News Archive
Saturday, September 30th 2023
MINISFORUM today is launching their BD770i ITX "Mobile on Desktop" motherboard which comes equipped with
AMD's 8-core "Zen 4" Ryzen 7 7745HX. Upon the CPU sits a custom "integrated advanced cooling system" which partially exhausts out of the I/O shield and supports installation of a 120 mm fan, which is not included. The board features dual actively cooled M.2 2280 PCI-E Gen 5 SSDs plus M.2 2230 E-Key for WLAN cards, 2.5G Ethernet, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, another pair of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that also supports display out as DisplayPort 1.4. The BD770i also features dual SODIMM slots for up to DDR5-5200 DRAM, as well as a full length PCI-E Gen 5 x16 for dedicated graphics cards. A small detail we noticed in the product images is the silhouette of two more M.2 ports on the rear of the board that aren't in the specifications. On the product page there are mentions of a higher-end BD790i with the Ryzen 9 7945HX which does not seem to be available yet, so perhaps this higher end board will feature these extra ports.
Despite the AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX supporting overclocking features such as an unlocked multiplier, AMD EXPO, and Precision Boost Overdrive; MINISFORUM has chosen to not support those features on the BD770i. Perhaps the upcoming BD790i will include OC support and features, we'll have to wait and see. Pricing for the BD770i is currently set at $399 USD for early orders, however the price is expected to increase to $499 USD after the launch period promotion expires.
For over a decade since the launch of Windows 8, Windows has had a not so well kept secret; you could activate an install using a Windows 7 key. So long as you had the correct version of the key for the install you intended to use, such as Home or Pro, plugging a Windows 7 key into a Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or even 11 install after upgrading would activate that new copy of Windows. Microsoft originally allowed this as a means to entice users away from Windows 7 and onto their newer operating systems via the free Windows Upgrade system. This even worked when doing a fresh clean install if you had an OEM key harvested from an old machine. That old Dell box in your closet that came with Windows 7 Pro in 2009? That key glued to the back could still be used to activate a fresh copy of Windows 10/11 in 2023. Same with Windows 8 keys. That changes soon.
Microsoft announced the change on their Device Partner Center in a very short posting which reads,
Microsoft's free upgrade offer for Windows 10 / 11 ended July 29, 2016. The installation path to obtain the Windows 7 / 8 free upgrade is now removed as well. Upgrades to Windows 11 from Windows 10 are still free.
Friday, September 29th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Mice
The VAXEE NP-01S Wireless, designed for right-handed users, offers ergonomic comfort and weighs just 68 g, just like its wired counterpart. However, it distinguishes itself with a mechanical encoder, departing from the optical one. Furthermore, it features PixArt's cutting-edge PAW3395 sensor, Huano main button switches, and an impressive battery life of up to 100 hours.
Review
Game Testing
Counter-Strike 2 is available now, with improved graphics powered by Valve's Source 2 engine. All the maps have received overhauls, which gives them a much more realistic look, without breaking the classic CS Experience. In our performance review, we're taking a closer look at image quality, VRAM usage, and performance on a wide selection of modern graphics cards.
Years in the making,
Cocoon is now available! For the next two weeks, you can get it for 20% off. The team at
Geometric Interactive has put a ton of work into it and we hope you'll love the experience as much as we do. From Jeppe Carlsen, the lead gameplay designer of Limbo and Inside—Cocoon takes you on an adventure across worlds within worlds. Master world-leaping mechanics to unravel a cosmic mystery.
WORLDS WITHIN WORLDS
Cocoon is a unique take on the puzzle adventure genre, where each world exists within an orb that you can carry on your back. Wrap your head around the core mechanic of leaping between worlds—and combine, manipulate, and rearrange them to solve intricate puzzles.
AMD has released the AMD Software Adrenalin Edition Preview Driver which add support for AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) technical preview which is available in several games and only works on AMD Radeon RX 7000 series graphics cards. AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) will be available as a part of FidelityFX Super Resolution 3.0 (FSR3), which is expected to launch tomorrow and supported in Forspoken and Immortals of Aveum games.
With the new AMD Software Adrenalin Edition Preview Driver, AMD enables Frame Generation on a driver level as "Fluid Motion Frame" option, which can be enabled via HYPR-X, or individually for each game by using the Global Graphics Settings page. AMD has an extensive list of over 20 titles, including Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy, The Last of Us Part 1, Far Cry 6, Shadow Of The Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and others. AMD also notes that AFMF can also be manually for any title such as Cyberpunk 2077 using the per-app settings within AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition Preview Driver for AMD Fluid Motion Frames
EK, the premium water-cooling gear manufacturer, proudly announces something entirely new and unique: a full-cover monoblock for the Sony PlayStation 5. The EK-QuantumX CoolingStation Monoblock for PS5 covers the entirety of the PS5's PCB and cools all the critical components on the front and back of the PCB. This revolutionary water block for the PlayStation 5 stands as a beacon of coolness amidst a sea of heated gaming sessions. Your PS5 will shed no more sweat while it performs tirelessly to render your favorite fantasy realms on the screen. It is mounted via standard ATX stand-offs for motherboards, making mATX cases a perfect fit for a water-cooled PS5. The monoblock features rich D-RGB lighting on the front with a plexi cutout.
Play Games the Way They Are Meant to Be Played
Don't let the external noise of air-cooling fans disrupt your immersion in a fantastic cutscene or lead to your demise in a boss fight. Water-cooling your PS5 will enable you to maintain consistent temperatures with minimal fan speed fluctuations, resulting in hardly noticeable changes in noise. Thanks to the extensive surface area of a water-cooling radiator, lower fan speeds are enough to dissipate heat, resulting in reduced noise levels. An additional benefit is that all the electrical components will operate at lower temperatures, extending their lifespan.
Intel today celebrated the arrival of its Intel 4 technology, which uses extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, and the first use of EUV in high-volume manufacturing (HVM) in Europe. The arrival of this important moment ushers in the future for products like Intel's upcoming Intel Core Ultra processors (code-named Meteor Lake), which will pave the way for AI PCs, as well as future-generation Intel Xeon processors coming in 2024 and produced on the Intel 3 process node.
EUV technology employed in the production of Intel 4 is broadly adopted in leading-edge semiconductor technology nodes that power the most demanding computing applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced mobile networks, autonomous driving, and new data center and cloud applications. EUV plays a critical role in driving Intel toward its goals of delivering five nodes in four years and regaining leadership in process technology by 2025.
A couple of slides from AMD's internal presentation were leaked to the web by Moore's Law is Dead, referencing what's allegedly the next-generation "Zen 5" microarchitecture. Internally, the performance variant of the "Zen 5" core is referred to as "Nirvana," and the CCD chiplet (CPU core die) based on "Nirvana" cores, is codenamed "Eldora." These CCDs will make up either the company's Ryzen "Granite Ridge" desktop processors, or EPYC "Turin" server processors. The cores themselves could also be part of the company's next-generation mobile processors, as part of heterogenous CCXs (CPU core complex), next to "Zen 5c" low-power cores.
In broad strokes, AMD describes "Zen 5" as introducing a 10% to 15% IPC increase over the current "Zen 4." The core will feature a larger 48 KB L1D cache, compared to the current 32 KB. As for the core itself, it features an 8-wide dispatch from the micro-op queue, compared to the 6-wide dispatch of "Zen 4." The integer execution stage gets 6 ALUs, compared to the current 4. The floating point unit gets FP-512 capabilities. Perhaps the biggest announcement is that AMD has increased the maximum cores per CCX from 8 to 16. At this point we don't know if it means that "Eldora" CCD will have 16 cores, or whether it means that the cloud-specific CCD with 16 "Zen 5c" cores will have 16 cores within a single CCX, rather than spread across two CCXs with smaller L3 caches. AMD is leveraging the TSMC 4 nm EUV node for "Eldora," the mobile processor based on "Zen 5" could be based on the more advanced TSMC 3 nm EUV node.
Square Enix has released Forspoken Version Update Patch 1.22, making it the first game to officially support the AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3. In addition to FSR 3 support, the new Forspoken Version Update Patch 1.22 also adds the Native AA quality mode options and fixes some issues with save data between the main game and DLC.
According to the release notes, the update will not come to the PlayStation 5 version, and the Microsoft Store version will be updated as soon as the patch is approved. Surprisingly, Square Enix describes the AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 as technology that "combines temporal upscaling and frame generation to deliver significantly higher performance," and says that the frame generation is enabled separately from upscaling and is available when using AMD Radeon RX 5000 Series, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series, and Intel Arc 7 Series or newer GPUs. It is left to be seen if these will indeed work on Intel Arc series GPUs, as it was never officially confirmed by AMD.
AMD has confirmed that FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 (FSR 3) will launch tomorrow, September 29, with Forspoken and Immortals of Aveum listed as first game titles to support it. The news was announced by Frank Azor over at Twitter, with the promise of more titles coming soon. In case you missed it back when it was announced in August, the FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 Fluid Motion (FSR 3 Fluid Motion) is AMD's direct answer to NVIDIA's DLSS 3 Frame Generation. As promised back then, the FSR 3 will work on the latest AMD Radeon RX 7000 series and previous-generation Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards based on the RDNA3 architecture, as well as NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-, RTX 30-, and RTX 20-series graphics cards.
As explained back then, AMD FSR 3 Fluid Motion is a frame-rate doubling technology that generates alternate frames by estimating an intermediate between two frames rendered by the GPU. While Frank did not specifically mention any game titles, back in August, AMD confirmed that Forsaken and Immortals of Aveum will be the first two titles with FSR 3 Fluid Motion support.
Earlier this year, we introduced the world to the ROG Ally: a Windows gaming handheld that can play all your games, anywhere you go. With its bright and colorful 1080p 120 Hz screen, ergonomic form factor, and incredible AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, the ROG Ally is a AAA monster, taking modern handhelds to a new level. Now, we're happy to announce that the Ryzen Z1 variant of the ROG Ally is also available for purchase, with all the same features and a more affordable price tag.
The AMD Ryzen Z1 comes is built on the same Zen 4 architecture as the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, with the latest RDNA 3 graphics engine and full support for AMD's incredible upscaling technologies like FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) and Radeon Super Resolution (RSR). With six cores and twelve threads alongside four graphics compute units, the Ryzen Z1 has the same robust power delivery and ROG Intelligent Cooling improvements that make the Z1 Extreme so potent, at a more affordable price.
MAINGEAR, the leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs, today revealed the latest addition to its MAINGEAR Drops program: the Revolt Series. Based on the ultra-popular Revolt 3 ITX case from HYTE, these small-form-factor gaming PCs set a new standard for space-constrained spaces and feature an integrated handle that makes taking esports-level performance on the go a breeze.
Though compact, Revolt Series PCs make no compromises when it comes to performance and come in a broad range of enthusiast-inspired performance tiers with GPU options ranging from the new GeForce RTX 4060 to the incredibly powerful 4090, 13-generation Intel Core i5-13400F to i9-13900K processors, efficient air cooling, and more.
Phanteks expands the D30 fan lineup with the bigger, 140 mm, D30-140 fans. These new 140 mm offerings represent the pinnacle of performance, aesthetics, and innovation, catering to the needs of both PC enthusiasts and builders.
D30-140 Fans: Redefining Performance and Aesthetics
The D30 fans introduce a mesmerizing integration of D-RGB lighting that spans seamlessly across the frame and blades of the fan from all sides. A hallmark of the D30 fan is its unique capability for easy and clean fan linking. Phanteks has designed bridge connectors and screw cover plates, enabling multiple D30 fans to be seamlessly interconnected. This innovative solution reduces cable clutter and transforms multiple fans into a unified, visually striking unit, resulting in an immaculately clean build.
The wait is over. GeForce NOW Ultimate members can experience Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty on GOG.com at full GeForce RTX 4080 quality, with support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 technology. It's part of an action-packed GFN Thursday, with 26 more games joining the cloud gaming platform's library, including Quake II from id Software. Take on a thrilling challenge with Phantom Liberty, an all-new adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there's only one person who can save her. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries.
Ultimate members can return to the neon lights of Night City and experience the benefits of NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 and its new Ray Reconstruction technology. These updates enhance the quality of full ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077's Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode, as part of the game's 2.0 update available for the base game for free and included with the Phantom Liberty expansion. Upgrade to a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership today to see Night City at its best.
Thursday, September 28th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Headphones
The 64 Audio Volür is a premium set of IEMs which has a full assortment of features including Apex modules, the tia driver, and LID. It adopts a true isobaric dual DD configuration for excellent bass reproduction on top of a new tia waveguide and seven other BA drivers for an extremely fun and engaging sound without compromising on details.
Bloomberg reports that French competition regulators have raided a business alleged to be engaging in "anti-competitive practices in the graphics cards sector," which the Wall Street Journal identified as NVIDIA. The dawn raid was authorized by a liberty and custody judge, France's competition authority said in its statement, where it did not name NVIDIA. The regulator clarified that raids "do not presuppose the existence of a breach of law, which only a full investigation into the merits of the case could establish, if appropriate."
It's pertinent to note here, that while the anti-competitive allegations concern "graphics cards," the allegation is that the company (identified by WSJ as NVIDIA) has cornered the AI GPU market, and which is responsible for the rise of NVIDIA as the largest hardware company in Silicon Valley by market capitalization. While NVIDIA's AI HPC processors lack any raster graphics components, they are still considered GPUs, as they are built on the same principles, and for the most part, share a microarchitecture with gaming GPUs. Meanwhile, Bloomberg notes that the NVIDIA stock remains completely unfazed by the developments in France. "The shares gained 1.5% to $430.89 at the close in New York trading Thursday, bringing their year-to-date gain to 195%," it wrote.
Gaming enthusiasts, get ready to take your gaming experience to the next level with an incredible offer from MSI. From September 29th to October 29th, 2023, immerse yourself in the captivating world of Infinity Strash DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai PC digital game, absolutely FREE, when you purchase either the MSI MEG Ai1300P PCIE5 or the MEG Ai1000P PCIE5.
As the world of gaming continues to evolve, MSI remains at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge technology that empowers gamers to excel. To redeem this exclusive offer, simply make a purchase of the MSI MEG Ai1300P PCIE5 or MEG Ai1000P PCIE5 betwen September 29th to October 29th, 2023. Upon purchase, will receive a unique game key that unlocks the captivating world of Infinity Strash DRAGON QUEST The Adventure of Dai on PC.. Moreover, if you decide to participate in the 'Shout out for MSI' promotion and share the product experience, you can receive an additional USD 20 Steam code as a reward.
beyerdynamic, the renowned manufacturer of professional audio equipment, is expanding its MMX gaming product range. The manufacturer is launching the new MMX 200 wireless gaming headset, a product that takes gaming sound to a new level. The beyerdynamic MMX 200 wireless offers the perfect combination of crystal-clear studio sound, META VOICE microphone, and wireless connectivity for PC and console gaming enthusiasts. With features like Augmented Mode, LOW LATENCY, and Hybrid Mode with Bluetooth 5.3, the MMX 200 wireless becomes an essential companion for every gamer seeking top-notch performance and boundless flexibility.
PROFESSIONAL SOUND IN EVERY GAMING ENVIRONMENT
Specially designed by beyerdynamic acousticians for gamers, the integrated 40 mm studio driver systems deliver a clear, comprehensive soundscape. This not only impresses during gaming but also enhances voice communication and the enjoyment of music and movies. Precise in-game sound localization enables crucial gameplay maneuvers and enriches gaming worlds, making them appear even more realistic with their distinctive audio profiles.
Fault-tolerant quantum computers that offer radical new solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems in medicine, finance and the environment, as well as facilitating a truly widespread use of AI, are driving global interest in quantum technologies. Yet the various timetables that have been established for achieving this paradigm require major breakthroughs and innovations to remain achievable, and none is more pressing than the move from merely physical qubits to those that are fault-tolerant.
In one of the first meaningful steps along this path, scientists from Quantinuum, the world's largest integrated quantum computing company, along with collaborators, have demonstrated the first fault-tolerant method using three logically-encoded qubits on the Quantinuum H1 quantum computer, Powered by Honeywell, to perform a mathematical procedure.
During the China Chip Storage Future 2023 Storage Industry Trend Summit, Yingren Technology, widely recognized as InnoGrit outside of China, announced the initiation of mass production of its enterprise-level YR S900 PCIe 5.0 SSD controller. Marking a significant breakthrough, the YR S900 stands as China's first domestic PCIe 5.0 SSD controller. Operating on an open-source RISC-V architecture, the YR S900 is engineered to align with U.S. export restrictions, ensuring a seamless design and manufacturing process of the SSD controller. While Yingren Technology remains discreet about the specific process node to produce the YR S900, it's known that the controller embodies a versatile design, with compatibility extending to mainstream NAND from eminent manufacturers, and exhibits an impressive synergy with NAND from Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC).
The YR S900 is a quad-channel controller, offering sequential read and write speeds peaking at 14 GB/s and 12 GB/s, respectively, and is equipped with InnoGrit's third-generation ECC engine to optimize 4K LDPC encoding and decoding. This collaboration with Kioxia's XL-Flash results in a low 4K random read latency of 10us, highlighting its potential to deliver higher data throughput, increased stability, and extended service life. The YR S900 encompasses a comprehensive feature set, including FDP, SR-IOV hardware virtualization, CMB, and a range of data encryption algorithms. While the mass production of the YR S900 underscores a monumental stride in SSD solutions within China, it remains to be seen whether adopting this new Chinese technology will enter markets beyond China.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced two new spatial computing platforms - Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 and Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 - that will enable the next generation of mixed reality (MR), virtual reality (VR) devices and smart glasses. Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 Platform: The platform brings premium MR and VR technology into a single chip architecture to unlock next level immersive experiences in thinner and more comfortable headsets, that don't require an external battery pack.
Engineered to deliver a lag free experience with breathtaking visuals and fully immersive sound, the platform allows users to blend virtual content with their physical surroundings and transition seamlessly between MR and VR experiences.
HYTE, the PC components, peripherals, and lifestyle brand of iBUYPOWER, is thrilled to announce its new collaboration with MAINGEAR, a leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs. MAINGEAR has selected the ultra-popular HYTE Revolt 3 Mini-ITX PC case as the housing for its brand-new Revolt Series of small-form-factor gaming PCs.
Revolt 3 is packed with advanced features while maintaining a compact 18.4L vertical footprint, providing a space saving solution for users with limited desktop real estate without compromising on component compatibility. MAINGEAR uses these advantages to deliver a new standard for constrained spaces with the Revolt series gaming PCs, which can be transported conveniently thanks to the integrated handle.
Leading digital lifestyle accessories brand, Trust Electronics Ltd, is pleased to announce the launch of its latest gaming accessory, the GXT 489 Fayzo gaming headset. Designed to be an affordable and sustainable option for gamers, the Fayzo successfully combines a stylish and comfortable look with great functionality for immersive and exciting gameplay. The Trust GXT 489 Fayzo Gaming Headset is now available to buy on Very for £29.99.
The Fayzo headset features impressive 50 mm drivers that provide a powerful sound and allows gamers to feel like they are right in the middle of their game - experiencing every footstep, race, gunshot and more with real impact. Ideal for online play, the Fayzo has a detachable microphone with an on-ear volume and mute control to toggle these controls quickly and easily.
Thrustmaster is thrilled to unveil its new racing wheel rim specially designed for competition, in partnership with Ferrari: Ferrari 488 GT3 Wheel Add-On. This new wheel rim is a 1:1 scale replica of the wheel from the most successful car in the Prancing Horse brand's legendary history, with more than 500 victories in competitions: the Ferrari 488 GT3.
A real gem of racing performance technology, this replica wheel rim has been designed with weight and structure optimized for competition - thanks to its central faceplate with carbon fiber cladding, and the wheel rim's 12.2-inch/31-cm overall diameter. Feel every aspect of the circuit right at your fingertips, and really get the most out of your wheel base's power - while enjoying a high level of racing details and precision, allowing you to master every turn.
EK, the renowned cutting-edge cooling solutions provider, proudly announces a significant update on its high-quality CryoFuel coolant solutions. With the launch of clear EK CryoFuel coolants in March 2017 and their Solid counterparts in late 2018, EK has had enough time for extensive testing and now officially, with confidence, can confirm that the shelf life of all EK CryoFuel coolants is 4 years, as opposed to the previously stated 2 years. This improvement showcases the outstanding stability and performance of EK's CryoFuel coolant formula.
The company has continuously kept a watchful eye on its offerings since the launch of EK-CryoFuel coolants six years ago and EK-CryoFuel Solid coolants five years ago. During this period, through comprehensive testing and analysis, EK confirmed that its coolant formula possesses even greater longevity. The extension of the shelf life guarantees that CryoFuel coolants remain in flawless condition for a duration of 4 years from production date. Customers can now confidently open and utilize their CryoFuel coolants within the 4-year time frame, with the assurance they will perform flawlessly until subsequent changes occur, usually after one year of use.
It has been over four years since the release of the Raspberry Pi 4, and in that time a lot has changed in the maker board and single-board computer landscape. For the Raspberry Pi Foundation there were struggles with worldwide demand and production capacity brought on by the global pandemic starting in 2020, and plenty of new competitors came to the scene to offer ready to order alternatives to the venerable RPi 4. Today however the production woes have been assuaged and a new generation of Raspberry Pi is here;
the Raspberry Pi 5.
Raspberry Pi 5 is being announced in advance of availability unlike every prior RPi device launch. Pre-orders are open with many of the listed
Approved Resellers on RPi's website starting today but unit shipments aren't expected until near the end of October 2023. As part of this pre-order scheme, RPi Foundation is withholding pre-orders from bulk customers and will be dealing in single-unit sales for individuals until at least the end of the year, as well as running some promotions with The MagPi and HackSpace magazines to give priority access to their subscribers. Genuinely nice to see, considering how hard it was to obtain a Pi 4 for the average Joe over the last couple years. The two announced prices for the RPi 5 are $60 USD for the 4 GB variant, and $80 USD for the 8 GB variant; or about $5 USD more than current reseller pricing on comparable configurations of the Raspberry Pi 4.
ASUS today announced the October availability of ASUS ProArt PA169CDV Pen Display, a portable 15.6-inch 4K UHD display featuring a 10-bit IPS panel. It includes the ProArt Pen featuring Wacom EMR technology for great writing and drawing experiences. PA169CDV is the world's first portable monitor that's both PANTONE Validated and Calman Verified to provide creators with the most accurate onscreen colors. Its innovative design includes upper and lower kickstands that enable different tilt angles for daily productivity and creative workflows.
Impeccable visuals with great levels of detail
ProArt PA169CDV is designed to empower creators and streamline creative workflows. The 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) panel offers 4X the pixel density and up to 3X more onscreen space that similarly sized FHD displays. Brightness levels of up to 500 nits and VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification delivers brighter, lifelike images with unmatched levels of detail.
Outstanding quality control is at the heart of manufacturing. Thanks to the rapid development of smart factories and AI technologies, Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) is gradually replacing traditional manual inspection due to its higher efficiency, greater precision, and non-contact inspection. The core of AOI relies on high-intensity real-time computing and machine learning, which relies on the combined computing power of a CPU and a GPU. Rugged computing brand—Cincoze, recently released the latest addition to the Rugged Computing - DIAMOND product line, the high-performance and PCIe expansion embedded computer (DS-1400 Series). Not only does it come equipped with a super high-performance CPU, but it also supports GPU cards via PCIe interfaces. Since its launch, it has become a focal point in the AOI field and is an ideal choice for edge AI computer.
In the past, the manufacturing industry often relied on manual inspection to evaluate production line yield, which was inefficient and prone to errors. By introducing AOI technology, the efficiency and accuracy of product inspection can be significantly improved, thanks to powerful processing capabilities. As the core of the operation, the DS-1400 series can be equipped with Intel 12th gen Alder Lake-S processor, offering up to 16 cores (8P + 8E), with support for up to 64 GB of DDR5 memory at up to 4800 MHz with ECC. It features up to two PCI/PCIe expansion slots, one of which can support a maximum of 110 W, with dimensions of 111 mm x 235 mm. Cincoze's patented Adjustable PCIe Card Retainer (Patent No: I773359) ensures the DS-1400 operates stably in industrial environments with continuous vibrations, achieving precise and rapid inspection efficiency.
XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, Esports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts, today launched the XPG BATTLECRUISER II Super Mid-Tower chassis to markets around the globe. Building upon the success of the first generation premium XPG chassis, this E-ATX case features a long list of improvements based on feedback from the community, social listening from multiple platforms, media review recommendations, and key upcoming trends in both chassis design and cooling offerings and improvements.
XPG BATTLECRUISER II prioritizes convenience in the building and maintenance process, delivering an improved PCDIY experience. In addition to the 4 glass panels, there are 3 easy-to-clean magnetic dust filters, an adjustable GPU holder, and an improved Smart Cable Management design. It's everything you loved about the original award-winning XPG BATTLECRUISER with an updated touch. For more demanding builders, there's even a higher end version that comes paired with XPG PRIME BOX, for unlimited lighting customization options and thermal design control via XPG PRIME ecosystem management software.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's popularity has continued to increase since its release way back in 2012, and today, it remains the most played game on Steam each week, boasting over one million concurrent players. Now, Valve has launched Counter-Strike 2, a graphical and technological update that upgrades Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to the Source 2 engine, leveraging newer graphics APIs for improved fidelity and responsiveness. NVIDIA has worked with Valve to make sure system latency, which is critical to winning, is at an absolute minimum with the addition of NVIDIA Reflex.
In competitive shooters such as Counter-Strike 2, higher FPS and lower system latency allows you to acquire targets faster, react more quickly, and increase aim precision. On a GeForce RTX 40 Series PC or laptop, your skill won't be constrained by system latency, or frame rates. Get the ultimate Counter-Strike 2 competitive experience, powered by GeForce RTX 40 Series for unbeatable performance, and NVIDIA Reflex for the lowest latency. Gamers with a compatible graphics card can enable NVIDIA Reflex in Counter-Strike 2 to reduce system latency by up to 35%.
Micron Technology Inc. today announced results for its fourth quarter and full year of fiscal 2023, which ended August 31, 2023.
"During fiscal 2023, amid a challenging environment for the memory and storage industry, Micron sustained technology leadership, launched a significant number of leading-edge products, and took decisive actions on supply and cost," said Micron Technology President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra. "Our 2023 performance positions us well as a market recovery takes shape in 2024, driven by increasing demand and disciplined supply. We look forward to record industry TAM revenue in 2025 as AI proliferates from the data center to the edge."
Investments in capital expenditures, net were $1.01 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023 and $7.01 billion for the full year of 2023, which resulted in adjusted free cash flows of negative $758 million for the fourth quarter of 2023 and negative $5.45 billion for the full year of 2023. Micron ended the year with cash, marketable investments, and restricted cash of $10.52 billion. On September 27, 2023, Micron's Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.115 per share, payable in cash on October 25, 2023, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on October 10, 2023.
Intel Foundry Services (IFS) today announced that it will commence mass-production on its first silicon fabrication node that leverages extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, Intel 4. On September 29, the Intel 4 node will start rolling at the company's facility in Leixlip, Ireland, dubbed Fab 34. CEO Pat Gelsinger, Dr. Ann Kelleher, general manager of Technology Development at Intel, and Keyvan Esfarjani, chief global operations officer, will be present at a ceremony commemorating production of the first wafers.
Intel 4 is an advanced foundry that leverages EUV, and offers both transistor densities and electrical characteristics comparable to TSMC's 5 nm-class and 4 nm-class foundry nodes. Among the first chips to be built are the compute tiles of the company's Core "Meteor Lake" processors, which contain their next-generation CPU cores. Compared to the current Intel 7 node, Intel 4 offers double the area scaling for logic libraries, a 20% iso-power improvement, and introduces the new metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor.
GIGABYTE Technology, a leading global powerhouse in motherboards, graphics cards, and cutting-edge hardware solutions, has unveiled a redesigned BIOS UI, complemented by the innovative Quick Access feature, with the aim of delivering the most user-friendly experience for gamers, while ensuring seamless and top-tier performance. This upgrade also takes into account the specific needs of our existing user base.
The new User-Centred (UC) BIOS has elevated the BIOS user experience, offering an optimized interface that is both intuitive and visually appealing. The UC BIOS' Quick Access function curates 9 practical preset options from ADVANCED MODE and places them in EASY MODE for effortless access, eliminating the need for switching or searching. Furthermore, custom UI designs have been tailored for different series of motherboards. The latest UC BIOS is now available for download. For an immediate experience,
please visit the official GIGABYTE website.
Valve's Counter-Strike 2 is now officially available, replacing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Describing it as "the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike's history, ensuring new features and updates for years to come." Announced back in March, Counter-Strike 2 brings plenty of new features, updated maps, and more.
In a blog post announcing the availability, Valve says that returning players will find their favorite maps and matchmaking modes, as well as a revamped Premier mode for the new CS Rating. The biggest update is the sub-tick architecture, promising that the server will now know "the exact instant that motion starts, a shot is fired, or a 'nade is thrown." Valve also released the new patch, launching the game and bringing some fixes and new features and modes that were previously unavailable.
Wednesday, September 27th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Portable Storage
With the P900, HP is finally releasing a USB 3.2 2x2 20 Gbps capable portable SSD. In our review we can confirm that the speeds are good, reaching well over 1 GB/s, even at lower queue depths. Thanks to an all-metal shell, the drive is very durable and the matte black paint job is resistant to fingerprints.
AMD today released the latest version of the AMD Software Adrenalin drivers. Version 23.9.3 WHQL comes with optimization for "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty," and "PAYDAY 3." The drivers also add optimization for generative AI tools MeanVarianceNormalization (MVN) and Stable Diffusion variants. With this release, the company didn't include any fixes, but identified a handful new issues.
Adrenalin 23.9.3 WHQL, along with its preceding 23.9.2 WHQL, see AMD release separate installers for RDNA-only and RDNA + pre-RDNA GPUs, both with the same release notes. The RDNA release supports only Radeon RX 5000 series, RX 6000 series, and RX 7000 series; while the RDNA + pre-RDNA combo release is meant for Radeon RX Vega series, RX 500 series, and RX 400 series (Polaris) on top of the RX 5000 (or later) GPUs. The RDNA-only release is 640 MB in size, while the RDNA + pre-RDNA combo package is 1.2 GB.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 23.9.3 WHQL (RX 5000 and later) |
AMD Software Adrenalin 23.9.3 (RX Vega and older)
TSMC today announced the new 3Dblox 2.0 open standard and major achievements of its Open Innovation Platform (OIP) 3DFabric Alliance at the TSMC 2023 OIP Ecosystem Forum. The 3Dblox 2.0 features early 3D IC design capability that aims to significantly boost design efficiency, while the 3DFabric Alliance continues to drive memory, substrate, testing, manufacturing, and packaging integration. TSMC continues to push the envelope of 3D IC innovation, making its comprehensive 3D silicon stacking and advanced packaging technologies more accessible to every customer.
"As the industry shifted toward embracing 3D IC and system-level innovation, the need for industry-wide collaboration has become even more essential than it was when we launched OIP 15 years ago," said Dr. L.C. Lu, TSMC fellow and vice president of Design and Technology Platform. "As our sustained collaboration with OIP ecosystem partners continues to flourish, we're enabling customers to harness TSMC's leading process and 3DFabric technologies to reach an entirely new level of performance and power efficiency for the next-generation artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), and mobile applications."
Linksys, an iconic Home and Small Office connectivity company, announces in a statement of direction the new Cognitive Security capability, which will complement the newly released Designer Series through the end of the year. Cognitive Security technology will then be released in the soon-to-be announced Icon Series later this year.
The term "Cognitive" in the technology space refers to "thinking technologies," which can deterministically, either by user selection or automation, solve problems. In Phase 1 of its implementation, Linksys Cognitive Security was developed entirely based on user input and feedback, focusing on saving users time and effort.
Big news from the Connect stage: Meta Quest 3 hits shelves October 10, and pre-orders are open now! The world's first mass-market mixed reality headset starts at $499.99 USD for the 128 GB version and $649.99 USD for those who want a larger storage capacity at 512 GB. But wait, there's more! For a limited time, your Meta Quest 3 purchase comes bundled with Asgard's Wrath 2 - a $59.99 USD value. And for the 512 GB SKU, we'll also kick in a six-month trial of Meta Quest+ for a combined value of over $100 USD.
Mixed Reality: Explore Like Never Before
Immersive experiences can transport you to fantastical worlds that defy the laws of physics, but the physical world—and the connections you've made there—are pretty important, too. That's why Meta Quest 3 features breakthrough mixed reality that enables a spectrum of experiences. You can watch immersive NBA games courtside or open a portal to another dimension right from the comfort of your living room - all while high-fidelity, full-color Passthrough keeps your physical surroundings in sight with over 10 times more pixels compared to Meta Quest 2.
Following the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, machine hunter Aloy races to save the planet's crumbling biosphere before vicious storms and a mysterious, unstoppable blight ravages the remnants of humanity. Her mission and the sinister secrets it uncovers will pit Aloy against ever-deadlier foes, taking her to the dangerous frontier of the Forbidden West and the treacherous Burning Shores beyond.
In this complete collection with Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores DLC, take on more awe-inspiring machines, meet new tribes, and travel to the treacherous archipelago of Los Angeles!
AMD today announced the AMD Alveo UL3524 accelerator card, a new fintech accelerator designed for ultra-low latency electronic trading applications. Already deployed by leading trading firms and enabling multiple solution partner offerings, the Alveo UL3524 provides proprietary traders, market makers, hedge funds, brokerages, and exchanges with a state-of-the-art FPGA platform for electronic trading at nanosecond (ns) speed.
The Alveo UL3524 delivers a 7X latency improvement over prior generation FPGA technology, achieving less than 3ns FPGA transceiver latency for accelerated trade execution. Powered by a custom 16 nm Virtex UltraScale + FPGA, it features a novel transceiver architecture with hardened, optimized network connectivity cores to achieve breakthrough performance. By combining hardware flexibility with ultra-low latency networking on a production platform, the Alveo UL3524 enables faster design closure and deployment compared to traditional FPGA alternatives.
Winbond Electronics Corporation, a leading global supplier of semiconductor memory solutions, has unveiled a powerful enabling technology for affordable Edge AI computing in mainstream use cases. The Company's new customized ultra-bandwidth elements (CUBE) enable memory technology to be optimized for seamless performance running generative AI on hybrid edge/cloud applications.
CUBE enhances the performance of front-end 3D structures such as chip on wafer (CoW) and wafer on wafer (WoW), as well as back-end 2.5D/3D chip on Si-interposer on substrate and fan-out solutions. Designed to meet the growing demands of edge AI computing devices, it is compatible with memory density from 256 Mb to 8 Gb with a single die, and it can also be 3D stacked to enhance bandwidth while reducing data transfer power consumption.
Synopsys, Inc. today announced it is extending its collaboration with TSMC to advance multi-die system designs with a comprehensive solution supporting the latest 3Dblox 2.0 standard and TSMC's 3DFabric technologies. The Synopsys Multi-Die System solution includes 3DIC Compiler, a unified exploration-to-signoff platform that delivers the highest levels of design efficiency for capacity and performance. In addition, Synopsys has achieved first-pass silicon success of its Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe) IP on TSMC's leading N3E process for seamless die-to-die connectivity.
"TSMC has been working closely with Synopsys to deliver differentiated solutions that address designers' most complex challenges from early architecture to manufacturing," said Dan Kochpatcharin, head of the Design Infrastructure Management Division at TSMC. "Our long history of collaboration with Synopsys benefits our mutual customers with optimized solutions for performance and power efficiency to help them address multi-die system design requirements for high-performance computing, data center, and automotive applications."
Phanteks expands the D30 fan lineup with the bigger, 140 mm, D30-140 fans. These new 140 mm offerings represent the pinnacle of performance, aesthetics, and innovation, catering to the needs of both PC enthusiasts and builders.
D30-140 Fans: Redefining Performance and Aesthetics
The D30 fans introduce a mesmerizing integration of D-RGB lighting that spans seamlessly across the frame and blades of the fan from all sides. A hallmark of the D30 fan is its unique capability for easy and clean fan linking. Phanteks has designed bridge connectors and screw cover plates, enabling multiple D30 fans to be seamlessly interconnected. This innovative solution reduces cable clutter and transforms multiple fans into a unified, visually striking unit, resulting in an immaculately clean build. The D30-140 fans offer a choice of regular and reversed airflow fans, empowering users to customize cooling configurations. Enhanced by a robust 30 mm frame and aerodynamic fan blades inspired by Phanteks' renowned T30 design, these fans excel in challenging scenarios like radiators and mesh filters, delivering superior air pressure for optimal temperatures under demanding cooling needs. Together with the upcoming Glacier One 420D30 and NV9, the D30-140 fan offers an unparalleled blend of functionality and style to pc builders.
EK, the renowned manufacturer of premium PC water cooling equipment, introduces yet another addition to its Pro lineup: the EK-Pro Manifold 2CPU 8GPU - Acetal, a specialized coolant delivery system designed for use with a great multitude of water blocks in workstations and servers. Like the previous EK-Pro Manifold 2CPU 6GPU - Acetal, this manifold has all the perks of its smaller brother with compatibility for an extra two GPUs.
Efficient Cooling Distribution
The EK-Pro Manifold 2CPU 8GPU - Acetal redefines cooling precision with its impeccable coolant distribution. Featuring multiple industry-standard G1/4" In and Out ports, it guarantees optimal coolant flow, ensuring flawless cooling for both CPUs and GPUs. With the capacity to accommodate two CPUs and impressive eight-GPU configurations in parallel or semi-parallel, this high-performance manifold opens new horizons for liquid cooling in workstation and server environments.
Today, Logitech G, a brand of Logitech, and Playseat introduced the newest sim racing chair, the Playseat Challenge X - Logitech G Edition. Designed for Logitech G racing wheel and pedals, this new chair is a lightweight, foldable carbon steel frame and features a fully adjustable seat with Playseat's Actifit ️ breathable materials, providing sim racers with a racing chair that delivers exceptional comfort, versatility, durability and the performance needed to stay fully immersed in the race.
"There was a considerable amount of collaboration on this product to make the Challenge X more functional, comfortable and overall, a better racing experience, than traditional desktop gaming chairs. During that process our teams focused on three key areas of a sim racing chair and we couldn't be more happy with the results." said Jim Hoey, head of simulation marketing at Logitech G.
Intel's next generation Core "Meteor Lake" processor was confirmed by ComputerBase.de to not release on the desktop platform. The processor will not make it to a socketed desktop package such as the upcoming LGA1851. It will see a mobile-only (notebook and tablets only) launch, with select processor models based on the mobile BGA package being made available to PC OEMs to build all-in-one desktops and mini PCs as non-socketed processors.
The desktop platform presence of "Meteor Lake" has been surrounded by some controversy, owing mainly to its maximum CPU core count of 6P+16E, which is bound to fall short of the current 8P+16E, and AMD's 16P. A slide released by Intel added to the confusion, which indicated that "Meteor Lake" has a thermal range of 5 W to 125 W, with the latter being typically associated with the processor base power values of desktop Core K-series processors.
GIGABYTE Technology, Giga Computing, a subsidiary of GIGABYTE and an industry leader in high-performance servers, server motherboards, and workstations, today announced ahead of exhibiting at the OCP Global Summit new OCP ORv3 based solutions, including ones designed for GPU centric workloads in immersion cooling. The new GIGABYTE products include a 2OU node tray, TO25-BT0, and compute nodes: TO25-S10, TO25-S11, TO25-S12, TO25-Z10, TO25-Z11, and TO25-Z12. For immersion cooling server deployments with ORv3 specifications are the new GPU servers: TO15-S40, TO15-S41, and TO15-Z40.
Our commitment to support Open Compute Project's designs dates back almost a decade starting with our OCP v1.0 products, and now we are releasing some well-designed, in demand ORv3 products. Through discussions with several customers, we decided to move forward with the development of these configurations. These designs check the boxes for specifications that are required," said Vincent Wang, Sales VP at Giga Computing. "We will continue supporting ORv3 specifications and we have more products on the horizon in Q1 2024.
MSI, the global leading brand in gaming, officially announced a collaboration with the renowned global game publisher, UBISOFT, for the highly anticipated game Assassin's Creed Mirage, which will be available worldwide on October 5th. Gamers who purchase designated high-end gaming laptops, gaming monitors or gaming routers equipped with the 13th generation Intel processors from MSI will have the chance to get a redemption code for Assassin's Creed Mirage.
UBISOFT's Assassin's Creed Mirage is an homage to the series and a particularly special tribute to the first Assassin's Creed. Inviting players to immerse themselves in a magnificent ninth-century Baghdad at the peak of its Golden Age, Assassin's Creed: Mirage offers a condensed, narrative-driven action-adventure experience with a modern take on the parkour, stealth, and assassination gameplay elements that have defined the franchise for over fifteen years. In this pivotal moment of History, players will become Basim Ibn Is'haq, a young thief with a mysterious past who joins the Hidden Ones in Alamut on a quest for answers.
According to SemiAccurate, Qualcomm is currently navigating through many challenges with its Oryon SoC for laptops. The current problem is that Qualcomm is insisting on integrating its own PMICs (Power Management Integrated Circuits), which are inherently designed for cell phones, causing significant compatibility and efficiency issues. This approach is reported to have led to escalated costs and disagreements with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), seemingly hindering Qualcomm's foothold in the laptop sector. These PMICs are highlighted as unsuitable and highly priced, requiring the adoption of high-density interconnect (HDI) PCBs engineered explicitly for cell phones, thus not designed to meet the current requirements of laptops optimally. The subsequent spike in production costs has ignited conflicts with OEMs, with several contemplating withdrawing from the project.
In response to the rising tensions, Qualcomm is allegedly providing financial compensation to the OEMs, potentially leading to selling SoCs at cost. The only good thing is the reported success of Nuvia-based Oryon SoC. The silicon is perfect at A0 stepping, and performance is reportedly good. However, power usage and efficiency are still in question. Forcing OEMs to use proprietary PMICs will likely have far-reaching impacts on Qualcomm's market strategies and relationships with OEMs. With disputes like this, we expect that Qualcomm-powered laptops are nearing availability, and we could see them in the coming months.
Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced sampling of new, higher performing JEDEC e-MMC Ver. 5.1-compliant embedded flash memory products for consumer applications. The new products integrate a newer version of the company's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a single package, reducing processor workload and improving ease of use. Both 64 and 128 gigabytes (GB) products will be available.
As the market continues to shift to UFS, there are cases where e-MMC may still be used. This includes consumer products with mid-range storage requirements such as tablets, personal computers, point of sale devices and other portable handheld devices, as well as smart TVs and smart NICs. Kioxia continues to reinforce its market-leading position by delivering a broad, high-performance product lineup and expanding the available options for these applications.
Tuesday, September 26th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Other
The Beelink SER7 7840HS takes mini-pc performance to new heights with a fast and efficient Ryzen 7 7840HS 8c/16t CPU alongside AMD's Radeon 780M integrated graphics. Both deliver class-leading performance in this latest NUC-style system.
Hi everyone. Croteam is very happy today to announce
The Talos Principle 2 is launching on November 2. This is a very special project for us. For one, it allowed us to continue the story of
The Talos Principle, a game that shaped us just as much as Serious Sam did. But also,
The Talos Principle 2 started a new chapter for us, as we transitioned from developing our own technology to Unreal Engine, which allowed us to put 100% of our focus on creating the best gaming experience we can.
We cannot wait for everyone to hop in The Talos Principle 2 on November 2nd, and experience this new adventure with us. You can
pre-purchase The Talos Principle 2 now at 10% off, and if you own the original you can secure an additional discount. Thanks for all your support! The new game is a thought-provoking first-person puzzle experience that greatly expands on the first game's philosophical themes and stunning environments with increasingly mind-bending challenges.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) rejected a previous draft of Microsoft's proposed deal to merge with Activision Blizzard (to the tune of $69 billion). The expected summer completion date was missed due to this sole case of opposition—all of the other international regulatory bodies had approved a conglomeration of Xbox and Activision portfolios. Ubisoft later emerged as an unlikely knight in shining armor, since the UK CMA has
provisionally approved freshly revamped conditions—it turns out that Microsoft had agreed to sell its cloud streaming rights to the French video game publisher. The Financial Times sat down with one of the company's co-founders—CEO Yves Guillemot—and discussed how cloud gaming will revolutionize the industry.
Guillemot was not asked to comment on how much his firm has agreed to spend—allegedly a one-off fee—on purchasing Activision Blizzard's cloud streaming rights (from Microsoft). He did discuss the inherent risk of embracing a relatively immature market technology: "When Netflix first said it was going to go into streaming, their shares fell a lot and they were widely criticized. Today, we see what they have become. It's going to be the same with video games, but it will take time. But when it takes off, it will happen very quickly...We strongly believe in the next five to 10 years, many games will be streamed and will also be produced in the cloud. That's what pushed us to go forward with the Microsoft deal." This looks to be an unusual move for Ubisoft, considering the rumors of a recent strategy shift in reaction to downturns in sales.
GlobalFoundries (GF) announced today it has applied for U.S. CHIPS and Science Act Funding, with two full applications submitted to the CHIPS Program Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The submitted applications are for capacity expansion and modernization of GF's U.S. manufacturing facilities.
"As the leading manufacturer of essential semiconductors for the U.S. government, and a vital supplier to the automotive, aerospace and defense, IoT and other markets, GF has submitted our applications to the CHIPS Program Office to participate in the federal grants and investment tax credits enabled by the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act," said Steven Grasso, senior director of global government affairs at GF. "This federal support is critical for GF to continue growing its U.S. manufacturing footprint, strengthening U.S economic security, supply chain resiliency, and national defense."
DRY STUDIO, a startup consumer technology brand that aims to bring advanced niche designs to global users at an approachable price, is releasing its first product with the Indiegogo launch of the new Black Diamond 75. As the world's first mechanical gaming keyboard with leaf spring mount, the Black Diamond 75 will bring a striking balance between esports capability and typing experience to the masses, with features such as low-latency 2.4G and an ID design inspired by the Lamborghini Aventador "Black Diamond". The Base Bundle is priced at 240 USD, and the Advance Bundle is priced at 295 USD. Early customers can get 15% off by taking advantage of the 48 hours Indiegogo Early Bird discounts.
Black Diamond 75 design philosophy
Placing emphasis on creating a keyboard with a unique and fierce shape, the Black Diamond 75 takes its inspiration from the modified all-carbon Lamborghini Aventador - the MANSORY Carbonado - also known as the "Black Diamond". A combination of real carbon fiber (Carbon) or anodized silver aluminium (Mithril) and hand-polished PMMA acrylic with increased hardness are used to realize stunning supercar aesthetics while providing durability that users have come to expect from mechanical gaming keyboards.
The latest Canalys data reveals that
PC shipments (desktops, notebooks and workstations) in the US declined just 6% year-on-year to 18.2 million units in Q2 2023, marking a significant improvement compared to earlier quarters this year. Notebook (including mobile workstations) shipments were down 4% to 15.2 million units, bolstered by the return of Chromebook demand in the education sector. Desktops (including desktop workstations) suffered a steeper decline, with shipments falling 12% to 3.0 million units. The US tablet market faced a similarly modest decline, with shipments down 5% to 10.3 million units.
"Despite undergoing another year-on-year decline, the US PC market showed promising signs of improvement in the second quarter," said Ishan Dutt, Principal Analyst at Canalys. "With the buildup of channel inventories now largely cleared, pockets of demand strength are now being reflected in vendors' sell-in shipment performance. A key area that helped drive volumes was the return of demand from education institutions, backed by the latest wave of federal funding, ahead of a licensing cost increase for ChromeOS. This helped propel Chromebook shipments to 4.7 million units, the highest level since peak deployments during the first half of 2021."
Lenovo's newly released ultra-thin Yoga Air 14s 2023 Ryzen Edition laptop packs an exclusively tuned variant from AMD's 7040 "Phoenix" APU series—we are seeing a whole bunch of these mobile chipsets finally arriving inside portable computer hardware and in handheld games systems (Ryzen Z1 series), following several delays earlier in the year. AMD and Lenovo have partnered up on a special Ryzen 7 7840S eight-core APU, with a custom 30 W TDP profile—likely implemented to synergize with the Yoga Air's thin and lightweight design. Folks in the west have started to enjoy playing around with Ryzen 7 7840HS-equipped laptops, this particular APU has a 45 W TDP rating—also shared by
China-market specific 7840H variants.
The
MyDrivers review team has been taking Lenovo's Yoga Air 14s 2023 Ryzen Edition for a spin—PC Mark results suggest 10 to 11 hours of normal operation on battery, while lighter office tasking bumps that up to 14 hours. A snazzy 14.5-inch OLED screen with 10-touch support seemed to be a highlighted feature on this fancy slimline laptop. A 5% overall difference in performance (across a number of benchmark suites) was noted by the reviewer—a flagship Ryzen 9 7940HS (45 W) APU narrowly beat its less greedy 30 W sibling. The Yoga Air was judged to offer "top tier" performance that competes with a larger class of notebook (15.6-inch). The reviewer was suitably impressed by Lenovo's chassis design: "To be honest, there are very few thin and light notebooks on the market priced at 8,000 yuan (~$1095) that can surpass Yoga Air 14s 2023 Ryzen Edition in terms of appearance and craftsmanship."
The corporate world of semiconductor companies has seen some
restructuring lately, and today, we learn that Ryan Shrout of Intel is leaving the company. Most recently serving as Senior Director of Client Segment Strategy, CCG at Graphics and AI Group, Ryan Shrout joined Intel over four years ago. Mr. Shrout started at the company as Chief Performance Strategist in 2018, and later, in 2020, he changed his role to Senior Director of Technical and Competitive Client Marketing. After that, he made a switch and was Senior Director of Gaming, Graphics, and HPC Marketing (AXG Marketing). His most recent role was relatively short-lived, only lasting for three months.
Many people in the community may know Mr. Shrout from his time at PC Perspective, which he founded and managed as Editor-in-Chief in 1999. However, today, on his Twitter/X profile, we're learning that he is departing Intel to take on another role. "Fall is a season for change! Yesterday was my last day at Intel. I'm going to take a couple weeks with the family then I'm excited to talk about what's next," the post stated. With such extensive experience in the PC industry, we are eager to see where Mr. Shrout lands next.
In 2021, we introduced the Shift Special Edition Controller series with the Aqua Shift, followed by the Lunar and Stellar Shift controllers. We have been thrilled by the Xbox community's response to each controller and are delighted to announce that the
Shift series is now available through Xbox Design Lab. Alongside the Aqua, Lunar, and Stellar Shift designs making their debut on Xbox Design Lab, we are equally excited to introduce the newest member to the Shift series family - Cosmic Shift. These color-shifting top cases change color with light and motion - including the blue shimmer of Aqua Shift, silver-gold shimmer of Lunar Shift, blue-purple shimmer of Stellar Shift, and white-pink shimmer of Cosmic Shift.
At its core, the Shift series symbolizes the essence of exploring distinct realms, as each controller has a design story tied to traversing from one dimension to another. The blue shimmer of the Aqua Shift symbolizes the sea and its rhythmic tides. The silver-gold shimmer of the Lunar Shift embodies the captivating aura of the moon. The Stellar Shift transports us to the depths of space, where the deep purple and blue shimmer mimic the mysterious themes of the galaxy.
The
Total War: Pharaoh Early Access Weekend is almost upon us! Here are the global times for everyone (see below). 🌐 If you've pre-ordered your copy, it'll be available in your Steam library from Sept 29th, 13:00 BST to Oct 2nd, 13:00 BST. Prepare to journey back to the late Bronze Age! 🏺 The Early Access Weekend is an exciting opportunity for you to enjoy a carefully curated presentation of the game that includes two playable factions from two different cultures, a selection of Ancient Legacies, the full campaign map as well as all battle mechanics and most campaign mechanics. The game is playable for up to 60 turns, which can be replayed as often as you like during this time period.
This is the first time we're offering a pre-order bonus like this and we're proud to give you the chance to try part of the game a little earlier! We're currently focusing all available energies on polishing and delivering a smooth and enjoyable launch, so the Early Access Weekend is not a beta test. Of course, if you should happen to encounter a serious bug or issue,
please do let us know.
Haruhiro Tsujimoto, Capcom's chief operating officer, spoke to Bloomberg during last week's Tokyo Game Show. The discussion touched upon several subject matters, but the key takeaway was his refusal to accept any outside bid for complete ownership of Capcom's development and publishing arms. Sony and Microsoft have been hoovering up studios over the past three years, but the COO stated that any approach or bid for Capcom would be "gracefully declined." Tsujimoto was presented with a hypothetical situation: "How would Capcom respond to an acquisition offer from Microsoft?" A continuation of their existing relationship was his preference going forward: "I believe it would be better if we were equal partners."
He revealed that offers were made in the past: "There was a time (when) we were a target." Capcom desires internal "organic growth," rather than rapid expansion through acquisitions. It will occasionally rely on the third parties to develop games: "I also believe we can utilize external partners...but we have no intention of acquiring companies." Returning to the subject of growth—Capcom has not yet implemented a major price hike for its AAA titles, unlike other (rival) publishers—gamers are now paying up to $70 for (base/standard edition) big-budget interactive experiences on the latest-gen consoles and PCs. The house of Resident Evil and Street Fighter is seemingly ready to follow suit—as reported by Nikkei; Tsujimoto-san stated: "Development costs now are about 100 times more than they were during the Famicom era, but software prices haven't gone up to that extent...There's also a need to raise wages in order to attract talent. Seeing as wages are rising in the industry as a whole, I think raising unit prices is a healthy business model."
Solidigm today announced the D7-5810, an enterprise SSD for extremely intensity write workloads. Such a drive would be capable of write endurance in the neighborhood of 50 DWPD. For reference, the company's D7-P5620, a write-centric/mixed workload drive for data-logging, and AI ingest/preparation, offers around 3 DWPD of endurance, depending on the variant; and the read-intensive drive meant for CDNs, the D5-P5336, offers around 0.5 DWPD. Use cases for the new D7-P5810 include high performance caching for flash arrays dealing with "cooler" data; high-frequency trading, and HPC.
Solidigm D7-P5810 uses SK hynix 144-layer 3D NAND flash that's made to operate in a pure SLC configuration. The drive comes in 800 GB and 1.6 TB capacities, and offers 50 DWPD over an endurance period of 5 years (4K random writes). More specifically, both models offer 73 PBW (petabytes written) of endurance. The drive comes in enterprise-relevant 15 mm-thick U.2 form-factor, with PCIe Gen 4 x4 interface, with NVMe 1.3c and NVMe MI 1.1 protocols.
SteelSeries, the original esports brand that fuses gaming and culture, and the worldwide leader in gaming and esports peripherals, today announced the return of the Limited-Edition Ghost Collection, featuring the award-winning Aerox 3 Wireless mouse and Apex 7 TenKeyLess (TKL) keyboard. Design guides us, design defines us, and design connects us. Design also influences culture, so it's only fitting that the design behind the Limited-Edition Ghost Collection further sheds light on the style and innovation created for those who live a "gaming lifestyle."
A sleek sculptured shell is fused with a mesh pattern and a distinct ghost-like colorway to deliver a scary fast, ultra-lightweight, high-performance mouse, while an esports form factor keyboard shines bright through a translucent colorway. Add unrivaled RGB illumination to both and the Limited-Edition Ghost Collection makes a deadly combination.
EK, the leading manufacturer of premium liquid-cooling gear, is expanding its EK-Quantum Surface radiator portfolio. This line of radiators has already solidified its position as a prominent industry contender, earning extensive recognition and numerous accolades from respected review-based websites. The product line is now being expanded further by introducing two new Black Editions designed for the Slim series. The EK-Quantum Surface radiators result from years of meticulous development and market research aimed at delivering the utmost-quality product featuring both mechanical rigidity and top-tier performance.
These radiators are EK-Matrix7 compatible, as EK focuses on bringing the Matrix7 standard into all aspects of water cooling and beyond, enabling users to create stunning and professional-looking builds in a much more user-friendly way.
OXS, a brand that aims to deliver immersive audio experiences for home theater and gaming, is thrilled to introduce the release of the OXS Thunder Lite Gaming Soundbar. Featuring two full-range drivers and a bass tube, fine-tuned virtual surround sound, and a compact design, the OXS Thunder Lite is an active stereo soundbar that aims to elevate the home entertainment experience.
Immersive Audio Experience Powered By Two Full Range Speakers and a Bass Tube
Enhanced with dual full-range drivers and a bass tube, the OXS Thunder Lite effortlessly delivers a wide range of frequencies from 60 Hz to 20 kHz and a powerful sound with peak power up to 80 watts. This results in incredibly captivating and pleasurable audio quality with enhanced clarity, detail, and depth, even without an additional subwoofer.
Intel's forthcoming Core Ultra 7 1002H "Meteor Lake" mobile CPU has been sighted a few times, thanks to samples turning up on the Geekbench Browser database. We are months away from the official launch day—December 14—but
multiple models have been leaking out since late summer. Team Blue has used different designations for evaluation and qualification silicon—we can assume that
another Ultra 7 165H appearing online (courtesy of Geekbench 6.1 tests) has concreted that nomenclature as the finished/final article. Model codes and hierarchy information were not made available at Intel Innovation 2023 (last week), where Team Blue reps discussed Meteor Lake's AI-crunching capabilities.
Leaked information shows the
Core Ultra 7 1002H being nigh identical in terms of specifications (16 cores/22 threads) and engineering platform (MTL-P). Benchmarked results between the engineering sample (1002H) and Core Ultra 7 165H are pretty close—respectively: 2439 versus 2502 (single-core) and 12668 versus 12545 (multi-core). We are seeing a slight improvement in single-threaded performance, but the prototype edges out its newer counterpart by 123 points. Both units were benched on an "Intel Corporation Meteor Lake Client Platform," using balanced power plans in Windows 11 (Pro and Enterprise, respectively).
Today Acer has unveiled the Nitro V 15 gaming laptop—combining 13th Gen Intel Core processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs, up to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, and support for up to 2 TB PCIe M.2 SSDs for smooth, worry-free gaming. Digital worlds seamlessly unfold when playing on the Acer Nitro V 15's vibrant Full HD display with a lightning-fast refresh rate of up to 165 Hz and paired with DTS X: Ultra's pinpoint sound accuracy. Thanks to the 15-inch gaming laptop's dual fan and exhaust system, the battle-ready internals are kept cool and let players dive deep into any gaming dimension without breaking a sweat.
Optimal Performance for Adrenaline-charged Gaming
The Acer Nitro V 15 is shipped with up to 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processors, designed with the latest hybrid architecture to deliver premium gaming, creating, video editing, and multi-tasking, even when on the go. Equipped with up to
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPUs, gamers are treated to lifelike virtual scenes as the device's GPU delivers power-efficient and AI-powered rendering capabilities with DLSS 3 and ray tracing.
