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Giveaway: Win a GAMDIAS ATLAS P1 Case, HELIOS 750W PSU, and BOREAS Digital CPU Cooler
We're continuing our TweakTown giveaways, rewarding our registered members and newsletter subscribers with top-tier hardware every week. For our latest giveaway, we've teamed up with GAMDIAS to give one lucky winner a PC building bundle covering the case, power supply, and CPU cooling.
There will be one winner in total, and the prize includes a GAMDIAS ATLAS P1 case in black, a GAMDIAS HELIOS M1-750B 750W power supply, and a GAMDIAS BOREAS M2-51D WH CPU air cooler in white. This is a component bundle, not a complete PC.
The GAMDIAS ATLAS P1 provides the foundation for this week's bundle. Its front and side tempered-glass panels put the finished build on display, while a one-touch release mechanism opens the hinged panels for easier access during installation, cleaning, or upgrades. The case also supports compatible hidden-connector motherboards, allowing cables to connect behind the motherboard for a tidier main chamber.
Cooler Master officially launches its 16-pin GPU Shield Adapter in the US
Cooler Master's GPU Shield Adapter, unveiled at CES 2026, has finally launched in the US a month after availability began in China. Discovered by TechPowerUp, the new adapter is going for $49.99 on Cooler Master's store and will be shipping from a warehouse (or warehouses) in California.
As its namesake suggests, the GPU Shield is a device designed to prevent meltdowns from occurring on GPUs that run the modern 16-pin power connector. As we mentioned in previous coverage, the adapter sits between the power supply and GPU to monitor power and alert users through LED indicators and an alarm if adequate power or abnormal current flow is being fed to the graphics card. The adapter monitors each individual pin for abnormal current to ensure that the user knows if even one wire is pulling more current than it is rated for.
The adapter features a logo on the side mimicking Cooler Master's logo with three colors to indicate the state of power going to the GPU. Green is for normal operation with current flowing below 9 amps per pin; a flashing red indicator warns the user that high amperage between 9 amps and 12 amps has been detected per pin, and a solid red indicator stands for anything beyond 12 amps per pin. If the red solid indicator stays on for an extended period of time, the adapter will throttle power to save the GPU from potential damage.
YouTube, Netflix, Amazon form SACA coalition to represent streaming industry
The world's biggest video streamers--YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon--have formed a new coalition that will advocate for legislation around the interests of streamers, the industry, and viewers.
TechNet today announced the top video content streamers worldwide have teamed up to form the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance (SACA), a new coalition that has members from YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon. SACA will represent streaming alongside other lobby groups at a pivotal time when streamers are facing heat for recent sports broadcast contracts.
"The coalition, led by TechNet, will advocate for policies that expand consumer access to high-quality content, preserve choice, and support the innovative viewing experiences consumers value," reads the press release.
NVIDIA debuts RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell workstation GPU with 84GB of GDDR7 memory
NVIDIA has announced another member of its Blackwell PRO family of workstation GPUs: the RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell with 84GB of GDDR7 memory. The new card becomes the second-fastest model in the lineup, slotting between the RTX PRO 5000 and PRO 6000 to fill the sizable specifications gap between the two. Details on pricing and availability have not yet been disclosed.
The GPU initially surfaced on NVIDIA's regional websites, but its product pages have since gone global, alongside a now-removed but archived listing from PNY. NVIDIA now lists the full specifications on its U.S. website, and the GPU is listed as "Coming Soon".
The RTX PRO 5500 is based on a cut-down GB202 GPU with 21,760 CUDA cores across 170 SMs, leaving roughly 88% of the full chip's 192 SMs enabled. This also gives it the same CUDA core count as the GeForce RTX 5090. The GPU is paired with a massive 84GB of ECC GDDR7 memory, delivering nearly 1.4 TB/s of bandwidth, making it an attractive choice for those running local LLMs, if the pricing is right.
Diablo V has no towns, players share 'unique bond' with Lord of Terror in new doomed world
Blizzard reveals a ton of details about Diablo V, including the main character's storyline and background, and that the protagonist shares a direct link with the Lord of Terror himself.
The Diablo franchise is coming back in 2029 with a fully-fledged numbered sequel. Diablo V promises to be darker and more grisly than ever, showing a doomed universe where Diablo has already won. Now Blizzard has highlighted a few new story details and teased some innovative mechanics--it's even possible we will transform into a demon this time around, all thanks to our supernatural link with Diablo.
"You're going to have a unique bond with Diablo," said Diablo V narrative director Jennifer Hepler at the event. "As you play, you find out how and why it came to be. That's why you're in a unique position and able to face him; you have unique insight into him, but also vulnerability in what he can do to you."
