TechPowerUP NEWS

The WireView Pro II, which was already presented at Computex 2025, is now available for pre-order exclusively in the Thermal Grizzly shop and offers new features for monitoring and data logging as well as new protection functions for graphics cards with a 12VHPWR power connector. The WireView Pro II is a device for measuring the power consumption of graphics cards and introduces precise per-pin monitoring of the 12V-2x6 connector for the first time, providing valuable insights into load distribution on modern high-end graphics cards along with advanced safety features.

A CNC-machined aluminium housing with semi-passive cooling and a high-contrast TFT-IPS display ensures reliable visualization of all critical measurements. Automatic data logging and an extended 2-year warranty for the GPU connector and graphics card provide additional peace of mind in demanding setups.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Seemingly as part of its ongoing lawsuit against Palworld's developer, Pocketpair, Nintendo applied for several patents to protect what it saw as intellectual property being ripped from Pokémon games. One of those early patent filings at the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) described effectively the creature capture mechanics you see in most Pokémon and similar games these days. The patent describes the game mechanic as throwing an object at a character, after which the computer determines whether the character in question is successfully captured. It also mentions throwing an object at a character in a game in order to limit the character's movement in the field. According to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], this patent application has now been denied, meaning Nintendo may have to find another linchpin in its ongoing lawsuit against Palworld's developer.

The denial of the patent comes after the patent office examined prior art that was submitted by an unnamed third party. As Games Fray goes on to explain, however, the decision to deny Nintendo's patent doesn't necessarily spell victory for Palworld and Pocketpair. Firstly, the patent denial is "non-final," which means Nintendo can contest the ruling and defend its position. Secondly, and this appears to be more important, while Japanese judges regularly do consult with the JPO and respect the decision of the Patent Office, the patent is non-binding, meaning the final decision is still up to the judge's discretion. For Nintendo's part, the patent in question forms a core part of a family of patents, so if it is eventually "finally" denied, Nintendo may lose additional resources to fight against its perceived threats, since that patent would weaken its claim to other patents in the patent family.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

AMD has confirmed a hardware defect in the RDSEED instruction on its new Zen 5 processors, cataloged as [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] and assigned CVE-2025-62626. The company reports that the 16-bit and 32-bit forms of RDSEED can return zero values, which may be mistakenly interpreted as a successful entropy read. The 64-bit form is unaffected. AMD rates the issue as high severity and suggests short-term software workarounds: prioritize using the 64-bit RDSEED path where possible, mask RDSEED from software discovery, or treat a zero return as a failure and retry. Firmware and microcode updates are being rolled out to OEMs. AMD's advisory provides product-family target dates, such as AGESA TurinPI 1.0.0.8 for EPYC 9005, with a target date of November 14, 2025, and consumer families targeted for late November 2025. Users should install vendor BIOS/microcode updates when available and consider regenerating any sensitive keys created on unpatched systems.

RDSEED is a low-level instruction that supplies entropy used for cryptographic keys and other security functions. When it returns predictable values without detection, newly generated keys or nonces may be weaker than intended. According to AMD, the problem affects the 16-bit and 32-bit forms of RDSEED, while the 64-bit form does not appear to be impacted. The company is distributing firmware and platform updates to correct the issue, but until those updates are applied, the recommended interim measures are straightforward: prefer the 64-bit RDSEED path where possible, prevent software from discovering or using the affected RDSEED forms, or treat a zero result as a failure and retry. Once updates become available, users should install them promptly and consider regenerating any sensitive keys created on unpatched systems.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and OpenAI have signed a $38 billion deal spanning several years, seven to be more precise, to boost OpenAI's AI operations using AWS's high-end cloud setup. This agreement lets OpenAI use clusters with hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA GB200 and GB300 GPUs, the complete planned capacity is expected to be deployed for use by the end of 2026. These GPUs are set up across Amazon EC2 UltraServers linked by a fast, high-capacity network built to handle both inference and large-scale model training. AWS's previous experience managing clusters exceeding 500,000 chips has been a key factor in OpenAI's decision.

