This week on TechPowerUp News: AMD "Polaris" GPUs, the next big memory war between HBM2 and GDDR5X, and Windows 7 losing out on enterprise support.

Microsoft, in a tactfully-worded blog post by Exec VP for its Windows and Devices Group, Terry Myerson, announced that it won't support older versions of Windows (eg: Windows 7 and Windows 8.1) on the latest/upcoming processors. The software might run on the new hardware, but the company won't provide enterprise support for such platforms. This could include software updates, as the platform won't technically meet the software's requirements.

In the post, Microsoft named upcoming platforms from the big three CPU makers - Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, to which the company will provide enterprise support only for Windows 10. These include the 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors from Intel, "Bristol Ridge" processors from AMD, and the "8996" SoC from Qualcomm. Machines running a select few models of Core "Skylake" processors will receive enterprise support, but only till 17th July, 2017. After this date, only the most critical security updates will be released for the OS running on those platforms.

AMD released the WHQL-signed version of Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.11.1 as the new 15.12 WHQL. It addresses a variety of game-specific issues, including rendering errors on Star Wars: Battlefront; bugs on Fallout 4; texture-compression issues with Just Cause 3; poor CrossFire performance with Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. It also addresses a critical issue in which the driver would either spool fan-speeds all the way up to 100% on load, or lock them down at 30%, causing certain GPUs to overheat. A variety of bugs specific to the Radeon Settings app were also addressed.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Radeon Software Crimson Edition 15.12 WHQL for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

Microsoft released its first major update to Windows 10, with its centerpiece being a performance boost specific to the OS. Redmond claims that with this update, Windows 10 will be up to 30 percent quicker to start-up than Windows 7, and will have higher "performance in everyday tasks." The company also updated Cortana, its voice-assistant, to take inputs from your device's pen. Now you can simply scribble something in Cortanta's notebook, and it will recognize the information, such as phone numbers, e-mail addresses, physical/postal addresses; event and movie bookings; etc. Windows 10 is available for free to current users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

This year's installment to the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops III, has just hit stores, and is predictably flying off shelves. As with every ceremonial annual release, Black Ops III raises the visual presentation standards for the franchise. There is, however, one hitch with the way the game deals with system memory amounts as high as 12 GB and video memory amounts as high as 8 GB. This hitch could possibly be the reason behind the stuttering issues many users are reporting.

In our first play-through of the game with its highest possible settings on our personal gaming machines - equipped with a 2560 x 1600 pixels display, Core i7 "Haswell" quad-core CPU, 12 GB of RAM, a GeForce GTX 980 Ti graphics card, NVIDIA's latest Black Ops III Game Ready driver 385.87, and Windows 7 64-bit to top it all off, we noticed that the game was running out of memory. Taking a peek at Task Manager revealed that in "Ultra" settings (and 2560 x 1600 resolution), the game was maxing out memory usage within our 12 GB, not counting the 1.5-2 GB used up by the OS and essential lightweight tasks (such as antivirus).

AMD announced its latest Catalyst Software Suite following Microsoft Windows 10 launch, Catalyst 15.7.1 WHQL. It adds DirectX 12 (feature level 12_0) support for all Radeon GPUs based on the Graphics CoreNext architecture, including the first-gen GCN chips, such as the HD 7000 series. To compatible GPUs, the driver enables Virtual Super-Resolution (VSR), Frame Rate Target Control (FRTC), and FreeSync (including FreeSync with CrossFire). It addresses a number of bugs specific to Windows 10.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 15.7.1 WHQL for Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 32-bit | Windows 8.1 64-bit | Windows 8.1 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

Microsoft began rolling out of the Windows 10 upgrade to existing users of Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. The upgrade process is handled by a "reservation system," which lets you tell Microsoft in advance that you intend to upgrade, using the Get Windows 10 (GWX) app that's been sticking out in your system-tray over the past month, which looks like the Windows logo. Once "reserved," Windows slowly fetches installation files of Windows 10, and stores them into a temporary directory. When all the installation files and drivers specific to your hardware have been downloaded, the app notifies you that the upgrade can begin at your command.

The upgrade process itself is zero-intervention, and happens much like an iOS or Android OTA upgrade. Once it's installed, you get to customize a handful things, and then you're done. GWX may notify you that your upgrade is ready to begin any time today. If you've not reserved your upgrade, you can still do so, but you may not get to upgrade just yet, maybe over the next "few weeks or months," according to Microsoft. With an estimated 350 million installations queued up for the upgrade, GWX will not be able to fetch the installation files and drivers by maxing out your Internet bandwidth. It will take its own time, as Microsoft servers shed their bandwidth load.