NVIDIA is reported to be on next year's 3 nm-class order book at TSMC, with the Blackwell GB100 data-center GPU marked down as an important production project. A DigiTimes insider piece proposes that Team Green has signed up for orders in the second half of 2024, giving TSMC some wiggle room to iron out alleged advanced packaging issues—but it is implied that Apple is already ahead in the queue. Inside sources have not spotted an Intel request for TSMC's advanced 3 nm process (still utilizing FinFET). Industry experts reckon that NVIDIA could be granted access to a customized node for its Blackwell product line, given their VIP status and special relationship with the leading Taiwanese foundry.
DigiTimes believes that the Blackwell GB100 (sporting a
chiplet design) will be targeting a Q4 2024 launch window, therefore arriving before any competing next-gen technologies: "For NVIDIA, which monopolizes more than 80% of the AI GPU market, the next generation B100 will use TSMC's 3 nm...It will seize AI deployment business opportunities while the iron is hot and suppress AMD, Intel and other challengers." Team Red, MediaTek and Qualcomm could be next in the procession—it is claimed that unspecified next-gen EPYC server chips are due in 3 nm form.
Symantec, a division of Broadcom Inc., is partnering with Google Cloud to embed generative AI (gen AI) into the Symantec Security platform in a phased rollout that will give customers a significant technical edge for detecting, understanding, and remediating sophisticated cyber attacks.
Symantec is leveraging the Google Cloud Security AI Workbench and security-specific large language model (LLM)--Sec-PaLM 2-across its portfolio to enable natural language interfaces and generate more comprehensive and easy-to-understand threat analyses. With Security AI Workbench-powered summarization of complex incidents and alignment to MITRE ATT&CK context, security operations center (SOC) analysts of all levels can better understand threats and be able to respond faster. That, in turn, translates into greater security and higher SOC productivity.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is available now on PC through
Steam,
GOG, the
Epic Games Store, and
GeForce Now. On Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 the expansion is being rolled out and will become available at midnight in each time zone. Return as cyber-enhanced mercenary V and embark on a high-stakes mission of espionage and intrigue to save the NUSA President with the help of NUSA secret agent Solomon Reed. Phantom Liberty will bring you to Dogtown—the most dangerous district of Night City ruled by arms dealer and warlord, Kurt Hansen.
FREEDOM ALWAYS COMES AT A PRICE
Phantom Liberty is a new spy-thriller adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. Enter the shadowy world of spycraft and become a government secret agent. Infiltrate high-security buildings, take out enemies and go toe-to-toe against seasoned professionals. Espionage is a high-risk game, and failure isn't an option. Choose your allies with care as you unravel the secrets at the heart of this expansion.
Lenovo has unveiled the ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4, setting a new standard for all-in-one (AIO) business desktop computers. Designed to address the needs of modern workplaces and content creators, this powerhouse Windows 11 PC wows with a massive 27-inch QHD display and is equipped with smart features that enhance connectivity, privacy, and usability.
"Modern businesses require more than just a high-performing PC, they need solutions that are smart and intuitive, reliable and efficient, and empowers them to create a multi-device ecosystem seamlessly," said Sanjeev Menon, vice president and general manager, Worldwide Desktop Business in Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "In this evolving hybrid environment, employees use an average of 2.5 devices for work and would like to be provided with both desktops and laptops to allow them to be more productive. Lenovo's ThinkCentre M90a Pro Gen 4 is the answer for businesses looking for synergy and to make workspaces more flexible, streamlined, and productive."
Heya Realmwalkers,
Inflexion Games here. We have a new Developer Update for you all that covers Nightingale's August playtest details & challenges, what we're working on post-playtest, Quality of Life (QoL) feature updates, what Early Access means to us and much more. Watch it below. Set out on a journey of survival and adventure, into the mysterious and dangerous Fae Realms of
Nightingale! Become an intrepid Realmwalker, and venture forth alone or with friends - as you explore, craft, build and fight across a visually stunning Gaslamp Fantasy world.
Nightingale is a PVE open-world survival crafting game played solo or cooperatively with friends. Build, craft, fight and explore as you venture through mystical portals into a variety of amazing and fantastical realms. You are stranded beyond our world, cut off by the collapse of the arcane portal network. This catastrophe has left you fighting to survive in a labyrinth of beautiful and dangerous Fae realms. Your goal: become a skilled Realmwalker, and navigate the web of transdimensional portals. Only then can you discover your way to the magical city of Nightingale, the last known bastion of humanity.
CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast components for gamers, creators, and PC builders, today launched the much anticipated latest addition to its award-winning memory line-up, DOMINATOR TITANIUM DDR5 memory. Built using some of the fastest DDR5 ICs alongside patented CORSAIR DHX cooling technology for improved overclocking potential, DOMINATOR TITANIUM continues the DOMINATOR legacy with a stunning design and blazing performance.
Sporting an elegant, fresh new aesthetic and built using premium materials and components, DOMINATOR TITANIUM DDR5 memory will be available for both Intel and AMD platforms, supporting Intel XMP 3.0 when paired with 12th and 13th-Gen Core processors or AMD EXPO for Ryzen 7000 CPUs. These technologies enable easy overclocking in just a couple of clicks on compatible platforms.
Newegg Commerce, Inc., a global e-commerce leader for technology products, today announced the launch of Newegg's GPU Trade-In Program, allowing customers to trade in an eligible GPU device and receive a trade-in value credit toward the purchase of a new qualifying graphics card also known as a graphics processing unit (GPU).
Newegg's GPU Trade-In Program not only helps customers upgrade to a newer GPU model, the program also helps limit electronic waste. By offering a resource for customers to exchange their unwanted GPUs for new ones, the program simultaneously contributes to waste reduction and facilitates cost-effective PC upgrades.
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR will launch for Meta Quest devices - including Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, and Meta Quest Pro - on November 16, enabling players to leap into a first-person virtual-reality adventure for the first time in the Assassin's Creed franchise. Embodying Assassin's Creed heroes Ezio Auditore, Connor, and Kassandra, players will parkour, climb freely across open maps, and use real-world motions to fight their way through a full-fledged Assassin's Creed adventure set across three different eras.
As an undercover hacker in the modern day, players will work from inside Abstergo to foil a plot to change people's beliefs using ancient technology. Working under Abstergo's cybersecurity chief, Dominika Wilk (played by award-winning actress Morena Baccarin), players will explore newly discovered memories from Renaissance Italy, the American Revolution, and Ancient Greece.
MSI is ready with a new line of cost-effective custom-design GeForce RTX 40-series "Ada" graphics cards, dubbed the Ventus 3X E-series, where the letter E denotes "essentials." According to Hassan Mujtaba from Wccftech, these cards are characterized by certain structural improvements, and for certain models, a different set of display outputs than the regular Ventus 3X series. While the current Ventus 3X series sticks to the NVIDIA baseline spec, with three DisplayPorts and one HDMI, some of the new Ventus 3X E-series comes with two DisplayPorts and two HDMI connectors instead of one.
MSI is planning to release Ventus 3X E-series SKUs based on the GeForce RTX 4070, the RTX 4070 Ti, and the RTX 4090. There are SKUs that stick to NVIDIA reference clock speeds and are priced at the NVIDIA MSRP; while their OC sub-variants come with a minor factory overclock. What's important to note here, is that the "E" brand extension isn't part of the Ventus 3X brand itself, and as such, the box art for these new cards is indistinguishable from the older Ventus 3X cards. You need to pay attention to the long-form model number printed near the barcodes, which has "E" or "E1" printed next to "Ventus 3X."
be quiet!, the German manufacturer for premium PC components, announces an addition to its portfolio of all-in-one water cooling units with Pure Loop 2. Pure Loop 2 replaces the award-winning Pure Loop, offering substantial improvements by implementing a PWM-adjustable pump and ARGB LEDs around the cooling block. Compared to Pure Loop 2 FX, the new Pure Loop 2 series utilizes be quiet!'s brand-new Pure Wings 3 PWM high-speed fans for high static pressure and a quiet operation. To match individual cooling requirements, Pure Loop 2 will be available with four different radiator sizes: 120 mm, 240 mm, 280 mm, and 360 mm.
Pure Loop 2 water cooling units rely on up to three Pure Wings 3 PWM high-speed fans, which offer a very quiet operation of only 36.8 dBA at maximum speed. The fans also support a unique closed loop motor function, which monitors the rotational speed of the fan and makes automatic adjustments to keep the fans at a constant fan speed, no matter the air resistance of the radiator. Pure Loop 2 has a doubly decoupled pump to reduce the transfer of vibrations: by being mounted on the tubes, the pump case is decoupled from the CPU cooling block and radiator. On top of that, rubber padding inside the housing of the pump unit add an additional layer of decoupling. The pump unit is PWM-adjustable, allowing better fine-tuning of the performance/noise balance. A nickel-coated coldplate ensures efficient cooling performance for all mainstream desktop processors and allows the use of liquid metal thermal compound.
Getac has today announced the launch of its next generation S410 semi-rugged laptop, which delivers powerful processing and graphics performance in a sustainable new design, without compromising on rugged reliability. The result is an incredibly versatile device that improves efficiency in the field while giving peace of mind to users in work environments where accidental knocks, bumps and drops can frequently occur.
Outstanding processing power
The next generation S410 is the first Getac device to feature an Intel Core 13th generation i5/i7 processor as standard, which delivers remarkable computing performance and rapid responsiveness to users. Integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics ensure a rich visual experience, while an optional dedicated GPS chip offers significantly improved location accuracy compared to previous generations. When it comes to connectivity, the next generation S410 includes Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 as standard, with optional 4G LTE and/or 5G Sub-6 with integrated GPS, keeping users connected in even remote locations.
MSI, a world-leading brand for gaming and creation, continues to introduce its latest creation, the VIGOR GK50 ELITE TKL gaming keyboard. Packed with cutting-edge features, this keyboard is designed to elevate your gaming experience to new heights.
A Choice of Mechanical Excellence
The VIGOR GK50 Elite TKL stands out with its three different mechanical key switches options - Kailh Blue, Kailh Red, and Kailh Box White. Gamers can now choose the key switch model that perfectly matches their playstyle, offering unparalleled feedback, speed, and precision for any gameplay. With support for 6+N Key Rollover and full anti-ghosting keys, the GK50 Elite TKL ensures that every keypress is registered, even during intense gaming sessions. Crafted with aerospace-grade materials and a sturdy metal frame, the GK50 Elite TKL is designed to withstand the test of time, ensuring long-lasting durability even in the heat of battle.
The burgeoning AI market is significantly impacting TSMC's CoWoS (Chip on Wafer on Substrate) advanced packaging production capacity, causing it to overflow due to high demand from major companies like NVIDIA, AMD, and Amazon. To accommodate this, TSMC is in the process of expanding its production capacity by acquiring additional CoWoS machines from equipment manufacturers like Xinyun, Wanrun, Hongsu, Titanium, and Qunyi. These expansions are expected to be operational in the first half of the next year, leading to an increased monthly production capacity, potentially close to 30,000 pieces, enabling TSMC to cater to more AI-related orders. These endeavors to increase capacity are in response to the amplified demand for AI chips from their applications in various domains, including autonomous vehicles and smart factories.
Despite TSMC's active steps to enlarge its CoWoS advanced packaging production, the overwhelming client demand is driving the company to place additional orders with equipment suppliers. It has been indicated that NVIDIA is currently TSMC's largest CoWoS advanced packaging customer, accounting for 60% of its production capacity. Due to the surge in demand, companies like AMD, Amazon, and Broadcom are also placing urgent orders, leading to a substantial increase in TSMC's advanced process capacity utilization. The overall situation indicates a thriving scenario for equipment manufacturers with clear visibility of orders extending into the following year, even as they navigate the challenges of fulfilling the rapidly growing and immediate demand in the AI market.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is now available on PC with full ray tracing, DLSS 3.5, and Ray Reconstruction. Phantom Liberty is a new spy-thriller adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there's only one person who can save her - you. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive deep into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries. If you don't own the expansion, return to the neon lights of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update, available now, featuring support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 and its new Ray Reconstruction technology, enhancing the quality of full ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077's Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode.
Crank Ray Tracing Up To Overdrive
Both Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty feature full ray tracing in the technology preview for the Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode. Full ray tracing, also known as path tracing, accurately simulates light throughout an entire scene. It is used by visual effects artists to create film and TV graphics that are indistinguishable from reality, but until the arrival of GeForce RTX GPUs with RT Cores, and the AI-powered acceleration of NVIDIA DLSS, real-time video game full ray tracing was impossible because it is extremely GPU intensive.
Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed the industry's first Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) form factor, which is expected to transform the DRAM market for PCs and laptops - and potentially even data centers. Samsung's groundbreaking development for its 7.5 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) LPCAMM has completed system verification through Intel's platform. Historically, PCs and laptops have conventionally used LPDDR DRAM or DDR-based So-DIMMs. While LPDDR is compact, it's permanently attached to the motherboard, making it challenging to replace during repairs or upgrades. On the other hand, So-DIMMs can be attached or detached easily but have limitations with performance and other physical features.
LPCAMM overcomes the shortcomings of both LPDDR and So-DIMMs, addressing the increased demand for more efficient yet compact devices. Being a detachable module, LPCAMM offers enhanced flexibility for PC and laptop manufacturers during the production process. Compared to So-DIMM, LPCAMM occupies up to 60% less space on the motherboard. This allows more efficient use of devices' internal space while also improving performance by up to 50% and power efficiency by up to 70%. LPDDR's power-saving features have made it an attractive option for servers, since it could potentially improve total cost of operation (TCO) efficiency. However, using LPDDR can create operational difficulties such as the need to replace the entire motherboard when upgrading a server's DRAM specifications. LPCAMM offers a solution to these challenges, creating significant potential for it to become the solution of choice for future data centers and servers.
The all-new Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wireless headphones offer standout features and world-class sound at an impressive value. "ACCENTUM Wireless was developed to outperform their price tag, sharing much of the most desirable DNA of our award-winning MOMENTUM 4," says Christian Ern, Sennheiser Principal Product Manager, "Consumers are getting breathtaking Sennheiser sound without sacrificing the battery life or wireless freedom that makes them so enjoyable to use all day long."
The soundtrack to your life
Boasting larger-than-life Sennheiser acoustics and the serenity of Hybrid Active Noise Canceling technology, ACCENTUM Wireless is an easy recommendation for consumers that prioritize audio performance in a wireless headphone. Their 37 mm dynamic transducers are tuned to provide exciting sound experiences with outstanding bass performance and striking clarity. Furthermore, the acoustics have been optimized for broad ANC performance, dramatically reducing cacophony from the outside world through a combination of passive isolation and covert microphones targeting both low and higher frequencies.
Monday, September 25th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Graphics Cards
The ASRock RX 7800 XT Steel Legend offers a great-looking white color theme that's paired with nice RGB illumination, a triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution, and a medium-sized factory overclock. Temperatures and noise levels are good, and pricing is reasonable with $520.
Review
Watercooling
We begin a new GPU water block roundup with the recently released Heatkiller V Pro RTX 4090 Strix/TUF block from Watercool. It uses a new cooling engine tweaked for ultimate performance and is part of an excellent design which is functional while looking gorgeous too.
Scott Herkelman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AMD's Graphics Business Unit, has announced that he will be leaving AMD at the end of this year. As noted in his Twitter post, he spent last seven years at AMD, and launches three generations of RDNA graphics architectures. Scott Herkelman is a veteran of the industry, and was General Manager for GeForce at NVIDIA back in the day. After briefly switching to a start-up, he then joined AMD back in 2016 as Vice President and General Manager of Graphics Business Unit, the role he held for seven years while becoming Senior Vice President in 2022.
Scott said farewell to his colleagues in a brief Twitter post, and we are are certainly looking forward to see where he will be going next, as Scott is a PC and a gaming industry fan, through and through. Meanwhile, as spotted by Videocardz.com and according to AMD's own website, Jack Huynh will take over at the Senior Vice President and General Manager of AMD's Graphics Business Unit.
UPDATE: As pointed out by some comments and a couple of readers, Jack Huynh will not replace Scott Herkelman. Jack Huynh replaced Rick Bergman back in April as Senior Vice President and General Manager of AMD's Graphics Business Unit.
This past weekend, Micron broke ground on what will be a new semiconductor assembly plant in Gujarat, India. The new facility is said to cover almost 0.4 square kilometres of land or 93 acres, on which phase one will include a 46.5 thousand square metre clean room. The first phase of the project is said to be built by Tata Projects and it's expected to start operating as early as the end of 2024, which seems somewhat optimistic considering how long it can take to build clean rooms of this size in other countries that have much more experience in building such facilities.
Micron is said to be investing a total of US$2.7 billion at the facility, although phase one has a budget of US$825 million as a first step. The full project is said to take five years to complete and is expected to bring some 5,000 direct jobs at the Micron plant. The plant will be a first-of-its-kind in India and Micron will be using it to assemble DRAM and NAND flash. Some of the investment is coming from the Indian government, but the reports don't mention how big of a share the government has contributed.
Hey Hunters! We are excited to announce that Early Access is now live! New and returning players can look forward to joining Pinkyy and her crew through additional adventures, finding new Relics, gear, and weapons beyond what has previously been seen in Stress Tests and
Closed Betas. To celebrate the launch, the
Relic Hunters Legend is available for a
SPECIAL discounted price (33% off) as part of Steam's SHMUP Fest from now until October 2.
How To Join
Players have various ways to get into Early Access such as getting the Rebel Edition, upgrading with the Heroic Content Upgrade Pack, or picking up everything at once with the Legendary Edition which includes a digital comic book, character skins, and more. Additional details about the
Relic Hunters Legend Early Access Editions and Content Pack can be found below.
After the first update/hotfix 1.7.29 that focused on Xbox Series X/S stability related to installations and brought various stability and performance improvements to reduce crashes and improve framerate, Bethesda has now released the second update, addressing some performance and stability issues as well as a few general gameplay issues. This is not the large update that Bethesda is still working on and should come in the future and bring those top community-requested features like the brightness and contrast controls, HDR calibration menu, FoV slider, NVIDIA DLSS support, ultrawide monitor support, and the "eat button for food."
The new 1.7.33 update does fix the star lens flare issue on AMD GPUs, as well as an upscaling issue that made some textures blurry and an issue that could cause photosensitivity issues when scrolling through the inventory menu. The new update also fixes various performance and stability issues that caused crashing and freezing, as well as an issue where the Hand Scanner caused hitching. It includes several other general fixes for characters, star stations, and vendors, as well as a few issues with ships in the game.
Microsoft's gaming division has historically had a hard time with the expansion of its Xbox console userbase in Japan, due to the continued dominance of rival Sony PlayStation and Nintendo systems. The Series X and Series S have bucked past trends to
some degree (maybe not all that impressive)—the higher-ups at Microsoft probably consider Japan to be an emerging/growth market, so Phil Spencer & Co. were
recently dispatched to 2023 Tokyo Game Show. Xbox's Chief and Sarah Bond (Corporate Vice President) participated in an IGN-organized Q&A panel, where they were asked about reviving dormant first or third party franchises.
Bond was nudged into answering first—her choice was Blizzard Entertainment's sci-fi RTS series; StarCraft. She based this selection on fan feedback—apparently Japanese gamers have expressed plenty of interest in a potential threequel. Microsoft could have a major say in goings-on at the Californian development studio, once their acquisition of Activision Blizzard goes ahead. Spencer had more time to mull over his pick—
in his opinion, MechAssault deserves a revival—with emphasis on it being a personal preference rather than any indication of an official announcement. The more action-oriented spin-off of FASA's MechWarrior series (set in the BattleTech universe) debuted exclusively on the original Xbox console back in 2002—Spencer was working as general manager of Microsoft Game Studios at the time. A sequel, Lone Wolf, was released in 2004.
The Chinese government introduced restrictions on the export of gallium and germanium (plus their chemical compounds)—both crucial materials in the computer chip manufacturing process—a couple of months ago. Big players within the semiconductor industry shrugged this off as a
minor inconvenience, and simply shifted to more expensive sources. Prior to an August 1 implementation of new rulings,
according to Reuters, China exported 36.48 metric tons of germanium, and 22.72 tons of gallium (starting January 2023). Customers were in a rush to acquire as much material as possible, before the "cut off" date—so 8.63 tons of germanium and 5.15 tons of gallium got shifted overseas throughout July.
Reuters has kept a watchful eye on the situation since then—its latest report states that "China's exports of germanium and gallium items plunged in August, the first month of the export controls, customs data showed on Wednesday (September 20)." A Ministry of Commerce spokesman, He Yadong, last week revealed that his department will be granting a limited number of export licenses to interested parties, on the condition that these local companies "meet relevant requirements." An undisclosed percentage of submitted applications have already received government approval. Signed paperwork reportedly gives the thumbs up to "dual use" purposes, implying that potential customers are in the military and civilian fields.
Useful Sensors, an AI-focused start-up, today launched the world's first low-cost, off-the-shelf AI module to enable intuitive, natural language interaction with electronic devices, locally and privately, with no need for an account or internet connection. The new AI-In-A-Box module can answer queries and solve problems in a way similar to well-known AI tools based on a large language model (LLM). But thanks to compression and acceleration technologies developed by Useful Sensors, the module hosts its LLM file locally, enabling its low-cost microprocessor to understand and respond instantly to spoken natural language queries or commands without reference to a data center.
Disconnected from the internet, the AI-In-A-Box module definitively eliminates user concerns about privacy, snooping, or dependence on third-party cloud services that are prevalent with conventional LLM-based AI products and services marketed by large technology companies. The AI-In-A-Box module is
available to buy now at CrowdSupply, priced at $299.
Intel did put a small spotlight on its upcoming 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" processor series at last week's Innovation event. This very brief aspect of their presentation has received only minor press coverage (in retrospect) since Team Blue did not do a great deal to publicize their "next-gen" release. In a pre-keynote segment on the second day of proceedings, an on-the-floor demonstration focused on AI-related virtual production methods. Craig Raymond, a Team Blue Technologist, showcased a workstation rig that deals with "meta-human" avatar plug-in for Unreal Engine.
Raymond pointed to a PC tower positioned under the work desk and introduced it as "running on our Raptor Lake Refresh right here," he continued: "so, we're showing off some of our brand new hardware for the first time, that is pre-launch, so we're giving everyone a first peek on what that really looks like." A grand total of 12 seconds was dedicated to 14th Gen Core during the second day livestream. They quickly moved onto previewing a Thunderbolt 5-equipped laptop that sat in the demo room. Intel is likely lining up a proper reveal of
Raptor Lake Refresh SKUs closer to the expected October 17 launch of
higher-end K and KF variants.
Join the thirstiest of adventures! Discover the
story of the sunbeaten land. 50 years ago, the hubris of humankind combined with natural disasters transformed the world into a desert. A desert world, an extreme water shortage, a demon-human alliance. Whether or not you're familiar with the
SAND LAND universe, we're pleased to share a short recap/introduction of the story and its characters, to prepare you for the release of our upcoming video game!
1. What is SAND LAND?
SAND LAND is originally a popular manga created by Akira Toriyama, the author of DRAGON BALL and Dr. Slump. After being serialized intensively for a short period in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2000, the one-volume comic has gained worldwide popularity since its publishing. In desert world where both demons and humans suffer from an extreme water shortage, Beelzebub, Fiend Prince, and Rao, a small-town sheriff, and demon Thief form a team and set off on an adventure in search of the Legendary Spring somewhere in the desert.
Samsung seems to be preparing follow ups to its current selection of Portable T7 SSDs—the series debuted back in early 2020, so a couple of successors are more than due. Last week TechRadar started to pick up on various retail listings popping up in Australia, France and the Netherlands. This information was posted online prematurely and by mistake—the involved organizations have since removed entries from their web stores. Samsung's Dutch division has been slow to respond, and its portal for a "
MU-PG2T0B" model is still active (at the time of writing). France's Grosbill and P12.fr had listings for two T9 variants (1 TB and 2 TB configurations) sporting the aforementioned product code. Similar details appeared over in Australia, courtesy of the Microboss site. One of the French e-tailer spec sheets mentioned that Samsung's T9 SSD read and write speeds maxed out at 2 GB/s.
TechRadar believes that Samsung will be blowing out current T7 models during November's Black Friday sales week, in anticipation of clearing the way for all things T9. The publication managed to catch some (likely) placeholder prices from its sources, prior to removal: "There's also every chance it could be cheaper at launch than the T7, with PC12.fr retailing the T9 SSD for €236.52 including VAT (roughly $250) and Gosbill Pro retailing the device for just €199 (roughly $215) - though it's unclear if this is inclusive of taxes." There is also speculation regarding the integration of Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, since the older T7 generation relies on the preceding standard.
Hardware Busters put the new 12V-2x6 connector—which is part of the ATX v3.1 standard—to the test to see how it compares to the 12VHPWR connector and the results are very encouraging. Not only does the 12V-2x6 cables appear to run at much cooler temperature, even at a 55 Ampere load, although the setup that was tested had only been running at this load for around 30 minutes. Even so, the cable and connector was only reading a surface temperature of around 46 degrees, which is well within specs.
However, to show that the new connector wouldn't suffer the catastrophic failure that some 12VHPWR connectors have suffered due to not having been mated properly with the connector on the graphics card, the same test was also performed with the connector partially inserted. Based on the test equipment shown in the video, there was no variation in Voltage, Amps or temperature. The specific cable was produced by a company in China called Linewell that apparently makes the PSU cables for ASUS among others. The secret behind the improved connector is a combination of new pins inside the connector and the shorter auxiliary pins which means that a poorly inserted connector won't allow the GPU to request higher power levels from the PSU. The new pins inside of the connectors appear to be solving the thermal issues as well, so hopefully we won't be reading about any more melted connectors in the future. See the video after the break for more details.
Pixelworks, Inc., a leading provider of visual processing solutions, today announced that it has partnered with a flagship game IP, Revelation, developed by the Thunderfire Business Group, a game studio of the world's leading game developer, NetEase Games, and provided visual processing solutions to optimize the display quality of the mobile version of the game. The Revelation Mobile integrates Pixelworks' Rendering Accelerator SDK to significantly enhance the visual quality for mobile gaming. Coupled with a
Pixelworks X7 visual processor, the Rendering Accelerator works as a bridge, delivering an exceptional 120 FPS visual experience on mobile devices with low power consumption, enabling a more immersive gaming experience for mobile gamers.
Revelation Mobile is a flagship mobile game developed by NetEase Games. Centered around the theme of oriental fantasy, the game creates a 3D fantasy world where characters can soar to the heights of the heavens and plunge into the depths of the seas. It faithfully recreates the vast and beautiful Cloud Song Continent. The game boasts stunning and eye-catching visuals, from the boundless cloudscapes to the enchanting underwater scenes, all meticulously crafted to bring the world to life. Rich colors, together with impressive lighting effects, make the Cloud Song Continent, a realm where diverse human landscapes intertwine with natural beauty, even more vivid and vibrant. Players follow their characters on a journey of growth, where navigating vast expanses of distant skies and deep oceans allows them to embrace innate sense of freedom, while simultaneously enduring the challenges of pioneering exploration and harvesting unique life experiences through blocking strategies and gaming moves.
Tesla first revealed plans for its Dojo D1 training chip back in 2021, with hopes of it powering self-driving technology in the near future. The automative division has relied mostly on NVIDIA over the ensuing years, but is seemingly keen to
move onto proprietary solutions. Media reports from two years ago suggest that 5760 NVIDIA A100 GPUs were in play to develop Tesla's advanced driver-assistance system (Autopilot ADAS). Tom's Hardware believed that a $300 Million AI supercomputer cluster—comprised of roughly 10,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs—was powered on last month. Recent reports emerging from Taiwan suggest that Tesla is doubling Dojo D1 supercomputer chip orders with TSMC.
An
Economic Daily report posits that 10,000 Dojo D1 are in a production queue for the next year, with insiders believing that Tesla is quietly expressing confidence in its custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). An upcoming order count could increase for the next batch (in 2025). The article hints that TSMC's "HPC-related order momentum has increased thanks to Tesla." Both organizations have not publicly commented on these developments, but insider sources have disclosed some technical details—most notably that the finalized Dojo design: "mainly uses TSMC's 7 nm family process and combines it with InFO-level system-on-wafer (SoW) advanced packaging."
Cyber Acoustics, a leading manufacturer of reliable and affordable computer peripherals used in schools, businesses, and homes, today announced the Cyber Acoustics USB and Bluetooth Speaker Bar CA-2890PRO, a compact USB and Bluetooth speaker bar with speakerphone that clamps to most monitors, for a space-saving audio upgrade. The CA-2890PRO joins Cyber Acoustics' speaker bar family that includes the CA-2890 and CA-2890BT, both of which are among Amazon's best-selling computer speakers.
New design delivers surprisingly loud, clear audio from a compact form factor
Featuring a larger cabinet design than its predecessors, the CA-2890PRO was engineered to provide optimized power output whether connected to a USB-C or USB-A port. This larger cabinet delivers greater sound clarity, with accurate mids and clear highs from dual precision acoustic stereo drivers and a rear-facing bass radiator, ensuring high-quality sound for music, movies, and voice or video calls.
During launch-weekend,
Payday 3 had a peak of concurrent players (CCU) across all platforms of 218,250, and a peak of 1,347,510 unique players (DAU). Starbreeze Nebula currently has 3,794,172 registered users. Payday 3 matchmaking infrastructure has not performed as tested and expected. Matchmaking software encountered an unforeseen error, which made it unable to handle the massive influx of players. The issue caused an unrecoverable situation for Starbreeze's third-party matchmaking partner.
A new version of the matchmaking server software was gradually deployed across all regions leading to improved performance. However, a software update made by the partner during late Sunday again introduced instability to the matchmaking infrastructure. The partner continues to work to improve and stabilize Payday 3's online systems.
Andreas Schilling, editor at Hardwareluxx, noticed some interesting looking Intel Meteor Lake-related merchandise very recently—last week's Innovation event served as a proper public unveiling of the next generation mobile processor series, scheduled to launch on December 14. Team Blue showcased their new advanced disaggregated chiplet design during a keynote presentation, but did not provide a comprehensive breakdown of upcoming SKUs and feature sets. A couple of clues were presented in plain sight (see below)—
Schilling reckons that some tongue-in-cheek marketing was in effect: "Intel is leaking with its own swag. We know there will be different configurations of the compute, I/O and graphics tiles with Meteor Lake. The GPU will use 8 or 4 Xe cores it seems."
Intel has hyped up Meteor Lake's integrated GPU chiplet as having "performance parallelism and throughput, ideal for AI infused in media, 3D applications and the render pipeline." VideoCardz had this to say about the Alchemist-derived setup: "This integration of Xe-LPG architecture is expected to deliver a 2x performance boost compared to the existing Xe-LP architecture found in Raptor Lake. Intel put a lot of emphasis on supporting 10 W gaming with this architecture, potentially opening a new competing front versus AMD RDNA 3 in handheld." The Meteor Lake "swag" hints that at least two different configurations are in the works, with 8 or 4 Xe-Cores (as printed on the two pieces of merch). Intel's Meteor Lake SKU hierarchy could consist of models with varying levels of iGPU potency, since the chiplet design provides a great deal of flexibility.
Samsung Electronics today announced a new collaboration with AMD to advance 5G virtualized RAN (vRAN) for network transformation. This collaboration represents Samsung's ongoing commitment to enriching vRAN and Open RAN ecosystems to help operators build and modernize mobile networks with unmatched flexibility and optimized performance. The two companies have completed several rounds of tests at Samsung's lab to verify high-capacity and telco-grade performance using FDD bands and TDD Massive MIMO wide-bands, while significantly reducing power consumption. In this joint collaboration, Samsung used its versatile vRAN software integrated with the new AMD EPYC 8004 processors, focused on telco and intelligent edge. During technical verification, the EPYC 8004 processors combined with Samsung's vRAN solutions delivered optimized cell capacity per server as well as high power efficiency.
"This technical collaboration demonstrates Samsung's commitment to delivering network flexibility and high performance for service providers by building a larger vRAN and Open RAN ecosystem," said Henrik Jansson, Vice President and Head of SI Business Group, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. "Samsung has been at the forefront of unleashing the full potential of 5G vRAN technology to meet rising demands, and we look forward to collaborating with industry leaders like AMD to provide operators the capabilities to transform their networks."
MSI announces the first "DROP" of "THE LIMITED SERIES": the MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G NV EDITION. This marks the birth of "THE LIMITED SERIES", the new concept that introduces special editions of MSI best products. As the best-in-class mainstream GPU and best card for 1080p GAMING, the GeForce RTX 4060 is the perfect match for this first "Drop". Game, stream, create, and the new MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G NV EDITION, will let you take on the latest games and apps with the ultra-efficient NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture. Experience immersive, AI-accelerated gaming with ray tracing and DLSS 3, and supercharge your creative process and productivity with NVIDIA Studio. Packed with a SPECIAL NVIDIA GREEN color scheme and additional RGB on the side and the shroud, this "Drop" is the first opportunity for Hardware Enthusiasts and Gamers to show their uniqueness.
As being innovative is not only about performance and technique, MSI has also decided that this series will be the first step of its new eco-Friendly approach. Indeed, the very special graphic card will come in a sustainable packaging using only the right amount of product protection wrap and material for the packaging of the graphic cards. With only 6,000 units available worldwide, this graphics card promises to be a collector's dream! Don't miss the chance to get your hands on this very exclusive item. MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G NV EDITION is now available until stock last.
The Platform for Digital and Quantum Innovation of Quebec (PINQ²), a non-profit organization (NPO) founded by the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy of Quebec (MEIE - ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie du Québec) and the Université de Sherbrooke, along with IBM, are proud to announce the historic inauguration of an
IBM Quantum System One at IBM Bromont. This event marks a major turning point in the field of information technology and all sectors of innovation in Quebec, making PINQ² the sole administrator to inaugurate and operate an IBM Quantum System One in Canada. To date, this is one of the most advanced quantum computers in IBM's global fleet of quantum computers.
This new quantum computer in Quebec reinforces Quebec's and Canada's position as a force in the rapidly advancing field of quantum computing, opening new prospects for the technological future of the province and the country. Access to this technology is a considerable asset not only for the ecosystem of DistriQ, the quantum innovation zone for Quebec, but also for the Technum Québec innovation zone, the new "Energy Transition Valley" innovation zone and other strategic sectors for Quebec.
G2 Esports, one of the world's most distinctive and successful e-sports and entertainment brands, and
Herman Miller Gaming, a global leader in innovative design known for producing some of the best seating solutions in the world, will take their partnership to the next level, releasing a limited-edition model of Herman Miller Gaming's award-winning Embody Gaming Chair. Only 250 of the limited-edition G2-branded Embody Gaming Chairs will be manufactured, becoming available for purchase globally on the 26th of September.
Herman Miller Gaming's relentless pursuit of melding scientific precision, unparalleled performance, and holistic wellbeing has converged with G2's unyielding commitment to equipping gamers with the ultimate arsenal for triumph. The two companies are challenging gamers and e-sports fans to break away from the rudimentary standards of the typical gaming chair, prioritizing their health and wellbeing: "Break the Meta."
Hot on the heels of news that DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction can be
made to work with DLAA (DLSS at native resolution) using a DLSS-modding utility, we're coming across yet another hack. This one gets you to use DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction on Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty without the need for Path Tracing, and using the game's regular ray tracing technology. Path tracing is very hardware intensive feature, and in our testing, we've only been able to get playable frame-rates at 4K Ultra HD using the two fastest GPUs in the market, the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080. A user on Reddit discovered how to get Phantom Liberty to use regular ray tracing with Ray Reconstruction. We don't know who the original author of this hack is, but it was re-posted to Reddit by Daemoni73. Here are the steps:
- Launch Cyberpunk 2077, enable Ray Tracing and DLSS Super Resolution (in other words apply your preferable settings).
- Exit the game and go to your %LOCALAPPDATA%\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077 and open the UserSettings.json file.
- Search for "DLSS_D", set the "value" and "default_value" from "false" to "true".
- Save the config file and set it as "read only".
- Launch the game and play with Ray Tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction.
When DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction debuted last week promising vastly improved ray traced visuals, we couldn't quite understand the need for DLSS 2 (super resolution) to be enabled for Ray Reconstruction to be available, and why you couldn't just render the game at native resolution using DLAA. The modding community waits for nothing, and overcome this restriction in no time. You can now enjoy "Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty" with DLAA paired with Ray Reconstruction. DLAA is a zero-upscaling mode of DLSS, wherein the game renders at native resolution, but with the advanced anti-aliasing and detailing provided by the DLSS upscaler—it is probably the most advanced AA algorithm out there.
The way to go about getting DLAA with Ray Reconstruction is to grab the latest version of DLSSTweaks (version: 0.200.7-beta4), which went live on September 22. The tool lets you modify DLSS behavior on a per-application basis, and this latest version lets you force DLAA to be enabled, even when you enable Ray Reconstruction, and the game's menu changes the available DLSS quality settings. What the "ForceDLAA" option in the tool does is modify the game's DLSS profiles to render at native resolution, essentially making them DLAA. DLSSTewaks can be found
here.
Today, we're announcing that Amazon will invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic. The agreement is part of a broader collaboration to develop the most reliable and high-performing foundation models in the industry. Our frontier safety research and products, together with Amazon Web Services' (AWS) expertise in running secure, reliable infrastructure, will make Anthropic's safe and steerable AI widely accessible to AWS customers.
AWS will become Anthropic's primary cloud provider for mission critical workloads, providing our team with access to leading compute infrastructure in the form of AWS Trainium and Inferentia chips, which will be used in addition to existing solutions for model training and deployment. Together, we'll combine our respective expertise to collaborate on the development of future Trainium and Inferentia technology.
Data center infrastructure is a complex matter. It requires shelter, cooling, and dedicated power generators that keep the servers running at full capacity and uptime. However, as these data centers can consume MegaWatts of power, it is becoming increasingly more work for hyperscalers like Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and others to ensure proper power supply to their data centers. Today, according to the job listing by Microsoft, we learn that the Redmond giant is preparing its infrastructure for nuclear power to reduce data centers' dependency on the outside grid. According to the job listing, Microsoft is seeking a "Principal Program Manager, Nuclear Technology, who will be responsible for maturing and implementing a global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and microreactor energy strategy."
The SMR and microreactor systems are smaller-scale than traditional nuclear reactors that many power plants are using today and are more manageable due to their sheer size. The power plants based on the aforementioned technology can reside right next to the data center. We are sure that Microsoft had calculated the return on investment (ROI) of creating its power grid, as its electricity consumption will only increase in the coming years as the infrastructure expands. P. Todd Noe, director of nuclear technologies engineering at Microsoft, shared a note regarding the listing, stating: "This is not just a job, it is a challenge. By joining us, you will be part of a global movement that is transforming the way we produce and consume energy. You will also have the chance to grow your skills, advance your career, and make an impact on millions of lives." Below, you can see an example SMR from NuScale.
BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, is excited to unveil the brand-new H610MS and H610MHD D5 motherboards designed to supplement the needs of modern day professionals and home users seamlessly. Built based on Intel H610 single-chip architecture, ready for 12th and 13th Gen Intel Core Processors, these motherboards are ideal for the working professional, making tasks such as web browsing, emailing, and document management a breeze. For the home user, it delivers an unparalleled experience whether watching movies on Netflix, listening to music, gaming, or even for HTPC uses like streaming, live TV recording, and more.
The H610MS motherboard supports the robust DDR4 memory modules. Users can utilize 2 DIMM slots with a capacity of up to 64 GB. Meanwhile, the H610MHD D5 motherboard is designed to handle the latest DDR5 memory modules across a similar 2-DIMM configuration of up to 96 GB of Memory, ensuring users have a breadth of choices for their distinct build preferences. These motherboards are brimming with cutting-edge features tailored to modern computing demands. Each board seamlessly supports USB 3.2 Gen 1, ensuring rapid data transfers and connectivity. Additionally, they are primed for the future with support for both PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, offering enhanced versatility for expansions. Furthermore, they are equipped to accommodate the blazing speeds of PCIe 3.0 M.2 drives with a bandwidth of 32 Gb/s, catering to users who seek swift storage solutions.
Silicon Motion Technology Corporation today disclosed additional details regarding MaxLinear's termination of its May 5, 2022 agreement to acquire the Company (the "Merger Agreement"). As previously disclosed, MaxLinear's July 26, 2023 notice of termination did not contain a factual basis for MaxLinear's claim that it was not obligated to close its acquisition of the Company because the Company's business had suffered a material adverse effect (as such term is defined under Delaware law (an "MAE")) and the Company had failed to operate its business in the ordinary course after the Merger Agreement was signed.
In the 15 months following the signing of the Merger Agreement, MaxLinear never once asserted, prior to sending its July 26, 2023 notice of termination, that there had been a material breach of the Merger Agreement, nor did it or its representatives ever mention an MAE or a breach of the ordinary course covenant.
SOUNDBOKS, a leading brand in Bluetooth party speakers, today announced the highly anticipated SOUNDBOKS 4,engineered to outperform and outlast the competition. The SOUNDBOKS 4 delivers unprecedented sound quality at any volume and is paired with industry-leading battery technology, all wrapped in a customizable, durable build with an easy-to-use Scandinavian design.
"We built SOUNDBOKS to amplify every party and the SOUNDBOKS 4 features our best innovations to date," said Jesper Theil Thomsen, SOUNDBOKS co-founder and CEO. "I'm so proud of the entire SOUNDBOKS team for what they have achieved, working alongside our passionate community to develop the SOUNDBOKS 4, the perfect speaker for those who crave powerful, immersive sound that fuels a passion for music and togetherness."
LG Display, the world's leading innovator of display technologies, announced today that it will start mass-production of the 17-inch Foldable OLED panel for laptops, a representation of the company's earnest commitment to the expansion of its OLED business for IT devices. LG Display's 17-inch Foldable OLED panel features a Tandem OLED structure previously applied to automotive displays, with a dramatically increased lifespan suitable for IT devices. An industry first in 2019, LG Display's Tandem OLED embodies its groundbreaking two-stack OLED technology, which adds an extra organic emitting layer to deliver brighter screens while effectively dispersing energy across OLED components for optimal stability and longer lifespans. The longevity of the panel is well-suited to IT devices which typically have longer usage times such as laptops, monitors, and tablets.
The company's groundbreaking 17-inch Foldable OLED for laptops integrates a specialized material that minimizes creasing in the folding area of the screen. This results in a seamless display and crystal-clear picture quality, unlike conventional foldable panels. In addition, the 17-inch Foldable OLED features an 'in-folding' design, allowing it to fold inwards with ease. The curvature of the folding portion is reduced to 3R (radius of curvature 3 mm), resulting in a slim and seamless screen design that closely fits together when folded in half. The panel incorporates QHD+ resolution (2560 x 1920) on its 17-inch large screen and boasts an infinite contrast ratio unique to OLED technology, ensuring high-definition content can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere.
Creative Technology is delighted to announce its strategic partnership with Skyworth, bringing the award-winning Super X-Fi Spatial Holographic Audio technology into their latest TV line-up, which includes state-of-the-art miniLED 4K models. After receiving 23 prestigious awards at CES 2019, Super X-Fi is set to revolutionize the way users experience sound on Skyworth's top-of-the-line TVs, making home entertainment truly exceptional.
Super X-Fi technology revolutionizes the audio experience for users by ingeniously recreating the immersive listening sensation of a high-end multi-speaker system, all within the confines of a pair of headphones or earphones. Unlike conventional audio processing, this innovative spatial audio technology breaks free from the limitations of flat and lackluster sound, infusing every note, beat, and whisper with a remarkable sense of depth, realism, and immersion.
Industry-leading designer and manufacturer of edge AI solutions, AAEON, has released the BOXER-8651AI, a compact fanless embedded AI System powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX module. Consequently, the BOXER-8651AI takes advantage of the module's NVIDIA Ampere architecture GPU, featuring 1024 CUDA and 32 Tensor Cores, along with support for NVIDIA JetPack 5.0 and above to provide users with accelerated graphics, data processing, and image classification.
With a fanless chassis measuring just 105 mm x 90 mm x 52 mm, the BOXER-8651AI is an extremely small solution that houses a dense range of interfaces, including DB-9 and DB-15 ports for RS-232 (Rx/Tx/CTS/RTS)/RS-485, CANBus, and DIO functions. Additionally, the device provides HDMI 2.1 display output, GbE LAN, and a variety of USB Type-A ports, supporting both USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB 2.0 functionality.
The BOXER-8651AI, despite containing such powerful AI performance for its size, is built to operate in rugged conditions, boasting a -5°F to 131°F (-15°C to 55°C) temperature range alongside anti-shock and vibration resistance features. Consequently, the PC is ideally suited for wall mounted deployment across a range of environments.
MSI, a global leading brand of computer hardware and gaming peripherals, is thrilled to announce an exciting partnership with renowned game developer CAPCOM to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Monster Hunter series. The depth of gameplay, challenging quests, and immersive multiplayer experiences have made the Monster Hunter series a beloved classic among gamers of all ages.
The official unveiling of this thrilling partnership has taken place at the 2023 Tokyo Game Show, with the release of the limited-edition products scheduled for the Monster Hunter 20th-anniversary celebration in March 2024. Drawing inspiration from one of the series' most iconic monsters, the Rathalos, this collaboration will infuse the majestic aura and power of the Rathalos into a captivating range of limited-edition gaming peripherals.
Sunday, September 24th 2023
PC World's senior editor, Mark Hachman, managed to corner an important Team Blue staffer during this week's Innovation 2023 event, where Core Ultra "Meteor Lake" processors were
presented in an official manner. This CPU family is set to arrive on December 14, but starting out only in mobile form—
past leaks have yoyo-ed between rumored plans for desktop variants being alive or getting canned entirely. Michelle Johnston Holthaus—executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel Corporation—confirmed to PC World in a video interview that Meteor Lake desktop SKUs are scheduled for launch next year. She elaborated on this slightly surprising declaration: "I want one processor family top to bottom for both segments, doesn't everybody?"
Exact details regarding release timings were not disclosed, but
previous leaks have indicated that the rest of Intel's 14th Gen Core/Raptor Lake Refresh
desktop lineup is due in early 2024—a product launch of 65 W TDP-rated SKUs could coincide with CES 2024. A "Meteor Lake-S" desktop CPU series is speculated to be placed mid-year, while the Arrow Lake generation is believed to be slated for late 2024. Reports have suggested that Meteor Lake has been delayed numerous times due to developmental setbacks—a
leaked presentation slide seemed to show MTL-S SKUs (on socket LGA1851) being limited to 35 and 65 W TDPs, thus restricting the range to Core i3 and i5 product lines. Intel's new naming scheme—
for the Meteor Lake generation—will assign "Core Ultra 5" instead of "Core i5" if new models land in the "Premium" processor bracket. We are not entirely sure where the future equivalent to "Core i3" will stick in the lower-end hierarchy, but the revised naming system suggests that it will only exist within Intel's "Mainstream" tier—so just a plain "Core 3," without any mention of Ultra performance or feature set.
Ubisoft has announced strong early momentum for
The Crew Motorfest, the brand-new open world driving experience of The Crew franchise. The game is the highest rated title in the franchise and had the best first week for the franchise in terms of total unit sell through, overall consumer spend, and season pass adoption rate.
The Crew Motorfest has been received positively by critics and players alike, delivering on its promise of breathtaking Hawaiian scenery and graphic fidelity, improved vehicle handling, and an ode to car culture through the Playlist system. The Crew 2 community have already embraced the new opus and have taken advantage of the "Collection Import" feature, with more than 42 million vehicles imported from The Crew 2 to The Crew Motorfest.
Tales of the Shire—a "The Lord of the Rings" game—has been teased by
Private Division. The introductory trailer does not contain any gameplay footage, but it indicates that a "cozy" Hobbit-related living habitat will serve as the main environment. A live action sequence shows a character adding yet another drawing to a sketchbook filled to the brim with illustrations of Hobbit life and key Shire locales. Take Two Interactive's
indie specialist offshoot will be publishing the game, while
Wētā Workshop is listed as Tales of the Shire's main development studio. The latter is best known for creating special effects and props—most notably on the Peter Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies.
Wētā Workshop's move into video games seems to be an odd one—but Take Two Interactive and its development partner did announce an unnamed The Lord of the Rings title last summer—Amie Wolken, head of interactive at Wētā Workshop stated (at the time): "It's a privilege to create a new game set in Middle-earth, especially one that's so different from what fans have played previously. As fans ourselves, we're excited for gamers to explore Middle-earth in a way they never have before, and introduce new fans to the magic of The Lord of the Rings." Private Division has set a very general 2024 launch window, with Tales of the Shire arriving on PC and consoles.
Generative AI is no longer just for tech giants. With GeForce, it's already at your fingertips. Gone are the days when AI was the domain of sprawling data centers or elite researchers. For
GeForce RTX users, AI is now running on your PC. It's personal, enhancing every keystroke, every frame and every moment. Gamers are already enjoying the benefits of AI in over
300 RTX games. Meanwhile, content creators have access to
over 100 RTX creative and design apps, with AI enhancing everything from video and photo editing to asset generation. And for GeForce enthusiasts, it's just the beginning. RTX is the platform for today and the accelerator that will power the AI of tomorrow.
How Did AI and Gaming Converge?
NVIDIA pioneered the integration of AI and gaming with
DLSS, a technique that uses AI to generate pixels in video games automatically and which has increased frame rates by up to 4x. And with the
recent introduction of DLSS 3.5, NVIDIA has enhanced the visual quality in some of the world's top titles, setting a new standard for visually richer and more immersive gameplay. But NVIDIA's AI integration doesn't stop there. Tools like
RTX Remix empower game modders to remaster classic content using high-quality textures and materials generated by AI.
It's time, Helldivers. This is Katherine from
Arrowhead Game Studios bringing you the biggest announcement yet:
Helldivers 2 launches on 8th February 2024! Pre-purchase for both the Standard Edition and the
Super Citizen Edition of Helldivers 2 are now available—
enlist today to fight for the liberty of Super Earth.
Be the hero of Super Earth, defender of Freedom, herald of Managed Democracy. Team-up with your fellow Helldivers and fight more than just bugs: now the Automaton faction has emerged to threaten our liberty. Descended from the Cyborgs, an old enemy familiar to our Helldivers community, these mechanized killing machines are determined to wipe out the Super Earth way of life. The bots are an intelligent and relentless foe, you and your squad will have to gather your most powerful weapons and strategize on how best to wipe them out.
Panos Panay did not present at Microsoft's recent Windows event in New York City—
his departure from the titanic technology corporation was announced on September 18; so only three days before an official unveiling of
new Surface products. Panay and his (now former) executive colleagues painted a positive picture regarding the move onto pastures new. News reports emerged about an alleged high level hiring by Amazon, with Panay overseeing Alexa and Echo divisions—replacing
Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices & Services. A Business Insider report suggests that Microsoft's former chief product officer was unhappy about budget cuts affecting his Surface division—certain insiders were not surprised when Panay announced his retirement from the big M.
The transfer to Amazon was in the works for a while, according to cited inside sources—Microsoft reportedly implemented a round of major budget cuts and product cancellations that did not sit well with Panay. The Surface department experienced "significant" downscaling, and plans for next-generation Surface Headphones were jettisoned. Business Insider proposed that funds had been reassigned to more important internal ventures—mainly
artificial intelligence. Many folks were looking forward to Panay taking the stage in NYC earlier this week, but Brett Ostrum (Corporate Vice President of Surface Devices) ultimately acted as his replacement—with a showcasing of the company's latest portable Windows devices. Attendees were somewhat surprised to see Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella turn up as well—it is possible that he was added to the roster for "some extra firepower."
As we're about to enter the last week of September, we have another somewhat slow week of new releases, that is unless you're a football fan, the kind with a round ball, not the oblong pig bladder kind. That said, if you're into trains, house building, hunting relics or ever wanted to know what it's like to jump between worlds, there might be something for you this week as well.
EA Sports FC 24 / This week's AAA title / Thursday 28 September
EA Sports FC 24 welcomes you to The World's Game: the most true-to-football experience ever with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and an enhanced Frostbite. Join us in building the future of football on a foundation of innovation and authenticity with more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams, and 30 leagues.
Saturday, September 23rd 2023
Total War: Pharaoh's release date via
Epic Games Store has been delayed into early 2024, but its Steam launch time remains unchanged—it is still scheduled for October 11 (at the time of writing). It seems that Epic Games has added to the development team's pile of homework—Creative Assembly shared this information through its social media account(s): "We have moved the Epic Games Store release of Total War Pharaoh into early 2024. We were recently asked to help support the integration of additional social functions before we can launch on the Epic Games Store," it explains, "and we'll need additional time to help make that happen." Epic's listing simply states that Sega Europe's upcoming turn-based/strategy real-time tactics game will be "Coming Soon."
Customers with pre-orders already placed on the Epic Games Store should be issued notifications regarding automatic cancellations and refunds. Customer support team members will also get in contact regarding existing pre-release purchases. The Total War department apologized for any inconveniences caused, but affected folks are more than welcome to re-direct their cash to another shop: "We're disappointed too, and that we otherwise look forward to welcoming you into Ancient Egypt early next year. Otherwise our plans to launch Total War: Pharaoh on October 11th across all other storefronts remain unchanged, and we're excited to see you playing during our upcoming
Early Access Weekend starting next Friday, September 29th."
Hey Skyfarers, it's the day we have all been waiting for—grab your ships and join us in the skies!
Airship: Kingdoms Adrift is officially launching on Steam, and we—
Revolution Industry—couldn't be more stoked! Before we jump into commanding our ships, we want to send a massive shoutout to all you amazing skyfarers who've been with us every step of the way. We are beyond grateful for your support - you rock!
We're incredibly excited to see how you thrive in the world we have crafted. Whether you're building up a fleet, charting trade routes, or exploring the frontier at your airship's helm, we hope you love each moment as much as we loved creating this world for you to dive into! If you encounter any bugs or have suggestions, we're all ears, and would love to hear from you.
Team Blue's marketing team has kicked into hype mode—
Meteor Lake is launching at the tail end of 2023—with a
shift in naming conventions comes another rebranding of internal technologies. The previously identified versatile processing unit (VPU) is now going under a different moniker: "Intel will usher in the age of the AI PC with the upcoming Intel Core Ultra processors, code-named Meteor Lake, featuring Intel's first integrated neural processing unit, or NPU, for power-efficient AI acceleration and local inference on the PC. Intel confirmed Core Ultra will launch Dec. 14." Michael Larabel, principal author at Phoronix, has noticed that newly updated versions of the Linux kernel have the "IVPU" accelerator driver bundled in. This will: "support Meteor Lake's VPU/NPU, while a patch is pending to extend that support for next-generation Arrow Lake processors."
In his opinion, there are some shared aspects across the two CPU generations: "Intel's Arrow Lake NPU appears very similar to that of Meteor Lake with the driver enablement coming down to adding new PCI IDs...(with)
this patch adding the new Arrow Lake PCI IDs to the existing Meteor Lake driver code paths for this DRM accelerator driver is all that's needed to enable the VPU." Team Blue jumped two generations ahead at this week's Innovation event—
Lunar Lake showed up in a live demo. Larabel believes that this late 2024 CPU family will revolve the dial to a greater degree: "The VPU/NPU with Lunar Lake brings more significant changes with the open-source driver changes already underway there. With Lunar Lake is the new VPU4 IP and the Linux 6.6 kernel with its updated IVPU driver already has initial support there."
Take a look—or a listen—at the last ten years here at Drop, and you'll notice no shortage of award-winning amplifiers. Despite this decade-long discography, there's one type of amp we haven't touched. Now, it's finally coming down the tube. That's right: our first all-tube OTL amplifier is here—complete with a rock-solid DAC stage to complete any signal chain. Meet the
Drop + xDuoo TA-84 OTL Tube Amp/DAC. Designed to deliver signature tube "warmth" without excess noise, this compact desktop powerhouse utilizes Output Transformerless (OTL) topology to manage signal without a transformer, greatly reducing distortion.
For the preamp phase, it features dual ECC-82 tubes; and for the power amp phase, it runs dual EL-84 pentodes—both popular options in the audiophile amplifier space. To hit that sweet spot with any set of headphones (or powered speakers), the TA-84 is also equipped with an ultra-precise stepped potentiometer for volume control, plus a gain switch to further control the output level. On Drop, and on your desk—it's tube time. Finally.
Forza Motorsport will expand with new cars, tracks, career tours and online events. Here's how we're building an evolving racing platform to give players a steady flow of new challenges and gameplay experiences. Forza Motorsport launches on October 10 with over 500 cars, 20 completely rebuilt tracks and our new career and online racing modes. It's a massive game from day one and it'll continue to grow over time.
We want to ensure you always have something new to play in Forza Motorsport. That's why we built the game to be an evolving racing platform. Once the game has been released, we expect to regularly add new content with monthly content drops that will help you fall in love with cars through skill and competition, as well as tweaks to gameplay and systems.
Digital Foundry organized an AI Visuals Roundtable earlier this week, with Alex Battaglia (Video Producer) acting as host—the main topic being a recently
visually upgraded version of Cyberpunk 2077. Guests included: Bryan Catanzaro (NVIDIA's Vice President Applied Deep Learning Research), Jakub Knapik (VP Art and Global Art Director at CD Projekt RED),
Jacob Freeman (GeForce Marketing Evangelist) and Pedro Valadas (
PCMR Founder). Team Green, naturally, advocates its newly released DLSS 3.5 and Ray Reconstruction technologies—brute force rendering techniques are considered passé, and no longer an ideal solution for upcoming GPU generations. Valadas was curious enough to ask whether NVIDIA had any plans to target reasonable performance levels—minus DLSS—at native resolutions.
Catanzaro focused on the benefits introduced in Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty: "I think that DLSS 3.5 actually makes Cyberpunk 2077 even more beautiful than native rendering...that's my belief. The reason being that the AI is able to make smarter decisions about how to render a scene...and I think that's going to continue to develop." He half jokingly states that rasterization is a "bag of fakeness." A combination of DLSS and path tracing is preferred over old hat methods—thus attaining the most realistic visual results. He summarizes with his own slogan: "Native rendering is fake frames." Catanzaro predicts that real-time graphics industries will become increasingly reliant on AI-processed image reconstruction and rendering technologies in the future. He hopes that AAA game environments will become cheaper to make in due time—with a shift to neural rendering. DLSS 10 could interface with game engine technology at a higher level, with a possible outcome being the creation of more "immersive and beautiful" experiences.
Since their respective releases,
Microsoft Flight Simulator and
X-Plane have revolutionized the world of flight simulation by providing civil aviation enthusiasts with an unparalleled immersive experience. One of the features pilots appreciate most about these two games is the ability to incorporate add-ons and sceneries. Thanks to this feature, both game worlds are constantly evolving, transforming the fan experience with new content developed by the community.
