MSI's Venture and Venture Pro lineup features the high-end hardware its machines are known for, but intended for the professional and creative user.

Madden 25Credit: EAIf youre an NFL fan who plays Madden 25, and your teams season ended on January 5, meaning there are no playoffs for your guys this year, youre probably already looking at next year. Normally, youd have to wait until August to give it a spin with your teams new roster.Well, Madden 25 has a little-used feature in franchise mode that allows you to begin your franchise at any specific week from the preseason through Week 16 of the regular season.I believe youll be able to start from Week 17, 18, or the offseason in the coming weeks. However, if youre like me, youre probably ready to do something with your failed team now, not later.Here are the steps to starting your franchise from the end of the current season: Begin at the main menu.Madden 25Credit: EANext, select Create New League.Madden 25Credit: EAFrom there, select the Play Online Solo or Multiplayer option. If you dont, you wont have the option to start from any week during the preseason or regular season.Madden 25Credit: EAMORE FOR YOUNext, select the Weekly NFL Roster option.Madden 25Credit: EANext, youll find yourself at the Pick Your Week screen. You can choose any week, but for the purpose of getting to the offseason quicker for a bad team, you can slide as deep into the season as Madden has available when you try to use this feature.Madden 25Credit: EAOnce youre done, youll be dropped into the week of the season you selected. All the standings, stats, and injuries will be accurate in accordance with the real NFL.Madden 25Credit: EAThe final piece is the draft class. Following Week 16, you will be able to edit or download a custom draft class. If youre on PlayStation 5, Id advise grabbing the one made by BigGargamel.It has 450 players with accurate positions and realistic ratings. If you download that draft class and simulate or play through the remainder of the season and playoffs, youll find yourself in a position to start rebuilding your favorite team ahead of the 2025 season with a real free-agent and draft class.I took control of the Chicago Bears. I targeted an entirely new offensive line with the exception of Darnell Wright at right tackle. That meant drafting Will Campbell to be my new starting left tackle and also adding Dylan Fairchild from Georgia.I threw money at Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith and instantly gave my now second-year QB, Caleb Williams, better protection. I let Roschon Johnson walk and replaced him with Arizona State star Cam Skattebo with a fourth-round pick. DeAndre Swift and Cam Skattebo are a better one-two punch.On defense, I replaced Tyrique Stevenson with New York Jets free-agent cornerback D.J. Reed and relegated the former to the bench. I also signed Miami Dolphins free-agent safety Jevon Holland to pair with JaQuan Brisker, who I hope stays healthy.If you love football and play Madden, you can probably understand how this concept is going to get me over until July, when EA College Football 26 drops.

The new Razer Blade 16 is a third thinner than last year's modelRazerA new version of the Razer Blade 16 gaming laptop has been unveiled at CES 2025, with the slimmed down device now rivalling the MacBook Pro for slenderness.The Razer Blade 16 is the companys thinnest ever gaming laptop, measuring 0.59 inches thick at its thinnest point. The latest MacBook Pro 16in is 0.61 inches thick, for comparison.Unlike the MacBook Pro, the Razer of course ships with dedicated graphics, taking advantage of Nvidias newly announced RTX 5090.Theres more bad news for Intel, though, as Razer has switched to rival AMD for this latest model. The Razer Blade 16 will ship with up to an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU, which helps the laptop qualify for Microsofts Copilot+ status something that Intel was unable to deliver, according to a Razer spokesperson.The AMD chip also offers better performance per watt, Razers spokesperson told me, allowing the company to shrink down the chassis without compromising on the power needed for a high-end gaming machine.The Razer Blade 16 can be specified with up to 64GB of RAM, but unlike previous generations, this will be soldered to the motherboard meaning its not user upgradable.Razer Blade 16 DesignThe Razer Blade 16 has a full set of ports despite its slender sizeRazerMORE FOR YOUThere appear to be few other compromises of making