CPU, APU & Chipsets - Page 4

Qualcomm has just unveiled its 2025 lineup of G Series Gaming Platforms, including the new Snapdragon G3 Gen 3, Snapdragon G2 Gen 2, and Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 for a new wave of gaming handhelds.

The new Snapdragon G3 Gen 3 processor is the first Snapdragon G Series chip to support Lumen, Unreal Engine 5's fully dynamic global illumination and reflections system for Android-powered gaming handhelds. Qualcomm promises 30% more CPU performance, 28% faster gaming capabilities, lower power consumption, Wi-Fi 7, and more.

Under that, Qualcomm has the Snapdragon G2 Gen 2 for gaming and cloud gaming at 144FPS on dedicated gaming devices, with 2.3x performance boosts on the CPU, and 3.8x the GPU performance over Snapdragon G2 Gen 1. Lastly, the Snapdragon G1 Gen 2 supports up to 1080p 120FPS over Wi-Fi, intended for cloud gaming on dedicated Android gaming devices, with 80% more CPU and 25% more GPU performance.

AMD has officially launched its new flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor, offering 16 cores, 32 threads, and second-gen 3D V-Cache, and now we've got a beautiful die shot of all that silicon goodness.

In a new post on Chinese social media platform Bilibili, we're getting a look at that gorgeous Zen 5 CPU design with the die of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D shown off, with the beautiful dual CCD configuration and additional 3D V-Cache. It looks so good, and as a self-professed nerd, I totally love seeing these things.

The die design of the new 9950X3D was compared next to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, where you can see the second CCD on 9950X3D (on the right). Each CCD is home to 8 cores and 16 threads of Zen 5 CPU power, with the second CCD on the 9950X3D bumping things up to 16 cores and 32 threads, with that juicy 3D V-Cache thrown into the mix.

TSMC may soon gobble up more of the semiconductor market as rumors are indicating Samsung has abandoned development on its bleeding-edge 1.4nm process.

At the moment, TSMC holds approximately 67% of the semiconductor market, but according to the latest rumor, that number could soon increase as Samsung has decided to concentrate its efforts on increasing yields from its 2nm GAA node. The news comes from an insider who states Samsung is shifting its attention to its 2nm GAA process to increase yields ahead of the release of its Galaxy S26 series, which should be rocking the foundry's latest flagship SoC, the Exynos 2600. But why wouldn't Samsung be pressing ahead with its bleeding-edge tech?

There are a few reasons why Samsung could cancel its 1.4nm process and the first is production for the Exynos 2600 is scheduled to begin in May, and current reports indicate that trial runs of its 2nm GAA node only secured a 30% yield. Another reason is that Samung's fabrication plant is struggling quite a bit, perhaps more than what is publicly reported, and the decision to focus efforts on 2nm node yields indicates issues with the development of the 1.4nm process.

Intel just announced its new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, which was a big deal for the company... but another (more silent) milestone was reached: its new 18A process node wafers being tested at its Arizona fab in a major milestone for Made in America semiconductors.

In a hidden post on LinkedIn but shared on X, we see Pankaj Marria, an engineering manager at Intel, saying: "Exciting milestone for Intel 18A! Proud to be part of the Eagle Team, leading the way in bringing Intel 18A technology to life! Our team was at the forefront of running the initial lots rights here in Arizona, marking a key step in advancing cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing".

He continued: "This achievement is a testament to the hard work, innovation, and dedication of everyone involved. The Eagle has landed, and this is just the beginning! Developed and Made in America the world's smallest node".

AMD has officially launched its new Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Ryzen 9 9900X3D processors, ready for content creators and gamers seeking even more cores and threads, with that juicy second-gen 3D V-Cache joining the party.

The new Ryzen 9 9950X3D ships with 16 cores and 32 threads priced at $699, while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D offers 12 cores and 24 threads priced at $599. AMD's new flagship Ryzen 9 9950X3D processor has 16C/32T at up to 5.7GHz, with two CCDs and a single IO die. This is the same as the Ryzen 9 9950X (non-X3D) chip, but has a 3D V-Cache boosted CCD packing a huge 144MB of total cache.

We also have the new Ryzen 9 9900X3D which has 12C/24T at a 5.5GHz boost, with 140MB of total cache. The biggest difference other than core / cache counts is that the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has a larger 170W TDP, while the 9900X3D has a 120W TDP.

A user has ordered AMD's new Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor from Amazon, but didn't get anything close: instead, they received a fake CPU in a sealed box that ended up being the AMD FX-4100 processor... a far cry from the 9800X3D, to say the least.

Aris from Hardware Busters purchased an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor from Amazon, but upon opening the box he saw the CPU had pins underneath. We all know AM5 processors don't have any pins as they've been moved to the motherboard, which would've had his heart sunk in an instant.

Aris explained: "I needed an extra 9800X3D processor for my CPU test-system. Since my other one is permanently installed in my GPU test system, I ordered one from Amazon (DE). The processor arrived on March 4th, and on March 9th, after I finished the benchmarks of the other processors, I finally opened the sealed box to install it on the test system".

AMD's next-generation Zen 6-based "Medusa Ridge" desktop CPUs will arrive in 12-core, 24-core, and 32-core variants with up to 128MB of L3 cache according to the latest leaks.

We've been hearing more and more about AMD's next-gen Zen 6 architecture and its new Medusa Ridge, Medusa Point, and Medusa Halo chips with today's leaks concentrating on the Medusa Ridge desktop processors. In a new post on Chiphell, insider "Zhangzhonghao" posted the core and cache counts of the new Zen 6-based Medusa Ridge desktop CPUs.

The 12-core Zen 6 CCD features 48MB of L3 cache, while the 32-core Zen 6c CCD features 128MB of L3 cache says the leaker, leaving the desktop non-X3D part with dual CCDs and up to 96MB (2 x 48MB) L3 cache.

AMD has revealed the release date and pricing of its Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D CPUs, and these chips are turning up next week.

The pair of high-end 3D V-Cache offerings for the Zen 5 range will debut on March 12.

Pricing is set at $699 for the Ryzen 9950X3D and $599 for the Ryzen 9900X3D, which is exactly what the rumor mill claimed. Also, that release date was recently predicted as well (based on a leak from AMD in China).

Apple launched a flurry of new products this week, with its new Mac Studio powered by its new M3 Ultra processor, and boy, what a chip it is.

The new Apple M3 Ultra processor combines 2 x M3 Max chips together, where they act as one: doubling the CPU core count, GPU core count, and performance through the roof, rivaling its new M4 processor. Apple's new M3 Max processor features up to 32 cores of CPU (24 performance cores and 8 efficiency cores) which is the highest number of CPU cores on a Mac to date (inside of the new Mac Studio powered by M3 Max).

Not only that, but the M3 Ultra chip has up to 80 GPU cores ensuring top-tier Mac gaming performance, and the most amount of GPU cores on Apple Silicon, ever. 96GB of unified RAM is the norm on the Apple M3 Max chip, but you can configure (for much more money) up to 512GB of unified RAM (!!!) while SSD storage can be ballooned up to 16TB inside of the new Mac Studio.

AMD's next 3D V-Cache Zen 5 processors, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D, are purportedly set to arrive on March 12.

VideoCardz provided the scoop with this one, and apparently the info comes directly from AMD over in China.

The tech site has published some presentation slides for these top-end Ryzen 9 X3D models which carry the March 12 launch date, but we can't know for sure if this material is genuine (though it looks authentic enough).