There doesn't appear to be a strict correlation between reservation and upgrade availability. For example, we reserved upgrades for two of our PCs around the same time. The PC with the simpler hardware, programs, and settings, finished with the upgrade, while another one is still queued up. Microsoft will formally launch Windows 10 in media events spread around the world.

PNY Technologies, world renowned manufacturing giant for USB and Memory products, has officially released the stylish and affordable HP v210w USB flash drive. Whether you are student, a traveller or a business man, the HP v210w is your best companion for any outdoor ventures. The special edition drive features a generous storage capacity of 128GB, so you can comfortably share and transfer your favourite music, movies or office documents on this HP USB flash drive.

Built with a slim, compact and streamlined appearance, the drive comes furnished in high-quality durable metallic casing. Dust and water-resistant, the sturdy build of the drive makes it apt for people who are constantly on the go. Despite its durability, the HP v210w is light and portable enough to be carried around. It weighs in at 6.2 g and measures at H 4.5mm x W 12.1mm x L 40mm. This trendy drive features a built-in clip design that can be easily attached to your t-shirt or bag. For office workers, it can be used as a fashion accessory by attaching it to neck ties or blazers. The drive comes in a cap -less design for easy functionality.

Here are some of the first renders of what the retail channel packages of Windows 10 could look like. Microsoft plans to sell packages with physical DVDs in markets with slow Internet connections (the first two renders), in others, the company will sell slimmer envelope-type package (the last two renders) that lacks physical media, and include only a plastic card with a key printed on it. You can download the install image for your edition, and create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used as an installation media.

Given that over 300 million current users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 are expected to avail the free upgrade to Windows 10, which entails a web-based update; and given the amount of people buying licenses on the web, Windows 10 could very well be the last version of Windows that's sold in physical packages, at ground stores. Speculation is also rife that Microsoft could fundamentally change its version numbering scheme and upgrade model, which could mean no more future major versions, and possible subscription models to get software updates. Windows 10 will release on July 29, 2015.

AMD released the Catalyst 15.7 WHQL driver suite, its first WHQL-signed Catalyst driver in 212 days (since 14.12 Omega). These drivers add official support for all the new AMD Radeon R9 300 series and R9 Fury series graphics processors launched in the past two months, and comes with a ship load of new features and game optimizations. They also include WDDM 2.0 support, letting you use them with Windows 10.

To begin with, Catalyst 15.7 WHQL adds support for AMD FreeSync in CrossFire setups, on DirectX 10 and higher 3D applications. Features such as VSR (virtual super-resolution) and FRTC (frame-rate target control) are now official. CrossFire profiles have been added/improved for over a dozen games since 14.12 Omega. Frame-rates have been increased for Far Cry 4 and Tomb Raider.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Catalyst 15.7 WHQL for Windows 8.1/10 64-bit | Windows 8.1/10 32-bit | Windows 7 64-bit | Windows 7 32-bit

Microsoft Windows 10 will launch on the 29th of July, 2015. This is when existing users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will be able to upgrade to their applicable variant of Windows 10 for free; PC makers ship desktops and notebooks with the OS pre-installed; and when you will be able to buy Windows 10 copies off the shelf.

Microsoft is expecting at least 350 million users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to freely upgrade to Windows 10 by the end of the year, many of which could upgrade on day-one, clogging Microsoft Update. To mitigate that, Microsoft launched a "reservation" system. Current users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, woke up to a curious Windows logo in their system-tray, which launches a tiny app that lets you "reserve" your upgrade (a position in the queue to upgrade). When your time comes, Windows will fetch the Windows 10 upgrade image from Microsoft Update. The actual upgrade process will be similar to that of Windows 7 to Windows 8. You can choose a clean install, or upgrade over an existing installation. Once installed, your Windows 10 license is tied to the machine forever.

Microsoft revealed the six variants in which its next operating system, Windows 10, will ship in. The company decided to unify the Windows 10 brand across its PC, workstation, and handheld platforms. For PCs, workstations, and tablets running x86 processors, the lineup will include the Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Education, and Windows 10 Enterprise.

Windows 10 Home has everything a home and small-business user could ask for (including PC gamers and enthusiasts). It will include the Edge web-browser (so your post-install waltz to Chrome or Firefox websites is a few seconds faster), Microsoft Cortana voice-based assistant, richer Bing integration, Microsoft Hello face-recognition software, and support for biometric login methods. Gamers get DirectX 12 out of the box. Users of Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 8/8.1 get a free upgrade to this edition.

