TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

AMD's upcoming Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX "Storm Peak" workstation processor surfaced on Puget Systems PugetBench online database. The 7985WX is a 64-core/128-thread processor based on the "Zen 4" microarchitecture, that's configured with an 8-channel DDR5 memory interface (16 sub-channels), and a 128-lane PCI-Express Gen 5 root-complex. The processor was spotted running on an AMD internal development board codenamed "Boulder Gulch" (AMD uses weird internal codenames to back-trace leaks). The machine had a cool 256 GB of 8-channel DDR5-5600 memory, and an NVIDIA RTX A5000 GPU. AMD is planning to release the Ryzen 7000WX workstation processor series some time in October 2023.

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(PR) MaxLinear Cancels Acquisition of Silicon Motion
In a surprise move, Maxlinear has cancelled its close to US$4 billion takeover of Silicon Motion, despite having received approval by China to finally acquire Silicon Motion. The two companies started their merger back in May of 2022, but over a year later, Maxlinear has announced that it has "exercised its contractual rights to terminate its May 5, 2022 merger agreement". The announcement saw a drop in Maxlinear's shares of about 12 percent and a 25 percent drop for Silicon Motion.

It's unclear as to why Maxlinear cancelled the deal, but the two companies don't appear to have clear synergies outside some storage products. That said, Maxlinear appears to blame Silicon Motion in a press release that the company issues. Among other things, Maxlinear states that "Silicon Motion has suffered a Material Adverse Effect that is continuing, Silicon Motion is in material breach of representations, warranties, covenants, and agreements in the Merger Agreement that give rise to the right of the Company to terminate". As to what this actually means, we'll most likely never find out, but as Maxlinear also points out, the merger was supposed to have been finished by the 23rd of May 2023, which means Maxlinear had the right to cancel the merger regardless.

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(PR) Seagate Technology Reports Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Financial Results
Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ: STX) today reported financial results for its fiscal fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. "Our fourth quarter and fiscal 2023 performance reflected the uneven pace of economic recovery in China, cloud inventory digestion, and cautious enterprise spending amid the uncertain macroeconomic environment. The proactive actions we've taken to lower costs, manage production output, reduce debt and drive operational leverage have underpinned resilient performance and solid cash generation, while continuing to advance our revolutionary HAMR technology," said Dave Mosley, Seagate's chief executive officer.

"Through our actions, Seagate is now leaner, our balance sheet healthier, and our product roadmap even stronger, positioning the company to weather the near-term business environment, deliver financial leverage, and capture attractive long-term opportunities for Mass Capacity storage."
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How to Size Your Solar Generator for Running a Refrigerator: A Comprehensive Guide by Anker
In this helpful post, we'll walk you through the crucial steps and considerations to make sure how to size your solar generator for running a refrigerator that can provide your refrigerator with the power it needs to keep your food cool and fresh even while you're off the grid. We'll go into important issues like figuring out how much energy your refrigerator uses, evaluating how much electricity your solar generator needs, and choosing the right size of solar generator.

Can You Run a Refrigerator on Solar Power? It's time to face the reality—the energy crisis is real and we need to start thinking about alternative energy sources to power our household items. One of the most essential appliances we use on a daily basis is the refrigerator. It is responsible for keeping our food fresh, cool, and healthy. However, it is also one of the biggest energy consumers in our homes.
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(PR) Nixxes Software Celebrates Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's PC Launch Day
Hey everyone, today we are celebrating the launch of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC. Back in 2002, Insomniac Games released the first Ratchet & Clank game on PlayStation. It's been two decades since the series first evolved into an iconic franchise on PlayStation consoles, and now for the very first time, Ratchet and his friends and foes are making the jump to a new platform.

On behalf of everyone at Nixxes Software, we can't wait to hear about your experiences with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC and look forward to seeing your Photo Mode results. You can help us find your posts by using the hashtag #RatchetPC when sharing your experiences and creations on social media.
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ASRock Site Lists Previously Leaked Arc A770 Phantom Gaming 16 GB OC Card
A Newegg product page popped up last week, giving us a first glimpse at ASRock's Phantom Gaming Arc A770 16 GB graphics card. The e-tailer had no stock available on July 20, but the listing included an asking price of $329.99 (MSRP is $349). The Taiwanese manufacturer was radio silent at the time—no press material was released, and their own website was not updated with a product page for the 16 GB variant of its existing custom Alchemist design.