Created by our development team,
THRUSTMASTER i-LAND is the official
Thrustmaster add-on for those looking to take their flying experience to brave new heights. THRUSTMASTER i-LAND is an oasis of diversity and adventure in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This fictional island is designed for flyers of every level—from newbies to seasoned pilots—with a sensational array of challenges and destinations to explore.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. is ushering in a new era of home connectivity, and new opportunities for service providers, with the introduction of the Qualcomm 10G Fiber Gateway Platform and its signature feature, Qualcomm Service Defined Wi-Fi technology.
The overwhelming majority of subscribers experience their broadband service through Wi-Fi. In today's broadband systems, the access network from the service provider to the home and Wi-Fi within the home are managed separately - with a quality of service which is nearly impossible to maintain across the entire network, given the diversity of devices, applications, connectivity technologies, and the near-constant change across all these elements.
Friday, September 22nd 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Mice
As the name already suggests, the main novelty of the ambidextrous M3 4K is true 4000 Hz wireless polling. Due to featuring a larger battery, the M3 4K weighs a bit more at 66 g compared to the regular M3, and still comes with PixArt's PAW3395 sensor, along with TTC Gold main button switches.
Review
Memory
G.SKILL is looking to shake things up with a new high-capacity memory kit! Equipped with a 7200 MT/s XMP profile using modest CL36-46-46-115 timings, G.SKILL is ready to please gamers, steamers and content creators chasing that performance with a side of extra system memory as well. Follow along as we test this memory and see how it stacks up to the competition!
During
ExileCon 2023, several of our developers gave presentations on their area of expertise in game development. We'll be publishing these talks in our news over the coming weeks, starting with a presentation on the Bosses and Monsters of
Path of Exile 2 by Game Director Mark Roberts. In this video, Mark discusses the various aspects of boss design in Path of Exile 2, showcases some bosses from Path of Exile 2, and invites members of the audience to test their might against the bosses on stage. Check it out below!
Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original
Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players. Path of Exile 2 is a separate game to the original Path of Exile. We will continue to offer expansions for both games going forward. They are completely free-to-play and will never be "pay to win". Purchases are shared between the two games. Launching on PC, macOS, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
Valve has not kept the prospect of a
Steam Deck successor very secret—their Proton-based handheld gaming system will eventually become a "multi-generational product." Gabe Newell (going back to early 2022) outlined some initial ambitions for the second iteration, with a teaser: "what are the capabilities that mobile gives us, above and beyond what you would get in a traditional desktop or laptop gaming environment?" One of the project's main architects, Pierre-Loup Griffais, has discussed the prospect of a "Steam Deck 2" with
The Verge and
CNBC—his team's progress hinges on striking an optimal balance between performance and power efficiency (on battery). The follow-up is not arriving any time soon, despite rival companies preparing alternative portable gaming experiences—Griffais said: "I don't anticipate such a leap to be possible in the next couple of years."
Steam Deck, in its current form, seems to be the main priority for the immediate future. Griffais was a keynote speaker at Tokyo Game Show 2023, so communicated with Verge via email: "It's important to us that the Deck offers a fixed performance target for developers, and that the message to customers is simple, where every Deck can play the same games. As such, changing the performance level is not something we are taking lightly, and we only want to do so when there is a significant enough increase to be had...but we're still closely monitoring innovations in architectures and fabrication processes to see where things are going." Griffais re-confirmed this stance in an interview with CNBC (at TGS 2023)—Valve wants more gamers to adopt the platform before a push into next-gen—with improved user interfaces, more development partners and an ironing out of supply chain issues: "We're looking at this performance target that we have as a stable target for a couple years."
Focus Entertainment and
DON'T NOD are thrilled to reveal an extensive overview of their upcoming title
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. The immersive and poignant narrative driven Action-RPG where you hunt and battle supernatural threats to alter a tragic fate revealed itself in a detailed Gameplay Overview Trailer (watch it below). The title is coming November 7th to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and pre-orders are now available on all platforms, with a Collector's Edition and the Red Echoes Edition exclusive to the Focus Store!
A journey between love, life, death and sacrifice
You play a couple of Banishers, Antea Duarte and Red Mac Raith, experienced spirit hunters, sent to New Eden to lift a mysterious curse and solve haunting cases. But after an ill-advised attack, Antea is killed and becomes one of the ghosts she loathes. Torn between their vows to protect the living from malicious spirits and the nightmare of Antea's condition, you must make hard decisions: Will you honor your Banisher oath or sacrifice the living in a desperate bid to bring your beloved back?
YuuKi_AnS has brought renewed attention to an already leaked Intel "Emerald Rapids" processor—the 5th Gen Xeon Platinum 8580 CPU was identified with 60 cores and 120 threads in a previous post, but a follow up has appeared in the form of an engineering prototype (ES2-Q2SP-A0). Yuuki noted: "samples are for reference only, and the actual performance is subject to the official version." Team Blue has revealed a launch date—
December 14 2023—for its 5th Gen Xeon Scalable processor lineup, so it is not surprising to see pre-release examples appear online a couple of months beforehand. This particular ES2 SKU (on A0 silicon) fields an all P-Core configuration consisting of Raptor Cove units, with a dual-chiplet design (30 cores per die). There is a significant bump up in cache sizes when compared to the current "Sapphire Rapids" generation—Wccftech outlines these allocations: "Each core comes with 2 MB of L2 cache for up to 120 MB of L2 cache. The whole chip also features 300 MB of L3 cache which combines to offer a total cache pool of 420 MB."
They bring in some of the competition for comparison: "That's a 2.6x increase in cache versus the existing Sapphire Rapids CPU lineup and while it still doesn't match the 480 MB L3 cache of standard (AMD) Genoa or the 1.5 GB cache pool of Genoa-X, it is a good start for Intel to catch up." Team Blue appears ready to take on AMD on many levels—this week's Innovation Event produced some intriguing announcements including "
Sierra Forest vs. Bergamo" and plans to embrace
3D Stacked Cache technology. Yuuki's small batch of screenshots show the Xeon Platinum 8580 CPU's captured clock speeds are far from the finished article—just a touch over 2.0 GHz, so very likely limited to safe margins. An unnamed mainboard utilizing Intel's Eagle Stream platform was logged sporting a dual-socket setup—the test system was running a grand total of 120 cores and 240 threads!
soundcore, Anker Innovations' premium audio brand, today unveiled the Motion 300 and Motion 100, a pair of portable Bluetooth speakers engineered to deliver an incredibly detailed and immersive stereo sound experience in a small and compact form factor. Featuring wireless Hi-Res audio certification, support for LDAC, SmartTune EQ (Motion 300 only) and 12+ hours of battery life, this pair of speakers were designed to be the best sounding speakers for on-the-go and outdoor enthusiasts.
Immersive Music Experience
The soundcore Motion 300 offers users high quality sound equipped with two, 15-Watt full-range drivers, delivering 30-Watts of immersive stereo audio output, while the smaller Motion 100 offers two, 10-Watt full-range drivers. Additionally, both speakers offer users premium sound with wireless Hi-Res certification and LDAC codec support.
An interesting new feature popped up within MSI's Click BIOS 5 interface recently—
chi11eddog uploaded this discovery to social media with a message: "BIOS screenshot from a friend who just got new Z790 Ace Max mobo. 6.3 GHz in the "P-core Beyond 6 GHz+" menu. For 14th Gen?" It is suspected that MSI has already implemented a nice QoL update for a refresh of its top-of-the-line MAX motherboard series. A simplification of the overclocking process for Intel K-series processors is visibly in operation (at a menu level), courtesy of the leaked screenshot, but you are paying through the teeth for this level of treatment. MSI's MEG Z790 ACE E-ATX motherboard, in its
current incarnation, has an MSRP of $699.99. Who knows when a trickle-down effect will apply to lower placed mainboard families.
The refreshed board seems to prepped for upper crust "Raptor Lake Refresh" SKUs including the 14th Core i9-14900K and KF variants—according to previous leaks, these potent processors are capable of hitting clocks of 6.0 GHz and a little bit beyond that (as suggested by MSI's P-Core 6 GHz+ option). VideoCardz notes that Team Blue's current-gen
Core i9-13900KS CPU: "offers such high clock speeds at a premium price, making it the top desktop SKU from Intel," but the upcoming 14th Gen flagship chips will be the first to hit such impressive clocks—via Thermal Velocity Boost—without inclusion in an elite variant tier: Special Edition KS.
Ubisoft has confirmed that development on Tom Clancy's The Division 3 is underway, with the
reappointment of a series veteran—Julian Gerighty will become the Executive Producer for The Division Universe "once
Star Wars Outlaws - a game he is currently overseeing as Creative Director - has shipped." The publisher's low-key press release reveals that Gerighty is not making an enormous geographical move—he is simply moving up the rankings at
Massive Entertainment (a Ubisoft-owned studio located in Malmö, Sweden). The French video game publisher revealed initial plans for the next mainline entry in their popular online-only action role-playing series: "A core focus of Gerighty's is to build a team for Tom Clancy's The Division 3, which will be led by Massive Entertainment, while making sure Tom Clancy's The Division 2 remains well supported. Outside of that, his attention will be on a solidification of brand identity."
He will oversee work on existing live service games, including Tom Clancy's The Division Resurgence (on mobile), and franchise spin-off—The Division Heartland—a free-to-play survival-action shooter (developed by Red Storm Entertainment). Gerighty stated: "We may have over 40 million players, but The Division is still in its early years as a franchise. There are so many incredible stories to tell, places to explore and people to protect." A high bar has been set with presentation, he continued: "I think that we delivered that with Tom Clancy's The Division's cutting-edge visuals, incredible gameplay, and promise to the player that they can't get this experience anywhere else, and then again with Tom Clancy's The Division 2. It's about refinement, it's about pushing the quality bar consistently forward."
Reading a mystery novel on an ePaper device, as tension grows, you start flipping through the pages faster and faster to uncover who the murderer is. Second to spoilers, what may bother you could be ghosting—faint traces of previously displayed text lingering on the screen. For most E Ink products, that's a tricky problem. However, after years of study, BOOX came out with a solution—
BOOX Super Refresh (BSR) technology.
Challenges Facing the ePaper Industry
In the ePaper industry, the trade-off between display and responsiveness is a long-existing puzzle. And the issue mostly comes down to
how electronic ink works. The content you see on the screen is created by up to millions of microcapsules, each roughly the diameter of human hair. Within these microcapsules are charged black and white particles. Depending on varying electrical fields, different particles change positions, becoming either visible or invisible on the top of the capsule, thus forming what you see on the screen.
The European Commission has re-imposed a fine of around €376.36 million on Intel for a previously established abuse of dominant position in the market for computer chips called x86 central processing units ('CPUs'). Intel engaged in a series of anticompetitive practices aimed at excluding competitors from the relevant market in breach of EU antitrust rules.
With today's decision, we are re-imposing a €376.36 million fine on Intel for having abused its dominant position in the computer chips market. Intel paid its customers to limit, delay or cancel the sale of products containing computer chips of its main rival. This is illegal under our competition rules. Our decision shows the Commission's commitment to ensure that very serious antitrust breaches do not go unsanctioned. - Commissioner Didier Reynders, in charge of competition policy
Microsoft's proposed $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard got the "go ahead" from the vast majority of regulatory bodies around the world, but the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ultimately chucked a spanner into the works—consequently the deal's signing off date was
delayed into the autumn. The top brass at Microsoft and Acti-Blizz have worked on a revised set of terms (to address concerns raised earlier this year), and the outcome has been semi-positive. The competition watchdog appears to be satisfied, prior to making a concrete announcement: "While the CMA has identified limited residual concerns with the new deal, Microsoft has put forward remedies which the CMA has provisionally concluded should address these issues. The CMA is now consulting on the remedies before making a final decision."
Under the newly redrafted deal—submitted for approval last month—Microsoft has agreed to transfer the rights to stream Activision games from the cloud to French video games publisher—Ubisoft—for a 15 year long term. The CMA's freshly published press release provides an insight into future infrastructures: "Under that new deal, Microsoft will not purchase the cloud gaming rights held by Activision, which will instead be sold to an independent third party, Ubisoft Entertainment SA (Ubisoft), before the deal is completed. The prior sale of the cloud gaming rights will establish Ubisoft as a key supplier of content to cloud gaming services, replicating the role that Activision would have played in the market as an independent player."
The 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" desktop CPU lineup was not showcased during Intel Innovation's keynote presentation—instead, upcoming Meteor Lake and
Lunar Lake generations were put in the spotlight. We will likely have to wait for an official announcement closer to the expected October 17 launch date of
K and KF SKUs. The Core i9-14900KF model has emerged once again, thanks to benchmark results hitting the 'net—Passmark's owner,
David Wren, declared on social media: "Yet another high-end CPU has made a significant debut on the single-threaded chart today! While it's not available for purchase yet, the Intel 4th Gen i9-14900KF CPU has claimed the top spot on the chart."
The benched Core i9-14900KF scored 4939 points in PassMark's single-thread test, which surpasses equivalent 13th gen heavyweights:
Core i9-13900KS—4769 points and
Core i9-13900K—4666 points. Intel's iGPU-less flagship desktop processor now sits at the top of Passmark's
single-thread rating table. VideoCardz noted: "It's worth mentioning that the i9-13900KS also boasts a 6.0 GHz clock speed, and the 14900KF achieved this score using relatively modest DDR5-5600 memory." Multi-threaded performance is a tad disappointing—this 14900KF sits about level with the 13900K with an extremely narrow 0.6% difference.
Cooler Master, a global leader in PC components, has today announced two groundbreaking products that promise to overhaul the way we think about building PCs: the Qube 500 Flatpack PC case and the next-gen MasterLiquid Atmos liquid cooler series. Both products epitomize the brand's commitment to innovation, functionality and sustainability.
"Throughout Cooler Master's journey, we've consistently driven innovation and elevated user experiences," said Jimmy Sha, Cooler Master CEO. " The Qube 500 and the MasterLiquid Atmos show our undying passion for revolutionizing the PC landscape. They're not just products; they're extensions of our commitment to empower our community's PC-building and gaming adventures."
Dragon's Dogma 2 director Hideaki Itsuno has shared an update on the game at the TGS 2023 Capcom Online Program broadcast! Check out the video (below) where he goes into detail on the game world and various vocations and combat actions available. Also...check out the previous title in the series,
Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen, now on sale for a limited time. A classic world of high fantasy awaits, making your world the stage for a grand adventure!
The deep, explorable fantasy world of Dragon's Dogma...
Dragon's Dogma 2 is a single player, narrative driven action-RPG that challenges the players to choose their own experience - from the appearance of their Arisen, their vocation, their party, how to approach different situations and more - in a truly immersive fantasy world. On your journey, you'll be joined by
Pawns, mysterious otherworldly beings, in an adventure so unique you will feel as if accompanied by other players while on your own adventure. All of these elements are elevated further by physics technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and the latest in graphics, made possible with RE Engine to create a truly immersive fantasy world in Dragon's Dogma 2.
The
NVIDIA Studio laptop lineup is expanding with the new Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2, powered by
GeForce RTX 4060,
GeForce RTX 4050 or
NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation Laptop GPUs, providing powerful performance and versatility for creators.
Backed by the NVIDIA Studio platform, the Surface Laptop Studio 2, announced yesterday, offers maximum stability with preinstalled Studio Drivers, plus exclusive tools to accelerate professional and creative workflows. NVIDIA also launched DLSS 3.5, adding Ray Reconstruction to the suite of AI-powered DLSS technologies. The latest feature puts a powerful new AI neural network at the fingertips of creators on RTX PCs, producing higher-quality, lifelike ray-traced images in real time before generating a full render.
EK, the renowned manufacturer of premium PC water cooling equipment, introduces the newest addition to its Pro lineup: the
EK-Pro Manifold 2CPU 6GPU - Acetal, a specialized coolant delivery system designed for use with multiple water blocks in workstation systems.
Efficient Cooling Distribution
The EK-Pro Manifold 2CPU 6GPU - Acetal redefines cooling precision with its impeccable coolant distribution. Featuring multiple industry-standard G1/4" In and Out ports, it guarantees optimal coolant flow, ensuring flawless cooling for both CPUs and GPUs. With the capacity to accommodate
two CPUs and
impressive six-GPU configurations in parallel or semi-parallel, this high-performance manifold opens new horizons for liquid cooling in workstation environments.
SK hynix announced on September 22 that it showcased its latest memory technologies and products at Intel Innovation 2023 held September 19-20 in the western U.S. city of San Jose, California. Hosted by Intel since 2019, Intel Innovation is an annual IT exhibition which brings together the technology company's customers and partners to share the latest developments in the industry. At this year's event held at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, SK hynix showcased its advanced semiconductor memory products which are essential in the generative AI era under the slogan "Pioneer Tomorrow With the Best."
Products that garnered the most interest were HBM3, which supports the high-speed performance of AI accelerators, and DDR5 RDIMM, a DRAM module for servers with 1bnm process technology. As one of SK hynix's core technologies, HBM3 has established the company as a trailblazer in AI memory. SK hynix plans to further strengthen its position in the market by mass-producing HBM3E (Extended) from 2024. Meanwhile, DDR5 RDIMM with 1bnm, or the 5th generation of the 10 nm process technology, also offers outstanding performance. In addition to supporting unprecedented transfer speeds of more than 6,400 megabits per second (Mbps), this low-power product helps customers simultaneously reduce costs and improve ESG performance.
Moore Threads latest driver update, 230.40.0.1, is a noteworthy advancement, bringing many improvements and new features, most significantly introducing OpenGL 3.3 support. This inclusion is crucial, as this API was previously incompatible with MTT S70 and S80 GPUs, highlighting MTT's commitment to broadening user experience across various platforms and games. Moreover, the update offers substantial performance enhancements, with notable increases in frame rates in popular games. Valorant supposedly gets a 40% FPS improvement at 1080p, while Project CARS brings a 10% increase. Game engines such as CryEngine v5.7 also receive a 40% performance uplift. However, the release of only percentage improvements without specific framerate values calls for measured optimism, as the tangible impact on playability is yet to be assessed.
Equally important in this update is the emphasis on stability, with many popular titles seeing enhancements for a smoother and more reliable gaming experience. This focus underscores MTT's dedication to maintaining a robust and stable gaming environment on the Windows 10 operating system. Integrating 20 fixes and ongoing resolutions to existing issues mark this update as crucial for users aiming for a refined and seamless experience in graphics-intensive applications and games. The amalgamation of enhanced compatibility, heightened performance, and bolstered stability in this update is pivotal for users looking to maximize graphic and gaming capabilities.
T-CREATE, the creator sub-brand of the global memory provider Team Group, today launched the T-CREATE MASTER DDR5 OC R-DIMM, an overclocking DDR5 ECC Registered DIMM memory. T-CREATE's MASTER series is designed specifically for workstations and servers. With its high specifications and large capacity, it fully satisfies the needs of professionals in handling large-scale projects, analyzing large data sets, and running multiple specialized applications concurrently. The T-CREATE MASTER DDR5 OC R-DIMM features a one-piece heat spreader with ventilation holes and thermally conductive silicone for quick heat dissipation. It also has on-die ECC, which allows systems to run more stably and provide excellent performance.
The T-CREATE MASTER memory module is an overclocking ECC Registered DIMM memory available in frequencies of 6000 MHz, 6400 MHz, and 6800 MHz. When the module is paired with workstation motherboards, memory capacity can reach up to a massive 384 GB, allowing professional creators to quickly complete all types of work and enjoy the creative flexibility that comes with large capacities. In addition to the on-die ECC that corrects bit errors within the DRAM chip, the MASTER memory also supports an ECC feature that corrects errors outside the chip and fixes data corruption, allowing for stable operation and greater peace of mind when creating. The MASTER R-DIMM is compatible with W790 series workstation motherboards and is made for creative professionals, developers, and engineers. When combined with the powerful computing of the latest Intel Xeon processors, the T-CREATE MASTER DDR5 OC R-DIMM memory delivers incredible performance and stability for content creation, graphic rendering, and the demanding applications of high-end workstations.
Thursday, September 21st 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Graphics Cards
NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 launches today, supporting GeForce 20 and newer. The new algorithm improves the looks ray traced lighting, reflections, shadows and more. In our DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction review we test image quality, but also discovered that VRAM usage actually goes down and performance goes up.
Review
Portable Storage
The Kingston XS1000 is a highly compact USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable solid-state-disk offering transfer rates up to 1.25 GB/s (10 Gbps). Thanks to the use of a modern controller, there is no need for a dedicated USB-to-NVMe bridge chip, which helps reduce the physical dimensions, and pricing is good, too.
Lead a nation of your own design through thousands of years of history in Millennia, a new turn-based strategy game from Paradox Interactive and C Prompt Games. Progress through ten ages of humanity, from the Stone Age to the near future, unlocking new technologies, new ways of living, and, maybe, alternate pasts that could have been.
C Prompt Games is an American development team helmed by veteran strategy game developers Rob Fermier, Ian Fischer and Brian Sousa. Motivated by a passion for deep and replayable systems-driven games, they bring their experience working on many celebrated real-time strategy games (including Age of Empires II, Age of Mythology and Starcraft II, as well as Orcs Must Die) to the turn-based 4x space in Millennia, a game that pairs the familiar comforts of the genre with fresh new gameplay to enable players to write their own stories of the past.
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, once again elevated the global gaming landscape with the monumental RazerCon 2023. This year, on September 21, gamers from around the globe connected virtually as CEO Min-Liang Tan, in true testament to Razer's "For Gamers, By Gamers" ethos, unveiled a thrilling suite of upcoming launches including six game-changing products, and new exciting partnerships.
The event was also co-hosted by renowned gaming consortium OTK, who dove deep into the intricacies of Razer's new products, showcased ultimate gamer battlestations, and shared essential gamer insights. In keeping with Razer's commitment to sustainability, RazerCon 2023 was once again powered by renewable energy sources for its data transmission and offsetting emissions arising from the usage of devices tuning in, as it continues its carbon neutral streaming tradition. Razer fans can relive the entire event here.
Hotel Barcelona is the long-awaited collaboration between game design legends Swery65 and Suda51, and our Xbox Digital Broadcast brought us a never-before-seen gameplay trailer from the self-styled "2.5D slasher film parodic action" game. Drawing influences from across horror's history, you'll be pitted against everything from alien entities to AI-enhanced sharks, all while stuck in an endless time loop filled with serial killers - and only your deceased past selves to help you.
Both Swery and Suda appeared in the show to discuss the game. Swery discussed the game's unusual beginnings - with Suda asking him to announce a collaboration on the fly, with no prior discussion - and his inspirations from Stanley Kubrick's 'The Shining'. Suda explained that he and Swery worked on the initial concept together - "Then, all of a sudden, Swery completed tons of work on the development, and Hotel Barcelona materialized. Most of the time, when someone does lip service like that, the project never materializes… But Swery made this project a reality in order to deliver something to the fans."
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, and Dolce&Gabbana, renowned Italian luxury fashion house, unveiled their highly-anticipated collaboration collection at RazerCon 2023. Brought to the center stage by Min-Liang Tan, CEO and Co-Founder of Razer, the groundbreaking collection merges high-end fashion with cutting-edge gaming technology, featuring ready-to-wear apparel, gaming peripherals, and the world's first Razer Chroma RGB chair.
"Razer is no stranger to pushing boundaries in both gaming and style, as evidenced by our in-house apparel collections and fashion-forward partnerships. We're excited to collaborate on a new line of apparel and hardware peripherals to the gaming and fashion community," said Addie Tan, Head of Lifestyle at Razer. "The Dolce&Gabbana|Razer collaboration represents a bold leap into the intertwined future of gaming and fashion. Every piece in this collection is a testament to the unique synergy of technology and design, appealing to the discerning tastes of both gaming enthusiasts and fashion aficionados."
The launch of
Payday 3 is finally upon us! Police and criminals alike quake at the rumors of the Payday Gang arriving in New York City. And today, they arrived. A brand new chapter in the Payday universe is revealed to the world and we're thrilled to have you join us on the journey. We've already shared the roadmap for the first year of Payday 3, check it out
here.
The Medic Bag
Should you have any issues with the game, don't hesitate to contact our
support team, if you'd like to leave us any feedback we do have a
feature upvote page where you can either write your own suggestion or vote on the suggestions of others.
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, today debuts a dream collaboration with Automobili Lamborghini - the Razer Blade 16 x Automobili Lamborghini Edition. This revolutionary gaming laptop showcases unrivaled design and performance credentials. Limited to just 150 individually serialized units that are exclusively available in the US, it offers a visual spectacle with a custom CNC-milled chassis drenched in Automobili Lamborghini's signature Arancio Apodis orange and matte black finish. Combined with powerful hardware that challenges every gaming frontier, this gaming laptop is a limited-edition symbol of unmatched superiority.
"Uniting the iconic design language of Automobili Lamborghini with Razer's gaming pedigree, this new edition of the award-winning Blade 16 pushes boundaries in aesthetics and performance," said Travis Furst, Head of Laptop Division at Razer. "This collaboration reflects Razer's dedication to offering top-tier experiences to gamers."
Fans of Team Blue's Alchemist graphics architecture were slightly disappointed by no new discrete Arc GPU products showing up at this week's Innovation event—where product presentations focused heavily on the CPU-side of things. There was a small hope of Intel's
Arc A580 GPU making an appearance at Intel's California gig, following alleged
pre-release samples getting benchmarked over the summer. This was the first sign of
activity in a year—the three other first generation Alchemist SKUs (A380, A750 and A770) have been released into the wild.
The whole series suffered numerous delays, and launched to a mixed reception late last year. Intel engineers have produced plenty of driver updates and software improvements at an admirable rate throughout 2023. We have not heard much about Alchemist+ since springtime—leaked presentation slides indicated that a refreshed generation was marked for launch around the third and fourth quarters of this year. Given that Team Blue did not showcase Arc "1.5" cards during their Innovation show, we can assume that deadlines have been missed yet again. Battlemage has been spotted most recently—in the
form of a BMG G10 GPU sitting in plain sight during a press tour of Intel's Malaysian facility. It will be interesting to find out whether this fully next-generation series has been prioritized.
Fueled by an AI-driven inventory stocking frenzy across the supply chain, TrendForce reveals that Q2 revenue for the top 10 global IC design powerhouses soared to US $38.1 billion, marking a 12.5% quarterly increase. In this rising tide, NVIDIA seized the crown, officially dethroning Qualcomm as the world's premier IC design house, while the remainder of the leaderboard remained stable.
AI charges ahead, buoying IC design performance amid a seasonal stocking slump
NVIDIA is reaping the rewards of a global transformation. Bolstered by the global demand from CSPs, internet behemoths, and enterprises diving into generative AI and large language models, NVIDIA's data center revenue skyrocketed by a whopping 105%. A deluge of shipments, including the likes of their advanced Hopper and Ampere architecture HGX systems and the high-performing InfinBand, played a pivotal role. Beyond that, both gaming and professional visualization sectors thrived under the allure of fresh product launches. Clocking a Q2 revenue of US$11.33 billion (a 68.3% surge), NVIDIA has vaulted over both Qualcomm and Broadcom to seize the IC design throne.
BenQ, the global leading DLP 4K projector brand and innovator of digital lifestyle devices, today unveiled three all-new 4K HDR smart projectors. Designed specifically for AAA console gaming, each projector offers players unparalleled audiovisual experiences tailored to various rooms within the home.
Following closely after the success of the BenQ X3000i, 2022's best 4K LED gaming projector, the new models X3100i, X500i, and X300G showcase BenQ's revolutionary detail enhancement engine. They set new standards by integrating the projector-tailored HDR-PRO, CinematicColor, and CinematicSound technologies, offering a richer and more immersive gaming experience than ever before.
The free Update 2.0 for
Cyberpunk 2077 is being rolled out on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S! It brings an overhaul to a number of gameplay mechanics and core game features (such as the police system and Perk trees) along with various fixes and improvements. These changes apply to the base game and are available to all players on PC and current-gen consoles, free of charge. There's more to come on September 26th for owners of the
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty expansion!
You can continue playing from existing saves, but in order to have the best experience of the extensive changes we made, we recommend starting a new playthrough. Come September 26th, owners of Phantom Liberty will also have the option to jump straight into the story of the expansion by starting a new game with a new character that is already adequately leveled up. Because changes to crucial game systems are extensive, we strongly recommend uninstalling pre-2.0 mods until the modding community has a chance to update them. Outdated mods can disrupt the experience in many ways and, in some situations, may cause critical errors.
A US delegation has visited Taiwan in order to discuss semiconductor industry partnerships—Katie Hobbs, governor of Arizona, declared that plans for TSMC's Fab 21 facility could be expanded into fairly ambitious areas: "Part of our efforts at building the semiconductor ecosystem is focusing on advanced packaging, so we have several things in the works around that right now." Bloomberg and Reuters report that she attended an important US-Taiwan supply chain forum in Taipei. Mass production at the Phoenix-area foundry has been
delayed into 2025, so it is somewhat surprising to hear about greater aspirations for the site. We recently discovered that TSMC will be investing an
additional $4.5 billion into its North American subsidiary, but it is too early to say whether this will finance any major upgrades.
TSMC produced a brief statement regarding the latest negotiations: "We believe the dialogues that we held during this visit will help us to work together even more closely in the future." The firm believes that the expansion of advanced chip packaging capacity will
alleviate supply constraints—in the context of Taiwanese operations, at least for the moment. The Bloomberg report also focused on another delegate—Laurie E. Locascio, Under Secretary of Commerce—she announced that the North American government is starting to discuss research and development initiatives with TSMC. The key goal being to bring some of that market leading technology and knowledge stateside.
Earlier today MSI announced its "
The Limited Series," introduced as "a collection of exclusive, special version of selected items" from their product lineup. It is not immediately clear whether the first drop has been revealed prematurely—several media outlets have reported on the manufacturer's GeForce RTX 4060 Gaming X NV Edition graphics card being limited to a run of 6000 units (with select retail partners), while MSI's dedicated website for their new promotion campaign has not been updated (at the time of writing).
This limited edition "NVIDIA Edition" (NV) card appears to be a slightly dolled-up variation of the existing
MSI RTX 4060 Ti Gaming X model—albeit with Team Green coloration and (possibly) white LED lighting zones. This limited run's aesthetic is said to: "deliver the same high-performance MSI brings for more than 35 years with a one-of-a-kind outlook and exclusive features to give a chance to GAMERS to add something very unique to their PC Builds." No global pricing details were included in accompanying marketing blurb.
We are excited to introduce
Palma, our new Mobile ePaper device in 2023. Here, you will learn about the unique features that make Palma a superior device, offering a paper-like reading experience, smooth performance, and portability.
Comfortable Reading with Smooth Performance
The 6.13-inch ePaper screen features E Ink Carta 1200 touchscreen technology, delivering a natural reading experience that mimics the paper. With a high resolution of 300 PPI, words appear sharper with great contrast, resulting in a more gentle visual experience and reduced eye strain. The adjustable dual-tone frontlights ensure effortless reading day and night, while the glare-free, paper-like display allows for comfortable reading in any lighting condition.
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang will highlight the newest in generative AI and cloud computing at the NVIDIA AI Summit in Tel Aviv from Oct. 15-16. The two-day summit is set to attract more than 2,500 developers, researchers and decision-makers from across one of the world's most vibrant technology hubs. With over 6,000 startups, Israel consistently ranks among the world's top countries for VC investments per capita. The 2023 Global Startup Ecosystem report places Tel Aviv among the top 5 cities globally for startups.
The summit features more than 60 live sessions led by experts from NVIDIA and the region's tech leaders, who will dive deep into topics like accelerated computing, robotics, cybersecurity and climate science. Attendees will be able to network and gain insights from some of NVIDIA's foremost experts, including Kimberly Powell, vice president and general manager of healthcare; Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of embedded and edge computing; Gilad Shainer, senior vice president of networking and HPC; and Gal Chechik, senior director and head of the Israel AI Research Center.
Time to get the gang back together - PAYDAY 3 streams on GeForce NOW this week. It's one of 11 titles joining the cloud this week, including Party Animals. PAYDAY 3 is the highly anticipated sequel to one of the world's most popular co-op shooters. Step out of retirement and back into the life of crime in the shoes of the Payday Gang - who bring the envy of their peers and the nightmare of law enforcement wherever they go. Set several years after the end of the crew's reign of terror over Washington, D.C., the game reassembles the group to deal with the threat that's roused them out of early retirement.
Upgrade to a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership to pull off every heist at the highest quality. Ultimate members can stream on GeForce RTX 4080 rigs with support for up to 4K at 120 frames per second gameplay on PCs and Macs, providing a gaming experience so seamless that it would be a crime to stream on anything less.
This marks an incredible week for PC Game Pass members - on the heels of Starfield, highly anticipated titles Lies of P, Payday 3, and Party Animals all arrive this week - and October is shaping up sterling as well with the likes of Forza Motorsport and The Lamplighter's League. That's on top of well over a hundred more PC games available at your fingertips; sometimes the question is: where to start?
To help players find the right game for them, we asked one of our favorite variety streamers, Bruce Greene, to pick some of his favorites from the PC Game Pass library. Why him? "I've been playing PC games for 25 years and I'm super impressed by what's on PC Game Pass," he told me, as he shared his list. "When I was asked to pick games from PC Game Pass that you would recommend, I picked like 40 or 50 cause like there were so many good games on there and I had to pare them down which is hilarious. Being a curator, it's perfect for me."
Techtesters, a Dutch online publication and YouTube channel, took the time to investigate whether AMD's Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB GPU can compete with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB GPU in power efficiency stakes. Naturally, Team Red loses with their new mid-ranger running under normal conditions when lined up against its main rival - ranging from 252 W to 286 W versus 200 W (sometimes 196 W during gaming sessions) respectively. Nada Overbeeke (of Techtesters) chose to set a 90% power limit for their main subject matter—Gigabyte's custom design Navi 32-based
Gaming OC model—through AMD software adjustments.
Its "aggressive" 200 W undervolted state was compared to stock performance in a number of modern game environments (refer to the charts below). The Gigabyte RX 7800 XT Gaming OC—using stock settings—consumed around 40% more power while managing only a 9% performance increase over its 200 W undervolted guise. VideoCardz notes that AMD's
reference model requires 24% more power at stock: "As mentioned, a 9% performance boost should not be underestimated, but the substantial reduction in power consumption also resulted in quieter GPU operation and lower temperatures." It would have been interesting to see Techtesters undervolt their
RTX 4070 FE candidate as well, but emphasis seemed to be placed on the newer card.
Today we announced incredible AI experiences from across Microsoft and four new Surface devices. These products have been redesigned to reflect our longstanding commitment to integrating the voice of commercial customers. Our new Surface devices have been built for the needs and wants of end-users to be more productive, creative and collaborative while supporting the needs of IT professionals to deploy, manage and support these devices at scale through the lifecycle. With these new products, we not only bring new innovation and technology but are delivering on some of the most requested commercial features with more performance, improved security, manageability and repairability.
Each product brings unique value and features to meet the many needs of businesses, across industries and functions. Whether you are optimizing for frontline workers needing mobility and versatility, or developers and creators with graphic intensive needs, we have developed these products to ensure we deliver the value you need across your workforce.
Sure, 2023 ain't over yet...but 2024 isn't that far away, and we wanted to share the official Steam events planned for the first few months of next year so you can choose in which events you'd like to participate and plan your promotional activities accordingly. In addition to a quick refresher on Steam events, the events schedule for the first quarter of 2024 is below—including links to documentation with additional details and eligibility criteria—and you can register and start entering discounts now.
For seasonal sales and themed sale events, simply visit your
Discount Management page in Steamworks, where you can see upcoming events and which of your games are eligible for each. For Steam Next Fest, visit the registration URL in the event-specific documentation linked below. Not ready to register? Not to worry: we'll send registration invitation emails to the developers of eligible titles about two months prior to each themed sale event and five months prior to each Steam Next Fest.
Microsoft Gaming's chief, Phil Spencer, has issued a public-facing response to the recent leak of potential
upcoming Xbox products (2024 to 2028): "We've seen the conversation around old emails and documents. It is hard to see our team's work shared in this way because so much has changed and there's so much to be excited about right now, and in the future. We will share the real plans when we are ready." The information dump (in part) consisted of presentation material prepared for (internal) April 2022 meetings, so it is possible that the Xbox division has changed direction in the meantime. Spencer was also involved in an August 2020 discussion with Microsoft marketing executives, regarding a possible buyout of Nintendo—according to leaked FTC legal case material. It should be noted that Microsoft has
made attempts to acquire Nintendo in the past—but their approaches were "laughed off."
The Verge has managed to obtain an email distributed to Microsoft employees, as sent out by an embattled Spencer—he reiterates his public messaging of "real plans" in the company memo: "I know this is disappointing, even if many of the documents are well over a year old and our plans have evolved...We all put incredible amounts of passion and energy into our work, and this is never how we want that hard work to be shared with the community. That said, there's so much more to be excited about, and when we're ready, we'll share the real plans with our players."
Insiders claim that a potential merger between Western Digital and Kioxia is closer to happening—following longer than anticipated negotiation between involved parties, including Bain Capital and Toshiba. Technicalities have prolonged proceedings—an August 2023 sign off date was expected—but Kioxia Holdings' lenders seem motivated to get everything over the finish line. According to a Bloomberg report, at least three Japanese banks are ready to submit a commitment letter (next month) for the refinancing of ¥2 trillion ($14 billion) in loans—anonymous sources suggest that Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group are involved. These organizations hope to fund the merger with Western Digital's flash memory business.
Representatives for Western Digital, Kioxia, Bain Capital and (so far named) Japanese banks have declined to provide statements in response to the Bloomberg report. Allegedly, part of the loan will be used to pay special dividends to Kioxia's shareholders. A Reuters summary of said conditions reads: "Under the terms of the deal being negotiated, Western Digital will hold about 50.5% of the combined company with the remaining 49.5% held by Kioxia...Of the 2 trillion yen loan, 400 billion yen will likely be funded through loan commitments and the Development Bank of Japan will provide a loan of 300 billion yen. The rest will likely be equally split between the three megabanks." Bloomberg's insiders believe that Western Digital's hard drive business is not being offered up.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS) (GF) a new 10-year contract for a supply of securely manufactured, U.S.-made semiconductors for use across a wide range of critical aerospace and defense applications.
With an initial award of $17.3 million this month and an overall 10-year spending ceiling of $3.1 billion, the new contract provides the DoD and its contractors with access to GF's semiconductor technologies manufactured at its U.S. facilities. These GF facilities are DoD-accredited to the highest security level, Trusted Supplier Category 1A, which implements proven stringent security measures to protect sensitive information and manufacture chips with the highest levels of integrity to ensure they are uncompromised.
Following on from the
official reveal of EA Sports WRC, here are some more details on what players can expect when the game releases on November 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via EA App, Epic Store, and Steam. Watch the first EA Sports WRC deep dive (below). This first of two deep dives focuses on three key areas: gameplay, handling, and authenticity. Molly Petit, broadcaster and journalist for WRC, breaks it all down.
Heritage and Experience
EA Sports WRC is built on the foundations of over 25 years of off-road videogame heritage from development studio Codemasters. The team's previous rally game, DIRT Rally 2.0, paved the way for a new generation of rally game running on the Unreal Engine. Moving to the Unreal Engine has afforded the team greater freedom to create the biggest rally stages in Codemasters' history, with the longest routes spanning over 30 km - roughly twice as long as those seen in previous titles. In total, EA Sports WRC features over 600 km of unique roads, almost double what was available in DiRT Rally 2.0.
AGON by AOC - one of the world's leading gaming monitor and IT accessories brands - announces the AOC GAMING CQ27G2S/BK, a 27" (68.6 cm) QHD curved gaming monitor meticulously designed to combine the most sought-out features of the gaming scene. The CQ27G2S/BK hits the sweet spot for gamers seeking an immersive QHD gaming experience at an exciting 165 Hz refresh rate, on a large 27" display size with 1500R curvature. At its heart is a VA panel, which delivers a high contrast of 3000:1, making this gaming monitor a balanced canvas for diverse game genres, movies, and more, all while delivering top performance at an exceptional value.
The CQ27G2S/BK boasts a captivating VA panel with a 1500R curvature, creating a panoramic field of view that envelops users in a world of visual splendor. With a stunningly sharp QHD (2560x1440) resolution and a swift 165 Hz refresh rate, gamers are primed to enjoy an ultra-smooth gameplay experience. The monitor's 4 ms GtG (Grey to Grey) response time and lightning-fast 1 ms MPRT (Moving Picture Response Time) ensure that every motion is rendered with unparalleled clarity, whether gamers are exploring vibrant open world games or engaging in competitive battles in tight corners.
We know a lot of you are pretty excited to play Star Ocean: The Second Story R. After all, the original game is a true classic of the RPG genre and this new remake improves it even further! It adds a beautiful new 2.5D art style, a revamped combat system, a rearranged soundtrack, new illustrations and a galaxy's-worth of quality of life improvements. To cut a long story short, this crown jewel of the Star Ocean series now sparkles even brighter than before! The game releases on November 2, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4 and
PC via Steam… but what if you want to play it earlier? Good news then because a
free demo is available right now! Read on and we'll tell you all about it:
What's in the STAR OCEAN THE SECOND STORY R demo?
The free demo lets you experience this interstellar adventure for three hours or until you make your way to the exit of Krosse Cave - whichever comes first. In that time, you'll get to see how the story gets underway as Pangalactic Federation officer Claude C. Kenny is transported to a mysterious location by an equally mysterious mechanism. Around that time, a local named Rena, is attacked by a monster in the Sacred Forest. Claude jumps into action and saves her, but his advanced technology means Rena mistakes him for a hero of myths from her homeland. She hopes he can save her nation, while he wants to find a way back home. Together, they set off for the village of Arlia… and an epic adventure begins.
With the XMG CORE 16, XMG's CORE series gets a new 16-inch model, whose features are based on the current top models of the NEO seri
es in many details. Powered by AMD's Ryzen 7 7840HS and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or 4060, the laptop is aimed at the upper mid-range, but also adds features from the premium segment. These include, for example, an optional keyboard with CHERRY MX Ultra Low Profile Tactile switches, a 99 Wh battery and a liquid metal thermal compound for cooling the processor and graphics card. For the first time, there is also a configuration option for up to 96 GB DDR5 RAM.
The XMG CORE 16 (L23) is the first laptop in the CORE series to come in a 16-inch format and, alongside the APEX 15 and APEX 17, is now the third model to be based on an AMD Phoenix CPU featuring the Ryzen 7 7840HS with 8 cores and 16 threads. XMG offers the laptop with either an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or an RTX 4060, each with a graphics power of 140 watts (115 watts plus 25 watts Dynamic Boost). A composite cooling system with four heat pipes, separate heat sinks on all four air outlets and liquid metal for improved heat transfer from both the CPU and GPU is utilised to provide high continuous performance.
NACON, a major player in video game publishing and designer of premium gaming accessories, is delighted to announce the forthcoming release of a new controller officially licensed for PlayStation. With over 6 million NACON PS4 controllers sold, including 1.6 million of its NACON Pro line since 2016, the features of NACON controllers have won over legions of competitive gamers.
"This new model in the Revolution line is the culmination of years of development and NACON's passion for gaming. We wanted to create the best controller possible, a controller that would give gamers the upper hand. The Revolution 5 Pro combines the best of our expertise, technological innovation and ergonomics," said Yannick Allaert, Head of Accessories Division at NACON. "I want to thank Sony Interactive Entertainment, our long-time partner, who has enabled us to develop this product in the best way possible."
NVIDIA today released the GeForce 537.42 WHQL Game Ready drivers. These introduce support for the new DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction technology, which will work on all GeForce RTX GPUs, including RTX 20-series "Turing," RTX 30-series "Ampere," and the latest RTX 40-series "Ada." Ray Reconstruction is a data-driven DNN-based ray tracing denoiser that produces superior results than hand-tuned legacy denoisers. In particular, ray traced elements such as shadows and reflections in games that use DLSS 2 (super resolution), should look more natural. The driver also comes with optimization for "Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty," besides "Warhaven," "Witchfire," and "Party Animals." The drivers also fix a couple of performance issues with Octane Renderer.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 537.42 WHQL
Be sure to check out our Performance and Image Comparison review of DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction later today, and our
technical overview of how it works.
EK, the leading provider of cutting-edge computer cooling solutions, is introducing an enterprise-level GPU water block tailored for NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core PCIe data center GPUs. The EK-Pro GPU WB H100 Rack - Ni + Inox is a high-performance water block meticulously engineered to achieve an ultra-compact design, allowing it to occupy just a single PCIe slot compared to the stock 2-slot cooling system. This premium water block features a rack-style terminal, significantly reducing assembly height and enhancing compatibility with various chassis types. By spanning the entire PCB, it efficiently cools the GPU, HBM VRAM, and the VRM (voltage regulation module), with cooling liquid channeled directly over these critical components.
NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs provide a giant leap in computing power, perfect for accelerated computing. Its ground-breaking increase in performance offers up to 30X more performance in certain applications like large language models for AI and up to 7X performance boost in HPC workloads like genome sequencing, for example.
MSI, the world's leading gaming PC hardware brand, is proud to introduce the IMMERSE GH50 WIRELESS. Its first wireless gaming headset is designed for extended hours of immersive audio experience, featuring bass-enhancing audio drivers, an omnidirectional microphone, and advanced software applications. With cross-platform compatibility, the GH50 WIRELESS seamlessly brings the gameplay from PC to consoles, all packed in a foldable and durable lightweight design.
IMMERSE GH50 WIRELESS, A Gaming Headset Made for Ultra-low Latency Connectivity
The IMMERSE GH50 WIRELESS marks MSI's debut for wireless gaming headsets. It features a low-latency 2.4 GHz wireless connection, ensuring gamers stay in sync with the action on-screen. With bass-enhancing 50 mm audio drivers, the GH50 WIRELESS offers immersive audio and virtual surround sound, bringing games to life while hearing footsteps, explosions, and gunshots with incredible accuracy. The high-quality detachable omnidirectional microphone delivers crystal-clear voice capture in a perfect fit for any head shape. When it's time to relax and enjoy other forms of entertainment, simply detach the microphone.
Thanks to the 3D renders and technical drawings obtained by Igor's Lab, we have insights into the structure of Intel's next-generation LGA-1851 socket for Arrow Lake processors. Scheduled to arrive in mid-2024, the LGA-1851 socket was originally intended for Meteor Lake-S desktop processors. However, the socket is now awaiting Arrow Lake since Meteor Lake is now a mobile-only processor generation. The first notable thing about LGA-1851 is that it will directly connect a dedicated PCIe 5.0 x4 interface to the CPU, besides the x16 lanes going to the GPU. This results in native support for high-speed PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs that can achieve speeds of over 12 GB/s in both read and write workloads.
Intel Arrow Lake-S will be available with eight P-cores and 16 E-cores in SKUs with different combinations of the two. The accompanying 800 series chipset includes Z890, B860, and H810 models, with an evident absence of H870 SKU. There will be W880 and Q870 workstation-grade chipsets as well. It is worth pointing out that Arrow Lake will enable DRAM capacities of up to 48 GB per DIMM at 6400 MT/s. We expect to hear more about Arrow Lake-S as we near the 2024 launch date and we get to see the Intel 20A node being used in client products. Below, you can see the technical drawings of the Independent Loading Mechanism (ILM) and chipset 3D models.
NVIDIA Reflex is a must-have in games, reducing system latency so your actions occur quicker, giving you a competitive edge in multiplayer matches, and making single-player titles more responsive and enjoyable. NVIDIA Reflex is now used by over 50 million players each month, is available in 9 of the top 10 competitive shooters, including the Counter-Strike 2 beta, and is activated by 90% of GeForce gamers in over 70 supported titles.
NVIDIA Reflex is synonymous with responsive gaming, and can be found in the latest and greatest games, including Party Animals, Warhaven, and Witchfire, which all launch this week. Additionally, Nexon's First Descendant Crossplay Open Beta will boast support, too. This month also sees the launch of the first 540 Hz NVIDIA G-SYNC Ultra Low Motion Blur 2-capable monitor, from ASUS. When activated, ULMB 2 gives you 2,160 Hz of effective motion clarity, for the definitive competitive gaming experience.
QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking, and storage solution innovator has launched the QXG-10G2T 10 GbE network expansion card. The QXG-10G2T is a cutting-edge, dual-port, 5-speed 10 GbE (RJ45) network expansion card, presenting an energy-efficient and cost-effective solution for various networking needs. This card is ideal for a professional photographers, videographers, or part of a collaborative team that requires simultaneous data access with lower latency.
Andy Chuang, QNAP Product Manager said, "We are excited to bring the QXG-10G2T to the market. This expansion card is a testament to QNAP's commitment to providing innovative and efficient solutions for modern networking challenges. With its versatile features and support for multiple speeds, the QXG-10G2T offers a seamless experience for both NAS and PC users, enhancing their workflow efficiency."
The GUNGNIR series has been launched for years with many remarkable products that come with many features. Today, we are proud to announce the latest member of our popular product series to the market, the MPG GUNGNIR 300 Series, designed to meet the evolving needs of our customers in this ever-changing world.
The MPG GUNGNIR 300 series, this PC case unveiled a new mid-tower ATX case, tailored to the compatibility needs of mid-level system configurations for gamers. It is equipped with 1 mm perforated front panel, compatible with dual 360 mm AIO liquid cooler simultaneously at front/top sides, and remains enough space for a push-pull configuration, providing exceptional cooling performance. MPG GUNGNIR 300 Series case serves as a positive heat dissipation solution for both the CPU and GPU. A one-piece 1 mm perforated front panel design and pre-installed four 120 mm fans provide more fresh intake air.
MSI announces "The Limited Series", a collection of exclusive, special version of selected items from our lineup. Available for a limited-time and very limited quantity, "The Limited Series" gives the opportunity to hardware enthusiasts to get their hands on unique custom designed pieces from the brand.
Exclusive colors and special features
"The Limited Series" deliver the same high-performance MSI brings for more than 35 years with a one-of-a-kind outlook and exclusive features to give a chance to GAMERS to add something very unique to their PC Builds.
Intel is reportedly settling for 6P+4E as the CPU core configuration for its upcoming Core i5-14400 and i5-14400F desktop processors. That's 6 performance cores or P-cores, and 4 efficiency cores or E-cores. Two distinct engineering samples of the i5-14400 were spotted in the wild, one of which had a 6P+4E configuration, and the other believed to be with 6P+8E, like the rest of the 14th Gen Core i5 series. There are two distinct steppings of the i5-14400 among the engineering samples, besides the core-configuration, B0 and C0.
What differentiates B0 from C0 is the specific die they're based on. B0 is the larger "Raptor Lake-S" die that physically has 8 P-cores and 16 E-cores, which has been significantly cut down to achieve the 6P+4E configuration; whereas C0 is the die the "Alder Lake-S" top-spec processor models were based on, which physically have an 8P+8E configuration. Both B0 and C0 Core i5-14400/F processors have 6P+4E. The P-cores on both steppings, including B0, are configured with 1.25 MB of dedicated L2 cache, the E-core clusters on both each have 2 MB of L2 cache; and both get 20 MB of shared L3 cache, and 65 W of processor base power. The Core i5-14400 and i5-14400F succeed a long line of successful processor models for Intel, positioned around or below the $200 mark.
Wednesday, September 20th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Game Testing
The Phantom Liberty expansion brings big improvements to Cyberpunk 2077 and adds an exciting new story line. The game also gets support for DLSS 3.5 and Path Tracing. In our performance review, we're taking a closer look at image quality, VRAM usage, and performance on a wide selection of modern graphics cards.
When Crucial cancelled its Ballistix gaming brand, it was unclear if the company would launch higher-end products in the future, although the company never said it wouldn't.
Back in May of this year, Crucial launched its Pro series of memory, which was not exactly pro, at least not for the readership here which is used to an entirely different level of RAM. This was largely due to Crucial sticking to JEDEC spec, even though the company did launch some DDR5 5600 MHz modules.
Now—some six months later—it appears that Crucial is getting ready to deliver some higher performance modules with its new DDR5 6000 MHz modules, although at launch, they will only be available in a kit of two 24 GB modules. Although Crucial claims JEDEC spec, the 48-48-48 timings appear to either be slightly tighter than the original JEDEC spec, or JEDEC has updated the specs since they were announced. Although nothing about these modules screams high-end or pro, there's one thing that makes these stand out against the competition, they operate at 6000 MHz using only 1.1 Volt, whereas most 6000 MHz DIMMs on the market today, operate at 1.35 Volt higher. In addition to that, as these are JEDEC spec DIMMs, there's no need to enable XMP/EXPO settings to make them work at 6000 MHz, which could be a benefit to some. There might be some potential for tweaking these modules as well, something we'll have to wait for reviews to find out about. Crucial is asking for US$166.99 for the 48 GB kit, which puts them at a price disadvantage compared to its competitors, as you can get a similar kit for as little as $115 or possibly even less.
Amazon today introduced a range of new Echo devices designed for even more personalized, proactive, and intuitive Alexa experiences at home and on-the-go—the next-generation Echo Show 8, all-new Echo Hub, and new Echo Frames. In addition, Amazon collaborated with Safilo, one of the world's leading eyewear manufacturers, to blend the power of Alexa with iconic Carrera designs.
"Engagement with Echo devices is at an all-time high," said Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Fire TV. "Customers rely on Alexa for so much, including managing their smart homes, keeping up with the latest news, setting birthday reminders, and keeping their homes stocked with essentials. These new Echo devices give customers more ways to experience the world's best personal AI—and the growing generative AI capabilities that will be coming to Alexa soon—at home and on the go."
Amazon announced eero Max 7, its first Wi-Fi 7 mesh system and the fastest, most powerful eero yet. eero Max 7 combines the company's patented TrueMesh networking technology with the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard to dramatically increase speeds, avoid interference from neighboring networks, and improve mesh latency-and with 10 Gigabit Ethernet, it's now possible to download a 4K movie in 10 seconds or a 50 gigabyte video game in less than a minute.
"Connectivity is core to our everyday lives—we stream movies and TV, take video calls for work, play online games with our friends, and use an ever increasing number of connected devices," said Nick Weaver, co-founder and CEO of eero. "With tens of millions of eero devices around the world, we know customers notice even a millisecond delay when streaming a movie or gaming, want reliable connectivity in every corner of the home, and always look for faster speeds. eero Max 7 is the culmination of everything we've learned—this is an entirely new class of eero, built without compromise."
Hi Everyone, today I'd like to share that the talented team at
Criterion Games will be joining
EA Entertainment. Criterion has a rich history in gaming, having worked on Battlefield, Battlefront, Burnout, and of course, Need for Speed. I'm thrilled to have a studio with such pedigree join the studios I oversee. As we've said before, we're all-in on Battlefield. Today, Criterion is added to our world-class Battlefield studios dedicated to ushering in a new era for the franchise.
The majority of the team will be working alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline that are led by Byron Beede, GM of Battlefield. Criterion's experience with Battlefield, our technology and building engaging experiences will have an immediate positive impact as we continue to work on Battlefield 2042, and as we continue pre-production on a connected Battlefield Universe. There is no better studio to join us on this journey and I couldn't be more excited.
"The witchfire in my blood had cooled, with most of it having already evaporated. Were the last drop to have gone, so would I be too, awakening in Hell. The rescue, unlikely as it was, came thanks to human greed and stupidity." This line—taken from a short story called
The Preyer written by The Astronauts' Creative Director Adrian Chmielarz—sets up the world of
Witchfire, releases today (September 20) in Early Access on the
Epic Games Store. Just before launch, we interviewed Chmielarz and The Astronauts Game Designer Karol Krok and asked them what to expect from Witchfire, how it came to be, and what the development process was like. Read on for more details...
Swapping sci-fi for fantasy
If you haven't heard much about Witchfire, it's because
The Astronauts is a small studio and unwilling to share spoilers—and every reveal they make feels like it could be a spoiler. Not too much is known about Witchfire, as a result. "We want the players to have that beautiful experience of discovering things on their own, to be surprised," Chmielarz said. "We promise to show more near the Early Access release day, so everyone can make an informed decision." The Astronauts released a trailer during Summer Game Fest back in June that demonstrated how Witchfire will have an element of exploration and discovery, of planning and thinking. At the same time, it offers plenty of action as well. It's a dark fantasy with spells—and it's also a first-person shooter with guns, as you can see from the trailers. It's technically a roguelite, or similar to a dungeon crawler, with harsh death conditions for the player. And The Astronauts also advertise Witchfire as having multiple ways to win.
Just a few weeks ago at Gamescom we announced that an expansion for Age of Empires IV—The Sultans Ascend—would be coming soon. Today we're thrilled to let our PC and Xbox console players around the world know that they'll be able to play this exciting new content on November 14!
Pre-orders are available now for everyone wanting to graduate
The Sultans Ascend from their wishlist and begin counting down the days.
This new Age of Empires IV single player campaign takes place in the Middle East during the European Crusades. You'll take on the role of the Muslim resistance to the invasion and follow the story of well-known Muslim leaders, their struggles with the Crusaders, and the battles they fought. Our story begins with the First Crusade at the end of the 11th century, when Muslim provinces are mired in rivalry with one another.
We continue to be on track to start shipments before the end of the month on the new
Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series). Last week we shared that
SMT (Mainboard production) had started, and this week we've begun final assembly of laptops. We also pulled some early units to send out to press reviewers to make sure that you can see exactly where we've landed on performance and battery life.
We have another happy bit of news to share with you: our Lead System Architect Kieran was able to implement a firmware solution to reduce power consumption when using HDMI and DP Expansion Cards on the back two slots. The only remaining power issue is with USB-A Expansion Cards on the back slots, which we are investigating a future USB-A Expansion Card hardware revision to resolve.
AMD has updated its Radeon Adrenalin driver with the latest edition, 23.9.2. The newest version brings unified driver support for AMD Radeon RX 7700 and RX 7800, which the previous driver lacked, and there was a separate download for these two SKUs. Besides merging into a single unified driver, the new update brings Lies of P, Party Animals, and The Crew Motorfest game support for AMD Radeon graphics. In this driver release, the AMD Radeon Anti-Lag+ feature is introduced for Starfield, Witcher 3, ELDEN RING, Immortals of Aveum, and an Anti-Lag+ screen overlay for system latency. AMD fixed some issues like application crashing while playing Baldur Gate 3 with Vulkan API on RX 7900 XTX, limited GPU clock tuning on RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT, application crash while playing SMITE on RX 7900 XTX, and application crash or driver timeout while playing F1 2023 on RX 7800 XT. There is no Cyberpunk 2077 update yet in this driver release.
