TechAmok News Archive
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X Pricing - [hardware]
02:46 AM EST - Jan,07 2020 - post a comment AMD will update its 3rd generation Ryzen Threadripper product stack sooner than expected. The flagship 64-core/128-thread Ryzen Threadripper 3990X will be available to purchase on February 7, 2020, priced at USD $3,990. The company debuted the "Zen 2" based 3rd gen Threadripper family last November with the 24-core Threadripper 3960X and the 32-core Threadripper 3970X, while teasing the 64-core flagship, the 3990X. AMD detailed this halo-flagship product some more at its 2020 CES event. Designed for the TRX40 platform in the sTRX4 package, the 3990X is differentiated from 64-core EPYC "Rome" products with its narrower monolithic quad-channel memory interface (compared to 8-channel for EPYCs).
The Ryzen Threadripper 3990X ships with clock-speeds of 2.90 GHz with 4.30 GHz boost, a gargantuan 288 MB of total cache (L2 + L3), and the same I/O as the 3970X: 4-channel memory interface with support for up to 2 TB of memory; a PCI-Express 4.0 x8 pipe to the TRX40 chipset, and up to three gen 4.0 x16 links to the processor package. AMD also showed a performance sneak-peak, comparing a machine with a single 3990X squaring off against a machine with 2P Intel Xeon Platinum 8280 processors that add up to 56 cores and 112 threads. In the side-by-side V-Ray render test, the 3990X emerged 30% faster than the Intel setup, but here's the kicker: the 3990X "only" costs $3,990, versus $20,000 for the 2P Xeon 8280 (processors alone). The HEDT chip also supports ECC memory. |
New New Mutants Trailer - [briefly]
04:06 PM EST - Jan,06 2020 - post a comment 20th Century Fox in association with Marvel Entertainment presents "The New Mutants," an original horror thriller set in an isolated hospital where a group of young mutants is being held for psychiatric monitoring. When strange occurrences begin to take place, both their new mutant abilities and their friendships will be tested as they battle to try and make it out alive.
In Theaters April 3, 2020
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NVIDIA GeForce v441.87 CES Game Ready Driver - [gaming]
03:03 PM EST - Jan,06 2020 - post a comment NVIDIA has released a new major driver for its graphics cards. According to the release, the NVIDIA GeForce 441.87 WHQL driver ( changelog), also known as CES 2020 driver, adds official support for Wolfenstein: Youngblood's real-time ray tracing effects. MachineGames will release the RTX patch for Wolfenstein: Youngblood later this week.
Max Frame Rate: Cap Frame Rates, Save Power, and More
You asked for it - the number one community requested feature is here!
Now, you can set the max frame rate for a 3D application or game. This feature is particularly helpful when trying to save power, reduce system latency, or keep within a specific Variable Refresh Rate range on a G-SYNC or G-SYNC Compatible display.- Saving Power: Enable Max Frame Rate (NVIDIA Control Panel > 3D Settings > Max Frame Rate) and set your power management mode to "Optimal Power"(NVIDIA Control Panel > 3D Settings > Power Management Mode). While in this mode, GPU frequency is reduced and uses less power. For laptop users, Max Frame Rate also works alongside with Battery Boost and Whisper Mode. If either of these modes are enabled at the same time as Max Frame Rate, the NVIDIA Control Panel will cap the framerate to the lowest of the limits.
- Reducing System Latency: Enable Max Frame Rate and set your power management mode to "Prefer maximum performance" to reduce latency. While in this mode, the GPU is kept at higher frequencies to process frames as quickly as possible. To maximize latency reduction in GPU bound scenarios where FPS is consistent, set Max Frame Rate to a framerate slightly below the average FPS and turn Low Latency Mode to Ultra.
- Staying in VRR Range: Set the Max Frame Rate slightly below the maximum refresh rate of your display to stay within the Variable Refresh Rate range - providing a no-tear, low system latency experience! For the smoothest, no tear experience, set the low latency mode to Ultra and turn VSYNC on.
Variable Rate Supersampling: Improve Image Quality In VR
Variable Rate Supersampling (VRSS) is a new technique to improve image quality in VR games. It uses NVIDIA Variable Rate Shading (VRS), a key feature in NVIDIA's Turing architecture, to dynamically apply up to 8x supersampling to the center of the VR headset display, where the eye is generally focused. It intelligently applies supersampling only when GPU headroom is available in order to maintain the VR headset's fixed FPS and ensure a smooth VR experience.