The new infrastructure is expected to serve a range of OpenAI applications, from ChatGPT inference workloads to training next-generation foundation models. OpenAI's move to AWS comes after a series of recent partnerships with NVIDIA, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...], and Oracle making sure they can tap into a mix of high-end chips and cloud systems. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that the company plans to invest $1.4 trillion to build 30 gigawatts of computing capacity, equivalent to the power consumption of roughly 25 million U.S. households. So far, OpenAI has partnered with [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] for 10 GW, AMD for 6 GW, and [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] for 4.5 GW of compute capacity, moving steadily toward its stated goal of building a 30 GW AI infrastructure network.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Adeia Inc., the technology company known for developing foundational innovations in the semiconductor industry, announced today that it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

"Earlier today, Adeia took legal action against AMD to protect our intellectual property rights and the investments we have made in our foundational semiconductor technologies," said Paul E. Davis, chief executive officer of Adeia. "For years, AMD's products have incorporated and made extensive use of Adeia's patented semiconductor innovations, which have greatly contributed to their success as a market leader. After prolonged efforts to reach a mutually agreeable resolution without litigation, we believe this step was necessary to defend our intellectual property from AMD's continued unauthorized use."[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced global semiconductor sales were $208.4 billion during the third quarter of 2025, an increase of 15.8% compared to Q2. Global sales were $69.5 billion during the month of September 2025, an increase of 25.1% compared to the September 2024 total of $55.5 billion and 7.0% more than sales in August 2025. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 99% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

"Global chip sales continued to grow in the third quarter of this year, significantly outpacing sales from Q2," said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. "Market growth was driven by increased demand across a range of semiconductor products, including memory and logic. And year-to-year growth was fueled by sales into the Asia Pacific region and the Americas."[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Kingston FURY, the high-performance division of Kingston Digital, Inc., the flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions announces it has rounded out the recently named PCWorld "Editor's Choice" Kingston FURY Renegade G5 line with an 8192 GB full capacity option for high-power uses from video editing, 3D rendering, to gaming and more.

Optimized for those who need a system that can keep up with their workflow or gaming needs, [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD utilizes the latest PCIe Gen 5 x4 controller and 3D TLC NAND to reach speeds up to 14,800/14,000 MB/s read/write and over 2M IOPS to provide extreme performance and endurance, and now with over 8 TB to store more of your favorite games and media without losing system responsiveness.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

TSMC is set to begin construction of its upcoming A14 fab plant in Taichung, Taiwan, as the company has received all necessary permits, Focus Taiwan reports. The project will include the main fab, a central utility plant for power and water management, and several support buildings. The A14 (1.4 nm) node is TSMC's next major process milestone after the 2 nm node and is expected to deliver up to 15% higher performance at the same power. Alternatively, at similar speeds to the 2 nm process, the 1.4 nm node will use 30% less power. The A14 node is designed mainly for AI acceleration and high-performance computing chips, with TSMC targeting mass production in the second half of 2028. The new fab is estimated to be a $49 billion single-site investment from TSMC, one of its largest endeavors.

TSMC recently [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] that its most advanced N2 (2 nm) node will begin volume production by the end of the year, with a rapid increase planned through 2026 in Taiwan. The announcement follows record [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] of $33.1 billion, up 41% year-over-year, results mainly driven by strong demand for advanced nodes. Current 3 nm (N3), 5 nm (N5), and 7 nm (N7) nodes remain popular due to increased market demand, with N3 shipments accounting for 23% of wafer revenue, N5 for 37%, and N7 for 14%.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

QNAP Systems, Inc., a leading computing, networking and storage solution innovator, today released the TL-R6020Sep-RP, a 4U 60-bay high-density SAS/SATA JBOD expansion enclosure. Optimized for petabyte-scale storage, the TL-R6020Sep-RP enables enterprises to cost-effectively scale their storage infrastructure for cold data, video surveillance, big data, and multimedia archiving applications. The TL-R6020Sep-RP provides four high-speed Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8644) ports with SAS 12 Gb/s bandwidth and Broadcom SAS DataBolt technology for bandwidth optimization. With its dual-path redundant design, system operation continues uninterrupted even if one cable fails. By supporting daisy-chaining of up to four enclosures (240 drives total), the TL-R6020Sep-RP allows seamless capacity expansion up to 4 PB raw storage. By adding SAS expansion cards to the NAS and connecting to the TL-R6020Sep-RP, users can distribute the bandwidth load caused by large numbers of drives and further improve overall performance.