You can download the Radeon Adrenalin Edition 23.9.2 Driver here.See the full list of changes below:
According to TechNews.tw, TSMC could postpone its 2 nm semiconductor manufacturing node for 2026. If the rumors about TSMC's delayed 2 nm production schedule are accurate, the implications could reverberate throughout the semiconductor industry. TSMC's alleged hesitancy could be driven by multiple factors, including the architectural shift from FinFET to Gate-All-Around (GAA) and potential challenges related to scaling down to 2 nm. The company is a crucial player in this space, and a delay could offer opportunities for competitors like Samsung, which has already transitioned to GAA transistor architecture for its 3 nm chips. Given the massive demand for advanced nodes due to the rise of AI, IoT, and other next-gen technologies, it is surprising to hear "sluggish" demand reports.
However, it's also possible that it's too early for customers to make firm commitments for 2025 and beyond. TSMC has dismissed these rumors, stating that construction is progressing according to plan, which includes having 2 nm pilot run in 2024, and mass production in the second half of 2025.. Despite this, any delay in TSMC's roadmap could serve as a catalyst for shifts in market dynamics. Companies that rely heavily on TSMC's advanced nodes might need to reassess their timelines and strategies. Moreover, if Samsung can capitalize on this opportunity, it could somewhat level the playing field. As of now, though, it's essential to approach these rumors with caution until more concrete information becomes available.
Panasonic today announced the GNW10 SoundSlayer, a wearable gaming speaker that allows players to immerse themselves in play to experience the real emotion of gaming. The GNW10's lightweight, ergonomic design incorporates 4-channel speakers, wireless connectivity, and AI voice control to deliver an exciting, stress-free, and lush sensory experience whether you're going solo or playing with friends.
The GNW10 package combines a wireless, neck-mounted wearable gaming speaker and a separate wireless transmitter. Simply connecting the transmitter to a PC or console via a USB cable creates a wireless connection to the wearable gaming speaker. Compatible with Windows 10/11 PCs, PS4/PS5 consoles, and the Nintendo Switch (TV mode only), the GNW10 system also supports subwoofer output for an ever more powerful soundscape.
KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that it has donated a command set specification to the Linux Foundation vendor-neutral Software-Enabled FlashTM Project. Built to deliver on the promise of software-defined flash, Software-Enabled Flash technology gives storage developers control over their data placement, latency outcomes, and workload isolation requirements. Through its open API and SDKs, hyperscale environments may optimize their own flash protocols, such as flexible direct placement (FDP) or zoned namespace (ZNS), while accelerating adoption of new flash technologies. This unique combination of open source software and purpose-built hardware can help data centers maximize the value of flash memory. KIOXIA has developed working samples of hardware modules for hyperscalers, storage developers and application developers.
"We are delighted to provide command set specifications to the Software-Enabled Flash Project," said Eric Ries, senior vice president and general manager of the Memory and Storage Strategy Division for KIOXIA America, Inc. "This is an important step that allows the ecosystem to bring products to market, and enables customers to extract the maximum value from flash memory."
Durabook, an innovator in purpose-built, rugged computing solutions, today announced the launch of the next-generation S15 Semi-Rugged Laptop equipped with the latest Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake platform. The combination of this powerful CPU, coupled with a comprehensive set of connectivity options, security support, and its capability for further expandability makes this semi-rugged laptop with its large screen the perfect support for professional field services personnel running ever more sophisticated applications in challenging conditions.
The laptop's 15.6" Full HD display may be the first thing to turn the head of a field service professional, but the CPU performance of the S15 Semi-Rugged Laptop with Intel Core i7 and i5 processors that are up to 206% faster than previously is an eye-opener. Looking past the handsome rugged exterior, at the Intel Iris Xe Graphics package, ultra-reliable connectivity, and the ability to operate as a workstation configured with up to three storage drives, this is the ideal rugged laptop for field services workers.
The introduction of Generative AI (GAI) has significantly increased the demand for advanced semiconductor chips, drawing increased attention to the development of complex calculations for large-scale AI models and high-speed transmission interfaces. To assist the industry in grasping the key to high-end semiconductor manufacturing and integration capabilities, the Heterogeneous Integrated Chiplet System Package (Hi-CHIP) Alliance brings together leading semiconductor companies from Taiwan and around the world to provide comprehensive services, spanning from packaging design, testing and verification, to pilot production. Since its establishment in 2021, the alliance has accumulated important industry players as its members, including EVG, Kulicke and Soffa (K&S), USI, Raytek Semiconductor, Unimicron, DuPont, and Brewer Science. Looking forward, the alliance is set to actively explore its global market potential.
Dr. Shih-Chieh Chang, General Director of Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories at ITRI and Chairman of the Hi-CHIP Alliance, indicated that advanced manufacturing processes have led to a considerable increase in IC design cycles and costs. Multi-dimensional chip design and heterogeneous integrated packaging architecture are key tools to tackle this demand in semiconductors. On top of that, the advent of GAI such as ChatGPT, which demands substantial computing power and transmission speed, requires even higher levels of integration capacity in chip manufacturing. ITRI has been committed to developing manufacturing technologies and upgrading materials and equipment to enhance heterogeneous integration technologies. Achievements include the fan-out wafer level packaging (FOWLP), 2.5 and 3D chips, embedded interposer connections (EIC), and programmable packages. With both local and foreign semiconductor manufacturer members, the Hi-CHIP Alliance is establishing an advanced packaging process production line to provide an integrated one-stop service platform.
Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, is pleased to unveil the Pacific SW1 Plus CPU Water Block and the Pacific SF Fittings - Silver Black. The custom liquid cooling system provides considerable flexibility in design, allowing you to demonstrate your aesthetic sense. If you are an industrial chic enthusiast, the Pacific SW1 Plus and the Pacific SF Fittings, which feature a New Industrial Style, are the ideal components for leveling up your cooling system's appearance while ensuring thermal performance and installation compatibility.
Pacific SW1 Plus CPU Water Block
Designed with a modern industrial style, the Pacific SW1 Plus CPU Water Block comes in solid aluminium alloy with a screw design, displaying a beautiful glow of metals. The copper base is finished with anti-corrosive nickel plating, matching the overall industrial design and offering an outstanding heat transfer for the CPU. The central inlet design of the base enables the coolant to be distributed evenly through the 0.2 mm microchannels, achieving more effective heat dissipation. What's more, through the TT RGB Plus 2.0 software, you can simply monitor coolant temperature and customize the lighting effects of the water block's 12 addressable LEDs. To fit the latest CPUs, the Pacific SW1 Plus is also compatible with Intel LGA 1700 and AMD AM5 sockets and can be installed without additional brackets.
Oracle has announced their next generation Ampere A2 Compute Instances based on the latest AmpereOne processor, with availability starting later this year. According to Oracle, the new instances will deliver up to 44% more price-performance compared to x86 offerings and are ideal for AI inference, databases, web services, media transcoding workloads and run-time language support, such as GO and Java.
In related news, several new customers including industry leading real-time video service companies 8x8 and Phenix, along with AI startups like Wallaroo, said they are migrating to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and Ampere as more and more companies seek to maximize price, performance and energy efficiency.
MSI is excited to announce today the brand-new MAX Series Motherboards for the Z790 chipset and Micro-ATX motherboards for the B760 chipset, which includes the MEG Series, MPG Series, MAG Series, and PRO Series. MSI's Z790 and B760 motherboards paired with Intel Core Next-gen, 13th Gen, and 12th Gen Processors are here to bring even more performance and fine-tuning on the success of the last generation of Processors. As a world-leading motherboard brand, MSI's Z790 MAX Series motherboards are designed to provide the very best performance for gamers and creators.
MSI Z790 MAX Series motherboards have a strong lineup of power phase design boards across every model ranging from our flagship MEG Z790 GODLIKE MAX that has 26 Duet Rail Power System CPU power phases with 105 A SPS to even our entry-level PRO Series motherboard that has increased up to 16 DRPS CPU power phases with 80 A SPS.
Intel at the 2023 InnovatiON event surprised audiences with a live demo of a reference notebook powered by a Core "Lunar Lake" processor. What's surprising about this is that "Lunar Lake" won't come out until 2025 (at least), and succeeds not just the upcoming "Meteor Lake" architecture, but also its succeeding "Arrow Lake," which debuts in 2024. Intel is expected to debut "Meteor Lake" some time later this year. What's also surprising is that Intel has proven that the Intel 18A foundry node works. The Compute tile of "Lunar Lake" is expected to be based on Intel 18A, which is four generations ahead of the current Intel 7, which will be succeeded by Intel 4, Intel 3, and Intel 20A along the way.
The demo focused on the generative AI capabilities of Intel's third generation NPU, the hardware backend of AI Boost. Using a local session of a tool similar to Stable Diffusion, the processor was made to generate the image of a giraffe wearing a hat; and a GPT program was made to pen the lyrics of a song in the genre of Taylor Swift from scratch. Both tasks were completed on stage using the chip's NPU, and in timeframes you'd normally expect from discrete AI accelerators or cloud-based services.
ZOTAC TECHNOLOGY, a global manufacturer focused on innovation, launches the all-new ZBOX Q Series workstation Mini PC focused on professional workloads, as well as new lightweight Mini PC models of the M Series and C Series family for office, home or entertainment applications.
ZBOX QRP7N3500 - Empowering Professionals with AI
The all-new ZBOX QRP7N3500 harnesses the power and performance of the new generation of laptop NVIDIA RTX workstation GPU and Intel Core processor to offer professionals across industries a compact and capable Mini PC made for complex, AI-accelerated workflows in today's rapidly changing professional landscape. The ZBOX QRP7N3500 boasts up to 2x performance compared to our previous ZBOX MAGNUS EN thanks to the NVIDIA RTX 3500 workstation GPU inside. The Q series boasts advanced enterprise features and optimized drivers for over 100 professional applications. Combined with an Intel Core i7-13700HX Processor with 16 cores and 24 threads, the Q series makes for an incredible experience when dealing with memory, CPU, and GPU-intense workloads.
Intel at the 2023 InnovatiON event unveiled a 288-core extreme core-count variant of the Xeon "Sierra Forest" processor for high-density servers for scale-out, cloud-native environments. It succeeds the current 144-core model. "Sierra Forest" is a server processor based entirely on efficiency cores, or E-cores, based on the "Sierra Glen" core microarchitecture, a server-grade derivative of "Crestmont," Intel's second-generation E-core that's making a client debut with "Meteor Lake."
Xeon "Sierra Forest" is a chiplet-based processor, much like "Meteor Lake" and the upcoming "Emerald Rapids" server processor. It features a total of five tiles—two Compute tiles, two I/O tiles, and a base tile (interposer). Each of the two Compute tiles is built on the Intel 3 foundry node, a more advanced node than Intel 4, featuring higher-density libraries, and an undisclosed performance/Watt increase. Each tile has 36 "Sierra Glen" E-core clusters, 108 MB of shared L3 cache, 6-channel (12 sub-channel) DDR5 memory controllers, and Foveros tile-to-tile interfaces.
Tuesday, September 19th 2023
Today's Reviews
Article
Processors
Today Intel is taking the wraps off their Meteor Lake Architecture. Our tech preview tells you everything you need to know about Intel's new ideas that will power the company's processors for years to come. Just like AMD, Intel is betting on chiplets, which combine multiple silicon dies into a single CPU to build faster, more-energy efficient designs that are cheaper to manufacture.
Review
Graphics Cards
The ASUS ROG GeForce RTX 4090 Matrix Platinum is the best RTX 4090 you can buy. For $3200 you get performance that's considerably faster than a plain RTX 4090, similar to what we're expecting for RTX 4090 Ti. Our review also confirms that the ASUS watercooling solution does a fantastic job at keeping the card cool and running at low noise levels.
Review
Headphones
The Corsair Virtuoso Pro is a high-end open-back analog gaming headset aimed toward streamers and hardcore gamers. Its custom graphene speaker drivers deliver excellent sound quality, and it's impressively comfortable too.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, in the Q&A session of InnovatiON 2023 Day 1, confirmed that the company is developing 3D-stacked cache technology for its processors. The technology involves expanding the on-die last-level cache (L3 cache) of a processor with an additional SRAM die physically stacked on top, and bonded with the cache's high-bandwidth data fabric. The stacked cache operates at the same speed as the on-die cache, and so the combined cache size is visible to software as a single contiguous addressable block of cache memory.
AMD has used 3D-stacked cache to good effect on its processors. On client processors such as the Ryzen X3D series, the cache provides significant gaming performance uplifts as the larger L3 cache makes more of the game's rendering data immediately accessible to the CPU cores; while on server processors such as EPYC "Milan-X" and "Genoa-X," the added cache provides significant uplifts to memory intensive compute workloads. Intel's approach to 3D-stacked cache will be different at the hardware level compared to AMD's, Gelsinger stated in his response. AMD's tech has been collaboratively developed with TSMC, and hinges on a TSMC-made SoIC packaging tech that facilitates high-density die-to-die wiring between the CCD and cache chiplet. Intel uses its own fabs for processor dies, and will have to use its own IP.
Colorful Technology Company Limited, a professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions, and high-performance storage, is thrilled to announce the EVOL P15 - COLORFUL's latest addition to its lineup of gaming laptops. Sporting an eye-catching retro-futuristic Steel Blue color, the EVOL P15 comes equipped with the 12th generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics. The gaming laptop also features an RGB light bar on its front lid to complete its gaming laptop looks.
Equipped with up to a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12650H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB, the EVOL P15 is ready to meet both gaming and content creation needs. The Steel Blue color with RGB lighting appeals to modern gamers and e-sports enthusiasts. The EVOL P15 sports a 15.6-inch QHD 165 Hz display with NVIDIA G-SYNC support for smooth and tear-free gameplays. For connectivity, it comes with both Wi-Fi 6E + BT wireless and a 1 GbE LAN port.
TSMC has gained the Taiwanese government's approval to invest $4.5 billion in its main North American manufacturing hub—Fab 21 is located in the greater Phoenix area. Mass production at the Arizona foundry has been delayed into 2025 due to behind-schedule equipment installations and various workforce-related issues, but a
limited trial run is reported to begin early next year. Mid-last month, the TSMC executive board sought approval from Taiwan's Investment Commission for an additional overseas spend (the Arizona operation is registered as a subsidiary company).
This request was approved by the commission yesterday (September 18)—a $3.5 billion cash injection was already given the thumbs-up back in March. Exact areas of expenditure have not been declared to the public, but
Taiwanese media outlets believe that the second phase of funds will be marked for working capital expenses at the North American division. Short-term business costs include the purchase of inventory (e.g raw materials), day-to-day operating expenses and resolvement of short-term debts. Mark Liu, TSMC's chairman, recently
expressed optimism about goings-on at Arizona's Fab 21—mentioning significant progress made over the spring and summer period.
Assassin's Creed Mirage launches on October 5 - and if you're looking forward to exploring ninth-century Baghdad on a PC, we've got a rundown of specifications to help you figure out the right settings to get the best possible experience out of your machine, as well as a list of additional features you can take advantage of provided you've got the right hardware.
As you experience the journey of Basim to become a Hidden One and undertake elaborate investigations and assassinations, you'll be able to immerse yourself in his world with an uncapped frame rate, even in 4K; simultaneously use a keyboard, mouse, and controller (or other inputs); and get a dazzling panoramic view with HDR as well as multi-monitor and widescreen support. You'll also be able to leverage features like Intel's AI-assisted XeSS Super Sampling, which upscales resolution while enabling hardware to pump out more frames per second; optimization for Intel Arc GPUs and 13th-generation CPUs; synchronize ambient lighting with the game's action using MSI's Mystic Light products; and even experience upper-body haptic feedback with the OWO Haptic Gaming System vest (which is also supported on consoles).
A comprehensive leak of documents—from a FTC versus Microsoft case—has exposed short and long-term plans in the world of Xbox. It seems that a relatively mild
refresh of current generation Xbox Series X and S is lined up for the second half of 2024, but presentation material (dated April 2022) also reaches far into the future with strategies for next-gen gaming hardware. The bigwigs at Xbox were projecting a "full convergence" of their proprietary "xCloud" gaming platform and physical console hardware to deliver "cloud hybrid games" for 2028—schemes and priorities could have shifted in the interim, given various legal challenges and takeover bids.
One of the slides points to Microsoft getting the technical nitty-gritty sorted by CY2023—with two main options presented for consideration: a licensed ARM 64 design or a "Zen 6-based" AMD 64 processor. The next-gen Xbox's GPU aspect could incorporate a Navi 5 design (RDNA 5)—weighing up either a co-operation with AMD, or an IP license of said graphics architecture. VideoCardz theorizes that: "the latter option seems more likely if the ARM 64 chip is chosen over the Zen 6 APU." A key goal in this area seems to be an implementation of "Next-Gen DirectX Ray tracing" and "ML-based Super Resolutions" features. A Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is marked as a key provision for the 2028 console—granting some nice-to-have perks including: latency compensation, frame rate interpolation and various enrichments of the user experience.
On September 21st, NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 debuts in Cyberpunk 2077 and Chaos Vantage. NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 makes your games even more beautiful, immersive and realistic with the introduction of Ray Reconstruction, a new AI-powered technique that further enhances the quality of ray tracing. And in apps, ray-traced previews and viewports are greatly improved, enabling creators to better visualize the final result before time-consuming renders. DLSS 3.5 is available for all GeForce RTX and NVIDIA RTX users; for the complete breakdown on this new technology, head to our NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 announcement article.
In other DLSS news, Lies of P, Party Animals, Warhaven and Witchfire are all launching this week with day-one DLSS support, and gamers can check out an open beta for The First Descendant, an upcoming DLSS 3-accelerated game. In each game, GeForce RTX users will receive the definitive experience - read on for all the details.
Back in June, we unveiled the all-new Ubisoft Connect PC Beta rolling out gradually throughout the summer. Today, we're happy to say all PC players can jump in and test it out. This version of
Ubisoft Connect PC was built from the ground up to meet your needs, improve usability, and enhance your experience while playing games. If you haven't tried it yet, go ahead and click the toggle switch at the top right of your desktop app to switch to the Beta version.
We've worked on several improvements in the past three months, and there's more in our pipeline. As we expand Ubisoft Connect PC, we're continuously looking for feedback. Please don't hesitate to switch to the new version every now and then (or just keep using it!) and let us know what you think:
Ubisoft Connect PC Beta Feedback Form.
Inside sources have claimed that Bungie is working on a third project—codename: Gummy Bears—alongside Destiny 2 (their bread and butter IP) and the still mysterious
Marathon reboot. Several media outlets keep close tabs on activity at the Sony Interactive Entertainment-owned studio—"Gummy Bears" is believed to be a "light-hearted" and "colorful" alternative to the other multiplayer experiences in Bungie's stable. Paul Tassi (writing for Forbes) believes that Bungie's "Matter" concept is synonymous with "Gummy Bears"—past job adverts have outlined a "team-based action game" that takes: "inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games, wrapped up in a lighthearted, comedic world."
TheGamePost has chosen to follow up on their previously leaked summertime information with another major claim—multiple sources have alleged that Epic's Unreal Engine forms the technical foundation of "Gummy Bears," a team-based combat title with isometric gameplay. Switching to an outside toolset would be quite an unusual move for Bungie—the veteran development house has relied on its (extremely mature)
Tiger Engine for more than a decade. One insider placed emphasis on the new IP being built in Unreal Engine 5 for current-gen platforms. PlayStation-specialist site
Insider Gaming has contacted Sony for comment on the situation, and conducted a quick investigation: "As far as the accuracy of this report, Insider Game has yet to verify it with its independent sources. However, a quick look at Bungie's career page shows a job listing for an "Unannounced Project" where the required skills include the ability to code in C++. This is the programming language used for Unreal Engine."
CHERRY, a specialist for input devices and market leader in the field of mechanical key switches, today announced the launch of two exciting new keyboards, the KW 7100 MINI BT and the KW 3000 full-size keyboard. CHERRY KW 7100 MINI BT: Minimalist multi-device keyboard with focus on flexibility and mobile working.
The KW 7100 MINI BT is the perfect compact companion for mobile working. The slim keyboard shines with a particularly minimalist design, multi-device pairing and useful special functions. The in-house CHERRY SX scissor mechanism guarantees maximum precision and ergonomics: the slightly concave-shaped keys enable smooth and quiet typing. With the sustainable transport bag made of recycled plastic, the KW 7100 MINI BT can be taken to any workplace well protected.
If you're looking for the latest games coming to Game Pass, you've come to the right place. Maybe you're looking for a Soulslike, or mysterious adventures. Maybe you're looking to solve crimes, or even do crimes (maybe please keep that in the context of video games). Either way, we've got something for you!
Available Today—Lies of P (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Available on day one with Game Pass: Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era. You must adapt yourself and your weapons to face untold horrors, untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city's elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find yourself.
NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people's lives, today took its award-winning Orbi line to new heights with a powerful new antenna design and exclusive, patented technology that enhance the benefits of WiFi 7. Born of over 25 years of NETGEAR pioneering WiFi expertise, the Orbi 970 Series delivers unparalleled performance, speeds of up to 27 Gbps, a slim, elegant design and high-performance antennas for 360-degree coverage across just about any home, no matter the layout.
With the rise of faster multi-gig internet speeds now available to more households, the growing number of connected devices per family and the ever-increasing growth of bandwidth-intensive applications such as 4K/8K video streaming, HD Zoom calls, graphics-focused work, highly interactive real-time gaming and immersive AR/VR entertainment, the need for faster WiFi speeds, lower latency and more capacity becomes imperative. Enter WiFi 7. While WiFi 6E opened the 6 GHz band as a superhighway for the latest, fastest devices, WiFi 7 builds on that promise by expanding the channels to 320 MHz and unleashing unprecedented speeds and performance. The Orbi 970 Series maximizes the potential of the new standard with innovative, new technology that ensures the benefits are delivered throughout the home, from the front door to the backyard, across all devices simultaneously.
As the world experiences a generational shift to artificial intelligence, each of us is participating in a new era of global expansion enabled by silicon. It's the "Siliconomy," where systems powered by AI are imbued with autonomy and agency, assisting us across both knowledge-based and physical-based tasks as part of our everyday environments.
At Intel Innovation, the company unveiled technologies to bring AI everywhere and to make it more accessible across all workloads - from client and edge to network and cloud. These include easy access to AI solutions in the cloud, better price performance for Intel data center AI accelerators than the competition offers, tens of millions of new AI-enabled Intel PCs shipping in 2024 and tools for securely powering AI deployments at the edge.
A hefty information dump—originating from documents relating to a
Microsoft vs. FTC legal case—has revealed plans (dated April 2022) for an upcoming refresh of current generation Xbox Series X and S consoles. Microsoft Gaming's head honcho, Phil Spencer,
dismissed the need for a mid-gen refresh of the more powerful model—his summertime 2023 declaration came after the rumor mill coughed up speculative details of Sony working on a more potent PlayStation 5. The leaked roadmap and slides points to a refreshed Xbox Series X console lined up for launch in October 2024. The new cylindrical design is codenamed "Brooklin" and features an all-digital entertainment scheme—internal upgrades include a 2 TB SSD, plus support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. An "improved sustainability story" suggests that the refresh will consume less power.
A 6 nm die shrink of the current
Xbox Series X "Scarlett" APU with Zen 2/RDNA2 setup is reportedly in the cards. It seems that Microsoft is not preparing something that
could compete with a theoretical "PlayStation 5 Pro." The leaked roadmap states that Brooklin's projected MSRP is $499—so no price hike over the original. The refreshed Xbox Series S—codenamed "Ellewood"—retains the existing Series S aesthetic, along with its entry-level $299 price tag. Microsoft's roadmap has it launching earlier than "Brooklin"—August 2024. Internal storage is set at 1 TB, and an updated southbridge grants support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. A low-power standby mode is said to consume only 20% of the current gen model's sleepy intake. The 2022 roadmap also mentions a refreshed "Sebile" Xbox controller, with the aim to get it launched by May 2024, so several months before the projected arrival of revised X and S consoles.
Intel Innovation 2023 -- Supermicro, Inc., a Total IT Solution Provider for Cloud, AI/ML, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is announcing future support for the upcoming 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors. In addition, Supermicro will soon offer early shipping and free remote early access testing of the new Systems via its JumpStart Program for qualified customers. To learn more, go to www.supermicro.com/x13 for details. The Supermicro 8x GPU optimized servers, the SuperBlade servers, and the Hyper Series will soon be ready for customers to test their workloads on the new CPU.
"Supermicro's range of Generative High-Performance AI systems, including recently launched GPUs, continues to lead the industry in AI offerings with its broad range of X13 family of servers designed for various workloads, from the edge to the cloud," said Charles Liang, president, and CEO, Supermicro. "Our support for the upcoming 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors, with more cores, an increased performance per watt, and the latest DDR5-5600 MHz memory, will allow our customers to realize even greater application performance and power efficiency for AI, Cloud, 5G Edge, and Enterprise workloads. These new features will help customers accelerate their business and maximize their competitive advantage."
CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gear for gamers and content creators, today launched a new addition to its illustrious VIRTUOSO headset line: the VIRTUOSO PRO open back streaming/gaming headset. Boasting state-of-the-art graphene driver technology and a striking open back design, VIRTUOSO PRO delivers true-to-life audio that rivals studio-grade headphones. Whether you're streaming, gaming, creating, or all three at once, you can hear what matters most with VIRTUOSO PRO.
VIRTUOSO PRO is tailor-made for streamers and gamers alike. Its airy open back ear cups create a natural, spacious sound stage, giving your games and media new dimension and realism. You're also tuned-in to your environment - you can speak and interact while wearing the headset just as you would normally. With VIRTUOSO PRO, streaming and content creation is more natural than ever.
AMD today announced AMD Kria K24 System-on-Module (SOM) and KD240 Drives Starter Kit, the latest additions to the Kria portfolio of adaptive SOMs and developer kits. AMD Kria K24 SOM offers power-efficient compute in a small form factor and targets cost-sensitive industrial and commercial edge applications. Advanced InFO (Integrated Fan-Out) packaging makes the K24 half the size of a credit card while using half the power of the larger, connector-compatible Kria K26 SOM.
The K24 SOM provides high determinism and low latency for powering electric drives and motor controllers used in compute-intensive digital signal processing (DSP) applications at the edge. Key applications include electric motor systems, robotics for factory automation, power generation, public transportation such as elevators and trains, surgical robotics and medical equipment like MRI beds, and EV charging stations. Coupled with the KD240 Drives Starter Kit, an out-of-the-box-ready motor control-based development platform, the products offer a seamless path to production deployment with the K24 SOM. Users can quickly be up and running, speeding time to market for motor control and DSP applications without requiring FPGA programming expertise.
Fan-favorite
Resident Evil 4 additional scenario "Separate Ways" returns as new story DLC on September 21! Separate Ways—the missing link in the main story—is a thrilling, survival-horror adventure starring Ada Wong. Additionally, on the same day an update arrives for the free DLC "The Mercenaries," adding new playable characters. If you haven't experienced Resident Evil 4 yet, the base game is currently discounted for a limited time!
The mission requires secrecy. Failure is not an option
Play as Ada Wong in this additional scenario and experience the events of Resident Evil 4 from her perspective, filling in unanswered questions posed in the main story. See the other side of the story from her eyes as her mission, and fate, intertwines with Leon Kennedy's a second time.
EK, the industry-leading manufacturer of premium liquid cooling solutions, proudly announces another addition to its Pro line - the EK-Pro CPU WB sTR, an enterprise-grade water block meticulously designed for AMD EPYC and Ryzen Threadripper processors. Engineered with precision and expertise, this liquid cooling solution promises unmatched performance and reliability.
Precision Craftsmanship
EK-Pro CPU WB sTR - Nickel + Acetal water block is custom-designed for AMD processors, making it suitable for desktop PCs, workstations, and taller server racks. With three standard G1/4" threaded ports on the top and an EK G1/4 plug equipped with an O-ring, this water block ensures effortless and secure connections for your liquid cooling system.
A trio of allegedly official presentation slides appeared on X yesterday, posted by
Underfox3—the leaker stopped short of revealing the origin of this material. They simply commented: "AMD Threadripper Pro is coming...🔥." The next generation HEDT processor family is expected to arrive in the fall, and the opening slide pretty much confirms this launch window (starting September 22—autumnal equinox). There has been a noticeable uptick in Zen 4 "Storm Peak" 7000-series pre-release units
appearing online lately—so the timing seems plausible. Text segments do not mention the 7000-series in specifics, but an IHS render visible on the second slide looks somewhat similar—in shape—to a grey market-listed Threadripper Pro 7985WX. VideoCardz has compiled various leaked SKUs into a chart (see below).
A very general claim is made on the second slide—boasting a 20% performance increase over their Threadripper Pro 5000 series—but detailed information (prowess in single or multi-core tests) or in-depth benchmark results are not included. VideoCardz surmises from an interpretation of the third slide—noting: "support for 96 cores, marking a 50% boost over the TR PRO 5000 series. This suggests that the 20% improvement likely pertains to the single-core Zen 4 boost." The final slide also shows said 96-core Threadripper Pro processor tipped against Intel's
Xeon W9-3495X CPU (a 56-core Sapphire Rapids candidate)—the former is said to produce 75% more renders per day. Per frame completion time is 657 second versus 1125 seconds (respectively).
The
Geeks3D team has been working quietly on a
new version of FurMark, a highly popular benchmarking application as used by many in the enthusiast overclocking community. The GPU stress test and benchmarking tool is set to receive its first major upgrade (public release) since 2007, although a beta version has been made available to download since December 2022—accessible via the
Geeks3D Discord group. A late August update had the beta reaching a new milestone in version 2.0.10—fixing various bugs, expanding GPU support and adding more resolution options.
The new version of FurMark supports OpenGL or Vulkan graphics APIs, and its three preset benchmark options include 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p resolutions. Users can also customize parameters for different graphical and resolution settings. A
results database is already active, but Tom's Hardware notes that it consists of data submitted by beta users, thus it does not log: "results from the previous version of the app." The development team has teased a loose later this month launch window for FurMark 2.0 in public form.
Phanteks, a leading manufacturer of premium PC hardware, introduces three groundbreaking products for high-performance PC enthusiasts. The NV5 mid-tower chassis, NV5 Premium DRGB Kit, and Premium Vertical GPU Bracket combine innovative features, exceptional cooling capabilities, and striking design, delivering unparalleled performance and aesthetics to PC builds.
The NV5 mid-tower chassis offers superior cooling and visual appeal. Its near-seamless glass panels showcase hardware in style, while supporting up to eight 120 mm fans and dual 360 radiators for optimal cooling. The chassis accommodates modern GPUs and cables effortlessly, with a removable PSU cover for easy cable management. Customizable integrated Digital-RGB lighting and optional NV5 DRGB lighting Kit (sold separately) adds personalization to the build.
On September 26th,
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty launches with full ray tracing, DLSS 3.5, and Ray Reconstruction. Phantom Liberty is a new spy-thriller adventure for Cyberpunk 2077. When the orbital shuttle of the President of the New United States of America is shot down over the deadliest district of Night City, there's only one person who can save her—you. Become V, a cyberpunk for hire, and dive deep into a tangled web of espionage and political intrigue, unraveling a story that connects the highest echelons of power with the brutal world of black-market mercenaries.
"Thanks to DLSS 3.5's smart technology, fuelled by AI rendering power, you can experience Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's newest location Dogtown at its very best—with sharper images, more accurate lighting, and the highest frame rates possible." said Jakub Knapik, VP of Art, Global Art Director, CD Projekt RED. On September 21st, return to the neon lights of Night City when Cyberpunk 2077's 2.0 update launches, featuring support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 and its new Ray Reconstruction technology, enhancing the quality of
full ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077's Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode.
1MORE, a leading audio company dedicated to delivering superior sound quality, is thrilled to announce the launch of its groundbreaking 1MORE Fit Open Earbuds S50 and 1MORE Fit SE Open Earbuds S30 with open air design. These cutting-edge audio accessories are meticulously engineered to enhance the auditory experience for athletes and fitness enthusiasts, revolutionizing the way they engage with their favorite tunes while staying active.
1MORE Fit Open Earbuds S50: Open Ear, Hi-fi Music
The 1MORE S50 redefines sports audio with a host of groundbreaking features. The integration of the 1MORE PurePower Driver with its strong magnetic design results in a remarkable 40% increase in driving force, ensuring an unparalleled auditory journey. The advanced DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) diaphragm guarantees superior sound quality, while the collaboration with Sonarworks and the exclusive Sound ID feature brings a personalized sonic experience like never before.
Greetings my future pharaohs! We asked some of your favorite content creators: "If you could customize your Total War: PHARAOH campaign, what would you do with it?" Find out what they said in our Campaign Customization explanation, or watch the video below! Spoiler alert - some of these guys are insane. Keep an eye on our channels over the next couple of weeks as we reveal more about our Hittite faction leaders Suppiluliuma and Kurunta! In the meantime, head over to the
Total War Discord server to join the discussion with other Total War fans.
DEFINE YOUR DESTINY WITH CAMPAIGN CUSTOMIZATION
Looking for a helping hand? Or the ultimate challenge? Campaign Customization gives you the freedom to play however you like. It was the 18th US President Ulysses S. Grant who famously said that "War never changes". But that's not quite the case in
Total War: Pharaoh. That's because when fighting for the mantle of Pharaoh, no two battles need ever be the same. Do you think you'd be getting a fairer crack of the whip if you had more resources? Or if the AI had different personalities? Or if your starting positions had been different? With Total War: Pharaoh's Campaign Customization features, all of these elements and more are yours to dictate.
ASUS today announced ASUS S14NA-U12, its latest server motherboard, and designed to harness the power of the latest AMD EPYC 8004-series processors. This motherboard is engineered to deliver robust performance and energy efficiency for single-socket servers, both within and beyond the confines of traditional data centers.
Cost-efficient solutions
ASUS recognizes the paramount importance of cost-efficiency in the business realm. The all-new ASUS S14NA-U12 server motherboard leverages the impressive performance and streamlined platform componentry of EPYC 8004-series processors, enabling original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to offer cost-effective, business-relevant server configurations. The adherence to industry standards in platform management, coupled with top-tier security features and energy efficiency of the EPYC 8004-series processors, significantly reduces operational costs compared to power-hungry, non-standard alternatives. Customers can expect best-in-class total cost of ownership (TCO) across numerous deployments with systems based on AMD EPYC 8004-series processors.
ASUS today announced ASUS ExpertCenter PB63, a compact 1.35-liter mini PC powered by up to a 13th Gen Intel Core processor with Intel UHD graphics and able to support 46-65 watt CPUs. Dual PCIe Gen 4 SSDs and DDR5-5600 MHz memory ensure tasks are seamlessly and efficiently executed. PB63 offers triple-display support by way of its two DisplayPort connections and configurable port (DP / COM / HDMI / VGA / LAN), with additional connectivity options via eight USB ports. Plus, the ability to accommodate up to three storage drives add to this mini PC's versatility. The compact chassis is available in Black or White, and includes Stackable Optical Drive Module Support to accommodate the varying needs of businesses.
Desktop-grade performance
ASUS ExpertCenter PB63 is powered by the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel UHD graphics, enabling this mini PC to easily handle any business task. It is able to support 46-65 W CPUs, making it ideal for organizations looking for supreme efficiency or maximum performance.
Logitech G, a brand of Logitech and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, today released three new products for the gaming and streaming space, the Logitech G Yeti GX microphone, Logitech G Yeti Orb microphone, and the Logitech G Litra Beam LX light. The new Yeti microphones and Litra light are designed to meet the specific needs of game streamers and content creators by using broadcast-style audio and pro-level lighting gear, and work seamlessly together via Logitech's G Hub software to enable them to deliver great content to their community.
Based on the iconic Yeti design, the Yeti GX is a premium, broadcast-style gaming microphone with dynamic capsule technology that delivers unparalleled audio performance. It features a supercardioid pickup pattern that elevates the voice while rejecting room noise, keyboard clicks and other background sounds. The Yeti GX features one handed control of mic gain by cleverly leveraging a scroll wheel from Logitech G gaming mice. Users can easily dial in the gain and, with a simple press of the wheel, apply Yeti GX's Smart Audio Lock feature to prevent clipping and reduce background distractions thanks to a powerful onboard DSP.
Intel has released the latest version of Arc GPU Graphics Drivers, Version 101.4826 Beta, which bring Game On driver support on Intel Arc A-series Graphics for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Payday 3, Lies of P, and Party Animals games. New drivers as improve performance in Hitman Absolution and Bioshock Infinite under DirectX 11.
The driver fixes some issues in Trackmania (DX11) game, which experienced application crash during launch, as well as some an issue with Intel Arc Control, which may consume higher than expected system memory. There is still an extensive list of known issues, and we are still waiting for further Starfield fixes, as there are still plenty of issues with textures and instability.
DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4826 BetaMonday, September 18th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Cases
The SilverStone SETA D1 utilizes the familiar chassis found in the H1 or Q1 models and supercharges it by accommodating both external and internal storage options. It retains the exceptional versatility of the entire SETA series, enabling users to create builds that fully focus on cooling or large GPUs.
We welcome you to Krat, where the most spectacular display of human endeavor on Earth can be seen. For those who have been long waiting for the gates to open, we fully assure you that the
adventures you will experience will be filled with unexpected turns. Take on the role of Geppetto's prized puppet to uncover the mysteries of Krat and save the City in this new take on the Fairy-Tale Classic! In this once-prosperous city, prepare yourself to face untold horrors, untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city's elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find yourself. We hope your visit to Krat is a safe and prosperous stay.
Lies of P is a fantastic interpretation of "The Adventures of Pinocchio," dropping our beloved puppet within the nightmarish city of Krat, a fallen utopia built on the backs of mechanical puppets who have gone mad and slain its citizens. Their creator, Geppetto, has gone missing and "P" is brought to life to track him down to try and save the city. In the classic fairy tale, Pinocchio embarks on many adventures of self-discovery and encounters a wide range of characters - many of them bad actors who take advantage of his ignorance—which leads him on a transformative journey where he learns what it means to be human, the power of forgiveness, and of course, repercussions for lying.
We have had to wait a bit longer for the launch of a lesser ASUS ROG Ally variant—the Windows 11 handheld gaming PC was
officially revealed sporting an
AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU. A non-Extreme variant was teased to launch at a later date, which appears to be within the last couple of days—emerging first in North America. The more affordable—$599—offering has popped up for sale on
Best Buy, and the ASUS store has a listing although it is currently "out of stock." This non-Extreme model's (RC71L-Z1512) arrival at retail coincides with Valve running a
20% price reduction on its Steam Deck handheld gaming range.
The $100 saving over the ROG Ally Extreme ($699) nets the customer largely identical features and specifications, apart from the main choice of APU. The Z1 non-Extreme chipset was
analyzed earlier this month, with its "Phoenix 2" origin revealing usage of Zen 4c cores. The standard Z1 seems to be very similar in makeup to the mobile series Ryzen 5 7540U APU. The AMD Ryzen Z1 is a six-core Zen 4/Zen 4c APU with four RDNA 3 compute units, which is nowhere near as fierce as the "Phoenix 1" Ryzen Z1 Extreme—sporting eight cores (all Zen 4) and twelve RDNA 3 compute units.
Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer—where he has lead development on Windows (since 2020) and the company's Surface device product line (from the start)—is leaving the American multinational technology corporation. He made it official on X this afternoon: "After 19 incredible years at Microsoft, I've decided to turn the page and write the next chapter. I'm forever grateful for my time at Microsoft and the amazing people I had the honor to make products with." In an email sent to employees, Rajesh Jha (vice president of experience and devices) said: "After nearly 20 years at the company, Panos Panay has decided to leave Microsoft. Panos has had an incredible impact on our products and culture as well as the broader devices ecosystem. Under Panos' leadership, the team created the iconic Surface brand with loved products. More recently, as the leader of Windows, the team has brought amazing services and experiences to hundreds of millions with Windows 11 on innovative devices including those from our OEM partners. He will be missed, and I am personally very grateful for his many contributions over the years. Please join me in wishing him well."
A press release regarding the high-level departure was released to media outlets not long ago—Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had some kind words: "Thank you, Panos, for your impact on our products, culture, company, and industry over the past two decades. I'm grateful for your leadership, support, and all you've done for Microsoft and our customers and partners. We remain steadfast and convicted in our strategy, and Yusuf Mehdi will take lead on our Windows and Surface businesses and products externally."
Mehdi is the current Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, perhaps best known for producing a lot of his company's big artificial intelligence announcements. Microsoft is expected to reveal a bunch of
next-gen Surface models later this week—will the new boss be in attendance?
Large language model development is about to reach supersonic speed thanks to a collaboration between NVIDIA and Anyscale. At its annual Ray Summit developers conference, Anyscale—the company behind the fast growing open-source unified compute framework for scalable computing—
announced today that it is bringing NVIDIA AI to
Ray open source and the
Anyscale Platform. It will also be integrated into Anyscale Endpoints, a new service
announced today that makes it easy for application developers to cost-effectively embed LLMs in their applications using the most popular open source models.
These integrations can dramatically speed generative AI development and efficiency while boosting security for production AI, from proprietary LLMs to open models such as Code Llama, Falcon, Llama 2, SDXL and more. Developers will have the flexibility to deploy open-source NVIDIA software with Ray or opt for
NVIDIA AI Enterprise software running on the Anyscale Platform for a fully supported and secure production deployment. Ray and the Anyscale Platform are widely used by developers building advanced LLMs for generative AI applications capable of powering intelligent chatbots, coding copilots and powerful search and summarization tools.
Developers at Insomniac Games have confirmed that
Spider-Man 2's ray tracing feature will be running as standard/by default within the PlayStation 5 version—a player's adjustments of graphical performance settings will have no bearing on this being turned on or off. Mike Fitzgerald, Insomniac's director of core technology, shared technical information in an interview with IGN, although he stopped short of making any promises for an inevitable PC conversion—gamers on that platform will likely be waiting another 18 months post-October 20. It is possible that Nixxes Software has been contracted to work on a port, given their recent-ish track record. The Insomniac dev cites advanced experience gained by working on past titles—notably Spider-Man Remastered, Miles Morales, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart—as the main factor behind the confident push into implementing an "always-on" ray tracing graphical feature. Fitzgerald stated: "We've really gotten to leverage everything we've seen in developing those games."
He continued: "Our performance mode for this title has ray tracing on by default. We've really expanded ray traced reflections throughout the game. It's on the water and the oceans and really gives a more realistic picture everywhere...For this game we're really able to deliver (ray tracing) as a baseline performance mode. There's no mode of this game that has the ray tracing turned off, no need for it. We've really figured out how to deliver what we feel like is the right Spider-Man visuals and we want to make sure every player is seeing that." Fitzgerald also praises PlayStation 5's storage solution—SSDs allow for "faster traversal" across the New York City environment. Players can look forward to traversing the urban landscape at about "three times as fast" as the pace experienced in Spider-Man 1.
Intel today updated its ARK listings with two new networking chipsets: Wi-Fi 7 BE200 and Wi-Fi 7 BE202. The company unveiled IEEE 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7) specification-based chipsets despite the standard still needing final ratification. The Wi-Fi 7 standard promises data rates as high as 40 Gbit/s, with Intel's BE200 chipset using 2x2 TX/RX streams with 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. However, as demonstrated by the adapter's maximum speed of 5 Gbit/s, real-world implementations might not initially reach the theoretical maximum speed. Various motherboards, like the upcoming Gigabyte Aorus Z790 Master X, are already planning to integrate this technology, showing that the industry is getting ready for a Wi-Fi 7 world.
What makes Wi-Fi 7 especially interesting is its raw speed and underlying technology designed to improve efficiency and capacity. Features like Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) and Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), which were introduced in Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, are mandatory in Wi-Fi 7. These technologies aim to optimize the overall performance of wireless networks, making them more suitable for bandwidth-intensive tasks like AR and VR. While full certification for Wi-Fi 7 is not expected until 2024, with widespread adoption to follow, the technology looks poised to become a significant aspect of our wireless future.
Unity is introducing some notable changes to its pricing and service offerings, slated to take effect on January 1, 2024. The new Unity Runtime Fee will be based on the number of game installs at the heart of these changes. This fee will apply every time an end user downloads a qualifying game. Unity believes this initial install-based fee allows creators to retain the financial benefits of ongoing player engagement, unlike a model based on revenue sharing. The company clarifies that the fee refers explicitly to the Unity Runtime, part of the Unity Engine that enables games to run on different devices. Additionally, these changes are not going to be not retroactive or perpetual. Instead, all fees will start counting on January 1, 2024. The fee will apply once for each new install and not an ongoing perpetual license royalty, like revenue share.
However, the new Unity Runtime Fee comes with specific thresholds for revenue and installs, designed to ensure that smaller creators are not adversely affected. For Unity Personal and Unity Plus, the fee applies only to games that have generated $200,000 or more in the last 12 months and have a minimum of 200,000 lifetime installs. For Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise, the fee kicks in for games that have made $1,000,000 or more in the last 12 months and have at least 1,000,000 lifetime installs. The table below shows which Unity accounts pay what fees, with costs ranging from $0.2 per install after the first 200,000 installs. After one million installs, each new install starts at $0.15 and $0.125 for Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise, respectively. As the game gains traction, install fees decay, as shown in the table below.
Update 15:36 UTC: Unity issued a statement on company's Twitter/X account that promises changes in the couple of days.
NVIDIA's upcoming Blackwell GPU architecture, expected to succeed the current Ada Lovelace architecture, is gearing up to make some significant changes. While we don't have any microarchitectural leaks, rumors are circulating that Blackwell will have different packaging and die structures. One of the most intriguing aspects of the upcoming Blackwell is the mention of a Multi-Chip Module (MCM) design for the GB100 data-center GPU. This advanced packaging approach allows different GPU components to exist on separate dies, providing NVIDIA with more flexibility in chip customization. This could mean that NVIDIA can more easily tailor its chips to meet the specific needs of various consumer and enterprise applications, potentially gaining a competitive edge against rivals like AMD.
While Blackwell's release is still a few years away, these early tidbits paint a picture of an architecture that isn't just an incremental improvement but could represent a more significant shift in how NVIDIA designs its GPUs. NVIDIA's potential competitor is AMD's upcoming MI300 GPU, which utilized chiplets in its designs. Chiplets also provide ease of integration as smaller dies provide better wafer yields, meaning that it makes more sense to switch to smaller dies and utilize chiplets economically.
Activity on the next-gen Ryzen Threadripper front has ramped up over the past week—we previously witnessed a fairly comprehensive spec leak of Pro
7995WX and 7975WX processors last week, thanks to Dell Precision Tower workstations getting tested out in SiSoftware's Sandra suite. Pre-release "Zen 4" HEDT hardware seems to be out in the wild—
YuuKi_AnS has posted a photo of an allegedly SP6 socket-ready AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7985WX CPU.
This sample is apparently for up for sale on an unspecified online marketplace, advertised as having a TDP rating of 350 W. An AMD OPN core code reads: "100-00000454," although the photographed unit lacks any external "Threadripper" branding. The seller describes the for-sale processor as possessing "minor signs of use" as evidenced by scuffs and marks, but it is said to be fully functional and no repairs are required to get it in operational mode. The screen grab does not include any details about pricing or location.
We are honored to announce
Tales of Arise - Beyond the Dawn. Through this expansion players will enjoy a story that depicts the world after the main story of Tales of Arise, which was released in September 2021. This is the first DLC in the Tales of series that is a direct continuation of the main story in this scale. We will discuss what players can expect from the storyline and why we made the decision to create it.
Sometimes a story is over, but not quite done. Over a year has passed since the conclusion of Tales of Arise, but there's more to the story that hasn't been told yet. Enter Tales of Arise - Beyond the Dawn the upcoming expansion to The Game Awards 2021 RPG of the Year from Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. Adding 20+ hours of game content, the new expansion adds new quests, dungeons, boss fights, and an epic new story arc all within the backdrop of an evolving, beautiful fantasy world. The game will be available on November 9, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and
PC via Steam. To learn more, please visit the
official website.
Reuters appears to be following every (internal) step that TSMC takes—their
latest report suggests that company leadership has "told its major suppliers to delay the delivery of high-end chip making equipment." Two anonymous sources believe that execs are anxious about a predicted decrease in customer demand, and cost control plans have been implemented as a temporary measure. ASML is allegedly one of the vendors affected by TSMC's decision making.
Reuters conducted an interview with ASML CEO Peter Wennink a week prior—he acknowledged that some orders for high-end tools had been pushed back, without naming specific client identities, but the situation should resolve itself shortly. He stated that it was a mere "short-term management" issue: "we've had several (news) reports about fab readiness. Not only in
Arizona... but also in Taiwan." ASML is reported to be operating at maximum capacity, and overall sales are forecast to grow 30% this financial year.
An Intel Core i5-14600K processor has been benchmarked roughly a month before its expected rollout at retail—previous leaks have this particular model placed as the most wallet friendly offering within a range of 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" CPUs. A total of
six SKUs, with K and KF variants, are anticipated to launch on October 17. An official unveiling of new processor product lineups is scheduled for tomorrow at Team Blue's
Innovation event. China's
ECSM has managed to acquire an engineering sample (ES) of the aforementioned i5-14600K model, and put it through the proverbial ringer in Cinebench R23, Cinebench 2024, and CPU-Z. The brief report did not disclose any details regarding exact testbench conditions, so some of the results could be less than reliable/accurate.
ECSM's screenshot from CPU-Z re-confirms the Core i5-14600K's already leaked specs—six high-performance Raptor Cove cores running at a 3.50 GHz base clock, going up to 5.30 GHz (a 200 MHz gain over its predecessor: Core i5-13600K). Eight efficiency-oriented Gracemont cores running up to 4.0 GHz—100 MHz more than on the predecessor. The Core i5-14600K and i5-13600K share the same designations of 24 MB L3 cache and 125 W PBP—the leaked engineering sample was shown to have a core voltage of 1.2 V. The previous gen CPU operates on 1.14 V. ECSM noted that CPU package power consumption reached 160 W, and: "currently, the burn-in voltage is still quite out of control, especially for the two 8P models, both of which are at 1.4 V+. However, there is still a lot of room for manual voltage reduction."
ASRock Rack, the leading innovative server company, today announced its latest server motherboard lineup now supports the AMD EPYC 8004 Series processors which extend the 4th Gen EPYC Family into new markets.
The AMD EPYC 8004 Series processors bring the benefits of the "Zen 4c" processor core to markets that seek strong performance but also have significant requirements for efficient, dense form factors, limited available power, and quieter operations. "AMD EPYC 8004 Processors are purpose-built to deliver strong performance and energy efficiency in an optimized, single-socket package," said Lynn Comp, corporate vice president, Server Product and Technology Marketing, AMD. "The combination of impressive performance and streamlined platform componentry of the EPYC 8004 Series CPUs means system builders can offer their customers cost-efficient business-relevant configurations."
GIGABYTE Technology: Giga Computing, a subsidiary of GIGABYTE and an industry leader in high-performance servers, server motherboards, and workstations, today announced new GIGABYTE enterprise series solutions for the AMD EPYC 8004 Series processors. Giga Computing is committed to reaching all sizes of data centers to deliver the best compelling solution, and now is doing so with new AMD EPYC 8004 CPUs that target edge applications, CSPs, and value enterprises. For these uses, the new R243 and R143 server series are poised alongside ME33 and ME03 motherboard series to deliver cost-optimized performance.
Leveraging the "Zen 4c" core architecture, the AMD EPYC 8004 Series CPUs deliver performance and power efficiency with built-in security capabilities in an optimized single-socket platform. Additionally, the new SP6 socket was designed to enable the power, cost, and form factor requirements for the AMD EPYC 8004 Series CPUs' target markets as well as diverse applications such as intelligent edge computing and telco.
TYAN, an industry-leading server platform design manufacturer and a subsidiary of MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation, today announced availability of new single-socket server platforms supporting AMD EPYC 8004 Series processors. These platforms are purpose built for cloud services and intelligent edge deployments while offering lower operating costs and delivering impressive energy efficiency.
"The AMD EPYC 8004 Series CPUs deliver a great combination of impressive performance and streamlined platform componentry which enables us to develop business-relevant server configurations for our customers," said Eric Kuo, Vice President of the Server Infrastructure Business Unit at MiTAC Computing Technology. "TYAN's innovative server platform, fueled by EPYC 8004 Series CPUs, empowers us to provide our customers with cost-effective solutions while also expanding into new markets."
Supermicro, Inc., a Total IT Solution Provider for Cloud, AI/ML, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is announcing the AMD based Supermicro H13 generation of WIO Servers, optimized to deliver strong performance and energy efficiency for edge and telco datacenters powered by the new AMD EPYC 8004 Series processors. The new Supermicro H13 WIO and short-depth front I/O systems deliver energy-efficient single socket servers that lower operating costs for enterprise, telco, and edge applications. These systems are designed with a dense form factor and flexible I/O options for storage and networking, making the new servers ideal for deploying in edge networks.
"We are excited to expand our AMD EPYC-based server offerings optimized to deliver excellent TCO and energy efficiency for data center networking and edge computing," said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. "Adding to our already industry leading edge-to-cloud rack scale IT solutions, the new Supermicro H13 WIO systems with PCIe 5.0 and DDR5-4800 MHz memory show tremendous performance for edge applications."
What's New: Intel today announced one of the industry's first glass substrates for next-generation advanced packaging, planned for the latter part of this decade. This breakthrough achievement will enable the continued scaling of transistors in a package and advance Moore's Law to deliver data-centric applications.
"After a decade of research, Intel has achieved industry-leading glass substrates for advanced packaging. We look forward to delivering these cutting-edge technologies that will benefit our key players and foundry customers for decades to come."
-Babak Sabi, Intel senior vice president and general manager of Assembly and Test Development
Hail Commanders. Alongside the cinematic campaign and multiplayer modes already announced, those with a keen eye for the ever shaping landscape of the Realm before us may have noticed some exciting updates unveiled recently over on our Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin
Steam store page. It's time to discover more in our latest video here (see below).
A real-time strategy game from
Frontier, set in the iconic Warhammer universe. Become a warlord and lead four unique factions to conquer the wild and savage Realm of Ghur in tense and tactical battles. Wage a campaign of brutal conquest in this realm-shattering real-time strategy game set in the Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe.
AMD today rolled out the new compacted Socket SP6 server platform designed for smaller servers locally deployed at the edge by organizations. With CPU core-counts of up to 64-core/128-thread, these processors are based on the "Zen 4c" microarchitecture, which comes with identical IPC and ISA to "Zen 4," but with smaller L3 cache available per core. The EPYC 8004 series targets traditional data-centers located on-site for organizations. Even if the heavy-lifting of the IT for them is performed by remote data-centers or cloud providers, organizations still need smaller edge server deployments. The EPYC 8004 series caters to a different kind of servers than the ones the lower core-count models of EPYC 9004 "Genoa" do.
With the EPYC 8004 series, AMD is debuting a new smaller CPU socket called SP6. The socket measures 58.5 mm x 75.4 mm, compared to the 76.0 mm x 80.0 mm of Socket SP5 powering EPYC 9004 "Genoa" and EPYC 97x4 "Bergamo." Socket SP5 is an LGA with a pin count of 4,844, compared to SP5, which is LGA-6096. The first line of processors for this socket, the EPYC 8004 series, are codenamed "Siena." These are very much part of the 4th Gen EPYC series, a lineage it shares with "Genoa" for data-center servers, "Genoa-X" for compute servers, and "Bergamo" for high-density cloud.
EK, the renowned manufacturer of premium PC water cooling equipment, is pleased to unveil its latest accolade: the prestigious EHA Reader Awards 2023 for Best Custom Coolers. EK earned this award thanks to its innovative custom liquid cooling product line, Quantum, which elevates both performance and aesthetics to new heights. These coveted awards owe their existence to the discerning readers of nine influential European technology publications, with a total audience of 20 million.
This dedicated readership of enthusiasts, gamers, early adopters, and influencers has been the driving force behind the nominations and votes that culminated in this honor. Earlier this year, the EK-Quantum Velocity² CPU water block secured the
European Hardware Award for Best Custom Cooling, reinforcing EK's commitment to delivering top-tier cooling solutions for PC enthusiasts.
Hello heisters, we want to inform you that
Denuvo is no longer in
Payday 3. We look forward to seeing you in New York City! Payday 3's release is coming very close, and it's been a long time since we announced that Payday 3's release date is on the 21st of September, with Silver/Gold owners being able to Play Early starting on the 18th. However, one popular reoccurring question has been; At what time?
To best answer this question, our creative team has made us this fantastic asset with a world map, and the release times listed in several popular time zones all over the world. Check it out, for a fast glance at when you need can get in-game.
Today, Optoma, the No. 1 4K UHD and DLP brand worldwide and in the Americas in projection technology, introduced the Optoma UHZ35ST, a short throw, laser true 4K UHD home entertainment and gaming projector following the popular UHD35STx. With its external power supply and various feature upgrades, the UHZ35ST offers more reliability, portability, and energy efficiency than its predecessors.
Featuring 3,500 lumens, a 500,000:1 contrast ratio, and DuraCore laser light source, the Optoma UHZ35ST delivers high brightness, superior color performance, impressive installation flexibility, and a long life span of up to 30,000 hours in Eco Mode for maintenance-free operation. With the short throw lens, consumers can display up to 100-inch images from a few feet away from the screen, allowing for big-screen viewing and simple set-up in a variety of settings. The UHZ35ST also sports a compact design and is 34% smaller than the UHD35STx, making it the most compact projector in its class.
When it comes to affordable gaming monitors, Acer tends to be one of the main contenders among the well known brands out there and its latest addition is a 4K model with 150 Hz refresh rate. The Acer Nitro XV282K V3 is an updated version of a model that's been available for a few years now and although Acer didn't do any major changes to the overall specs, apart from that extra 6 Hz on the refresh rate, the company has dropped the MSRP by over half, making the Nitro XV282K V3 something of a bargain.
Feature wise we're looking at a 28-inch IPS panel with HDR 400 support and a 1 ms GTG response time. The panel is a typical 8-bit panel with FRC support for 10-bit dithering with a 1000:1 contrast ratio and a DCI-P3 colour gamut of 90 percent. It also has AMD FreeSync Premium support with a VRR range of 48 to 150 Hz. The port selection consists of one DP 1.4 and two HDMI 2.1 ports and should also feature some kind of USB inputs and outputs, but Acer didn't bother adding those to its website. That said, the older model had both a USB Type-C and Type-B input, as well as four USB-A outputs, so hopefully this was carried over to the updated model. There's also a height adjustable stand with tilt and pivot support. With a US$429.99 MSRP, it's likely that this could become one of the most affordable 4K gaming monitors out there.
My Arcade teams up with the legendary Atari brand to introduce the Atari Gamestation Pro with 200+ games! The Atari Gamestation Pro is available for pre-order today, at select retailers for delivery by October 31, 2023 for an MSRP of $99.99 USD. The Atari Gamestation Pro (DGUNL-7012) is the first console on the market to integrate the Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Arcade and bonus titles into a single platform. Included are heart-pounding favorites like Adventure, Missile Command, Asteroids, Centipede and many more!