The ASRock Arc A770 Phantom Gaming 16 GB OC model's page is now live and fully accessible, and Newegg appears to have units in stock. TPU has not received any fresh PR material, so ASRock is seemingly taking a quiet approach to their new product's launch. The spec sheet shows that the card's memory clock comes in at 17.5 Gbps, which makes it a good alternative to Intel's recently discontinued A770 Limited Edition. It joins Acer's competing Predator BiFrost model in an exclusive club—these are the only 16 GB A770 custom design graphics cards available in the West.
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(PR) Lenovo Introduces New Tab P12 and Tab M10 5G Tablets
Lenovo is introducing two new additions to its lineup of consumer tablets powered by Android, the Lenovo Tab P12 and Lenovo Tab M10 5G, made for more versatility and enhanced personal time. These devices, combining entertainment, learning tools, and added mobility, are engineered to meet the wide-ranging demands of consumers today, no matter where life takes them.

The Lenovo Tab P12 is the essential back-to-school device for high school and college-age students, with its blend of learning and playtime capabilities. It has a large 12.7-inch 3K display for both video watching and web browsing, a JBL speaker system and Dolby Atmos, which delivers a richer, multidimensional audio experience that brings out more depth, clarity, and details from entertainment. Its battery life supports extended usage for both learning and fun. The Lenovo Tab P12 stands out for its compatibility with the new Lenovo Tab Pen Plus and ThinkPad-inspired keyboard to facilitate smarter ways to learn. The large display can be split for multitasking—taking notes for an online class or viewing a document, while a specialized reading mode and eye care feature support long, immersive study sessions. The Lenovo Tab M10 5G is specifically designed to cater to highly mobile consumers who want convenience without having to worry about staying connected. This always-connected tablet provides rapid 5G connectivity and sustained battery life on a 10.61-inch 2K screen.
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(PR) Microsoft Introduces a New Xbox Home Experience
Starting today, a new Home experience is rolling out to all Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles. This update is designed from player feedback and makes it easier to discover new games, rediscover games you already love, connect with communities, and create a more personalized experience.

We're excited to share more about the journey that led us here, and what you can expect with this new update.
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Apple's 15-inch MacBook Air Unit Sales Reportedly Lower than Excepted
Apple introduced its 15‑inch MacBook Air at June's WWDC23 event—the giant multinational technology had taken feedback from its customer base, and followed through by rolling out a larger version of the existing M2-based 13-inch model. That appeasement could be a wasted effort, given the latest rumors emerging from Asia. DigiTimes has gathered information from sources within Apple's supply chain—they claim that "the 15-inch MacBook Air...reportedly didn't meet customer demand expectations. There are even calls for the supply chain to put shipments on hold."

The 15-inch MacBook Air's shipment volume for July is reportedly 50% short of the company's original projection, with a broad downturn in the global notebook market factoring in as a reason for sluggish sales. The model's $1299 starting price appears to be quite reasonable at first glance, but the entry point only gives you a spec consisting of non-upgradable 8 GB (unified) RAM and 256 GB solid state storage. A discerning buyer is semi-forced to shell out closer to $2000 for a more competitive configuration, comparable to the closest Window 11 slimline laptops. The high asking prices, on top of a mixed reception around launch time have done the 15-inch MacBook Air few favors. Apple enthusiasts are probably saving up and waiting for the arrival of upcoming M3 chipset-equipped models. DigiTimes reckons that an "upcoming announcement" regarding a next-gen MacBook Pro is due very soon.

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[NextPowerUP]

Dead by Daylight's Nicolas Cage Chapter Pack features a new Survivor, legendary actor Nicolas Cage in his deadliest role yet. Purchasing this add-on unlocks an exclusive Cosmetic: Teal Jacket as well as the Very Rare Gorgon Drip Outfit for Nicolas Cage.

