ConsumerIT - For Europe's High Volume PC Retailers, Distributors & Builders

G.Skill announces a high performance, high capacity, low latency DDR4 memory kit for users of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X processor-- the Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL16-20-20 256GB (32GBx8) 1.35V memory kits.

According to the company, the 32GB DIMMs are built with high density 16Gb components, and make "a perfect choice for those pursuing ultimate memory performance or attempting to build a powerful workstation for heavy content creation workloads." The actual kit consists of eight memory modules, and is ideal for customers with motherboards such as the Asus ROG Zenith II Extreme Alpha, the platform G.SKill uses to validate the kits.

According to Context, 16% of PCs sold through the largest W. European distributors in December 2019 are AMD-based, up from the 7% of December 2018, with most of the share growing in the consumer segment.

The analyst says that while only 10% of PCs sold to retailers and consumer etailers in December 2018 are AMD-powered, the proportion is up to 24% on December 2019. Such results come not only due to the rise in AMD PC volumes, but also the result of a decline in the sales of products based on Intel processors.

Taiwanese ODM Compal might be best known for being one of the biggest contract laptop manufacturers in the world, but it actually has a history of original hardware concepts-- such as the Pivobook, an innovative laptop with a pivoting display.

A product design winner in the 2020 iF World Design Guide Awards, the PivoBook has a 14-inch OLED display users can rotate between landscape and portrait views. Details on the actual laptop are scarce, but Compal says the display is extra-thin and lightweight, while "hinge ingenuity" allows for easy rotation. Tech specs are not available, but the intriguing concept means it should find use in any applications, particularly since the vertical orientation can be useful for heavy web browsing or video conferencing.

Japan's Showa Denko (SDK) develops the technology for the manufacturing of next-generation HDDs based on Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording (HAMR), enabling the eventual creation of 3.5-inch HDDs with capacities reaching 70-80TB.

As the name suggests, HAMR is a recording method involving the heating of a magnetic film in order to record data. To do so, the SDK technology uses small grains of magnetic crystals with thermal stability and information writability. Also involved are aluminium platters and a thin films of Fe-Pt alloy, a magnetic material both powerful and with high corrosion resistance.