The Atari Gamestation Pro arrives with not one, but two 2.4 GHz wireless joysticks, inspired by the iconic originals. For those looking to reignite the magic of paddle games like Breakout or Warlords, fear not - the joystick controllers with integrated paddles have you covered. Indeed, the paddles feature three sensitivity settings for custom user preference.
SK hynix unveiled and demonstrated a prototype of AiMX (Accelerator-in-Memory based Accelerator), a generative AI accelerator card based on GDDR6-AiM, at the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit 2023 held September 12-14 at the Santa Clara Marriott, California.Hosted annually by the UK marketing firm Kisaco Research, the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit brings together global IT companies and high-profile startups to share their developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This is SK hynix's third time participating in the summit.
At the event, the company showcased the prototype of AiMX, an accelerator card that combines multiple GDDR6-AiMs to further enhance performance, along with the GDDR6-AIM itself under the slogan of "Boost Your AI: Discover the Power of PIM (Processing-In-Memory) with SK hynix's AiM (Accelerator in Memory)." As a low-power, high-speed memory solution capable of handling large amounts of data, AiMX is set to play a key role in the advancement of data-intensive generative AI systems. The performance of generative AI improves as it is trained on more data, highlighting the need for high-performance products which can be applied to an array of generative AI systems.
QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today launched the QGD-1600 16-port Gigabit smart edge switch/cybersecurity switch and QGD-1602 8-port 2.5GbE and 8-port Gigabit smart edge switch/cybersecurity switch. Besides adopting Layer 2 network management and software defined features, the QGD-1600 and QGD-1602 supports running VMs to deploy VPN, firewalls, and network management functions. ADRA NDR software is also supported to provide the widest cybersecurity protection for all the connected LAN devices at the access switch layer.
"Our QGD smart edge switches innovatively integrate the functions of NAS and switches and have received positive feedback from our users," said Alex Shih, QNAP Product Manager, adding, "the addition of the affordable non-PoE models QGD-1600 and QGD-1602 provides a cost-effective all-in-one network solution with cybersecurity software for enhanced LAN security, or running VMs for more software applications."
Sunday, September 17th 2023
To call this coming week jam packed with new game releases would be an understatement, as pretty much every day next week will see a big release or two. They may not all be AAA releases, but they're at least AA releases. As such, get ready for a crazy busy week with everything from driving games and parties, to lies and kombat.
The Crew: Motorfest / This week's AAA title / Monday 18 September
The Crew Motorfest features more vehicles than ever before in the franchise, including new brands, new car categories, and dozens of new models. Drive the most exclusive hypercars, such as the Lamborghini Revuelto, discover two generations of Toyota Supra, go electric with the Lotus Evija... and much more!
Friday, September 15th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Graphics Cards
Sapphire's Radeon RX 7700 XT Pure comes with a great-looking white cooler design that makes it a top choice for every white build. Compared to the Pulse you get a more powerful cooler that has three fans instead of two, with whisper-quiet noise levels and good temperatures.
Review
Game Testing
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, an AMD sponsored title, got patched with official support for the NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution and Frame Generation technologies. In this mini-review, we examine and compare the image quality and performance improvements provided by these technologies.
Yeston has produced another
Cute Edition-series graphics card—the latest entry has hit retail shelves in China (as reported by ITHome).
3199 RMB (~$440) nets you an
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB GPU, sporting a customized dual-fan cat(?) face cooling solution, replete with proprietary Meow Star lighting system. Yeston issued a Mini-ITX form factor single-fan model a few months ago, utilizing a non-Ti RTX 4060 GPU. The
shroud design looks unchanged from the previous generation. Animal and pet themed cards seem to be popular in the region—lately Sapphire has joined in on the fun, albeit in licensed form. A
special edition Party Animals tie-in card was made available to purchase via their JD.com store earlier this month. Its busy aesthetic appears to be a slight reworking of the standard
Pulse RX 7600 OC 8 GB model.
We hope you enjoyed the exciting news from yesterday's State of Play, including the first glimpse of the new Deep Earth Collection joining the PS5 family of accessories. The collection introduces three new colors for the DualSense wireless controller and PS5 console covers, all with a smooth metallic finish: molten Volcanic Red, alluring Cobalt Blue, and sleek Sterling Silver.
To share more about the design and process behind this new and vibrant collection, here's Satoshi Aoyagi and Leo Cardoso from our design team. Aoyagi stated: "While crafting this new collection of DualSense controller and PS5 console cover colors, we drew inspiration from the beautiful and powerful hues found in the depths of planet Earth. We elevated the colors by adding a metallic finish for a touch of sophistication."
Back when we first revealed
Hades II at The Game Awards in 2022, we said to expect more information on our plans for Early Access sometime in 2023. It's time we shed some light on those plans! We now can confirm we're planning for
Hades II to launch in Early Access in Q2 2024 on Steam and the Epic Games Store. We'll have more details on the exact date, pricing, and system requirements closer to that time.
Thank you for your patience as we gear up for this launch! You may be wondering, why can't we launch in Early Access, like, right now?! The game looked pretty far along in the first trailer! The reason is, Hades II will have at least as much content from day one in Early Access as the original game did back when it launched in Early Access on Steam. And, even though Early Access inherently means a game is not yet complete, we still want to do everything we can to make sure Hades II is worth your while as soon as you can play it in any capacity.
An Apple "
iPhone16,1" was put through the Geekbench 6.2 gauntlet earlier this week—according to database info this pre-retail sample was running a build of iOS 17.0 (
currently in preview) and its logic board goes under the "D83AP" moniker. It is interesting to see a unit hitting the test phase only a day after the unveiling of Apple's
iPhone 15 Pro and Max models—the freshly benched candidate seems to house an A17 Pro system-on-chip. The American tech giant has set lofty goals for said flagship SoC, since it is "the industry's first 3-nanometer chip. Continuing Apple's leadership in smartphone silicon, A17 Pro brings improvements to the entire chip, including the biggest GPU redesign in Apple's history. The new CPU is up to 10 percent faster with microarchitectural and design improvements, and the Neural Engine is now up to 2x faster."
Tech news sites have
pored over the leaked unit's Geekbench 6.2 scores—its A17 Pro chipset (TSMC N3) surpasses the previous generation A16 Bionic (TSMC N4) by 10% in single-core stakes. Apple revealed this performance uplift during this week's iPhone "Wonderlust" event, so the result is not at all surprising. The multi-score improvement is a mere ~3%, suggesting that only minor tweaks have been made to the underlying microarchitecture. The A17 Pro beats Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in both categories—2914 vs. 2050 (SC) and 7199 vs. 5405 (MC) respectively. Spring time leaks indicated that the "A17 Bionic" was
able to keep up with high-end Intel and AMD desktop CPUs in terms of single-core performance—the latest Geekbench 6.2 entry semi-confirms those claims. The A17 Pro's single-threaded performance is within 10% of Intel Core i9-13900K and Ryzen 9 7950X processors. Naturally, Apple's plucky mobile chip cannot put up a fight in the multi-core arena, additionally Tom's Hardware notes another catch: "A17 Pro operates at 3.75 GHz, according to the benchmark, whereas its mighty competitors work at about 5.80 GHz and 6.0 GHz, respectively."
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on December 7. A new trailer for the game reveals further story details about the hero's journey and the clans they will meet as they explore the Western Frontier of Pandora to reconnect with their lost heritage. In Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, you will play as a Na'vi who was abducted as an infant by the RDA and trained in The Ambassador Program (TAP) to serve human interests on Pandora. When the RDA evacuated Pandora during the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains (as seen in the first Avatar movie), you were put into emergency cryosleep. You wake up 15 years later, finally free from the RDA, but lost and unfamiliar with your home world.
You set out on a journey to discover the world that was kept from you, meeting other Na'vi clans and learning about Na'vi culture. You discover that you are a member of the respected Sarentu clan, believed to have disappeared years before. As you journey across the Western Frontier, you will meet the Aranahe, a clan of artisans known for their weaving skills; the Zeswa, a proud nomadic clan that lives in symbiosis with gigantic beasts called Zakru; and the Kame'tire, a reclusive, enigmatic clan skilled in healing and potion-making.
PC-Canada's online store has been updated with several pages of Intel 14th Gen Core/Raptor Lake Refresh processors—this is yet another example of an embargo busting mistake. Telemart Ukraine
revealed a small total of six SKUs around late August, but pricing was not included on their placeholder product pages back then. Our friends in Canada have removed all relevant retail information from public view, but
momomo_us and a handful of hardware news sites have preserved these details. We get another look at previously leaked model names in K and KF guises, with some "initial" pricing—subject to change by Team Blue decree—starting at $415.99 CAD for the Core i5-14600KF, and topping out with the Core i9-14900K at $833.99 CAD.
Analysis of these "early" prices reveals a slightly smaller than expected hike over charges for the previous generation. VideoCardz has eyeballed the numbers: "A quick comparison with the current pricing of the 13th Gen Core series reveals that these initial prices are surprisingly not as high as one might have anticipated, with an average increase of only 4% or a range of 2% to 7%." Check out their diagram below. The Raptor Lake Refresh K and KF-series desktop lineup is expected to launch on October 17 (according to previous leaks)—Intel's upcoming
Innovation Event kicks off next week, where an official unveiling is set to take place.
Piranha Games revealed MechWarrior 5: Clans today, a new stand alone MechWarrior game coming to PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles next year. MechWarrior 5: Clans, while retaining the MechWarrior 5 designation, represents a transformative step forward in the MechWarrior 5 franchise. MechWarrior 5: Clans linear campaign will be an evolution of gameplay and storytelling in the MechWarrior series, experienced from the perspective of Clan Smoke Jaguar in the pivotal conflict known as the Clan Invasion starting in the year 3050.
MechWarrior 5: Clans follows Piranha's 2019 hit, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, which was a campaign-based, open ended, procedural experience, selling more than 1.5 million units with a current 9/10 Very Positive ranking on Steam from more than 7,500 user reviews.
ASUS has been teasing their first-ever ROG-aligned liquid metal thermal compound-cooled solution since the start of summer, in the form of a truly flagship
Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB graphics card. Their
late May reveal boasted about the importance of bleeding edge technology and a continuation of their Matrix product line's "special" legacy. A third quarter 2023 launch window was outlined—today they have narrowed that timeline down to a specific date—September 19. The ASUS ROG North American branch posted on its socials: "The wait is almost over!😎 Count down to the official launch of our flagship graphics card - the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090. 🔥" A
live stream has been organized to coincide with the headliner's retail debut (Sept 19th, 9:00 AM | New York and Sept 19th, 9:00 PM | Taipei).
Exact pricing is likely to be announced during launch day proceedings, but industry experts are setting expectations at $2000+. The fancy Matrix trimmings and highly selective binning process of
Ada Lovelace silicon will come at a steep premium. The ASUS marketing talk from May boasted: "No reason to beat around the bush: the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 has the highest boost clocks of any RTX 4090 on the planet. Featuring a custom-engineered coldplate that captures heat not only from the RTX 4090 GPU die, but also the VRMs and memory chips, this card has even more headroom to push its clocks higher, for longer, allowing us to bin only the absolute best dies for this showpiece graphics card. In addition, the ROG Matrix GeForce RTX 4090 features an ROG first: liquid metal thermal compound on a graphics card."
It's time, Helldivers. Katherine from Arrowhead Game Studios bringing you the biggest announcement yet:
Helldivers 2 launches on PS5 and
Steam on February 8, 2024! February will be here before we know it, which means we've got to get you officially enlisted! We start taking pre-orders for both the Standard Edition and the Super Citizen Edition of Helldivers 2 on September 22, 2023. It won't be long before you and 3 recruits can team up for online cooperative multiplayer with large-scale destructive power through stratagems, explore unique planets and complete objectives together, and upgrade your equipment through the deep progression system of Helldivers 2. Collect natural resources of alien origin and use them to enhance and unlock new stratagems aboard your ship.
Since pre-orders for Helldivers 2 are starting soon, you can begin planning for the fight. When you pre-order, you'll choose between the Standard Edition and the Super Citizen Edition of Helldivers 2, which includes some awesome additional content. The extra goodies in the Super Citizen Edition include a special DP-53 Savior of the Free armor set, and-because heroes wear capes-the Will of the People cape to make you stand out among the liberated. You'll also gain access to the MP-98 Knight submachine gun, which is a powerful primary weapon that tears through bots, bugs, and Helldivers too, thanks to friendly fire!
Thanks to the latest report from Phoronix, we know that Intel is working on supporting the latest "Xe2" graphics architecture for their upcoming Lunar Lake processors. Today, the latest enablement comes in the Mesa Linux drivers. By employing a new technique that allows for importing prior-generation XML files within the Intel Mesa driver code, Intel engineers have managed to streamline the overall file size. This is significant not just for the efficiency it brings but also because it signifies the beginning of work on enabling Xe2 graphics support. It suggests a thoughtful approach to building upon existing architectures, making it easier to adapt and evolve the software support for each new generation of Intel graphics.
Even though we are at the early stage and Lunar Lake is far away, the progress on Xe2 doesn't stop at Mesa driver changes. There is already some work at the kernel level, and new merge requests for draft compiler changes and shader compiler patches have also been spotted. This proactive development strategy positions Intel well in offering robust open-source graphics support for Linux, and it sends a strong signal to the developer community about Intel's dedication to the platform. After the Linux kernel driver works, this Mesa driver will enable better OpenGL/Vulkan API compatibility, so Lunar Lake arrives with proper software support.
Microsoft has scheduled a
special product announcement event for next week—Germany's WinFuture has likely spoiled all mystery ahead of time by revealing two next generation Surface devices. It was already speculated that Microsoft would exhibit a bunch of new portable Windows PCs at the upcoming September 21 New York City-based shindig, but this week's leak treats us to photos and initial specifications for the Laptop Studio 2 and Laptop Go 3. The former retains its predecessor's 14.4-inch 3:2 format display, with a 2400×1600 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate. Under-the-hood improvements for the Surface Laptop Studio 2 include a jump up to 13th Gen Intel Core Raptor Lake CPUs (from 11th Gen Tiger Lake)—WinFuture reckons that two options are lined up:
Core i7-13700H and and
Core i7-13800H. The Surface Laptop Studio 2's discrete graphics solution is speculated to be a mobile NVIDIA
GeForce RTX 4050 or
RTX 4060 GPU.
A base model could rely on an iGPU based on Intel Iris Xe graphics architecture. 64 GB of LPDDR5X memory is believed to exist with some configurations, which is a nice upgrade (albeit probably a very pricey option) over the previous generation's 16 or 32 GB RAM offerings. The leaked photos indicate that a Micro-SD slot and USB Type-A connector are new additions for 2023's model. The WinFuture article presents some prices—€2249 (~$2400) for the basic iGPU model, mid-tier with RTX 4050: €2729 (~$2915), and €3199 (~$3415) for an almost top flight model sporting 32 GB RAM and RTX 4060. The Surface Laptop Go 3, meanwhile, looks a little less exciting—it is said to get a CPU bump up to Intel
Core i5-1135G and
Core i5-1235U processors. Otherwise it looks largely similar to its previous-gen sibling. The leak did not include images of a reported Surface Go 4, but WinFuture expects it to be presented next week, powered by an Intel N200 SoC.
Mass production at TSMC's Phoenix, Arizona Fab 21 facility has been delayed until 2025, but the top brass are keen to get some activity started at their North American foundry—it is possible that they want to avoid potential contract breaches, caused by various setbacks. Taiwan's Money DJ (interpreted by TrendForce) reports that a pilot scheme will be implemented by the first quarter of 2024—industry sources believe that a small batch trial run will result in 4000 to 5000 wafer starts per month (WSPM). Setup delays have dropped projected efficiency ratings—analysts reckon that the Arizona plant cannot match the sheer effectiveness of operations back in Taiwan.
TrendForce cites a number of factors, including: "a shortage of skilled equipment installation personnel, local union protests, and differences in overseas safety regulations have caused delays in equipment installation." TSMC chairman Mark Liu expressed optimism about the situation earlier this month—citing significant progress (at the Fab 21 site) over the past five months as an early sign of success for the project. Insiders claim that TSMC is
considering a major upgrade of its currently in-construction Japanese facility—extra capacity at the existing location and a second foundry could be on the table.
Fnatic and Lamzu have partnered to release a
4K Special Edition Wireless Gaming Mouse of the highly anticipated THORN. This new vibrant FNATIC orange colorway of THORN includes the same high-end specs and quality of the
base model offered by Lamzu. It's already in use by the professionals—Chronicle, a 3x Valorant Champion, loved the mouse so much that he couldn't wait for the official launch to begin using on the biggest international stage.
FNATIC X LAMZU
As the world's leading e-sports organization since 2004, Fnatic is committed to driving performance and winning trophies. We collaborate with professionals to develop our own line of gaming peripherals, ensuring the best possible experience for gamers. Lamzu is a new company that is making waves thanks to its incredible attention to detail and pursuit of quality and performance. With the introduction of the THORN, Lamzu is poised to continue its well-earned success. Lamzu is also known for its
Atlantis mouse lineup. Together, we have extensive experience in product development, design, and a deep understanding of the e-sports scene.
The Crew Motorfest is out now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC, and is included with a Ubisoft+ subscription. At launch, the game has over 600 available vehicles, 15 themed Playlists, and four PvP game modes for players to participate in, and it all takes place on the Hawai'ian island of O'ahu. Get ready to speed down the streets of Honolulu, soar above volcanoes in a plane, cruise along the beach in boats, customize your vehicles, and so much more in a game designed to be a car-culture celebration. With everything The Crew Motorfest has to offer, here are our top five ideas for what to check out first:
Experience Motorfest
Motorfest is a car-culture festival, and its grounds will serve as the heart of your experience. At the festival, you'll be able to see massive decorations, murals, inflatables and lot more, designed to honor O'ahu and car culture; show off your car collection; kick off the game's themed campaigns, called Playlists; and participate in online game modes including the Grand Race, Demolition Royale, Summit Contest, and Custom Show. As you explore Motorfest, you'll also see other players driving by, showing off their custom rides as they take part in the festivities as well, and deepening the sense of car-culture community.
Today, Bose announces the next generation of its iconic QuietComfort line: the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and the QuietComfort Headphones, all featuring the world-renowned hallmarks that the QuietComfort name has become synonymous with—world-class noise cancellation, high-quality audio, and legendary comfort and stability. And now, the QC Ultra Headphones and Earbuds both feature an all-new premium design and debut Bose Immersive Audio, taking audio performance to an entirely new level.
The QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds will be available beginning early October for $429 and $299 respectively. Both are available in Black and White Smoke. The QuietComfort Headphones will be available on September 21st for $349 also available in Black and White Smoke, plus a limited-edition Cypress Green. Pre-orders for all products begin today in the U.S. on Bose.com.
MSI, the global leading gaming brand, will participate in the Tokyo Game Show 2023 (TGS 2023) during Sept. 21st to 24th, held at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. This year's TGS marks the full return of physical exhibitions and the removal of age restrictions for entry, providing exhibitors with more space to showcase their latest games and products. Players under the age of 12 can freely enter the venue, attracting more families to visit. Additionally, this year's TGS VR will have a game island theme, and after downloading the app, players can enter for free using a computer, VR equipment, or smartphones. This allows players who cannot attend in person to enjoy this immersive gaming event through virtual reality technology.
"As a global leader in gaming, MSI has always maintained close communication and interaction with fans and gamers. The full return of Tokyo Game Show 2023 provides us with a great opportunity to showcase our powerful product lineup and cutting-edge technology, delivering luxurious gaming experience to all gamers," said Sam Chern, MSI Marketing Vice President.
Team Group, the world's leading brand in memory technology, launches two memory cards T-Create Expert S.M.A.R.T. microSDXC and Team Group PRO+ SDXC today. The two products offer consumers smooth read and write speed and diverse memory storage options, covering both storage needs for daily and professional use. A solution to satisfy all the different storage needs, the two memory cards are the perfect choice for adding more storage on mobile devices, taking high-quality photos on an action camera and a drone in extreme environments, or shooting 4K videos on a camera.
Designed especially for creative users, T-Create Expert S.M.A.R.T. microSDXC uses the S.M.A.R.T. software, which can be downloaded on Team Group's official website. Team Group's extensive research and understanding of creative users' usage scenarios tell us that such users tend to edit and produce photos and videos on their computers only when the memory card storage on their device has been ultimately used up. Based on this finding, Team Group particularly designed the S.M.A.R.T software to begin instant memory card condition monitoring with just one click. Through NAND Flash wear-out detection technology, the condition of the memory is monitored to secure videos filmed and avoid the need to conduct data recovery. T-Create Expert S.M.A.R.T. microSDXC is a U3 and V30 memory card that also fulfills requirements of the Application Performance Class 2 (A2), capable of reaching a read and write speed of 160 MB/s and 150 MB/s with storage space up to 1 TB when used with professional card readers, and supports 4K Ultra HD and 1080p Full HD video shooting and bursts photo on action camera and drones. Its superb performance, capturing people, inanimate objects, or scenic details, allows creative users to create in all sorts of outdoor environments.
ASUS today announced ZenBeam L2 smart portable LED projector, a powerful, compact projector with an elegant design that means it's never out of place. Packing Full HD (FHD) 1080p resolution and 4K HDR compatibility, a Google-certified Android 12 TV box preloaded with Netflix, 960-LED-lumens brightness, a 10 W Harman Kardon speaker with Smart Amp technology, and built-in battery, ZenBeam L2 is primed to create effortless cinema experiences, anywhere—replete with a leather carrying handle for everyday convenience with a little touch of luxury.
ZenBeam L2 has an integrated ASUS Light Wall feature to bring any room to life with a diverse cast of virtual scenes to fit any ambience or mood, is quick and easy to set up, and has been sustainably engineered to be kinder to the planet.
SK hynix Inc. said today that SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won visited the construction site of Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in Wonsam-myeon of Yongin city, Gyeonggi Province. SK hynix said that Chairman Chey visited the site on Friday to inspect the construction progress and encourage employees as the Yongin Cluster site preparation began to pick up speed since June. "Yongin Cluster is the most thoroughly and strategically prepared project on SK hynix history," Chey said, calling for utmost efforts to guarantee the success of the cluster.
Putting the top priority on efficiency, Chey said that the project requires more than the challenges that the company has made so far. "What we plan and reflect in advance to stay ahead of others will shape our competitiveness in the future." Chairman Chey emphasized a deep commitment to climate and environment when building Yonging Cluster, reminding the participants of SK Group's RE100 declaration. "Attention on green energy will continue to rise and a failure to respond to this change would jeopardize our sales, so we have a very good reason to think about and reflect this." He said that the cluster should be a 'climate positive production base', which provides future energy solutions and manufactures low-power, high-performance semiconductors.
Since its launch, the Valve Steam Deck gaming console has seen multiple price adjustments. Over some periods, Valve has dropped the prices of its Steam Deck SKUs from the initial launch day numbers. Today, we have information that Valve will lower Steam Deck prices again to celebrate Steam's 20th anniversary. Starting at $359.10 for the base 64 GB model, Valve will also offer 256 GB SKU for $449.96 and 512 GB SKU for $519.20. This is a 10%, 15%, and 20% discount on the original $399, $529, and $649, respectively. The offer will last until September 21st, when the prices revert to normal.
Potential buyers can visit Valve's website
here and check for the discounts.
Thursday, September 14th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Other
The Minisforum Venus Series NPB5 with an Intel Core i5-13500H delivers a fantastic user experience thanks to the performance and many valuable features. If you need a system that can handle multiple displays, demanding CPU workloads, and two USB4 ports, the NPB5 has you covered.
IMDA, Singapore's rating board, has evaluated a new version of Horizon Forbidden West—a
website entry for an upcoming "Complete Edition" on the PlayStation 5 platform was uncovered late last week. This information was removed at a later date since, but several media outlets have preserved crucial details. Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is M18 rated in that part of the world, thanks to gory content and sexual themes. IMDA's extended classification blurb implies that the base campaign as well as this year's Burning Shores DLC will be bundled together in a new package.
Dealabs leaker billbil-kun believes that a PC version is lined up for "imminent" release on Steam and the Epic Games Store—they cannot confirm an exact launch date, but it could arrive within a month based on potentially accurate data leaks. Sony tends to keep its flagship titles exclusive to PlayStation systems for 18 months—the base Horizon Forbidden West game arrived on PlayStation 4 and 5 last February...so the timing is about right for a converted edition to arrive PC-side. A
State of Play presentation is scheduled for later today—billbil-kun recommends that folks check it out, given recent insights posted by Giant Bomb's
Jeff Grubb.
It's the moment you've been waiting for...Update 2.0 for
Cyberpunk 2077 is coming on September 21! With the new update we have completely redesigned the perks and skill trees to give you the freedom and flexibility to become the cyberpunk that you truly want to be. With a range of brand-new abilities that open up unique approaches to combat, stealth, hacking, and more, you'll be able to take down your foes in exciting, creative ways that they won't ever see coming! Our vision for this new system was to have fewer, but way more impactful, perks for players to choose from. Instead of getting multiple low percentage increases to your damage, you will now get many opportunities to unlock completely different abilities that modify the way you play.
Everyone who continues their playthrough after downloading Update 2.0 will have the one-time chance to redistribute all of their attribute points in order to adapt to the new system. Perk points can be redistributed at any point outside of combat. With so many new ways to build your character, we wanted players to experiment with their attributes and perk points without the need to commit to it in-game.
A pair of Dell Precision workstations have been tested in SiSoftware's Sandra benchmark suite—database entries for the
7875 Tower (Dell 00RP38) and
7875 Tower (Dell 00RP38) reveal specifications of next generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro CPUs. The 32 core 7975WX model was outed a couple of weeks ago, but the Sandra benchmark database has been updated with additional scores. Its newly leaked sibling is getting a lot of attention—the recently benchmarked 7995WX sample appears to possess 96 Zen 4 cores, and 192 threads (via SMT) with a 5.14 GHz maximum single-core boost clock. Tom's Hardware is intrigued by benchmark data showing that the CPU has: "a 3.2 GHz all-core turbo frequency."
There are 12 CCDs onboard, with a combined total of 384 MB of L3 cache (each CCD has access to 32 MB of L3)—therefore Wccftech believes that "this chip is based on the Genoa SP5 die and will adopt the top 8-channel and SP5 socket platform. The chip also features 96 MB of L2 cache and the top clock speed was reported at 5.14 GHz." The repeat benched Ryzen Threadripper Pro 7975WX CPU is slightly less exciting—with 32 Zen 4 cores, 64 threads, 128 MB of L3 cache, and 32 MB of L2 cache. According to older information, this model is believed to have a TDP rating of 350 W and apparent clock speeds peaking at 4.0 GHz—Wccftech reckons that this frequency reflects an all-core boost. They have produced a bunch of comparative performance charts and further analysis—well worth
checking out.
To address customers' growing needs, Intel expanded its Intel Agilex FPGA portfolio and broadened its Programmable Solutions Group (PSG) offerings to handle the increased demand for customized workloads, including enhanced AI capabilities, and to provide lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and more complete solutions. These new products and technologies will be the focus of Intel's FPGA Technology Day (IFTD) on Sept. 18, where hardware engineers, software developers and system architects can interact with Intel and partner experts.
FPGAs play an important role in Intel's portfolio by offering flexible and customizable platform capabilities for demanding applications and workloads. Intel FPGAs solve customer challenges from cloud to edge with AI capabilities across silicon, IP and software. Intel's latest announcements illustrate how the company's increased investment in its FPGA portfolio is unfolding. So far in 2023, Intel has released 11 of 15 expected new products - more new product introductions than ever in Intel's FPGA business. As disclosed in its second quarter 2023 earnings call, Intel reported that its PSG business unit delivered 35% revenue growth year-over-year, marking the third consecutive quarter of record revenue.
The shape that inspired an esports revolution returns with a new evolution—the
Razer Viper V3 HyperSpeed. Featuring our best-in-class technologies and optimized for claw or fingertip grip styles, shake up the meta with a wireless, lightweight mouse that thrives in top-flight competitive play.
MADE WITH AND TRUSTED BY PROS
As esports evolves, so too does our mindset for mouse design. To keep up with latest preference of pros, we've worked with the best and distilled the learnings from previous Viper releases into a new shape anchored in functionality and comfort.
AMD has updated its third generation EPYC 7003 server-grade CPU lineup with six additional SKUs—new product pages were discovered and disclosed by momomo_us—
yesterday's social media post reveals that these Zen 3 chips were launched with zero fanfare on September 5. Team Red did reveal,
back in July, that: "SAP has chosen AMD EPYC processor-powered Google Cloud N2D virtual machines," but no new products were alluded to at the time. The fresh-ish sextet is comprised of EPYC 7663P, 7643P, 7303P, 7303, 7203P, and 7203 models. Evidently there seems to be some demand out there for 2021 processor technology, and AMD has acted on client feedback.
These appear to be wallet friendly options—perhaps targeting a customer base that cannot stretch their budget to fourth generation EPYC 9004 "Genoa" options. Tom's Hardware observed: "The EPYC 7663P and EPYC 7643P are fundamentally the single-socket versions of the EPYC 7663 and EPYC 7643, retaining the exact specifications. The bright side is that EPYC 7663P and EPYC 7643P have MSRPs around half of their regular counterparts. The SKUs represent a significant saving for companies with no plans to use a dual-socket configuration." Team Red has dipped back into Zen 3
a couple of times this year—at the mainstream desktop/gaming level. The EPYC 7003 series received a
3D V-Cache refresh last year, going under the "Milan-X" moniker—but the fancier tech added a fair chunk to MSRP.
Greetings, Lord Captain! A grand voidship is ready to pierce the depths of space. Your companions await your orders. Dangers and adventures, terrors and treasures lie ahead. And now you finally know when you will take the first step on your glorious path. Your journey starts on December 7, 2023. Made in a close partnership with Games Workshop,
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a story-rich classical RPG from Owlcat Games, developers of the critically acclaimed game,
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
Plan your actions carefully
Slaughter the enemies of Mankind in a fully-fledged isometric turn-based tactical combat. Take advantage of cover, the environment, and careful positioning to overpower your enemies. When that is not enough - use your companions' powerful abilities to turn the tide of battle and achieve victory even in the direst of situations. Our video game adaption of the classic Rogue Trader ruleset allows an enormous number of possibilities for you to explore.
OneRaichu has conducted a series of Geekbench 6.2 tests on an Intel Core i9-14900KF CPU, very likely a preview sample—his results have arrived for public viewing in the form of three new database entries. The hardware enthusiast (
and sometimes leaker) is expected to produce a full review of said flagship Raptor Lake Refresh processor. His evaluation arrives roughly a week after leaked Intel Core i9-14900K processors appearing online, via
benchmark results produced in Geekbench 6.1 and CPU-Z. The KF variant is missing an integrated GPU, while its K sibling is likely endowed with a bog standard Intel UHD Graphics 700-series iGPU.
The database entries reveal single-core scores starting at 3322 and going up to 3347 points. Multi-core scores span from 22895 through to 23051 points. A Geekbench 5 result is thrown in for good measure, with achievements of 2412 points in single-core, and 26972 points in multi-core performance. OneRaichu's test build utilized an
ASRock Z790 Taichi motherboard and 32 GB of DDR5-7000 memory, his OS of choice appears to be Microsoft Windows 11 (non-Pro) 64-bit. VideoCardz has crunched the numbers: "preliminary benchmarks suggest that the Core i9-14900KF outperforms the i9-13900K by approximately 5-6% in multi-threaded tests and a minimum 12% improvement in single-core performance."
A screaming goat once told me that October is the BEST month. Not just because it's full of pumpkins (yum!) or because all the skeletons in my save file finally fit in (aww!), but because Minecraft Live is back on October 15, and this year it's bigger and blockier than ever! If you've never watched our epic, once-a-year livestream before, then you are in for a treat. Not only do we spend an hour talking about Minecraft (our favorite topic), but we dive into news from Minecraft and Minecraft: Legends; share snippets of what you can expect in the future, and reveal the winner of the hotly anticipated mob vote!
Minecraft Live returns on October 15! Tune in at 1pm EDT for news, sneak peeks, the mob vote, and more! Once the mobs have been revealed, you'll be able to cast your vote via the Minecraft Launcher,
Minecraft.net, or the special event server on Minecraft: Bedrock Edition from October 13. You can even challenge yourself to mob-tastic mini-games while you're there!
NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB graphics card finds itself embattled against the recently launched AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, and board partners from NVIDIA's ecosystem plan to do something about it, reports Moore's Law is Dead. A GIGABYTE custom-design RTX 4070 Gaming OC graphics card saw a $549 listing on the web, deviating from the $599 MSRP for the SKU, which hints at what the new pricing for the RTX 4070 could generally look like. At $549, the RTX 4070 would still sell for a $50 premium over the RX 7800 XT, probably banking on better energy efficiency and features such as DLSS 3. NVIDIA partners could take turns to price their baseline custom-design RTX 4070 product below the MSRP on popular online retail platforms, and we don't predict an official price-cut that applies across all brands, forcing them all to lower their prices to $549. We could also see NVIDIA partners review pricing for the RTX 4060 Ti, which faces stiff competition from the RX 7700 XT.
TSMC's Japanese facilities are set to fabricate "mature-technology chips" (28 nm and 22 nm) once construction at the site concludes next year—this $8.6 billion fab on Kyushu Island is proving to be a promising prospect for company leadership back in Taiwan. A Reuters report suggests that more ambitious plans are afoot for Japan as a key production base—two anonymous insiders claim that problems encountered at the
Arizona plant have caused a shift in focus onto other global TSMC sites.
There is potential for further expansion and upgrades in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture—TSMC has reportedly taken an "increasingly optimistic view" of Japan's work culture, relatively cheap-to-build facility and a co-operative government. A smooth ramp-up of the first fabrication facility is the primary goal in 2024, but adjusted plans could add more capacity. The insiders think that a second site is also a possibility, with consideration for more advanced chip making.
Today HP Inc. redefined versatility with the HP Spectre Foldable PC, a remarkable 3-in-1 device with a foldable screen that seamlessly integrates the best features of a laptop, tablet, and desktop for the ultimate hybrid experience. "Consumers are demanding greater flexibility to connect, work, and play for their hybrid lives beyond what the traditional laptop can provide," said Jo Tan, Senior Vice President & Division President of Personal Systems Consumer Solutions, HP Inc. "We are excited to introduce the HP Spectre Foldable PC, designed to seamlessly adapt to the various ways you want to work with its unique, durable form factor that pushes the boundaries of design and technology."
Designed for Tomorrow's Hybrid Flexibility
The Spectre Fold easily transitions between the three distinct form factors for a frictionless user experience. Effortlessly switch from a traditional laptop to a slim tablet with a continuous 17-inch screen, then to a powerful desktop with a sleek built-in kickstand. This is made possible with a foldable panel and integrated hinge, designed for durability and tested with the same requirements as traditional HP laptops.
Western Digital today introduces new solutions from its SanDisk brand and SanDisk Professional line ahead of IBC2023, further enriching its ecosystem of digital content storage solutions for the broadcasting, media and entertainment industry. These pro-grade products, which include two new desktop hard drive solutions and a memory card, offer the quality and dependability required for production-level video workflows without compromising the premium design.
"It is exciting to see Western Digital continue to expand its Thunderbolt offerings, which provide the higher-end capabilities and reliability that the media and entertainment industry needs," said Jason Ziller, General Manager, Client Connectivity Division, Intel Corporation. "By utilizing the power of our Thunderbolt technology, enterprise-class hard drives and multi-device connectivity solutions support prosumers and creative professionals, and their increasingly complex demands and innovative use cases."
AGON by AOC - one of the world's leading gaming monitor and IT accessories brands - announces the first portable gaming monitor by AOC GAMING, the 16G3. The 15.6" (39.5 cm) display is designed to overhaul immersive mobile gaming and on-the-go productivity with a sleek, thin, and eye-catching design.
Boasting a captivating 15.6" Full HD IPS display that delivers striking visuals, the AOC GAMING 16G3 is an authentic gaming display designed for both PC and console enthusiasts who seek to enjoy their gaming experiences regardless of their location. The 16G3 offers a 144 Hz refresh rate and 4 ms response time (with Overdrive option enabled) - bringing to AOC's portable monitor lineup the fast-paced, high refresh rate experience gamers are accustomed to. Featuring an impressive brightness of 250 cd/m² and a contrast ratio of 1000:1, this monitor ensures that punchy colours, captivating highlights and shadows are displayed in all of their glory, whether indoors or outdoors.
GFN Thursday is downright demonic, as Devil May Cry 5 comes to GeForce NOW. Capcom's action-packed third-person brawler leads 15 titles joining the GeForce NOW library this week, including Gears Tactics and The Crew Motorfest. It's also the last week to take on the Ultimate KovaaK's Challenge. Get on the leaderboard today for a chance to win a 240 Hz gaming monitor, a gaming Chromebook, GeForce NOW memberships or other prizes. The challenge ends on Thursday, Sept. 21.
Devil May Cry 5 is the next title from Capcom's catalog to come to GeForce NOW. Members can stream all of its high-octane, stylish action at GeForce RTX quality to nearly any device, thanks to the power of GeForce NOW cloud gaming servers. The threat of demonic power has returned to menace the world once again. Take on hordes of enemies as Nero, V or the legendary Dante with the ramped-up sword-and-gun gameplay that the series is known for. Battle epic bosses in adrenaline-fueled fights across the overrun Red Grave City / all to the beat of a truly killer soundtrack. Take the action on the go thanks to the power of the cloud. GeForce NOW Priority members can take the fight with them across nearly any device at up to 1080p and 60 frames per second.
ASUS has registered an unprecedented number of AMD Radeon RX 7000-series mid-range graphics card SKUs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)—we were somewhat impressed with PowerColor's new SKU count,
as reported on TPU two days ago, but Team ASUS shrugs that off with ease. 64 new models based on Radeon
RX 7800 XT and
RX 7700 XT GPUs have been lodged with the EEC—it should be noted that some of these are unlikely to reach final market form. VideoCardz points out that ASUS has a track record of favoring NVIDIA silicon in terms of offering multiple models across budget, mid level and premium tiers: "ASUS has never released such a large number of cards for a single SKU. Their plans for Radeon models are notably more modest compared to their GeForce RTX 40 counterparts, and some of the listed SKUs are rarely used for AMD GPUs."
ASUS decided to keep things simple with its launch day selection of Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT cards—arriving in
TUF Gaming form, with black or white color options. Their latest EEC registration provides an early insight into potential plans for an extensive expansion of
Navi 32 GPU-based card models—with additional TUF Gaming options, as well as ROG Strix, Dual, and ProArt SKUs. ASUS has historically adhered to a tradition of picking black shroud designs for its ProArt card series, but the EEC info dump reveals white variants.
It's an exciting time in AI for business. As we apply the technology more widely across areas ranging from customer service to HR to code modernization,
artificial intelligence (AI) is helping increasing numbers of us work smarter, not harder. And as we are just at the start of the AI for business revolution, the potential for improving productivity and creativity is vast. But AI today is an incredibly dynamic field, and AI platforms must reflect that dynamism, incorporating the latest advances to meet the demands of today and tomorrow. This is why we at IBM continue to add powerful new capabilities to IBM
watsonx, our data and AI platform for business.
We have announced our latest addition: a new family of IBM-built
foundation models which will be available in
watsonx.ai, our studio for generative AI, foundation models and machine learning. Collectively named "Granite," these multi-size foundation models apply
generative AI to both language and code. And just as granite is a strong, multipurpose material with many uses in construction and manufacturing, so we at IBM believe these Granite models will deliver enduring value to your business. But now let's take a look under the hood and explain a little about how we built them, and how they will help you
take AI to the next level in your business.
Hello! We're now at a stage of
Train Simulator Classic's development process where we are ready to invite you to take part in Beta Testing the new improvements to the core builds. Your feedback from the last phase of development work was clear in that you wanted to be able to opt into the updates and leave yourself with a fallback option. So, this is how we'll proceed moving forward. You'll therefore need to opt into the Beta to try out the new features/bug fixes, etc. We provide full instructions further into this article - see the section on Opting in and Opting Out.
The Beta is planned to be what we call a "Rolling Beta". This means that the Beta will continue over a period of a year or more with the new features and fixes coming to the Beta first, and after receiving your feedback and any fixes applied, will then get rolled out to the Live Public branch. This process will continue throughout the Public Beta with builds coming in regularly depending on the work being done.
ASRock has rather silently introduced a low-profile Arc A310 graphics card. This entry-level Intel Arc graphics card is based on the ACM-G11 GPU with 6 Xe Cores. Interestingly, it uses the same low-profile dual-slot cooler with two small fans, just as the previously introduced low-profile Arc A380 graphics card.
Obviously aimed at entry-level small form factor configurations, as well as any other scenario when you need a low-profile graphics card, the ASRock Arc A310 comes with 4 GB of 15.5 Gbps GDDR6 memory on a 64-bit memory interface. The GPU is clocked at standard 2,000 MHz, and it does not need any power connectors as its Total Board Power (TBP) is set at 75 W. The ASRock A310 Low Profile features one DisplayPort 2.0 with DSC and one HDMI 2.0b output, as well as 0 dB Silent Cooling feature, which means that the fans won't spin up under light workloads. The ASRock A310 Low Profile 4 GB has yet to appear in retail/e-tail.
As Call of Duty nears its 20th anniversary, veteran fans could have over 100 potential answers to that question, and that's not including the 16 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer maps that debuted in 2009 - one of the greatest Day One Multiplayer offerings of all time. Afghan. Derail. Estate. Favela. Karachi. Highrise. Invasion. Quarry. Rundown. Rust. Scrapyard. Skidrow. Sub Base. Terminal. Underpass. Wasteland.
As previously revealed, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will launch with meticulously crafted, modernized versions of these 16 Core Modern Warfare 2 (2009) maps, constructed to maintain the authenticity and accuracy of the originals. Sledgehammer Games' Art Director Matt Abbott and Design Director Zach Hodson detail what that means in the latest Intel Drop.
EK, the leading PC liquid cooling solutions provider, expands the hardware support in its EK Fluid Works systems with the latest NVIDIA RTX 6000 ADA professional GPU. NVIDIA's latest offering is lauded as the ultimate workstation graphics card. Sporting over 18,000 CUDA cores and 48 GB of GDDR6 ECC RAM, it will feel right at home in EK's workstations and server accelerating the next generation CAD, real-time rendering, HPC, and AI workloads.
INCREDIBLE COMPUTE DENSITY
To complement the next-gen GPU and tame the equally impressive 300 W of thermal dissipation, EK has developed the EK-Pro GPU WB RTX 6000 ADA. It utilizes the same design language as the rest of the water blocks from their data center portfolio:
- Durable and high purity materials
- Open Split-Flow cooling engine
- CNC-machined microchannels with minimal hydraulic flow resistance
- EPDM rubber seals
NEO FORZA collaborates with INVADER PC to hosting MORTAL KOMBAT 1 TOURNAMENT. With the 14th September release of MORTAL KOMBAT 1, the game has been garnering rave reviews by many game-media at the time of this event press release. Having first-hands on the game prior the embargo date (14th September), the gaming experience and hype is certainly REAL.
"It will be an exciting event opened to PC gamers living in Singapore on a first-registration-first-serve basis. It will be executed in 3 sessions with a total of 32 contestants duking out to the eventual 3 champions," said spokesperson for Dynacore Technologies Pte Ltd which owns the INVADER PC brand of high performance desktop gaming machines. "With much co-planning, and execution by both NEO FORZA and INVADER PC we endeavour to seeing PC gaming expand within the total gaming community which includes mobile and console gaming. We are 100% behind PC gaming culture and growth," Linda Lee, Marketing Officer, Goldkey Technology Corporation which owns Neo Forza.
Phanteks put out its first statement in response to reports about Lian Li filing a
patent infringement lawsuit against it. Lian Li alleges that Phanteks D30 RGB line of compound fans for radiators infringe upon a design patent held by the company, and that Lian Li Uni Fan series implement the original design defined in the patent. In particular, the controversy is around the design of the mechanism that lets you daisy-chain individual fans without cables. In its defense, Phanteks says that during the development of the D30 RGB series, its lawyers were duly consulted to look for IP conflicts. The company stated that it will face the legal challenge and is confident to prove that its product is not in infringement of Lian Li IP. The statement by Phanteks follows.
We at Phanteks can confirm the filing of the patent infringement suit filed by a fellow PC enthusiast brand. We want to inform the community that our legal team is and has always properly handled any legal issue or communication that has arose.
From the start of the Phanteks D30 fan development, we set out to design an original product that innovates to provide new solutions to PC enthusiasts. We have consulted with patent lawyers during the development and prior to the announcement of the D30 fans and the fans were not found to infringe on the claims in the patent. Phanteks D30 fans are an original idea and have been issued patents in multiple countries to date.
We value and respect valid and enforceable IP rights and are confident that the result of this legal matter will confirm there is no infringement. We will continue our mission to serve the PC community by creating unique and innovative solutions.
BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, proudly presents the all-new H610MHC-E motherboard designed for home entertainment and office use. The H610MHC-E motherboard brings a perfect blend of features ideal for office users who run basic tasks such as web browsing, managing emails, and handling office applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. At the same time, home users will relish its capabilities for online entertainment. Enjoy watching TV shows and movies from platforms like YouTube or Netflix, listening to music, playing casual games, and more. Moreover, it's a perfect fit for Home Theater PC (HTPC) setups, allowing for streaming, gaming, live TV recording, internet browsing, and other basic tasks, all from the comfort of your living room.
Anchored on the powerful Intel H610 chipset, the H610MHC-E is primed to support the 12th and 13th-generation Intel Core Processors. With its 2-DIMM DDR4 slots, users are presented with flexible memory solutions that can scale up to an impressive 64 GB. Beyond memory, the H610MHC-E shines in connectivity—boasting cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 interfaces, a high-speed M.2 slot optimized with PCIe 3.0 x 4 support, and efficient SATA III connectors. This intricate combination ensures a fluid user experience and efficient data management.
MSI introduces its latest liquid cooler, the MAG CORELIQUID E Series; inspired by the passing of time and the shape of the solar eclipse, it is an innovative product that combines advanced cooling technology with a striking visual design. As computer computational demands continue to surge, the need for superior heat dissipation efficiency and enhanced computer performance has escalated accordingly.
Addressing this demand head-on, the MSI CORELIQUID E Series has been meticulously designed to deliver precisely that, expertly maximizing heat dissipation performance while elevating the overall user experience. Seamlessly harmonizing with motherboards and harnessing the power of MSI's exclusive MSI CENTER software, users are empowered with comprehensive command over their systems, granting them unprecedented control.
Wednesday, September 13th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Mice
The name already hints at the main novelty of the Atlantis 4K: 4000 Hz wireless polling. Equipped with PixArt's PAW3395 sensor and Huano switches for the main buttons, the 4K version also features the improvements of the V2 version, namely differently sized feet and a new scroll wheel encoder.
Article
Other
Huion is a popular brand in the graphics/drawing tablet market aiming to take on giants such as Wacom. Today we take a look at the Kamvas Pro 13 (2.5K) with a sharp 13.3" 1600p display, several programmable buttons, a great digital pen, and even a highly useful stand for budding professionals and hobbyists alike.
Intel just released the latest version of Arc GPU Graphics Drivers. Version 101.4824 WHQL adds Game On optimization for "The Crew Motorfest" and "Mortal Kombat 1." Among the issues fixed with this release include flickering or display corruption noticed in Fortnite (DirectX 12), and erratic fan behavior on some Arc Graphics products. For Intel Core processor iGPUs, the drivers address a "Tactics Ogre Reborn" display flickering issue during the dialog sequences.
DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4824 WHQLThe space opera RPG everyone's been lapping up over the week, Starfield, is finally getting official support for NVIDIA DLSS, among a handful of other glaring omissions for its PC version. Bethesda Game Studios on Wednesday announced that it will release a "small hotfix patch" for the game which adds a few must-haves for the PC version. To begin with, it adds support for the 32:9 ultra-wide monitor aspect-ratio (something that should have made it to a space sim), along with an FOV slider. The display settings include brightness and contrast controls, along with an HDR calibration menu. The most important of these announcements is that the game will now receive first-party support for NVIDIA DLSS. This would be DLSS 2 (super resolution), and not the newer DLSS 3 frame generation.
We're happy to share that ordering is now available in Taiwan! That includes the in-stock
Framework Laptop 13 (13th Gen Intel Core) with Traditional Chinese keyboard, pre-orders for
AMD Ryzen 7040 Series and
Framework Laptop 16, and the modules in the Framework Marketplace. This is an especially important launch for us because our manufacturing site for laptops, our main warehouse, and about a third of the Framework team itself are all in Taiwan. This also means that shipping is going to be ultra fast for local customers! As always, we're continuing to build out infrastructure to reach more of you across the world. We're in 13 countries now, and actively preparing for more. The best way to let us know where to go next is to register your interest on the
country selection page.
Starting production on Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series)
We're also excited to announce that we've started mass production of Framework Laptop 13 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series)! A set of electrical issues we found during validation along with late delivery of firmware from our upstream suppliers required us to delay our original production schedule. We've been sending bi-weekly status updates on this to customers in Batches 1-3 whose orders were at risk of delay. This week, we kicked off SMT (surface mount production of Mainboards) in Taiwan, which feeds into FATP (final assembly, test, and pack out of laptops) in the same factory, after which we'll transfer inventory to our warehouse and start shipments. We've doubled production capacity and moved into a new, larger logistics warehouse since the launch of 13th Gen Intel Core earlier this year, so we're confident we'll be able to move through the pre-order backlog quickly.
In an event at the White House today, NVIDIA announced support for voluntary commitments that the Biden Administration developed to ensure advanced AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy. The news came the same day NVIDIA's chief scientist, Bill Dally, testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee seeking input on potential legislation covering
generative AI. Separately, NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang will join other industry leaders in a closed-door meeting on AI Wednesday with the full Senate.
Seven companies including Adobe, IBM, Palantir and Salesforce joined NVIDIA in supporting the
eight agreements the Biden-Harris administration released in July with support from Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI.
Lies of P is a fantastic interpretation of "The Adventures of Pinocchio," dropping our beloved puppet within the nightmarish city of Krat, a fallen utopia built on the backs of mechanical puppets who have gone mad and slain its citizens. Their creator, Geppetto, has gone missing and "P" is brought to life to track him down to try and save the city. In the classic fairy tale, Pinocchio embarks on many adventures of self-discovery and encounters a wide range of characters - many of them bad actors who take advantage of his ignorance—which leads him on a transformative journey where he learns what it means to be human, the power of forgiveness, and of course, repercussions for lying.
It doesn't take much to see that the string that connects Lies of P to the classic tale of Pinocchio is a delicate one, but that's precisely the allure the game brings to the table here. This isn't a story you've heard before and it plays with the familiar in ways we really haven't seen with the Pinocchio fable. The lurid world of Lies of P is a compelling one, filled with evil puppets, dim alleyways, treacherous rooftops, and bodies scattered about; victims of a corrupting Petrification Disease or at the hands of puppets turning on their former masters.
TPU staffers had a close-up look at cable-free graphics cards during proceedings at Computex 2023—where
ASUS was showing off early examples of graphics cards without an external power connector. This new connection standard is called GC_HPWR. Said proprietary connector has been spotted once again, this time on finalized hardware—ASUS appears to be readying Back To The Future (BTF) edition product lines for launch in China. The first retail graphics card to adopt the GC-HPWR connector, as part of the "Advanced BTF" initiative is a custom design based on NVIDIA's
GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. The ASUS GeForce RTX 4070 ATS BTF 12 GB edition card is set for a local release on September 15—there was no mention of a potential launch outside of the PRC, but we did see this "Megalodon" BTF card at Computex.
ASUS is indicating that it will be updating its China market-exclusive white TX series of GeForce cards with the new connector—marketing imagery has appeared online with a "coming soon" message for RTX 4060, 4060 Ti and 4070 models. A TUF series refresh is apparently in the cards—VideoCardz believes that these models will have a better chance of reaching global markets. The TUF Gaming B760M-BTF WIFI Micro-ATX motherboard, with all connectors positioned on the backside of the board is now visible on an
ASUS Hidden Connector Design mini-site, sat next to a compatible A21 case. A TUF Gaming Z790 Concept board is teased in the Advanced tier with a matching GT502 Concept case.
Intel Innovation 2023 - September 13, 2023 - MiTAC Computing Technology, a professional IT solution provider and a subsidiary of MiTAC Holdings Corporation, will showcase its DSG (Datacenter Solutions Group) product lineup powered by 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors for enterprise, cloud and AI workloads at Intel Innovation 2023, booth #H216 in the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, USA, from September 19-20.
"MiTAC has seamlessly and successfully managed the Intel DSG business since July. The datacenter solution product lineup enhances MiTAC's product portfolio and service offerings. Our customers can now enjoy a comprehensive one-stop service, ranging from motherboards and barebones servers to Intel Data Center blocks and complete rack integration for their datacenter infrastructure needs," said Eric Kuo, Vice President of the Server Infrastructure Business Unit at MiTAC Computing Technology.
Baseus Technology, the leading global consumer electronics brand, has prepared a stack of fast-charging USB-C chargers, the "Let's C" lineup. It includes fast chargers, power banks, charging cables, digital power strips, and car chargers for the iPhone 15.
Fast, Durable, and Sustainable Let's C Cables
Baseus Let's C Flash Series II, the USB-C to C Cable is a full-featured cord that supports up to 240 W fast charging and a data transfer speed of up to 40 Gbps, which is perfect for moving ProRes files shot with the new iPhone 15 Pro lineup. It was tested only to take 5s to transfer 10 GB files according to test results from Baseus, and it also supports a high-resolution output going up to 8K@60 Hz. This level would fascinate even videophiles.
LG Electronics announces the newest addition to its LG MAGNIT lineup of premium Micro LED displays. The new model (LSAL006) provides immersive home entertainment experiences via an expansive 118-inch, 4K (3,840 x 2,160) resolution screen featuring LG's Micro LED technology and a miniscule 0.68-millimeter pixel pitch. Possessing the elegance and scale befitting a super-luxury residence, the impressive display offers a seamless user experience with webOS, a wealth of content services, and convenient streaming from a wide range of devices.
Delivering unparalleled picture quality through the brilliance of Micro LED technology, the new LG MAGNIT allows customers to enjoy complete viewing immersion in the comfort of their own homes. The cutting-edge display's micro-scale pixels and the integration of LG's Surface Treatment technology ensure excellent image reproduction with vivid colors and outstanding contrast.
Ten miles in from Long Island's Atlantic coast, Shinjae Yoo is revving his engine. The computational scientist and machine learning group lead at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory is one of many researchers gearing up to run quantum computing simulations on a supercomputer for the first time, thanks to new software.
Yoo's engine, the Perlmutter supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), is using the latest version of PennyLane, a quantum programming framework from Toronto-based Xanadu. The open-source software, which builds on the NVIDIA cuQuantum software development kit, lets simulations run on high-performance clusters of NVIDIA GPUs. The performance is key because researchers like Yoo need to process ocean-size datasets. He'll run his programs across as many as 256 NVIDIA A100 Tensor Core GPUs on Perlmutter to simulate about three dozen qubits—the powerful calculators quantum computers use. That's about twice the number of qubits most researchers can model these days.
We're almost there - tomorrow we're excited to bring to life all our updates for Xbox Game Pass Core! As we
shared last month, this is our latest evolution of what was previously known as Xbox Live Gold. Same great online experience, new name, and an added library of games! When we announced Xbox Game Pass Core, we shared that this membership would come with more than 25 high quality games from the Xbox Game Pass library - we're thrilled to share that there will be 36 games available to play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One starting tomorrow! We'll get to the full list - starting with some truly iconic multiplayers, games with incredible storytelling, and influential indies.
Check out the most recent single player Fallout game, Fallout 4, and use your continued access to multiplayer in Fallout 76. Traverse the backyard in Grounded or explore Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online. Play the absolute mind trip that is Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (get some headphones for this one!). These are only a few of the Xbox Game Studios games for you to dig into tomorrow.
We heard murmurings back in early August about a slightly disappointing future for RDNA 4—multiple sources claimed that AMD had
dropped development of a Navi 31 successor. Rumored reasons included "a cost justification of developing high-end GPUs to push enough volumes over the product lifecycle," as well as the apparent complexity of chiplet designs making it difficult to climb up the ladder of generational performance improvements.
The "narrowed" RDNA 4 product lineup is said to only encompass Navi 43 and Navi 44 GPUs, with a heavier focus on mid-range offerings. Lately,
Bits And Chips has decided to pile on with another theory, likely obtained from their favored inside source: "AMD will sacrifice next Radeon gaming GPUs (RX 8000) output at TSMC in order to pump up FPGA and GPGPU production." The AI hardware market is in a boom phase, and Team Red is keen to catch up with NVIDIA—past reports have suggested that Team Green production priorities have shifted away GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs, in favor of an output uptick of "immensely profitable" H100 AI GPUs. Is AMD simply copying the market leader's homework?
First, an enormous thank you to all of you playing Starfield and your support. We are absolutely blown away by the response and all you love about the game. We're also reading all your great feedback on what you'd like to see improved or added to the game. This is a game we'll be supporting for years and years to come, so please keep all the feedback coming! Even if we don't get to your requests immediately, we'd love to do it in the future, like city maps. Our priority initially is making sure any top blocker bugs or stability issues are addressed, and adding quality-of-life features that many are asking for.
This first update is a small hotfix targeted at the few top issues were are seeing. After that, expect a regular interval of updates that have top community requested features including:
- Brightness and Contrast controls
- HDR Calibration Menu
- FOV Slider
- Nvidia DLSS Support (PC)
- 32:9 Ultrawide Monitor Support (PC)
- Eat button for food!
Lian Li Industries has filed a
legal case against Phanteks Europe/Axpertec Inc. at the US District Court (Central District of California)—they allege in their patent suit that the Phanteks D30 RGB cooling fan series infringes on a June 2020 registered design (US patent 10,690,336 B1). Notice was initially sent out back in May of this year, but Phanteks appears to have ignored those early warning signs and continued to market and sell its D30 RGB products. Lian Li believes that Phanteks has copied their simple and compact connection method of daisy chaining RGB fans—as featured on the
UNI FAN lineup. The
P28 120 mm model was semi-recently awarded with a highly recommended verdict.
TechPowerUp reviewers have not had the chance to have a poke around with any Phanteks daisy-chainable D30 RGB fans, but a quick comparative glance between relevant product pages reveals a little bit of "inspired-by." The September 8 filing has Lian Li seeking damages to date—upon a successful outcome (in their favor). Additionally Phanteks will be required to pay a license fee if it decides to keep its D30 series alive post-case conclusion. Corsair and Thermaltake have also produced fan products with daisy-chaining connectivity—iCUE Link and SWAFAN EX respectively—could these manufacturers be
targeted in the near future?