the new Razer Blade 16 around a third slimmer than its predecessor. The amount of travel offered by the keyboard has actually improved, with each key offering around 1.5mm of travel. In my very brief hands-on period with the laptop, that keyboard felt every bit as good as the one on the MacBook Pro.Ports havent been skimped on either, with full-sized HDMI, USB-A, USB-C and even Kensington lock ports on offer.The screen is a delight. A QHD+ 240Hz OLED display, it looks brilliantly sharp and impactful, and though we weren't allowed to play games at the CES briefing due to an ongoing Nvidia embargo, Razer claims it has a minimal 0.2ms response time.Sound shouldnt disappoint either, with a six-speaker design for both downward and upward firing audio.At the time of writing, there wasn't a confirmed price for the new Razer Blade 16, but dont expect this to cost anything less than $2,500 for the most basic spec, and significantly more if you want to max out the processor, RAM and storage. It will be available in the first quarter of this year.If the gaming performance meets expectations and theres no cooling compromises from the slimmed down chassis, it could well be the gaming laptop of the year, even at this early stage.Razer Monitor Stand ChromaIf youre thinking of hooking your gaming laptop up to a monitor, you might also be interested in another new Razer product, the Monitor Stand Chroma.This 20-inch wide slab of metal lifts the monitor off the desk and beams RGB lighting onto the space below, where you might stash a keyboard if youre connected to a desktop PC.It can support screens weighing up to 20kg, and includes a four-port USB hub (2 x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Type C and 1 x HDMI 2.0) to help keep cables tidy on the desk.Its a punchy $199, but if youre already blowing a few grand on a Razer Blade 16 that might seem like pocket change.

Cutting corners: The XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude brands have been integral to Dell's identity since the 1990s. However, starting with its 2025 lineup of laptops and desktops, the company is adopting a simplified naming scheme that reflects three distinct performance and price tiers. Dell's 2025 laptops are now available for order, marking a significant departure from nearly three decades of tradition. The devices feature a new naming convention designed to clearly signal their intended market segments.The Inspiron, Latitude, and XPS brands will be replaced with Dell, Dell Pro, and Dell Max. The simple "Dell" name will indicate relatively affordable laptops and desktops for school, work, and leisure. Meanwhile, Dell Pro systems will target professional IT users, while the highest performance levels are reserved for Dell Pro Max.Dell introduced its first XPS laptop in 1993, followed by the debut of the Latitude XP in 1994 and the launch of the Inspiron series with the Dell Inspiron 7000 in 1998.While last year's XPS, Inspiron, and Latitude devices will remain available until inventory runs out, most of Dell's future PCs will adopt the new, streamlined naming system. Despite these changes, Dell will continue to offer its Alienware gaming brand.The three new tiers will also include subcategories indicating screen size and form factor. For example, 14-inch and 16-inch Dell Pro Plus laptops are currently available for around $1,700. Premium models are closer to $2,000, and rugged variants with durable shells occupy the highest price bracket despite featuring older Intel Core Ultra 100 processors. // Related StoriesOther upcoming laptops, desktops, and monitors using the new naming scheme are expected soon.Dell has also embraced the growing trend of AI-enabled PCs. The Dell Pro desktops will be the company's first pre-built towers to include NPUs for handling onboard generative AI workloads.Additionally, Dell announced a new development kit for AI models optimized for NPUs. The company claims its new Pro AI Studio featuring Dell tools, frameworks, templates, and models can reduce development and deployment times by up to 75 percent.The company also revealed three new 4K monitors that will ship in the coming weeks.The new 32- and 27-inch UltraSharp Thunderbolt Hub displays, retailing for $950 and $700, respectively, on February 25, support Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, USB-C, and RJ45 ports with 140W power delivery. Meanwhile, a new 32-inch QD-OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate will be available on March 27 for $800.

