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AMD's new Zen 4-based Ryzen CPUs will have integrated GPUs
AMD is still cooking up its next-gen Zen 4 architecture, with new rumors teasing that new Ryzen CPUs of the future powered by the Zen 4 CPU architecture will all have integrated GPUs.
The new Zen 4-based Ryzen CPU series should arrive as the Ryzen 7000 series family of processors from AMD and will arrive on the new AM5 socket that we've been hearing much more about lately. The new rumor is coming from Chips and Cheese, which reports three types of AM5 processors that all have integrated GPUs included.
This is a big departure from AMD having integrated graphics on its Ryzen G-series processors, with all of the new Zen 4-powered CPUs having an integrated GPU. The site notes that the document above says "Some OPNs... may not support GFX" which would mean AMD would gimp or disable the integrated GPU, but the chip itself would ship with an integrated GPU.
Continue reading: AMD's new Zen 4-based Ryzen CPUs will have integrated GPUs (full post)
Intel Core i9-12900K + ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E spotted in the wild
Intel's new flagship Alder Lake CPU has been spotted inside of a new unreleased, unannounced ASUS ROG Strix Z690 motherboard.
The new Intel Core i9-12900K processor was spotted on the PugetBenchmark website, with the Alder Lake-S flagship chip inside of a next-gen Z690 motherboard made by ASUS. The mobo in question is the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming Wi-Fi motherboard, which packed a huge 64GB of DDR5-4800 RAM.
PugetBenchmark's own website has in-house reviews of the latest gear on the market, with the Core i9-11900K processor tested when it was released earlier this year in March 2021. The new Core i9-12900K in these very early tests, in early form, is keeping up with the Core i9-11900K processor.
Continue reading: Intel Core i9-12900K + ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E spotted in the wild (full post)
Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer drops, Spider-Man in the Multi-Verse
The first official teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally here, which you can check out below:
In the third outing of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man franchise, Spider-Man: No Way Home sees the titular character asking Dr. Strange for help. If you remember in the previous Spider-Man: Far From Home, Mysterio and Spider-Man battle, and in the end Mysterio exposes Spider-Man as Peter Parker in the real-world.
Peter asks Dr. Strange to put a spell on the planet to make everyone forget that he was Spider-Man, and in typical Peter/Spider-Man fashion, he talks too much and then something goes wrong with Dr. Strange's spell. The world changes, and out pops a familiar and iconic nemesis of Spider-Man from the Tobey MacGuire-led original Spider-Man trilogy: Doc Oc.
Continue reading: Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer drops, Spider-Man in the Multi-Verse (full post)
AMD details its next-gen 3D V-Cache stacking technology
AMD has better detailed its next-gen 3D V-Cache stacking technology, where at the exciting but all-digital Hot Chips 33 symposium the company teased its current, and even future 3D stacking technologies.
As the TSV (Through Silicon Via) which is a vertical inter-wafter or inter-die connection -- has the amount of bonds increased, the 3D V-Cache technology will be pushed into more complex 3D stacking designs. Over the years we'll see 3D stacking of full die-to-die stacking, which will usher in a new world of more DRAM on CPUs, or even more CPUs on CPUs -- yeah.
AMD showed that the future of 3D stacking will allow for more DRAM on CPUs, more CPUs on CPUs, IP on IP, and so much more. AMD explains that "advanced packaging can enable integration schemes not possible with monolithic designs" and this is the biggest point here -- MCM and MCD designs >>> monolithic designs.
Continue reading: AMD details its next-gen 3D V-Cache stacking technology (full post)
Samsung 8-stacked TSV DDR5 modules teased, 512GB capacity
Samsung has unveiled something rather hot during the annual HotChips 33 event, its new 8-stacks TSV modules that usher in up to 512GB DDR5 modules for the future.
The company will be using 8-stack packages with lower heights than 4-stack DDR4 packages, with the reduction in height made possibly through smaller gaps between the dies -- a 40% reduction, which is a big deal -- and using thin wafer handling techniques. We will also see 8-stack TSV modules with better cooling, too.
512GB of DDR5 memory per module is going to be a huge upgrade for HEDT users and servers, where DDR4 memory had limits of just 32GB and up to 64GB capacity per DIMM. There were very limited runs of 128GB and 256GB modules for the server market, but DDR5 is really going to deliver with 512GB DDR5 modules in the future.
Continue reading: Samsung 8-stacked TSV DDR5 modules teased, 512GB capacity (full post)
Intel's next-gen HEDT chipset: X699 teased with DDR5 + PCIe 5.0 tech
We haven't been hearing much about Intel's next-gen HEDT platform for Alder Lake so far, but now we're hearing whispers of the X699 chipset for new HEDT processors based on the Alder Lake CPU architecture.
