According to multiple reports and sources close to Tom's Hardware, Intel and Microsoft have quietly resumed operations and a basic level of support in Russia. As to comply with sanctions imposed by Europe, the UK, and US, Intel and Microsoft are forbidden to sell any new technology within the state of Russia. This has made Intel and Microsoft block official software downloads. However, Intel has stated that the company is obliged to provide warranty services that are a part of purchasing an Intel product. "Intel continues to comply with all applicable export regulations and sanctions in the countries in which it operates. This includes compliance with the sanctions and export controls against Russia and Belarus issued by the US and allied nations. Access to resources that meet driver update needs, such as the Intel Download Center and Intel Download Support Assistant (IDSA), are part of Intel's warranty obligations," said Intel, adding that "There have been no recent changes to our operations."

These changes are not exactly "recent," as reports close to Tom's Hardware have noted that downloads were resumed towards the end of 2022. Izvestia and CNews reported that users could access the Intel download portal without VPN and IP masking. This required finding a download section through Google/Yandex, as the official Intel Russia website is still not officially reachable by Russian IPs.

As hybrid living continues to blur the lines between work and recreation, consumers are prioritizing convenience and premium experiences from more multifaceted and personalized technology. Both at home and on the go, people now demand versatile tech that can enable them to do more in all aspects of their lives - whether collaborating across devices or simplifying to fewer.

With this in mind, today Lenovo introduced bold new products to address the wide-ranging needs of the modern consumer. The new, cutting-edge Yoga Book 9i hails a new chapter for Yoga in incredible innovation, premium style, and performance for versatile experiences. Redefining what an all-in-one desktop computer could look like, the Yoga AIO 9i is more than meets the eye. In tablets, the new feature-rich Lenovo Tab Extreme and Lenovo Smart Paper digital notepad introduce exciting capabilities for school, home, and beyond. Last but not least, Lenovo's Project Chronos concept (formal name forthcoming) is a new technology that captures a user's movement and enables them to interact with and perform activities in 3D virtual worlds without glasses or wearables.

Acer today introduced a suite of powerful new Nitro gaming laptops, featuring the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs. Aimed at casual gamers who are ready for enhanced gameplay, extra features, and a more immersive experience, the new 16-inch and 17-inch Acer Nitro laptops come in more compact, thinner, and lighter form factors with higher screen-to-body ratios. Whether it's exploring the ever-growing catalog of game titles or editing montages of gameplay videos, the Nitro's solid construction and powerful performance lead users to experience a new level of gaming.

The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs are powered by the ultra-efficient NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture which delivers a quantum leap in both performance and AI-powered graphics. Gamers can experience lifelike virtual worlds with ray tracing, massively boost performance with DLSS 3, and get a competitive edge with Reflex.

Acer today announced refreshed models of its Aspire all-in-ones and laptops, designed to support families' day-to-day productivity and entertainment needs, while adding a touch of style to the home environment. The sleek Acer Aspire S all-in-one PCs come in both 27-inch and 32-inch models and are equipped with up to the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and Windows 11 to empower a seamless computing experience. Providing efficiency and reliability for multi-tasking users working from home, the Aspire 5 Series laptops come with the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs, while the lightweight Aspire 3 Series notebooks deliver ready-to-go performance.

Acer also introduced the newest member of its smart speaker family with the Acer Halo Swing Smart Speaker with Google Assistant, DTS Sound and features a LED dot display, bringing users quality audio and dazzling lights everywhere they go.

Ahead of CES, Lenovo unveiled its latest generation of consumer devices loaded with standout features and enhancements designed to help people connect with their passions and achieve their daily goals. With five new performance-driving and portable IdeaPad laptops, a sleek and compact IdeaCentre desktop, and a 9-inch Lenovo tablet, these devices are designed for all the spaces and places in line with the on-the-go lifestyle of today's consumer. Whether working, studying, creating, or just catching up with friends out of town, these new products offer speed, versatility, and convenience to suit their needs wherever they are.

"As consumers continue to seek out the most effective ways of working and studying in a hybrid world where versatility and convenience are paramount, Lenovo's IdeaPad products continue to provide reliability and performance at incredible value," says Jun OuYang, Vice President of the Consumer Segment, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. "This latest generation of products come with a range of striking new features and enhancements that significantly improve the user experience while still maintaining its reputation as an affordable product."