Compared to alternative techniques that supersample the entire screen with large hits to frame rate, VRSS's adaptive use of Variable Rate Shading boosts image quality while staying about the typical 90Hz fixed refresh rate of the VR headset. In the VR game Boneworks, VRSS keeps FPS above 90, whereas a fullscreen 4x supersample drops frame rates to unplayable levels.
To enable VRSS, open the NVIDIA Control Panel and select Manage 3D Settings, then scroll to Virtual Reality - Variable Rate Supersampling, and change the setting to "Adaptive".
For advanced users, the Control Panel also offers an 'Always On' setting that applies up to 8x supersampling regardless of performance. Note, this may bring your frame rate below the VR headset's refresh rate and impact your experience.
VRSS is supported by the driver--no game integration required--and can be applied to DX11 VR games or application that have forward renderers and support MSAA, and have been tested by NVIDIA. At the time of writing, over 20 games meet this criteria.
New Freestyle Splitscreen Filter To Showcase Your Creations
In over 700 games, you can press Alt+F3 to load NVIDIA Freestyle, a GeForce Experience feature that enables you to adjust the look and feel of your gameplay in real-time using post-process filters. And in any game with NVIDIA Ansel support, you can press Alt+F2 to frame and snap in-game photos with an incredible level of visual customization.
With our latest Game Ready Driver, we're releasing a new Splitscreen filter that allows you to showcase screenshots or videos of your creation with the modding community. You can split the screen, showcase a side-by-side comparison, or even blend filters using the gradient function.
You can also import hundreds of new customization filters from ReShade. Download our collection of curated ReShade filters, and extract into "Program Files\NVIDIA Corporation\Ansel\Custom" (typically on your C:\ drive). If you install DCH drivers, instead of the standard Game Ready Driver, you may have to create this folder yourself. A larger selection of 'custom' filters can also be downloaded directly from ReShade's Github repository.
Image Sharpening Update Further Improves Your Experience
We recently introduced a standalone image sharpening filter built into the NVIDIA Control Panel, enabling you to improve image clarity in all DirectX 9-12, Vulkan and OpenGL games. Based on your feedback, now you can separately enable the GPU Scaling feature without image sharpening. Furthermore, custom resolutions are supported when you enable GPU Scaling.
To use image sharpening on your system, open the NVIDIA Control Panel and navigate to 3D Settings > Manage 3D Settings, select Image Sharpening, configure your options, hit OK, then click Apply on the bottom right of the Control Panel window.
Support For Newly Validated G-SYNC Compatible Displays
Our newest Game Ready Driver driver is adding support for an additional 8 G-SYNC Compatible displays, and we've announced future support for a further 17, including new LG OLED 2020 BFGD TVs. These gaming monitors and TVs deliver a baseline Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) experience that makes your gaming smoother, clearer, and more enjoyable.
With the new and upcoming additions announced today, there are now 90 G-SYNC Compatible displays total, across all resolutions, sizes and refresh rates, giving gamers tons of choice when searching for the perfect display. For instance, today's new monitors range in size from 24.5 inches, all the way up to LG's 88 inch Z9 BFGD behemoth, which will deliver a jaw-dropping big-screen OLED VRR gaming experience in your living room.
Game Ready For Wolfenstein: Youngblood's Ray Tracing Update
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is receiving a large update later this week, that adds realistic ray tracing, performance-boosting NVIDIA DLSS, and NVIDIA Highlights, for automatically recording your best gameplay moments.
Game Ready For Quake II RTX v1.3 Update
Quake II RTX is our ray-traced remaster of the beloved 1997 first-person shooter. In November, we introduced a ton of new features and enhancements, and now we're back with Quake II RTX v1.3. This introduces an awesome new photo mode for custom screenshots, such as the one below, along with a few further tweaks and improvements.
Optimal Playable Settings For More Games
As part of our Game Ready program, NVIDIA has recently added Optimal Playable Settings (OPS) for even more games, giving you one click setting recommendations for the latest and greatest releases.
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NVIDIA unveils a 360Hz 'world's fastest' esports monitor - [hardware]
02:59 AM EST - Jan,06 2020 - post a comment Nvidia has developed new technology that enables 360Hz refresh rates on PC displays, achieving unprecedented responsiveness that's perfectly suited to esports, where any advances in terms of refresh speeds can translate to improved performance during play. Nvidia's new G-sync tech that delivers the 360Hz refresh speeds will be coming to market first through a partnership with Asus, via the Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor that's debuting at this week's annual CES show in Las Vegas. It works in combination with Nvidia's RTX line of GPUs, and will provide refresh rates that translate to less than 3 milliseconds of input latency, all available on a 24.5-inch, fully 1080p HD gaming panel. The Asus ROG Swift 360 monitor will be coming out sometime “later this year,” and pricing isn't yet available but you can bet it'll be more than your average gaming monitor, given its advanced performance features and esports target market.
