Latest News - Page 9

The RTX 5060's official spec sheet lists a GB206 die, but ASUS just shipped a card that uses a larger one. A review of the ASUS DUAL GeForce RTX 5060 OC D7 8GB by Korean outlet Quasar Zone found a GB205-200-KB-A1 die inside, the same silicon that powers the RTX 5070 and a few mobile Blackwell parts.

This isn't the first time it's happened. We previously covered MSI doing the same thing back in July with its "V1" RTX 5060 cards, and Yeston and Maxsun followed with their own GB205-based versions shortly after. ASUS is just the latest board partner to get noticed doing it.

The reason comes down to binning. NVIDIA makes far more GB205 dies than it needs for RTX 5070 cards, and some of those chips don't hit the parametric targets required for a 5070, whether that's CUDA core count, ROP count, or TMU count. Rather than scrap them, NVIDIA cuts them down to RTX 5060 specs: 3,840 CUDA cores, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and 8GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus. On paper, that matches the standard GB206-based RTX 5060 exactly.

Intel used Hot Chips 2026 to lay out full specs for Crescent Island, its inference-focused GPU built on the new Xe3P architecture.

The chip has 32 Xe3P cores split across four compute slices, working out to 256 Vector Engines and 256 XMX matrix engines. It's paired with 32MB of unified L2 cache and up to 480GB of LPDDR5X memory, though the reference Intel card ships with 160GB. Partners building their own ODM versions can push that number higher.

Crescent Island skips HBM entirely, which is the interesting part. NVIDIA's Rubin and AMD's MI450X both lean on HBM4 for their next AI accelerators, but that memory has gotten harder to source and pricier as demand climbs. Intel is betting LPDDR5X gets it close enough on capacity (480GB beats MI450X's 432GB and Rubin's 288GB on paper) while running at a fraction of the power. The card is rated for 350W and is air-cooled, so it fits into standard PCIe Gen5 x16 servers without needing liquid cooling.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman used a recent podcast appearance to walk back some of his earlier predictions about how quickly AI would transform the economy, describing current adoption as still at the "Palm Pilot stage."

Speaking with podcaster David Senra in an interview posted Sunday, Altman said, "We have all of the technological pieces, but we have not had the iPhone moment of like completely changing how someone interfaces with technology."

Altman blamed the slower pace largely on human habits rather than any shortfall in the technology itself. "The economy just has so much inertia," he said. "People keep doing the same things they're doing. They keep buying from the same company... I think that means we've all been too ambitious on timelines, even with this incredible technology."

AMD has published a new patch for the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) surrounding Zen 5 and Zen 4 CPUs' branch predictors, helping boost the performance of Zen 5 CPUs by 12% and 9% for Zen 4. Reported by Phoronix, the new patch features just two lines, bumping the branch misprediction scale by three in the cost tables for both architectures.

The aforementioned performance results were taken from benchmarks using SPEC, or Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation's CPU benchmark. Not every app will gain an exact 9% or 12% performance improvement, but the SPEC benchmark shows what the average performance uplift could be on average across a variety of workloads.

The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a collection of compilers that support various programming languages, hardware, and operating systems. In the case of CPUs, AMD uses GCC to program its CPUs on how they should run instructions on the chip, including the way the chip operates its branch predictor.

Xiaomi has officially unveiled the XRing O3, its latest in-house flagship processor. Built on TSMC's 3nm N3P node, it is positioned as the world's first smartphone SoC to support next-generation LPDDR6 RAM. The chip packs 24 billion transistors, up from 19 billion on last year's XRing O1. Much of that extra silicon goes toward a larger 16MB SLC cache and a redesigned CPU.

The CPU now uses an all-big-core design, ditching efficiency cores entirely. It combines two ARM C1-Ultra cores running at up to 4.35GHz with four C1-Premium cores at 3.68GHz and four C1-Pro cores at 3.15GHz. Xiaomi claims Geekbench 6.5 scores of 3,945 single-core and 15,221 multi-core, representing 31% and 61% gains over the O1. That multi-core result reportedly even edges out Apple's M4 desktop chip, while the chip also scored more than 5.2 million in AnTuTu V11.

Graphics get a major upgrade too. The O3 uses a 16-core Mali-G2 Ultra NX GPU with dedicated neural cores for frame generation and upscaling. These features run directly within the GPU's cache hierarchy instead of sending data back and forth to system memory. Xiaomi claims this delivers 85% higher graphics performance, 182% better ray tracing, and 64% lower power consumption compared with the O1.