Anthropic CEO warns that AI could 'take over' the entire internet within 12 months
With Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei calling for the pace of AI development to slow down to mitigate the growing risk of AI companies losing control of their creations, he provides a relatively frightening example of something that could happen within the next year - if the industry is left unchecked. And that is, AI taking over "the entire internet."
Dario Amodei believes that this possibility isn't science fiction, but is based on "AI's growing ability to build the next generation of AI." Yes, AI is currently improving itself, even at Anthropic, and, left unchecked, could remove Anthropic's ability to "control these systems."
As for taking over the internet, Dario highlights an OpenAI-Hugging Face incident where a swarm of agents began to act, as he puts it, like a "fanatically devoted collective" conducting cybersecurity attacks unrelated to the task they were given, which included hacking the "grader" that was tasked with evaluating their performance. Although no one was hurt or financially impacted in a severe way, a more advanced "swarm" could cause some pretty serious damage to the tune of hundreds of billions.
Anthropic CEO says it's time to 'slow the pace' of AI development, with Elon Musk and Sam Altman agreeing
Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei has posted a new in-depth 'We Must Pace the Frontier' article that argues that AI companies need to slow the pace of AI model development to address the increasingly serious risks posed by current advances. At a high level, the main risks are losing control of AI systems, misusing AI for cyberattacks and terrorism, and AI's potential to cause "serious economic disruption."
With the accelerated pace of AI, which Dario calls a "race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives," the call to action is less about pumping the brakes on AI model capabilities and more about using that time wisely to mitigate the risks. The article makes it clear he's not calling for a halt to model training or optimization, but for building AI at a "balanced rate that aims to ensure its safety while still achieving its benefits and grappling with important geopolitical dilemmas."
Since posting the article, both Elon Musk (xAI) and Sam Altman (OpenAI) have come out in support of the plan. Over on X, Elon Musk simply wrote "Dario is right," with Sam Altman expanding on his agreement by adding, "This has been a primary topic of discussions we've had at OpenAI in recent weeks." As for the three-step plan he lays out, Dario calls it a useful framework for achieving what "needs to be accomplished."
ASRock PSU meant to prevent melting 16-pin connectors still melted one on a $16,000 NVIDIA RTX Blackwell GPU
Another high-end GPU has fallen victim to the 16-pin connector problem, this time involving a $16,000 workstation card and a power supply designed specifically to prevent this from happening.
Reddit user u/ScientiEtRatio91 reported that the 12V-2x6 cable on their ASRock Taichi TC-1650T power supply melted into the PSU's modular socket while powering an NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell workstation GPU. The RTX PRO 6000 is NVIDIA's flagship professional Blackwell card, rated for up to 600W of total board power through a single PCIe CEM5 16-pin connector, putting it in the same power draw territory as the GeForce RTX 5090. The good news, if there is any here, is that the GPU itself survived.
The ASRock Taichi TC-1650T is an ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1-compliant 1650W power supply that ships with dual native 12V-2x6 cables equipped with ASRock's TempGuard feature. It uses a built-in NTC temperature sensor to monitor heat and trigger a system shutdown before the connector reaches dangerous temperatures. Both ends of the cable were fully seated, yet the protection still did not activate in time.
Linus Tech Tips leaks Steam Frame first impressions, and Valve may be working on native Half-Life: Alyx support
ShortCircuit, the unboxing channel run by Linus Media Group, accidentally published its Steam Frame first impressions video ahead of Valve's embargo yesterday. The 17-minute video, titled "Our First 30 Mins With The Steam Frame," was live long enough for copies to be saved and shared across Reddit and social media before being taken down.
The Steam Frame's price and release date are still unconfirmed, but the leak revealed several details Valve hasn't made public. The most concrete new information is the price of the Ergonomics Accessories Kit, which will be sold separately for $60. That bundle includes an extra headset head strap and Knuckles-style controller straps.
The controllers themselves use replaceable AA batteries rather than the built-in rechargeable cells that shipped with the Valve Index, with Valve claiming around 40 hours of operation per set. The box contains two controllers, a wireless adapter, a glasses adapter, a USB-C cable, and an information booklet.
God of War creator David Jaffe says PlayStation's Hermen Hulst 'doesn't eat and breathe' games and should be replaced
David Jaffe, creator of the original God of War and Twisted Metal, has publicly called for PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst to be fired, arguing that a string of poor decisions under his leadership has left PlayStation's first-party output in a worse state than it should be at this point in the generation.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffe used the ongoing situation with Horizon Hunters Gathering as his central example. Guerrilla Games has reportedly spent years and significant resources developing the multiplayer spin-off before its direction was questioned and it was sent back for a complete overhaul. Jaffe argues this should never have happened.
