343 Industries today released a new update to its The Master Chief Collection, which includes all FPS Halo Games from Halo Reach through Halo 4 (which, in turn, covered two Xbox console releases in the original Xbox and Xbox 360). The new game, like Halo Reach, Halo: combat Evolved Anniversary, and Halo 2 Anniversary, has been ported to PC with most features one would expect. Performance-wise, the game runs pretty well, with an NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti achieving 150+ FPS on 4K and maximum quality settings - which is to be expected considering the games' original September 2007 release, and the fact that like Halo Reach, it hasn't been remastered.



It's time to finish the fight (again). In the meantime, check after the break for some 4K screenshots of the game, which still holds up pretty well with a simple resolution increase.
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(PR) Micron Drives DDR5 Adoption With Technology Enablement Program
Micron Technology, Inc., today announced a comprehensive enablement program which will provide early access to technical resources, products and ecosystem partners. The Technology Enablement Program will aid in the design, development and qualification of next-generation computing platforms that use DDR5, the most technologically advanced DRAM available.



Today's news builds on Micron's January announcement of DDR5 RDIMM samples and brings the industry one step closer to unlocking the value in next-generation, data-centric applications. Companies joining Micron in the DDR5 Technology Enablement Program include Cadence, Montage, Rambus, Renesas and Synopsys.
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(PR) AMD Announces Ryzen Threadripper PRO Series Workstation Processors
Today, AMD announced the new AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processor line-up, with up to 64 cores and unrivaled bandwidth built with enterprise-grade AMD PRO technologies. Designed for professional workstations from OEMs and system integrators, AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processors uniquely offer full spectrum compute capabilities with unmatched core counts for multi-threaded workloads plus high frequency single core performance for lightly threaded workloads. This combination makes AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processors the best choice for artists, architects, engineers and data scientists.



"AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processors are purpose-built to set the new industry standard for professional workstation compute performance," said Saeid Moshkelani, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Client business unit. "The extreme performance, high core counts and bandwidth of AMD Ryzen Threadripper Processors are now available with AMD PRO technology features including seamless manageability and unique built-in data protection. Even the most demanding professional environment is addressed with the new AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO line-up, from artists and creators developing breathtaking visual effects, to architects and engineers working with large datasets and complex visualizations, all brought to life on the most advanced professional workstation platform in the world.
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(PR) Lenovo Announces ThinkStation P620: World's First AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO Workstation
Today marks a new generation of workstation computing with Lenovo's launch of the ThinkStation P620, adding a first-of-its kind workstation to the tower portfolio. As the first and only professional workstation powered by AMD's brand-new Ryzen Threadripper PRO processor, the new workstation brings together unprecedented levels of power, performance and flexibility in a single socket CPU platform. Today's digital creation environments are packed with ever-scaling projects and increasingly complex workflows. From design and visualization, to rendering and AI, enterprise users require a workstation that can not only keep pace but outperform what was previously possible.



The ThinkStation P620, offers unparalleled power and performance, as well as the configurability to meet each customer's unique needs in a way that wasn't possible until now. By leveraging AMD's Ryzen Threadripper PRO Processor, Lenovo is delivering the only 64 core workstation platform - a new industry standard. Threadripper PRO processors also offer clock speeds up to 4.00 GHz, 128 lanes of PCIe 4.0 bandwidth and 8-channel memory support. In addition to speed and flexibility, Lenovo customers now have unmatched core counts for multi-threaded workloads in a single socket platform - rivaling competing dual socket solutions.
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(PR) Advanced Security Features of AMD EPYC Processors Enable New Google Cloud Confidential Computing Portfolio
AMD and Google Cloud today announced the beta availability of Confidential Virtual Machines (VMs) for Google Compute Engine powered by 2nd Gen AMD EPYC processors, taking advantage of the processors' advanced security features. The first product in the Google Cloud Confidential Computing portfolio, Confidential VMs, enables customers for the first time to encrypt data in-use while it is being processed and not just when at rest and in-transit. Based on the N2D family of VMs for Google Compute Engine, Confidential VMs provide customers high performance processing for the most demanding computational tasks and enable encryption for even the most sensitive data in the cloud while it is being processed.