Ahead of its June 23 release, the minimum- and recommended-system requirements of Rocksteady's next installment to the super-hit Batman: Arkham franchise, Arkham Knight, was disclosed by NVIDIA. The PC version appears to have some clear visual benefits over the console variants of this game, given its steep storage requirements. Given that it will get an NVIDIA GameWorks varnish, PC gamers can expect eye-candy that won't make it to the console versions, including support for high-resolution display standards, such as 4K Ultra HD.Without further ado, the system requirements lists.

HP today introduced technology advancements designed to help artists, creatives and developers more quickly and efficiently bring designs and products to life. "As the leader in the workstation industry, we continue to develop customer inspired innovative solutions that solve real-world business needs," said Jeff Wood, vice president of product management, Workstation & Thin Client Business, HP. "Solving the storage bottleneck, delivering a light full-performance mobile workstation and allowing creative professional advanced visual solutions will bolster customer design workflows."

Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday unveiled a new generation of Windows, with a wide range of experiences designed to usher in a new era of more personal computing, as well as two new devices designed to extend the Windows experience from large screens to no screens. Windows 10 will be delivered as a service to offer a safer, innovative and updated experience for the supported lifetime of the device. A free upgrade1 for Windows 10 will be made available to customers running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, who upgrade in the first year.

"Windows 10 marks the beginning of the more personal computing era in the mobile-first, cloud-first world," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Our ambition is for the 1.5 billion people who are using Windows today to fall in love with Windows 10 and for billions more to decide to make Windows home."

Windows 10 marks the beginning of the more personal computing era, where technology disappears and people are at the center. In this era, the mobility of the experience matters, not the mobility of the device, and experiences should work in a seamless, familiar way across devices. People should be able to naturally interact with technology as they interact with other people - with voice, gestures and gaze. Protecting privacy plays a pivotal role in delivering trustworthy experiences that put people in control of their experience.

In what could be a fundamental shift in how Microsoft monetizes its flagship product, the Windows operating system, the company decided to offer its upcoming Windows 10 as a free upgrade for existing users of Windows 8.1 and Windows 7. This offer will be applicable only for the first year following Windows 10 launch (after which, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 users will have to pay to upgrade to Windows 10). Windows 10 will see the return of the Start Menu, a productive Desktop environment, and cutting-edge new API features such as DirectX 12.

AMD rolled out the latest version of its Catalyst software suite. Much like two of NVIDIA's recent "Game Ready" driver releases, the new Catalyst 14.11.1 beta is launched specifically for two of the hottest game releases of the season, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Assassin's Creed Unity. Since neither title supports less than 4 GB of system memory, or even Windows XP, AMD's release is highly specific, and only covers 64-bit Windows 8.1 Update 1, Windows 7, and Windows Vista. Grab it from the link below.DOWNLOAD AMD Catalyst 14.11.1 beta

Microsoft's Windows 8.1 operating system has overtaken its older sibling Windows 8 for the first time in terms of internet usage worldwide, according to StatCounter, the independent website analytics company. The company's research arm, StatCounter Global Stats also finds that despite Microsoft's ending of support in April this year, Windows XP refuses to die and remains the world's second most popular operating system version. However, for the first time globally, the combined total of Windows 8 and 8.1 (14%) overtook XP (12.9%) in August.

Stealth.com Inc., a leader in industrial computer and embedded PC hardware has released four (4) new powerful small PC models featuring unprecedented network connectivity. Stealth's new high performance small computers feature four (4) Gigabit LAN Network Ports (3-Front & 1-Rear) with availability in a variety of configurations including Standard, Fanless, and internal Expansion Slot (PCI & PCIe).

The fanless model LPC-480G4FS is a highly reliable, energy efficient, rugged mini PC that operates without noisy cooling fans which could draw in dirt and dust potentially causing catastrophic failures. Stealth's fanless computers are encapsulated in a rugged extruded aluminum chassis performing as a heat sink to dissipate heat build-up and provide increased reliability.

After raising over $300,000 during a hugely successful crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo earlier this year, the team behind the Tango PC has taken to Kickstarter to raise additional funds to support retailing their PC you can fit in your pocket. Not only is the Tango PC ultraportable, it is a formidable office as well as entertainment machine with mid-core gaming performance on traditional Windows.

The Tango Kickstarter Campaign got fully funded just a day ago, and with only a day or so more to go, the consumers still can back their campaign in return of not just the Tango PC, but also a free additional PC whenever their worldwide sales reaches a 100k units milestone. What really stands out is that the Tango PC is slim and weighs below 7 ounces, fitting what amounts to a full range of desktop components in a package about the size of an iPhone 5s. The specifications include an AMD A6-5200 2 GHz quad-core processor, DDR3 RAM (from 2-8GB), SSD hard drive (from 32GB-1TB or higher), 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x HDMI port, headphone jack and internal Wi-Fi.