Apple is preparing to refresh the 24-inch iMac with its new M6 chip before the end of the year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman writing in his Power On newsletter. The update would replace the current M4 model. The iMac previously jumped straight from M1 to M3, skipping M2 entirely, and now appears set to skip M5 as well.

Gurman says not to expect a major redesign alongside the new chip. Instead, the iMac should keep its current overall look and 24-inch display, marking the fifth year of a design that debuted alongside the M1 model back in 2021. The most visible change will likely come from new colour options, though Gurman hasn't specified which ones.

The current lineup includes seven colours: green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver. Apple made similarly subtle tweaks to the shades when it moved to the M4 generation in 2024, without changing the actual colour count.

Microsoft is testing a hidden Windows 11 feature that lets users manually reserve unified memory for graphics and AI-heavy workloads, rather than leaving Windows to manage it dynamically. The discovery, internally called IntelligentCarveout, was spotted in Windows 11 Insider build 29648.1000 and confirmed by Windows Latest, with code strings referencing "reserved memory for accelerators" and "memory for graphics and AI acceleration."

For context, unified memory refers to a shared pool of high-bandwidth memory accessible by the CPU, GPU, and other processors, rather than the dedicated VRAM found on traditional discrete graphics setups. Windows currently manages that pool dynamically, shifting resources between workloads as needed.

That works fine for everyday multitasking, but it can become a problem for heavier workloads such as local AI inference or demanding games, where background tasks and foreground applications compete for the same memory.

The developers behind Bodycam have announced a new shader they have built from scratch to improve the visual fidelity and performance of the game's weapon scopes. The developers announced in a devblog video that the new shader will be arriving with the game's next update, dropping on September 2nd.

The new shader reportedly solves two problems with weapon optic rendering in modern video games: performance and visual quality. Common existing rendering techniques for optic rendering either zoom the camera in when scoping in the weapon for a highly performant optical effect, or use picture-in-picture rendering where the game world is rendered a second time in the scope to provide a more real-to-life optical effect. But the latter comes at a heavy performance cost, causing frame rate drops whenever a player uses their weapon scope.

The Bodycam developers' new shader reportedly solves both problems, providing excellent performance and visual fidelity at the same time. The implementation involved building a new shading technique and adding it to Unreal Engine 5's rendering pipeline, dedicated entirely to optic rendering. The devs also implemented a new "advanced optic shader" that features realistic-looking glass, radial distortion, reflections, and dynamic light.

At Gamescom 2026, NVIDIA confirmed that its GeForce NOW cloud gaming service will get a DLSS 4.5 upgrade next month. For subscribers on the Ultimate Tier, which offers GeForce RTX 5080-class performance and up to 5K streaming, they'll get access to the full DLSS 4.5 suite of technologies in over 100 games.

This includes DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, and the brand-new DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction. DLSS 4.5 is a game-changer because it uses a powerful second-generation Transformer model that delivers up to 5X the compute power of the original DLSS 4 Transformer model and was trained on a significantly expanded dataset.

The result is more detail, improved image fidelity, fewer artifacts, and more. As we found in our own testing, the updated DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution's 'Performance' preset offers native-like fidelity that's noticeably better than even DLSS 4's 'Quality' preset in certain titles. What does this mean for GeForce NOW? Well, the same as running DLSS 4.5 locally - improved image quality and better performance.

Whether you're gaming on a Linux system running SteamOS, a PC gaming distro, or a Windows on Arm device, a major stumbling block in recent years has been the lack of anti-cheat support. Beyond locking players out of some of the most popular titles, the main reason for the omission is that these anti-cheat tools run at the system or kernel level.

With the first RTX Spark laptops on track for later this year, powered by NVIDIA's first consumer-facing SoC that combines an Arm-based 20-core Grace CPU with integrated RTX Blackwell graphics, the company is working with developers and publishers to ensure anti-cheat support is there on day one.

As the first Windows on Arm devices with GeForce RTX graphics, NVIDIA has announced that RTX Spark will launch with support for EA's kernel-level anti-cheat tool called Javelin. Since Javelin anti-cheat is required for games like Battlefield 6 and EA Sports FC 26, its support is a welcome addition for those looking to use their RTX Spark devices for PC gaming.

The first premium Windows on Arm laptops powered by NVIDIA's new RTX Spark chip are set to debut later this year. Pairing a 20-core Grace CPU with integrated RTX Blackwell graphics with up to 6,144 CUDA Cores, RTX Spark laptops will arrive in thin and lightweight form factors with access to NVIDIA's full AI stack and the ability to run 120B parameter agents locally.

