Two of the fastest-growing sectors in gaming monitors are OLED panels and high-refresh rate displays – and sometimes, monitors that combine both. Acer was on hand here at IFA 2025 to announce several new gaming monitors with Nitro and Predator branding. The monitors cover a broad range of price points and bring some enticing features to the table for gamers.
Acer hedges its hardware bets, puts vPro and ECC memory in new high-end gaming laptop
Based on its specs, Acer's new gaming laptop, the Predator Helios 18P, sounds like a business workstation. The system, announced at IFA in Berlin, has options for high-end processors with Intel vPro and ECC RAM to prevent data corruption.
But in person, it sure looks like a gaming laptop, with its Predator branding, liberal use of RGB lighting, and aggressive angles. But with vPro for managing PC fleets and ECC memory to ensure data integrity,
YMTC and CXMT team up to accelerate Chinese domestic HBM production — partnership brings hybrid bonding and DRAM expertise together
DigiTimes reported today that Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp. (YMTC) is preparing an entry into DRAM fabrication and exploring a partnership with ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to target High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), the premium DRAM stacked beside many of the highest-performance AI accelerators.
This move would align China’s top NAND maker with its leading DRAM supplier at a time when HBM is the hottest component in the data center and the Chinese government is eager to reduce reliance on big-three
U.S. gov't revokes TSMC's authorization to ship tools to its fabs in China — special export license to be pulled by end of 2025
The U.S. has decided to revoke its special allowance for TSMC to export advanced chipmaking tools from the U.S. to its Fab 16 in Nanjing, China, by the end of the year. The decision will force the company's American suppliers to get individual government approvals for future shipments. If approvals are not granted on time, this could could affect the plant's operations.
No more waivers for TSMC's Fab 16
Until now, TSMC benefited
The Asus Prime RTX 5070 12GB is the absolute cheapest RTX 5070 available to buy, now only $523
Although still on the "far too expensive" side for me, it's great to see the continuation of the 50-series GPU discounts from retailers. One of the reasons for the dip in prices may be to clear out inventory before the release of the rumoured 50-series Super variants when they release, or perhaps interest has waned on overly expensive graphics cards; we can't be certain, but I welcome any and all price reductions.
Hitting an all-
Samsung bulks the 9100 Pro up to 8TB for $999 — heatsink costs an extra $20
The Samsung 9100 Pro is now available in the 8TB configuration. Samsung has established a $999.99 MSRP on its website for the bare drive, while the heatsink model retails for $1,019.99 .
Alienware AW2725D QD-OLED QHD 280 Hz gaming monitor review: Rich color, high performance and excellent value
Tom's Hardware Verdict
The Alienware AW2725D is everything an OLED gaming monitor should be for less money than the competition. With tons of color and premium performance, it will satisfy all players from casual to professional.
Pros
- +
Bright, colorful and sharp picture
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Pro-level accuracy with calibration
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Flexible picture modes
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Premium video processing with low input lag
- +
Slick styling with solid build quality
- +
Terrific value
Cons
- -
No internal speakers or headphone jack
- -
Slightly green neutral tones in HDR mode
TSMC to reportedly raise quotes on advanced process nodes by up to 10% next year to pay for new fabs
TSMC intends to raise prices on wafers produced using its advanced process technologies by 5% to 10% starting in 2026, according toa report by DigiTimes . The new pricing strategy reportedly is said to reflect the company's increased capital expenditures (CapEx) — driven by expansion of advanced manufacturing capacities in the U.S. and Taiwan — amid the intention to keep its margin targets on track. We performed the basic math and found that
Amkor’s Arizona mega-plant could plug the holes in America’s chip ambitions — advanced packaging plant would reduce need to send US-produced chips to foreign shores for packaging and test
Amkor Technology has confirmed it will build a $2 billion advanced packaging and test facility on a 104-acre site in Peoria, Arizona, with construction beginning imminently and production expected in early 2028. The revised plan, approved by the Peoria City Council on August 29, swaps out Amkor’s originally designated plot in nearby Vistancia for a significantly larger parcel in the city’s Innovation Core.
Why the switch? Because the stakes have changed. Amkor
Planetary Minecraft-inspired demo uses a spherical planet — game has the same blocky mechanics, but converts flat earth surface into a sphere
Minecraft worlds are generated on an almost infinite flat plane, meaning players do not have to deal with the curvature of the world they’re building; they cannot traverse the surface of their planet and return to their starting position. However, one software developer by the name of Bowerbyte decided to level it up by making Blocky Planet . It’s not a full-on game yet, with the maker calling it a tech demo, but you can download and install the title on your