MSI announces the MSI AE202 All-in-One PC, featuring a Full-HD 19.5" display and Intel ULV processor. By using a 3rd Generation ULV processor, efficient Military Class components and an LED backlight display, the AE202 offers a power saving solution to businesses, schools, stores and exhibition areas. The Full-HD panel, the Com Port on the rear I/O panel and the RoHS and Energy Star certifications are completing the essence of the AE202's commercial usage.

The MSI AE202 All-in-One PC is especially designed for commercial segments that require performance with high efficiency. With the 3rd Generation ULV processor, the AE202 is a powerful and reliable tool for growing businesses. Furthermore, it also comes with a the Com Port, which is the common interface between various business applications. In order to provide a comfortable using experience, the AE202 is equipped with an anti-glare display to reduce background reflections in offices, well-lit shop floors, and in study rooms, thereby helping to reduce eyestrain and enabling users to better concentrate on the contents of their computer monitor without being distracted by reflections.

Microsoft revealed pricing of its next major addition to the Windows franchise, Windows 8.1. Licenses to the operating system will sell at US $120 for the standard edition, and $200 for Windows 8.1 Pro. The key purchased at those prices can be used both for clean-installations, and to upgrade from Windows Vista or Windows 7, keeping your files, programs, and settings. Existing Windows 8 users get corresponding variants of Windows 8.1 for free, through Store.

A Windows Upgrade Assistant app will be issued to Windows 8 users, which verifies activation, downloads Windows 8.1 resources, and installs the operating system over the existing installation, letting you keep your stuff. Upgrading to Windows 8.1 for Windows 8 users, would be a no-brainer, since you get this awesome Start button on the taskbar which...spawns the "Metro" Start screen. PC enthusiasts get a longer DirectX rope, with the lure for DirectX 11.2, and its shared-resources (mega-textures) feature. People will be able to switch from Windows 8.1 to Windows 8.1 Pro by shelling out $99 on the Pro Pack, which also adds Media Center. Windows 8.1 Pro users can get that for an extra $10. Windows 8.1 is expected to launch on October 17, 2013.

AMD has now made available a new Catalyst driver, the 13.10 version for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. This driver comes with a beta tag and supports the Radeon HD 7000, HD 6000 and HD 5000 Series cards. There's also a mobile version of 13.10 which supports the Mobility Radeon HD 8000M, HD 7000M, HD 6000M and HD 5000M cards. Download links are just below.

• AMD Catalyst 13.10 Beta
• AMD Mobility Catalyst 13.10 Beta

Acer America today announced that its new 20-inch class Veriton Z2640G all-in-one (AIO) commercial desktop is now available for users in business, education and government. The new all-in-one desktops feature a screw-less chassis design and modular components for easy maintenance and upgrades. Removable feet and VESA wall-mount support enable these systems to be hung on the wall to save space, while a flexible frame that tilts from 6 to 60 degrees can be adjusted for maximum viewing comfort. These systems also come with an integrated 2.0 MP Full HD webcam that can be adjusted up to 180 degrees, which is particularly useful when collaborating via web chats with others in the same room.

The Veriton Z2640G series includes two models offering a choice of either Windows 8 Pro or Windows 7 Professional. The Acer Veriton Z2640G-UC1007X comes with an Intel Celeron processor 1007U (2M cache, 1.50 GHz, Dual Core) and 2GB SDRAM DDR3 (expandable to 16GB) and is available for an estimated selling price (ESP) of $539. The Veriton Z2640G-UP2117X with an Intel Pentium Processor 2117U (2M cache, 1.80 GHz, Dual Core) and 4GB DDR3 SDRAM (expandable to 16GB) is available for an ESP for $599.

LaCie today announced an update to its NAS OS 3 software, increasing RAID 5 write speeds by 25 percent, expanding hybrid cloud capabilities, and adding more professional features. NAS OS 3 powers the LaCie 5big NAS Pro and 2big NAS professional storage solutions. These improvements advance LaCie's commitment to providing its customers with innovative and user-friendly NAS.

With this update, the LaCie 5big NAS Pro now features RAID 5 write speeds up to 100MB/s on a single LAN, a 25 percent increase from the previous NAS OS version. This speed boost enables admins to easily back up several computers at the same time. Alternatively, content creators can edit 1080p content directly from the NAS.