With the holiday season and a new wave of exciting game releases approaching, today we're pleased to roll out an all-new PS5 system software update globally. Thanks to support from our beta participants, this update includes a number of features from the latest PS5 beta. PS Remote Play is now supported on more Android devices, . Additionally, we're also introducing new features like support for PS Remote Play on more Android devices—providing new options to stream your favorite PlayStation games—alongside some new enhancements coming to PS App in the coming weeks.
Expect new accessibility features, such as using a second DualSense controller for assistance, new audio options that allow 3D Audio powered by Tempest 3D AudioTech to be enjoyed on compatible Dolby Atmos-enabled HDMI devices, new ways to connect with other players and customize your multiplayer sessions, and
support for larger-capacity M.2 SSDs (up to 8 TB).
Pre-release Meteor Lake silicon has popped up again thanks to an Intel Corporation Client Platform getting
submitted for evaluation through Geekbench 6.1.0. The latest database entry—discovered by
Benchleaks—presents yet another Core Ultra 100H mobile CPU series engineering sample. This new candidate could end up being named "Core Ultra 165H" once it hits retail in finalized form. Team Blue seems to be playing around with its naming/identifying schemes ahead of an official unveiling—we hope to see something sensible presented at this month's
Innovation event.
The tested Meteor Lake Client Platform featured a Core Ultra 7 1002H CPU mounted on an MTL-P LP5x T4 RVP board, with access to 12 GB of memory. Clock speeds of 3.4 GHz (base) and 4.988 GHz are mentioned on the Geekbench Browser page. A 6 P-Core and 10 E-Core configuration aligns this evaluated sample with the
previously leaked Core Ultra 7 165H SKU. It achieved a single-core score of 2439 points in Geekbench 6.1, placing it above previously submitted Meteor Lake samples. The multi-core tally comes in at 12668, which trails slightly behind other compiled scores.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) yesterday made the announcement that it has approved an investment in Arm Holdings Plc. The market leader in contract chipmaker is prepared to spend around $100 million, upon the UK-headquartered semiconductor design firm going public. Regulatory filing information has SoftBank Group aiming to raise about $4.87 billion with its initial public offering (IPO) of Arm. The listing has, so far, attracted a number of "cornerstone investors" including NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, Apple, Samsung Electronics and Alphabet.
Mark Liu, TSMC's chairman, stated last week that "Arm is an important element of our ecosystem, our technology and our customers' ecosystem. We want it to be successful, we want it to be healthy. That's the bottom line." The spending spree announcements also extended to something Team Blue related—TSMC declared that it has reached an agreement with Intel to purchase a 10% equity interest in IMS Nanofabrication Global, LLC. This deal is valued at roughly $432.8 million. Intel has already sold 20% of IMS to Bain Capital, but it still retains majority ownership—the two business deals valued IMS Nanofabrication at approximately $4.3 billion, according to an
Intel statement.
NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of award-winning connected products designed to simplify and improve people's lives, today introduced the Nighthawk Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6E System (MK93S), engineered for exceptional mesh WiFi range and performance. The system, consisting of a router and two satellites, delivers 50% improved WiFi performance over the previous model and faster WiFi speeds up to 5.7 Gbps. With the powerful quad-core 1.7 GHz processor and new WiFi 6E tri-band technology, it offers less congestion, ultra-low latency, and more bandwidth.
With the capacity to support up to 100 devices, the MK93S system provides enough bandwidth to connect smart home devices, stream multiple 4K/8K movies, hold important Zoom video calls, monitor security cameras or baby monitors, and compete in online games, all at the same time. And the new compact, elegant design enables it to be placed anywhere around the home to eliminate dead zones, so strong WiFi can be enjoyed even in those typically hard-to-reach areas. The patented antennas amplify the signal for strong, consistent coverage that won't degrade, ultimately providing advanced whole home coverage of up to 7,500 square feet with an integrated, adaptive network that adjusts the connection between the router and satellites for best performance.
The
Drop Bear Bytes team is excited to announce that
Broken Roads is coming to PC, Xbox One & Series X/S on November 14, 2023! Embark on an unforgettable journey across a post-apocalyptic Australia full of danger and tough decisions. Stay tuned for release date information on other platforms coming soon! Broken Roads is a narrative-driven RPG that brings exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.
BROKEN ROADS IS A NARRATIVE-DRIVEN RPG FOR PC AND CONSOLE COMING 14 NOVEMBER 2023
Bringing exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.
Broken Roads was born of a love for traditional isometric computer role-playing, and will provide a rich, engaging narrative in which players make their way across a desolated Australia. Blending together traditional and all-new role-playing elements on top of a classless system offering near-unlimited character development options, Broken Roads presents players with an original morality system:
the Moral Compass. This novel design sees dialogue options and questing decisions influence, and be influenced by, a character's philosophical leaning.
Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 60 years, unveils the ATH-M50xIB Professional Monitor Headphones, a limited-edition "Ice Blue" color version of Audio-Technica's popular
ATH-M50x. This model is the result of a global crowd-sourcing campaign, where end users voted on their favorite color of the next ATH-M50x model. Also being introduced is the wireless ATH-M50xBT2IB iteration.
From the 45 mm large-aperture drivers to its sound-isolating earcups and robust construction, the ATH-M50xIB provides an unmatched experience for the most critical audio applications, including recording, live sound, broadcast, DJ and personal listening. The headphones incorporate technology drawn from Audio-Technica's long history in the field of high-performance professional audio, providing natural, accurate sound with impactful bass and high-frequency extension. With professional-grade earpad and headband material and a collapsible design with detachable cable, the ATH-M50xIB headphones transport easily and remain comfortable throughout long monitoring sessions.
Apple today announced AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging (USB‑C), making the world's most popular headphones even better. AirPods Pro (2nd generation) continue to revolutionize personal audio by delivering incredible sound quality, up to double the Active Noise Cancellation of their predecessor, an advanced Transparency mode, a more immersive Spatial Audio experience, and an expanded range of ear tip sizes for an even better fit. AirPods Pro (2nd generation) are upgraded with USB‑C charging capabilities, additional dust resistance, and Lossless Audio with Apple Vision Pro. With iOS 17, all AirPods Pro (2nd generation) level up with access to new audio experiences like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness.
AirPods Pro (2nd generation) with MagSafe Charging Case (USB‐C) will be available to order starting today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 22.
The advent of PCIe 5.0 SSDs with Phison's E26 controllers has been a double-edged sword. While these SSDs offer impressively high data throughputs, they come with a significant drawback: severe overheating issues that can cause the SSDs not only to throttle down but to shut off entirely. TechPowerUp first noted this issue back in May, in our
Corsair MP700 review, where the uncooled drive shut down after 86 seconds of reads and after 55 seconds of writes. Regarding criticism from tech reviewers, Corsair has released a firmware update (version 22.1) for its MP700 SSD to ensure that it throttles down rather than shutting off when overheated. Yet, many other SSDs like the Crucial T700, Seagate FireCuda 540, Gigabyte Aorus Gen 5 10000, and ADATA Legend 970 still suffer from temperature issues.
However, it's crucial to note that these extreme overheating problems occur only when the SSDs run without any cooling. While some manufacturers have planned firmware updates to address the issue, Corsair is the only company that has taken tangible action so far. Crucial has released a new firmware (PACR5102), but the
ComputerBase report indicates that the SSD continues to shut off at high temperatures. The problem, though, can generally be mitigated with proper cooling. Whether using the included cooler or placing the SSD under a motherboard cover, temperatures usually stay below the critical limit, thus avoiding a complete shutdown. When we tested the
SSTC Tiger Shark Elite 2 TB with Phison E26 (with updated firmware) without adequate cooling, the SSD continued to operate and throttled down, indicating that the remaining SSDs using this controller need a proper firmware update that throttles the SSD instead of shutting it down.
ECS Industrial Computer Co., Ltd., also known as ECSIPC, the subsidiary of leading motherboard and computer manufacturer Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), today introduces its new motherboards H610H7-IM1, ADLN-I3, and ADLN-I for various industry applications. To meet the diverse needs and purposes of various applications, ECSIPC is delighted to announce the launch of the H610H7-IM1, featuring dual PCI-E x16 expansion slots. In addition, the new ADLN-I3 motherboard offers an extensive array of I/O, including 10 COM ports specifically designed for a wide range of industrial applications. Furthermore, the Mini-ITX SoC motherboard, ADLN-I, offers abundant connectivity options and remarkable flexibility.
The H610H7-IM1 motherboard focuses on vertical application industries, with a design featuring dual PCI-E x16 expansion slots. It is particularly suitable for smart transportation, such as automated safety detection (e.g. railway safety, parking lot management), and smart manufacturing (e.g. factory defect detection). This enhances security and reduces human errors.
The rumors of Nintendo's next-generation Switch handheld gaming console have been piling up ever since the competition in the handheld console market got more intense. Since the release of the original Switch, Valve has released Steam Deck, ASUS made ROG Ally, and others are also exploring the market. However, the next-generation Nintendo Switch 2 is closer and closer, as we have information about the chipset that will power this device. Thanks to Kepler_L2 on Twitter/X, we have the codenames of the upcoming processors. The first generation Switch came with NVIDIA's Tegra X1 SoC built on a 20 nm node. However, later on, NVIDIA supplied Nintendo with a Tegra X1+ SoC made on a 16 nm node. There were no performance increases recorded, just improved power efficiency. Both of them used four Cortex-A57 and four Cortex-A53 cores with GM20B Maxwell GPUs.
For the Nintendo Switch 2, NVIDIA is said to utilize a customized variant of NVIDIA Jetson Orin SoC for automotive applications. The reference Orin SoC carries a codename T234, while this alleged adaptation has a T239 codename; the version is most likely optimized for power efficiency. The reference Orin design is a considerable uplift compared to the Tegra X1, as it boasts 12 Cortex-A78AE cores and LPDDR5 memory, along with Ampere GPU microarchitecture. Built on Samsung's 8 nm node, the efficiency would likely yield better battery life and position the second-generation Switch well among the now extended handheld gaming console market. However, including Ampere architecture would also bring technologies like DLSS, which would benefit the low-power SoC.
Tuesday, September 12th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
SSD
The SSTC Tiger Shark Elite offers blazing fast PCIe Gen 5 speeds of up to 12 GB/s. This makes the drive the fastest SSD we've ever tested. In our comprehensive review we're taking a closer look at real-life performance and how it compares to PCIe Gen 5 10 GB/s drives.
Last week, we revealed that Lies of P, Party Animals, SYNCED, and Witchfire were all launching with support for DLSS this month, bringing that performance-accelerating goodness on day-1 to even more anticipated games. This week, ICARUS has upgraded to NVIDIA DLSS 3 and more DLSS 2 games are available now including Arcadegeddon, Starsiege: Deadzone, and Warstride Challenges. Looking ahead, Ad Infinitum and Mortal Kombat 1 are launching with DLSS 2.
ICARUS DLSS 3 Update Available Now
In ICARUS, the co-op survival game by Dean Hall and RocketWerkz, players explore a savage alien wilderness in the aftermath of terraforming gone wrong. Survive long enough to mine exotic matter before returning to orbit, then explore and conquer new biomes of greater risk and greater reward. You must meet your deadline for extraction though, or face being left behind forever. Alternatively, play in the persistent Open World mode to build a planet-side encampment that'll give you a base from which to explore the game's massive maps, and beat ICARUS' challenging bosses.
Ready to start your adventure? Saturday mornings are back with
MythForce! Complete with 1980s rogue-lite cartoon chaos, co-op dungeon crawling action and an epic eighties-throwback soundtrack. Inspired by beloved Saturday morning cartoons, MythForce unites swords & sorcery with gripping first person combat in a new rogue-like adventure. Brave the dungeon alone or join forces with friends to take on an ever-changing Castle of Evil!
Scratch that nostalgic itch with wholesome fun that's easy to pick up and play (but tough to master). In true rogue-like fashion, each time you're defeated, you'll have to start over at the beginning—but every playthrough makes you a little stronger. Level up as you explore the dungeon, uncovering magical artifacts and upgrades to make you say "I HAVE THE POWER!"
Apple today announced iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, featuring an industry-first color-infused back glass with a stunning, textured matte finish, and a new contoured edge on the aluminium enclosure. Both models feature the Dynamic Island, and an advanced camera system designed to help users take fantastic photos of everyday moments in their lives. A powerful 48MP Main camera enables super-high-resolution photos and a new 2x Telephoto option to give users a total of three optical zoom levels—like having a third camera. The iPhone 15 lineup also introduces the next generation of portraits, making it easier to capture portraits with great detail and low-light performance. Building on Apple's innovative satellite infrastructure, Roadside Assistance via satellite can connect users to AAA if they have car trouble while off the grid. With A16 Bionic for powerful, proven performance; a USB‑C connector; Precision Finding for Find My friends; and industry-leading durability features, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus represent a huge leap forward.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in five stunning new colors: pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 22.
Apple today debuted iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, designed with aerospace-grade titanium that's strong yet lightweight to deliver Apple's lightest Pro models ever. The new design also features contoured edges and a customizable Action button, allowing users to personalize their iPhone experience. Powerful camera upgrades enable the equivalent of seven pro lenses with incredible image quality, including a more advanced 48MP Main camera system that now supports the new super-high-resolution 24MP default, the next generation of portraits with Focus and Depth Control, improvements to Night mode and Smart HDR, and an all-new 5x Telephoto camera exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro Max. A17 Pro unlocks next-level gaming experiences and pro performance. The new USB‑C connector is supercharged with USB 3 speeds—up to 20x faster than USB 2—and together with new video formats, enables powerful pro workflows that were not possible before. And with the addition of Roadside Assistance via satellite, the iPhone 15 Pro lineup builds on Apple's innovative satellite infrastructure to connect users to help if they have car trouble while off the grid.
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in four stunning new finishes, including black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 22.
When
Assassin's Creed Mirage launches on October 5, it will represent a return to the series' roots - but what does that mean, exactly? For one thing, it means we'll be back in the Middle East (the dense urban landscape of Baghdad, specifically) amongst the ranks of the Hidden Ones, who at this point are classic Assassins in all but name - working out of secret bureaus, constructing the legendary fortress at Alamut, and sporting the familiar white robes we first saw on Altaïr back in 2007. They can also speak entirely in their native language, with the series' first-ever full localization in Arabic.
But the connection isn't merely in the setting and story; Assassin's Creed Mirage recaptures the spirit of the series' origins through gameplay, in ways both big and small. For example, as a former street thief, Basim can pickpocket people in the crowds, much like Ezio Auditore could. He can also make use of explosive noisemakers and mines, like the ones Ezio could craft in Assassin's Creed Revelations - and if he draws too much attention, his notoriety will rise, and players will need to tear down wanted posters or bribe officials if they don't want continual, escalating attention from guards.
Greetings all! We're super excited to announce that Total War: Pharaoh releases digitally on 11th October 2023 at 3PM BST / 10AM EDT / 10PM CST! If you
pre-order Total War: Pharoah now, you will be able to take part in an exclusive Early Access Weekend before the game is released, as well as getting your hands on two awesome cosmetic packs for the full game.
WHAT IS TOTAL WAR: PHARAOH?
Total War: Pharaoh is the newest entry in the award-winning grand strategy series from the developers at Creative Assembly. Experience Ancient Egypt during the vibrant and tumultuous era of the Bronze Age Collapse and master dynamic real-time battles and turn-based empire management to rise above your adversaries and become Egypt's last great Pharaoh.
Introducing the newest addition to our classic Xbox controller lineup, the
Xbox Wireless Controller - Astral Purple. The rich purple color has such a distinct regal look to spice up your gaming setup and bolster your collection. The dark purple theme is carried over to both the thumbsticks and buttons, with a black matte finish on the hybrid D-Pad, bumpers, and triggers. This is all tied together with a clean white back case that results in the front of the controller looking even more striking.
Each Xbox Wireless Controller in Astral Purple comes with all the features you've come to love in our current generation of controllers. The D-Pad's hybrid design offers an accurate yet familiar glide, perfect for navigating complex gaming worlds with precision. The textured grips on the bumpers, triggers, and back case allow for a better grip and the 3.5 mm jack enables you to chat with friends using a compatible headset. By using Bluetooth and Xbox Wireless, the Astral Purple controller can connect to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, PC, mobile phones, and tablets. Play longer with up to 40 hours of battery life and save your favorite moments like hitting a new personal speed running record with the dedicated Share button
British semiconductor specialist firm, Arm Ltd., has has confirmed that it will be offering its clients the option to license "SoC solutions," as opposed to the usual model of paying for intellectual properties. A new Bloomberg article reaffirms
previous claims that Arm's engineering department was beavering away on reference chip designs. An
IPO filing, registered with the SEC, reveals that various system-on-chip designs are in the pipeline—likely targeting fast-growing tech markets.
An Arm statement explained: "More recently, we have invested in a holistic, solution-focused approach to design, expanding beyond individual design IP elements to providing a more complete system. By delivering SoC solutions optimized for specific use cases, we can ensure that the entire system works together seamlessly to provide maximum performance and efficiency. At the same time, by designing an increasingly greater portion of the overall chip design, we are further reducing incremental development investment and risk borne by our customers while also enabling us to capture more value per device." Arm is probably keen to boost its profit margins, and become more attractive in the eyes of
potential investors—lately their designs have been implemented in more expensive product segments, namely automotive, client PCs, and cloud data center solutions.
PowerColor has registered a significant number of AMD Radeon RX 7000-series SKUs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC)—these enrollments are seemingly always a good source of pre-launch information. Naturally, the ever reliable
harukaze5719 has reported on this latest filing. The most interesting new SKUs within this leak appear to be Radeon RX 7600 XT graphics cards lined up in Hellhound and Fighter flavors—perhaps an early hint of Team Red prepping different versions of existing RDNA 3 GPUs. Scott Herkelman, AMD's senior vice president,
stated last month that no new RX 7000-series ASICs were in the pipeline. The already released
Radeon RX 7600 8 GB GPU is the sole entry within its lower end gaming segment for the current generation.
Technical information is not included with EEC filings, so we can only speculate about the choice of Navi 3x GPU with these leaked XT variants. VideoCardz has questioned the slightly peculiar allocations of 10 GB and 12 GB VRAM specs: "(raising) questions about AMD's choice of GPU architecture. One possibility is that they are using the
Navi 33 with unusual 96-bit and 80-bit memory configurations, although this seems counterintuitive as it would result in lower memory bandwidth compared to the RX 7600. The Navi 33 GPU is typically limited to a 128-bit memory interface." Alternatively, they also propose that a "heavily cut-down
Navi 32 GPU" could exist that "grants 192/160-bit memory." SKUs based on AMD's unreleased Radeon RX 6750 Golden Rabbit Edition (GRE) GPU are also visible within PowerColor's registration, also sporting 10 GB and 12 GB video memory configurations. Additionally, the Taiwanese graphics card specialist appears to be preparing a couple of white and
SAKURA edition Radeon RX 7800 XT and 7700 XT cards.
TrendForce's latest research paints a vivid picture: Q2 saw the NAND Flash market still grappling with lackluster demand and being significantly outpaced by supply. The ASP of NAND Flash also took a hit, tumbling 10-15%. Nevertheless, there was a silver lining as bit shipments grew by 19.9% QoQ from a low baseline in 1Q23. To sum up, the Q2 landscape of the NAND Flash sector witnessed a 7.4% QoQ growth in revenue, reaching US$9.338 billion.
From Q2, Samsung began reining in production with a further squeeze expected for the third quarter. With inventories set to thin out, price hikes loom on the horizon, possibly offering a remedy to the chronic supply-demand imbalance. Yet, a crowded supplier landscape in the NAND Flash sector means that many players, faced with hefty inventories, will likely continue aggressive sales into Q3. Forecasts suggests a deceleration in ASP decline for NAND Flash products in Q3 to 5-10%. Riding the stockpiling momentum for the high season, bit shipments are set to rise, propelling Q3 revenue growth past the 3% threshold.
Drop, the leading community-driven e-commerce company, today introduced enhanced versions of its CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT keyboards. First launched in 2018 and designed from feedback from the Drop community, these keyboards have since become best-sellers, offering a compelling combination of customization and quality. The new V2 variants of the Drop CTRL, ALT and SHIFT combine iconic, fully aluminium design with stand-out RGB lighting performance, improved features and enhanced performance, delivering an unparalleled typing experience for those seeking to elevate their desk setups.
"The new and improved CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT V2 keyboards represent a leap forward in design, performance, and functionality while preserving the cherished qualities that made their predecessors beloved by our community," said Jef Holove, CEO, Drop. "With the addition of highly requested features such as stabilizer upgrades, new switch options, and enhanced RGB LED capabilities, we offer the community an upgraded and unparalleled typing experience that will make them fall in love with these reinvented, classic keyboards all over again."
From the makers of Arctis, the most awarded audio line in gaming,
SteelSeries, the original esports brand that fuses gaming and culture, today introduces the special-edition Arctis Nova 7 white collection. Through four years of innovative and meticulous engineering, SteelSeries set out to push boundaries, solve problems for those living a multi-faceted "gaming lifestyle" and reinvent the world's #1 premium gaming headphones. Whether it's gaming on the go, listening to Spotify or watching Netflix while commuting on the train or bus, taking a Zoom call and needing to tune out the noise in a shared apartment, workspace, or coffee shop, at the home office with furry kids running around, in the gym or basketball court, playing some Call of Duty Modern Warfare II or Mario at home, and so much more... Welcome to the future of audio for a gaming lifestyle.
Elite performance comes standard. The Arctis Nova 7X & 7P are equipped with the Nova Acoustic System, which fuses hardware and software to raise the bar over the competition and provide those living a "gaming lifestyle" with a new superpower known as "Almighty Audio." The combination of custom-designed High Fidelity speaker drivers that offer unparalleled sound purity, plus immersive 360° Spatial Audio for an immersive soundscape, along with the
Sonar Audio Software Suite, which features the first pro-grade parametric EQ for gamers and allows them to adjust every individual frequency, provides unparalleled sound customization.
UPMEM, a fabless semiconductor startup has raised €4.1 M equity from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund and Venture Capitalists (Partech, Western Digital Capital, C4 Ventures…), and a €2.5M grant from the EIC. Founded by Fabrice Devaux and Gilles Hamou, the company is pioneering ultra-efficient Processing In Memory (PIM) accelerators to tackle the significant challenge of compute efficiency for AI and big data applications.
UPMEM's PIM solution, integrating UPMEM's first commercial-grade PIM chip on the market, is now available to cloud markets across the globe (US, Asia...) to provide the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions for AI and analytics applications in data centers and at the edge, such as large language models (LLM e.g. GPT), genomics, large analytics.
Filip Pierściński, the lead scene programmer at CD Projekt Red, has been posting some compelling information regarding technical improvements lined up for the PC version of Cyberpunk 2077. Update 2.0 and the major Phantom Liberty DLC campaign are due to launch on September 26, although a PlayStation database leak suggests that the former could arrive this week—a whole bunch of new features, characters, missions and stories
are promised, although the pay-for-pack nets you the majority of upcoming intriguing goodies. We hope that there is no premium placed on performance upgrades for the PC platform—Pierściński's declarations imply that enhancements are arriving with Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty (PL). The next version of CD Projekt Red's ambitious action role-player will take full advantage of multi-core CPUs, although there are some thermal-related caveats according to the programmer's social media postings: "Before release CP2077 v2.0 and PL please check conditions of your cooling systems in PC. We use all (that) you have, so workload on CPU 90% on 8 core is expected. To save your time please run Cinebench or similar and check (the) stability of your systems."
He was happy to field questions from the fan base—a worried gamer expressed some concern about the game's potential hardware cooking prowess. Pierściński replied: "Heheh of course not 😀 we are not synthetic benchmark, but still you can hit thermal throttling, if you have insufficient cooling system. It will result in below expected performance or even crash in extreme situations." The Cyberpunk 2077 modification community pre-empted CD Projekt Red by several months with the
release of an unofficial SMT fix to address and fix lower utilization of AMD and Intel CPU architectures. Pierściński also confirms that third-party produced patches are no longer needed, thanks to native support being introduced with CDPR's official September updates, although players are best advised to stick with 8-core SMT configurations.
Seasonic is proud to announce the introduction of the new
FOCUS GX ATX 3.0 Series power supplies. The FOCUS GX ATX 3.0 certified units are built on the well-established legacy of the popular Seasonic FOCUS Series. These power supplies tick all the check boxes that PC builders and enthusiasts have come to expect from the Seasonic brand name. Thanks to the fully modular design, only those cables need to be connected which are necessary to power the PC components.
The new FOCUS GX units are ATX 3.0 certified and PCIe 5.0 compliant to power the latest cutting-edge systems, helping to improve overall system performance and long-term reliability, while providing the most stable power necessary at the highest levels of performance. With the included top-quality PCIe 5.0 12VHPWR VGA cable, these units can safely power the latest modern graphics cards, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series.
Focus Entertainment and
Pathea Games have released a new trailer for My Time at Sandrock, the much-anticipated follow-up to the award-winning, player-acclaimed sandbox simulation RPG My Time at Portia. Currently available on PC via
Steam Early Access and
Epic Games Store, it will launch in V1.0 on November 2nd. As the date approaches, this new gameplay trailer entitled "A Builder's Life" gives you an insight into the engrossing construction and farming activities that will soon fill your busy-yet-cozy days as a newly-arrived Builder in Sandrock.
Build the future of Sandrock
Welcome to Sandrock, a fascinating little city nestled deep within the Wild West. Ravaged years ago, it is now up to you, your tools and your Builder's skills to restore Sandrock to its former glory. Your experience will be as adventurous as it will be wholesome. When you are not searching for mysteries and hidden treasures on a galloping horse, use all the resources you've found to vigorously reconstruct the city and cultivate its land. Build and customize your headquarters and city buildings, craft and upgrade modern tools and machinery, revive farming and ranching, and fix damaged Sandrock technologies. Discover, buy or unlock new designs to always expand your builder's crafting book and prove yourself by earning the most enviable title of all: Builder of the Month!
Microsoft has revealed that it will phase out support for third-party printer drivers utilized by printing devices on Windows operating systems, thankfully this is not getting limited to Windows 11. Their
update document states that: "the release of Windows 10 21H2, Windows offers inbox support for
Mopria compliant printer devices over network and USB interfaces via the Microsoft IPP Class Driver. This removes the need for print device manufacturers to provide their own installers, drivers, utilities, and so on. Device experience customization is now available via the
Print Support Apps that are distributed and automatically installed via the Windows Store."
A streamlined Windows print platform will be welcomed by folks who have had to deal with unreliable third-party drivers,
operating system updates causing printers to stopping working, and getting older models to communicate with modern versions of Windows. Microsoft appears to be confident in their improved solution—the implementation of native support via updates has resulted in: "the end of servicing of the legacy v3 and v4 Windows printer drivers. As this is an impactful change, end of servicing will be staged over multiple years." Techradar has highlighted that the migration will not cause a complete lockout of legacy devices: "it's important to note that even when the switchover is complete, buyers will still have access to any existing third-party drivers. This means your old printer that's still kicking won't be rendered useless once support ends and only first-party drivers are updated."
NVIDIA today released the latest version of its GeForce drivers. Version 537.34 WHQL comes with Game Ready optimization for "Mortal Kombat 1," "Lies of P," and has performance improvements for "Starfield." In particular, the drivers now leverage resizable BAR on "Starfield," on supported NVIDIA GPUs, which yields up to 5% performance improvements. The drivers also update the optimization profile for the Xbox Game Pass version of "Starfield." A black screen observed when using GeForce Experience in-game overlay with "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive," has been fixed.
DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 537.34 WHQLIndustry experts were expecting Apple to rely on their own in-house 5G modem tech once a previous deal with a development partner expired, but the big A has returned to pastures of old—Qualcomm Technologies yesterday
announced: "that it has entered into an agreement with Apple Inc. to supply Snapdragon 5G Modem‑RF Systems for smartphone launches in 2024, 2025 and 2026. This agreement reinforces Qualcomm's track record of sustained leadership across 5G technologies and products."
Reports suggest that multiple issues have plagued development of Apple's proprietary 5G modem, with 2024's iPhone 16 lineup already rumored to rely on Qualcomm's RF system. Apple has invested heavily in its custom modem operation—the "majority" of Intel's smartphone modem business was acquired back in 2019, while 2021 insider talk had TSMC lined up as a manufacturing partner for 5G chips. According to their latest investment relations material, Qualcomm anticipates that it will supply around 20% of modem chips in Apple iPhones.
Today, Intel announced Thunderbolt 5 - the next generation of Thunderbolt - and demonstrated a prototype laptop and dock. Thunderbolt 5 promises to deliver significant improvements in connectivity speed and bandwidth benefits for computer users.
"Thunderbolt 5 will provide industry-leading performance and capability for connecting computers to monitors, docks, storage and more. Intel is excited to continue our tradition of leadership for wired connectivity solutions. Thunderbolt is now the mainstream port for connectivity on mobile PCs, and delivering the next generation of performance with Thunderbolt 5 will provide even more capability for the most demanding users," said Jason Ziller, general manager of the Client Connectivity Division at Intel.
The
ASUSTOR Xpanstor 4 is here! The all-new four bay expansion unit adopts USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C for extra speeds. The Xpanstor 4 doubles connection speeds from 5 Gbps to 10 Gbps through its USB port and is also backward compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 1. In addition, the Xpanstor 4 also supports MyArchive cold backup technology which now supports scheduling to make 3-2-1 backups even easier. In terms of intelligent control, when a connected NAS enters sleep mode or shuts down, the Xpanstor 4 will simultaneously enter sleep mode and dim lights to save energy and hard drive longevity.
The smart fan design also automatically adjusts speeds according to hard drive temperatures to maintain balance between performance and noise. In addition, the Xpanstor 4 also has a specially designed cable for securing it to the device to avoid accidental disconnecting of the device. The Xpanstor 4 is equipped with four hot-swappable hard drive bays, and can be used like any other drive in ADM. Use the Xpanstor in a variety of ways that include using the extra bays as MyArchive backups or RAID volumes with the full suite of ASUSTOR data protection features to help your workflow as your needs grow.
To help consumers get the most out of their handheld gaming PC experience, WD_BLACK from Western Digital is introducing a new premium, high-performance M.2 2230 solution architected for today's handheld PC gamer. Building upon the WD_BLACK legacy of performance storage for all kinds of competitive gamers, the company is introducing the WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD. According to a recent Gartner report, the handheld gaming console market is expected to reach 14.8M by 2027. As the mobile gaming market continues to grow and more AAA titles are released, new and innovative storage solutions are being released and developed to ensure mobile gamers are able to make the most of their on-the-go gaming experience.
"With game sizes continually becoming larger, it's easy for handheld game consoles to fill up over time with new games and regular updates," said Eric Spanneut, vice president of client SSDs for Western Digital. "The new WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD boosts available storage up to 2TB2 and is specifically designed to handle the peak performance of demanding games for handheld gaming PCs."
Hello
XDefiant Fans! I've got an update for you and it's a big one! We want to explain further why we haven't given a specific date yet for our launch. And sometimes full transparency is like drinking from a firehose so hope you all are thirsty!
First things first. Here is a detailed description of how the submission process goes: Submission is the part of development where we give the game to the 1st parties (Sony, Xbox, etc.) to check that the game works correctly in their environments. To get to that we have to self-test with internal QA/Compliance teams to try and find any issues that might get flagged in the submission process. Once we have fixed or completed all of the tasks that we want/think we need for submission we then spend about 2-3 weeks prepping and validating a CM (Candidate Master) that we think is the final version of the game for submission.
It then goes through 1 week of heavy QA & Compliance testing by several Ubisoft teams. If it passes, then it goes to the 1st parties to be certified for release. 1st parties take a week to get their final report on the submission and give us a Pass or Not Pass with a list of must fixes for the next submission. Also, to be clear during this submission process, the QC team at Ubisoft are putting the build through the ringer looking for functionality bugs and another team at Ubisoft, divided up into PC, Sony and Xbox groups are looking for compliance bugs.
Intel Corporation today announced that it has agreed to sell an approximately 10% stake in the IMS Nanofabrication business ("IMS") to TSMC. TSMC's investment values IMS at approximately $4.3 billion, consistent with the valuation of the recent stake sale to Bain Capital Special Situations ("Bain Capital"). Intel will retain majority ownership of IMS, which will continue to operate as a standalone subsidiary under the leadership of CEO Dr. Elmar Platzgummer. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023.
IMS is the established industry leader in multi-beam mask writing tools required to develop advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), which is broadly adopted in leading-edge technology nodes that enable the most demanding computing applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile. Together, Bain Capital and TSMC's investments provide IMS with increased independence and reinforce confidence in the significant opportunity ahead of IMS. This added autonomy will help IMS accelerate its growth and drive the next phase of lithography technology innovation to enable the industry's transition into new patterning systems, such as high-numerical-aperture (high-NA) EUV.
TechPowerUp today released the latest version of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the popular graphics sub-system information, diagnostic, and monitoring utility. The latest version 2.55.0 adds support for several new recently announced GPUs, and fixes a few bugs. To begin with, GPU-Z adds support for AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, RX 7700 XT, Ryzen Z1 iGPU, Ryzen Z1 Extreme iGPU, Radeon Pro W7500. From the NVIDIA camp, support is added for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB, RTX 3060 (3,840 CUDA core variant), RTX 4000/5000/6000 Ada Laptop GPUs; RTX A1000 6 GB Laptop, and RTX A2000 Embedded.
Among the usability improvements include Intel Arc A-series GPUs, reporting overclocked frequency when active (rather than stock frequency); die-size and/or transistor-count corrections for NVIDIA GK208, GF119, G98, and AD107; fixed memory bus width on Intel Alder Lake and Raptor Lake systems; a bug that caused graphics card RGB controls to not work on Gigabyte RTX 4090 cards with GPU-Z running; and fixed ROP counts for Navi 33 silicon.
DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.55.01MORE, a leading audio company dedicated to delivering superior sound quality, announces the launch of their latest innovation, the wired 1MORE PENTA DRIVER P50 headphones. The 1MORE P50 headphones combine cutting-edge technology, expert craftsmanship, and meticulous attention to detail to provide users with an unparalleled audio experience. The 1MORE PENTA DRIVER P50 will be available for £169.99 on Amazon UK and $169.99 on Amazon. Also available on the 1MORE website.
Designed with audiophiles and music enthusiasts, the 1MORE PENTA DRIVER P50 headphones showcase a unique and sophisticated design that is both visually stunning and acoustically impressive. The headphones feature a sleek, ergonomic over-ear design, ensuring maximum comfort during extended listening sessions. Equipped with five cutting-edge drivers, the 1MORE P50 headphones boast an exceptional sound signature that allows users to immerse themselves in the finest details of their favorite music. The proprietary hybrid acoustic design combines one diamond-like carbon (DLC) dynamic driver, four balanced armature drivers, and a patented acoustic design, delivering a precise and balanced audio output across the entire frequency range.
Patriot Memory has announced a full expansion of its latest DDR5 performance memory series, the Viper Xtreme 5 DDR5. This expansion will include new non-RGB models available in 7,600 MT/s and 8,200 MT/s kits, with kit capacities from 32 GB (16 GB x2) to 48 GB (24 GB x2). Previously unveiled at CES 2023, the Viper Xtreme 5 aims to take system performance to a new level with performance memory built for extreme overclockers, serious gamers and enthusiast tinkerers alike. With speeds reaching up to 8,200 MT/s, the Viper Xtreme 5 is Patriot Memory and Viper Gaming's fastest DRAM produced to date.
Since its debut, the Viper Xtreme 5 has received strong praise from gamers, tech enthusiasts and media alike, including a nomination for "Best System Memory Series" at the 2023 European Hardware Awards, FunkyKit Editor's Choice Award, Techpowerup Editor's Choice Award, TweakTown Editor's Choice Award and Overclockers.com's "Approved" Top Rating. The Viper Xtreme 5 was also featured in multiple record-breaking overclock competitions by overclockers Chewonthis and Fugger.
According to the latest report from Nikkei, HP, the world's second-largest PC manufacturer after Lenovo, is making strategic shifts in its laptop production bases. In a move that reflects broader trends among tech giants, HP is collaborating with various Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) providers to move a significant part of its laptop production out of China to other countries such as Thailand, Mexico, and eventually Vietnam. For 2023 alone, the production outside of China is expected to range from a few million units up to 5 million, a noteworthy figure given HP's total global PC shipments of 55.2 million units. Commercial notebooks are slated for production in Mexico, catering to HP's primary market, North America, with consumer laptops made in Thailand. Additionally, a shift to Vietnam is on the horizon for 2024. Thailand's mature PC supplier ecosystem is anticipated to facilitate a smoother transition for HP.
HP's reconfiguration of manufacturing locations aligns with similar initiatives by other tech giants. Dell, for example, is also reducing its reliance on Chinese-made chips and aims to manufacture at least 20% of its laptops in Vietnam this year. Apple has likewise commenced MacBook production in the same country. Several factors are driving these relocations, with rising manufacturing costs in China, including labor recruitment challenges and increased labor costs, being key among them. Geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China also weigh in on these decisions, especially since the U.S. is a crucial market for both HP and Dell. Despite the diversification, HP reaffirms its commitment to continue operations in China, particularly in Chongqing, a significant laptop production hub since 2008.
In addition to the full line of slimmer GAMING SLIM NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards, MSI has sneaked a couple of other models to its GeForce RTX 40 series lineup, including the MSI RTX 4070 Ventus 2X White and the RTX 4070 Ti VENTUS 2X White. Featuring an all-white design, the VENTUS 2X WHITE features a dual-fan cooler with a white backplate.
The MSI RTX 4070 Ti VENTUS 2X White works at 2,610 MHz Boost clock, which can be further tuned up to 2,625 via MSI Center, while the MSI RTX 4070 VENTUS 2X works at 2,475 MHz Boost clock which can be further pushed up to 2,490 MHz via MSI Center. The rest of the specifications and the design, other than an all-white color scheme, should be the same as on the standard black versions of these graphics cards. Both feature TORX FAN 4.0 with Zero Frozr, copper baseplate with Core Pipes heatpipe design, and reinforced backplate.
FinalWire Ltd. today announced the immediate availability of AIDA64 Extreme 6.92 software, a streamlined diagnostic and benchmarking tool for home users; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Engineer 6.92 software, a professional diagnostic and benchmarking solution for corporate IT technicians and engineers; the immediate availability of AIDA64 Business 6.92 software, an essential network management solution for small and medium scale enterprises; and the immediate availability of AIDA64 Network Audit 6.92 software, a dedicated network audit toolset to collect and manage corporate network inventories.
The latest AIDA64 update introduces AVX-512 optimized benchmarks for Intel Sapphire Rapids processors, and supports the latest AMD and Intel CPU platforms as well as the new graphics and GPGPU computing technologies by AMD, Intel and NVIDIA.,
DOWNLOAD: FinalWire AIDA64 Extreme v6.92Monday, September 11th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Monitors
The INNOCN 39G1R is a massive 39-inch gaming monitor, equipped with a curved 165 Hz VA panel. The undemanding 2560x1440 native resolution and sub-$500 price tag make it an interesting option for gamers looking for the largest screen they can get, for as little money as possible.
Article
Other
Ugreen adds to its popular charging accessories portfolio with the Nexode 300W desktop GaN charger. It provides faster charging from a smaller footprint compared to silicon-based OEM offerings for as many as five devices simultaneously and a total of 300 W, and you get a premium USB Type-C charging cable as well.
SiMa.ai, the machine learning company delivering solutions for the embedded edge, today announced the
results of its second MLPerf submission, outperforming industry ML leader, NVIDIA's
Orin NX and AGX Orin in the Closed Edge power category in the
MLCommons ML Perf 3.1 benchmark. SiMa.ai participated in the MLPerf Inference 3.1 closed, edge, power division of this benchmarking process, focusing on the image classification benchmark Resnet50. Since the company's prior
submission in April 2023, SiMa.ai achieved a 20 percent improvement in its results for Single Stream Resnet50 for performance and power, while exhibiting up to 85 percent greater Resnet50 MultiStream efficiency compared to NVIDIA. With frames per second per watt as the defacto performance standard for edge AI and ML, these results demonstrate SiMa.ai's pushbutton approach drives continued leadership in unrivaled power efficiency that does not compromise performance.
"Outperforming the industry leader not only once, but again for a second time is great validation for our technology. Our team at SiMa.ai will persistently pursue performance per watt leadership and new standards in ease of use for the embedded edge market as part of our core DNA," said Krishna Rangasayee, CEO and founder, SiMa.ai. "We are proud of the SiMa.ai team's leadership in the latest MLPerf benchmark and excited to extend these latest improvements to our customers' real-world needs and use cases."
Here's how
Forza Motorsport makes you fall in love with cars and build community through competition and skill. We're about to be at the starting line for a new era of Forza Motorsport, and today we're excited to tell you more about our vision behind the game. We also shared the first hour of gameplay with media and creators over the past few weeks, so keep an eye out for impressions of what they thought of the experience. And for those of you who can't wait, we shared a video on Forza Monthly featuring some of the gameplay from the first hour of the game.
BUILDING SKILL THROUGH COMPETITION
The Forza franchise has always been about falling in love with cars and building a community of car lovers and gamers. Forza Motorsport does this through competition and skill. In the new Forza Motorsport, we have completely rethought what it means to play Motorsport. This is a massive game with over 500 cars and 20 tracks, all featuring 24-hour dynamic time-of-day with weather. These cars were handpicked by our team, curated to deliver the absolute best experience across both Builders Cup and Featured Multiplayer for clean, thrilling and competitive racing.
Silicon Motion's product manager, Liu Yaoren, has predicted that the first notebook models to feature PCIe 5.0 SSD storage will hit retail around late 2024. This information was disclosed during the company's key note presentation at 2023's Flash Memory Summit Conference and Exhibition, but only picked up on by media outlets in recent days. The American-Taiwanese company
showcased their SM2508 controller on the showroom floor—this is advertised as their answer to Phison's E26. The upcoming Silicon Motion-designed controller "promises to deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 14 GB/s. Random performance is rated at 2.5 million IOPS read and 2.4 million IOPS write." NAND flash speeds of up to 3600 MT/s provide some future proofing.
ITHome has reported on further technical details released by Huirong Technology/Silicon Motion—their flagship SM2508 IC also uses the more advanced TSMC 6 nm process technology, (and) has a built-in dual-core Cortex R8 processor." The memory controller's operational TDP is rated at around 3.5 W—the firm believes that their product shows the "ultimate potential of PCIe Gen 5 performance" with ultra-low power consumption, although no thermal figures were disclosed to attendees. MSI premiered its PCIe Gen 5 SSD compatible laptop series earlier this year, but aftermarket parts with sizable heatsinks are proving to be a tricky fit.
Hey everyone! We're back with another installment of our development diary series. In this one, we will go over a feature that will help you capture the most memorable moments from your city! The Cinematic and Free Camera modes are completely different from what you are familiar with in Cities: Skylines. The difference between them is truly day and night. In
Cities: Skylines II, both modes can be accessed by clicking the Photo Mode button located in the bottom-right corner of the main UI.
From here, you can dive into the world of photo- and cinematography and capture your city in all of its glory, chaos, or spaghetti road madness with your friends or other players alike! The power of these tools is really conveyed by the fact the in-game trailer was filmed using the built-in Cinematic Camera feature, and today's diary is here to help you navigate the options so you too can capture amazing footage of your city!
We know players are interested in getting more value from Xbox, and we've heard feedback from the community that they want more ways to get value from their purchases. Today, I'm excited to share that we are introducing the no annual fee1 Xbox Mastercard in partnership with Barclays US Consumer Bank, a leading co-branded credit card issuer in the United States.
With the Xbox Mastercard credit card, players can earn card points with everyday purchases to redeem on games and add-ons at xbox.com. The Xbox Mastercard will be available exclusively to Xbox Insiders in the 50 United States beginning on September 21, with availability to all Xbox players in the 50 United States coming in 2024.
Today, MLCommons published results of its MLPerf Inference v3.1 performance benchmark for GPT-J, the 6 billion parameter large language model, as well as computer vision and natural language processing models. Intel submitted results for Habana Gaudi 2 accelerators, 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, and Intel Xeon CPU Max Series. The results show Intel's competitive performance for AI inference and reinforce the company's commitment to making artificial intelligence more accessible at scale across the continuum of AI workloads - from client and edge to the network and cloud.
"As demonstrated through the recent MLCommons results, we have a strong, competitive AI product portfolio, designed to meet our customers' needs for high-performance, high-efficiency deep learning inference and training, for the complete spectrum of AI models - from the smallest to the largest - with leading price/performance." -Sandra Rivera, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Data Center and AI Group
An interesting official Intel support document has been uploaded for public viewing—
a PDF with the title of "Intel Virtual RAID on CPU (Intel VROC) for Windows" mentions Fishhawk Falls Refresh (FHF-R) within its August 2023 release notes. FHF-R seems to make reference to an upcoming platform revision, rather than a refresh of a CPU lineup. The codename "Fishhawk Falls" was linked to 4th Gen HEDT Sapphire Rapids workstation counterparts
late last year. The notes do refer to "Sapphire Rapids workstation-based platforms" in two places, so this could align with previous rumors of
SR-R arriving early next year.
The latest discovery
perhaps has Fishhawk Falls Refresh associated with 5th Generation Xeon Scalable "Emerald Rapids" processors. These workstation-oriented CPUs are predicted to launch as part of new Xeon W-2500 and Xeon W-3500 products lines. Intel and its board partners could be working on a revision of associated W790 chipset motherboards.
Mainboard leaks have AMD's Threadripper 7000-series of workstation processors placed as the main competition going into 2024.
In its debut on the MLPerf industry benchmarks, the
NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip ran all data center inference tests, extending the leading performance of
NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs. The overall results showed the exceptional performance and versatility of the NVIDIA AI platform from the cloud to the network's edge. Separately, NVIDIA announced inference software that will give users leaps in performance, energy efficiency and total cost of ownership.
GH200 Superchips Shine in MLPerf
The GH200 links a Hopper GPU with a Grace CPU in one superchip. The combination provides more memory, bandwidth and the ability to automatically shift power between the CPU and GPU to optimize performance. Separately, NVIDIA HGX H100 systems that pack eight H100 GPUs delivered the highest throughput on every MLPerf Inference test in this round. Grace Hopper Superchips and H100 GPUs led across all MLPerf's data center tests, including inference for computer vision, speech recognition and medical imaging, in addition to the more demanding use cases of recommendation systems and the large language models (LLMs) used in generative AI.
Embracer Group is reportedly going through a significant restructuring phase—a breaking/exclusive Reuters article indicates that company leadership is "considering options for its U.S. game developer Gearbox Entertainment." Past investments have resulted in the Stockholm-headquartered firm accumulating a vast portfolio of intellectual properties as well as ownership of multiple AAA-focused game development studios, but trying financial circumstances have caused some turmoil. Veteran studio, Volition Games,
ceased doing business as announced around late August. The Saints Row and Red Faction franchise developer stated: "this past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately."
Reuters believes, via three anonymous sources, that Embracer is consulting with Goldman Sachs and Aream & Co. regarding the possible sale of Gearbox—all involved organizations have declined to make a comment to media outlets. Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors has previously described 2023 being a "challenging year." Gearbox was acquired back in February 2021 in "a deal that valued the business at up to $1.4 billion at the time." Two of the insiders claim that "marketing materials are already available for potential buyers, which consist mainly of international gaming groups." Eurogamer reports that some interested parties have already come forward.
A die-shot of AMD's 4 nm "Phoenix 2" monolithic APU
emerged over the weekend—possibly the first example of a Team Red hybrid core processor, utilizing a combination of bog standard Zen 4 cores as well as "compacted" Zen 4c units. Phoenix 2 has been hiding in plain sight it seems, within
Ryzen Z1 series APUs—that have much in common with mobile/laptop-oriented 7040U products. David Huang has posted an analysis of a Ryzen Z1 APU via his
review as posted on Zhuanlan, where he investigates the intriguing combination of Zen 4 and Zen 4c cores.
As interpreted/translated by Tom's Hardware: "HWiNFO, a system information, monitoring, and diagnostics utility, confirms that the Ryzen Z1, codenamed Phoenix 2, is on the PHX2-A0 stepping. It differs from AMD's Ryzen 7040U series (Phoenix) with the PHX-A1 stepping. The Ryzen Z1 has been rumored to be a clone of the Ryzen 5 7540U for a long time now." Laptops housing the latter APU are reported to have reached retail markets in certain territories, while the Ryzen Z1 (non-Extreme) SoC has not debuted in any new devices. A cheaper ASUS ROG Ally is expected to arrive in the near future with the lesser chip.
Cooler Master, a global leader in designing and manufacturing innovative gaming peripherals and computer components, is thrilled to announce a historic partnership with CAPCOM to launch an exclusive line of Street Fighter 6-themed components and peripherals. This collaboration celebrates the launch of the latest addition to the Street Fighter franchise. Inspired by the game's new characters and universe, Cooler Master has meticulously designed a range of peripherals incorporating iconic character colors and RGB lighting for an immersive gaming experience.
"Cooler Master and Capcom share nearly the same rich history and longevity in our respective fields, making this partnership a natural blend of talent, innovation, and a deep understanding of our audience," said Jimmy Sha, CEO, Cooler Master. "With Capcom, we've created products that reflect the heart and soul of Street Fighter 6, offering fans a unique opportunity to incorporate their love for the game into their gaming setups."
Greetings Ghostrunners, the entire Ghostrunner team (
at One More Level) is proud to share that Ghostrunner has sold over 2.5 million units since it launched on October 27, 2020! Thank you for being a part of the Ghostrunner community and helping to spread the word about
Ghostrunner and Ghostrunner 2.
We originally intended to make a 2 million units sold announcement, but the excitement around Ghostrunner 2 has been so incredible that we quickly jumped to 2.5+ million copies so we thought we might as well provide you the most up to date figures. Regardless, we still wanted to share with you an awesome image of 505 Games presenting One More Level with a plaque and poster to celebrate the 2 million copies sold achievement. Something tells us we are going to need to make a 3 million unit announcement soon! Thank you for the incredible support.
Taiwan's
Economic Daily reckons that a freshly formed partnership between TSMC, Broadcom, and NVIDIA will result in the development of cutting-edge silicon photonics. The likes of IBM, Intel and various academic institutes are already deep into their own research and development processes, but the alleged new alliance is said to focus on advancing AI computer hardware. The report cites a significant allocation of—roughly 200—TSMC staffers onto R&D involving the integration of silicon photonic technologies into high performance computing (HPC) solutions. They are very likely hoping that the usage of optical interconnects (on a silicon medium) will result in greater data transfer rates between and within microchips. Other benefits include longer transmission distances and a lower consumption of power.
TSMC vice president Yu Zhenhua has placed emphasis on innovation, in a
similar fashion to his boss, within the development process (industry-wide): "If we can provide a good silicon photonics integrated system, we can solve the two key issues of energy efficiency and AI computing power. This will be a new one...Paradigm shift. We may be at the beginning of a new era." The firm is facing unprecedented demand from its clients—it hopes to further expand its advanced chip packaging capacity to address these issues by late 2024. A shift away from the limitations of "conventional electric" data transmissions could bring next generation AI compute GPUs onto the market by 2025.
An unreleased NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 SUPER Founders Edition graphics card was last spotted just
over a year ago. A fortunate member of the Chinese NGA discussion board provided a close-up shot of a shroud bearing "super." A
new leak gives us a full view of the RTX 3090 SUPER FE with prominent branding—KittyYYuko declared: "WTF, I have indeed heard of this leak before" upon posting this discovery to social media.
According to ITHome, the example from last year appeared to be a publicly released variant of "an unpackaged GeForce RTX 3090 Ti," and the latest finding seems to be identical. A seller, tbNick_dn86z, has created an entry for his GeForce RTX 3090 SUPER Founders Edition card with a value of 9999 RMB (~$1370) on Xianyu (Taobao's second hand market)—it is advertised as being "original and not modified, with a pure black casing." When confronted about identifying any apparent differences between the SUPER and officially launched
Ti version, tbNick_dn86z confirmed that they are largely the same (minus external branding)—a matching device ID is shared across both variants.
DEEPX, a leading AI semiconductor technology company makes significant advancements towards creating an expansive Edge AI ecosystem by introducing innovative Edge AI Development Kits that transcend the limitations of GPUs. The company, known for its pioneering work in artificial intelligence semiconductors for Edge devices, is gearing up to participate in the AI Hardware & Edge AI Summit in Silicon Valley, set to run from September 12th to 14th.
At this prestigious event, DEEPX's CEO Lokwon Kim will share the stage with luminaries like Professor Andrew Ng of Landing AI and Tenstorrent CEO Jim Keller. More than 100 major tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, will converge to discuss the latest trends and insights in AI hardware and edge AI.
According to VideoCardz, we can look forward to Intel launching its next gen Core processor in the middle of next month, or at least some of them will launch then. As always when it comes to Intel and product launches, it appears to be a staggered launch, but this time around it's getting a bit strange. We checked with our sources to see if the proposed date by VideoCardz was indeed correct and were told that motherboards should be available later this month, largely due to Intel not offering a new chipset for the 14th Gen Core processors. This means the motherboard makers are free to launch their refreshed board for the the 14th Gen Core processors pretty much as they please.
The first CPUs that should launch are said to be the Core i9-14900K, Core i7-14700K and Core i5-14600K, as well as their KF counterparts. Advertising for these CPUs will kick off on the 16th of October followed by sales and reviews on the 17th of October, according to VideoCardz. The
remaining Raptor Lake refresh CPUs are said to launch sometime in early 2024, most likely with a CES announcement followed by availability sometime in the first quarter. However, it appears that Intel will officially announce the Raptor Lake refresh processors during Intel Innovation 2023, which kicks off next week, on the 19th of September.
Early performance leaks suggest that those with a recent CPU won't be overly tempted by these new chips from Intel and most consumers are better off waiting for Intel's move to a new socket next year, if they're looking at getting a new Intel based system.
NETGEAR, Inc., the leading provider of networking products that power businesses both large and small, today launched the NETGEAR 10G/Multi-Gigabit Dual WAN Pro Router (PR60X) making it the latest addition to their total networking solution platform, Insight. NETGEAR's line of cutting-edge Smart Switches, Pro WiFi Access Points, Insight cloud-based management platform, and now the PR60X professional router, reaches a new height. With up to 18Gbps1 bi-directional WAN-LAN throughput performance and dual WAN failover interfaces, the PR60X solidifies NETGEAR's leadership position in networking solutions for small and mid-sized businesses.
"NETGEAR has reimagined connectivity for businesses with the launch of the PR60X Pro Router," said Iphie Chen, Senior Product Line Manager, SMB Business Unit at NETGEAR. "10G broadband is coming to every business in the very near future. Businesses need to be able to support those speeds on their router to get the most out of their high-speed broadband connection. Our expert team created the PR60X to help small businesses and the VARs that manage their networks, using high performance hardware and prioritising network reliability, reduced latency, high-speed data delivery, and versatility. It seamlessly combines with our portfolio of Pro WiFi Access Points, Smart Switches, and our Insight cloud management platform for an optimised business network that's easy to deploy and manage."
iRocks, a Taiwan PC peripheral manufacturer, introduced a brand-new mechanical keyboard K74M featuring white backlight, PBT keycaps, aluminium plate and hot-swappable switches. K74M is meticulously designed to offer style and practicality for both gaming and professional tasks. Over the course of several years, iRocks has devoted countless hours to testing, gathering feedback, and engaging in development. This ongoing effort has enabled K74M to collaborate effectively with typists and gamers, ensuring the delivery of a highly satisfying typing experience.
A pre-installed set of PBT keycaps outlives ordinary ABS ones with it comes to surface wearing, and greatly enhances the durability of the keys. The keycaps are made with double shot (dual-injection) technology to prevent backlit legends from fading. Thanks to its floating keys design and aluminium plating, the K74M makes keyboard cleaning and maintenance easier after years of service.
In response to persistent softening in demand, Samsung has taken a decisive step: a sweeping 50% production cut from September, with the focus mainly on processes under 128 layers. According to TrendForce's research, other suppliers are also expected to follow suit and increase their production cutbacks in the fourth quarter to accelerate inventory reduction. With this maneuver in play, Q4 NAND Flash average prices are projected to either hold firm or witness a mild surge, possibly in the ballpark of 0~5%.
Aligning with TrendForce's early-year forecasts, NAND Flash prices are poised to rally ahead of DRAM. With mounting losses for NAND Flash vendors and sales prices nearing production costs, suppliers are opting to amplify production cuts to help stabilize and potentially increase prices. Notably, NAND Flash Wafer contract prices kickstarted their revival in August. Given expanding production curtailments, there's optimism around the resurgence of customer stockpiling, further amplifying price dynamics in September. Yet, for this positive price trajectory to sail smoothly into 2024, a sustained curtailing in production and a robust rebound in enterprise SSD purchase orders are pivotal.
ProGrade Digital, Inc., founded with a mission to provide the highest quality professional grade digital memory cards and workflow solutions, announces the 3rd generation of its CFexpress Type B Cobalt-class memory card in a new 1.3 TB capacity. This new generation features the same industry-leading quality of ProGrade current 2nd generation 325 GB and 650 GB capacity cards, but now leverages PCIe Gen 4 interconnect with NVMe 1.4c host controller interface. ProGrade Digital's 3rd generation CFexpress Cobalt cards are fully compliant with the just released CFexpress 4.0 specification, and provide read speeds of up to 3,400 MB/s, burst write speeds of up to 3,000 MB/s, and sustained write speeds of up to 2,800 MB/s - ideally suited for the highest-resolution cinema-grade video capture applications. As in past Cobalt-class memory card generations, the highest endurance and reliability memory technology is utilized - ensuring years of trouble-free, high-performance capture.
"The introduction of our 3rd generation CFexpress Cobalt card at the 1.3 TB capacity point provides the extra space and unparalleled performance needed for the very highest resolution video capture needs," said Wes Brewer, Founder and CEO of ProGrade Digital. "Our inclusion of PCIe Gen 4 controller technology, coupled with upcoming USB4 high-speed readers will allow offloading speeds 3x greater than previously possible, providing a dramatic reduction in workflow processing time."
ProGrade Digital, founded with a mission to provide the highest quality professional grade digital memory cards and workflow solutions, announces its new PG05.6 card reader, a single-slot reader designed specifically for the latest CFexpress 4.0 (PCIe Gen 4) Type B memory cards. The PG05.6 reader is based on the latest USB4 technology which is designed to achieve speeds of up to 40 Gbits/sec. When used in conjunction with the latest CFexpress 4.0 (PCIe Gen 4) memory cards, benchmark tests highlight a tripling of data transfer speed from card to host. The PG05.6 is also equipped with ProGrade's patented magnetic base and an adhesive metal plate that allows users to mount the reader to any work surface, such as the back of a laptop. The new reader is also supplied with a certified USB 4.0 cable - assuring the maximum performance possible.