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"MSI Table of ContentsTable of ContentsMSI TitanMSI Raider and VectorMSI StealthMSI Crosshair, Cyborg and VentureMSI is bringing an army of new power-packed gaming laptops this year at CES 2025. Surprisingly, most of its new models come with the option of using AMD chips, which is a pivot from what we have seen in the past, as the company has favored Intel. MSI is also betting big on large laptops, as there are a total of five 18-inch models, alongside 17-inch and 16-inch models.Most of the high-end models, including the Titan, the Raider, and Vector laptops, will be getting PCIe 5.0 support, along with a dedicated hea sink connected directly to the CPU and GPU cooling hardware. The company also mentions improvements to the rubber used in its speaker drivers that notably reduce resonance and improve sound quality. Lets dig into the different laptops that MSI has just unveiled.Recommended VideosMSIThe Titan series continues the legacy of offering top-of-the-line hardware with the latest Titan 18 HX. This year the laptop comes in a Dragon Edition inspired by Norse mythology and featuring a dragon head and rune-etched lid. The design includes a textured metal finish and a Norse-themed coin embedded in the palm rest, framed under glass with elements of the Norse tree of life, known as Yggdrasil. The flagship also comes with a large RGB haptic touchpad, RGB-lit Cherry mechanical switches, and powerful hardware. This includes Intels Core Ultra 9 275HX CPUand Nvidias latest RTX 50-series GPUs. Beyond that, MSI decked it out with advanced vapor chamber cooling to tame the mind-boggling 270-watt power consumption (CPU 95W + GPU 175W), as well as up to 96GB DDR5-6400 RAM and up to four SSDs.RelatedFor the display, MSI has gone for an 18-inch UHD+ (3,840 x 2,400) mini LED panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, and VESA Display HDR 1000 certification. Connectivity options include two Thunderbolt 5 ports, three USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, a 2.5GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and HDMI 2.1.The laptop weighs a hefty 7.9 pounds and packs a 99.9 watt-hour battery unit that is charged via a massive 400W power supply. MSI hasnt revealed the pricing, but considering how last years model retailed for over $5,000, we wont be surprised to see the latest Titan 18 HX surpassing its predecessor.MSIThe Raider series has also been updated with a new 18-inch model that is more or less similar to the Titan 18 HX in terms of features as well as dimensions. Available with Intels Core Ultra 9 275HX (Raider 18 HX A2XW) or AMDs new Ryzen 9 9955HX3D (Raider A18 HX A9W) processors, the laptop will also serve up Nvidias RTX 50-series graphics cards.The laptop also comes with the same 18-inch mini-LED panel as its premium sibling, up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM, and dual-M.2 SSD slots. The connectivity options are similar, including dual Thunderbolt ports (v4 on the AMD model), 2.5Gbe LAN, Wi-Fi 7, a per-key RGB keyboard by SteelSeries, and a 400W power adapter.The new Vector series is a small step down from the Raider, but it still features impressive hardware. The 18-inch Vector 18 HX AI A2XW will be available with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, while the Vector A18 HX A9W gets up to an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX. The GPU is still an Nvidia model, but may not be as high-end as the Raider. Meanwhile, the 18-inch IPS display on the Vector series features a QHD+ (2,560 x 1,600) resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.Notably, MSI lists the AMD model as featuring a 99.9Whr battery with a 400W power adapter, while the Intel variant will come with a 90WHr battery and a 330W adapter.MSIThe Stealth series, known for its relatively thinner profile, gets an 18-inch variant available with either the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (Stealth 18 HX AI A2XW) or the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (Stealth A18 AI+ A3HW). Both models will let you pick either a high-end Nvidia RTX 50-series GPU, 96GB of DDR5 memory. Theres also a single NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD slot, a per-key RGB keyboard by SteelSeries, and a six-speaker system by Dynaudio system.MSI will be offering the option of an 18-inch UHD+ (38402400), 120Hz mini-LED panel or a QHD+ (25601600), 240Hz IPS panel. Both variants also come with a 99.9Whr battery and a 280W power adapter.There is also a 16-inch variant (Stealth A16 AI+ A3HW) exclusively powered by AMD, specifically the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor. The smaller variant will be available with up to an RTX 5090 GPU, 64GB of