Latest News - Page 140

NVIDIA's new RTX 6000D is tweaked workstation GPU for China, with a cut-down 84GB of GDDR7 memory, recently receiving the teardown experience in China. Check it out:

A company called "GINNSOD" has done the teardown video, a server-focused model of the passive thermal solution -- the RTX 6000D -- for the Chinese market. This model ships without any fans, fully relying on the airflow in the chassis for its cooling. NVIDIA says that the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition thermal solution is "passive" but has air and liquid cooling options.

NVIDIA's new RTX 6000D features 84GB of GDDR7 -- down from the full 96GB on the RTX PRO 6000 -- with 28 VRAM memory packages onboard: each 3GB, for a total of 84GB. It sits on a 448-bit memory bus using a clamshell layout, down from the 96GB on a 512-bit bus on the full-fat RTX PRO 6000.

HP has just stepped into a new adventure with its new OMEN gaming laptop subscription, a new laptop rental program that offers gaming laptops for as low as $50 per month.

In a recent video from LinusTechTips, HP has launched its new "OMEN Gaming Subscription" business: a new monthly plan that lets you scoop up a gaming laptop (and any required accessories like a mouse, keyboard, headset, display, and more) for a monthly cost. It starts off at $50 per month for an HP Victus 15 gaming laptop that's powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU, RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, 16GB RAM, and 1TB SSD.

HP will auto-renew the subscription each month unless the user cancels it, with the company stating that you can cancel your subscription within the first 30 days and get a full refund if you return the products within 10 days of receiving the prepaid return label.

The industry believes that Microsoft could launch its new next-gen Xbox PC sometime next year, but new reports say that nothing has been locked into place just yet.

AMD CEO Lisa Su recently confirmed the new SoC design for the next-gen Xbox PC is "progressing well," and based on the current pace of development, the new Xbox chip could be readily available in time for mass production to allow for a console release in 2027. This led to speculation that the new system, which is expected to be a Windows 11 PC that masquerades as a console, could indeed launch next year.

Nothing has been confirmed or announced by Microsoft, and while Microsoft has been co-engineering the new AI-enabled Xbox chip closely with AMD with advanced new features (technical details here), info about launches are handled by marketing and not another company's CEO. In any case, new reports from Windows Central suggest that Microsoft isn't yet ready to lock in a 2027 launch for the new Xbox PC.

Diablo 2 fans, rejoice! Blizzard hasn't forgotten about the game--they were just waiting for the big 30-year franchise anniversary to give players what they want.

Diablo 2 is a game about managing restrictions, and some of these will test the patience of newer gamers. When Diablo 2 Resurrected released in 2021, fans started asking for very specific quality-of-life improvements: Stash tabs so users could store up more items, loot filters to break up the monotony of finding useless gear, and even the ability to stack materials.

Blizzard is now introducing these major changes in a new paid update for Diablo 2 Resurrected. Announced in the big 30th anniversary Diablo stream, the new D2 expansion is called Reign of the Warlock, and for $25 it brings a new playable class and some of the most beneficial, player-positive changes to the game--things that Diablo 2 players have been wanting for decades.

Diablo 2 now has a new class for the first time in 25 years: The Warlock.

The Warlock class is coming to Diablo 2 Resurrected as part of the new Reign of the Warlock update, a major content drop that will expand the game with new skills and abilities. The expansion is out now, and it costs $25.

"Diablo 2 has an incredible legacy, and with Reign of the Warlock, Resurrected is stepping into its next era," said game director Brent Gibson.

Windows 11's Notepad app is slowly becoming WordPad, after Microsoft ditched the latter, and made up for that (in a fashion) by adding quite a few extra features to the former - but one introduction has ushered in a security vulnerability.

This highlights that concerns here are not just about Notepad becoming 'Bloatpad', but also that these new features may not just bog down the app - making it less responsive over time with the incremental weight of said additions - they can also put the user at risk.

PC Gamer reports that the new tables feature brought in for Notepad recently - allowing for formatting basic tables in your text docs - has a remote code execution flaw.

Introduced in 2011, Secure Boot is a Windows-based security feature that runs during a system's initial boot, before the OS, to ensure that only digitally signed software can run. Secure Boot certificates are stored in the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware, preventing untrusted code and threats from executing.

The only problem is that Secure Boot certificates expire after 15 years, so the first Secure Boot certificates for Windows 10 and 11 systems are set to reach the end of their lifespan as of late June 2026. The good news is that Microsoft has begun issuing new certificates as part of Windows 10 and Windows 11 updates for personal users, businesses, and education. But it's a massive undertaking.

"Refreshing new certificates represents one of the largest coordinated security maintenance efforts across the Windows ecosystem, spanning Windows servicing, firmware updates, and millions of unique device configurations," Microsoft writes in its blog post announcing the rollout.

