Intel in its Architecture Day presentation Thread Director, a hardware component present on the "Alder Lake" silicon, which makes the Hybrid architecture of the processor work flawlessly. "Alder Lake-S" is the first desktop processor with two kinds of x86 CPU cores—the larger Performance P-cores, and the smaller Efficient E-cores, which work in a setup not unlike big.LITTLE by Arm.

The x86-based "Alder Lake" processor has a much more complex ISA, and the E-cores don't have all of the instruction sets or hardware capabilities that the P-cores do. The two cores operate at very different performance/Watt bands, and are optimized for vastly different workloads. At the same time, sending a workload to the wrong kind of core could not only impact performance, but also crash, due to an ISA mismatch. Intel realized that it will take a lot more than mere OS-level awareness to solve the problem, and so innovated the Thread Director.

Valve has previously announced that the Steam Deck will ship with their custom Steam OS 3.0 based on Arch Linux but that the user would be able to install alternative operating systems such as Windows 10. When Microsoft recently announced Windows 11 they also increased the system requirements with the most contentious decision being the requirement of a Trusted Compatibility Module (TPM). The Zen 2 Van Gogh APU found in the Steam Deck features a firmware-integrated TPM which needs to be supported within the device BIOS to enabled compatibility with Windows 11. Valve has confirmed that they are working with AMD to support the requirement and are hopeful that they will be able to achieve this.

Greg Coomer - Valve Steam Deck designerThere's work looking at TPM just now. We've focused so much on Windows 10, so far, that we haven't really gotten that far into it. Our expectation is that we can meet that.

TechPowerUp today released the latest version of TechPowerUp GPU-Z, the popular graphics subsystem, information, monitoring, and diagnostic utility. The latest Version 2.41.0 comes with support for the Windows 11 operating system (ongoing pre-release builds), including the ability to tell if the graphics driver conforms to WDDM 3.0 standard. Support is also added for current and upcoming GPUs, including Radeon RX 6600 XT, Radeon PRO W6800, W6600; NVIDIA CMP 90HX, 50HX, 40HX, 30H; and RTX 3050 Laptop GPUs based on GA107-B.

TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.41.0 also improves on several fronts. We've improved the TMU count estimation algorithm for unknown (upcoming) NVIDIA GPUs, as well as clock speed detection on AMD RDNA2-based Radeon PRO GPUs. The GPU-Z installer now adds version number of the installed GPU-Z to the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs list, to better work with Winget, the new Microsoft package manager. AMD "Navi" rated clocks will now always be shown in Advanced Panel, even if the reported clocks are 0. A "BIOS reading not supported" error with certain laptops that have NVIDIA discrete GPUs, has been fixed. The ASUS ROG-branded GPU-Z has some UI touch-ups. Die-size and transistor counts of AMD "Cezanne" APU and certain older AMD GPUs, have been fixed. Grab GPU-Z from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: TechPowerUp GPU-Z 2.41.0The change-log follows.

Microsoft has recently launched their Windows 365 cloud streaming service that allows businesses to stream a Windows 10 or 11 machine over the internet. The Windows 365 service will initially be available in 12 different tiers with the cheapest offering 1 virtual core, 2 GB RAM, and 64 GB storage for 24 USD/month while the most expensive option at 162 USD/month includes 8 virtual cores, 32 GB RAM, and 512 GB storage. Microsoft is also offering up to a 16% monthly discount to businesses that already use Windows 10 Pro on their devices. These machines are not intended to be used for network heavy applications like server hosting and Microsoft has implemented strong outbound data limits. The Windows 365 cloud PC can be accessed from any device with the Microsoft Remote Desktop app or a HTML5 compatible browser.

ZOTAC USA Inc., a manufacturer of innovative hardware solutions, is excited to announce the market launch of the newest addition to the popular MEK gaming desktop series. Introducing the MEK HERO PC Gaming series - bringing PC gamers a high-performance gaming desktop with hassle-free operation and unrivaled quality.

Powered by ZOTAC and exclusive for the United States, the MEK HERO series features ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 30 series graphics, AMD's latest Ryzen 5000 series processors, and EK liquid cooling. "The MEK HERO is an advanced extension of our hardcore gaming line," said Gary Lau, President of ZOTAC USA Inc. "It's designed to meet the demands of modern games from fast-paced FPS to immersive simulations, and our component partners help us achieve our goal to build a hassle-free high-performance gaming PC with unparalleled stability and compatibility," he explained.