"With growing volumes of surveillance and big data, enterprises need storage expansion that is both scalable and reliable," said Waterball Liu, Product Manager of QNAP. "The TL-R6020Sep-RP delivers petabyte-level capacity in a 4U chassis with flexible daisy-chaining, helping organizations meet future storage demands with confidence, while effectively reducing operational costs. As the preferred enterprise-grade ZFS storage solution, QuTS hero NAS offers multi-layered data protection along with advanced services such as real-time compression and deduplication, further unleashing the potential of PB-scale capacity."[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

MSI IPC, a leading provider of industrial embedded solutions, is proud to introduce its latest compact computing platform, the MS-CF16 V3.0 Pico-ITX single board computer. Engineered for fanless operation and low power consumption while maintaining high computing performance, this new board is purpose built for deployment in extreme environments and industrial use cases such as factory automation, smart kiosks, transportation systems, and edge devices.

Built around the latest Intel Alder Lake N, Amston Lake, and Twin Lake processors, the MS-CF16 V3.0 delivers next generation computing in a small form factor, making it perfect for edge computing, industrial automation, smart retail, and embedded IoT applications.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Intel's advanced features like AVX10, APX, and AMX instruction sets—designed for 512-bit acceleration and fast vector/matrix multiplication for tasks such as content creation, encoding/decoding, and AI—may not be exclusive to Intel Xeon processors. We could potentially see them in consumer "Nova Lake" processors. According to the Netwide Assembler (NASM), an assembler for the x86 CPU, Nova Lake might introduce these features in consumer PCs once again. A few weeks ago, it was believed that Nova Lake [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] any of Intel's advanced x86 extensions. The latest GCC compiler patch indicated that the initial Nova Lake enablement does not incorporate AVX10, AMX, or APX. This suggested that support for these new x86 instructions might be absent from the next-generation CPU.

Initially, Intel chose to disable AVX-512 for the "Alder Lake" and "Raptor Lake" client-oriented CPU lineups, meaning that only server-grade Xeon CPUs benefited from the accelerated 512-bit data paths. With the release of NASM 3.0 and its subsequent 3.1 update, we are once again optimistic that Nova Lake will bring 512-bit acceleration to its client CPUs. Rumored to feature up to 52 cores, including 16 P-Cores, 32 E-Cores, and 4 LPE-Cores, Nova Lake could be an ideal CPU for gaming and workstation tasks, covering a wide range of scenarios and workloads, except for server applications, which are reserved for Xeon. Additionally, it could take advantage of the extensive ecosystem of AVX-accelerated software available today.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

The story of the 12V-2x6 power connector overheating is almost as old as the original 12VHPWR connector itself, and the improved 12V-2x6 still faces issues common to the 12-pin GPU power connector family. Recently, another instance of a burning 12V-2x6 connector was reported, this time on a Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU. A user named u/ProfessionalHost3913 shared images on the r/AMD subreddit showing his Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT with a burned connector end on the GPU. According to the user, the GPU was running at its default settings, with no overclocking or increased power limits, during gaming sessions of Battlefield 6, Cyberpunk 2077, Outerworlds, Minecraft, and others.