Sapphire has unveiled a new custom graphics card, the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 9070 XT NITRO+ Crimson Desert Edition, created in collaboration with AMD and Pearl Abyss. This custom version of RDNA 4's flagship features artwork from the highly anticipated Crimson Desert game on the magnetic backplate, with the rest of the design looking identical to the flagship NITRO+ model released last year.

As a premium RDNA 4 GPU, the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 9070 XT NITRO+ features a unique, stylish design with a hidden power cable design, and is one of the few Radeon RX 9000 Series cards to adopt the new 12V-2x6 power connector standard. We reviewed the original Radeon RX 9070 XT NITRO+ last year and were impressed with its physical design, thermal performance, and 4K gaming capabilities powered by AMD's new AI FSR upscaling.

Although looks are subjective when it comes to PC hardware, especially in the age of RGB lighting and cases with panoramic views, SAPPHIRE's NITRO+ design, which blends brushed metal with industrial venting and a subtle RGB lightbar, is among the most striking of all RDNA 4 cards.

Based on the impressive footage and depth shown in its recent gameplay deep dives, Pearl Abyss's Crimson Desert has quickly become one of 2026's most highly anticipated games for fans of single-player open-world adventure and RPG titles. With elements of Skyrim, The Witcher, The Legend of Zelda, and the studio's own Black Desert MMO, Crimson Desert is promising to deliver a sprawling and massive open-world game when it launches on March 20, 2026.

And with that, Crimson Desert is the latest game to join AMD's Game Bundle program for Ryzen and Radeon. From February 10 through April 25, 2026, if you purchase an eligible Ryzen 9000 Series GPU, Radeon RX 9000 Series GPU, or laptop with an eligible Ryzen processor, you get a free copy of the game.

That said, there are some limitations on the GPU front: Crimson Desert is limited to the Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT, so Radeon RX 9060 XT buyers are out of luck.

Out at the end of the month, Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem is arguably the first major AAA release of the year, and one of the biggest in a stacked year that also includes a little game called GTA 6. Releasing on PC and consoles, Resident Evil Requiem is described as the most immersive entry in the series to date, with players taking on the role of two characters, fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy and newcomer FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft.

The PC version is set to be the definitive one at launch, especially for those with a high-end GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics card. In addition to enhanced, higher-fidelity visuals, the PC version is launching with Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing modes. With ray-traced lighting, shadows, and other effects, there's also NVIDIA DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation support to boost performance, smoothness, and image fidelity.

And with that, NVIDIA has announced the new Resident Evil Requiem GeForce RTX 50 Series Bundle, giving away a free copy of Resident Evil Requiem Standard Edition on Steam with eligible purchases of GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics cards, desktop systems, and laptops.

Although the price of DDR5 memory has skyrocketed in recent months, with the supply situation likely to get worse before it improves, it's still good to see that some things remain the same. The annual G.SKILL OC World Cup 2026 overclocking competition for extreme DDR5 memory overclocking kicks off this week, with the Grand Final once again set to take place live on stage at Computex 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan.

The G.SKILL OC World Cup 2026 is the competition's tenth annual extreme overclocking event, with the Online Qualifier set to run from February 15, 2026, to March 23, 2026. Eligible competitors must pair G.SKILL DDR5 memory with an Intel Z790/Z890 motherboard and complete five demanding overclocking trials. The Top 9 will then move on to the Live Qualifiers stage at Computex 2026, which will culminate with the Grand Final on June 5, 2026.

With a $40,000 USD Total Prize Pool, the OC Champion and winner will walk away with $10,000 USD. Each of the Top 9 finalists participating in the Live Qualifier round at Computex 2026 will also receive a G.SKILL DDR5-8000 32GB (2x16GB) memory kit, which, in today's market, is worth a lot of money.

NVIDIA only just recently asked for 9Gbps HBM4 before pushing for 10-11Gbps, but now rumor has it that NVIDIA has quietly lowered the required HBM4 spec speeds for Rubin, because if they didn't, they probably wouldn't be able to enjoy the full volume needs.

In a new post on X from analyst @Jukan, who posted: "Anyway, just wait and see. There's a rumor going around that NVIDIA lowered the required speed specs for HBM4 because even with Samsung alone, they probably can't meet the full volume NVIDIA needs. Who knows? Maybe Micron could sneak in and supply some HBM4 through this gap. (But personally, I still think SK Hynix is the one who's gonna supply it lol)".

If the rumors are true, it would make sense as according to other recent reports, US-based Micron won't be providing any of its HBM4 to NVIDIA for Rubin, with SK hynix providing 70% of the company's HBM4 needs, and Samsung Electronics with the other 30% of HBM4 supply.

Intel and SoftBank announced their next-generation ZAM memory technology recently, but now the new ZAM memory prototype has been shown off at the recent Intel Connection Japan 2026 event.

The focus on ZAM memory discussion during the event was on how the new Z-angle architecture would help mitigate performance issues and improve thermals using existing cooling technology. Intel Fellow and CTO of Intel Government Technologies, Joshua Fryman, was there alongside Intel Japan CEO Makoto Ono.

