Fractal Design North XL Full-Tower Chassis Review

Fractal Design North XL Full-Tower Chassis Review

We take some time to check out Fractal Design's new North XL full-tower computer case. Should you buy it? Let's find out right here.

TT Show Episode 33 - Samsung's Flagship 8K TV, Intel CPU Controversy, the Ultimate NAS Setup

Kosta Andreadis | TweakTown | May 3, 2024 12:59 AM CDT

This week on The TT Show, Kosta spends an entire day with the flagship 85-inch Samsung QN900D Neo QLED 8K Smart TV in Sydney, testing how its new impressive NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor handles upscaling and gaming. Kosta also discusses his latest month-long home project: building the Ultimate Home Entertainment Server with an ASUSTOR NAS and Viper Gaming NVMe SSDs.

TT Show Episode 33 - Samsung's Flagship 8K TV, Intel CPU Controversy, the Ultimate NAS Setup

Moving on from thousands of movies, games, and music on a server, Jak and Kosta also discuss the latest controversy surrounding Intel's high-end 13th and 14th Gen Cire i9 CPU. With widespread reports of instability and motherboard makers issuing BIOS updates, Intel seemingly passes the blame while confirming it's still 'looking into the issue.'

The duo also talks about the recent decline in console sales and AMD's gaming revenue and what this means, as well as new reports seemingly confirming that AMD's upcoming RDNA 4 GPUs could feature a massive upgrade to ray-tracing performance, which will probably make its way into the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Continue reading: TT Show Episode 33 - Samsung's Flagship 8K TV, Intel CPU Controversy, the Ultimate NAS Setup (full post)

Intel Arrow Lake CPUs might be revealed in Q3 - running interference with Ryzen 9000 launch?

Darren Allan | CPU, APU & Chipsets | May 3, 2024 11:11 AM CDT

Intel's Arrow Lake desktop processors might pitch up earlier than expected, or at least ahead of what the rumor mill seems to have been floating as the most likely arrival timeframe recently.

Intel Arrow Lake CPUs might be revealed in Q3 - running interference with Ryzen 9000 launch?

If you've been following the chatter around Arrow Lake (Core Ultra 200), you won't have missed a certain amount of pessimism creeping in of late.

In the early days of leaks, there was talk of massive performance gains, and while that's still true to an extent, enthusiasm about Arrow Lake seems to have been waning somewhat with suggestions that Intel is struggling to finish the next-gen desktop silicon, and that it might even get pushed to 2025. (Or at least that volume production may not happen until next year, anyway).

Continue reading: Intel Arrow Lake CPUs might be revealed in Q3 - running interference with Ryzen 9000 launch? (full post)

Fancy a good 2-player coop for the weekend? Orcs Must Die 3 is free for PC on Epic Games Store

Darren Allan | Gaming | May 3, 2024 10:50 AM CDT

Orcs Must Die 3 is a different spin on tower defense that ticks some boxes - including having a top-notch name - and if you've always been half-tempted to take the plunge, now you've got no excuse.

Fancy a good 2-player coop for the weekend? Orcs Must Die 3 is free for PC on Epic Games Store

We express this possibility of temptation because it applies very definitely to us - we've been meaning to pick up this game for some time (before the third instalment came out, in fact). And now that it's free on the Epic Games Store, we'll be doing exactly that.

Actually, hang on. Back in a moment...

Continue reading: Fancy a good 2-player coop for the weekend? Orcs Must Die 3 is free for PC on Epic Games Store (full post)

Nintendo Switch 2 slated to support higher than 60FPS gameplay

Jak Connor | Gaming | May 3, 2024 10:31 AM CDT

A Nintendo dataminer has discovered within the latest version of the NintendoWare Bezel Engine supports frame rates of up to 240 frames-per-second (FPS).

Nintendo Switch 2 slated to support higher than 60FPS gameplay

This engine is used by Nintendo and third parties in select games, and the discovery of gameplay supporting up to 240 FPS has led to some theorizing that Nintendo's next console will be able to achieve framerates above 60FPS, which is the maximum the current Nintendo Switch is capable of producing. Notably, the dataminer wrote "this only applies to games that enable the variable frame rate mode".

