AMD updates angry community over falsely advertised Ryzen boost clocks

Anthony Garreffa | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Sep 4, 2019 12:35 AM CDT

AMD had the entire world in its hands leading into the Zen 2 architecture, resulting in the great Ryzen 3000 series CPUs -- but now there's some serious drama with bold claims of false advertising being thrown around. Check out Der8auer's video below for a great recap:

AMD updates angry community over falsely advertised Ryzen boost clocks

Once the new Ryzen 3000 series CPUs began getting into consumer' hands, it was quickly noticed that the boost clocks AMD had advertised weren't being met -- and that boost speeds were locked to a single CPU core. AMD didn't confirm this before the launch, but later confirmed it -- going as far as updating the Ryzen product pages to clarify the slip up.

But then Der8auer used a survey in which 2700 people responded to, building data to show that just 5.6% of the reported Ryzen 9 3900X processors in his survey hit the advertised maximum boost clocks. The mid-range Ryzen 5 3600 was much better with 49.8% of users saying they hit max boost clocks... but this is a big issue -- a big, big issue.

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Android 10 is now rolling out to all Google Pixel smartphones

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Sep 3, 2019 11:16 PM CDT

Google is pushing out Android Q onto all Pixel smartphones, something that includes the newer Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL and should come out-of-the-box on the upcoming Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL smartphones.

Android 10 is now rolling out to all Google Pixel smartphones

Android 10 is now available for Pixel smartphone owners and as a Pixel 3 XL owner, I've upgraded to Android 10 -- up from the latest Android Q beta. Google has said that it is getting Android 10 into more smartphones and other brands, with the company saying it is "working with a number of partners to launch or upgrade devices to Android 10 this year".

Android 10 provides system-wide Dark Mode which is one my favorite things, improved battery life, and a slew of new features that include a new Focus Mode that will keep you, yes, more focused. Android 10 also features full support for foldable smartphones like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X.

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USB4 is pretty much Thunderbolt 3, except it's called USB4, okay?!

The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) announced today that the final technical specifications for USB4 are here, with the first USB4 products to arrive in late-2020.

USB4 is pretty much Thunderbolt 3, except it's called USB4, okay?!

USB4 ushers in dual-lane 40Gbps speeds which equal the dizzying heights of Thunderbolt 3, and double what USB 3.2 offered. USB4 will continue making our lives easier taking in the USB Type-C standard, and will be fully backwards compatible with USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and even Thunderbolt 3.

The new USB4 standard will tackle both data and display connectivity, which means we should (hopefully) see a future of more USB4-powered displays. USB3 was alright, but the transfer speeds didn't match Thunderbolt 3 which became important for content creators and enthusiasts who craved, and actually needed, all that speed.

Continue reading: USB4 is pretty much Thunderbolt 3, except it's called USB4, okay?! (full post)

8K Association nails down consumer 8K TV specs: up to 8K 60FPS

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Sep 3, 2019 10:12 PM CDT

The 8K Association (8KA) has announced the official performance specifications for consumer 8K-capable TVs, with a bunch of industry players making up the 8KA in companies like AUO, Hisense, Panasonic, Samsung , and TCL.

8K Association nails down consumer 8K TV specs: up to 8K 60FPS

If you want to have an 8K consumer-focused TV on shelves, you'll need the 8KA logo which can only be stamped on if you meet the minimum specs in resolution, frame rates, luminance, and codec/interface support.

8KA Executive Director Chris Chinnock said the new spec-backed certification program will be a "critical step in the growth in next-generation video technology". 8K TV makers will need to meet the new 8KA technical specifications which stand as:

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Elon Musk says SpaceX has 'Area 59' with tech 8x better than Area 51

Elon Musk has some choice words for conspiracy theorists: SpaceX has better technology than Area 51 -- the super-secretive US base where supposedly aliens and associated alien technology is hidden from the world.

Elon Musk says SpaceX has 'Area 59' with tech 8x better than Area 51

During the recent World Artificial Intelligence conference in Shanghai, China, Musk talked about the possibilities of the US government being in contact with aliens, and hiding it from the public. Musk doiesn't think that's the case, with the Tesla and SpaceX founder saying: "There are people out there who think we have found aliens. Trust me, I would know: We have not".

This is when the Area 51 and Area 59 mentions happened, with Musk saying: "People ask me if I have been to Area 51. Ok, please. SpaceX actually has area 59 and it's eight better than area 51".