In addition to being built for the modern AI era, RTX Spark laptops will also deliver the PC gaming and content-creation performance found in GeForce RTX 50 Series-powered x86 laptops. Although NVIDIA hasn't provided any official benchmarks, the company confirms that RTX Spark laptops will power 100 FPS 1440p gaming with ray-tracing and DLSS, and offer creators seamless 8K video editing performance.

With existing Windows on Arm devices powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips, PC gaming performance has been a mixed bag because games must run through an emulation layer and there's a general lack of native support for advanced rendering features. Although things have consistently improved since the first Windows on Arm devices hit the scene, gaming performance is set to reach a new level based on what we've heard from NVIDIA.

As a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Control, Remedy's follow-up, Control Resonant, is set to be one of the year's biggest single-player PC game releases when it launches in September. It's also set to arrive with native DLSS 4.5 support, including the new DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, which will be leveraged to enhance the game's ray-tracing and path-tracing modes.

It makes sense for a Remedy game and Control sequel to push visual fidelity to new heights, as the original Control was one of the first games to properly implement a wide range of ray-traced lighting effects alongside being one of the first games to support the massive DLSS 2.0 update. This means that in addition to being a highly anticipated sequel, Control Resonant will also once again double as an RTX showcase.

And with the release right around the corner, NVIDIA has partnered with Remedy to offer a free copy of Control Resonant with select GeForce RTX GPUs, desktops, and laptops. The Control Resonant GeForce RTX Bundle is available now, too; however, NVIDIA notes that it's limited to GeForce RTX purchases with the GeForce RTX 5070 as the minimum spec.

NVIDIA's RTX Remix tool for modders, which opens the door to remastering, modding, and even remaking classic games with modern ray-traced visuals, continues to grow. At Gamescom 2026, NVIDIA has confirmed that RTX Remix now supports close to 250 classic games and that it has worked with hundreds of modders and various members of the RTX Remix community to fix bugs, add features, and more.

With over 100 of the almost 250 classic games supported by RTX Remix added in 2026, NVIDIA also confirms that over 3.8 million RTX Remix mods for classic games have been downloaded so far over at ModDB. And this week, owners of the original Painkiller on GOG will get access to a free Painkiller RTX mod that brings path-traced lighting and overhauled visuals to the classic shooter's first 15 levels.

Built by Merry Pencil Studios, this impressive RTX Remix mod looks like a full ray-traced remake of the original, with the project making its official debut after winning the NVIDIA and ModDB RTX Remix Mod Contest last year. Painkiller RTX takes full advantage of RTX Remix's advanced features, including its new dynamic particle system, RTX volumetrics for cinematic fog and smoke effects, and RTX Neural Radiance Cache for enhancing lighting. This is on top of remastered and rebuilt assets, textures, and materials.

Before Skyrim, before Oblivion, Bethesda Game Studios created its first modern, groundbreaking open-world RPG with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Released in 2002 for PC and the original Xbox, the game's free-form design, vast open world, character creation, and setting helped put the franchise on the map and paved the way for both Oblivion and Skyrim's massive success.

It's one of those games where enough time has passed that a visual makeover along the lines of last year's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered would be like playing a brand-new game. Although this isn't a remake or remaster, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind RTX looks like one, thanks to being the latest impressive RTX Remix mod currently in development.

Developed by a single passionate fan by the name of GokuwasHere, so far, The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind RTX features three remastered locations: Seyda Neen, the Mages Guild, and Balmora. As an RTX Remix project, it breathes new life into the iconic RPG with remastered and enhanced models, textures, and materials, plus full path-traced lighting.

DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction has been the missing link in NVIDIA's big DLSS 4.5 update this year, and thankfully the wait is officially over. At Gamescom 2026, NVIDIA announced that DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction is available now. With the latest NVIDIA App update, you can test it in 30 games thanks to the DLSS Override feature.

As we saw with the launch of DLSS 4, the DLSS Override feature lets GeForce RTX gamers enable the latest version of various DLSS technologies in any modern game with DLSS support. This simple toggle now supports DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, so instead of waiting for a game to add native support, anyone with a GeForce RTX card can try it now.

Powered by a powerful second-generation Transformer model designed to significantly enhance ray-traced and path-traced lighting effects, DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction is a notable step forward for AI-powered rendering, ushering in a new era of cinematic gaming.

NVIDIA announced and launched its latest DLSS 4.5 update earlier this year, a revamped version of its groundbreaking Super Resolution and Frame Generation tools powered by a second-generation Transformer model. As seen with DLSS 4.5's Super Resolution update, the new Transformer model not only improves image fidelity but can also restore detail not present in DLSS 3.5's CNN model or even the baseline DLSS 4 Transformer model.