The discovery of 240FPS support doesn't mean all future Nintendo games will be able to achieve 240FPS in gameplay; in fact, it's incredibly unlikely that Nintendo's next console will even have the horsepower to hit such a framerate unless at an expensive cost of resolution - likely far below 720p. However, what it does mean is there is room for the possibility of 40FPS, or even 120Hz modes that have already been seen in other consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Continue reading: Nintendo Switch 2 slated to support higher than 60FPS gameplay (full post)

Windows 11 is getting more popular - with PC gamers at least

Darren Allan | Software & Apps | May 3, 2024 10:10 AM CDT

Windows 11 just made quite a leap in adoption levels with PC gamers, or at least those that use Steam.

Windows 11 is getting more popular - with PC gamers at least

Valve's popular gaming platform conducts a monthly hardware survey, as you're doubtless aware, and that includes the operating system gamers are running as well as hardware components.

For the month of April, the hardware survey shows that Windows 11 adoption rose to reach 45.15%, which represented an increase of 3.54% on the previous month.

Continue reading: Windows 11 is getting more popular - with PC gamers at least (full post)

Helldivers 2 will force PC players into having a PlayStation Network account

Jak Connor | Gaming | May 3, 2024 9:50 AM CDT

Helldivers 2 publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that all new Helldivers 2 players will need to connect their Steam account to a PlayStation Network account to access the game.

Helldivers 2 will force PC players into having a PlayStation Network account

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) took to the Helldivers 2 Steam blog with an update explaining that a technical issue at the game's launch forced SIE into making linking Steam and a PSN account optional, but that will now change. As of May 6, new Helldivers 2 players on Steam will be forced to link to a PSN account, and if they don't have one, they will be required to make one. Helldivers 2 won't be accessible if they don't.

According to SIE, linking a Steam and PSN account "plays a critical role in protecting our players and upholding the values of safety and security provided on PlayStation and PlayStation Studios games." Additionally, SIE wrote that linking the two accounts is the main way to "protect players from griefing and abuse" by banning players that are participating in that kind of behavior. Additionally, banned players will be able to appeal.

Continue reading: Helldivers 2 will force PC players into having a PlayStation Network account (full post)

Apple's iPhone 16 might have a new OLED display driver on the way

When Apple releases the iPhone 16 family of devices later this year there could be a new OLED display driver inside, according to a new report. While Apple has yet to confirm the news, it's thought that Novatek has picked up a new order for drivers ahead of the iPhone 16 manufacturing run.

Apple's iPhone 16 might have a new OLED display driver on the way

The news, which comes via a paywalled DigiTimes report that was spotted by 9to5Mac, notes that a big increase in Novatek's orders of OLED Display Driver ICs (DDI) has been observed, with Apple being the customer in question.

Novatek is no stranger to Apple's supply chain so this move isn't a particularly surprising one, but it's another indication that Apple is readying the supply chain for its next generation of iPhones. It might also suggest that Apple is keen to diversify production, ensuring that there is less chance for a bottleneck further down the line.

Continue reading: Apple's iPhone 16 might have a new OLED display driver on the way (full post)

Google is at risk of losing tens of billions of dollars to the US government

Jak Connor | Business, Financial & Legal | May 3, 2024 9:10 AM CDT

Google and the US government are presenting their closing arguments to Judge Amit Mehta regarding the antitrust lawsuit that may result in Google being penalized for its dominance in the search engine market.

Google is at risk of losing tens of billions of dollars to the US government

The US government has accused Google of violating anticompetitive laws with its Google Search engine, which is easily the most popular search engine in the world. The lawsuit alleges Google paid electronics vendors and developers billions of dollars to make Google the default search engine on the device, which created a monopoly within the market where other search engines are unable to compete.