ZAM has been limited to just research papers and press releases, but with the new Intel and SAImemory (SoftBank subsidiary) the team is now pushing ahead with ZAM and some prototypes. The biggest difference here compared to HBM and other memories is that ZAM integrates a massive amount of interconnect topology that is routed diagonally throughout the die stack, instead of drilling vertically down. Intel says that the biggest benefit with ZAM is its thermal capabilities.

AMD's next-gen Zen 6-based "Medusa Halo" APU will reportedly use LPDDR6 memory, confirming leaks from back in August 2025, arriving as new Ryzen AI Max SoCs in 2027.

In a new post on X, someone asked a leaker a question about the memory on Medusa Halo, to which he replied "LP6". However, leaker Moore's Law is Dead said last year that AMD would be either using LPDDR6 or LPDDR5X memory, on Medusa Halo, but now this leaker has added to the consensus that Medusa Halo indeed uses LPDDR6.

The August 2025 leaks from MLID on the memory controller for AMD's monster Medusa Halo APU were either a 384-bit LPDDR6, or 256-bit LPDDR5X. AMD's new Medusa Halo APU will truly be a monster, especially on a wider 384-bit bus and oh wow, if they had 48GB of LPDDR6 on the APU for the CPU and GPU, it would be a monster chip.

Samsung Display is reportedly increasing the investment on its A4 factory, gearing up to make even more foldable OLED panels for Apple's upcoming foldable iPhones.

In a new report from ETnews, the outlet says that Samsung Display is currently working on what it needs to do to increase its CapEx on foldable OLED equipment for its A4 factory located in Asan, South Chungcheong Province of its home country: South Korea.

Samsung's proposed investment expansion should start in Q2 2026, focusing on boosting the production capacity of flexible OLED panels by adding more backplane-related parts like thin film transistors (TFTs). This will allow Samsung to be better prepared for when Apple launches its new foldable iPhones and bigger shipments are required.

New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro mentions that new movies could premiere within Fortnite, adding a new layer of digital engagement to the interactive cultural blender.

If Disney's vision goes according to plan, it might help transform Fortnite into a movie theater. Reports from Puck News indicate that Disney's newly-appointed CEO could greenlight premiering new films within the Fortnite game itself. Epic did this first by showing Quentin Tarantino's new Kill Bill short, Yuki's Revenge, as part of its big Fortnite After Dark collaboration.

As per Puck News sources, D'Amaro reportedly said this about Fortnite: "That is gonna be another example where Disney will show up as one. It's not just gonna be one character. It could be a new film premiering there, it could be the place that you decide to book your next cruise vacation. You could participate in the Super Bowl in some way there."

Mewgenics, the latest game from Binding of Isaac dev Edmund McMillen is a hit upon launch, where it has become the #1 best-seller on Valve's PC gaming storefront.

On the heels of mega-successes like Vampire Survivors, Megabonk, and Silksong, the indie world has a new sensation: the supremely weird and unhinged turn-based RTS where you selectively breed cats to get new stats and fight in Final Fantasy Tactics-like combat.

It's called Mewgenics, and it's currently the top-selling game on Steam. Word-of-mouth is spreading fast, and talk of Mewgenics--as well as live streams, screenshots, and clips--are being shared everywhere that gamers gather. The game has done so well that Mewgenics co-developer Tyler Glaiel recently confirmed that he and McMillen recouped their dev budget in just a few hours after launch.

Control Resonant, Remedy's new Devil May Cry-like action game, wasn't made with generative AI tech.

With thousands upon thousands of developers being laid off as companies simultaneously grasp AI in a bid to save costs, artificial intelligence has become a hot-button topic in the games industry. That seems to go double for generative AI, which can be used to create interactive worlds without the need for a game developer--like Google's new Genie or Microsoft's MUSE.

Not everyone is using AI to make games, and that includes Remedy. In a recent call with investors, Remedy's interim CEO was asked about AI's disruptions in gaming, and whether or not the studio will use it while crafting new projects.

Mac owners have been suffering at the hands of a bug in Edge that Microsoft had flagged up by a tester, but didn't fix, and the glitch made it into the release version of the browser.

The good news is that it has now been fixed with the latest release of Edge, which is version 144.0.3719.115, as spotted by Neowin.

Microsoft notes on the changelog:

Remedy's live service shooter FBC Firebreak failed to gain traction, but that doesn't mean the devs are ready to pull the plug.

Good news for fans of Remedy's bizarre co-op shooter: FBC Firebreak could be kept online indefinitely. In a recent Q&A with investors, Remedy interim CEO Markus Maki said that the group might just keep Firebreak's servers up and running--even if the game slips into maintenance mode while Remedy focuses on other games.

More importantly than wants, though, is the reality of cost and Maki says that it would actually be pretty cheap to keep FBC Firebreak online.