The new Survivor is Nicolas Cage
Countless awards. Over one hundred films. Nicolas Cage had done it all and seen it all...or so he thought. When a mysterious screenplay for "Descend Beyond" landed on his desk, he signed on without hesitation. While filming, Nick performed his dialogue with gravitas, a dark incantation that rolled off his tongue with ease. He dipped his fingers in a cup of red ink and painted symbols on the stone altar. He was so immersed he barely noticed the tendrils of black Fog slowly creeping toward him...
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Newegg's PC Builder ChatGPT Plugin Tested
Newegg released its PC Builder ChatGPT Plugin yesterday, and former TPU writer—Francisco Pires—decided to put it through the proverbial ringer. His hands-on adventures with AI-assisted PC build suggestions were documented in a Tom's Hardware article. Initial impressions are a mixed bag—he brings in a metaphor to describe his experience: "it was akin to entering Alice in Wonderland (the Tim Burton version): everything's interesting and somewhat faithful, but laid out in just the wrong way." The beta version (released back in March) proved to be a confusing mess, according to Avram Piltch, Editor-in-Chief at Tom's Hardware.

Pires proposed that the tool is decent enough for fledgling PC build novices to utilize, but the chatbot was found to overvalue certain components: "the typical price for the Radeon RX 6700 XT hovers around the $330-$370 range so the $558.99 MSI card the bot recommends is overpriced by more than $230!" The assistant also struggled to keep a suggested system build within a specified $1000 budget, the total was stretched to $1123.09. He also discovered some quirks related to the assistant's (apparently) incomplete GPU model database: "why did ChatGPT suggest a GeForce RTX 4060 for the build, if its knowledge cut-off is set at September 2021?" The plugin seems to have scraped information about newer products from Newegg's store, but the bot's full text answer (see the attached screenshot) provides a comparison between older generations.

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(PR) IBM Receives Department of Defense's Accreditation for Embedded Security Services
IBM today announced that it has received an additional Trusted Supplier accreditation from the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) for delivery of embedded security services customized for a U.S.-based advanced microelectronics manufacturer. IBM Consulting's accredited security services were previously recognized with the prestigious James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Achievement Award for overall security program excellence in 2022.

Microelectronics are used in most defense technology platforms—from mobile devices to computers and advanced weapons systems. This makes microelectronics supply chains critical to our national security and economic prosperity. However, they also represent one of the most complex defense-critical supply chains to secure because of their global reach and manufacturing. IBM Consulting's award-winning accredited security services takes this complexity into account, allowing for not only the identification, but also the remediation of microelectronics supply chain vulnerabilities.
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(PR) Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters' Execution Force DLC Available Now
We do not determine the guilty; we do not decide the punishment; we are merely the cold instruments of the Emperor's vengeance. There is no form of death unknown to us; there is no form of terror beyond our means; there is no enemy outside our reach. We are the blade that hovers over the throat of the traitor; we are the bullet that awaits the heretic's skull; we are the poison in the throat of the alien.

The Officio Assassinorum have arrived. Our second major DLC, Execution Force is now available to all players via Steam and the Epic Games Store. This DLC brings the might of four unique Assassin units to your disposal. Use them wisely in combination with your Grey Knights to decimate Nurgle's despicable plague. Alongside Execution Force comes Update XIII, which brings a swathe of its own new content and changes. Notably a new squad of enemies, the Tainted Sons have entered the fray, posing a new fearsome challenge.
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Official AMD Phoenix Drivers Documented in Adrenalin 23.7.2 Notes
RubyRapids and westlake tipped off VideoCardz to the presence of interesting information sitting within the latest AMD Adrenalin update notes—its integrated driver compatibility list has been expanded with the addition of a mobile-oriented iGPU Radeon 700M family (780M, 760M and 740M). It seems that Team Red's Phoenix series will be included in the main branch, and not be limited to OEM distribution for software improvements. A public driver release schedule for the Radeon 700M series will provide gamers with access to official updates through normal channels, with the benefit of—hopefully—no major delays.