TECNO, a global innovative technology brand with operations in over 70 markets, recently announced the latest MEGABOOK S1 at TECNO Flagship Product Launch 2022 in Dubai, delivering its first flagship laptop to users.

In 2019, TECNO announced new efforts in building a digital product ecosystem by launching its AIoT business strategy, aiming to deliver digital to every person, home, and organization and help them create a fully- connected smart digital lifestyle. Following this vision, as the upgraded line of MEGABOOK T1, the flagship MEGABOOK S1 highlights the concept of ideas that create wonders, targeting users in professional fields like business and the creative industries, helping them work with ease while still achieving a higher efficiency.

In a new International Data Corporation (IDC) forecast, the outlook for PCs and tablets continues to get worse. Worldwide PC and tablet shipments are forecast to decline 11.9% in 2022 with volumes shrinking to 456.8 million units, followed by a further decline in 2023. According to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, traditional PCs will see shipments drop 5.6% to 281 million units in 2023 while tablets will decline 6.7% to 148 million units.

Despite the sharp decline, shipment volumes will remain above pre-pandemic levels although the market will continue to be challenged by macroeconomic headwinds, excess channel inventory, and high levels of saturation. While the PC market is expected to fare better than tablets with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just over 1% expected over the five-year forecast, tablets are expected to have a CAGR of -1.7% over the same period.

ECS Industrial Computer Co., Ltd., also known as ECS IPC, is the subsidiary of leading motherboard and computer manufacturer Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS). ECS IPC has joined hands with Intel to announce a new generation of Intel Raptor Lake Z790 series for LEET Z790H7-A motherboard and the other product of the latest LEET B660 gaming PC to satisfy gamers' passionate gaming experience and enhance the passionate gaming soul.

The Z790H7-A motherboard provides excellent performance for gamers and professionals. It is compatible with Intel 12th and 13th generation Core processors (Raptor Lake-S & Alder Lake-S) as well as supports Windows 11 64-bit. With the Intel Z790 chipset as the strong backing for development, the Z790 chipset has further improved the overclocking function, which can support the performance requirements of one-click overclocking, and the Z790 chipset also supports the powerful performance of DDR5 memory and PCIe 5 transfer. DDR5 provides 50% higher bandwidth than DDR4 and also PCIe 5.0 increases the data rate from 16GT/s to 32GT/s, which is twice faster than PCIe 4.0.

ASUS, a global technology leader renowned for continuously reimagining today's technologies for tomorrow, today announced ExpertBook B6 Flip (B6602F)—the first Expert-series flippable mobile workstation.

This high-performance mobile workstation with its versatile 360° hinge is designed specifically to help architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) companies running industry-leading software solutions like 3ds Max, MicroStation, and Vectorworks. With immense power packed in a slim and flippable form, ExpertBook B6 Flip handles complex workloads seamlessly across AEC disciplines. It helps users bring design concepts to life through BIM software like ArchiCAD, effortlessly transition from 2D sketches to 3D modelling and printing via tools like Creo and Solidworks, and handle data-intensive applications for deeper insights and better decision-making—delivering the edge that AEC companies need in today's competitive market.

AMD on Monday issued a statement refuting reports of performance deltas noticed for its Ryzen 7000-series "Zen 4" desktop processors observed between Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems when gaming. The company said that while it is investigating the reports, it has not been able to reproduce these performance deltas, and maintains that Ryzen 7000 series should perform consistently between both operating systems. Architecturally, "Zen 4" isn't different from "Zen 3" with the exception of its AVX-512 ISA that even Windows 10 supports. Windows 10 has awareness for "Zen 4" multi-core topology since it isn't any different from Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer." AMD stated that it continues to work with game developers to ensure their titles are optimized for Ryzen processors.The statement from AMD on the matter follows.