onboard LPDDR5x memory, an NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD slot, and a similar keyboard and speaker system as the 18-inch variant. As for the display, MSI is offering a 16-inch QHD+ (25601600) OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600 certification.The company is also launching midrange gaming laptops: the Crosshair 18 HX AI A2XW and the Cyborg A17 AI B2HW. The Crosshair 18 model, as the name suggests, is once again an 18-inch notebook available with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor, a QHD+ 240Hz IPS display, dual NVMe M.2 SSD slots, up to 96GB of DDR5 memory, and a 240W power adapter.The Cyborg A17 AI B2HW seems to be more of a budget offering and will be available with up to an AMD Ryzen 7 260 processor, RTX 50-series GPUs, DDR5 memory of up to 96GB, and an NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD slot. The 17.3-inch display makes use of an FHD (1,920 x 1,080) IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. Other features include a measly 55.2Whr battery and a 150W power adapter.MSIAs for the Venture series, the lineup targets everyday computing with various models available in 14-inch, 16-inch, and 17-inch form factors and the option of Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen 300 CPUs.Editors Recommendations

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Ahead of CES 2025, I got to check out Alienwares most exciting OLED gaming monitor yet a 27-inch 4K model. I got to play a few rounds of Halo Infinite on the monitor at an Alienware event, and I was blown away by how sharp it looked.Now, lets be clear: this is hardly the only 27-inch, 4K OLED. Its one of the big monitor trends at CES this year, with models from Asus and Samsung joining in on the fun.Recommended VideosThey are the sharpest OLED monitors youll be able to buy, with a pixel density of around 166 pixels per inch. And this one looks absolutely fantastic.DellAlienware 27 4K OLED (AW2725Q)Screen size26.7 inchesPanel typeQuantum Dot OLEDResolution3840 x 2160Refresh rate240HzBrightness250 nits (SDR), 1000 nits (HDR)Ports1x DisplayPort 1.42x HDMI 2.11x USB-B upstream3x USB-A downstream1x USB-C downstream (PD up to 15 watts)Price$900 The monitor also has a redesigned stand and base that takes up less space on your desk, has simpler cable management, and rounded edges. The design matches the new Alienware Area-51 gaming laptops, as well as the new Aurora desktop.RelatedBut really, it all comes down to sharpness. Because there are plenty of more extreme monitors out there, whether its the 27-inch, 500Hz QHD OLED from Samsung, the bendable 5K OLED from LG, or even the 32-inch Predator 5K LED. But theres something about the combination of the motion clarity of OLED and the sharpness of the pixel density that really makes this monitor stand out.Chris Hagan / Digital TrendsThe $900 price, though, is important. None of the other monitor manufacturers have announced pricing yet, so its great to see where the price will likely land with these displays, which are bound to be among the best gaming monitors you can buy.For what its worth, the 27-inch QHD OLED (AW2725DF) that came out in early 2024 costs $830 right now, which is just $70 cheaper. That monitor had a higher refresh rate of 360Hz compared to the 240Hz of the 4K model, but so far, the value feels really solid, and Alienware just may end up being the first to launch.The monitor will be available on January 22 in China and in March in the U.S.Editors Recommendations

Table of ContentsTable of ContentsAlienware Area-51 desktopAlienware 16 and 18 Area-51 laptopsAlienware has been around for 30 years, if you can believe it. And to celebrate its anniversary for CES 2025, the company has announced a gargantuan Area-51 desktop, along with two monster Area-51 gaming laptops.But whether youre talking about the best gaming laptops or the best gaming PCs, Area-51 has always represented the absolute extreme in terms of design pedigree and performance at Alienware, though the brand has been dormant for the past few years, ever since the Area-51m was retired. Well, its back in a big way.Recommended VideosLuke Larsen / Digital TrendsFirst the desktop, because really, thats always been the heart of Area-51, a desktop that goes back to the late 1990s. Although it builds off some DNA from previous versions of the Area-51, this is a complete redesign from the ground up. And boy, is it glorious. Alienware said its new full-size tower was designed with the feedback of their fans, and you can certainly tell. Unlike the more unorthodox designs of previous versions of the Area-51, the new Area-51 much more resembles a standard DIY desktop PC. Everything inside the PC is easily accessible user-serviceable, including