"Our new PG05.6 reader provides a tremendous leap forward in workflow performance by allowing content offload speeds to be reduced by 67% when compared to the performance of USB 3.2, Gen 2 technology of our current product line-up", said Wes Brewer, CEO and Founder of ProGrade Digital. "Along with faster speeds comes the need to provide extra cooling capability for reader and card - something we've spent more than a year perfecting in the new design."
The 4 nm "Phoenix 2" monolithic APU silicon powering the lower end of AMD's Ryzen 7040-series mobile processors, could very well be the company's first hybrid core processor, even though the company doesn't advertise it as such. We first caught whiff of "Phoenix 2"
back in July, when it was described as being a physically smaller chip than the regular "Phoenix." It was known to have just 6 CPU cores, and a smaller iGPU with 4 RDNA3 compute units; in comparison to the 8 CPU cores and 12 compute units of the "Phoenix" silicon. At the time a lack of 2 CPU cores and 8 CUs were known to be behind the significant reduction in die size from 178 mm² to 137 mm², but it turns out that there's a lot more to "Phoenix 2."
A die shot of "Phoenix 2" emerged on Chinese social media platform QQ, which reveals two distinct kinds of CPU cores. There are six cores in all, but two of them appear larger than the other four. The obvious inference here, is that the larger cores are "Zen 4," and the smaller ones are the compacted "Zen 4c." The "Zen 4c" core has the same core machinery as "Zen 4," albeit it is re-arranged to favor lower area on the die. The trade-off here is that the "Zen 4c" core operates at lower voltages and lower clock-speeds than the regular "Zen 4" cores. At the same clock speeds, both kinds of cores have an identical IPC. The two also have an identical ISA, so any software threads migrating between the cores will not encounter runtime errors. Unlike Intel Thread Director, AMD can use a less sophisticated software-based solution to ensure that the right kind of workload is allocated to the right kind of cores, and prevent undesirable migration between the two kinds of cores. Unlike the hardware-based Thread Director, AMD's solution can be continually updated.
SoundMAGIC is pleased to announce global availability of the P60BT wireless ANC full-size portable headphones - SoundMAGIC's first over-ear wireless headphone model. The P60BT carries on the tradition of high value and high quality, with 40 mm drivers, the latest technology including aptX HD, Hybrid ANC, and an impressive 50 hours of playback time. The SoundMAGIC P60BT is available now from Amazon and selected retailers worldwide for £99.99/$189.96/€149.
Award-Winning History
For over a decade, SoundMAGIC has redefined the budget audio category for headphones and earphones. With early releases such as the multi award-winning E10 and E11 wired earphones, SoundMAGIC quickly became synonymous with value. Later, with award-winning Bluetooth models including the E11BT earphones, TWS50 true wireless earbuds and P23BT portable wireless headphones - SoundMAGIC's reputation for affordable, high-quality gear was fully cemented. The P60BT has been developed to deliver premium audio and features in an affordable package. 40 mm custom made drivers deliver a dynamic sound, tuned for maximum engagement and clarity in a way that SoundMAGIC is best known for. The design of the headphones ensures a comfortable and fatigue-free fit, with soft memory foam earpads, and the headband covered with a soft silicone coating chosen by SoundMAGIC for its durability - especially when compared to the more typical PU leather material used on most headphone models.
In a recent interaction with the community on Chinese social platforms, Tony Yu, better known as Uncle Tony and serving as the General Manager of ASUS China, shed light on several questions concerning ASUS's products. One question that captured attention was about the ROG Z790 APEX motherboard, a premium offering from ASUS designed explicitly for overclocking. Tony clarified that the motherboard is currently out of production as ASUS gears up to unveil an updated version. This move is in line with industry trends, with rivals like Gigabyte and MSI also refreshing their respective Z790 lineups. The updated motherboards from ASUS are expected to align with Intel's next-generation Core series known as Raptor Lake Refresh, featuring incremental improvements such as WiFi-7 standard integration, new color options, enhanced power delivery mechanisms, and advancements in memory overclocking capabilities.
Launched initially in November of the previous year with a price tag of $699, the ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX motherboard stood out for its superior features aimed at overclocking enthusiasts. These include 24 power supply modules, dual 8Pin power connectors, AI-driven overclocking technology, and support for DDR5 memory with speeds exceeding 8000 MT/s. It also offers a plethora of connectivity options, like five M.2 interfaces, a 2.5G network card, WiFi 6E, and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, along with 60 W QC 4+ fast charging. This motherboard gained popularity in December when it was used to set a world record CPU frequency of 9008.82 MHz using an Intel i9-13900K processor. Looking forward, the next generation of Intel Core processors could enable even higher overclocking frequencies. Apart from this, Tony tantalizingly hinted that ASUS is experimenting with innovative design changes, such as introducing connectors on the reverse side of motherboards, although this feature may not debut in the APEX series.
Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, launched today the Best-in-Class Kingston IronKey D500S, hardware-encrypted USB flash drive providing military-grade security for classified data in transit. The D500S is FIPS 140-3 Level 3 (Pending) certified with new enhancements from NIST requiring secure microprocessor upgrades for stronger security and attack protections for government and military use. The drive self-tests upon bootup and includes thermal and voltage protection to automatically shut down when certain threshold is reached. Waterproof{{Footnote.N47812}, dustproof, shock and vibration resistant to Military Standards, crush-resistant and epoxy-filled, D500S' rugged zinc casing protects internal components from penetration attacks.
The Multi-Password option with Complex or Passphrase mode allows users to take ownership over their data, making it easier to remember the password to unlock the stringent security. Admin can reset a User password and enable a One-Time Recovery password to restore access should User password be forgotten. Both Admin and User can set a session-based Read-Only mode to protect the drive from malware on untrusted systems, while Admin can also set a Global Read-Only mode until reset. To keep data from getting into the wrong hands, Admin can enter a Crypto-Erase password that will destroy the data and reset the drive to prevent unauthorized access in compromising situations.
In order to meet the evolving needs of Netcom data center computing, global memory provider TEAMGROUP is proud to introduce the new DDR5 VLP ECC U-DIMM normal and wide temperature (-40° to +85°C) memory module. It features DDR5 high performance, high frequencies, and large-capacity industrial ICs. Designed to have an extremely low profile for greater performance and more compact hardware configurations, the U-DIMM provides users with better performance and reliability than ever before.
Team Group's DDR5 VLP ECC U-DIMM memory modules come in frequencies up to 4800 MHz and 5600 MHz to ensure fast data processing and enhance computing performance. The memory is also offered in a wide range of capacity options, from 16 GB to 48 GB, allowing users to select the most suitable capacity kit for their platform's workload and computing needs. This module comes in an ultra-low-profile design, with a board height of only 0.738 inches, half of the normal modules. This allows it to meet the hardware configuration requirements of blade servers and helps maximize space for the user's configuration of components, and achieves higher server density.
Sunday, September 10th 2023
d-Matrix, the leader in high-efficiency generative AI compute for data centers, has closed $110 million in a Series-B funding round led by Singapore-based global investment firm Temasek. The goal of the fundraise is to enable d-Matrix to begin commercializing Corsair, the world's first Digital-In Memory Compute (DIMC), chiplet-based inference compute platform, after the successful launches of its prior Nighthawk, Jayhawk-I and Jayhawk II chiplets.
d-Matrix's recent silicon announcement,
Jayhawk II, is the latest example of how the company is working to fundamentally change the physics of memory-bound compute workloads common in generative AI and large language model (LLM) applications. With the explosion of this revolutionary technology over the past nine months, there has never been a greater need to overcome the memory bottleneck and current technology approaches that limit performance and drive up AI compute costs.
Blasphemous set itself apart in 2019's crowded indie scene thanks to a firm belief in its roots. Developed in Spain, it was clear from the beginning that The Game Kitchen would have to adapt itself to an international audience—but even if the game released with an English demographic in mind, the art direction and overall tone were uniquely Spanish.
With the sequel, the team was adamant that they preserve that identity in the writing as well, regardless of which language you choose to play in. For Enrique Cabeza, Creative Director at
The Game Kitchen, the development of
Blasphemous 2 felt sentient. It continued to shift and morph of its own volition, almost as if providing guidance to the team about where to go next. "You have to make mistakes and realize when it's time to change course to avoid paths you shouldn't take," he said.
Schenker Technologies GmbH's e-commerce platform,
bestware.com, is now offering Intel's
NUC X15 Laptop Kit with
Core i7-12700H and dedicated Arc A730M graphics card, in addition to the laptops of the two own brands XMG and SCHENKER. The base configuration of the 2 kg light and well-equipped 15.6-inch notebook is available at a reduced price of €899 (~$963) for a limited time at launch.
Intel NUC X15 Arc combines Core i7-12700H with Arc A730M
Measuring 358.26 x 235 x 22.2 mm and weighing just 2 kg, the 15.6-inch Intel NUC X15 Arc positions itself among the light and slim laptops in its performance class. The display lid and top shell of the black chassis are aluminium; only the bottom shell and the display frame use plastic. Despite its compactness, the NUC 15 Arc offers high performance. Intel pairs a Core i7-12700H with 14 cores (6 performance, 8 efficiency cores) and 20 threads with a dedicated graphics card from its own Arc portfolio: The
Arc A730M offers a generous 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and operates at a TGP of 75 watts.
As we enter the second week of September the release of new games is taking a bit of an autumn break. As such, we have no huge releases to look forward to this coming week, but it doesn't mean there aren't any new game releases. Expect a rather eclectic mix of games this week, ranging from co-op tavern defence to mythical forces and umbrellas to deceit, bombs and swords.
Tavernacle! / Monday 11 September
Grab your hammers and start to craft in this co-op Tavern Defense for one to four players. As a team of Dwarves, you must gather supplies and build towers to protect your beloved brewery. Learn to cooperate to achieve victory in this chaotic multiplayer game!
Saturday, September 9th 2023
Long presumed dead, Anton Sabbados, a veteran returns from a 10-year-long Ottoman slavery. His Carpathian homeland is feebly reigned by the demented prophet-king, its lands ruined by raiders and cursed with a hellish plague. Everything he loved and cherished is either gone or has changed beyond recognition. All he has left is his soldiers' loyalty - and a holy quest to end the plague. Facing hordes of enemies as well as his inner demons, you must help him see it through no matter the cost!
BEAST is a dynamic and brutal gridless tactical turn-based RPG where moral choices during battle influence the gameplay. In a grimdark medieval world, torn by plague and military conflicts, you decide if you should exercise or exorcise your inner beast with dire consequences for you and your allies!
Hardware leaker, YuuKi_AnS, has briefly turned their attention away from all things
Team Blue—their
latest leak points to upcoming server-grade processors chez AMD. A Zen 6 core-based 9006 EPYC CPU series, codenamed "Venice," is expected to arrive within two to three years along with an all-new SP7 socket—this information seems to have been sourced from an unnamed server manufacturer's product roadmap. A partial view of said slide also reveals forthcoming equipment powered by Intel "Falcon Shore" and NVIDIA "
Blackwell" GPU technologies.
As
reported a couple of months ago, older insider info has AMD using "Weisshorn" as an in-house moniker for Zen 6 "Morpheus" architecture, destined for Venice CPUs—alleged to form part of a 2025/2026 EPYC lineup. YuuKi_AnS proposes that these will utilize either 12-channel or 16-channel DDR5 memory configurations—thus providing plenty of bandwidth across hundreds of Zen cores. Altogether very handy for cloud, enterprise, and HPC workloads—industry experts reckon that 384-core counts are feasible on single packages. Naturally, a Team Red timeline dictates that Zen 5 "Nirvana" is due before Zen 6 "Morpheus," so EPYC 9005 "Turin(-X)" and 8005 "Turin-Dense" lineups are (allegedly) up for a 2024-ish launch window on SP5 (LGA-6096) and SP6 (LGA 4094) socket types.
Paradox Interactive and Nimble Giant Entertainment have announced that their upcoming grand strategy game
Star Trek: Infinite, under license from Paramount Consumer Products, will launch on Mac and PC on October 12, 2023. Players can now
pre-order either the base game or Digital Deluxe Edition, granting them access to bonuses like skins, ships, and special voiceover. Star Trek: Infinite takes players on an interstellar saga with its emergent gameplay and complex choices, as they face the powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.
More News on the Horizon!
Starting next week, we—
Nimble Giant Entertainment—will be publishing the first in a series of Developer Diaries that will dig deeper into the game and its development journey, so be sure to come back for those. With this week's news, we will also be opening up our Discord server, which you can join through the URL below. Our announcements are great for anyone who has been hungry for news about Star Trek: Infinite, because we bring you our gameplay features trailer, a load of new screenshots that are live on the store page, and have now opened up
pre-purchasing, allowing you to unlock bonus content on release.
Video game events specialist ReedPop is no longer partnering with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) to co-organize future Electronic Entertainment Expo (aka E3) trade shows. According to GamesIndustry.biz, a venue change is also in the cards—E3's familiar setting of the Los Angeles Convention Center is not on the consideration list for next year. The ESA seems to be sizing up (or down) a suitable new location for E3 2024, despite industry talk indicating that everything had been called off,
well in advance. E3 2023 was
cancelled around Spring time, with major publishers confirming non-attendance and a downturn in public interest—the latest reports suggest that the ESA is working on a complete format revamp for their 2025 show.
A mutual decision has been reached between the (now former) collaborators—ReedPop's multi-year deal as co-organizer is annulled. ESA president and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis commented on the split: "We appreciate ReedPop's partnership over the past 14 months and support their ongoing efforts to bring industry and fans together through their various events. While the reach of E3 remains unmatched in our industry, we are continuing to explore how we can evolve it to best serve the video game industry and are evaluating every aspect of the event, from format to location. We are committed to our role as a convenor for the industry and look forward to sharing news about E3 in the coming months."
IBM has announced the expansion of the their
Cloud Security and Compliance Center, a suite of modernized cloud security and compliance solutions designed to help enterprises mitigate risk and protect data across their hybrid, multicloud environments and workloads. As clients look for ways to address new threats across the supply chain and manage evolving global regulations, the solution suite helps to support their resiliency, performance, security, and compliance needs while helping to minimize operational costs.
"IBM Cloud has a long history of working with clients in financial services and other highly regulated industries, especially when it comes to helping them to drive innovation while protecting their sensitive data," said Rohit Badlaney, General Manager, IBM Cloud Product and Industry Platform. "The expansion of the IBM Cloud Security and Compliance Center demonstrates our continued focus on industry-specific capabilities that help address real world business challenges for our clients. For example, clients have the ability to utilize the
IBM Cloud Framework for Financial Services, which can help them address evolving rules, laws and regulations surrounding cloud risk. The new capabilities showcase our commitment to supporting clients on their hybrid cloud modernization journeys, designed for security, compliance, privacy, and trust at the forefront of our product roadmap."
A few new releases from last week flew under the radar with the meteoric response to Starfield's early access, especially since the
Xbox Wire crew was all-hands on deck to support the launch. But there was one new title I knew I wanted to bump to the top of my playlist, as I've adored all the previous games in the series.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy will take Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight on their most action-packed journey yet! With their reputations tarnished, loved ones in danger, and their own magical powers at stake, the Heroes of Trine must reunite to push back a fearsome Clockwork army and bring peace and justice to the land! I've always been bewildered by the Trine series. It's not fair to call a game with five releases - each one a bit bigger and better than its predecessor - a hidden gem. Perhaps, "rare gem" is more befitting. But it is a true treasure indeed - a fun, feature-filled series with a rich story, vibrant characters, and epic adventure.
Once Upon a Time…
The
Trine series is a collection of fantasy action-adventure games with equal shares of platforming and puzzle elements sprinkled in about three heroes: a knight, a thief, and a wizard. The heroes are bound together by a magical artifact called the Trine and must work together using their unique skills to solve puzzles, fight enemies, and explore breathtaking environments.
TSMC Chairman Mark Liu was asked to comment on all things artificial intelligence-related at the
SEMICON Taiwan 2023 industry event. According to a
Nikkei Asia report, he foresees supply constraints lasting until the tail end of 2024: "It's not the shortage of AI chips. It's the shortage of our chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (COWOS) capacity...Currently, we can't fulfill 100% of our customers' needs, but we try to support about 80%. We think this is a temporary phenomenon. After our expansion of advanced chip packaging capacity, it should be alleviated in one and a half years." He cites a recent and very "sudden" spike in demand for COWOS, with numbers tripling within the span of a year. Market leader NVIDIA relies on TSMC's advanced packaging system—most notably with the production of
highly-prized A100 and H100 series Tensor Core compute GPUs.
These issues are deemed a "temporary" problem—it could take around 18 months to eliminate production output "bottlenecks." TSMC is racing to bolster its native activities with new facilities—plans for a new $2.9 billion advanced chip packaging plant (in Miaoli County) were disclosed
during summer time. Liu reckons that industry-wide innovation is necessary to meet growing demand through new methods to "connect, package and stack chips." Liu elaborated: "We are now putting together many chips into a tightly integrated massive interconnect system. This is a paradigm shift in semiconductor technology integration." The TSMC boss reckons that processing units fielding over one trillion transistors are viable within the next decade: "it's through packaging with multiple chips that this could be possible.".
The Steam store and desktop client will soon be able to help players find games that support DualSense or DualShock controllers. If your game supports either of these devices, you can now enter that information in the Steamworks "edit store" section for your app. Steamworks has a new controller-support questionnaire for developers to better describe the devices supported by the game.
If your game plays well with a DualShock or DualSense Controller (PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 respectively), you can now specify that information within Steamworks. This is the first step toward helping players find games that support the most commonly-used PC video game controllers. Starting in October, we'll show this information to players in the Steam store and Steam desktop client. Here are more details on this new level of support.
Friday, September 8th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Game Testing
Starfield, an AMD sponsored title, has no support for the NVIDIA DLSS technology, so modders added it without official blessings, and the results are good. In this mini-review, we examine and compare the image quality and performance improvements provided by these technologies.
Anyone up for another beta? You guessed it, this weekend we'll run another
technical beta of Payday 3. This time it will be OPEN for you to push our servers to the limit. Payday 3 is the much anticipated sequel to one of the most popular co-op shooters ever. Since its release, Payday-players have been reveling in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist. That's what makes Payday a high-octane, co-op FPS experience without equal.
Second BETA
As you might've heard already, we're doing a second Technical BETA - in other words, a server stress test. Same build as last time—so no new UI or heists for now. We want to ensure that we have as few issues as possible ahead of our very imminent launch, so this test is meant to do just that. Between September 8th and 11th we're running an open BETA, just go to
our store page, download the build and play.
Cerabyte/Ceramic Data Solutions Holding GmbH, a German storage technology startup, is hyping up its nanolayer-based storage method: "creating the most reliable data storage ever. Data is safe in a wide temperature range of -273 °C (-460 °F) to 300 °C (570 °F) and even in corrosive or acidic atmosphere. Also radiation and an EMP can't destroy information stored on (our system)." The firm's leadership is comprised of self-described "pioneers," with a goal to disrupt the storage market (worth $500 billion)—they want to reduce data center storage total cost of ownership (TCO) by 75 %, while introducing their environment friendly solution that: "requires 99 % less energy. Sustainable long-term data storage is one of the most urgent problems in our world. Cerabyte is the solution for reducing 99% of CO2 emissions generated by conventional cloud data storage."
A product preview showcases the potential of multiple CeraMemory cartridges (2025-30) in a rack formation capable of storing between 10 PB and 100 PB of data, and their CeraTape (2030-35) series offering up to 1 EB capacity per unit. Cerabyte representatives are set to discuss their technologies at the
2023 Storage Developer Conference, scheduled to take place later this month (September 18 to 21). Their "Ceramic Nano Memory - Data Storage for the Yottabyte Era"
abstract is available to view in advance of the upcoming meet up in Silicon Valley.
Gargoyles Remastered is now available for pre-order on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch,
Steam and
GOG! Launching October 19th, Gargoyles Remastered is an artfully crafted revival of the 1990s classic 16-bit side-scrolling platform adventure. Relive the epic journey of Goliath and the Gargoyles featuring enhanced visuals, animations, and SFX, all inspired by the acclaimed animated series. The world of Gargoyles comes to life with a level of detail that will thrill fans of the animated series and retro gaming enthusiasts alike. Experience classic gameplay that stays authentic to its predecessor while including new features such as achievements, gameplay rewind, and more!
A true blast from the past! In 1995, Disney Software and Buena Vista Interactive teamed up to bring Gargoyles for the Sega Genesis. This platformer was based on Disney's
animated TV series with the same title, which was known for its dark and mature themes, complex characters, and engaging storytelling. The game quickly became an absolute gem thanks to its faithfulness to the source material and fun-packed gameplay.
Intel's advanced packaging prowess demonstration took place this week—attendees were able to get an early-ish look at Team Blue's sixth Generation Xeon Scalable "Sapphire Rapids" processors. This multi-tile datacenter-oriented CPU family is projected to hit the market within the first half of 2024, but
reports suggest that key enterprise clients have recently received evaluation samples. Coincidentally, renowned hardware leaker—Yuuki_AnS—has managed to source more information from industry insiders. This follows their
complete blowout of more mainstream Raptor Lake Refresh desktop SKUs.
The leaked slide presents a bunch of evaluation sample "Granite Rapids-SP" XCC and "Sierra Forest" HCC SKUs. Intel has not officially published core counts for these upcoming "Avenue City" platform product lines. According to their
official marketing blurb: "Intel Xeon processors with P-cores (Granite Rapids) are optimized to deliver the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) for high-core performance-sensitive workloads and general-purpose compute workloads. Today, Xeon enables better AI performance than any other CPU, and Granite Rapids will further enhance AI performance. Built-in accelerators give an additional boost to targeted workloads for even greater performance and efficiency."
The Power of Small: Evolution of Data Storage—since computers were built, making them smaller has never stopped. This is especially evident in the industrial sector, where compactness is highly valued. As a crucial component of computers, data storage has undergone a process of miniaturization as well, leading to the era of M.2 interface SSDs. While some ultra compact fanless PC and rugged mobile PC may adopt smaller embedded storage, such as eMMC (Embedded MultiMediaCard), they significantly lag behind M.2 PCIe SSDs in terms of performance. Therefore, M.2 PCIe SSDs have emerged as the superior choice for those seeking top-notch performance and efficiency in their computing experience.
Introducing the Cervoz T425 SSD: Unleash Power in a Tiny Package
To embrace this remarkable trend, Cervoz presents the latest
T425, a new M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x2 SSD. Designed with a compact M.2 2230 form factor (22 mm x 30 mm), it supports both A and E key configurations and utilizes PCIe Gen 3 x2 lanes for high-speed data transfer. With impressive sequential speeds of up to 815 MB/s read and 760 MB/s write, along with storage capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 512 GB, the T425 is the ultimate solution for enhancing the performance of embedded computing systems with space constraints.
A new version of Minecraft for Xbox Series X and S consoles has been registered with ratings boards around the world—as reported by
Eurogamer, the first appearance arrived back in August through Germany's USK system, and more recently with the
ESRB (USA). This lead to speculation that Mojang Studios was prepping a visually-upgraded variant of the game for current generation consoles. Microsoft and Xbox
teased a significant ray tracing graphical option back in 2020, prior to Series X launching, but we have not heard much since then. Bedrock Edition, utilizing the
RenderDragon engine, is set to improve graphics across most platforms, yet only PC gamers get to enjoy
ray tracing features on
capable/compatible hardware.
Microsoft has seemingly become fed up with the latest batch of news reports, and reached out to media outlets in order to shutdown further conjecture on the topic.
A company spokesperson informed Eurogamer and other
sites about the situation: "Given the number of platforms and geographies in which Minecraft is available, we periodically go through rating reviews and updates with different regional boards. This recent rating is not indicative of any new versions or platform support for Minecraft in the near future." A
2022 test build inadvertently included "prototype code for ray tracing support on Xbox consoles," but was swiftly eliminated from public view soon after release. A spokesperson stated back then: "this early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn't signal near future plans to bring ray tracing support to consoles."
GIGABYTE Technology, a leading global powerhouse in motherboards, graphics cards, and cutting-edge hardware solutions, proudly unveils its latest creations: the Z790 AORUS PRO X and the B760M AORUS ELITE X AX. These masterpieces are meticulously engineered to not only unleash the full potential of the next-gen Intel processors but also support mind-bending DDR5-8266 and beyond.
Prepare to be captivated by the alluring all-white aesthetics of these motherboards. The PCB boards boast the latest color-matched solder mask, accompanied by entrancing lighting effects. The new UC BIOS also provides the white version which is redesigned as user-centered and offers an intuitive operation interface with an aesthetically pleasing design. Moreover, Quick Access function and nine customizable option slots for effortless access in Easy Mode are also at your fingertips. Paired with the sleek white antenna, assembling the most immersive, visually striking white-themed rig on the market has never been this effortless.
Developed by NExT Studios and published by Level Infinite, SYNCED transports players to the Meridian, a devastated zone populated with deadly Nanos - former humans transformed by nanotechnology gone tragically awry. Players will take on the role of Runners - brave fortune-hunters searching the Meridian for Nerva, a valuable nano-energy substance.
SYNCED features three player co-operative gameplay, with Runners able to increase their squad size by syncing with Prime Nanos and turning them into deployable Companion Nanos. Runners will be able to strategically utilise their Companion Nano's skills to compliment their play style and turn the tide of the battle.
Join Intel Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger, Chief Technology Officer Greg Lavender and other Intel leaders at Intel Innovation 2023, a premier event for global developer communities. In an age fueled by artificial intelligence, developers will engage with their peers and learn from the brightest minds in the industry to use breakthroughs in hardware, software, services and advanced technologies to speed development, drive innovation and help hone every competitive edge.
The two-day event is a technical conference designed to benefit global developers, architects, business leaders, creators and students. Intel Innovation brings this valued community up to speed with the latest Intel technologies and tools during keynote addresses, breakout sessions, hands-on labs and tutorials, networking and community-building events, and interactions with top Intel and industry experts.
FSP has declared that it intends to update its entire 2023 PSU product lineup to include the latest "12V-2x6" power connector (part of the ATX 3.0 standard)—
harukaze5719 posted about this development earlier today, citing a
Quasarzone article. We heard mid-summer about
PCI-SIG plowing ahead on an all-new ATX 3.0 connector to replace the 16-pin (12+4) 12VHPWR plug. They hope to introduce some key improvements with their new design, mainly in the areas of ease-of-use and safety.
TPU staffers had hands-on time with FSP's 2023 PSU product line at their
Computex 2023 booth, showcased units were equipped with 16-pin 12VHPWR (at the time). Quasarzone's report (covering a recent press conference) has the following FSP power supply families listed with updates to the new "12V-2x6" standard: Hydro G PRO 1200 W ATX 3.0, Hydro PTM X PRO ATX 3.0 and Dagger PRO ATX 3.0.
NVIDIA today announced an extensive collaboration with Tata Group to deliver AI computing infrastructure and platforms for developing AI solutions. The collaboration will bring state-of-the-art AI capabilities within reach to thousands of organizations, businesses and AI researchers, and hundreds of startups in India. The companies will work together to build an AI supercomputer powered by the next-generation NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip to achieve performance that is best in class.
"The global generative AI race is in full steam," said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. "Data centers worldwide are shifting to GPU computing to build energy-efficient infrastructure to support the exponential demand for generative AI.
Today, 2K announced that NBA 2K24, the latest iteration of the top-rated NBA video game simulation series, is now available worldwide on PlayStation 5 (PS5), PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch family of systems, and PC. Players can experience the past, present, and future of hoops culture with innovative updates in NBA 2K24. A focus on increased realism and competition are at the forefront of the newest entry with the introduction of immersive ProPLAY technology and crossplay functionality for New Gen, alongside so much more.
"We've ushered in a new era of 2K, thanks to the groundbreaking ProPLAY technology delivering the most authentic and realistic NBA 2K gameplay to date. NBA 2K24 also introduces new updates to our beloved modes with incredible details that will delight gamers and basketball fans alike."
The Xbox Digital Broadcast will be returning to Tokyo Game Show on September 21 at 6 pm JST / 9 am UTC / 2 am PDT. Tokyo Game Show represents a special time each year where we share news and updates on games that we hope will delight Xbox fans in Japan and across Asia. Players can expect to hear progress updates from Xbox and Bethesda Softworks and see a creatively diverse collection of games from creators predominantly located in Japan and across Asia. We'll also share exciting new games coming to Xbox Game Pass, which continues to grow with great content from teams all around Asia.
This year's broadcast will be available on Tokyo Game Show's official YouTube channel, as well as on select Xbox social channels in Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, French, German and Castilian Spanish. It will also be broadcast with Japanese Sign Language (JSL), Australian Sign Language (AusLan), and audio descriptions in both Japanese and English. A full list of where you can watch the broadcast will be available the week of the show.
In a
major step to support India's industrial sector, NVIDIA and Reliance Industries today announced a collaboration to develop India's own foundation large language model trained on the nation's diverse languages and tailored for generative AI applications to serve the world's most populous nation. The companies will work together to build AI infrastructure that is over an order of magnitude more powerful than the fastest supercomputer in India today. NVIDIA will provide access to the most advanced
NVIDIA GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip and
NVIDIA DGX Cloud, an AI supercomputing service in the cloud. GH200 marks a fundamental shift in computing architecture that provides exceptional performance and massive memory bandwidth.
The NVIDIA-powered AI infrastructure is the foundation of the new frontier into AI for Reliance Jio Infocomm, Reliance Industries' telecom arm. The global AI revolution is transforming industries and daily life. To serve India's vast potential in AI, Reliance will create AI applications and services for their 450 million Jio customers and provide energy-efficient AI infrastructure to scientists, developers and startups across India.
Vastarmor has updated their
Alloy graphics card cooling solution with the introduction of customized Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT models—the Chinese manufacturer is keeping things local, so their latest products are unlikely to reach retailers outside of the PRC. This small sticking point has not deterred TPU's GPU database curator—entries have been created for both cards. 4499 RMB (~$612) bags you Vastarmor's
Radeon RX 7800 XT Alloy, while their
Radeon RX 7700 XT Alloy starts at 3999 RMB (~$545). The two Navi 32 chiplet-based cards appear to share the exact same shroud design and triple-fan setup.
Vastarmor's robust cooling system relies on a 100 + 90 + 100 mm fan array with a somewhat unique visual twist—RGB enthusiasts will be stoked to know that lighting has been integrated into each individual fan. VideoCardz
digs the resultant effects: "as the fans spin, gamers will be treated to the mesmerizing sight of what can be described as RGB rings, hopefully nothing too
hypnotic." The new Alloy cards arrive with factory set overclocks—providing a rough 5 to 6% climb over AMD's reference figures. Vastarmor has their Radeon RX 7800 XT model configured with 1624/2254/2565 MHz (base/game/boost). The Radeon RX 7700 XT Alloy's spec sheet states 1784/2276/2600 MHz.
Microsoft has quietly added WordPad to their list of "Deprecated features for Windows client," as of September 1—this classic word processor application has been part of their operating systems stretching back in time to Windows 95—when it debuted as
Microsoft Write's successor. The
announcement stated: "WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like.doc and.rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like.txt." Updates for the bundled rich-text editing program ceased following UI tweaks introduced around the Windows 8 era.
Microsoft presents two alternative paths for the near future—naturally, one involves a paid 365 subscription—you can
opt for Word. An online version is available
at no cost, but it involves registration (with MS) and only functions as a web app. Notepad is the next best free-to-use native word processor—it has been modernized with new features, albeit via Windows 11. HotHardware has hyped it up: "One major update that users have been asking for was recently added to Notepad, that being the ability to open multiple tabs within the same session. Future updates include an autosave feature and the ability to restore previously open tabs as well as unsaved content and edits across those open tabs." Microsoft will be adding a snipping tool at some point, with the introduction of a: "combined capture bar, making it easier to switch between capturing screenshots and screen recordings without having to open the app."
Yesterday we pre-announced that we're developing an
SD Expansion Card. Normally we don't announce a product until we've fully locked the feature-set, brought up the necessary suppliers and manufacturing environment, completed most of the engineering and a substantial level of testing and validation, and are on a high confidence path to a specific release date at a specific price. This is because development of brand new products requires charting a course into the unknown. We set a target for what the product will be from the start, but as we proceed and learn, we often need to adjust the schedule, scope, and cost, and sometimes even need to outright pause or cancel development. Announcing just before shipping is how most companies operate to reduce churn and public uncertainty, but it means the product development process ends up extremely opaque.
We decided we're going to treat this one product on our roadmap a little differently. A full-size SD Expansion Card is consistently the most requested Expansion Card by the community, which makes it a great one to open up. We're just at the start of the process now, and Hyelim on our Marketing team is creating a new YouTube series to share updates and insights as we go through the New Product Introduction (NPI) process. Take a look at the first video (below) and let us know what you think as we complete (or don't complete) the product.
Focus Entertainment and Dream Powered Games are thrilled to announce that
Warstride Challenges v1.0 is now available on PC, as well as on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series! The high-octane fast-FPS in which you blast demons in satisfying one-minute massacres has left early access after over a year of continuous improvement. The small, close-knit team of passionate devs thanks the community of Warstriders wholeheartedly for its amazing involvement. Want to give it a try and test your skills? A free demo is available for both newcomers and challenge lovers on
Steam.
RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK
In hellish challenges, blast hordes of demons at lightning speed with powerful abilities and weapons. Slow time to pull off impossible headshots, bunny hop to pick up speed, slide around corners and shred your enemies into pieces with destructive shockwaves!
EK, the world-renowned provider of premium liquid cooling solutions, is launching a new distro plate for the just-released LIAN LI O11D EVO XL case. It is designed to provide advanced water cooling with the latest 3rd generation SATA-powered D5 pump, reducing the need for additional 4-pin Molex cables. The Reflection² series distribution plates are EK-Matrix7 compliant. On top of the push-in ports, allowing for easier radiator insertion and support for inverted layout, it also supports up to three 420 mm radiators and a vertically-mounted GPU.
EK-Quantum Reflection² PC-O11D EVO XL D5 PWM D-RGB
The EK-Quantum Reflection² PC-O11D EVO XL D5 PWM D-RGB is a custom water cooling reservoir, routing, and pump solution that seamlessly fits into the front of the case. This waterway also has five innovative push-in ports with female G1/4" threaded adapters. The idea is that users can assemble the top and bottom radiator with fittings and tubing and use these push-in adapters to simply slide it into the distro plate. To fit 420 mm radiators, the Push-In Adapter M7 should be used, which is available as a stand-alone product in the EK Shop.
Intel Graphics has released yet another beta version of the Intel Arc GPU Graphics drivers, version 101.4676 Beta. The new version brings a couple of fixes for Starfield game, with more fixes coming in the future updates. In general, it improves stability of the game as well as fixes some rendering issues.
The latest Intel Arc GPU Graphics driver is still a beta release and hopefully, Intel will eventually launch the full Game On drivers, as there are still plenty of known issues with the game. On the other hand, as reported by Videocardz.com, Bethesda has noted that the Arc A770 GPU does not actually meet minimum requirements for the game, as these still include the Radeon RX 5700 and GeForce GTX 1070 Ti.
DOWNLOAD:
Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4676 BetaWhen it comes to Intel powered mini PCs, Zotac is one of the main players in the market and its latest addition, the ZBOX Pro PI339 pico is an almost pocket friendly PC based on an Intel Processor N100. For those not familiar with Intel's N-range of CPUs, these are pretty much the E-cores from Intel's higher-end chips and Intel offers a range of options from two to eight cores. The N100 is a quad core part that peaks at a 3.4 GHz turbo frequency, has 6 MB of cache and a 6 W TDP. Zotac has paired the CPU with a somewhat meagre 4 GB of LPDDR5/LPDDR5X memory and there's no way to add more RAM to this system.
Storage is handled by a single M.2 slot that's compatible with PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe or SATA drives up to 2280 in size. In terms of connectivity the ZBOX Pro PI339 pico has a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports that are limited to 4K output at 60 Hz, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type A ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a barrel plug for power input. It's unfortunate that Zotac didn't go with USB-C for the power input, as it would've made the ZBOX far easier to power, since the supplied power adapter only outputs 20 Watts. There's also onboard WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 support, although the rather large antennas are a somewhat odd addition to the small PC. Zotac claims to support Windows 11 / Windows 10 IoT ENT LTSC 2021, Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS Linux, but most likely any flavour of Linux should work. The ZBOX Pro PI339 pico measures 115 x 76 x 27 mm (WxDxH) and has a volume of a mere 0.27 litres. No word on pricing as yet.
LG Electronics (LG) is releasing a limited-edition UltraGear OLED gaming monitor (model 27GR95QL) for League of Legends fans. In addition to a vibrant 27-inch OLED display boasting a fast 240 Hz refresh rate, the monitor features distinctive League of Legends-themed designs and icons applied to its exterior and on-screen menus, developed with valuable feedback from League of Legends gamers. As one would expect of an UltraGear product, the 27GR95QL delivers smooth, immersive gaming experiences and comes packed with gamer-centric features.
The limited-edition League of Legends UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is the latest example of LG's strong partnership with Riot Games, the developer and publisher of League of Legends. First released in 2009, the beloved multiplayer online battle arena game now has the largest gaming fandom in all of esports. Over 600 million fans have played League of Legends over the past decade and the game has amassed an average of 180 million players per month.
Whether it's the ultimate sound system in the home or a single point of sound, Beolab 8 can be used as a system speaker to create an immersive home cinema setup using the latest high-end Bang & Olufsen speakers or even heritage speakers dating back to 1984. Stereo pair two Beolab 8 speakers to create powerful and precise stereo sound for a high-fidelity music experience. Beolab 8 is also a stand-alone speaker delivering depth with an intense bass for its size.
"Our goal is to create powerful and immersive listening experiences for our customers. Beolab 8 provides exactly this. It is a scalable speaker that is all about flexibility, performance, and innovation", says Michael Henriksson, Vice President of Product Marketing at Bang & Olufsen and continues: "Drawing inspiration from the high-end Beolab range, our aim for Beolab 8 was to distil the acoustic essence of these impressive speakers into a compact offering that maintains the directivity and sound beam control for optimal sound reproduction in any environment. Bringing immersive experiences for every moment".
IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a renowned provider in the design and manufacturing of embedded computing solutions, rolls out the low-power IB838 3.5" single board computer powered by Intel Core i3 N-series (formerly Alder Lake-N) processor. Combining robust computing performance with advanced features, it is positioned to meet diverse needs across multiple industries, including industrial automation and control, retail displays, transportation, and automotive applications.
Fortified with intelligent power handling and a 9 V~36 V DC input range, the IB838 ensures reliability and consistent operations in transportation applications that may encounter variable power conditions. Versatile connectivity makes it ideal for automation processes and data acquisition systems. The SBC offers Type-C, DP++, and eDP or LVDS display options, along with a rich set of I/O interfaces, including two Intel PCI-E 2.5G LAN ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and four USB 3.2 ports (1x Type-C + 3x Type-A).
ADATA Technology Co., Ltd., the world's leading memory brand, announced a theme of "Dazzling Tomorrow" for its annual creator event " You Are a Rising Star," held from today until October 13th. Use creative techniques such as graphic design, 3D rendering, and video to weave your own moving story. Share your pieces publically on Instagram and you will have an opportunity to win excellent prizes valued at more than USD$5,700.
With the generational change of processors and chipsets, DDR5 memory entering the mainstream, the rapid rise of Gen 4 SSDs and a migration to the Gen 5 era, coupled with the rise of generative AI tools, creator software and hardware must also improve in leaps and bounds. ADATA's online creator contest officially enters its fourth year and continues to provide a platform for talent in the fields of "graphic design," "video creation," "animation," and "photography" to unleash their creativity. This year, we continue our commitment to the spirit of "Build to Create" to produce better solutions for content creators, including major international award winning high-end and comprehensive products such as the LEGEND 970 Gen 5 SSD, ACE series memory module, SE920 USB4 external SSD, and other devices to inspire creativity.
Thursday, September 7th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Mice
The ambidextrous M800 Pro is among the most popular mice from DELUX, and receives a thorough update with this 3395 edition. Aside from featuring PixArt's latest PAW3395 sensor, it comes with both 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth connectivity, up to 70 hours of battery life, and Huano switches for the main buttons.
NACON, a leader in premium gaming accessories and parent of the RIG audio brand, proudly unveils the RIG 900 MAX HX. Licensed for Xbox, the 900 MAX marks the pinnacle in wireless game audio, merging capabilities such as a personalized Dolby Atmos headphone experience, dual wireless connectivity with Bluetooth audio, and a seamless charging base station for the definitive gaming experience.
The 900 MAX is the first gaming headset to offer the ability to personalize your Dolby Atmos headphone listening experience when enjoying gaming in Dolby Atmos on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or PC. Traditional audio experiences over headphones are designed using generic head and body types without considering the natural diversity of the human body. Leveraging the companion Dolby Personalization mobile app, the 900 MAX unlocks an exceptional Dolby Atmos experience by providing you with a custom personal profile tailored for you.
Late last year, we officially launched EA's next-generation game platform, the EA app, for Windows OS. A faster, more reliable, and more streamlined experience - it's the best place for you to experience EA's incredible games, services and content.
We've been working to bring the same updated experience to our Mac players. Today, we're excited to say that the EA app for Mac will soon replace Origin as our primary Mac platform. The EA app is our fastest and lightest Mac client to date. With the new streamlined design you will easily find the games and content you're looking for and discover your new favorite games. With simple content downloads and background updates you can ensure that your games are ready to play when you are.
The new cosmic adventure game,
Void Crew, is now available on
Steam Early Access. Publisher Focus Entertainment and Danish indie studio Hutlihut Games are delighted to invite you on a journey into deep space. Gather your crew, set your course for uncharted galaxies, and prepare for epic journeys beyond the stars. With a 20% Early Birds limited time discount and a groundbreaking Early Access Launch Trailer, Void Crew gives you a taste of what "co-operation" truly means.
In space, no one can hear you scream…
…except your friends! In Void Crew, humanity unites against a mysterious aggressor - the Hollow. As the chosen ones, you and your crew of up to 4 mavericks must brave the void and bring order to the galaxy! Embark on a cooperative journey that will test your strategic prowess and communication skills. In Void Crew, teamwork isn't just an option; it's the key to reclaiming humanity's lost territory.
In the weeks leading up to Gamescom 2023 all sorts of Nintendo-related rumors started to spew forth—the boldest being a public unveiling of their much anticipated Switch successor during the conference segment. This did not transpire—
of course—with Nintendo choosing to showcase existing games and hardware on the trade fair floor in Germany. Post-event murmurs proposed another highly unlikely circumstance—claims posted to social media and on forums pointed to a top secret demo session of "Switch 2" hardware occurring "behind closed doors" at Gamescom, with an elite set of development teams in attendance. These rumblings were largely dismissed due to unsubstantiated information coming from less than reliable sources.
Eurogamer and Video Games Chronicles (VGC) reached out to their cadre of industry insiders to find out more—newly published articles seem to align with recent leaks. The former
understands that: "Developer presentations for Switch 2 took place behind closed doors, with partners shown tech demos of how well the system is designed to run. One Switch 2 demo is a souped up version of Switch launch title Zelda: Breath of the Wild, designed to hit the Switch 2's beefier target specs. (To be clear, though - this is just a tech demo. There's no suggestion the game will be re-released." An insider familiar with the games industry in Spain alleged, a few months ago, that
Switch 2 development kits had been delivered to a notable local development partner.
GeForce NOW brings expanded support for PC Game Pass to members this week. Members can stream eight more games from Microsoft's subscription service, including four titles from hit publisher Focus Entertainment.Play A Plague Tale: Requiem, Atomic Heart and more from the GeForce NOW library at up to 4K resolution and 120 frames per second with a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership. Plus, time's almost up to take on the Ultimate KovaaK's Challenge. Get on the leaderboard today - the challenge ends on Thursday, Sept. 21.
Laser-Focused
Four games from Focus Entertainment's PC Game Pass catalog join GeForce NOW this week. Members signed up with Microsoft's subscription service can now stream titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Atomic Heart and more titles at stunning quality across their devices - without additional purchases. Embark on a heartrending journey into a brutal, breathtaking world in the critically acclaimed A Plague Tale: Requiem or explore an alternate history of the 1950s Soviet Union in Atomic Heart. Go off road in SnowRunner or salvage among the stars in Hardspace: Shipbreaker. Members can even bring the squad together for military battles in Insurgency: Sandstorm. There's something for everyone. Experience it all with a PC Game Pass subscription, best paired with a GeForce NOW Ultimate membership, which provides up to 4K streaming or up to 240 FPS for the ultimate cloud gaming experience.
MSI, the leading brand of gaming products, is launching the MAG Codex 6 with the cutting-edge 13th-Gen Intel processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics card. Dedicated to being gamers' ultimate companion, the MAG Codex 6 13th seamlessly blends performance and functionality. Its sleek and robust design, inspired by modern aesthetics, exudes a captivating look without compromising on appearance.
The MAG Codex 6 13th is powered by the Intel Core i7 processor, delivering a remarkable performance boost compared to its predecessor. Paired with the RTX 40 Series, featuring the latest Fourth-Gen Tensor Cores, Third-Gen RT Cores, and New Streaming Multiprocessors, game frame rates have seen significant enhancements. Moreover, gamers have the option to select from various graphics card choices, including the RTX 4070, or opt for the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB variant, catering to those seeking greater VRAM capacity. In addition, the MAG Codex 6 13th is equipped with cutting-edge transmission specifications, such as DDR5 memory and M.2 PCI-e SSD slots, ensuring the highest level of performance for avid gamers.
Hello heisters, we hope you're having a wonderful week - and if you're not, we have some cool news for you to dig into when it comes to
Payday 3! This is the much anticipated sequel to one of the most popular co-op shooters ever. Since its release, Payday-players have been reveling in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist. That's what makes Payday a high-octane, co-op FPS experience without equal.
Post Launch Plans
We're nearing the launch date on September 21 (Early Access on September 18), but today we wanted to give you a glimpse of what's to come for Year One of Payday 3 and its future content. Besides 4 DLCs, with names yet to be fully determined, we'll also look at seasonal events, playable characters, new enemy, weapons, Unreal Engine 5 upgrade, cosmetics, quality of life improvements, new features and much more. Let us know in the comments which part you're the most excited for!
PB Tech New Zealand has lowered the price of a Galax
GeForce RTX 4070 1 CLICK OC X2 12 GB graphics card to stay competitive with the initial batch of freshly released
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT cards. This particular custom NVIDIA model is not quite as fancy as its
triple fan sibling that sits in TPU's database, but the promotional price of NZ$999 (~$588 USD) could be enough to tempt customers away from Team Red's new mid-range offerings—starting with
Sapphire's reference model at NZ$998.99. For NZ$1018.99 (~$600 USD) you reach the first tier of custom design RX 7800 XT models—ASRock's AMD Challenger 16 GB OC, PowerColor's
Hellhound edition and a Sapphire Pulse Gaming 16 GB card.
VideoCardz notes that e-tailers outside of New Zealand have not been observed lowering prices of GeForce RTX 4070 graphics cards, although a smattering of shops in North America have
adjusted their charges for GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB in reaction to the arrival of competing AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT models. We hope to see that market trend apply to the GeForce RTX 4070 series as well—a sole case isolated to the southwestern Pacific territory (where launch prices tend to be greater than elsewhere) is not enough.
Andes Technology, a leading supplier of high efficiency, low-power 32/64-bit RISC-V processor cores and Founding Premier member of RISC-V International, today proudly announces general availability of the high-performance AndesCore AX45MPV multicore vector processor IP. The AX45MPV is the third generation of the award winning AndesCore vector processor series. Equipped with powerful RISC-V vector processing and parallel execution capability, it targets the applications with large volumes of data such as ADAS, AI inference and training, AR/VR, multimedia, robotics, and signal processing.
Andes and Meta started collaboration on datacenter AI with RISC-V vector core from early 2019. Andes later unveiled the AndesCore NX27V, marking a significant milestone as the industry's first commercial RISC-V vector processor core with the capability of generating up to 4 512-bit vector (VLEN) results per cycle, at the end of 2019. It immediately attracted the attention of worldwide SoC design teams working on AI accelerators, and has landed over a dozen datacenter AI projects. Since then, the RISC-V vector processor cores have become the choice for ML and AI chip vendors.
TECNO, a global innovative technology brand once again participated in the Berlin International Consumer Electronics Show (IFA), showcasing its innovative prowess from September 1st to 5th, 2023, TECNO unveiled two "world-first" concept devices: the Water-Cooling MEGA MINI Gaming PC and the Phantom Ultimate rollable smartphone.
Throughout the exhibition, TECNO's exhibition design under the theme "Dazzling Youth" stood out, showcasing the brand attitude of "passion, innovation, and modernity" through a comprehensive and stylish visual dialogue with consumers. TECNO's presence was marked by exciting product launches, TECNO highlight products' presentations, and immersive experiences that left a mark on the world of technology. With a focus on addressing evolving consumer needs and trends, TECNO's participation at IFA Berlin 2023 underscored the company's dedication to elevating the smart ecosystem mobile tech landscape.
GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer hardware brand, featured its AORUS 17X laptop in two influential AI-content-focused Youtubers by Hugh Hou and MDMZ. Both Youtubers took the new AORUS 17X laptop to the AI image and AI video generation test and found the great potential of how the laptops benefit their workflow. The AORUS 17X laptop is powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs to unlock new horizons for creativity and become the go-to choice for art and tech enthusiasts.
Hugh Hou: Unleashing the Power of AI Arts with the AORUS 17X Laptop
Hugh Hou's journey into AI arts, powered by Stable Diffusion XL, garnered viral success. The AORUS 17X laptop emerged as a game-changer with up to 16G of VRAM, enabling local AI photo and video generation without bearing hefty cloud-rendering costs. It empowers creators and outperforms competitors in AI-assisted tasks and enhances AI artistry.
Rod Fergusson, general franchise manager of Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo IP, has confirmed that IV's post-release content release model is set for some adjustments—in an interview, conducted by Dextero, he said: "When you look at the launch of the game and this first season, we see that as building a foundation on which we can build for the future. So, as we look at our quarterly seasons, and we look at our annual expansions, those are the things that we're really focused on for our live service." Several media outlets have jumped on Fergusson's statement—comparisons have been made to Bungie's approach to keeping online multiplayer franchises alive for a long time.
Paul Tassi (via Forbes) pointed out that Diablo IV's leadership is pushing for the: "exact same model as Destiny 2."
Sections of the fan base have not yet warmed to this more live service-heavy content model, when compared to previous entries in the long-running ARPG series. Past reports have cited Blizzard's continued recruitment drive to bolster these efforts, albeit only for seasonal DLC. The annual release model is very much a fresh announcement, and Fergusson stopped short of revealing pricing and exact launch windows: "We've got plans, we have storylines that go well into the future. When you look back and realize that there were 11 years between Diablo III and Diablo IV, that feels like we didn't live up to our players, our community, and what they deserve. That's something we are rectifying in D4 with our seasons and our expansions."
Rocksmith+ has announced a new partnership with Warner Music Group, to bring even more popular artists to the music-learning service, such as
Linkin Park,
The Cure,
Sepultura,
Twisted Sister, and more. "Rocksmith+ has always been about empowering people to learn guitar with their favorite songs," said Jay Cohen, Vice President of Executive Publishing at Ubisoft. "For beginners, guitar players, and music fans this is a great step forward. The large library of songs for learners and players to pick up and play on Rocksmith+ continues to expand every month.
This new partnership with Warner Music Group will help bring both new and established artists to a new and growing audience. We appreciate the progressive approach of our colleagues at WMG, and we look forward to everything we will do together to deliver on the promise of a new music distribution model for all those who make music and the people who love to jam along to it."
DigiTimes Asia has picked up on some intriguing insider information—their source claims that Apple could be pivoting hardware development in the direction of lower-cost portable personal computer solutions. Their current "budget-friendly" champ is the M1 SoC-equipped MacBook Air (of 2020 vintage), starting at $999 for mortals—education incentives can lower that entry price down to $899. The gigantic American multinational technology company debuted a 15‑inch MacBook Air M2 model this year, but sales figures have allegedly
not met projected targets. The DigiTimes report indicates that Apple engineers are preparing new hardware for a different market segment—education was mentioned earlier—Google and its partners remain dominant here with cost effective Chromebooks.
Apple's iPad family offers some "wallet friendly" alternatives for students, but industry experts note that ChromeOS-based laptops are easier to use for educational tasks and iPads: "cannot compete with Chromebooks on price." An all-new lower tier MacBook lineup—sitting below their Air range—is supposedly already in development, with a launch window projected for the second half of 2024 (lead time is said to be around nine months). A more competitive retail price is achievable due to the use of "cheaper material for the laptop's metal outer shell, and cheaper mechanical components."
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (SSS) today announced that it has developed an energy harvesting module that uses electromagnetic wave noise energy. The new module applies technology that SSS has cultivated in the tuner development process to generate power from electromagnetic wave noise with a high level of efficiency. For example, this technology can use the constant electromagnetic wave noise generated by robots inside factories, monitors and lighting in offices, monitors and TVs in stores and homes, and the like to provide the stable power supply needed to run low-power consumption IoT sensors and communications equipment.
With attention on the challenge of providing power to the increasing number of IoT devices as they grow in popularity and sophistication, this highly efficient energy harvesting technology shows promise for a wide range of applications. SSS aims to employ the new technology as part of its effort to build a power circulation model, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable IoT society.
AMD and Bethesda's Starfield Game Bundle promotion
kicked off back in mid-July, with a wide range of current and previous generation hardware qualifying for the campaign. It was very apparent, at the time, that Team Red had bolstered the list of GPUs with plenty of mid-range RX 6000-series (RDNA 2) models—in absence of heavily rumored successors. AMD's
Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT graphics cards were finally introduced at Gamescom 2023, and reached retail outlets yesterday. Post-unveiling it was revealed that
all Radeon RX 7000-series desktop cards would be eligible for the Starfield campaign, but the new
Navi 32-based models were not mentioned in specifics.
AMD has—very recently—quietly updated its
Reward and
Gaming campaign pages with revised information—Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT GPUs are now present on the list of qualifying products, alongside the addition of an oddball semi-sibling—
Radeon RX 7900 Golden Rabbit Edition (GRE). These graphics cards sit in an upper tier that grants customers a digital download copy of
Starfield Premium Edition.
Six Intel 14th Gen Core Raptor Lake-S Refresh SKUs were prematurely listed by an e-tailer late last month, with the already leaked Core i9-14900K CPU model
popping up again (a week later) via CPU-Z and Geekbench tests. This higher end K and KF product lineup is expected to launch at some point next month—according to the rumor mill. Team Blue could be preparing cheaper non-K models for an unveiling at CES 2024, but a leaker has decided to spoil the fun way in advance. YuuKi_AnS uploaded an allegedly
extremely comprehensive list of 14th Gen SKUs, complete with full specifications to their X/Twitter handle. This grants an early glimpse of lowly Intel 300 and 300T models—both featuring a 2P+0E core configuration—these appear to be modern successors to (
now retired) Pentium Gold and Celeron branded budget-friendly processor families.
It should be noted that the leaked slide (dated September 5) states that everything sitting within the table is a qualification sample (QS), therefore these chips are subject to change due to their pre-production nature. Parts of the table look a bit iffy—support for DDR5 memory varies across the range, while EEC memory support is also very inconsistent. Intel seems to be sticking with the usual set of three different die designs for desktop Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs—Tom's Hardware points out that: "the B0 die (8P-16E) powers SKUs from the Core i5-14600 and up, while the C0 (8P+8E) die targets models from Core i5-14400 to Core i5-14500T. On the contrary, the H0 (6P+0E) die, which is the lowest of the trio, will be inside the Intel 300 to Core i3-14100T chips."
LIAN LI Industrial Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of chassis and PC accessories, launches the ultimate O11D chassis with the O11D EVO XL. Inspired by the popular O11D EVO, the EVO XL adds features such as: simultaneous support for 3x 420 radiators, a height-adjustable and fully removable motherboard tray, a removable front pillar, improved support for upright GPU mounting on the side fan/radiator bracket, and redesigned cable management and storage solution.
The O11D EVO XL also keeps the unique features of the O11D EVO, with the ability to reverse the case and a relocatable front I/O module. The O11D EVO XL is available in black and white at an MSRP of $234.99 and $244.99 respectively.
One of the most prominent questions we received was regarding the "Weapon Assemble" system. In our latest showcase video (below), we introduce handpicked assembled weapons and unique weapons as well. More weapons are still left uncovered in Krat. Discover hundreds of possible combinations and find the perfect weapon for you with the "Weapon Assemble" system on September 19.
Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era. You are a puppet created by Geppetto who's caught in a web of lies with unimaginable monsters and untrustworthy figures standing between you and the events that have befallen the world of Lies of P.
SAPPHIRE Technology announces the latest SAPPHIRE PURE AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics cards, built on the groundbreaking AMD RDNA 3 architecture offering superb performance designed for gamers and creators. These cards are encased in a stunning white shroud with delicate design accents, built with durable components and engineered with effective cooling solutions for a dynamic gaming experience.
A new PURE experience
Kick off the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics card experience with the brand-new, white shrouded, sleek SAPPHIRE PURE lineup! The SAPPHIRE PURE AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics card headlines with 60 Compute Units and 3840 stream processors with a Boost Clock of up to 2475 MHz and a Game Clock of up to 2169 MHz. It also offers 16 GB of high-speed GDDR6 memory clocked at 19.5 Gbps with 64 MB of second generation AMD Infinity Cache technology. The SAPPHIRE PURE AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics card features a GPU with 54 Compute Units and 3456 stream processors, a Boost Clock of up to 2584 MHz and a Game Clock of up to 2226 MHz. Enjoy breakthrough performance on the SAPPHIRE PURE AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT with 12 GB of GDDR6 high-speed memory clocked at up to 18 Gbps with 48 MB of Infinity Cache technology. The graphics card has support for up to 4 output ports including 2x HDMI 2.1 and 2x DisplayPort 2.1 ports with DSC outputs to support the latest monitors on the market.
MediaTek and TSMC today announced that MediaTek has successfully developed its first chip using TSMC's leading-edge 3 nm technology, taping out MediaTek's flagship Dimensity system-on-chip (SoC) with volume production expected next year. This marks a significant milestone in the long-standing strategic partnership between MediaTek and TSMC, with both companies taking full advantage of their strengths in chip design and manufacturing to jointly create flagship SoCs with high performance and low power features, empowering global end devices.