AMD released the latest version of AMD Software Adrenalin drivers. Version 22.10.3 beta comes with optimization for "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II" (2022), and support for Radeon Boost with Variable Rate Shading in "Dying Light 2." In addition, it fixes a launch-time game crash with "Elite Dangerous" on Radeon RX 6000-series GPUs; a persistent black screen when updating drivers or resetting graphics settings in Windows 11 version 22H2, and lower than normal performance with "Gotham Knights" on AMD processor-powered machines with GPUs such as the RX 6950 XT. Grab the driver from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 22.10.3 beta

Microsoft is finding more genius ways to prevent you from creating an offline (local) account for your Windows 11 PC, with the latest Windows 11 22H2 setup completely missing the option to use a local account, forcing you to either use a Microsoft account, or create one if you lack it. The side-effect of forcing you to either use or create an online account, is that you can no longer clean-install Windows without an active Internet connection. "julianxhokaxhiu" on GitHub Gist found a simple method to bypass this. According to a new method discovered by them, you simply let Windows 11 22H2 setup present you with the screen where it asks for an e-mail address (of your Microsoft account); and enter "test@test.com" with "test" as the password. Let setup fail the login, and click on "next." That's it. Windows setup will proceed without needing an active Internet connection, and you can create a local account.Update Oct 27th: What to do if you don't have Internet, or your network adapter isn't detected by Windows Setup:

UL Solutions is excited to announce that our new DirectX 12 Ultimate Benchmark 3DMark Speed Way is now available to download and buy on Steam and on the UL Solutions website. 3DMark Speed Way is sponsored by Lenovo Legion. Developed with input from AMD, Intel, NVIDIA, and other leading technology companies, Speed Way is an ideal benchmark for comparing the DirectX 12 Ultimate performance of the latest graphics cards.

DirectX 12 Ultimate is the next-generation application programming interface (API) for gaming graphics. It adds powerful new capabilities to DirectX 12, helping game developers improve visual quality, boost frame rates, reduce loading times and create vast, detailed worlds. 3DMark Speed Way's engine demonstrates what the latest DirectX API brings to ray-traced gaming, using DirectX Raytracing tier 1.1 for real-time global illumination and real-time ray-traced reflections, coupled with new performance optimizations like mesh shaders.

Today, we shared our vision for the next era of the Windows PC, where the PC and the cloud intersect and tap into innovative AI technology that unlocks new experiences. So that each of us can participate, be seen, heard and express our creativity.

For nearly 40 years, the Windows PC has held a place at the center of our lives. It's contributed to new levels of productivity, kept us all connected, and unlocked our creativity and potential through innovations we couldn't have imagined when we first began this journey. Just think about how far we've come in how people interact with it. From the very first text-based keyboard input to the precision of point and click with the mouse, up to today, where touch, voice, pen and gestures all help people use the Windows PC more naturally and intuitively. From its inception, Surface has been a catalyst for that change.

Acer today introduced the Acer Swift Edge (SFA16-41), the world's lightest 16-inch OLED laptop. Designed to help maximize the productivity and creativity demands of the present-day hybrid workforce, the 16-inch laptop is powered by AMD Ryzen PRO 6000 Series and AMD Ryzen 6000 Series processors and incorporates the Microsoft Pluton security processor, shipped on by default, to help defend against increasingly sophisticated attacks. The Acer Swift Edge also features a 4K OLED display supporting 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 500 nits peak brightness for cinema-grade visuals.

The 16-inch lightweight laptop boasts a simple yet sleek design. Weighing only 1.17 kg (2.58 lbs) and measuring 12.95 mm (0.51 inches) in height, the Acer Swift Edge sports an ultra-slim magnesium-aluminium (Mg-Al alloy) chassis, making it significantly more portable and durable. The design concept showcases precise linear structural details, a sharp rear edge, and a simple aesthetic that inherits the Swift series' stylish and premium feel. Coupled with its stunning display, well-thought hinge design, and sharp-cut front recess, the Acer Swift Edge is an excellent and stylish choice for mobile professionals with active and fast-paced lifestyles.

We're excited to release a new 3DMark feature test for Intel's new XeSS AI-enhanced upscaling technology. This new feature test is available in 3DMark Advanced and Professional Editions. 3DMark feature tests are special tests designed to highlight specific techniques, functions, or capabilities. The Intel XeSS feature test shows you how XeSS affects performance.

The 3DMark Intel XeSS frame inspector tool helps you compare image quality with an interactive side-by-side comparison of XeSS and native-resolution rendering. Check out the images below to see an example comparison of native resolution rendering and XeSS in the new 3DMark feature test.

Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the global leading motherboard, mini PC, notebook, mobile device, and smart solution provider, is proud to announce our participation at GITEX Global 2022 at the Dubai International Trade Centre HALL 4, E30, from October 10 to 14. ECS aims to showcase its latest LIVA mini PC series, AIO PCs, and motherboards for various vertical markets as well as for commercial applications.

The Mini PC Family - including the pocket-sized Q series, multi-functional Z series, and ultra-powerful One series - is ideal for smart retail, transportation, digital signage for hotels and hospital, smart conferencing for business, intelligent edge computing for AI solutions, and home computing for long-distance working and for education.

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) today announced the Strix G35CA, a next-generation desktop gaming PC for Windows 11 powered by the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. The motherboard is built on the all-new Intel Z790 chipset, a robust platform with DDR5, PCI Express (PCIe) 4.0 and WiFi 6E support, ensuring that the G35CA will be a high-performance gaming machine for years to come.

ROG Strix machines are built to power high-performance gaming experiences, and the ROG Strix G35CA is no exception—being powered by up to the 24 core 32 thread Intel Core i9-13900KF processor. Built using Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, the CPU uses a mix of high-powered performance cores and energy-friendly but powerful efficiency cores. This CPU is optimized for Windows 11 and can intelligently allocate tasks between the cores to maintain high performance without sacrificing power efficiency, giving users a seamless gaming experience. With maximum boost clocks of up to 5.8 GHz, this processor is the clear choice for gamers who demand the very best hardware.

Acer today announced support for the new 13th Gen Intel Core processors on the Predator Orion 7000 (PO7-650) series desktops, delivering serious power and further elevating users' PC gameplay. Engineered for hard-core gaming enthusiasts and creators, the upgradable gaming desktop pushes the limits of high-performance multi-tasking and next-level computing power.

"With the new 13th Gen Intel Core desktop processors, the Predator Orion 7000 powers extraordinary performance for even the most demanding game titles," said Jeff Lee, General Manager, Stationary Computing, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "The Predator Orion 7000 continues to deliver best-in-class gameplay experiences beyond what gamers expect, and we're excited to be among the first to bring the new CPUs to market."

Intel today launched its 13th Gen Core "Raptor Lake" desktop processors, and companion 700-series motherboard chipset. These processors are built in the same LGA1700 package as the previous generation "Alder Lake," and are backwards-compatible with 600-series chipset motherboards through a BIOS update. Likewise, 700-series chipset motherboards support older "Alder Lake" processors. With the new 13th Gen Core, Intel is broadly promising an up to 15% uplift in single-threaded performance, which has a bigger bearing on gaming performance; and an up to 41% multi-threaded performance uplift; over the previous-generation, when comparing the top Core i9-13900K with its predecessor, the i9-12900K. Intel also claims to have outclassed the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X in multi-threaded performance, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D in gaming performance.

Intel's performance claims are backed by some impressive hardware changes despite the company sticking with the same Intel 7 (10 nm Enhanced SuperFin) foundry node as "Alder Lake." To begin with, the single-thread performance uplift comes from the new "Raptor Cove" performance-core, which promises an IPC uplift over the previous-generation "Golden Cove," comes with more dedicated L2 cache of 2 MB per core (compared to 1.25 MB per core in the previous-generation); and significantly higher clock-speeds, going all the way up to 5.80 GHz. "Raptor Lake" has up to 8 P-cores, but the company has put in a lot of work in improving the contribution of E-cores to the processor's overall multi-threaded performance uplift. This is achieved by doubling the E-core count to 16. These are the same "Gracemont" E-cores as previous-generation, but Intel has doubled the L2 cache that's shared in a 4-core Gracemont cluster, from 2 MB per cluster to 4 MB. There are upgrades to even the hardware prefetchers of these cores.

NVIDIA today released the latest version of GeForce Game Ready drivers. Version 517.48 WHQL comes with optimization for Overwatch 2. It also offers optimization for Microsoft Flight Simulator with DLSS support. A number of bugs are addressed with this release. To begin with, display brightness settings not being applied correctly on certain kinds of Lenovo notebooks in dGPU mode, has been fixed. The "NVIDIA GPU only" toggle not persisting on reboots on certain notebooks, has been fixed. The "reduce noise" option with ray tracing in Adobe Illustrator appears pixellated, which has been fixed.