The issue appears to arise from powering the GPU with a regular PSU that lacks a native 12V-2x6 output. Instead, the GPU was connected using a 3x8-pin adaptor rather than directly to an ATX 3.1 PSU. These adaptors have been known to cause melted connectors. This problem was first observed in August, highlighting a recurring theme for new builders: to prevent this situation, avoid using last-generation PSUs and opt for an ATX 3.1 PSU design whenever possible to eliminate the need for adaptors. As more companies adopt the 12V-2x6 power source for their GPU designs, gamers might consider investing in ATX 3.1 PSUs to ensure their systems can power future generations of GPUs.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

If you ever tried the infamous "Update and shut down" option in any Windows build, it often leads to a reboot instead to an actual shutdown. Now, Microsoft has finally fixed this issue starting with Windows 11 25H2 Build 26200.7019 (or 26100.7019 on 24H2). According to the Windows Latest, Microsoft has shipped this broken functionality way back with Windows 10, and has never fixed it since. However, the Windows teams working behind the update have finally managed to ship a working solution with a note stating in Windows 11 experiences that the new build: "Addressed underlying issue which can cause "Update and shutdown" to not actually shut down your PC after updating."

Microsoft has not disclosed the exact cause of the failure, but Windows Latest speculates it might be due to a race condition or an issue within the Windows Servicing Stack. When a user selects "Update and shut down," the operating system must complete two sequential tasks: applying all pending updates and then shutting down the computer. This process isn't straightforward because Windows needs to reboot into an offline servicing phase to replace locked system files, as indicated by the "working on updates" message. After this phase, the machine should power off, but instead, it returns to the login screen. The most likely explanation is that the Servicing Stack either fails to save or never receives the shutdown instruction, with the directive possibly getting lost during the reboot due to a timing conflict or interference from features like Fast Startup.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics cards have finally reached their MSRPs of $549 and $599, respectively. According to US retailer Newegg listing, these GPUs are now trading at the price AMD artificially set at the launch eight months ago. AMD's AIB partners have used this MSRP model as a general guide, but priced the cards historically higher to preserve margins. Since no reference Made by AMD (MBA) cards were shipped to the masses, AMD's MSRP had little influence over the pricing decision made by AIB partners. Consumers couldn't get MBA cards at their MSRPs, so they had to opt for custom PCB designs from third parties like ASUS, Sapphire, ASRock, XFX, and others. Since all of these were custom designs, AIBs have priced it higher to account for custom engineering going into their GPUs.

Thankfully, gamers can now get both the Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT at AMD-set MSRP at US retailers like Newegg. Below, you can check out the images from Newegg for [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] and [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]. As a reminder, AMD launched both the Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 on March 6th, 2025. Both cards are built on the 4 nm process using Navi 48 chips and come with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and PCIe 5.0 x16 connectivity. The RX 9070 XT uses the Navi 48 XTX variant and features 4096 SPs, 64 ray tracing acceleration cores, and 128 tensor cores. It can boost up to 2970 MHz, and has a maximum power draw of 304 W. The RX 9070, meanwhile, uses the Navi 48 XT variant with some shaders disabled, resulting in 3584 SPs, 56 ray tracing acceleration cores, and 112 tensor cores. It boosts up to 2520 MHz and draws up to 220 W.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

The fastest processor for gaming PCs, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, received a much-needed price-cut in the lead up to Black Friday sales. The chip is listed on Newegg US for $439.99, a $40 cut from its $479.99 street price. The processor remains the fastest processor for PC gaming, trailed by the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, and the previous generation Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which is disappearing from store shelves. The 9800X3D combines AMD's latest "Zen 5" microarchitecture, with 3D V-Cache technology, for a total of 96 MB of last-level cache, which is known to significantly improve performance in games.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-Jung announced the new vision of "Full Stack AI Memory Creator" at the "SK AI Summit 2025", held in Seoul on November 3. "SK hynix has been playing the role of a Full Stack Memory Provider by supplying products aligned with customer needs and time. Moving forward, the company aims to exceed customers' expectation by actively collaborating within the ecosystem and by solving the customers' hurdles together." said CEO Kwak.