Google revealed last year that it spent $26.3 billion in 2021 on deals for its search engine to be default on various internet browsers. Apple received between $18 billion and $20 billion to keep Google the default search engine on Safari. As you can probably imagine, Google doesn't believe it has a monopoly on the market, or broken any anti-compete laws and that its dominance on the market is a result of its product simply being the best.

Continue reading: Google is at risk of losing tens of billions of dollars to the US government (full post)

OLED iPad Pro manufacturing woes explained, and it's all because of that new display

Apple is holding a streamed event on July 7 and it's looking increasingly likely that the company will finally unveil the fabled OLED iPad Pro. We've been hearing rumors about this table for months, and the expected release date for it has continually been pushed back amid concerns about delays. Now, a new report has sought to add some context as to why those delays might have cropped up.

OLED iPad Pro manufacturing woes explained, and it's all because of that new display

According to a paywalled DigiTimes report, picked up by 9to5Mac, Apple's requirement for a new type of OLED display has continually caused issues for suppliers. The report notes that the new iPad's OLED panels use a hybrid substrate that combines the glass substrate with polyimide materials. It's thought that this combines the advantages of both flexible plastic substrates and rigid glass substrates, all the while eliminating the issues associated with both. Essentially, buyers get the best of both worlds.

Apple is also set to use two-stack tandem technology for these displays, a first for the company. DigiTimes explains that this means that two OLED layers are stacked, as the name suggests, playing a high refractive index charge generation layer (CGL) in between them to connect the two organic light-emitting layers. The upshot? Making these displays is harder than making the other OLED displays Apple has used in the past.

Continue reading: OLED iPad Pro manufacturing woes explained, and it's all because of that new display (full post)

Scientists discover unexpected visitor lurking on the ISS

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | May 3, 2024 8:20 AM CDT

Last month, NASA confirmed the presence of unexpected visitors aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which has now been studied by researchers who have penned a paper in a scientific journal.

Scientists discover unexpected visitor lurking on the ISS

The unexpected visitors turned out to be multi drug resistant bacteria that has mutated into several strains that have never before seen on Earth. Researchers write the bacteria has transformed into thirteen strains, mutating from the original strains that were transported to the ISS from Earth. The team behind the paper believes the bacteria has mutated into at least thirteen different strains, which was caused by the microgravity environment within the ISS and the increase in radiation exposure.

As for the dangers of this new bacteria, astronauts aboard the ISS are only in danger of being infected by the bacteria if their immune system is already compromised, meaning they are already sick in some way. Luckily, the ISS is one of the most monitored locations in the world, and so are the astronauts aboard it. ISS passengers are required to perform a rigorous workout routine to maintain overall health, which is used to counteract their degrading immune systems caused by being in space.

Continue reading: Scientists discover unexpected visitor lurking on the ISS (full post)

LG adds Apple Music Dolby Atmos support to its TVs, making it the first to do so

Oliver Haslam | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | May 3, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

LG has become the very first TV company to add support for Dolby Atmos Apple Music playback to its products, and you won't need to have one of its latest sets to benefit, either. The company says that TVs from as far back as 2018 are good to go, and TVs that don't natively support Dolby Atmos will also work when paired with a compatible soundbar.

LG adds Apple Music Dolby Atmos support to its TVs, making it the first to do so

The discovery was first made by FlatPanelsHD and later confirmed by LG in a statement to the outlet. This means that LG has set the bar for other TV companies, but it remains to be seen if those companies already have plans in motion to add their own Dolby Atmos support.

While TVs with support for Dolby Atmos can of course play Apple Music via their built-in speakers, you're going to want to hook up a soundbar or compatible audio system to get the most out of the experience. Apple Music isn't the only streamer to offer Dolby Atmos support, either, with Amazon Music and Tidal also offering such a thing - although there is no smart TV support currently. Spotify simply hasn't added Dolby Atmos to anything yet, although that's likely something that will launch if and when the fabled lossless music support arrives.

Continue reading: LG adds Apple Music Dolby Atmos support to its TVs, making it the first to do so (full post)