Intel has officially started shipping the "0x129" microcode update for its 13th and 14th generation "Raptor Lake" and "Raptor Lake Refresh" processors. This critical update is currently being pushed to all OEM/ODM partners to address the stability issues that Intel's processors have been facing. According to Intel, this microcode update fixes "incorrect voltage requests to the processor that are causing elevated operating voltage." Intel's analysis shows that the root cause of stability problems is caused by too high voltage during operation of the processor. These increases to voltage cause degradation that increases the minimum voltage required for stable operation. Intel calls this "Vmin"—it's a theoretical construct, not an actual voltage, think "speed for an airplane required to fly". The latest 0x129 microcode patch will limit the processor's voltage to no higher than 1.55 V, which should avoid further degradation. Overclocking is still supported, enthusiasts will have to disable the eTVB setting in their BIOS to push the processor beyond the 1.55 V threshold. The company's internal testing shows that the new default settings with limited voltages with standard run-to-run variations show minimal performance impact, with only a single game (Hitman 3: Dartmoor) showing degradation. For a full statement from Intel, see the quote below.

Intel Graphics today released the latest version of the Arc GPU Graphics drivers. Version 101.4311 beta comes with GameOn optimization for "Dead Island 2," "Total War: Warhammer III - Mirror of Madness," "Minecraft Legends," and "Boundary." It also introduces major post-optimizations for "Dead Space" (Remake), with up to 55% performance uplifts seen at 1080p, and up to 63% seen at 1440p, when tested with the Arc A750. F1 22 sees 6-7% uplifts at 1440p, and 17% at 1080p. "Dying Light 2: Stay Human" sees 6-7% uplifts between 1080p and 1440p; "DiRT 5" gets 8% at 1080p and 4% at 1440p. "Deathloop" gets 4% at 1080p, and 6% at 1440p.

Among the issues fixed with this release include an application crash with Microsoft Flight Simulator (DirectX 11 mode); color corruption on the water edges seen in "Sea of Thieves," lower than expected performance with Bright Memory Infinite Ray Tracing Benchmark, and color corruption with Optical Flow seen in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Arc GPU Graphics Drivers 101.4311 beta

NVIDIA has recently released their latest GeForce 512.15 Game Ready drivers adding optimizations for Ghostwire: Tokyo, and Shadow Warrior 3 in addition to bringing DLAA to three new titles and supporting 11 new G-SYNC Compatible Displays. This Game Ready Driver adds day-0 support for Ghostwire: Tokyo featuring ray-traced reflections and NVIDIA DLSS support for up to a 2x performance boost. The drivers also see the introduction of NVIDIA DLAA support for Chorus, Jurassic World Evolution 2, and No Man's Sky which can improve image quality at native resolution.

The list of G-SYNC Compatible Displays has been extended with the addition of 11 new models from Acer, ASUS, AOC, I-O DATA,MSI, Phillips, and ViewSonic. NVIDIA has also added GeForce Experience's Optimal Settings support to six new games including Elden Ring, Expeditions: Rome, Mortal Online 2, Shadow Warrior 3, Sifu, and Total War: Warhammer III. The complete changelog and driver download link can be found below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 512.15 WHQL

AMD today released the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin. Bearing the fancy number 22.2.2, these drivers add optimization for "Total War: Warhammer III." The drivers also add major optimization for AMD Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR) when you pair AMD "Cezanne" based processors with compatible Radeon RX 6000 and RX 5000 series GPUs, with game-specific performance improving by as much as 23%. Details of individual use-cases in the change-log below. With this release, the company didn't fix any new bugs, but identified several of them. Grab the drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 22.2.2 beta

NVIDIA today released the latest version of GeForce Game-Ready drivers. Version 511.79 WHQL comes with optimization for "Elden Ring," "Destiny 2: The Witch Queen," "GRID Legends," "Martha is Dead" and "Total War: Warhammer III." Reflex support is added to iRacing. The drivers fix a display corruption with "Call of Duty: Vanguard" and "Assassins Creed Valhalla." Color flashing in "Battlefield 2042" has been fixed. An application-launch issue with Corel Paint Shop Pro X has been fixed. A bug affecting G-SYNC re-enabling on compatible monitors once disabled, has been fixed. Digital vibrance resets when the monitor goes to sleep.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 511.79 WHQL

Across the arid wastes of once-proud Nehekhara, legions of skeletal warriors and vast, terrifying constructs rise from the sands to serve their ageless masters. The Tomb Kings have awoken - to rebuild their glorious empire anew! New to both the Eye of the Vortex campaign and Mortal Empires in Total War: WARHAMMER II, the Rise of the Tomb Kings Campaign Pack introduces an entirely fresh campaign experience with a raft of race-specific gameplay mechanics, victory objectives, and lashings of authentic lore. In battle, the Tomb Kings field countless skeletal units, supported by towering stone constructs such as the Tomb Scorpion, Necrosphinx and the colossal Hierotitan.

In response to player feedback, Rise of the Tomb Kings does not contain a supplementary story campaign, but instead 2 additional Legendary Lords for a total of four, with their own skills, traits, quest-chains, legendary wargear and situational challenges. Players may embark on Tomb Kings campaigns as Settra the Imperishable, Khalida, Khatep and Nagash's former lieutenant, the malignant Arkhan the Black.

With the rather fast introduction of the Intel Core i7-8700K (just 9 months following the January 3rd launch of the i7-7700K), retailers are finding themselves with quite a bit of unsold i7-7700K (and even i7-6700K) inventory. Consumers are drawn to either the i7-8700K, or the competing AMD Ryzen processors. To help the market digest these unsold chips, Intel started a new game-bundle dubbed "Game Without Compromise."

Buyers of brand-new Core i7-7700K and i7-6700K processors will receive game keys to "Total War: Warhammer II" and "Assassins Creed: Origins," which is effectively a $100 value-addition to these $330 quad-core chips. It provides an upgrade path to users of the older 100-series/200-series chipset platform. As with most such game bundles, the "Game Without Compromise" bundle will be limited to select retailers.

Creative Assembly is one of the biggest players in the RTS genre - a genre that is exclusive to our platform of choice. You do have leave out some outliers like Halo Wars - of which its second installment was indeed developed by Creative Assembly itself - and Command & Conquer 3, but those are the exceptions that prove the rule: the PC is the place to strategize.

Now, Creative Assembly has announced yet another iteration on their Total War series of game, which borrow from Civilization's "just one more turn" addictiveness. And this one is set on one of the most cherished IPs in gaming: the Warhammer universe. The first Total War: Warhammer was a poster child for DX 12 integration and performance improvements (at least on the AMD side of the equation). Total War: Warhammer II should also carry some of those optimizations with it, and the second installment in a planned trilogy of RTS titles on the receiving end of the Total War treatment.