Latest News - Page 579

Lenovo has just launched their latest Legion desktop gaming PCs with new Mobile on Desktop (MoDT) designs that offer up to an Intel Core i9-14900HX processor.

Lenovo is the largest PC maker in China, with MoDT platforms used by Chinese companies for years now, Lenovo is the latest one with its new Legion 7000K desktop PC series. Lenovo's new Legion 7000K systems feature Intel's current-gen 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" CPUs.

The company is using two of these CPUs: the Core i9-14900HX (24 cores, 32 threads) at up to 5.8GHz and a 190W TDP (!!!) and the Core i7-14650HX (16 cores, 24 threads) at up to 5.2GHz with a 160W TDP. Lenovo uses a custom desktop motherboard with the CPU pre-installed, which means it's not upgradeable at all. There's no IHS (integrated heat spreader) on the CPU, which Lenovo says is an advantage, as some enthusiasts will delid (remove the IHS) off their processor.

GIGABYTE will unveil an entire fleet of next-gen Z890 motherboards at Computex 2024, with the flagship Z890 AORUS EXTREME AI TOP motherboard officially teased.

We knew about 8 of the new Z890 motherboards from recent leaks, but now the official AORUS account on Instagram is teasing their Computex 2024 motherboards. In the post on Instagram, GIGABYTE goes through many years of its different motherboards, asking people what their favorite motherboards were in general, and their favorite motherboards shown off on the Instagram post.

Google's custom Tensor processor was developed in collaboration with Samsung's silicon division, but now we're hearing Google has teamed with TSMC for its next-gen Tensor G5 processor for the next-generation Pixel 10 smartphones.

In a new report from Android Authority, the site says that Google will have TSMC manufacture its next-gen Tensor G5, which would be the first time Google has moved away from Samsung Foundry for one of its custom processors. Android Authority has some new information regarding the Tensor G5, which you can see in the photo above.

A shipping manifest has listed the Tensor G5 sample chip, something that can be found in publicly available databases. Android Authority breaks this all down, explaining: "First of all, how do we even know this is the chip we think it is? It's simple: "LGA" is the abbreviated codename of the Tensor G5, "Laguna Beach," which has been known for a while now. Similarly, Google used to abbreviate "Whitechapel" (first-generation Tensor) as "WHI" and "Zuma Pro" (Tensor G4) as "ZPR.""

Microsoft has officially launched its Auto SR (Automatic Super Resolution) technology, its new system-level super resolution tech, which is available on new Copilot+ PCs powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite processor.

In order to use Microsoft's new Auto SR technology, you'll need a new Copilot+ PC powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite processor, which you can't even buy today. Microsoft has paper launched Auto SR, with Copilot+ PCs required to play it, unavailable to buy today.

You'll also need Windows 11 version 24H2, a 1080p display at a minimum, and automatic updated to be enabled. That is, once you've got your new Copilot+ PC powered by a Snapdragon X Elite processor. The 12 games that will work on the Copilot+ PCs with Auto SR supported out of the box include:

NVIDIA's next-generation AI PC processor will feature Arm-based Blackhawk CPU cores, Blackwell RTX GPU cores, and next-gen LPDDR6 memory.

The new details on NVIDIA's next-gen Arm-based AI PC processor comes from @XpeaGPU on X, quoting an article that talked about a new handheld and console SoC designed by NVIDIA based on the same architecture. NVIDIA looks to use multiple next-gen IPs on a single package, similar to how AMD and Intel are rolling out their new processors with CPU cores, GPU cores, NPUs, and even on-package memory.

NVIDIA is reportedly tapping TSMC's new 3nm process node for its Arm processor, with an advanced packaging solution containing Arm-based Cortex A5 Blackhawk CPU cores, and NVIDIA's in-house Blackwell RTX GPU cores, which should make for a potent AI PC processor.

SpaceX, in a significant move, has announced its fourth Starship launch scheduled for June 5, pending regulatory approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This launch marks another milestone in the company's ambitious space exploration journey.

Starship has been launched three times, and each of those launches had the main mission objective of reaching orbit. SpaceX managed to reach orbit on its last launch, along with the separation between the Super Heavy booster and Starship. With that goal out of the way, the Elon Musk-led company is switching its focus to arguably the most important part of Starship, getting it back on the ground safely and undamaged to enable reliable reusability.

Given the immersive size of Starship, 400-feet in total, it's not going to be easy to land the world's largest rocket. Before any land-based attempts are made, SpaceX will first gather its bearings over the ocean. Once it's happy there, it will move to rocket launch pads at its facilities.

The next installment in the DOOM franchise is purportedly called "DOOM: The Dark Ages," and it will be revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9, according to a new report from Insider Gaming.

The new report comes after previous rumors that ID Software was preparing to reveal its next DOOM project at the Xbox Games Showcase, but at the time of those reports the new DOOM project was under the codename Year Zero. Insider Gaming has now revealed the name for title, writing it has been in development for at least four years and will take players to a "medieval inspired doom world".