Microsoft DirectStorage API, a game-changing technology that seeks to lower game load times and improve performance, will not be a Windows 11 exclusive, but make it to Windows 10. Shortly following the Windows 11 announcement, it was learned that Microsoft might wall off DirectStorage to Windows 11, which no longer appears to be the case. The DirectStorage Developer Preview is now available, and it works on Windows 10 version 1909 (or later), letting game developers begin exploring the technology and consider integrating it with their current or ongoing game development.

DirectStorage lets a GPU directly stream compressed game assets from an NVMe SSD, where they are uncompressed using compute shaders; cutting out a significant amount of back-and-forth with the CPU, freeing up its hardware resources, resulting in a net gain from reduced game-loading times. This would give gamers on Windows 10 one more reason to remain on the OS until Windows 11 matures. The new OS, however, could have an advantage over Windows 10 on machines with hybrid CPU cores, such as the upcoming "Alder Lake" processors, as its scheduler purportedly has greater awareness of hybrid core topologies.

NVIDIA today released the latest version of GeForce Game Ready drivers. Version 471.41 WHQL comes with support for Windows 11, including a WDDM 3.0 compliant display driver, making it NVIDIA's first official driver for the upcoming operating system. In addition, the drivers introduce DLSS performance enhancement on Red Dead Redemption 2 and Chernobylite. The drivers also introduce CUDA 11.4 support.

Among the issues fixed are lack of hardware acceleration on Capture One; HUD loss issues on Valorant; a game freeze noticed with DOOM Eternal; League of Legends failing to launch; mouse pointer issues with certain DSC monitors in HDR mode; blurry Ansel depth-of-field in certain games; display resolution being limited to 640x480 on some monitors after updating from older drivers; distorted HDMI audio playback on 8K displays connected via HDMi 2.1, and HDMI audio drop-outs on LG C9 OLED TVs.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 471.41 WHQL

Intel today released version 30.0.100.9684 of the Intel Graphics Drivers suite, which is the first non-beta driver to support Windows 11. With this, Intel beats NVIDIA and AMD to Windows 11 drivers, who don't even list out Windows 11-compatible drivers on their websites. To achieve Windows 11 support, these drivers comply with WDDM 3.0, supporting DirectX 12 Shader Model 6.6 compiler.

WDDM 3.0 lays the foundation of Microsoft's future attempts to standardize dynamic refresh rate and supersampling in games (making DLSS and FSR obsolete). The drivers also enable the Microsoft Auto HDR feature of Windows 11 on 10th Gen Core processors with Iris Plus Graphics (or later). This would mean you'll need at least a Core "Ice Lake," Core "Tiger Lake," or Core "Rocket Lake" processor. "Comet Lake" chips with Gen 9.5 UHD 630 Graphics (or older), don't support Auto HDR. Grab the latest Intel Graphics Drivers from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: Intel Graphics Drivers 30.0.100.9684

Microsoft today announced Windows 365, a cloud service that introduces a new way to experience Windows 10 or Windows 11 (when it becomes available) to businesses of all sizes. Windows 365 takes the operating system to the Microsoft cloud, streaming the full Windows experience — apps, data and settings — to personal or corporate devices. Secure by design and built with the principles of Zero Trust, Windows 365 secures and stores information in the cloud, not on the device, providing a secure, productive experience for workers from interns and contractors to software developers and industrial designers. Windows 365 also creates a new hybrid personal computing category called Cloud PC, which uses both the power of the cloud and the capabilities of the device to provide a full, personalized Windows experience. The announcement represents a groundbreaking development as organizations around the world grapple with the best ways to facilitate hybrid work models where employees are both on-site and distributed across the globe.

A next-generation Microsoft Surface Pro X with Windows 11 was shown running a Microsoft-branded processor that's expected to be a design collaboration between the company and Qualcomm, in a bid to develop a high performance/Watt solution rivaling the Apple M1. Microsoft's contribution to this is the x86-64 emulation heavily integrated into Windows 11, letting you run native x86-64 apps seamlessly, with the OS handling the hardware abstraction much like WOW64.