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Wi-Fi 6 may soon expand into the 6GHz spectrum, to be called Wi-Fi 6E - [briefly]
07:52 AM EST - Jan,04 2020 - post a comment Wi-Fi 6, based on the 802.11ax standard, became very widespread last year, with the Wi-Fi Alliance starting to certify Wi-Fi 6 devices in September. Now, the latest version of the Wi-Fi standard could be expanding into a new spectrum for the first time in a while, adding 6GHz on top of the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz variants. In a press release today, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced new terminology to distinguish upcoming devices that support Wi-Fi 6 on the 6GHz spectrum - Wi-Fi 6E. As the organization notes, though, the 6GHz spectrum isn't yet available for Wi-Fi, as it's still pending regulatory approval around the world. Recently, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai expressed his intent to make the 6GHz spectrum available to Wi-Fi, so it seems possible that approval will come soon. |
Galaxy S10 Lite and Note10 Lite Carve Out New Space in Samsung's Line - [mobile]
05:21 PM EST - Jan,03 2020 - (1 comments) Samsung today announced two new phones: the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy Note10 Lite. In spite of the naming scheme, the two new models are quite similar to each other. Both have a 6.7-inch, full-HD Super AMOLED display, 4,500 mAh battery, fast charging, in-display fingerprint reader, 6 or 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, memory card slot, and a 32-megapixel front camera in a centered hole-punch in the display. The phones differ in processor (not specified), rear camera specs, and of course the Note10 Lite has a stylus. The S10 Lite has standard, wide, and macro cameras on the back (48, 12, and 5 megapixel, respectively.) The Note10 Lite has standard, wide, and telephoto cameras (all 12 megapixel.) Pricing, regions, and launch date were not announced. The FCC has approved a version of the Galaxy Note10 Lite that could be offered by Verizon, but no other versions compatible with US carriers have been approved to date. |
AMD Stock Peaked at $49.10 per Share - [briefly]
05:19 PM EST - Jan,03 2020 - (1 comments) AMD veterans yesterday must've sneakily left their respective offices yesterday for a well-deserved rest and a glass of champagne - and if they didn't, they deserved it. The company yesterday broke their previous all-time stock pricing record achieved way back in June 2000, at $47.50 per share, when it traded at $49.10 per share yesterday.
It's been a long time coming for AMD, and irrespective of any brand loyalty, it certainly pays, as a consumer and as an enthusiast, to see a company that nearly went bankrupt in 2016 - who had to sell and then lease back their own headquarters for a quick cash infusion, spin-off its manufacturing division in a change of strategy that couldn't have been easy on morale - achieve such a colossal feat. Even more impressive this is should you even be considering the blue behemoth the company actually has to contend with - a $260.35B Intel who, by both happenstance and poor CPU execution vision, is being fired upon on all markets by comparative David AMD, today valued at $51.07B. Here's hoping all AMD employees got their well-deserved party and standing ovation from each other. None of them - not even Lisa Su - achieved this alone. |
NVIDIA's Next-Generation Ampere GPUs to be 50% Faster than Turing - [hardware]
11:04 AM EST - Jan,03 2020 - post a comment As we approach the release of NVIDIA's Ampere GPUs, which are rumored to launch in the second half of this year, more rumors and information about the upcoming graphics cards are appearing. Today, according to the latest report made by Taipei Times, NVIDIA's next-generation of graphics cards based on "Ampere" architecture is rumored to have as much as 50% performance uplift compared to the previous generations of Turing GPUs, while using having half the power consumption.