Continue reading: Elon Musk says SpaceX has 'Area 59' with tech 8x better than Area 51 (full post)

China lunar rover finds weird 'gel-like' thing on far side of the moon

China has found something bizarre and very strange on the far side of the moon, with its Yutu-2 rover discovering a tiny crater on the moon with material of an unusual color and consistency.

China lunar rover finds weird 'gel-like' thing on far side of the moon

The discovery was discussed in a new paper published by Chiense researchers, on Chinese-language site Our Space. The discovery was pretty much by accident, with the Yutu-2 rover scheduled for power down during the lunar night in late-July but then something strange was spotted.

The team spotted a crater near the Yutu-2 on its image preview of the "strange-looking substance", which led the team to scanning it with the Yutu-2's optical and near-infrared spectrometer. Still, they had no idea what they were looking at apart from reporting the material is "gel-like" and isn't a color that is seen on the lunar surface.

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Android 10 will hit ALL Pixel smartphones starting September 3

It looks like Google will be pushing out Android 10 to all Pixel smartphones starting September 3, with what used to be called Android Q (Android 10 doesn't sound as good) spreading from the original Pixel through to the new Pixel 3a.

Android 10 will hit ALL Pixel smartphones starting September 3

Google's upcoming Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL should ship with Android 10 out of the box, and should be announced any day now. We should see Android 10 eventually hit other smartphones like the Galaxy S10 and Note 10 families of phones, but there's no ETA on that just yet.

There have bene betas of Android 10 (well, Android Q) on Huawei, LG, Nokia, and OnePlus smartphones so we should see something soon. Android 10 is filled with improvements and upgrades, including my favorite (something I love on my Android Q-powered Pixel 3 XL) -- system-wide Dark Mode.

Continue reading: Android 10 will hit ALL Pixel smartphones starting September 3 (full post)

Dave Bautista is playable in Gears of War 5

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 3, 2019 4:40 PM CDT

Dave Bautista wants to play Marcus Fenix in the new Gears of War movie, but instead he'll star in Coalition's upcoming Gears 5.

Dave Bautista is playable in Gears of War 5

Today wrestling alum and Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista confirmed he'll be a playable character in Gears of War 5, leading to much fanfare across the Xbox userbase. The Coalition says they tapped parts of Bautista's The Animal WWE persona as inspiration for his in-game character, and made custom armor specced right from the games. The team also gives strong hopes that the ex-bodybuilder could play Marcus in the upcoming film.

"Adding Batista to Gears 5, we started with the fantasy of 'Batista as Marcus,' putting Batista into Marcus' armor, and starting with Marcus' script. Then we added elements of "The Animal" Batista into his voice performance and onto his look by adding his signature Hollywood shades to his character. Batista was great in the booth and I can't wait for Gears and Batista fans alike to stomp some Swarm as The Animal," The Coalition's Rod Ferguson said.

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Modder makes Ryzen-powered Gamecube SFF PC

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 3, 2019 3:56 PM CDT

A modder packs a fully-fledged SFF PC into a Gamecube, complete with a Ryzen 5 processor.

Modder makes Ryzen-powered Gamecube SFF PC

Just for fun, Redditor ellio3 made a small form factor Mini-STX PC out of an old Gamecube chassis. The PC cube's specs include a Ryzen 5 2400G and 16GB of 3200MHz RAM and a roomy 1TB M.2 SSD all fastened to an ASRock A300M-STX motherboard.

Although the components were crammed into the small case with hardly an millimeter to spare, the build apparently doesn't get astronomically sizzly, sitting at roughly 30C idle and 80C under intense load. There's a CPU fan at the top and two Noctua NF-A4x10 fans--one for exhaust, and one for intake. Ellio3 was also able to use the Gamecube's original dust filter too.

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Ghost Recon Breakpoint's roadmap shows 1 year of content

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Sep 3, 2019 2:54 PM CDT

Like all of Ubisoft's games, Ghost Recon Breakpoint will have an expansive roadmap of post-release content to keep players engaged.

Ghost Recon Breakpoint's roadmap shows 1 year of content

Ghost Recon Breakpoint comes out next month and Ubisoft is already showing off what's next for the game. Breakpoint's first year will include three big episodes that're staggered in seasonal releases across October 2019 through September 2020.

Each episode promises a hefty amount of content like new Adventures, which are basically robust story-based expansions; a new class; special events like the Terminator: Dark Fate cross-over; new faction missions; and two new raids. Some content like the adventures can only be sampled by free players, and to play the full version you'll need the Year 1 Pass.

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