Called the Microsoft SQ2, the silicon features an 8-core/8-thread CPU, and an iGPU that meets the minimum requirements of Windows 11 for its standard UI, with just enough power for web-browsing with high-res videos. The CPU runs at speeds of up to 3.15 GHz, and has a fairly advanced memory system that includes a 3-level cache and LPDDR5 memory.

Microsoft has updated the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) in the latest Windows 11 preview build to now be the Black Screen of Death. The Blue Screen of Death has been included since Windows 1.0 was released in 1985 and has received various changes over the years adding error codes, the sad face, and most recently in 2016 QR codes. The new Black Screen of Death was likely introduced to blend better with modern systems and is functionally identical to the previous version. Microsoft had previously introduced the Green Screen of Death for Windows Insider Preview Builds so if you are running the Windows 11 preview and want to enable the updated BSOD you can set the DisplayPreReleaseColor Variable to 0 in the registry editor (HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl) and reboot.

ASUS and MSI have each put out lists of their motherboards and compatible processors that meet the Windows 11 requirement of a TPM 2.0 spec-compliant trusted platform module, without needing an add-on TPM. ASUS says that its motherboards dating back to the Intel 300-series, and AMD 300-series, and processors compatible with them, meet the requirement, which would mean Intel "Coffee Lake" and forward; and AMD "Zen" and forward. MSI, on the other hand, extends support all the way back to Intel 100-series (when paired with "Kaby Lake" or forward); and AMD 300-series ("Zen" and forward).

For HEDT platforms, both companies support TPM 2.0 on Intel X299, AMD X399, and AMD TRX40. Server- and workstation chipsets from processor generations corresponding to these platforms, will also support Windows 11. Intel and AMD began integrating a firmware TPM with these platforms that met TPM 2.0 specification. Older platforms will require an add-on TPM, which scalpers are selling for upward or $100 these days (normally under $20). The firmware TPM, although present, is usually disabled, and needs to be enabled in the UEFI setup program. In addition, the firmware must be configured for UEFI boot, with Secure Boot enabled, to meet Windows 11 requirements.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, announced that the BIOS of their series motherboards, including Intel X299, C621, C232, C236, C246, 200, 300, 400, 500 lineups, as well as AMD TRX40, 300, 400, 500 motherboards are TPM 2.0 function ready, which can pass the upgraded Windows 11 OS. verification.

Windows 11 is the latest operating system from Microsoft, and features dozens of exciting new functions and Android APP support to effectively improve productivity, system security, and gaming performance. However, most of the users might be confusing that Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 support means they need a TPM module on board for Windows 11 upgrade.

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices today, announced the first list of Windows 11 supporting motherboards from their catalog. Software giant Microsoft unveiled the first preview of their latest Windows 11 operating system on June 24th through an online event.

The new OS looks and feels like a major overhaul to their previous Windows 10 operating system launched in 2015 that lasted for 6 years. Quoting Microsoft, Windows 11 will be one of the most significant updates of Windows for the past decade, featuring major visual and functional changes. In addition to the new interface design, remote communication, strong gaming performance, and support for cross-platform applications, Microsoft has also given a big focus on critical data security and privacy operations in this version of Windows.

Today, HP Inc. announced its lightest consumer laptop yet, the HP Pavilion Aero 13 Laptop PC. Starting at less than 1 kilogram, the Pavilion Aero 13 delivers a flawless sustainable design with the power to entertain, connect, and be productive. HP also welcomed the HP M24fwa FHD Monitor and HP M27fwa FHD Monitor to the M-Series line of monitors featuring built-in audio; the newest additions are part of the world's first Eyesafe certified monitor series made with recycled ocean bound plastics.

As more people return to a new normal, they need a PC that can move with them while at home and on the go. The PC is used away from home 45% of the time to perform a wide range of tasks, with 25% of time spent streaming videos while 11% of the time is spent being productive, whether it be learning or work-related. With the new Pavilion Aero 13, people can work hard and play hard no matter where they are, on a single, lightweight device.

Microsoft seemingly has one more trick up its sleeve to increase attractiveness of Windows 11. Via a Microsoft blog post, the company revealed that Windows 11 will introduce support for Dynamic Refresh Rate on the Desktop, the 2-D realm of work e-mails, personal accounting, and social media. This means that Windows will be able to dynamically change your screen's refresh rate to save power consumption - scaling it to the scenario at hand.