Scalpers are already listing Nintendo's upcoming $519 Zelda Switch 2 for nearly $1,000
If anybody out there is thinking about deploying a "scalping police" department, now would be the best time. Just days after Nintendo opened preorders for the limited-edition The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 console, scalpers are already listing it for nearly double the retail price.
Nintendo revealed the special-edition Switch 2 during its 40th Anniversary Zelda Direct, alongside the Ocarina of Time remake, a full redo of the N64 classic. Nintendo opened preorders at $519, and with every fan wanting this collector's item on their shelf, that was enough of a signal for scalpers to move in immediately.
Listings on eBay are currently asking anywhere from $700 to nearly $1000 for the console. Some of these listings are bundling the console with the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake, despite Nintendo offering no such bundle, purely to pad the price further.
Microsoft confirms Windows 11 September update kills audio output on some PCs
Microsoft has confirmed another bug tied to its September Patch Tuesday update, and this time it's audio that's taking the hit. According to an updated Windows release health document, KB5124008, released on September 8, can cause USB Audio Class 1.0 devices to stop working entirely after installing the update.
Affected users may see a "This device cannot start (Code 10)" error in Device Manager, along with unresponsive volume controls, no sound output, or an unresponsive Sound settings page. Some devices reportedly still work fine in standard stereo mode but fail once multichannel features like 8-channel or 3D audio are switched on. A handful of users say dropping back to 2-channel mode restores audio, though that's more of a workaround than an actual fix, and it won't apply to every setup.
Microsoft hasn't shipped a resolution yet and says it's still investigating the root cause. The bug affects Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1, while Windows Server installs are apparently unaffected. It's unclear exactly how many devices this affects, though Microsoft limits the impact to USB Audio Class 1.0 hardware specifically, so older or generic USB DACs and headsets look like the most likely candidates.
Lenovo's first Googlebook leaks with Panther Lake CPU, 120Hz OLED display and 1.29 kg design
New details about Lenovo's Googlebook 15 have surfaced, courtesy of a leak from MacObserver. The laptop reportedly features an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 "Panther Lake" processor, up to 32GB of LPDDR5x memory, and a 2.8K OLED display, all running on Google's new Googlebook OS, which combines elements of Android and ChromeOS.
Intel recently confirmed its collaboration on Googlebook laptops, as previously covered. The leak reveals more about the specs and design of Google's more premium take on the traditional Chromebook. The new Googlebook platform will bring Gemini and deeper Android integration. Google has previously confirmed that it will provide the software foundation for the platform, with OEMs including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo handling the hardware side.
The leaked machine combines a large OLED display and Intel's latest Panther Lake silicon with several features designed specifically around Google's software, including a dedicated Google key and a new "Glowbar" on the lid.
Major games titan Saber says it has 'no real development in North America any more'
Saber Interactive, one of the biggest video game companies, says that it is now making games in other countries outside of North America.
Saber Interactive's Tim Willits recently shared a few words that reflect the sobering state of the games industry for interactive entertainment's biggest-spending region, which is that companies are simply moving the bulk of their games development operations out of North America, likely due to unpredictable economics like higher costs of living.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Willits says that Saber Interactive currently has "no real development in North America any more." Saber's HQ is still there, GI.biz reports, but the group is mostly handling development across other regions like Serbia, Armenia, Spain, Sweden, and even Australia.
Diablo V to have Diablo II runes & runewords, new Plague Knight revealed, early inventory shown
Diablo V's playable classes include the Monk and Demon Hunter, as well as a brand new game-specific class, the Plague Knight. Blizzard also shares a closer look at what the inventory could look like and confirms that the game will have Diablo II-style runes and runewords.
Blizzard today announced Diablo V will release sometime in Spring 2029. Blizzard has shown off a first look at some of the classes that Diablo V will have, including the Plague Knight, a class that can poison and consume their enemies. One of the most noteworthy confirmations was that Diablo II's runes and itemization are returning, which could get the attention of D2R users.
"We're also going to be bringing new classes to the game. The Plague Knight is the first new class that will be joining Diablo V. This is a heavily armored class, walking death. You're going to be roaming the battlefields spreading disease and then consuming it for power," Diablo V senior game director Joe Shely said during the stream.
Over 40 percent of Game Pass and PS Plus cancellations now come down to price
Video game subscription services once sold themselves as the smarter way to play. Spend less than the price of a single $70 game and get access to hundreds of titles. That pitch is getting harder to make.
New survey data shows that when people cancel services like Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, and Nintendo Switch Online, price is increasingly the reason, even when they otherwise like what they're paying for.
The data comes from Circana's Future of Insights for Video Games Consumer Survey, shared by the firm's senior director and video game analyst Mat Piscatella. "Cost is becoming a stronger driver of US cancellations to Xbox Game Pass Essential, PS Plus Essential and Nintendo Switch Online," Piscatella wrote on Bluesky. "Over 40% of those cancelling in the US cite cost as a primary driver, higher than seen in Q1."