Built using TSMC's 7 nm manufacturing node, Ampere is poised to be the new king among all future GPUs. The rumored 50% performance increase is not impossible, due to features and improvements that the new 7 nm manufacturing node brings. If utilizing the density alone, NVIDIA can extract at least 50% extra performance that is due to the use of a smaller node. However, performance should increase even further because Ampere will bring new architecture as well. Combining a new manufacturing node and new microarchitecture, Ampere will reduce power consumption in half, making for a very efficient GPU solution. We still don't know if the performance will increase mostly for ray tracing applications, or will NVIDIA put the focus on general graphics performance. |
NAND Flash Prices to Rise up to 40% in 2020 - [hardware]
01:46 PM EST - Jan,02 2020 - post a comment According to the sources over at DigiTimes, NAND flash prices are set to rise by up to 40% in 2020. This report is coming from sources over at memory chipmakers, presumably some of the biggest players like SK Hynix, Micron, and Samsung. If the prediction realizes, consumers will see a significant price jump for products based on NAND flash memory like most of today's solid-state drives. This incident alone could help contribute to the price rise of NAND memory in 2020. Other possible reasons may include an inefficient supply of materials used by NAND flash production lines or a simple supply-demand ratio, which would hurt prices of NAND flash long-therm. However, we hope that the underlying problems for this predicted price rise can be worked out and that companies like Samsung, which got power outage accident, can supplement the capacity loss during the unplanned turn of events. |
i9 10900K is up to 30% faster than the i9 9900K - [hardware]
06:37 AM EST - Jan,02 2020 - post a comment The Intel Core i9 10900K is the next high-end desktop CPU that will come out later this year. And according to Intel's leaked document, this CPU will be up to 30% faster than the Intel Core i9 9900K. This slide was leaked by Weibo's member MebiuW. Unfortunately, though, the slide contains only synthetic and not any PC gaming benchmarks. According to the previous leak, the Intel Core i9 10900K will feature 10 CPU cores and will support 20 threads. It will also have an all-core turbo boost of 4.8Ghz. Therefore, it will be interesting to see whether there will be any significant performance improvements in PC games at 1080p.
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Are you ready for Liv Morgan? - [off-topic]
06:37 AM EST - Jan,01 2020 - post a comment Liv Morgan, born Gionna Jene Daddio, is a WWE Superstar who competes under the Raw brand. Liv began her career with WWE after signing a contract in October 2014 where she trained at the WWE Performance Center before moving to NXT. After joining The Riott Squad with Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan, Morgan was promoted to the main roster in 2017. Josh Sanchez |20 hours ago
liv morgan wwe instagram
Starting in 2019, Liv began competing as a singles wrestler when Riott Squad disbanded.
Born in Paramus, New Jersey, the 25-year-old is a former competitive cheerleader, model, and Hooters waitress. She looked up to WWE Hall of Famer Lita as she was growing up. A love for wrestling began at a young age when Liv would take powerbombs and bodyslams from her brothers in backyard wrestling matches.
In December 2019, Liv Morgan was part of a controversial storyline when she made a shocking lesbian reveal and crashed the wedding of Lana and Bobby Lashley along with Rusev.
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The Witcher Was One of Netflix's Most Popular Releases in 2019 - [briefly]
06:59 PM EST - Dec,31 2019 - post a comment Netflix's adaptation of The Witcher released less than two weeks ago but it already seems to be a massive success. While Netflix did not release specific viewership numbers, the show managed to make two separate top 10 lists released by the popular streaming service despite its recent release, even managing to rival the likes of Stranger Things 3, which received a tie-in change this year.
Reflecting on 2019, Netflix released a series of top 10 lists highlighting the most popular shows and movies in several different categories. Even though The Witcher didn't manage to make any of the more specific ones, it did manage to make the two most notable top 10 lists Netflix shared today: Top 10 Most Popular Releases of 2019 and Top 10 Most Popular Series Releases of 2019.
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AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3980X is a 48-core Monster - [hardware]
02:09 AM EST - Dec,31 2019 - post a comment In the press-deck of its 3rd Generation Ryzen Threadripper 3970X/3960X launch, AMD teased its flagship HEDT part for the TRX40 platform, the Ryzen Threadripper 3990X, with a 2020 launch date. It should come as little surprise then, that the core-count gap between the 3970X and the 3990X has an SKU in the middle - the 3980X. This SKU reportedly surfaced in CPU-Z 1.91 code. The 3980X is a 48-core/96-thread monstrosity for when 64 cores are too many, and 32 too few.
Like the 3990X, the 3980X will likely be built with eight "Zen 2" CCDs (chiplets) for optimal IFOP bandwidth utilization and heat-spread. Each CCD will likely be configured with 6 cores (3 per CCX), adding up to 48 cores on the package. Much like the 3990X, clock-speeds of the 3980X remain under the wraps. AMD is expected to launch the two some time in 2020, featuring compatibility with existing AMD TRX40 chipset motherboards. The company could target a sub-$3,000 price-point to make the Xeon W-3175X obsolete both in performance and value. |
You Can Still Upgrade To Windows 10 For Free - [guides]
03:17 PM EST - Dec,30 2019 - post a comment When Windows 10 first debuted to the public in July 2015, Microsoft made upgrading from Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 free for the first year. Technically, Microsoft still allowed free upgrades beyond that period for customers who use assistive technologies, though the free ride to Windows 10 was supposed to end in December 2017. Now two years later (and over 4 years since Windows 10 first came out), users report still being able to upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost. If you have a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 license, you can upgrade to Windows 10 by following these steps:
- Go to the Download Windows 10 page and click the Download tool now button.
