Chassis and cooling specialist NZXT is the next company to take on PSUs with the E series-- a range of modular 80 Plus Bronze-rated ATX PSUs offering active monitoring of temperature and power consumption across the 12V rail.

The E series PSUs are based on the Seasonic Focus+ Gold platform featuring PMBus architecture, together with a Texas Instruments DSP and USB connectivity. The lineup consists of 500, 650 and 850W models, all carrying Japanese capacitors able to handle temperatures reaching 105 degrees Celsius, as well as overcurrent protection for the 12V rail.

Q2 2018 shows "solid" 2.7% Y-o-Y growth for traditional global PC (desktop, notebook, workstation) shipments reaching 62.3 million units, IDC reports-- the strongest Y-o-Y growth rate since Q1 2012.

The analyst does not give the actual numbers for the EMEA PC market. Instead it describes the growth as "modest," the result of device renewals in commercial space. Desktops play a strong role in driving the market, even if mobility remains the current trend.

Back to the global perspective, the Q2 2018 market bucked the trend from the previous 3 quarters even if it was helped "to some extent" by a weak Q2 2017 hit by component issues. Business volume is the key driver, with the top 3 vendors benefiting across both desktop and notebook. The market is growing for both premium and entry models, while Chrome OS-based devices, premium notebooks and gaming PCs further fuel the mix through improved supply and graphic card prices.

Thermalright announces an air cooler for the AMD Socket TR4-- the Silver Arrow TR4, a 140mm fan-cooled twin tower unit designed with the large contact surface area necessary to cool Threadripper and Epyc CPUs.

The Silver Arrow TR4 consists of a staggered aluminium fin twin tower heatsink with x8 nickel-plated 6mm heatplates soldered to a large nickel-plated copper baseplate. Also included a Thermalright TY-143 140mm ball bearing fan with speeds reaching 600 - 2500RPM, noise levels of 21-45dBa and 31.4-130CFM air flow. Connection comes through 4-pin PWM fan connector

Cooler Master adds to the MasterCase H-series with the H500-- a streamlined chassis offering (at least compared to the H500M and H500P) featuring the same dual-front 200mm fan design, if with less complicated options.

The H500 comes with either a full mesh front panel for optimised airflow or a transparent panel for enhanced aesthetics. The two 200mm RGB fans come pre-installed, with support for one optional 200mm fan on the top panel, and customers can boost cooling further through support for an up to 350mm radiator in front and 280mm on top. Also included is native support for the Cooler Master 200mm radiator. A light grey tinted tempered glass side panel allows for further customisation, and the whole thing is easy to carry through a front panel acting as a handle.

EVGA announces a range of 80 PLUS Bronze-certified PC power supplies-- the BR series, a range aimed at lower- to mid-tier customers with a choice of 450, 500, 600 or 700W models.

The power supplies have a non-modular design using all black fully sleeved cables and a 120mm sleeve bearing fan, and promise better voltage stability on the 3.5/5V rails. All come in the ATX form factor, and the cables are hardwired, not modular, saving customers the time of plugging in any cables. EVGA says the always-on fan offers quieter operation (at less than 20dBA) as well as a longer lifetime.

Researchers at the University of Michigan set to beat IBM for the claim of smallest computer in the world by shrinking the Michigan Micro Mote (M3) further, leading to a computer measuring all of 0.3mm to a side.

The previous version of the M3 computer measured 2 x 2 x 4mm, while the IBM claimant to the smallest computer throne is 1 x 1mm. However the race for the tiniest computer has lead to a re-examination of what a "computer" actually is, since both the latest M3 and the tiny IBM machine lose all programming and data as soon as they lose power.

“We are not sure if they should be called computers or not," professor of electrical and computer engineering David Blaauw says. "It’s more of a matter of opinion whether they have the minimum functionality required.”

The CemTrex SmartDesk might be one of the most impressive desks we've seen to date-- it might not be made of expensive wood, but it does feature a built-in computer complete with three 24-inch gesture-controlled touchscreens.

Desk PCs are not exactly a new concept. For instance, Taiwan's Lian-Li has the DK line of motorised adjustable desk PC cases. However CemTrex takes the idea a step further by adding the aforementioned three displays, as well as an embedded wireless phone charger, built-in VoIP business phone, wireless earbuds hidden inside a little pull-out drawer, and even a scanner built right inside the glass surface. Meaning, yes, one needs to just put a sheet of paper on the desk to scan it.

The Zotac Computex 2018 showcase hosts a number of interesting small form factor gaming PCs, including the MEK Mini, a smaller followup to last year's MEK1, and the larger MEK Ultra desktop.

The MEK Mini is around half the size of the MEK1. It carries an Intel Core i7-8700T CPU (6C/12T, 2.4-4.0 GHz, 12 MB LLC, 35 W), 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM, an M.2 PCIe/NVMe SSD, 2TB 2.5-inch HDD and a Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Mini graphics card, all in a Mini-ITX motherboard. Networking comes via Killer Wireless AC 1550 and Killer Ethernet network controllers.

Zotac says the system is fully custom, specifically due to the external power supply and appropriate power connector. As a result it is impossible to swap out components for upgrade purposes.