The exclusive report mentions the new title could be taking players back to a much younger Doomslayer, perhaps a prequel story about his earlier life before all the blood, dust and glory. Insider Gaming writes that it can independently verify the rumors that the next DOOM game will be unveiled at the upcoming Xbox Showcase.

NVIDIA is feeling the squeeze by the US government sanctions aimed at stifling China's progression in the AI race, which the chip manufacturer has responded to by slashing prices to beat the local Chinese competition.

The GPU manufacturer is attempting to make high-end products for the lucrative Chinese market that accounts for approximately 17% to its revenue for fiscal 2024., but it must now work within the strict US restrictions that ban the exportation of powerful chips that will likely be used to train AI models. NVIDIA plans to still release new GPUs in China, but these new models will have to be cutdown versions of new hardware that's limited to a specific performance point.

Reports indicate that NVIDIA found some of its Chinese customers weren't to thrilled about the new performance capped hardware, and would instead opt for domestically manufactured chips that are exponentially growing in presence. Reuters now reports NVIDIA has been forced to slash prices of some of its products to compete with new kits from Chinese technology giant Huawei.

The CEO of AMD, Lisa Su, has taken center stage at imec's ITF World 2024 conference to accept an award and outline AMD's goal of reaching 100x power efficiency by 2027.

Su accepted the prestigious Imec Innovation Award for innovation and industry leadership, joining prominent technology figures such as Bill Gates. Following the award's acceptance, Su began illustrating AMD's quest to achieve 100x performance improvement by 2027 and how AMD is going to overcome big problems such as the compute/energy required to train exponentially growing advanced AI models.

Su explained AI models typically doubled in size every two years, but now its growing at 20x per year, completely outpacing computing and memory advancements. To combat these problems AMD will be implementing a multi-facet strategy that will introduce new silicon architectures, AI-specific architectures, software, system and data tuning, and hardware co-designs.

Windows 11 looks like it may have a new default app in the future, or at least there are early signs in testing that this is the case - with a notable caveat.

The app in question is PC Manager, and it's an optimization app along the lines of CCleaner, but as it's Microsoft's own take on the idea, there are some dubious additions here. Most notably suggested fixes like a 'repair' for your PC that involves making Bing the default search in Edge.

We shouldn't get carried away, though, as for now, PC Manager is only being turned into a default app in Windows 11 in China (and that's just in testing, with the current incarnation of the Windows 11 24H2 update for that matter).

Apple recently released iOS 17.5 to all of its users, and one bug that some users were reporting was concerning to many as it revived long-deleted photos on devices, leading owners to believe Apple has kept all of their deleted photos.

The bug quickly became controversial as users were reporting seeing images reappear in the Photos app that were deleted and even permanently deleted. Apple described this issue as "rare" and issued an iOS 17.5.1 update, which addressed the bug but didn't provide an explanation as to what caused it in the first place, with the company writing it was related to photos experiencing "database corruption," enabling them to reappear in the Photos library despite being deleted.

Now, Apple has given a proper explanation as to what is behind the bug, with the Cupertino company explaining to 9to5Mac, the bug has nothing to do with iCloud Photos and the problem can be traced to the "corrupt database entry that existed on the device's file system" and that a photo reappearing on a device from years ago (some cases as old as 2010) can be explained by the new device restoring from an old backup.

Spotify had a brief go at being a hardware company with the release of its Car Thing gadget, a device that served as a remote control for Spotify and could be attached to the vents in a car.

Car Thing wasn't a success, as the $90 product was only available for five months after going through an invite-only test in April 2021 and then a public waitlist to purchase one. General sales for Car Thing began in February 2022, and less than five months later, the product was stopped.

While initially seemingly like a good idea, Car Thing ended up being a remote control for Spotify that was playing on a smartphone, which significantly reduced the number of users interested in it. However, it still got into the hands of a very niche audience.

US government officials have said that Russia's recent rocket launch deployed a payload that is likely a classified space weapon capable of destroying satellites.

The warning comes from Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador to the United Nations, who said last week Russia conducted a rocket launch, specifically on May 16, when it launched a satellite into low-Earth orbit that the United States has now assessed. According to Wood, the US has reason to believe the payload deployment is likely a counter-space weapon, and it's location is the "same orbit as a US government satellite".

More specifically, the Soyuz rocket's Fregat upper stage released Kosmos 2576 (the payload) into orbit approximately 275 miles above Earth at an inclination of 97.25 degrees to the equator. Notably, Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said the US's assessment of the payload is "fake news", but didn't provide any clarifying information.

This week on the TT Show, Jak and Kosta examine Microsoft's new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop devices running on the Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite chipset and the beginning of the Copilot+ AI PC era. Hardware-wise, it all sounds impressive, with Windows on Arm coming along nicely, but the Copilot+ AI side is a different story.

Microsoft's latest AI tool for Windows users is called Recall. It apparently takes screenshots and snapshots of your PC at regular intervals to build up a searchable database of everything you've seen or done. It sounds like the most invasive piece of software ever created, and Jak and Kosta discuss how it might work and whether there's even a use case for such a feature.

This week, the duo also discuss NVIDIA getting in on the Arm-based CPU business and pairing it with GeForce hardware for a potential gaming handheld to rival the ROG Ally and Steam Deck.

