StormBox 2 – Outdoor-Friendly 360° Sound Champion
Results Provided by Amazon- Key Specs:
- IPX7 waterproof rating
- Up to 24-hour battery life
- 34 W peak power with 360° sound
- Bluetooth 5.3, TWS stereo pairing, and app-based EQ
- Overview: The Tribit StormBox 2 punches above its price class with immersive surround sound, strong bass via XBass tech, and a full day of playback. Users praise its durability and performance, especially outdoors. TechRadar and Tom’s Guide recognize its value in rugged, outdoor settings.
Conclusion
Choosing a Bluetooth speaker today means balancing audio performance, portability, and durability while staying within a reasonable budget. The five picks featured above are not only Amazon best-sellers but also smart investments in sound quality and long-term reliability.
Whether you're upgrading your home setup, prepping for a weekend trip, or just want better music on the go, these speakers will deliver clear highs, confident mids, and satisfying bass, all under $150. Each brings something different to the table, and all are worthy companions for tech-savvy listeners who appreciate quality without overspending.
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BIOSTAR LAUNCHED AI-NONXS, NVIDIA BASED EDGE AI DEVELOPER KIT
Published: Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | By: EddiePowered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX/Nano with Super Mode for Up to 2.5X AI Inference Performance
Taipei, Taiwan – BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of edge computing solutions, motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, is excited to introduce the AI-NONXS Developer Kit, a high-performance edge AI development platform engineered to accelerate edge AI deployment for system integrators and AI software developers.
Designed to support NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX and Orin Nano series modules, the AI-NONXS Developer Kit empowers users to efficiently build and deploy AI-powered solutions across a broad range of real-world applications. From smart manufacture, smart retail, and automated warehouses to smart cities, transportation, and smart agriculture, the AI-NONXS provides the computing power, flexibility, and reliability required for advanced edge systems.The AI-NONXS Developer Kit comes with a comprehensive set of industrial-grade interfaces, including 4 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, 1 Micro-USB port, dual Gigabit Ethernet (1 x 1GbE and 1 x 2.5GbE with optional Power over Ethernet), and RS232/422/485, CANBUS, TPM (opt.), audio Line-Out/MIC-In and Speaker out. It operates within a wide temperature range of –20°C to 60°C and supports a flexible power input range of 12V to 20V, ensuring reliable performance in harsh environments. For visual input and expansion capabilities, the kit includes HDMI 2.1 (for Orin NX) or HDMI 1.4 (for Orin Nano), dual MIPI CSI connectors, and three M.2 slots (Key-M, Key-E, and Key-B) for storage, wireless communication, and modular upgrades.
With full support for Linux and NVIDIA JetPack 6.2 including its Super Mode performance profile, the platform enables on-device inference for modern AI workloads, such as large language models (LLMs), small language models (SLMs), vision-language models (VLMs), vision transformers (ViT), Stable Diffusion (text-to-image) and DeepSeek R1 etc.With Super Mode enabled, the AI-NONXS unlocks significant performance gains for advanced vision-based and multimodal applications. It offers full support for Vision Transformers (ViT), delivering up to 2X faster performance for improved image recognition accuracy, accelerated inference, and responsive real-time visual processing. Vision-Language Models (VLMs) also benefit from up to a 2.5X performance boost, enabling faster visual understanding, efficient multimodal integration, and real-time decision-making at the edge, making the AI-NONXS Developer Kit exceptionally well-suited for intelligent perception tasks across industrial and embedded environments.
The AI-NONXS Developer Kit delivers the intelligence and performance needed to drive next-generation edge AI solutions across a wide range of industries. In smart retail, it powers technologies such as automated checkout, real-time inventory management, in-store traffic analytics, and shopper behavior analysis. In smart manufacturing settings, it enables advanced visual inspection, predictive maintenance, and perceptive robotics.
For smart city infrastructure, the platform supports traffic flow optimization, number plate recognition, perimeter protection, and sensor fusion for real-time monitoring and control. Within transportation and logistics, it facilitates efficient fleet management, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), and intelligent cargo inspection. In agriculture, the AI-NONXS empowers applications like autonomous tractors, AI-powered harvesting, robotic pollinators, livestock health monitoring, and precision spraying, bringing powerful AI capabilities directly to the field.
With its compact industrial design, AI model versatility, and robust connectivity, BIOSTAR AI-NONXS Developer Kit is the ideal foundation for edge AI systems that require reliable, low-latency performance and maximum deployment flexibility.
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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.