Inside of the new Intel Chipset driver "10.1.18836.8283" you'll find a list of Intel's upcoming 600-series motherboards, which includes the X699 chipset for HEDT -- and the Z690 chipset for the mainstream flagship CPU that should be the Intel Core i9-12900K and below.
Intel's new Alder Lake CPUs should come with more cores and threads for the HEDT platform, as well as more PCIe lanes, slots, overclocking, and more. Z690 will still be a beefy chipset, but Intel will hopefully be able to better compete against AMD's kick-ass Ryzen Threadripper and Ryzen Threadripper PRO series CPUs with X699 + Alder Lake.
Continue reading: Intel's next-gen HEDT chipset: X699 teased with DDR5 + PCIe 5.0 tech (full post)
AMD RDNA 4 architecture rumor: 3nm and 5nm nodes for next-gen GPUs
AMD might have its next-gen RDNA 3 graphics architecture in the oven right now and preparing to offer up some delicious new graphics cards in 2022 -- but the RDNA 4 architecture is right behind it, with some juicy new rumors today.
According to leaker Greymon55 on Twitter, the next-gen RDNA 4 architecture -- which should arrive in the form of AMD's new Radeon RX 8000 series graphics cards -- will be made on 3nm and 5nm nodes. The new Navi 4X MCM chips will be made on 3nm graphics tiles and 5nm I/O tiles, meanwhile the RDNA 3 MCM GPUs will use both the 5nm and 6nm nodes.
The new MCM design -- or multi-chip module -- will be a very large part of GPUs moving forward. AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA will use the MCM or MCD (multi-chip module or multi-chip die) on their next-generation GPU architectures in 2022 and beyond.
Continue reading: AMD RDNA 4 architecture rumor: 3nm and 5nm nodes for next-gen GPUs (full post)
Elon Musk announces SpaceX has shipped 100,000 Starlink terminals
SpaceX has now shipped over 100,000 of its Starlink terminals, giving people across the planet satellite broadband access with some users reporting in with impressive speeds.
The news broke from SpaceX founder himself Elon Musk, where he hip-fired a simple tweet that reads: "100k terminals shipped!" and that's it. SpaceX has officially shipped 100,000 of its Starlink terminals, offering 50-150Mbps of internet with latencies between 20-40ms across the planet.
SpaceX has been pushing to offer half the population of the planet with its Starlink internet service, but with huge demand for Starlink the availability of the internet service has been pushed back into 2023. We might be a few years out before Starlink can fulfill its own promises, for the end of 2021... a couple of years from now.
Continue reading: Elon Musk announces SpaceX has shipped 100,000 Starlink terminals (full post)
Intel will build next-gen chips for the US Department of Defense (DoD)
Intel has been awarded a $100 million contract to see a boost in bleeding-edge semiconductor manufacturing happening on US soil.
The Intel Foundry Services division will enjoy the $100 million injection of funding from the Department of Defense and its new Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes - Commercial (RAMP-C) program to push semiconductor manufacturing in the US.
I think it's obvious what we're seeing unfold in front of our eyes: President Trump was the one pushing for US-based chip manufacturing (and bringing in as much business that was off-shored during previous administrations, and back into the USA). Once Biden was in office, some of those deals would continue like what we're seeing here -- a push for semiconductor manufacturing on US soil.
Continue reading: Intel will build next-gen chips for the US Department of Defense (DoD) (full post)
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut review bombed over $70 controversy
PlayStation gamers are once again pushing back against the new $70 Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut re-release by review bombing the game on Metacritic.
Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most universally lauded PlayStation exclusives of our time. It's received a handful of perfect scores, and gamers give near-unanimous praise of the colorful and mystical samurai slasher. But gamers were upset when Sony announced Ghost of Tsushima's PS5 upgrade would be locked behind a $70 paywall--unlike most games that offered free next-gen upgrades, including Hellblade which now has raytracing on Series X.
It turns out that Ghost of Tsushima's Director's Cut doesn't offer many performance benefits outside a boost in fidelity resolution. There's other features like a lock-on system and DualSense haptic feedback. Now gamers are review bombing the Director's Cut on Metacritic to send a message to Sony and developer Sucker Punch. At the time of writing there is 191 negative review scores--mostly 0's--and 341 positives to help offset the bad reviews.
Continue reading: Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut review bombed over $70 controversy (full post)
Epic Games Store only made $232 million in revenues in 2019
Epic's digital games store isn't profitable--and hasn't been profitable since it launched in 2018--but new court documents show how much the online marketplace is making.