"We are committed to our vision of using the world's most advanced technology to create cutting edge products that improve our lives in meaningful ways," said Joe Chen, President of MediaTek. "TSMC's consistent and high-quality manufacturing capabilities enable MediaTek to fully demonstrate its superior design in flagship chipsets, offering the highest performance and quality solutions to our global customers and enhancing the user experience in the flagship market."
During a recent demonstration, Intel showcased its cutting-edge packaging technologies, EMIB (embedded multi-die interconnect bridge) and Foveros, unveiling the highly-anticipated Meteor Lake processor with integrated LPDDR5X memory. This move appears to align with Apple's successful integration of LPDDR memory into its M1 and M2 chip packages. At the heart of Intel's presentation was the quad-tile Meteor Lake CPU, leveraging Foveros packaging for its chiplets and boasting 16 GB of Samsung's LPDDR5X-7500 memory. Although the specific CPU configuration remains undisclosed, the 16 GB of integrated memory delivers a remarkable peak bandwidth of 120 GB/s, outperforming traditional memory subsystems using DDR5-5200 or LPDDR5-6400.
Nevertheless, this approach comes with trade-offs, such as the potential for system-wide failure if a memory chip malfunctions, limited upgradeability in soldered-down configurations, and the need for more advanced cooling solutions to manage CPU and memory heat. While Apple pioneered on-package LPDDR memory integration in client CPUs, Intel has a history of using package-on-package DRAM with its Atom-branded CPUs for tablets and ultrathin laptops. While this approach simplifies manufacturing, enabling slimmer notebook designs, it curtails configuration flexibility. We are yet to see if big laptop makers such as Dell, HP, and Asus, take on this design in the coming months.
Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, is delighted to launch the Ceres 300 TG ARGB Matcha Green Mid Tower Chassis and the ARGENT E700 Real Leather Gaming Chair Matcha Green. After first releasing The Tower 200 Matcha Green Mini Chassis and gaining positive reviews, Thermaltake plans to announce more products in Matcha Green, allowing users to immerse this vital and elegant color with a complete lineup. Now including the worldwide availability of the Ceres 300 Matcha Green and the ARGENT E700 Matcha Green. More good news, the TH280 V2 ARGB Sync All-In-One Liquid Cooler - Matcha Green Edition is coming soon. Let's light up entertainment and work spaces with these stylish Matcha Green collections!
Wednesday, September 6th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Graphics Cards
With the Radeon RX 7800 XT, AMD is going after the GeForce RTX 4070. Our review confirms that AMD has achieved performance parity in rasterization and is pretty close in ray tracing, at a much better price point, and they are giving you 16 GB VRAM, instead of just 12 GB.
Review
Graphics Cards
PowerColor's Radeon RX 7800 XT Hellhound is an amazing custom-design for AMD's new release. It sells at the $500 baseline price, yet has the best cooler of all cards tested today, with whisper-quiet fan settings, dual BIOS and RGB illumination.
Review
Graphics Cards
Sapphire's Radeon RX 7800 XT Nitro+ is the quietest RX 7800 XT reviewed today, it's virtually inaudible at full load thanks to its powerful cooler. The card is also the best overclocker, it gained a spectacular 15% in real-life performance, which makes it nearly as fast as RTX 4070 Ti.
Review
Graphics Cards
The Sapphire Radeon RX 7700 XT Pulse is priced at AMD's MSRP of $450, which makes it an attractive choice. You still get a great cooler that's paired with outstanding fan settings that result in a whisper-quiet gaming experience that's quieter than most GeForce cards.
Review
Graphics Cards
With the TUF, ASUS has released a custom-design variant of the Radeon RX 7800 XT that improves on the AMD base design in many aspects. You get a triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution with a full-metal cooler that looks fantastic, dual BIOS with quiet mode and adjustable RGB lighting.
Review
Graphics Cards
ASRock's Radeon RX 7800 XT Phantom Gaming is a factory overclocked custom-design model. Thanks to its large triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution, temperatures and noise levels are excellent, and performance is higher than GeForce RTX 4070, at a much lower price point.
Review
Graphics Cards
The factory-overclocked XFX Radeon RX 7800 XT Merc 319 comes with a powerful triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution that uses a metal shroud instead of plastic like on many other cards. The cooler runs much cooler than the AMD reference version, by over 20°C, and noise levels are greatly improved, too.
Review
Graphics Cards
The XFX Radeon RX 7700 XT Qick 319 is a factory-overclocked custom design variant of AMD's new release. It offers 12 GB VRAM instead of 8 GB like on GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, and runs considerably faster than the latter, too. Thanks to a great cooling solution, noise levels are minimal as well.
Review
Graphics Cards
ASUS went all-out with the cooling design for the RX 7700 XT TUF. The cooler not only looks and feels great thanks to its all-metal construction, it also has excellent cooling performance, because it's actually identical to the one on the RX 7800 XT TUF. Also included is a dual BIOS feature with a whisper-quiet low-noise BIOS.
Innovative Design Elevates Space Efficiency and Thermal Performance in the Compact, Updated Q300L V2 Cooler Master takes things up a few notches from the original MasterBox Q300L mATX case with the launch of the all-new Q300L V2 to bring out the full potential of the mATX form factor. An ongoing commitment to mATX, the innovations on the Q300L V2 are about bringing out efficiencies and delivering superior thermal performance without compromise to space and aesthetics.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Cooler Master, a global leader in PC components, has launched the Q300L V2 - a revitalized and rejuvenated successor to the original MasterBox Q300L. Taking each feature of its predecessor to new heights, the Q300L V2 boldly redefines the capabilities and performance of mATX cases.
Baseus Technology, the leading global consumer electronics brand, launched the PowerCombo Tower Series Power Strip 35 W, an unprecedented charging station on the market with a digital LED display illustrating real-time safety and charging status. The LED display shows the load status, digital protection, and grounded indicators. Its overall design makes it perfect for workspaces, gaming setups, and meeting rooms.
10-in-1 Charging Station in Vertical Space-Saving Design
The Baseus PowerCombo Tower Power Strip 35 W can charge and power up to 10 devices with 6 AC outlets, 2 USB-C ports, and 2 USB-A ports. It comes in a futuristic and space-saving design, like the 6 AC outlets on each side that are more than enough to power an entire desktop ecosystem.
Focus Entertainment and indie studio Rundisc are extremely happy to release
Chants of Sennaar, the mesmerizing puzzle adventure game where you decipher glyphs to unravel the mysteries of forgotten languages. Out on
PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, a free demo is available on all platforms. Watch the Launch Trailer (below) and start your journey as a daring interpreter now!
Unveil mysteries behind the fragments of the past
Divided since the dawn of time, the Peoples of the Tower no longer speak to each other. But it is said that one day, a Traveler will find the wisdom to break down the walls and restore the Balance. Explore and discover a fascinating world where men have forgotten their past; a colorful and poetic setting inspired by the myth of Babel and visually drawing from European comic artists and a miscellany of architectural styles. Travel the endless steps of a prodigious labyrinth, uncover an ominous truth and unveil the mysteries of this captivating universe where ancient languages are both the lock and the key.
Hello Everyone! First up, thank you all for all the feedback following the announcement of House Ecaz. We're very happy with how the faction is coming together and we can't wait to hear your thoughts on Arrakis' newest arrival when the game launches out of Early Access later this month, which conveniently leads us to our next announcement...
We are very proud to share that Dune: Spice Wars launches out of Early Access and into 1.0 on the 14th of September! With release now within spitting distance, we thought it would be a good time to address some of the burning questions we've been getting of late and give some details on what to expect from this major milestone in D:SW's development! So read on for the official Dune: Spice Wars 1.0 F.A.Q...
ASML's CEO, Peter Wennink, has announced that his team will be shipping out the first pilot tool (a high-NA EUV system) in its next product line before the end of this year. Reuters reports that supply chain problems have caused hold-ups along the way, but the Dutch multinational corporation is confident in delivering its next-gen opening salvo—these high numerical aperture EUV machines are large enough to warrant transportation via truck, and their per unit cost is over €300 million (~$322 million). The most demanding of chipmakers will be snapping up ASML's behemoth apparatuses in order to produce improved (i.e. smaller) chips over the next ten years.
Wennink spoke to Reuters at an industry event (that took place in Eindhoven): "A few suppliers had some difficulties in actually ramping up and also giving us the right level of technological quality, so that led to some delay. But in fact the first shipment is still this year." The CEO expects to see a growth in revenue thanks to burgeoning interest in AI-oriented silicon—new manufacturing facilities in Arizona and Taiwan are primed to adopt high-NA EUV machines in 2024. Key clients will be experimenting with these new machines (EXE:5200), before a full push into commercial production—logic chip makers have demanded that they get priority access over memory manufacturers. Intel has made declarations, in the recent past, that its foundries are first in line to receive ASML's latest and greatest tools.
The Asian Games 2022 athletic event was originally set to take place last September—officials have rescheduled proceedings to later this month (opening September 23, closing October 8). Gunnir has prepared new versions of its existing
Arc A770 & A750 Photon OC graphics cards in celebration of e-sports competitions being added to the roster at XIX Asian Games, Hangzhou. The Chinese hardware manufacturer has produced an extensive portfolio of Intel Alchemist-based discrete solutions, so it is not surprising to see slightly revised designs being issued to tie-in with a significant multi-sport tournament.
Gunnir's Photon OC White Edition shroud has been updated with the official Asian Games emblem as well as wavy graphic patterns—their retail packaging shares similar revisions, giving off some very calming vibes. According to product listings on
JD.com, the A750 8 GB model currently sells for 1699 RMB (~$232), while the range-topping A770 16 GB variant is available to pre-order at 2399 RMB (~$328). The latest Intel and Gunnir collaboration is not likely to reach Western shores—Team Blue's Chinese operation announced (last month) that it was the official graphics processor supplier for this month's Hangzhou Asian Games. We expect only the most hardcore of GPU collectors to import these curiosities from Joybuy/Jingdong (JD).
We're excited to announce that Unreal Engine 5.3 is now available. This release brings numerous wide-ranging improvements as we continue to expand UE5's functionality and potential for game developers and creators across industries. As well as enhancements to core rendering, developer iteration, and virtual production toolsets, we're introducing Experimental new rendering, animation, and simulation features to give you the opportunity to test extended creative workflows inside UE5—reducing the need to round-trip with external applications.
Refinements to core UE5 rendering features
With this release, we've continued to refine all core UE5 rendering features to address our ongoing goal of making it easier for developers to leverage them at higher quality in games running at 60 FPS on next-gen consoles; the improvements also offer higher-quality results and enhanced performance for linear content creators. Specifically, Nanite has faster performance for masked materials, including foliage, and can represent a greater range of surfaces due to the new Explicit Tangents option, while Lumen with Hardware Ray Tracing has expanded capabilities that include multiple reflection bounces, and delivers faster performance on consoles. Other areas with notable advancements include Virtual Shadow Maps (VSM)—which is now Production-Ready—Temporal Super Resolution (TSR), Hair Grooms, Path Tracing, and Substrate.
Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian Studios, has confirmed to
Eurogamer that cross-play functionality is being worked on, although the team was not able to get it ready in time for release day code on PC (August 5) and PlayStation 5 (out today!): "It was always in the planning, but we knew it wouldn't be for launch. It's in the roadmap, and though we have an idea of when we'd like to get it ready for, we don't want to put a date on it until we're sure." Larian and the BG3 fan base are hoping to see players united in online multiplayer across PC and console platforms in the near future, with the Xbox version due to arrive at some point before the end of the year.
Technical and performance issues are present in the PlayStation 5 version—reviewers have noted that split-screen performance on Sony's console is choppy, with local multiplayer sessions forcing a 30 frames per second "Quality" visual mode. This perhaps provides a small insight into the problems encountered when developing
split-screen mode for Xbox Series X and S platforms, with the latter proving to be the largest headache. Eurogamer's journalists were also privy to Larian highlighting: "in a pre-launch note to PS5 reviewers, problems with performance in the game's climactic final act in the city of Baldur's Gate. It said it was working hard to fix it. Remember, the studio has had issues with this area on PC too."
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced the release of a new 4-terabyte (TB) offering in its SSD 990 PRO series. The 990 PRO series is a lineup of high-performance PCIe 4.0 SSDs powered by Samsung's eighth-generation V-NAND (V8) technology and enhanced proprietary controller. Offering blazing-fast speeds and ultimate power efficiency, the 990 PRO series is optimized for massive data volumes, such as 3D/4K graphics work, data analytics and high-quality games, making it the ideal SSD for today's PCs, laptops, game consoles and computing systems. With improved total bytes written (TBW) ratings of up to 2,400 TB, the 990 PRO series ensures increased SSD reliability and longevity, ideal for those with highly demanding workloads and large storage capacity needs.
"Today's gamers and creative professionals require high-capacity, high-performance SSDs and Samsung's new 4 TB SSD 990 PRO is the perfect storage solution to meet their needs," said Hangu Sohn, Corporate Vice President of the Memory Brand Product Biz Team at Samsung Electronics. "As the demand for high-resolution content and ultra-fast data-processing speeds continues to grow, high-performance NVMe storage has become a core requirement."
SAPPHIRE Technology, in cooperation with Thinlabs, presents a unique computing solution that utilizes 802.3bt PoE++ (Power-over-Ethernet) technology - the Thinlabs PoE NUC. It allows for up to four ThinLabs HD displays to be fully powered over a single Ethernet cable. Utilizing this technology brings many advantages like eliminating the need for electrical outlets or simplifying power backups. At the heart of the Thinlabs PoE NUC lies a motherboard developed by SAPPHIRE, featuring the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2000 series processor. This AMD Ryzen processor, with efficient "Zen 2" x86 CPU and Radeon Graphics cores offers versatility, low power and high performance. The AMD Ryzen flagship model, V2718, features an 8-core / 16-thread CPU with 7 integrated Radeon Graphics Compute Units.
Advantages of Power-over-Ethernet
The Thinlabs NUC solutions is equipped with the advanced 802.3bt PoE++ (PoE++ Type 4) technology. This innovation enables seamless supply of up to 90 W of power through a standard Cat 6 Ethernet cable. This simplifies deployment significantly, eliminating the need for a certified electrician to install an electrical outlet wherever the PC and monitors are required. Instead, a single Ethernet cable up to 100 m in length can be used to provide data and power to the complete system. Such an approach also greatly reduces installation cost and cable clutter.
TSMC is having a tough time getting its Phoenix, Arizona facility up to fully functional standards—large-scale production at Fab 21 has been delayed into 2025 (as announced back in July). Cited factors include
workforce-related issues and sluggish installation of state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.
These setbacks are not too disconcerting in the eyes of leadership at AMD—today CEO Dr. Lisa Su declared that her firm will be one of the first in line to contract with TSMC's Fab 21, thanks to long established bonds: "I think we have gotten extremely good at managing supply chain, so I would say that is one of our core strengths. TSMC has been a phenomenal partner for us in terms of advanced technology, both on the silicon side as well as the packaging side, and we very much value that relationship." Su and NVIDIA chief Jensen Huang were key figures present at the Arizona facility's December 2022 opening ceremony.
AMD's top brass is in attendance at this year's Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference, alongside arch rival Intel. The latter has already dropped their
own revelation for the day. Su commented on North American chip manufacturing circumstances: "When you when you think about the geopolitical situation, geographic diversity is important to us...So, the Arizona factory is very important to us. We are going to be one of the early users, we are putting our first tape outs in shortly with the idea of being a significant user of Arizona. I think we will continue to look at the geographic diversity as an important piece of it." AMD has been fabless since 2009, and relies heavily on TSMC's tried and true Taiwan-based plants to produce CPU, GPU, DPU and FPGA products—it will be interesting to observe how things pan out when some of this output gets shifted over to a fledgling facility positioned out there in the Sonoran desert.
Horror games thrive on the delicate balance of tension, exploiting our vulnerability and the eerie embrace of solitude. Envision yourself traversing a dimly lit house in the dead of night, where faint whispers and unidentifiable noises send shivers down your spine. Now, picture this unsettling scenario not alone, but accompanied by a group of 28 intriguing individuals. The fear factor dwindles, doesn't it? Hence, the anticipated release of
Alone in the Dark will gracefully step away from the chaotic October 2023 launch window.
Reasons
Our intention is to avoid competing with the wake of Alan's epic release and to evade the dazzling skyline of cities adorned by the graceful swings of Spiderman. We aim to truly remain as Alone in the Dark as possible. To honor this, the spine-chilling horror game has been rescheduled to unveil its horrors on January 16th, 2024. This extension will serve a dual purpose: not only will it permit us to meticulously perfect the gaming experience, but it will also grant us the opportunity to fully immerse ourselves in the remarkable releases of October.
An Intel Core Ultra 7 155H chip was first spotted via a
Geekbench entry this morning (as tested in an HP Spectre x360 2-in-1 laptop), followed by several other purported mobile "Meteor Lake" SKUs published by Golden Pig Upgrade's Bilibili account. The aforementioned Core Ultra 7 155H was listed, alongside the additions of higher end Core Ultra 9 185H and Core Ultra 7 165H models. Intel has reportedly been playing around with their naming conventions—engineering samples bearing
1002H and 1003 designations were leaked earlier this summer. A lower end Core Ultra 5 125H chip has also emerged from another new
Geekbench registration, sitting inside a next-gen HP OMEN Transcend Gaming Laptop.
Laptop-oriented Meteor Lake processors are expected to arrive with an updated iGPU technology—very likely Xe-LPG (Alchemist), with a designation of up to 128 EU cores—but the latest Geekbench entries are missing specific information about any graphics processing units, integrated or discrete, utilized by the evaluated HP laptops. Two Geekbench Core Ultra 7 155H entries confirm a base clock of 3.8 GHz with a boost capability upping the ante to around 4.8 GHz. We see counts of 16 cores and 22 threads—the internal configuration seems to consist of 6 P-Cores, 8 E-Cores and 2 lower power cores housed within its SoC die. The best set of Geekbench 6.1 scores posted by the Core Ultra 7 155H comprised 2294 points in single-core and 12749 points in multi-core. A VideoCardz evaluation places this plucky mobile chip in good company: "its single-core score puts it above AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and Intel Core 13400 desktop CPUs. The multi-core performance is actually higher than Core i9-12900 non-K or Threadripper PRO 3955WX."
AMD has released the latest version of the Adrenalin software, the version 23.9.1 WHQL. The new AMD Software Adrenalin Edition 23.9.1 WHQL adds support for Radeon RX 7700 and RX 7800 series graphics cards which will be available as of today, as well as adds support for AMD Radeon Anti-Lag, Radeon Boost, and AMD HYPR-RX features.
The AMD Radeon Anti-Lag+ initially supports 12 games, including Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, Dying Light 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 4, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Fortnite, Last of Us: Part 1, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Resident Evil 3, and Borderlands 3, with more promised in the coming months. It also adds support for AMD HYPER-X, a one click solution which combines AMD Radeon Anti-Lag+, Boost, and Radeon Super Resolution to achieve improved performance and latency reduction.
DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 23.9.1 WHQL for AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT
DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 23.9.1GIGABYTE, the world's leading computer brand, announced the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT GAMING OC graphics cards hit the market today. Based on AMD's Navi 32 chip using the RDNA 3 architecture, the RX 7800 XT GAMING OC excels in demanding 1440p gaming backed by substantial VRAM and computing power. Meanwhile, the RX 7700 XT GAMING OC emerges as an attractive mid-range option, also promising exceptional performance at 1440p.
Both RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT GAMING OC models are equipped with GIGABYTE's acclaimed WINDFORCE cooling system, engineered to ensure peak performance even during extended gaming sessions. This innovative cooling solution features a triple-fan design with Alternating Spinning technology, composite copper heat pipes, Screen Cooling, and an array of exclusive features. These components work in tandem to facilitate efficient heat dissipation, enabling the cards to maintain optimal operating temperatures while keeping noise levels at a minimum.
MIPS, a leading developer of high- performance RISC-V compute IP, has announced embedded systems industry veteran Sameer Wasson as the company's new CEO. Before joining MIPS, Wasson spent 18 years at Texas Instruments (TI), most recently as Vice President, Business Unit (BU) Manager, Processors, where he was responsible for the company's Processor businesses. In that role, Wasson re-established TI as a mainstream microprocessor (MPU) and microcontroller (MCU) supplier for high growth automotive and industrial markets, and established the company's footprint in embedded AI, software defined vehicles, and electrification.
As the new CEO of MIPS, Wasson will further accelerate the company's leadership in the High-Performance RISC-V market as it continues to expand its footprint in Automotive and Enterprise markets.
If you've ever dreamed of launching into space and exploring new worlds, a much-anticipated new video game can take you there in rich detail and immersive storytelling. With
Starfield, the first new universe from Bethesda Game Studios in 25 years, your role-playing journey can lead to more than 1,000 planets. It's available day one on Xbox Game Pass on Sept. 6, and on Xbox Series X|S consoles, Windows PCs and Steam.
"We love the idea of exploring space and always wanted to turn it into a game. People love to get lost in games we build, and we do as well," says Todd Howard, game director and executive producer of
Bethesda Game Studios, which Microsoft acquired through parent company ZeniMax Media in 2021. "This one is easily the most ambitious one we've built. It's something we've really poured ourselves into over a long period of time."
BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, proudly unveils the BIOSTAR AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics cards, built with extreme performance and visual fidelity for that next-level gaming experience. Meticulously designed to cater to the diverse needs of modern-day gamers and content creators, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics cards represent the pinnacle of graphics processing technology. Built on the groundbreaking AMD RDNA 3 architecture, these graphics cards offer immersive visuals that redefine gaming realism and cinematic content rendering.
The BIOSTAR AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics card offers an impressive 12 GB GDDR6 memory, which operates on a 192-bit bus with a memory clock speed of up to 18 Gbps. For enthusiasts keen on exploring its capabilities, its engine clocks stand at 2171 MHz (Game), and peak at a roaring 2544 MHz (Boost). Meanwhile, the BIOSTAR Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics card has a robust 16 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus and a blazingly fast 19.5 Gbps memory clock speed, geared for superior gaming performance. With game clocks reaching 2124 MHz during gameplay, and peaking at 2430 MHz with boost, gaming enthusiasts from casual to pro-level can confidently dive into their favorite AAA titles and enjoy them at the highest potential.
ASRock, the leading global motherboard, graphics card and mini PC manufacturer, today launched the new Phantom Gaming, Steel Legend and Challenger series graphics cards based on AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT GPUs. The new ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT Series graphics cards are built on the groundbreaking AMD RDNA 3 architecture, featuring 60 and 54 redesigned compute units, respectively, and second-generation AMD Infinity Cache technology. They also feature the AMD Radiance Display Engine, full AV1 encoding and are optimized for high-performance 1440p gaming, streaming and content creation applications. The ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Series graphics cards also provide the horsepower to step into 4K gaming.
The new ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT Series graphics cards are equipped with high-speed 16 GB and 12 GB GDDR6 memory at 19.5 Gbps and 18 Gbps, respectively, and are pre-overclocked to deliver higher levels of performance. The AMD Radiance Display Engine provides 12 bit-per-channel color for up to 68 billion colors for incredible color accuracy. In addition, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT Series graphics cards support various ASRock exclusive features, including the Striped Ring/Axial Fan, Air Deflecting Fin, Ultra-fit Heatpipe, Metal Backplate, and Polychrome SYNC technology to provide cooling efficiency, solid construction, and fancy ARGB lighting effects. With these exclusive features, ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT Series graphics cards are ideal choices for 4K/2K gamers and creators.
You can check out our review of the
ASRock Radeon RX 7800 XT Phantom Gaming graphics card.
We
heard rumblings about Intel considering a stake in Arm earlier this summer—Reuters picked up on the multinational corporation's leadership negotiating with Japan's SoftBank about becoming a potential anchor investor in the latter's initial public offering (IPO) of Arm Holdings plc. Several big players have reportedly been courted as
key strategic partners—Arm already counts some of these corporations as major clients and business partners. The looming IPO has an estimated value of around $60 billion and $70 billion. Intel has made their investment public today, as announced this morning by Stuart Pann, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Foundry Services.
Pann elaborated on his company's major strategic decision, during proceedings at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference: "80% of TSMC wafers have an Arm processor in them...The fact that our organization, the IFS organization, is embracing Arm at this level, investing in Arm, doing partnerships with Arm should give you a signpost that we are absolutely serious about playing this business. Because if you are not working with Arm, you cannot be a foundries provider." Despite competing in several market segements, Intel Foundry Services (IFS) and Arm announced a multi-generation agreement,
earlier this year, to enable chip designers to build low-power compute system-on-chips (SoCs) on the former's 18A process. The now tighter relationship appears to be steering Team Blue back to
formerly abandoned pastures—Pann stated: "Our focus will be for now, much more on ARM and around RISC-V, because that is where the volumes is at, but expect more to come out in the coming months...For example, we announced something with Arm, we will do more with them, clearly as they expand their base. They have multiple interests in multiple areas, and they have been a superb partner."
Electronic Arts is excited to introduce
EA SPORTS WRC, the official game of the FIA World Rally Championship coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via EA App, Epic Store, and Steam on November 3, 2023. Developed by the team behind the critically acclaimed DiRT Rally series, with over 25 years of off-road videogame heritage, EA SPORTS WRC is a truly next-generation rally game and the quintessential title for sim-racing enthusiasts.
Ross Gowing, Senior Creative Director at Codemasters: "EA SPORTS WRC is the purest form of motorsport where every stage is a fight against the clock, the terrain, and yourself. This is the rally game we've always wanted to make, combining our studio's deep knowledge and expertise with the power of the official WRC license representing the pinnacle of rally motorsport."
According to a new research report from the analyst firm Jon Peddie Research (JPR), unit shipments in the add-in board (AIB) market increased in Q2'23 from last quarter, while AMD gained market share. Quarter to quarter, graphics AIB shipments increased modestly, by 2.9%; however, shipments decreased by -36% year to year.
Since Q1 2000, over 2.10 billion graphics cards, worth about $476 billion, have been sold. The market shares for the desktop discrete GPU suppliers shifted in the quarter, as AMD's market share increased from last quarter and Nvidia's share increased from last year. Intel, which entered the AIB market in Q3'22 with the Arc A770 and A750, will start to increase market share in 2024.
Cooler Master, a leading innovator in PC Hardware, today announced the launch of CMODX, a new website offering a refined shopping experience for Cooler Master's high-end technology products. CMODX is set to redefine the tech shopping experience, offering a blend of luxury and innovation.
The meticulously crafted products on cmodx.com are tailored to meet the discerning tastes of a specific tech enthusiast segment. The lineup includes the Orb X, a semi-enclosed workstation that stands as a testament to the fusion of luxury and cutting-edge technology, offering an unrivaled personal tech experience. Alongside, the Sneaker X, a PC with style, underscores the brand's commitment to breaking out of the boxy PC stereotype. This diverse and sophisticated range positions Cooler Master at the forefront of the tech industry, setting new standards for luxury and innovation.
Ultimate Ears, a brand of Logitech, today announced the addition of EPICBOOM to its lineup of beloved portable Bluetooth speakers. Made of 100% post-consumer recycled polyester fabric and a minimum of 59% post-consumer recycled plastic, EPICBOOM showcases an all-new, innovative, oval design that makes loud, 360° bassy sound more portable, unleashing an unexpectedly big sound for its size.
"We design our products with our customers and their lifestyles in mind," said Jonah Staw, general manager of Ultimate Ears. "Customers want huge sound in a conveniently portable package and that's what we have delivered with EPICBOOM. This speaker boasts our signature Ultimate Ears high-fidelity sound while delivering plenty of volume. We're excited to add EPICBOOM to our product portfolio. This speaker will no doubt be a part of life's epic moments."
Regarding some of our users receiving an error message of "UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR" upon Blue Screen of Death with MSI's Intel 700 and 600 Series Motherboards. MSI and Intel have been working hard these several weeks to come up with a solution together and have found the root cause of the BSOD issue which is regarding the firmware setting of Intel Hybrid Architecture. It is determined that the BSOD will only affect Intel's 13th Gen Core i9 paired with the following versions of the Windows operating system (OS).
The new BIOS coming will include an update on the Intel CPU uCode which will prevent any more messages regarding the "UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR" issues. This upcoming update will correspond to both 13th-generation and newer ones. There will be more BIOS available to download on MSI's official website for all Intel 700 and 600 Series models this week and all BIOS release will be available by the end of September.
Tuesday, September 5th 2023
Today's Reviews
Hey, all! We hope you're enjoying the game since it launched last week! We wanted to thank you all for the support, feedback and bug reports. Our second patch update that goes live today across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S brings a lot of key fixes, so please be sure to read over the release notes below.
As always, be sure to follow our social channels for the latest on Immortals of Aveum, including any future updates for the game, as we're going to continue making it better and adding more options and features that you've been requesting.
Immortals of Aveum is a single-player, first-person magic shooter powered by the groundbreaking Unreal Engine 5.1 technology and set in an original fantasy universe. Developed by a new independent AAA studio made up of award-winning industry veterans and published under the EA Originals label, Immortals of Aveum puts players in a visceral and cinematic fantasy universe that combines modern characters and a story-driven campaign with intense magic-based action, world exploration and puzzle-solving. Summon your power, stop the Everwar, and save the realms starting now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store worldwide.
Cable Matters, an industry-leading connectivity solutions supplier, today unveiled a unique USB-C Keyboard, Video, Mouse (KVM) switch dock for two computers. The Cable Matters USB-C KVM Switch Dock lets two devices share a single keyboard and mouse, charger, peripherals, and two ultra high-definition displays over a single USB-C connection. It combines the performance of a USB-C dock, which offers a one-cable connectivity solution, with the flexibility of a USB-C switch, which shares peripherals between multiple devices.
The KVM Switch Dock will revolutionize the work-from-home experience, which is plagued by two common connectivity challenges. Many business-class laptops lack essential display or peripheral ports. Remote workers sharing a workspace with their business and personal devices struggle for space or constantly hot-swap work and personal laptops between shared USB peripherals and monitors.
Ugreen, a global leader in charging accessories, has partnered with Navitas Semiconductor, the industry leader in gallium nitride (GaN) power integrated circuits (ICs), to announce the release of the world's first 5-port 300 W GaN desktop charger—the Ugreen Nexode 300 W Desktop Charger.
"Navitas has been working closely with UGREEN for a long time, it is our relentless pursuit of innovation that continues to refresh the milestone of fast charging," said Charles Zha, Vice President and General Manager of Navitas China. "This first 300 W GaN desktop charger based on LLC structure can realize such astonishing power density with such small size, which once again propelled the revolution of GaN fast charging."
Argentina's
HD Tecnología site has obtained and published AMD's official data outlining the performance prowess of the soon-to-be released
Radeon RX 7800 XT & RX 7700 XT GPUs, when stacked up against their closest rivals—NVIDIA
GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB and
RTX 4070 12 GB. Team Red could have "cherry-picked" some of this information, and presented resultant performance charts during the grand unveiling of their mid-range RDNA 3 cards at last month's Gamescom press event. HD Tecnología claims that the fuzzy batch of screengrabs were obtained from an official review guide, they chose to not share pages containing precise details of system specifications. An embargo imposed on media outlets is set to be lifted tomorrow, which coincides with the launch of AMD's
Navi 32-based contenders.
The test system was running games within a DirectX 12 environment, possibly at maximum settings—general hardware specs included an non-specific AMD Ryzen 7000-series CPU coupled with DDR5 memory on unidentified AM5 motherboard. VideoCardz's abbreviated analysis of the numbers stated: "In summary, without ray tracing, the Radeon RX 7800 XT outperforms the GeForce RTX 4070 by almost 7% on average, while with ray tracing enabled, it maintains a slight 0.5% lead. Conversely, the RX 7700 XT exhibits 16% higher performance over the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB. However, the presence of ray tracing can tip the scales slightly in NVIDIA's favor, resulting in an 8.5% lead over the AMD GPU."
Each week, we bring you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, several new games launched with support for our performance accelerating technology, and we showcased upcoming games launching with day-one DLSS 3 support.
This week, we're giving you a look at more highly-anticipated games launching this September with DLSS:
- SYNCED launches September 8th with DLSS 3.
- Lies of P launches September 19th with DLSS 2
- Party Animals launches September 20th with DLSS 2 and Reflex
- Witchfire enters early access September 20th with DLSS 3 and Reflex
For those of you who have already started the epic journey into Starfield in early access I hope you're having a blast, and for those of you joining on day one with Game Pass, your time starts very soon! I am so excited to finally add Starfield to our list of games "Coming Soon." Space, feelings, souls-like - we have amazing games for you to explore (not to mention a reminder of some surprise shadow drops last week!). Let's get to it!
Available Today
Gris (Cloud, Console, and PC)—Gris makes a return to the Game Pass library today! Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.
Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment have
today issued Patch No. 7 for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, arriving roughly two and a half months after
the last batch of fixes and improvements. The most significant update for PC gamers running NVIDIA GPUs is the addition of official DLSS support, likely coinciding with the end an agreement between EA and AMD to advertise Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as a Team Red sponsored title—their FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.1 system was the only upscaling technology available on day one. Community modders managed to implement unofficial DLSS support a few months later.
It is encouraging to see the game's developer and publisher rolling out a semi-regular release of patches—parts of the gaming community were worried about Respawn Entertainment's
recruitment cycle pointing to work starting on a potential sequel two months ago—with priorities shifting to the new project. It seems that a number of team members (software engineering and QA) are still working on refinements for Jedi: Survivor—hopefully we will see further work undertaken following today's release of performance and optimization improvements on PC, as well for Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 consoles.
Proving that knights in shining armor, family squabbles and grand tours of your realm never go out of style, Paradox Interactive announced that its hit medieval strategy-role playing game
Crusader Kings III has sold 3 million copies of the base game, not counting attached expansion or cosmetic packs. We're excited to share this milestone with our loyal players! You've all helped make this game what it is today through your comments, feedback, and suggestions over the last three years, and we can't thank you enough for the support you've given us and the time you've put into our game.
Hitting this sales milestone three years after its release in September 2020 is testimony to the enduring power of Crusader Kings III as a story-telling experience par excellence, and a strategy game with a wide appeal beyond the stereotypical history fan. Crusader Kings III is the first Paradox grand strategy game for many players, acting as an entry point to a wider world of historical gaming.
Intel's
leadership has announced the hastened expansion of 20 A and 18 A-capable fabrication facilities in Arizona, in order to meet next year's anticipated manufacturing demand from Foundry Services clients. Team Blue's native efforts are possibly not enough in the eyes of an investment bank—Taiwan's
Commercial Times has managed to take a look at industry analysis conducted by Goldman Sachs Securities. Intel is predicted to broaden its outsourcing to TSMC in 2024 and 2025—although a part of said report proposes the hypothetically bizarre scenario where Intel outsources all of its products at a cost of $18.6 billion in 2024, and $19.4 billion in 2025 (in terms of total addressable market). A more down-to-earth synopsis outlines TSMC winning Intel outsourcing contracts worth $5.6 billion in 2024, and $9.7 billion for 2025.
According to Trendforce's report this would approximately account: "for 6.4% and 9.4% of TSMC's overall revenue in the corresponding years." Industry analyst Andrew Lu was contacted for comment on the conjectural conditions: "(this) explains that Intel's wafer chip manufacturing division competes with TSMC, rather than its design division. The design division is striving for survival in the high-speed computing semiconductor sector, and it is currently hopeful for close collaboration with TSMC. Lu even predicts that Intel's wafer manufacturing and design divisions will inevitably be further separated into two companies several years down the line."
Today, McAfee Corp., a global leader in online protection, announced the launch of its new McAfee Privacy & Identity Guard product available at Staples stores nationwide. McAfee's Privacy & Identity Guard will help Staples customers safeguard their identity and privacy online. In the U.S. 70% of adults are concerned about their ability to keep their information private. And more than half (52%) of U.S. adults want to be more in control of personal information and data online. Therefore, regaining control of personal data, and the data often most sought after by cybercriminals, has never been more important.
Staples customers will have access to McAfee Privacy & Identity Guard and will be able to proactively monitor and remove data online to help prevent potential identity theft and fraud. With an industry-leading set of features, McAfee Privacy & Identity Guard provides visibility into the risky places personal information is available, including the dark web, data broker sites, and sites that hold data tied to unused or old accounts. Customers can then take action to reduce the amount of personal data online and, in turn, lower the risk of identity theft.
EXP Review reported on Sapphire selling a new special edition Radeon RX 7600 8 GB graphics card on China's
JD.com online store—the custom design sports a very loud orange shroud replete with cat, dog, crocodile, sloth and rabbit graphics. It appears to be a slight reworking of Sapphire's
Pulse RX 7600 OC 8 GB card, albeit with a fancy paint job that looks to celebrate the upcoming launch (September 20) of "
Party Animals," a physics-based brawler/party game.
The Party Animals edition card is retailing for 2199 RMB (~$301), which is 200 RMB (~$27) more expensive than the standard Pulse/Platinum version—with identical base, game and boost clock speeds. A digital copy of the game is bundled with each purchase, as well as an exclusive in-game "Rocket" skin for the Nemo dog character. Sapphire's colorful Radeon graphics card is currently not in stock—we are not certain whether this lack of availability is down to popularity or a supply shortage, since it is difficult to ascertain information from the JD.com listing. EXP Review acknowledges that Sapphire launched this special edition product with little fanfare in China, so it remains to be seen whether any examples will reach Western outlets.
The Crew Motorfest roars onto the open roads of O'ahu on September 14, when players can delve into its
wealth of Playlists - multi-event campaigns themed around specific aspects of car culture - and explore the island from behind the wheel of more than 600 vehicles, including boats and planes. It's a big motorsports adventure, and the developers at Ubisoft Ivory Tower want to ensure that as many people as possible can play.
To find out more about accessibility in The Crew Motorfest, we spoke with Project Coordinator Anthony De Rueda about new features, how the developers built on their previous efforts, and the challenge of making high-speed gameplay accessible for players from a broad spectrum of ability and skill.
An alleged Intel Core i9-14900K engineering sample CPU was tested out recently in CPU-Z, with results leaked onto the internet earlier this week—
courtesy of wnxod—978 points in single-core and 18117.5 points in multi-core. This particular sample of the flagship Raptor Lake Refresh processor managed to surpass its predecessors quite handily—with 9.7% SC/8.4% MC gains over the i9-13900K (Raptor Lake), and an uplift of 19.4% SC/59% MC over the i9-12900K (Alder Lake). Thanks to the i9-14900K's Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) capability, it is able to hit a maximum 6.0 GHz clock speed (with P-cores) on 1.385 volts according to the leaked CPU-Z info.
Another example was put through the ringer via
Geekbench 6.1.0 on Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit. The database entry popped up this morning, and several PC hardware news outlets were quick to pounce on the figures. In terms of single core performance, the benched Core i9-14900K achieved a score of 3121—blowing past a previous record holder—3089 set by a Core i9-13900KS CPU. Intel's 14th generation contender looks to be the fastest single-threaded chip out there, despite a less than optimal test system configuration—16 GB of DDR5-4800 memory on a Biostar Z790A-Silver mainboard, with Windows running a balanced power plan. The Core i9-14900K's multi-core score lagged behind its main rival—19032 versus 21678 (respectively). It would be nice to witness some nicer test builds materialize as we get closer to Intel's Innovation September event, and the rumored launch of K-series Raptor Lake Refresh processors around late October.
TPV-USA, a leading display specialist and North America brand license partner for Philips monitors is excited to announce the launch of the Philips 27E2F7901 Creator Series monitor. The monitor is the most important tool that creators use, and up till now, designer-level monitors were out of reach for most people's budgets. The Creator Series breaks new ground by offering a 27" 4K IPS Black screen with Display HDR 400 and a host of other high-end features for $499.99 USD - a price most independent content creators can afford. It is available on Amazon starting September 5, 2023.
Philips 27E2F7901: Showcasing Vibrant Visuals and Deep Contrast
One of the star features of the Philips 27E2F7901 monitor is IPS Black. As this monitor is made for those interested in visually-demanding professions, IPS black offers improved contrast ratio with deeper blacks that make colors pop.
Tencent Games, the global leading video games platform, expects the market for cloud gaming and mobile devices to grow rapidly in the near future. Mobile and cloud gaming have experienced significant growth in the MENA region and Asia, and Tencent Games is strategically positioned to further bolster the burgeoning European market. In a strategic collaboration, Tencent Games has partnered with Logitech to introduce the Logitech G Cloud Handheld Console. This innovative handheld gaming device was officially launched in Europe in May 2023, marking an exciting milestone in the world of gaming. At IFA Berlin, Germany's largest consumer electronics trade show, Daniel Wu, General Manager of Tencent Games Innovation Lab says: "We are witnessing a growing preference for instant play. Handheld devices may very well emerge as the next significant gaming platform in the future. And we see great potential for cloud gaming."
Gameplay is witnessing continuous improvement. Players look for an ever more immersive gaming experience, with features such as 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, smooth 60 Hz refresh rates, and cutting-edge Ray Tracing technology. As a result, requirements for game devices have increased significantly, and will continue to do so. Tencent Games expects that handheld devices will catch up to game development and will ultimately provide the best sound and graphics quality to player.
Intel Foundry Services (IFS) and Tower Semiconductor, a leading foundry for analog semiconductor solutions, today announced an agreement where Intel will provide foundry services and 300 mm manufacturing capacity to help Tower serve its customers globally. Under the agreement, Tower will utilize Intel's advanced manufacturing facility in New Mexico. Tower will invest up to $300 million to acquire and own equipment and other fixed assets to be installed in the New Mexico facility, providing a new capacity corridor of over 600,000 photo layers per month for Tower's future growth, enabling capacity to support forecasted customer demand for 300 mm advanced analog processing.
This agreement demonstrates the commitment from both Intel and Tower to expand their respective foundry footprints with unparalleled solutions and scaled capabilities. Intel will manufacture Tower's highly differentiated 65-nanometer power management BCD (bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) flows, among other flows at Intel's Fab 11X in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, launches the ViewSonic VX16 series of portable displays to its award-winning family of monitors. Available in 1080p and 4K Ultra HD resolutions, the ViewSonic VX1655, VX1655-4K, and VX1655-4K-OLED monitors deliver incredible visual performance in a slim and compact form factor.
An award-winning design features 15.6-inch screens with ultra-thin panels and a kickstand that provides incredible stability and discreetly hides cable connectivity, while still allowing these displays to be used in both portrait and landscape modes. All three portable monitors come with versatile connectivity options, including two USB-C ports for 2-way charging, mini-HDMI, and a headphone jack.
AMD's Zen 4 high-end desktop (HEDT) family could be closing in on a launch window—AsRock's European office has registered a number of motherboards with the EEC, and
KOMACHI_ENSAKA spotted a model sporting a TRX50 chipset sitting in the middle of mainstream gaming Lightning and Riptide offerings. The "TRX50 WS" seems to be the first sighting of an AMD Threadripper 7000 "Storm Peak" series workstation board. TRX50 is presumably the logical successor to Team Red's existing
TRX40 platform—the latter supports third generation (Zen 3) Ryzen Threadripper 5000 "Chagall" processors. AMD has not publicly published any details regarding next-gen Threadripper and Threadripper Pro product lineups, but several leaks have pointed to the new HEDT platform arriving within the second half of 2023.
A
mid-August Geekbench database entry outed the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7995WX—this 96 core/192 thread CPU scored 2095 points in single-core tests, and 81408 multi-core points—these results have it positioned as one of the fastest processors submitted to Geekbench. The test system was running Geekbench v5.5 for Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS). It is speculated that four (or more) models could be released with differing core counts: 16, 32, 64 and 96—please refer to the VideoCardz authored chart (below). Past rumors have
SP5 and SP6 socket types linked to the "Storm Peak" family, with the introduction of DDR5 memory standard to Threadripper.
Maxon, developers of professional software solutions for editors, filmmakers, motion designers, visual effects artists and creators of all types, is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated release of Cinebench 2024. This latest iteration of the industry-standard benchmarking software, which has been a cornerstone in computer performance evaluation for two decades, sets a new standard for performance evaluation, embracing cutting-edge technology to provide artists, designers, and creators with a more accurate and relevant representation of their hardware capabilities.
Redshift Rendering Engine Integration
Cinebench 2024 ushers in a new era by embracing the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine. Unlike its predecessors, which utilized Cinema 4D's standard renderer, Cinebench 2024 utilizes the same render algorithms across both CPU and GPU implementations. This leap to the Redshift engine ensures that performance testing aligns seamlessly with the demands of modern creative workflows, delivering accurate and consistent results.
Lanner Electronics, a leading provider of advanced network appliances and edge AI computing platforms, is excited to introduce the new PCIe AI Acceleration Card, Falcon Lite, powered by Hailo-8 AI processors. The Falcon Lite's modular PCIe form factor provides a flexible solution for solution providers looking to accelerate edge AI workloads with deployment flexibility and power efficiency.
The Lanner Falcon Lite PCIe AI Acceleration Card is designed to meet the soaring demand for scalable intelligent video analytics applications in smart retail, Industry 4.0, and intelligent transportation. With high-density AI processors, the Falcon Lite can accommodate 2, 3, and 4 Hailo-8 AI processors, offering up to 104 tera operations per second (TOPS) of AI performance to offload the CPU for low-latency deep learning inference.
During the Gamescom fair, Thrustmaster was pleased to unveil its unique new racing wheel mounting system, including a rotary spinner knob - a perfect complement for all heavy vehicle driving simulators. The
SimTask Steering Kit allows gamers to set up their racing wheel in a flat-mounted position, delivering an immersive experience when driving farm machinery or heavy vehicles. The mount allows users to customize the steering wheel's angle and height, offering a number of diverse driving configurations similar to real life.
In addition, the rotary spinner knob provides a major agility boost, enabling gamers to operate the steering wheel with one hand. The SimTask Steering Kit is compatible with Thrustmaster T128 and T248 racing wheels. SimTask is Thrustmaster's new range of products, specially designed to deliver an enhanced experience of driving simulation with heavy vehicles and farm machinery.
Today, Logitech G, a brand of Logitech and leading innovator of gaming technologies and gear, introduced the two newest products in the award-winning PRO Series line, the Logitech G PRO X TKL LIGHTSPEED Gaming Keyboard and Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT 2 Gaming Mouse. Over the past three years, Logitech G has been working with hundreds of the world's most skilled professional esports athletes to create the next generation of PRO Series gear. These new products, when combined with the Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED Gaming Headset launched earlier this year, complete the PRO Series line, offering the highest level of PC performance across mice, keyboards and headsets.
"The exciting new PRO Series portfolio represents a pure and uncompromised product collection, designed for maximum performance of elite esports professionals and the most competitive gamers playing at the peak of potential," stated Brent Barry, Head of Esports and PRO Series at Logitech G. "These products exemplify our commitment to pushing the limits of performance, speed, and reliability, which is only made possible through our multi-year, collaborative design process with professional esports athletes. Our elite athlete partners help design, develop and test our products, ensuring they deliver the highest level of performance, quality and cutting-edge innovation."
TrendForce reports an interesting shift in the electronics landscape: dwindling inventories for TV components, along with a surging mobile repair market that's been driving TDDI demand, have sparked a smattering of urgent orders in the Q2 supply chain. These last-minute orders have served as pivotal lifelines, propping up Q2 capacity utilization and revenue for semiconductor foundries. However, the adrenaline rush from these stop-gap orders may be a short-lived phenomenon and is unlikely to be carried over into the third quarter.
On the other hand, demand for staple consumer products like smartphones, PCs, and notebooks remains sluggish, perpetuating a slump in the use of expensive, cutting-edge manufacturing processes. At the same time, traditionally stable sectors—automotive, industrial control, and servers—are undergoing inventory correction. The confluence of these trends has resulted in a sustained contraction for the world's top ten semiconductor foundries. Their global revenue declined by approximately 1.1% for the quarter, amounting to a staggering US$26.2 billion.
Creative Technology today announced the release of the all-new Creative Zen Hybrid Pro wireless headphones and their accompanying bundles, the Creative Zen Hybrid ProClassic and Creative Zen Hybrid ProSXFI, all adorned with an alluringly sleek new finish. Equipped with nifty features such as Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Ambient Mode, a powerful 40 mm Neodymium driver, and an impressive battery life of up to 100 hours, these latest headphones are perfect for everyday adventures, from commuting to movie nights to gaming.
This pioneering launch also heralds a new era in wireless audio, as this latest range of Creative Zen Hybrid Pro headphones harness LE Audio to provide users with pristine sound quality, ultra-low latency streaming, and the versatility of multi-streaming for a truly elevated audio experience. Complementing this release are the all-new Creative BT-L3 and Creative BT-L4 audio transmitters, which serve as gateways to unlocking the core features of LE Audio and Super X-Fi technology as well as paving the way for an expanding LE Audio ecosystem.
Sharkoon Technologies is an international supplier of high-performance, high-quality PC components and peripherals. Sharkoon has now supplemented its hot-swap capable keyboard, the SKILLER SGK50 S4, with a fully customizable model that comes without keycaps and switches. Like the original SKILLER SGK50 S4, this Barebone model will also be available as a version in black or white, and there are versions that are designed for either ANSI or ISO keyboard layouts.
As the name suggests, the SKILLER SGK50 S4 Barebone is a keyboard that is stripped down to the essentials, with no switches or keycaps. The keyboard's circuit board is hot-swappable and compatible with both 3-pin and 5-pin switches to make the right choice possible for any user requirement or taste. The user can also swap out the keycaps at any time and freely choose the shape and material from amongst all the keycaps which are available on the market. The suitable tools for replacing the switches and keycaps are already supplied with the keyboard.
QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today introduced the new dual-port QXG-25G2SF-E810 25GbE SFP28 network expansion card. Equipped with the Intel Ethernet Controller E810-XXVAM2, the QXG-25G2SF-E810 supports PCIe Gen 4 (backwards compatible with PCIe Gen 3) and can be installed in QNAP NAS and Window /Linux workstations/servers. It fulfills the demand for upgrading to low-latency enterprise-level 25GbE networks, and is ideal for server rooms, virtualization applications, media streaming/real-time editing, and data backup/restore.
"Virtualization, 4K/8K video editing, and other data-intense applications have accelerated the adoption of 25GbE networks by enterprises and creative industries," said Andy Chuang, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "25GbE is agile, scalable, and provides an easy upgrade path to 100GbE. The QXG-25G2SF-E810 adapter provides these advantages and enables future-proofed bandwidth-efficient workflows for organizations."
Thermaltake, the leading PC DIY premium brand for Case, Power, Cooling, Gaming peripherals, and enthusiast Memory solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of the TH120/240/280/360/420 V2 ARGB Sync All-In-One Liquid Cooler and the TH240/280/360/420 V2 Ultra ARGB Sync All-In-One Liquid Cooler, 2nd generation of the popular TH Series. To bring the aesthetics to a whole new level, for the first time, Thermaltake uses an Infinity Mirror Lighting Design for the TH V2 ARGB AIOs; as for the TH V2 Ultra ARGB, they come with the iconic LCD Display for the Ultra products on the industrial style top lid. Designed to fulfill the needs of the latest CPUs, this series of AIOs are equipped with powerful CT ARGB Sync fans for enhanced cooling performance. On top of that, the TH V2 ARGB and the TH V2 Ultra ARGB incorporate a variety of 120 mm/140 mm fan models to accommodate diverse chassis sizes.
The TH V2 ARGB Series provides fantastic visual aesthetics to your PC. The TH V2 ARGB incorporates a 360-degree rotational industrial-style top lid, allowing the logo on the water block to be in the proper orientation no matter how you place the cooler. Furthermore, the TH V2 ARGB is the one and only Thermaltake product with an Infinity Mirror Lighting Design, showing unique layered lighting effects. The industrial-look top lid of the TH V2 Ultra is equipped with a 2.1-inch LCD screen, which can present real-time information about CPU, weather, and temperature. To highly customize your AIO liquid cooler, the LCD screen can display any images or GIFs in 16.8M color through the TT RGB PLUS 2.0 software and can support various file types, such as JPG, GIF, MP4, etc. Each TH V2 ARGB Series fan features 9 addressable LEDs, and users can simply customize their dream lighting effects with 5 V motherboard lighting software.
KLEVV, an emerging memory brand introduced by Essencore today, is excited to unveil its latest M.2 Solid State Drive, the CRAS C910 Lite, packed with advanced specs for unparalleled performance. As a new addition to KLEVV's M.2 SSD lineup, the all-new CRAS C910 Lite utilizes PCI Express Gen 4 x4 interface supported by NVMe 1.4, ensuring lightning-fast data transfer rates excellent for competitive gaming and content creation.
Available in multiple storage capacities, including 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB, the CRAS C910 Lite features strictly-selected 3D NAND Flash components, enabling impressive sequential read/write speeds of up to 5000/4200 MB/s and 4K Random Read/Write IOPS of up to 680,000/880,000.
A feather-light weight of a mere 7gram thanks to its revolutionary ultra-thin, single-sided SSD architecture based on the M.2 2280, the CRAS C910 Lite redefines compact performance, making it a perfect fit for a wide array of devices from nimble mini-PCs to sleek laptops.
Monday, September 4th 2023
Today's Reviews
Review
Game Testing
Starfield is out now, with support for AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution 2.2 (FSR 2.2). In this mini-review we take a look, comparing the image quality and performance gains offered by FSR 2.2.
Review
Headphones
The Status Between 3ANC builds upon the brand's top-seller, the Between Pro hybrid driver TWS earphones and adds in ANC in addition to a more mature tonality. It offers a highly customizable sound as well as more fit and seal solutions and two color options to be a good balance of form and function alike.
Underscoring NVIDIA's growing relationship with the global technology superpower, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang Monday evening. The meeting at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg—as the Prime Minister's official residence in New Delhi is known—comes as Modi prepares to host a gathering of leaders from the G20 group of the world's largest economies, including U.S. President Joe Biden, later this week.
"Had an excellent meeting with Mr. Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA," Modi said in a social media post. "We talked at length about the rich potential India offers in the world of AI." The event marks the second meeting between Modi and Huang, highlighting NVIDIA's role in the country's fast-growing technology industry.
We're excited to announce that
Xbox Series X Console Wraps are launching this year, and pre-orders have already started. We know gamers want to be able to customize their consoles and show support for their favorite games, and we are delivering an option that's more affordable and more sustainable than purchasing a special edition or limited edition console. With the launch of Series X Console Wraps, you can customize the console you already have. There are three striking designs to choose from - complete your Starfield setup with a
Starfield design that pairs perfectly with the recently released
Starfield Controller and
Headset, and we are also launching two camo colors to choose from,
Arctic Camo and
Mineral Camo.
The wraps were designed specifically for Series X and have a custom, precision fit. Every detail was taken into consideration to ensure your console performance is preserved- vents are all clear, and small feet were added to the bottom of the wraps to ensure air can flow freely through the console. Made with solid core panels that are layered with high-tech fabric finishes, the wraps are folded around your console and secured with a hook and loop enclosure. The interior of the wraps are printed with silicone designs that keep the wrap in place.
Leading industrial storage and memory provider, Cervoz Technology, introduces the
T436 Family: state-of-the-art Industrial PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 SSDs. Compatible with the PCIe Gen3x4 interface, NVMe protocol, and M.2 2280 form factor, the series is a perfect fit for both booting and storage in PCs and motherboards. What sets the T436 SSDs apart is Cervoz's proprietary Power Loss Protection technology. In an era dominated by rapid IoT and AI advancements, our dependency on data is paramount. With global energy fluctuations driven by soaring computing needs, there's more than just a call for swifter data management. It's crucial to protect our data from potential power inconsistencies.
Guarding Data Against Power Instability
The standout feature of the T436 is its advanced
PLP (Power Loss Protection) technology. Power disruptions have long been a challenge for SSDs, making valuable data vulnerable to corruption or loss, threatening both data integrity and operational continuity. The T436 SSDs integrate the Powerguard technology to combat these challenges. Upon an unexpected power dip, Powerguard activates instantly, drawing additional power from tantalum capacitors, ensuring that any data within the DRAM buffer is written back to the NAND Flash. Typically, average SSDs require around 40 ms of backup power discharge to complete the data write-in task, influenced by the data's complexity or size. With Cervoz's Powerguard, the buffer time from a power dip to potential failure extends impressively to 88 ms, ensuring that all data has ample time to be written fully.
AMD has published the
source code for AMD Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) technology, the backbone of AMD EPYC processor-based confidential computing virtual machines (VMs) available from cloud service providers including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Compute Infrastructure (OCI). This release from AMD will drive greater transparency for the security industry and provide customers the opportunity to thoroughly review the technology behind confidential computing VMs powered by AMD EPYC processors.
"As a leader in confidential computing, we are committed to a relentless pursuit of innovation and creating modern security features that complement our ecosystem partners' most advanced cloud offerings," said Mark Papermaster, executive vice president and chief technology officer, AMD. "By sharing the underpinnings of our SEV technology, we are delivering transparency for confidential computing and demonstrating our dedication to open source. Involving the open-source community will further strengthen this critical technology for our partners and customers who expect nothing less than the utmost protection for their most valuable asset - their data."
CD Projekt Red outlined some of its ambitions for Cyberpunk 2077's upcoming Phantom Liberty expansion at Gamescom Opening Night Live, but there was a bit of confusion within the audience regarding how new feature sets will pan out alongside the release of Update 2.0 (for the base game). The free batch of improvements and content is scheduled to arrive just before the launch of Phantom Liberty on September 26, across PC and modern consoles. The Polish video game developer has sought to clarify these details with the publication of new information. They recommend that you: "check out this handy infographic (see below) about the main features coming to Cyberpunk 2077 together with the Phantom Liberty expansion—and the ones that will be added to the game in the free Update 2.0!"
The Gamescom Phantom Liberty presentation included a preview of a
revised police behavior system, but this appears to count as an improvement bundled with Update 2.0: "Take a look at one of the new features coming to Cyberpunk 2077 in the free Update 2.0 for the base game, which will be available on current-gen consoles and PCs: a revamped Police system! We rebuilt the system on clear, simple rules: criminal activity is punished, runners are chased and cyberpsychos are flatlined, no questions asked. All features in the system are designed to support clarity and the simple but expanded prevention loop." CDPR's infographic lists a new location as well as additional storylines, characters/enemies, quests, weapons and enemies being reserved for their ($29.99 RRP) DLC campaign.
IBM has formally introduced
watsonx, the company's next generation enterprise-focused artificial intelligence and data platform. Global business leaders remain unclear about the real, transformative power of AI and how to leverage it. The campaign is designed to define and differentiate watsonx as a force multiplier that can accelerate impact for global business leaders as they look to apply AI solutions in new and innovative ways.
The two distinct spots feature a fast-paced, multi-media technique that aims to provide inspiration and guidance around the value proposition of watsonx, while underscoring the need to identify the right AI that will empower businesses to advance objectives and accelerate workloads. These concepts come to life through potential use cases that spotlight the importance of applying AI that is trusted, targeted, and built on the best open technology available.