Google's mapped fruit fly brain has played Doom more than 6,000 times and still hasn't beaten it
Google's fully mapped fruit fly brain is barely a week old, and it's already been put to work doing what any sufficiently advanced piece of neuroscience apparently must: playing Doom.
Last week, Google Research, working alongside HHMI Janelia Research Campus and the wider scientific community, announced it had fully mapped the complete brain and central nervous system of an adult male fruit fly for the first time. The team used AI to stitch together millions of 2D images into a 3D model, reconstructing more than 166,000 neurons in what Google called "a major milestone in neuroscience." The resulting connectome (a detailed map of the brain's neural connections), MaleCNS v1.0, was released publicly for download.
It took only a few days for engineers to start putting it through its paces. Coinbase engineer Alex Wormuth was among the first, announcing that he was training the fly brain to play the original Doom. "Each Doom frame stimulates sensory neurons," Wormuth explained. "Neural activity is mapped to game controls. Damage triggers a stimulus to two PPL101 dopamine cells as reinforcement." Wormuth also published a live feed of the fly's progress, showing both its in-game point of view and a third-person render of its little digital body wandering through Doom's corridors. As of the latest count, the fly was on its 6,385th attempt and still wasn't doing particularly well.
AMD sets $189 price for Ryzen 5 7500 and $99 for Ryzen 5 5500F
AMD has confirmed pricing for two new Ryzen 5 desktop processors, giving budget PC builders more options across its AM4 and AM5 platforms, according to WCCFTech. The Ryzen 5 7500 will carry a suggested price of $189, while the older-generation Ryzen 5 5500F will be available for just $99.
The two chips target different upgrade paths, with the Ryzen 5 5500F extending the life of the long-running AM4 platform while the Ryzen 5 7500 offers a lower-cost entry into AM5.
Both processors feature 6 CPU cores and 12 threads, but they are based on different architectures. The Ryzen 5 5500F uses AMD's Zen 3 architecture and Vermeer silicon, while the Ryzen 5 7500 is built on Zen 4 and uses Raphael silicon. Both carry a 65W default TDP.
Continue reading: AMD sets $189 price for Ryzen 5 7500 and $99 for Ryzen 5 5500F (full post)
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spends hours personally responding to support tickets
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spends a few hours each month solving player support tickets to get direct feedback and guidance from dedicated users.
The Wall Street Journal recently profiled Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, revealing how the executive runs the business. While described as "intense," Sharma has met players with a higher level of transparency and brought home realities like dwindling profit margins and rising costs. Her pragmatic approach has been swift, leading to lots of bad news like mass layoffs--drastic moves that set the stage for future growth.
In the profile, WSJ notes that Sharma spends hours every month responding to and answering/solving player support tickets. Sharma looks through the real problems that players are facing across Xbox, whether it be ecosystem-level or a specific game, or a friction point with hardware.
PS5 Emulation shows massive potential as Demon's Souls gets a huge performance boost
PS5 emulation just took one of its biggest leaps yet, with the KyTyPS5 emulator now running the Demon's Souls remake at 10 to 18 FPS. That is roughly a tenfold jump from where it stood only a day earlier, when the game was barely limping along at 1 to 2 FPS on high-end hardware like a Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with an RTX 4080.
The update comes from DSOGaming, which has been tracking KyTyPS5's progress closely. The site puts the improvement at around 800 percent in a single release. That sounds like a stretch until you remember the emulator only recently managed to get past the character creation screen without crashing.
Demon's Souls is not the only title showing gains. Astro Bot is apparently running at around 11 FPS too, and this is reportedly the first time footage of it in motion has surfaced. GTA 5 remains playable to varying degrees as well, so three major PS5 games now technically run on PC, even if none of them are close to a smooth experience.
Diablo V coming Spring 2029, set in ruined world where Diablo wins
Diablo V is releasing Spring 2029, Blizzard announced, setting the tone for the darkest ARPG yet.
Blizzard today officially announced Diablo V with a quick cinematic teaser trailer, showing what happens when the demons win The Great War and overtake Sanctuary. The footage highlights the grisly fate of an archangel and shows hopeless humans led by demons.
Developers Joe Shely and Tiffany Wat touched upon the core themes of Diablo V, which seem to be grisly transformation, survival, and eventual triumph through sacrifice. Based on what is said, players may have to give up their humanity, either figuratively or literally, while playing Diablo V, possibly indicating some sort of demon transformation.
Continue reading: Diablo V coming Spring 2029, set in ruined world where Diablo wins (full post)
