- Once the download finishes, run the Media Creation Tool.
- If the tool is already on the PC you're wanting to upgrade, choose the Upgrade this PC now option and enjoy your free upgrade to Windows 10. If not, go to the next step.
- If the tool is not on the PC you're wanting to upgrade, choose the Create installation media for another PC option.
- Follow the prompts and then choose whether you want to put the installation files on a USB flash drive or ISO file. Transfer whichever option you chose to the PC you want to upgrade.
Users report they are not being asked for a product key, assuming this is performed on a valid Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 PC. Once the upgrade is complete, you can head to Settings > Update & Security > Activation to confirm it worked without a hitch.
Alternatively, if you already installed Windows 10 and still need to validate it, as long as you have access to your old Windows 7 or 8 key, you can just head to the same section and select Change product key, then plug in your old key.
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AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Features 2,304 Stream Processors - [hardware]
03:14 PM EST - Dec,30 2019 - post a comment AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card features the same exact stream processor count as the $350 RX 5700, according to a leaked specs sheet of an ASRock RX 5600 XT Challenger D graphics card. With a stream processor count of 2,304, it's safe to assume that the RX 5600 XT is based on the same 7 nm "Navi 10" silicon as the RX 5700 series. What set the RX 5600 XT apart from the RX 5700, besides lower clock-speeds, is the memory subsystem, which is severely stripped down. The Radeon RX 5600 XT will be equipped with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit wide memory interface. What's more, the memory ticks at 12 Gbps, compared to 14 Gbps on the RX 5700 series.
With these specs, the RX 5600 XT has 288 GB/s of memory bandwidth at its disposal, same as NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. In contrast, with 8 GB of 256-bit GDDR6 running at 14 Gbps, the RX 5700 enjoys 448 GB/s. The specs sheet suggests that AMD has also dialed down the engine clock-speeds (GPU clocks) a bit, with up to 1620 MHz boost, up to 1460 MHz gaming, and 1235 MHz base. With these specs, it's highly likely that the RX 5600 XT outperforms the GTX 1660 Ti and gets close to the RTX 2060. It all boils down to pricing. The RX 5500 XT is a decent GTX 1650-series alternative with a lukewarm price thanks to NVIDIA's aggressive product-stack management by getting its partners to lower prices of the GTX 1660 and GTX 1660 Super. It would be interesting to see if AMD can outfox NVIDIA in the sub-$300 market. |
Why Cats Bombed At The Box Office - [off-topic]
01:52 PM EST - Dec,30 2019 - post a comment Let's all pay our condolences to Cats as it fades away to the Heaviside Layer. The film adaptation of the famous Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical finally hit theatres on December 20th, 2019, and audiences have been passionately avoiding the film ever since. Here's what went wrong with Cats.
Well, the box office numbers have rolled in for director Tom Hooper's misguided movie-musical, and let it suffice to say, they aren't exactly the cat's meow. In fact, they're absolutely abysmal. Initial box office estimates predicted that Cats would earn about $15 million on its opening weekend. But when the film opened - against Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, no less - it pulled in a dismal $6.5 million domestically. That is to say, the box office returns were effectively in the litter box.
Such numbers would be acceptable for, say, a limited-release art film. But it's completely unacceptable for a tentpole Christmas release packed with triple-A talent - particularly since the film cost approximately $100 million to make. A poor outcome for Cats was rather expected, but the severity of its opening weekend failure is still rather surprising.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is a serious box office bomb we're talking about here... a major cinematic cat-astrophe. $2.2 million dollars on a wide-release opening day means that basically no one saw this movie. Meanwhile, pretty much everyone on the planet knew the film was happening. Seems like morbid curiosity just wasn't enough to get people into those seats. That lack of curiosity killed Cats.
We can't talk about Cats without talking about that soul-bending teaser trailer, which was released back in July 2019. What a day that was for social media. They say that "all press is good press," but they clearly hadn't seen the Cats teaser trailer before making that statement. Many people reacted with abject horror when they got their first look at the sprightly CGI cats, recoiling in horror at all the chirpy celebrity faces grafted onto furry bodies. Some folks hoped against hope that the film was still very much a work in progress. Keep watching the video to see why Cats bombed at the box office!