"At Google Cloud, we believe the future of cloud computing will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where users can be confident that the confidentiality of their data is always under their control. To help customers in making that transition, we've created Confidential VMs, the first product in our Google Cloud Confidential Computing portfolio," said Vint Cerf, vice president and chief internet evangelist, Google. "By using advanced security technology in the AMD EPYC processors, we've created a breakthrough technology that allows customers to encrypt their data in the cloud while it's being processed and unlock computing scenarios that had previously not been possible."
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(PR) Control Your Setup with a Touch - CORSAIR Launches iCUE NEXUS Companion Touch Screen
CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance gaming peripherals and enthusiast components, today announced the launch of the versatile CORSAIR iCUE NEXUS Companion Touch Screen, a new accessory that puts the power of CORSAIR iCUE software at your fingertips - literally. Attaching to compatible keyboards such as the CORSAIR K70 RGB MK.2 or K95 RGB PLATINUM XT, or connecting directly to your PC via USB, the iCUE NEXUS delivers convenient access to iCUE's powerful features, such as real-time system monitoring and programmable macros. With the ability to program more than 200 screens, each displaying up to six virtual buttons using custom drag-and-drop graphics, the iCUE NEXUS also adds an extra layer of personalization to any PC enthusiast's setup.



The iCUE NEXUS functions as an interactive heads-up display for your PC, leveraging the wide-ranging capabilities of iCUE software. Keep an eye on your system's vitals with real-time system monitoring data from the CPU, GPU, and iCUE-compatible devices, including temperatures, frequencies, fan speeds, and more. Any actions programmable in iCUE can be mapped to one of the iCUE NEXUS' virtual buttons, letting you perform a myriad of commands with just a touch, from launching a game or app to executing complex macros in-game.
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Intel Discontinues 9th Gen Core X Series "Skylake-X" HEDT Processors
Intel issued a product change notification (PCH) announcing the discontinuation of its 9th Gen Core X series "Skylake-X" HEDT processors in the LGA2066 package; in addition to at least 10 Xeon W-2000 series workstation processors that are based on a similar IP. Discontinuation involves several steps, the first of which is the discontinuation announcement, which is dated July 9, 2020. The last orders for these chips will be taken on January 22, 2021, which are non-cancellable and non-returnable (for distributors, end-users are still protected by product warranties and consumer laws regardless of when they buy the processor). The last orders ship before July 9, 2021.

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(PR) Phison to Sell Shares in Joint Venture to Kingston Technology
Kingston Technology Europe Co LLP, an affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced Phison (TPEx:8299) will sell its shares in Kingston Solutions, Inc. (KSI), a joint venture with Kingston Technology Corporation, to Kingston. The transaction will enable Kingston to become the majority shareholder of KSI. Phison will continue to focus on technology and R & D; and, give Kingston the best-in-class support and service.



In 2010, Phison and Kingston formed KSI as a joint venture to accelerate the adoption of eMMC (Embedded Multi-Media Card) solutions by easing the design-in effort and speeding up the product design cycle. This allowed both companies to bring their products to market faster. KSI leveraged Phison's expertise in controller technology with Kingston's operational proficiency in memory solutions to quickly become a market leader in the embedded industry.
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HP Announces S750 2.5-inch SATA SSD
HP today announced the S750 line of client-segment SSDs in the 2.5-inch form-factor that take advantage of the SATA 6 Gbps interface. Available in capacities of 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB, the drives combine an SMI-sourced controller with 96-layer 3D NAND flash memory. All three variants are rated to offer sequential transfer speeds of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 520 MB/s writes. The 256 GB variant offers random access performance of up to 55,000/79,000 IOPS (reads/writes); the 512 GB variant up to 90,000/89,000 IOPS, and the 1 TB variant up to 74,000/80,000 IOPS. Endurance of the three variants are rated at 160 TBW, 320 TBW, and 650 TBW, respectively. The company didn't reveal pricing as it vastly varies between regions.

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