For example: if you are reading a TechPowerUp article, Windows will dynamically reduce the refresh rate down to 60 Hz while you do so to conserve power. However, should any user interaction occur, such as a mouse movement or other input (like moving the browser window down and revealing a TechPowerUp wallpaper), Windows will automatically restore the refresh rate to its user-defined value.

In more reason why Microsoft's requirement for hardware trusted platform modules for its upcoming Windows 11 operating system is arbitrary, the company revealed that it is willing to tweak the hardware TPM system requirements to accommodate platforms from 2017, which include the very first generation of AMD "Zen" (Ryzen 1000 series), and Intel 7th Gen Core "Kaby Lake." In a Windows Insider blog posted dated June 28, Microsoft explained in brief why Windows 11 needs TPM 2.0 hardware, and that the "PC Health Check App," the software tool Microsoft is giving users to check whether their PCs measure up to Windows 11, has been temporarily removed from the website while they work on getting its accuracy right.

"The intention of today's post is to acknowledge and clarify the confusion caused by our PC Health Check tool, share more details as to why we updated the system requirements for Windows 11 and set the path for how we will learn and adjust. Below you will find changes we are making based on that feedback, including ensuring we have the ability for Windows Insiders to install Windows 11 on 7th generation processors to give us more data about performance and security, updating our PC Health check app to provide more clarity, and committing to more technical detail on the principles behind our decisions. With Windows 11, we are focused on increasing security, improving reliability, and ensuring compatibility. This is what drives our decisions.

Perhaps the most controversial system requirement of the upcoming Windows 11 operating system is the need for a hardware trusted platform module that meets TPM 2.0 specs. Most modern computers fulfill this requirement using fTPM (firmware TPM) solutions built into their processors; and those that don't, have TPM headers for add-on TPMs, which scalpers have their eye on. It turns out, that Microsoft is designing special variants of Windows 11 for special contracts Microsoft will execute.

Computers sold under the scheme will be marked "special purpose systems," and the Windows 11 version running them will do away with the TPM 2.0 requirement. These systems are very likely to be Government or Military; or perhaps even variants Microsoft exports to countries like China and Russia, which have their own specialized cybersecurity policies and dictate software to be written a certain way to be sold in the country.

GoDeal24, an international merchant of genuine software, announced a flash sale, with Genuine Windows 10 Pro being offered at some of the lowest prices on the web, at $8.19. This is fully upgradable to the upcoming Windows 11 operating system, as Microsoft announced a free upgrade. Pair it with a large selection of productivity software to suit your needs, including Office 2019 Professional Plus at $29.30, and its bundle with Windows 10 Pro at $36.76. Check out great deals on other software, below.

Buy Windows 10 Pro at $8.19 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $12.99 | Buy Office 2016 Professional Plus at $23.15 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $29.30

Please use the coupon code SGO45 on the following items at check-out, to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Windows 10 Home at $8.97 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $14.93 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Standard at $17.66 | Buy SQL Server 2019 Standard 5-PC at $40.58 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Essentials at $26.48 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Datacenter at $25.36 | Buy Parallels Desktop 16 Pro 1-year at $50.73

Please use the coupon code SGO60 on the following items at check-out.
Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $36.76 | Buy Windows 10 Home + Office 2019 Professional at $36.84 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2016 Professional Plus at $26.05 | Buy Windows 10 Home + Office 2016 Professional Plus at $26.32 |Buy Project Professional 2019 at $23.32 | Buy Visio Professional 2019 at $20.39 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Student at $31.48Check out even more deals below.

Microsoft, in a tweet late last week, announced that while Windows 11 launches later this year in 2021, the operating system won't be made available as a free upgrade to existing Windows 10 users before the first half of 2022. This would mean that existing Windows 10 users wanting to try Windows 11 out this year, might have to purchase a retail or OEM license to Windows 11. "Windows 11 is due out later in 2021 and will be delivered over several months. The rollout of the upgrade to Windows 10 devices already in use today will begin in 2022 through the first half of that year," tweeted the official Windows handle.