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Extended Security Updates will extend to 2023 for MSE on Windows 7 - [briefly]
01:19 PM EST - Dec,30 2019 - post a comment I reported earlier this month that Windows 7 users will begin seeing notifications warning that Windows 7 is no longer supported. These notifications state that, after January 14, 2020, Windows 7 will no longer receive software or security updates. That said, I also reported that those with Extended Security Updates (ESU) will not receive these notifications, as they will continue to receive updates to Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). ESU is a paid service intended for enterprise customers, though a software bypass tool has been created that enables ESU for free. However, there was some question as to whether ESU actually would provide continued security updates, as the FAQ for ESU seemed to contradict this idea. It stated, "No, your Windows 7 computer is not protected by MSE after January 14, 2020. MSE is unique to Windows 7 and follows the same lifecycle dates for support." Woody Leonhard from Computerworld asked for for clarification on this issue in a recent AMA. Fortunately, Mike Cure, a Microsoft engineer answered:
MSE will continue to receive signature updates after Jan. 14.
The FAQ has since been updated to clear up the confusion. Those with ESU will continue to receive signature updates to MSE until 2023. |
Intel 10th Gen Core 'Comet Lake' Lineup and Specs - [briefly]
04:31 AM EST - Dec,30 2019 - post a comment Ahead of a possible reveal in the sidelines of CES, followed by an early-Q2 2020 product-launch, company slides detailing Intel's 10th generation Core desktop processors in the LGA1200 package, codenamed "Comet Lake-S," leaked to the web courtesy Informatica Cero. They confirm that HyperThreading will play a key role, with Intel enabling it across the lineup. The range-topping Core i9 series will be 10-core/20-thread along with 20 MB of L3 cache. The Core i7 series will be 8-core/16-thread, along with 16 MB L3 cache. The all-important Core i5 series will be 6-core/12-thread, equipped with 12 MB of L3 cache. The Core i3 series will have two sub-tiers: i3-103xx series with 4-core/8-thread and 8 MB L3 cache; and i3-101xx series 4-core/8-thread with 6 MB L3 cache.
The Core i7 and Core i9 "Comet Lake" chips will feature native support for dual-channel DDR4-2933, while the Core i5 and Core i3 will make do with native DDR4-2667 support (memory overclocking possible). Besides core/thread counts, and cache size increases, Intel will dial up clock speeds across the board by as much as 300 MHz per SKU (vs. their 9th gen predecessor), and introduce Turbo Boost Max 3.0, which has been exclusive to its HEDT processors. The introduction of Turbo Boost Max 3.0 could also bring about modern favored-core capability (benefiting Windows 10 1909 and later). The classic Turbo Boost is also available. There's also a mysterious new feature called "Thermal Velocity Boost," with its own set of clock-speeds depending on core/thread load. The chips could also feature Modern Standby C10 power-state support (first to the desktop platform). Intel is said to have also added several new core and memory overclocking features on the K-SKUs.
Built on a 14 nm-class silicon fabrication node, and featuring the same IPC as "Skylake," the 10th generation Core "Comet Lake" series will rely on aggressive power-management to sustain 65 W TDP rating for most SKUs, but Intel's virtual barrier for 95 W as the TDP number for unlocked K SKUs ends with the 10 generation (the i9-9900KS already breaks that). The 10th generation Core K SKUs have a scorching 125 W TDP rating not just for the 10-core i9-10900K and 8-core i7-10700K, but also the 6-core i5-10600K. |
Nvidia claims RTX 2080 Max-Q is faster than PS5, Xbox Series X - [briefly]
04:16 AM EST - Dec,30 2019 - post a comment At the GTC China 2019 conference, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang compared a Maxwell 980M-equipped Lenovo Y900 with a Lenovo Y740, powered by an RTX 2080 Max-Q GPU. The presentation showcased how Max-Q technology enabled substantially thinner, lighter, and longer-lasting laptops to perform much faster than earlier models. The 980M obviously didn't look that great in the comparison.
However, the real eyebrow-raiser was a slide that then claimed that the 2080 Max-Q was faster than the upcoming ninth-gen consoles' GPUs. The Xbox Series X and PS5 are set to be powered by GPUs that use AMD's RDNA architecture. Nvidia's claim that the 2080 Max-Q is faster raises questions about the expected performance of the consoles. The evidence so far points to the ninth-gen consoles having GPUs that are at least as fast, if not faster, than the RX 5700 XT.