He emphasized his commitment to preparing for the next AI era saying, "We will become a creator who builds "Full Stack AI Memory" as a co-architect, partner, and eco-contributor." CEO Kwak expressed his reflections by incorporating the symbolic meaning of the number "1," highlighting that over the past year, the company has risen to become the global leader in the memory sector and has also been ranked as the No. 1 most desirable company to work for.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Intel announced its 2026 Holiday software bundle. In select regions and through participating retailers, the company is bundling software and games valued up to $280 with its processors, graphics cards, and select laptop models powered by Intel processors. There are two tiers to this, Standard and Platinum. The Standard tier lets you choose any one of four AAA games valued up to $70—Battlefield 6, Dying Light: The Beast, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Civilization VII. In addition, you get year subscriptions to the following software: Canvid, VEGAS Pro 23, XSplit Premium Suite, Cephable Plus, and in-game content for Marvel Rivals. The Standard tier is valued up to $185 in real-world prices for these applications and game.

The Platinum tier of Intel's Holiday 2026 bundle is offered to buyers of premium laptops powered by Core Ultra 200V "Lunar Lake" processors, and some higher tiered models of "Arrow Lake-H" and "Arrow Lake-HX" processors. You get to pick a second game from the above four, plus get a third free game. Among the two free games, you get premium editions—Battlefield 6 Phantom Edition, and Assassin's Creed Shadows Digital Deluxe. The third free game is to be chosen between Dying Light: The Beast, and Civilization VII.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

With LGA1700 continuing to be relevant to gamers, motherboard manufacturers continue to revise or launch new products on this platform. The latest such product from MSI is the new B760 MPOWER, targeting the performance segment. The board is designed for those picking the non-K variants of 14th Gen Core "Raptor Lake Refresh" processors with superior gaming performance to non-K variants of "Arrow Lake-S." Built in the microATX form-factor, the board is powered by the mid-range Intel B760 chipset. MSI has given the board a PCI-Express 5.0 x16 slot wired to the PEG interface of the processor. There are no M.2 Gen 5 slots that eat into this PEG slot, the board only puts out two M.2 Gen 4, one of which is wired to the processor, and the other to the PCH.

While the board lacks multiplier-based CPU overclocking, it supports BCLK-based OC, besides a fully capable DDR5 memory overclocking feature-set in its UEFI BIOS, letting you use the fastest XMP kits supported by "Raptor Lake." Besides the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, you get a PCIe 4.0 x4 and x1 slots from the PCH. Networking connectivity includes 2.5 GbE, there is surprisingly no WLAN, not even an M.2 E-key slot. The onboard audio solution uses an entry-level Realtek ALC892 CODEC. In all, we're not sure where MSI is going with this product, other than diluting the MPOWER brand.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Steam is by far the most popular game distribution platform for the PC platform, and its hardware and software surveys provide a pulse of the PC gaming market. The platform's latest monthly snapshot shows Steam on Linux exceeding 3% of all Steam sessions. What's more, one-third of these Linux users play on Valve's own SteamOS platform, which is a specialized PC Linux distribution for gaming. 3.05% of all active Steam users are playing on Linux with Steam for Linux as the DRM platform.

This is a 33% year-on-year growth from October 2024, when Linux made up 2% of all active Steam users. With this, Steam on Linux has surpassed Steam on macOS, which held 2.11% of the active users. Windows continues to be the dominant OS for PC gaming, with a 94.84% stranglehold. Within Windows, the latest Windows 11 gained 3% market share at the expense of Windows 10. Windows 11 holds 63.57% of the market, compared to 31.14% held by Windows 10.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

MSI proudly announces that its Cubi NUC AI Series mini PCs have been honored with the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2025, recognizing its excellence in design, functionality, and commitment to sustainability. The MSI Cubi NUC AI Series is built for the era of AI-driven computing, all within a compact chassis of either 0.51 liters or 0.826 liters. This mini PC combines powerful performance with an eco-friendly design. As a Copilot+ PC-ready mini PC, the Cubi NUC AI+ series integrates advanced on-device AI capabilities, delivering exceptional performance and versatility for modern professionals, educators, and business users.

The jury of the GOOD DESIGN Award commended the Cubi NUC AI Series for its impressive combination of power efficiency, thoughtful design, and commitment to environmental responsibility. This system includes a chassis constructed from 37.25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastics, features FSC-certified packaging, and utilizes 100% recyclable molded-pulp materials, highlighting MSI's dedication to sustainable production.[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]