the standard ATX motherboard, CPU liquid cooling options, and just about every other component at your fingertips. The all-black motherboard Alienware developed is gorgeous too.Luke Larsen / Digital TrendsIn many ways, this feels more like competition with high-end boutique custom PC builders like Falcon Northwest, Origin, and Digital Storm. Thats certainly not like anything Alienwares more direct competitors are attempting to do.RelatedThis is an absolutely massive case, standing at 22 inches and just over 2 feet in length. Its quite an obelisk of steel and glass. The all-silver front panel rounds up to the top, and the AlienFX light bar is featured prominently on the side. The all-aluminum side panel looks fantastic, though the tempered glass option gives you a great view of the carefully managed cables.Theres a lot more too in the realm of max performance. Obviously, it supports all the latest components from Intel and Nvidia, including any potential oversized RTX 50-series GPUs. Beyond that, though, there are CPU liquid cooling options of 240mm and 360mm heat exchangers with top side gaskets, support for PCIe Gen5 graphics and SSD storage, an 850-watt power supply, and support for up to 600 watts of graphics power headroom with up to four-slot shroud. For storage, youll find three extra storage slots on the right side, as well as three M.2 SSD slots on the left.The most interesting (and somewhat controversial) feature, however, is its use of positive pressure airflow. This method is generally understood to have some downsides namely that you can easily end up with hot air trapped inside your case, thanks to the fact that you have more air coming in through intake fans than your exhaust fans can remove. However, Alienware says its engineers have vetted this approach. And apparently, the result is 50% more processing power while still running 13% cooler and 45% quieter. It also says this method pushes 25% more air through the case.The new Alienware Area-51 Desktop will be available later in Q1, though the pricing has yet to be specified. Get ready for something expensive.Chris Hagan / Digital TrendsWhile the return of the Area-51 desktop is big news, Alienware is also extending the brand to gaming laptops in the most broad way yet. Its announced 16-inch and 18-inch versions of the same laptop, designed to replace the previous m16 and m18 models in the lineup. Those were the thicker, more performance-driven options, while the x14 and x16 were thinner versions meant to compete more with the Razer Blade.These new Area-51 laptops, however, are all about performance. I got to see the 18-inch model in person, and I can certainly see how it lives up to the legacy of the Area-51 desktop it was named after. The Alienware 18 Area-511 is very marginally thinner the m18 R2 but is actually a half-pound heavier. Its a chunky boy. Its a similar story with the 16-inch model, except in this case its actually a full 1.85 pounds heavier than the previous-gen m16 R2 model.Alienware has always struggled to compete with the portability of laptops like the ROG Zephyrus G16 or Razer Blade 16 and here, it seems unashamed in selling to an audience that might not worry about some extra size.Chris Hagan / Digital TrendsThe overall look is new, sporting the 30th anniversary redesign in a dark teal color. All throughout, the laptop goes for rounded corners and softer lines. I noticed that the edges rolling off the palm rests are particularly rounded, offering a comfortable landing place for your hands.Beyond that, it maintains many of the classic Alienware elements, but now slightly improved. Take the keyboard, for example, which has as the 1.8mm travel keys I love, but now Im happy to report that Alienware has dropped the number pad and replaced it with better access to volume and mute keys. This also allows the large touchpad to be centered in the middle of the keyboard deck.The laptop also has the familiar thermal shelf on the rear where with most of the ports are located, only now it has a slightly transparent light, which gives a unique haze of RGB across the back. Lastly, it still has its bottom bezel below the display, but this time, Alienware has reworked the hinge so that it doesnt need to have quite as tall of a neck propping it up. Its a better look, for sure.Alienware 16 Area-51Alienware 18 Area-51Dimensions14.37 x 11.41 x 0.85 inches16.1 x 12.6 x 0.95 inchesWeight7.6 pounds9.82 poundsDisplay16-inch, 2560 x 1600 LED at 240Hz18-inch, 2560 x 1600 LED at 300HzCPUIntel Core Ultra 7 255HXIntel Core Ultra 9 275HXIntel Core Ultra 7 255HXIntel Core Ultra 9 275HXGPUNvidia next-gen laptop GPUsNvidia next-gen laptop GPUsMemory16GB (6400 MT/s)32GB (6400MT/s)32GB (7200 MT/s)64GB (6400 MT/s)16GB (6400 MT/s)32GB (6400MT/s)32GB (7200 MT/s)64GB (6400 MT/s)Storage1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD2TB PCIe Gen5 SSD4TB RAID0 PCIe SSD8TB RAID0 PCIe SSD12TB RAID0 PCIe SSD1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD2TB PCIe Gen5 SSD4TB RAID0 PCIe SSD8TB RAID0 PCIe SSD12TB RAID0 PCIe SSDPorts1x headphone jack1x full-sized SD card2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 11x USB-C 3.2 Gen 12x Thunderbolt 5 ports1x HDMI 2.11x headphone jack1x full-sized SD card1x RJ-45 Ethernet port2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 11x USB-C 3.2 Gen 12x Thunderbolt 5 ports1x HDMI 2.1Camera1080p1080pPrice~$1,999+~$1,999+One fun addition to the laptops design is the window on the bottom of the laptop that gives you a peek into the internals of the device. The bump also gives the laptop some extra Z-height for improved cooling over some of the hottest components.Digital Trends / Chris HaganOne thing I dont get about Alienwares approach, however, is the lack of more advanced display options. The models have just a 2560 x 1600 300Hz IPS display, which is fine on its own, but theres no higher-end display configuration to upgrade to. No OLED, mini-LED, or even a 4K model will be available. When you have OLED so quickly spreading like wildfire through the rest of the gaming laptop world, Alienwares lack of it sticks out. Thats especially true considering all the investment made on the external gaming monitor front in Alienware QD-OLEDs.Im also not in love with the emphasized bezels around the screen. They arent huge, but theyre a bit of an eyesore.Lets not forget these are supposed to be high-end laptops. The most affordable configuration comes with a full terabyte of storage, and you can max it out at a ridiculous 12TB if you really want to.Regardless, Alienware says the laptops will be available later in Q1 with an estimated launch price of around $3,199. Eventually, there will be a more affordable entry-level configuration that will start around $1,999.Editors Recommendations

Melinda French Gates is one of the world's richest women, even after her divorce from Bill Gates.Bill and Melinda Gates first met at Microsoft, and were married for 27 years.Here's what to know about Melinda Gates' life, career, and philanthropic pursuits.Melinda French Gates, born Melinda Ann French, is 60 years old and one of the richest women indeed, one of the richest people alive today.Though she already enjoyed a successful career before wedding Microsoft founder Bill Gates, her marriage rocketed Melinda Gates through the stratosphere in terms of wealth. But her main legacy is the money she has given away in the form of charitable works through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.Melinda Gates' early life and careerGates seemed destined for achievement from a young age, starting with an impressive academic career.Melinda Gates was born in 1964 in Dallas, Texas, and raised alongside three siblings. She developed an early interest in computers and programming and, after graduating from high school at the top of her class, she went on to earn dual degrees in computer science and economics from Duke University.She then earned an MBA from Duke as well. She completed both undergraduate degrees and her master's in just five years.The first company for which Melinda Gates ever worked would also be the last corporation of which she was an employee: Microsoft. Gates joined to software juggernaut in 1987 after turning down an offer from the then larger IBM, per the National Women's History Museum. Melinda Ann French started her career at Microsoft before sparking a romance with then-CEO Bill Gates. Paul Harris/Getty Images Gates worked in the growing firm's marketing department and soon was helping to develop and launch software products including Publisher; Cinemania; the vaunted word processing platform still used today, Microsoft Word; and the wildly successful travel site Expedia.Melinda Ann French would surely have caught the eye of Microsoft CEO Bill Gates based on her success at Microsoft alone, but their meeting, four months after she joined his company, led to more than a working relationship; it led to a budding romance.Bill and Melinda Gates' early years, marriage, and familyAfter seven years of dating, Bill and Melinda Gates were married in Hawaii on New Year's Day in the year 1994. It was a private indeed secretive ceremony that allegedly cost $1 million, hardly a problem for Bill Gates, who had been a billionaire since 1987.Melinda Gates left Microsoft in 1996, shortly after the birth of her and Bill Gates' first child, a daughter named Jennifer. The couple had a second child, Rory, in 1999, and a third, Phoebe, who was born in 2002.It was a few years after her departure from Microsoft that Melinda Gates stepped into a leadership role at a charitable organization that would define much of the next two decades of her life and would change the lives of thousands of people around the world.Melinda Gates' work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has dispensed more than $77 billion in grants. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images Founded in 1994 as the William H. Gates Foundation and rebranded as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) in the year 2000, after merging with the Gates Library Foundation which Melinda had set up in 1997.To date the BMGF has given away more than $77 billion in charitable grants.Melinda Gates served as the co-chair of the foundation for well over two decades, and during her time there the organization, at times billed as the largest private charitable organization on the planet, worked on everything from disease eradication to empowering women to developing clean water and agriculture projects and more.Melinda French Gates stepped down from her role at the BMGF in the late spring of the year 2024, a bit less than three years after she divorced Bill Gates.Why and when did Melinda and Bill Gates get divorced? Melinda Gates has spoken in interviews about the painful end of her marriage to Bill Gates. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Melinda Gates and Bill Gates were officially divorced in 2021, ending a 27-year union. There had long been rumors of infidelity on Bill Gates' part, and in interviews, Melinda Gates cited a lack of trust and said she realized the relationship wasn't "healthy."Melinda Gates also spoke of grieving the relationship, but ultimately making the painful decision that she could not remain married to Bill Gates.Melinda Gates was also reported to have serious misgivings about Bill Gates' relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and alleged sex trafficker who died by suicide in a New York City jail cell in 2019.How much money did Melinda Gates get in the divorce?Bill and Melinda Gates did not have a prenuptial agreement in place, opting for a separation agreement, instead. But Melinda Gates would nonetheless leave the union as a wealthy woman. She was granted more than $6.3 billion worth of Microsoft stocks, and has a total estimated net worth of $30 billion, per Forbes.Melinda Gates' life post-divorceFollowing her split from Bill Gates, Melinda Gates briefly dated a man named Jon Du Pre, a Fox News Host, but the relationship was short-lived.What has not been short-lived is Melinda Gates' continuing dedication to philanthropy. In 2022, she formed the charitable organization Pivotal Ventures, which is, per the organization's site, dedicated "to accelerat[ing] the pace of social progress through high-impact investments, philanthropy, partnerships, and advocacy, [it's] working to get more power in the hands of more peopleespecially women."In late 2024, Melinda Gates was photographed holding hands with former Microsoft employee Phillip Vaughn, who now heads the craft beer delivery company Tavour.

Like the government black site gatecrashers back in 2019, Alienware is Naruto running back to Area 51. The Dell-owned brand is offering longtime fans a chance to bask in the old-school aestheticsort of. The new Area-51 laptop looks the part, offering rounded corners and RGB mood lighting reminiscent of Alienwares classic design. Conversely, the Area-51 desktop looks much more like its current, more functional design. Exceptthis timeits really, really big. The new 16- and 18-inch Area 51 laptops are the big brothers of the m16 R2 and m18 R2 from 2024. They both include the option for an Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX or a Core Ultra 9 275HX, plus Nvidias 50-series GPUs. There are further options up to 64 GB of DDR5 RAM (32 GB includes DDR5XMP at 7200 MT/s). The laptop supports a whopping 175W of TGP, which may be necessary to support the higher-end 50-series GPUs. Weve yet to try out Intel and Nvidias latest laptop gaming options, but what youre really here is for the aesthetic. The bottom plate includes a small see-through window to look at some of the components. Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo I did not get to use the Area-51 laptops in any meaningful way before CES, though I tapped their keys with their CherryMX mechanical switches and found myself reminded of past gaming laptops with their full mechanical keyboards. It was a surprisingly joyful typing experience that I havent felt from a laptop in a long time, and that alone makes me excited to test them out. As for visuals, both laptops include a QHD+ (2,560 by 1600) resolution IPS LCD that goes up to 240 Hz.The Area-51 laptops start at around $2,000, but the launch config with the high-end 50-series cards will start at $3,200. They should be around starting sometime early in 2025, with more configuration options to come later.Alienware has been shifting its design ethos over the past few years. Nowhere is thatclearer than with therecent Aurora R16 desktopand its more mundane look thanpast sci-fidesigns. That same design with the RGB loop and rounded, square frame transfers to the new Area-51. Its bigger, and the pictures dont offer justice for its mammoth proportions. This case is meant to house Nvidias 50-series GPUs. It includes a sliding rack to act as a brace for these massive cards up to 450mm in length. The tower is so big that it should be future-proofed against any cards that could possibly get even larger. Equaling its size is its price tag. The new desktop should be available sometime in the first quarter of 2025, though the starting price will set you back $4,500. Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo Photo: Adriano-Contreras / Gizmodo The case itself is 24- by 9-inch by 22-inches big. Powering next-gen high-end Nvidia GPUs is no joke, so Area-51 includes an 850W 80 Plus Gold or 1500W 80 Plus Platinum PSU. Opposite the power supply is a cradle for housing more drives other than the built-in SSD storage. If you have an old drive you need to install into your PC, the Area-51 is offering you extra room. The big consideration with the Area-51 is whether its positive pressure airflow cooling will work in practice. The typical case fan system intakes cooler outside air and exhausts it through other fans. The idea is that all fans point inwards while the hot air exits passively through rear ventsno exhaust fan required. Its a technique that has existed for years, with the added benefit of supposedly cooling graphics cards better than more traditional fan setups. Alienware claims their new tower runs 13% cooler than other fan setups and remains quieter while doing it.Gizmodo is covering all the coolest and weirdest tech from the show floor atCES 2025in Las Vegas. Follow our live coveragehere.

Nvidia has finally pulled the curtain off its next series of graphics cards. If you somehow avoided the mountain of rumors and leaks about Nvidias powerful, humongous, and energy-hungry RTX 50-series GPUs, that are all that and more. The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 50-series includes all the usual suspects, though well be seeing the more powerful cards first. The RTX 5070, 5070 Ti, 5080, and top-of-the-line 5090 are all present and accounted for. Its the first time Nvidia has decided to release a titanium edition card alongside the main card, though theres nothing wrong with having more options up front. They are also the most expensive cards the company has ever produced. The RTX 4090 will retail for $1,600. To take the sting off, the company also declared the RTX 5070 will go for $550. The RTX 5070 Ti will cost $750 and the 5080 will be $1,000.Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang came out to the stage of the Michelob Ultra arena in the Mandalay Bay casino and first asked the crowd do you like my jacket? He has a reason to act like a celebrity. The companys AI training chips have made it one of the most profitable in the world. AI was the main theme behind his entire presentation. It was one of the big reasons the new RTX video cards specs seem so outlandish.He further claimed that people who take a RTX 5070, even on a laptop, can expect performance equivalent to the RTX 4090. A big part of that, he said, is because of the companys Tensor cores and its AI that back up the cards performance. GeForce brought AI to the masses, he said. Now were bringing AI to GeForce. The top-end Blackwell cards will have 380 RT TFLOPS and 125 shader TFLOPS plus a 1.8 TB/s memory bandwidth. Well get more word on the exact numbers of CUDA cores and VRAM soon, but its safe to say the RTX 5090 is 50% more card than Nvidias previous massive, ultra-powerful GPU, the RTX 4090.Add to all that is an app new AI upscaled software suite in DLSS 4. This now includes updated ray reconstruction and super resolution models aided with AI transformer models.Youd have to have a big case and big pockets to even think about sticking an RTX 5090 in your case. Meanwhile, the RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 offer power beyond their counterparts from two years ago. The new Blackwell cards should arrive within the next few weeks. What didnt get any air was the any mention of more budget-end cards. Well need to wait a few months for the RTX 5050, 5060, and 5060 Ti to show up.Gizmodo is covering all the coolest and weirdest tech from the show floor atCES 2025in Las Vegas. Follow our live coveragehere.