According to a new report at PC Mag, which the outlet has confirmed with the US Trade Representative (USTR), the Biden administration is set to resume tariffs on PC hardware from the Trump era. These tariffs would place a 25% duty or import tax on goods assembled in China, including graphics cards, motherboards, and PC cases.

There's no word on when the tariffs will resume, nor has there been an official notice with confirmation that they're right around the corner. A spokesperson from the USTR told PC Mag, "We are maintaining tariffs on products currently subject to the action, including the two tariffs you've inquired about." Translation: Yes, the GPU tax is coming back.

What does this mean for those putting together PC rigs for gaming, recreation, or even work at home? Higher prices at a time when the last thing you'd want to see is a notable rise in the cost of buying a new GPU or motherboard. Hardware like graphics cards will fall under the new 25% duty, as China is the primary manufacturing and assembly base for PC hardware.

SpaceX is currently undergoing rigorous testing of its Raptor rocket engines, which will be used by the company's next-generation rocket, Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket.

The Elon Musk-led company has been conducting research and development on its Raptor engines for quite some time now, and it appears to still be in the midst of tweaking and changing the engine design ahead of the highly anticipated fourth launch of Starship. According to a livestream of SpaceX's McGregor, Texas testing facility by NASASpaceFlight, a Raptor engine recently experienced an anomaly that resulted in an initial explosion and a secondary explosion.

The publication reports the secondary explosion on the test stand can be attributed to the vapors in the air from the first explosion. SpaceX hasn't officially offered any update on the explosion, and given how familiar SpaceX is with exploding rocket-related creations, it can safely assumed no one was injured from this explosion. For those that don't know, SpaceX's flagship rocket, Starship, uses 33 Raptor engines in its first stage booster called Super Heavy.

In the United States, the video game era in the late 1970s and early 1980s was defined by two consoles - the Atari 2600 and Intellivision. This rivalry predates the Nintendo versus Sega era by a decade and the current PlayStation versus Xbox versus Nintendo era. It even predates most gamers in 2024, who weren't even alive when the Atari 2600 was a thing that connected to a TV.

Atari and Intellivision aren't big players in the modern video game era, which makes today's announcement that Atari is acquiring Intellivision and its various trademarks and games more of a fun news story than the monumental news that something like PlayStation acquiring Xbox (or the other way around) would be.

What does Atari + Intellivision mean for gaming? The press release states, "Atari will seek to expand digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games, potentially create new games, and explore brand and licensing opportunities."

NVIDIA announced its financial results for the first quarter, and you can probably guess how it went - data center revenue from AI and GPU sales reached record highs, pushing the company's stock price to over $1,000 per share. With everyone all in on AI and NVIDIA leading the charge technology and hardware-wise, you might be wondering how the company's gaming side and GeForce business is going.

Unlike AMD's struggling Radeon and console gaming revenue, NVIDIA's Gaming sector is doing well - with $2.6 billion in revenue, up 18% from a year ago. Granted, it's nowhere near the $22.6 billion in data center revenue or the incredible 427% year-over-year growth seen in that sector - but it's good news for the traditionally quiet quarter for gaming revenue.

Gaming revenue was down 8% from the previous quarter, but the year-over-year growth is being hailed as a win for GeForce hardware. However, as AI continues to rule the day, NVIDIA's financial results cite 'AI gaming technologies' and 'AI performance optimizations' as critical milestones for NVIDIA's gaming business during the last quarter.

AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 has been formally announced and is now available in 'technical preview' form in Counter-Strike 2. Like NVIDIA's Reflex latency reduction technology, the new Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires game integration - unlike Anti-Lag or last year's short-lived Anti-Lag+.

The choice of Counter-Strike 2 to debut Anti-Lag 2 is an excellent move from AMD because of the whole Anti-Lag+ controversy. Here's a quick rundown: Anti-Lag+ was launched as an in-driver solution for latency reduction in September 2023. Fast forward to October 2023, and Counter-Strike 2 players with Anti-Lag+ enabled were banned for cheating. It turns out Anti-Lag+ worked by accessing and even modifying game code and data.

From there, AMD disabled Anti-Lag+ and then removed it entirely. And now, several months later, we've got the new and very different Anti-Lag 2 that requires game integration.

TSMC has announced that it will build 7 new plants this year, in a bid to "boost its global competitiveness" reports Focus Taiwan.

The 7 new plants will include 3 new wafer plants, 2 new packaging factories in Taiwan, and two new wafer plants overseas. These new facilities are being built, or about to be built, to meet the fast-growing global demand for high-performance computing devices and smartphones, says Huang Yuan-kuo, head of the FAB18 plant in Tainan, at the TSMC 2024 Taiwan Technology Symposium.

TSMC has had bonkers demand for its 3nm process, but the world's largest contract chip maker expects 3nm orders to explode by 3x this year compared to 2023. TSMC is also boosting its production capacity of speciality technology, with the proportion of speciality technology relative to all mature processes is predicted to increase to 67% this year, compared to 61% back in 2020.