Random crashes in DirectML.dll with Adobe Photoshop have been fixed. Performance issues with VRR monitors in Fusion 360 has been fixed. Shadow flickering with "Jurassic World Evolution 2" has been fixed. Some UWP apps in Windows 11 exhibit lag with G-SYNC, which has been fixed. Language bugs with NVIDIA Control Panel has been fixed. External displays connected via USB-C or Thunderbolt dongles in Razer notebooks not correctly being detected, have been fixed. MS Flight Simulator exhibiting texture corruption after extended gameplay, has been fixed.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 517.48 WHQL

If you're running Windows 11 and installed the 22H2 update that was released recently, you might've noticed poor performance in games or some applications that rely on your NVIDIA graphics card. NVIDIA has released a fix that should resolve these issues and you can find a link to it below, where you can find an update for the GeForce Experience, which in turn will apply the patch. Exactly what caused these performance issues is unclear and NVIDIA hasn't provided any explanation as to what their fix resolves. This is currently a beta release, but NVIDIA is expecting to release a proper version later this week.

Today, the Windows 11 2022 Update rolls out in 190+ countries. The last few years have brought enduring changes in the ways we live, work and learn, with the PC playing a more critical role in our daily lives. Online options that didn't previously exist for meetings, appointments, everyday tasks and access to entertainment emerged out of necessity, but remain due to convenience and efficiency. We formed new habits; and they stuck. The PC has fundamentally connected us in more emotional ways than ever before.

The rapid move to more flexible work and life also dramatically increased security threats for individuals and businesses, with 921 password attacks every second. With last year's launch of Windows 11 we gave the PC a modern refresh, making it faster and easier for you to accomplish the tasks you have relied on your PCs for most. We added foundational security built into Windows at home and at work to help keep you safe and with Windows 365, we took Windows to the cloud, empowering organizations to stream the full Windows experience on any device. More people are using Windows and spending more time on their PCs. In fact, Windows 11 is the most used and most loved version of Windows ever.

TECNO, the global premium smartphone and smart device brand, debuts its first laptop product MEGABOOK T1 at the IFA in Berlin today. TECNO MEGABOOK T1 is designed for the young generation Z with a lighter but better MEGA performance laptop in a cost-effective price of this range. Designed for their carry-by usage, MEGABOOK T1 features the ultra-thinner up to 14.8 mm, featherweight 1.48 kg of 15.6 inches with a shining design. It also provides a 17.5 hours long-lasting battery satisfying up to 3 days of work, plus the 65 W smallest size with gallium nitride (GaN) charger to carry-free. The MEGABOOK T1 will be available at retail in Q3, 2022.

TECNO MEGABOOK T1 has a unique look with Startrail Phantom that breaks the normal design by adding the expose linear at the surface. The Startrail Phantom features a dual tone with multiple shiny strips running across, which acts like the trajectory of the universe plants. The indistinct "MEGABOOK" bounce on the linear, like the young generation Z who are young and wild. Meanwhile, the whole body of MEGABOOK T1 is made with premium aluminium metal to improve the texture with more silky and glassy. The laptop provides 7 colors catering to the young generation's desire of self-expression. As the Windows 11 slogan "make the everyday easier", As the Windows 11 slogan "make the everyday easier", which can help GEN Z use smoothly in daily work, creative, and watch YouTube movies. MEGABOOK T1 provides a 15.6 Inch IPS FHD screen of 100% sRGB and brightness in 350nits, plus the TÜV Eye Comfort Certification for their all-day for work and watching movies without worry. The self-developed TECNO VOC sound system cooperates with DTS sound and AI-powered technology to give an immersed experience in audio and meeting for daily scenarios. The keyboard comes with a starry backlit is fully matched the stylish of the young generation's needs.

OFF Global, the French startup that holds the international license to create Nokia branded laptops, today announces two new models, Nokia PureBook Fold and Nokia PureBook Lite ahead of IFA.

Bringing more choice and flexibility in a new sleek and stylish design, the Nokia PureBook Fold packs productivity and portability into a 2-in-1 experience. Whether in tablet or laptop mode, it offers a range of uses specifically designed for students or teens on the go, in the classroom or at home. The Nokia PureBook Lite is a sleek all-rounder with key features for the whole family to breeze through daily tasks or play; from streaming, surfing to homework, it's also available in a bold range of colors.