Most modern PC platforms include an fTPM (firmware trusted platform module) of some form. Those that don't, have a TPM 2.0 compatible header on the motherboards. Microsoft's requirement of a hardware TPM for Windows 11 has scalpers go after add-on TPMs, which are typically priced around $20, but now marked up to $100, according to price-tracking by Shen Ye, a senior HTC VIVE exec, who has been tracking prices of add-on TPMs on Twitter.

Scalpers possibly anticipate a rush of ill-informed buyers out for add-on TPMs, who haven't spent 5 minutes digging through their UEFI setup programs for the fTPM toggle. Below is a screenshot of a Ryzen 7 2700X-based machine, paired with an AMD B450 chipset motherboard (a platform from 2018), with its fTPM toggle turned on. The PC now meets Windows 11 system requirements. Windows 11 uses hardware TPMs for secure storage of credentials. "Microsoft, can you not impose a TPM requirement during a silicon shortage? Especially considering most desktop motherboards support TPM only as a purchasable accessory," Shen Ye tweeted.

GoodOffer24 presents its Summer 2021 Sale, get 30% off on the genuine software you need, to get your new gaming PC build up and running. Get Windows 10 Pro for just 12.52€, and Windows 10 Home for just 12.06€. With Microsoft announcing a free upgrade for existing Windows 10 users to the next-gen Windows 11, which releases around Holiday 2021, you have yourself an easy upgrade path. Do also check out Office 2019 Professional Plus for just 35.34€, and its combo with Windows 10 Pro for just 40.94€. Check out amazing deals on other editions of Windows 10 and Office; and their combos.

Please use the coupon code TP30 on the following items, to avail the prices you see here.

Buy Windows 10 Pro at 10.52€ | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC at 10.91€ | Buy Windows 10 Home at 12.06€ | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business at 35.88€ | Buy Office 2016 Professional Plus at 20.64€ | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at 35.34€ | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional at 40.94€ | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2016 Professional at 28.34€ | Buy Windows 10 Home + Office 2019 Professional at 27.64€

Yesterday, we reported the launch of Microsoft's next-generation Windows 11 operating system. Featuring a broad range of improvements that include the new and redesigned UI elements, 40% smaller updates, layouts, widgets, and a bunch of other stuff, existing Windows 10 users are wondering how and when they will be able to experience the new OS. The OS is coming later this year, with some preview beta builds supposed to arrive in the coming weeks. That means that a large portion of people is interested in trying out even the beta version. However, there is an important note about the new OS. When it officially comes out, all of the existing Windows 10 users can upgrade to Windows 11 for free, by just performing the software update.

To run the new OS, Microsoft lists a few new requirements like 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, 1+ GHz dual-core processor, and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0. The TPM 2.0 needs to be physically present, however, it is often turned off in BIOS, so future users need to enable it in BIOS as well. For more details, please head over to Microsoft website to find greater details on the upgrade.

Microsoft's ambitious DirectStorage API, which attempts to solve the storage bottleneck in games, facilitating faster game load times, has been walled off from Windows 10. To use it, games now require the new Windows 11 operating system, and a GPU that supports the DirectX 12 Ultimate API. This limits the GPU choices to NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 20-series, RTX 30-series, and AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series.

The other hardware requirement intrinsic to DirectStorage is for you to use an NVMe SSD that uses Microsoft's "Standard NVM Express Controller" driver that's included with Windows. Another hardware requirement that's baffling is that the SSD should be at least 1 TB in capacity. DirectStorage facilitates compressed game asset data to be transferred directly to the GPU from the storage device, and for it to be uncompressed by the GPU (using compute shaders), so there is a significant reduction in storage sub-system latency, and CPU utilization, impacting game load times.

Windows 11 Home setup will require you to have a Microsoft account and a working Internet connection handy. "Windows 11 Home edition requires internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account to complete device setup on first use," lists Microsoft as part of the operating system's requirements. In addition, all editions of Windows 11 will require Internet connection to receive updates, and a Microsoft Account for some tasks. "For all Windows 11 editions, internet access is required to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. A Microsoft account is required for some features," it adds. The requirement for Internet makes sense as Microsoft will be using Windows Update as the main medium of distributing Windows 11. It will be offered as a free upgrade for existing Windows 10 users.