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InvisibleShield Offers Camera Lens Protection - [briefly]
02:24 PM EST - Dec,21 2019 - post a comment InvisibleShield, a leading brand for transparent phone screen protectors, has expanded its offerings to include clear lens protectors for the three cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. GlassFusion Hybrid Glass Camera Lens Protection is made from a "hybrid" glass material that absorbs shock, disperses impact, and protects the lenses from scuffs and scratches. An oleophobic coating means smudges and fingerprints wipe away easily. The product consists of three separate protectors, one for each camera lens. GlassFusion Hybrid Glass Camera Lens Protection is available from zagg.com for $15. |
Congress Passes Anti-Robocall Bill - [briefly]
02:24 PM EST - Dec,21 2019 - post a comment The Senate this week passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, a bill aimed at fighting the scourge of unsolicited robocalls. The House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this month, and the President is expected to sign the bill into law within days. TRACED includes two key components: First, the FCC will now be empowered to fine robocallers up to $10,000 for each call. Second, US wireless companies will be required by law to implement "call authentication technologies" such as STIR/SHAKEN, a new protocol that fights caller-ID spoofing by securely confirming call metadata (caller ID). Major carriers have already started to deploy STIR/SHAKEN, at the urging of the FCC. |
Sprint Launches Basic Spam-Call Protection for Free - [mobile]
03:36 AM EST - Dec,19 2019 - post a comment Sprint has joined T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T in offering a free service with basic protection against fraud and spam callers. Like the free services already offered by other carriers, Sprint's new Call Screener Basic can block the highest-risk fraud calls, and identify other likely spam calls as they ring. Sprint's new free service also include caller-ID for businesses. A premium version, called Call Screener Plus, runs $3/month and includes advanced caller-ID for personal lines, plus options to automatically block lower-risk spam calls. Users of Sprint Call Screener will receive a free 15-day trial of Sprint Call Screener Plus. Android phones sold by Sprint should already have the app. iPhone users can download the app from the App Store. |
AMD Releases Radeon Software Adrenalin 19.12.3 - [briefly]
06:45 PM EST - Dec,18 2019 - post a comment AMD today posted the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition. Version 19.12.3 ships with a "focus on stability improvements," according to Terry Makedon, who heads the company's software strategy and user-experience. The company addressed close to two dozen issues related to the first Adrenalin 2020 Edition release (version 19.12.2). To begin with game and boost clocks incorrectly reporting for RX 5500 XT has been fixed. A bug with the installing failing to detect AMD graphics hardware when a certain WiFi adapter is enabled in the system has been fixed. A "Rocket League" application crash when task-switching has been fixed. The Radeon Overlay shortcut appearing in fullscreen 3D apps even after disabling Overlay, has been fixed.
Artifacting (black-outs) in "MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries" has been fixed. Radeon Anti-Lag failing to enable for DirectX 9 applications when globally enabled, has been fixed. Anti-Lag not engaging for "CS:GO" has also been fixed. Custom streaming failing to present users with a URL box to choose their endpoint, has been fixed. DirectML filters failing to apply upscaling and denoising when attempting to do both simultaneously on one image, has been fixed. Certain FreeSync display issued have been addressed. Scene editor not letting you set custom hotkeys has been fixed. Auto Tuning for Radeon RX 5700 XT resulting in extremely high/unstable OC has been fixed. Stability issues with Radeon Enhanced Sync have been addressed. RIS failing to enable in "Star Wars Jedi: The Fallen Order" has been fixed. And lastly, HDCP 2.2 protected content not playing back on some RX 500-series GPUs, has been fixed. AMD also identified a long list of issues it will address in future releases of Adrenalin 2020. AMD also added five new Vulkan API extensions, detailed below.
Fixed Issues- Game and boost clocks may be incorrectly reported for Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics products in Radeon Software.
- Radeon Software Install may experience an error and fail to detect AMD graphics hardware when a certain WiFi adapter is enabled in the system.
- Rocket League may crash or experience an application hang after performing a task switch.
- A black screen may occur when Performance Metrics Overlay is open and changing game resolution.
- After disabling Radeon Software Overlay users may still see the toast messages for the overlay shortcut while in fullscreen games.
- Audio from custom scenes may continue to play after recording or streaming has been stopped.
- Installer audio has been reduced as it was too loud on some system configurations.
- Some users may be unable to select drop downs in graphics settings for Tessellation Mode.
- Radeon ReLive may appear to be missing or not available to install on some system configurations with Hyper-V enabled.
- Newly added game profiles may fail to enable the currently selected global graphics settings options in their profile.
- Performing an auto update from web to Adrenalin 2020 Edition from Adrenalin 2019 Edition may fail with an error code.
- Improved Radeon Chill experience when using a gaming mouse.
- Switching between borderless and fullscreen in some games when Performance Overlay is enabled and Radeon FreeSync is enabled may cause stuttering.
- MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries may experience black corruption near the bottom of the screen close to the player model.
- Radeon Anti-Lag may fail to enable for DirectX 9 applications when enabled in the global graphics settings options.
- Radeon Anti-Lag may fail to enable for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
- The custom stream option may fail to present users with a url box to choose their endpoint.
- DirectML Media Filters may fail to apply Upscale and Denoise when attempting to do both at the same time on one image.
- Some Radeon FreeSync enabled displays may experience LFC intermittently enabling mid game causing poor performance or stutter.
- A grey box may prevent users from setting custom hotkeys in the scene editor.
- Performing Auto Tuning for graphics clocks on Radeon RX 5700 XT may result in an extremely high OC or unstable OC.
- Some games may experience instability and screen loss or control loss when performing a task switch when the Gaming profile is set in Radeon Software which enables Radeon Enhanced Sync.
- Radeon Image Sharpening may fail to enable in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
- HDCP 2.2 enabled content may fail to play on some Radeon RX 500 series graphics products.
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Top Gun: Maverick (2020) - New Trailer - [briefly]
05:08 PM EST - Dec,17 2019 - post a comment Watch the NEW trailer for #TopGun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise - In theatres June 26, 2020. After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: 'Rooster,' the son of Maverick's late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka 'Goose.'
Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
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Verizon Launches 5G in LA - [internet]
01:07 PM EST - Dec,16 2019 - post a comment Verizon has launched mmWave 5G in Los Angeles, its 19th city to get the service. Coverage includes "parts of" Downtown, Chinatown, Del Rey, and Venice. Verizon recently started publishing 5G coverage maps; the 5G map for LA will be published on Dec. 20th. Like other mmWave deployments, data speeds are quick, but coverage is limited to select high-density areas of each city. Verizon has indicated it will also offer 5G in lower frequency bands for greater 5G coverage, but has yet to announce specific plans on that front. Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile have already launched 5G with broader coverage using lower frequency bands. Verizon's mmWave 5G service is already available in New York City, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, Indianapolis, Denver, Washington DC, Boston, Detroit, Atlanta, Omaha, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Boise, Sioux Falls, Providence, and Panama City. |
AT&T Launches 5G for Consumers Today in 10 Cities - [internet]
01:06 PM EST - Dec,16 2019 - post a comment AT&T has finally launched 5G service for consumers as of today, using far-reaching low-band radio frequencies (band 5 / 850 MHz). As the company promised last month, the launch cities include Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Providence, RI, Rochester, NY, and San Diego. However, AT&T managed to accelerate its schedule and launch five additional cities today: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, CA, Milwaukee, and Birmingham, AL. The company has released 5G coverage maps for all consumer launch cities. The only phone AT&T currently offers that supports the service is the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G, which runs $1,300. This particular 5G service is distinct from the company's "5G+" service, which uses higher mmWave frequencies and is only available to business customers. mmWave frequencies offer higher data speeds but much more limited coverage. AT&T's phone lineup does not yet include any phones that can access 5G on both low-band and mmWave frequencies. Neither 5G service should be confused with "5Ge", which is merely AT&T's branding for the fastest type of 4G LTE. AT&T has also confirmed that its next 5G launch cities will include Boston, Bridgeport, CT, Buffalo, NY, Las Vegas, Louisville, KY, and New York City. The company promises "nationwide" 5G coverage by the middle of 2020. |
Microsoft unveils its next-gen Xbox Series X console - [gaming]
05:25 PM EST - Dec,15 2019 - post a comment Microsoft has unveiled its new Xbox, setting the stage for 2020 console war with Sony. The Xbox Series X comes with a peculiar monolithic design, almost resembling a PC tower. Microsoft didn't disclose a price but said the Xbox Series X will go on sale in the holidays next year.
Microsoft hasn't shared all the details, but it said the console will be able to deliver four times the processing power of the current Xbox One X. The Series X will provide "world-class visuals" in 4K at 60 frames per second and up to 120 FPS being a possibility, according to Microsoft. And the console will "virtually eliminate load times" thanks to its graphics processing unit and solid-state drive. The decision to go with a powerful-yet-large design is the opposite of what rival video game maker Nintendo has done with its Switch. The relatively small console can be played while plugged into a TV or on the go, and Nintendo recently boasted that it had sold more than 15 million units in North America and has been the best-selling video game console for 10 consecutive months.
The Series X's power could be key for Microsoft in the competition for gamers' attention and sales. Sony's PlayStation 5 is also due to release next year. Sony has kept mostly quiet about its upcoming console, but it has promised technical upgrades to improve performance.
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