We've already gleaned a fair amount from the Epic vs Apple trial documents. The case has revealed how much Fortnite has made, and how the storefront isn't profitable because of the myriad of promotions, sales, coupons, freebies and exclusivity deals that Epic pays millions for. Case in point: The Epic Games Store made just $232 million in 2019, which isn't that much for an entire online distribution storefront for an entire year of sales.
Taking a closer look at Epic's 2019 year gives critical perspective on the numbers. The company made $232 million throughout the year, driven by strategic releases and sales. Borderlands 3, which was EGS exclusive for 6 months, was the single biggest contributor for 2019's revenues, making up 38.6% of total earnings and driving Q3's sizable $90 million revenues. The holiday sale and Red Dead Redemption 2's timed exclusivity on the Epic Store
Continue reading: Epic Games Store only made $232 million in revenues in 2019 (full post)
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sues NASA, suspending SpaceX's $2.9b contract
Blue Origin has been fighting tooth and nail since NASA decided it was going to award SpaceX with a $2.9 billion dollar contract for the construction of a new lunar lander.
Originally, NASA was planning on awarding two separate contracts, but according to the space agency, it only received a fraction of the budget it requested for the Artemis lunar landings, which resulted in only one contract being available. Blue Origin formally protested the decision, and the contract was paused for 95 days while the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed NASA's decision, eventually resulting in the GAO dismissing it.
After having its protest dismissed, Blue Origin has now filed a complaint against NASA with the US Court of Federal Claims, saying the lawsuit was "an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA's Human Landing System." Now, NASA has agreed to halt all construction to do with the contract with SpaceX, according to Reuters.
Continue reading: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sues NASA, suspending SpaceX's $2.9b contract (full post)
A Star Trek impulse engine is being built for interstellar travel
Two doctors are setting out to create one real-life "impulse engine," which appears in the legendary sci-fi TV show Star Trek.
Star Trek is no stranger to inspiring individuals to push the realm of real-world technological possibilities, and now two scientists are settings out to create a piece of technology that was used to break out of the orbit of a planet quickly called an "impulse engine". According to a Nerdist article, Dr. Hal Fearn and Dr. Jim Woodward have teamed up to create the "impulse engine" using some controversial physics that are explained quite clearly in the above video.
Woodward has been working on this question of using the universe's gravitation field as a means of movement for more than thirty years, and now NASA has officially funded a study for the experiment to be replicated by the US Naval Research Laboratory. As outlined in the video, Fearn, Woodward, and a representative for the Naval Research Laboratory have said that the idea is very fringe and has yet to be proven. The main issue is that it's challenging for everyone involved to prove, which is a problem for all new ideas in science.
Continue reading: A Star Trek impulse engine is being built for interstellar travel (full post)
NASA updates world on odds of devastating asteroid impacting Earth
A relatively new study has been able to predict the exact date for asteroid Bennu's highest chance of impacting Earth.
NASA created the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) back in 2016 with the goal of having a team of individuals monitoring any asteroids that may be potentially dangerous to Earth. Additionally, the team is also tasked with finding prevention methods if an asteroid is found to be dangerous. Asteroid Bennu is categorized as potentially dangerous as its orbits will come within 125,000 miles.
At the moment, Bennu is located about 200 million miles away, but according to Freethink.com, it was discovered that in the year 2135 the asteroid that's anywhere between 0.31 miles and 6.2 miles in diameter, will pass within 125,000 miles of Earth, or about half the distance between Earth and the moon. PDCO Director Lindley Johnson spoke to the New York Times and said, "[A] half-kilometer-sized object is going to create a crater that's at least five kilometers in diameter, and it can be as much as 10 kilometers in diameter."
Continue reading: NASA updates world on odds of devastating asteroid impacting Earth (full post)
A self-healing 'blob' from space will soon be arriving on Earth
A self-healing "blob" that is extremely bizarre will soon be making its way to Earth after spending some time aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The International Space Station (ISS) is home to many strange and exotic experiments as the researchers aboard the floating laboratory test the impact of microgravity. NASA launched the strange blob on the Cygnus cargo trip to the ISS last month, and the blob is actually formally named "Physarum polycephalum" - a single cell slime mold. So, why is NASA sending slime mold to the ISS?
The strange yellow mold is headed back down to Earth so science students aged between 8 and 17 can perform experiments on it. The mold is capable of self-healing and can survive dormancy through dehydration. The idea behind the tests will be to compare mold that has been experimented on in space for about a week to the mold back on Earth. Students and teachers will be looking for behavioral changes in the mold.
Continue reading: A self-healing 'blob' from space will soon be arriving on Earth (full post)
17 high-level staff have left Blue Origin after a $2.9 billion fallout
A new report has revealed that Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has lost at least 17 top staffers after NASA awarded SpaceX with the lunar lander contract.