However, as the full DLSS 4.5 suite of technologies includes Super Resolution, Frame Generation, Dynamic Multi Frame Generation, and Ray Reconstruction, it's been incomplete - until now. As part of its Gamescom 2026 announcements, NVIDIA released DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction, which is now available in all compatible games thanks to the NVIDIA App's override feature. And it's a game-changer for titles with Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing like Remedy's Alan Wake 2.

For those that need a refresher, DLSS Ray Reconstruction is an AI-powered denoiser built for ray-traced lighting effects. Compared to traditional denoisers, it can reconstruct more detail for better reflections, shadows, and occlusion effects. What makes DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction an impressive update isn't simply the use of a more powerful Transformer model, but how the underlying tech unifies denoising and Super Resolution into a single model.

RAMageddon's latest victim is Amazon, which has raised prices across its hardware lineup over the weekend, hitting Kindles, Echo smart speakers, Fire TV sticks, and Eero routers with increases of up to 60%. The company confirmed the hikes to multiple outlets, pointing to the now-familiar culprit: rising memory and storage component costs.

"The consumer electronics industry is facing significant increases in memory and storage component costs," an Amazon spokesperson said. "After absorbing these increases for as long as we could, we recently adjusted pricing across our product lines."

The Echo Dot took the biggest hit in percentage terms, jumping from $49.99 to $79.99, a 60% increase overnight on one of Amazon's cheapest entry points into the smart home ecosystem. The Echo Show 21 saw the largest absolute dollar increase, up $100 to $500. Fire TV sticks didn't escape either, with the 4K Max jumping from $60 to $85.

Avalanche Studios, developer of Just Cause and Mad Max, was approached by Disney and Marvel around 2012 to build an open-world Iron Man game. The project was never publicly announced and was quietly shelved before it reached any kind of release.

Now, thanks to more than an hour of leaked footage from the cancelled Iron Man game, we can finally see what Avalanche Studios was cooking. The footage appeared on Reddit's r/GamingLeaksAndRumours and the Internet Archive, reportedly sourced from a PlayStation 3 development kit.

The footage is clearly unfinished and far from polished, but the DNA of an Avalanche game is visible throughout. Iron Man moves with the fluidity and speed that defined the Just Cause series, flying across large open environments and tearing through destructible buildings. Combat takes clear inspiration from the Batman Arkham games, with rhythmic melee exchanges blended with repulsor blasts, missiles, and other gadgets.

Liquid coolers with an integrated display on the pump are becoming increasingly popular in the age of panoramic view cases, and with that, GAMDIAS is expanding its liquid cooling lineup with two new display-ready models, the CHIONE M5-360 ($109.90 USD) and CHIONE P5-360 PRO ($159.90 USD).

Both the CHIONE M5-360 and CHIONE P5-360 PRO include a large 360mm radiator and three ARGB PWM fans for enhanced cooling, with the notable difference being the IPS LCD screens. The flagship CHIONE P5-360 PRO features an oversized 6-inch IPS LCD screen with a 960x480 pixel resolution on an adjustable bracket to support different orientations and tilting. In contrast, the CHIONE M5-360 features a smaller square-shaped 4-inch 90-degree rotatable LCD with a 480x480 pixel resolution and a similarly flexible mounting design.

Naturally, the addition of a display adds dynamic system monitoring, and here the CHIONE M5-360 and CHIONE P5-360 PRO coolers are compatible with GAMDIAS' ZEUS CAST software. In addition to customizing what information is visible, including CPU and GPU temperatures, it also supports animated GIFs, different themes, and controls for each display's orientation and brightness.

ASRock has launched its new Rock Series AIO liquid coolers, featuring a clean, minimal design focused on easy DIY installation and affordability. The lineup is impressively diverse, with eight models available across the Rock Series 'Digital' and Rock Series 'ARGB' models. The latter offers a stylish cube-shaped pump with a brushed metal finish and some subtle lighting, while the 'Digital' models include a 1.05-inch display for real-time CPU temperature monitoring.

Both options are available in classic Black and White variants, with 240mm and 360mm radiator sizes. All coolers in the Rock Series feature ASRock's next-gen dual-side inlet cooling pump, powered by a 3-phase, 6-slot, 4-pole motor for improved flow and durability. The pump's simplified architecture, paired with balanced current distribution and durable IIR + EPDM tubing, is also designed for efficiency and reliability, and ASRock backs Rock Series AIO coolers with a 6-year warranty.

The coolers also support 0dB Silent Cooling during less intensive workloads and ship with premium ASRock Therm-X1 thermal grease and a recessed microfin array for optimal thermal performance. For aesthetics, the pre-installed fans are also ARGB-ready, with a unified fan-frame structure.