Following up on the report of a top engineer from Blue Origin switching jerseys over to SpaceX, CNBC has reported that at least 17 top staffers that were working on Blue Origin's lunar lander project have left the company. The reported departure of the staffers has come after NASA awarded SpaceX with the $2.9 billion lunar lander contract that is for getting humans back on the moon by 2024.
CNBC also reports that among the staffers that left were key leaders and top engineers and that they left in the weeks after Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos took his spaceflight. Nitin Arora and Lauren Lyons, who were previously engineers at Blue Origin, have now announced work at Elon Musk's SpaceX and Firefly Aerospace. If you are interested in reading who departed the company, check out the list below.
Continue reading: 17 high-level staff have left Blue Origin after a $2.9 billion fallout (full post)
Hubble sees 'quintuple', snaps mesmerizing image of space phenomenon
The Hubble Space Telescope is no stranger to capturing incredible images of the cosmos and all of the stranger phenomena that lie within it.
So, what has Hubble captured this time? A phenomenon that is dubbed gravitational lensing, which was actually previously predicted by Albert Einstein. Gravitational lensing occurs when a large amount of matter is present, creating a gravitational field that then magnifies and distorts light that is coming from behind it. Essentially, the phenomenon is much like looking through a cosmic magnifying glass.
Hubble has captured an image of gravitational lensing in action with the above image showcasing the distorted light rays caused by two galaxies. The European Space Agency said, "Hubble data also indicates that there is a seventh spot of light in the very center, which is a rare fifth image of the distant quasar. This rare phenomenon is caused by the presence of two galaxies in the foreground that act as a lens." If you are interested in reading more about this story, check out this link here.
Continue reading: Hubble sees 'quintuple', snaps mesmerizing image of space phenomenon (full post)
Saturn's rings are jiggling, but scientists think they know why
Astronomers are constantly learning new and wonderful things about the planets in our solar system, and Saturn is in today's spotlight.
Researchers used data acquired by NASA and the ESA's Cassini mission that orbited Saturn between 2004 and 2017. With the data, researchers set out to study the core of the planet and found that it may not have been as solid as astronomers previously estimated. The team of astronomers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) found that the core is better described as a "diffuse soup of ice, rock, and metallic fluids".
Jim Fuller, assistant professor of theoretical astrophysics at Caltech and co-author on the study, said, "We used Saturn's rings like a giant seismograph to measure oscillations inside the planet. This is the first time we've been able to seismically probe the structure of a gas giant planet, and the results were pretty surprising."
Continue reading: Saturn's rings are jiggling, but scientists think they know why (full post)
'Ghost forests' spotted from space, are appearing along Atlantic coast
In an article published in The Conversation by Emily Ury, a Ph.D. candidate at Duke University, it's outlined that "ghost forests" are appearing along the Atlantic coast.
Ury is an ecologist that is studying the response of sea levels rising and the impact it has on the wetlands. An example of this would be climate change impacting the occurrence of floods and landscapes along coasts, which as a result then impacts environmental changes for wildlife, ecosystems, and businesses. Ury worked on a study in North Carolina that aimed at inspecting the effect salt levels have on plants and soil in wetlands.
Ury found after analyzing the salt levels in the soil for two years with her research team that rising sea levels are causing salt water to slowly seep into the coastal wetlands, which are causing trees that aren't tolerant to salt to die. The team of researchers also used NASA's Earth Observing System to get a birds-eye view of forest conditions and found, "We found that more than 10% of forested wetland within the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge was lost over the past 35 years. This is federally protected land, with no other human activity that could be killing off the forest", wrote Ury.
Continue reading: 'Ghost forests' spotted from space, are appearing along Atlantic coast (full post)
Epic Games Store made $14 million in one day from Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3's successful launch on PC helped the Epic Games Store earn $14 million on one day.
New court documents from the Epic vs Apple trial reveal all sorts of new tidbits about the Fortnite owner's business. We've known for a while that the Epic Games Store isn't profitable, and that Epic has been taking yearly losses on the marketplace as it trades money for a larger userbase.
There are breakout successes though. Epic's timed exclusivity buyouts have worked quite well and some, like Borderlands 3, have led to skyrocketing sales revenue. The court documents confirm that Borderlands 3 made a whopping $14 million on the Epic Games Store in one day, and ultimately helped spike September's revenues to a substantial $72.6 million. This was undoubtedly driven by Borderlands 3, which released on EGS in September. In fact, Borderlands 3 made up 38.6% of all Q3'19 revenues, or about $34.7 million.
Continue reading: Epic Games Store made $14 million in one day from Borderlands 3 (full post)






