VideoCardz reckons that an integration into the main branch means: "that whether the GPU being updated relies on RDNA3 in a discrete GPU or as an integrated solution, it will be fully supported through one package. The latest 23.7.2 driver now supports Radeon 7000 desktop and mobile, AMD Ryzen 7045 Dragon Range, Ryzen 7040U and Ryzen 7040HS series." The ASUS ROG Ally's Ryzen Z1 series seems to be the exception, since AMD has not included these APUs in the latest list of supported devices. Folks who have pored over the document have discovered up to "517 devices listed on the hardware support list, including PCI Device IDs and sub-IDs." Many Phoenix APU models are seemingly destined for fitting in a wide variety of laptops and (very likely handheld) gaming consoles. A mysterious model—Ryzen 7 7840S—was also spotted. This looks to be a Lenovo-specific 8-core Ryzen processor based on Phoenix silicon—ITHome believes that it utilizes a customized FP8 package.

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(PR) Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Gameplay Previewed via in-depth Trailer
Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware, Inc. (ELDEN RING, DARK SOULS) have revealed a new extended gameplay walkthrough trailer for ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON. Narrated by the developers, the video is the deepest look yet at the game's intense action, sprawling levels and challenging battle sequences.

As the video showcases, success in ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON will come from tinkering with highly customizable mech builds, a signature feature of the series, and learning the right strategies and techniques such as staggering enemies with the right weapons, combining ranged and melee attacks, and taking every advantage in battle.
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[NextPowerUP]

Intel's Alchemist engineering team has been working on improving its open-source Vulkan drivers for Linux—recent coverage from Phoronix shows that Team Blue's hard work is paying off, especially in the area of gaming performance. The site's founder, Michael Larabel, approves of the latest Mesa work produced by Intel engineers, and has commended them on their efforts to better the Arc Graphics family. His mid-month testings—on a Linux 6.4-based system running an Intel Arc A770 GPU—demonstrated a "~10% speed-up for the Intel Arc Graphics on Linux." He has benchmarked this system again over the past weekend, following the release of a new set of optimizations for Mesa 23.3-devel: "The latest performance boost for Intel graphics on Linux is by supporting the I915_FORMAT_MOD_4_TILED_DG2_RC_CCS modifier. Indeed it's panning out nicely for furthering the Intel Arc Graphics Vulkan performance."

He apologized for the limited selection of games, due to: "the Intel Linux graphics driver still not having sparse support in place, but at least that will hopefully be here in the coming months when the Intel Xe kernel driver is upstreamed. Another recent promising development for the Intel open-source graphics driver support is fake sparse support to at least help some games and that code will hopefully be merged soon." First up was Counter-Strike: Global Offensive—thanks to the optimized Vulkan drivers it: "enjoyed another nice boost to the performance as a result of this latest code. For CS Linux gamers, it's great seeing the 21% boost just over the past month."
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(PR) Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Powers Samsung's Newest Flagship Device Lineup
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced that its flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy is powering Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.'s new cutting-edge foldable smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Galaxy Z Flip5, and its latest Galaxy Tab S9 Series. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy defines a new standard for connected computing, including groundbreaking AI experiences, desktop-level gaming features, professional grade photography, and more, for consumers around the world.

"Samsung is important to our mission to deliver the world's best mobile experiences to consumers. They continue to set the pace for innovation and we couldn't be more thrilled to have Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy power the newest flagship Galaxy device lineup—the Galaxy Z Flip5, Galaxy Z Fold5, and Galaxy Tab S9 series," said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, compute, & XR businesses, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
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(PR) NEO Semiconductor to Present Its Ground-Breaking 3D NAND and 3D DRAM Architectures at Flash Memory Summit 2023
NEO Semiconductor, a leading developer of innovative technologies for 3D NAND flash and DRAM memory, today announced its participation at Flash Memory Summit 2023, taking place in person in Santa Clara, California, on August 8-10. CEO, Andy Hsu, will deliver a keynote address titled "New Architectures which will Drive Future 3D NAND and 3D DRAM Solutions" on August 9th at 11:40 a.m. Pacific Time.

Earlier this year, Neo Semiconductor announced the launch of its ground-breaking technology, 3D X-DRAM. This development is the world's first 3D NAND-like DRAM cell array that is targeted to solve DRAM's capacity bottleneck and replace the entire 2D DRAM market. 3D X-DRAM can be manufactured using the existing 3D NAND flash memory process with minor changes, significantly reducing the time and cost spent developing a new 3D process. During the keynote, Mr. Hsu will reveal the 3D X-DRAM process flow and technical details.
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(PR) Angry Cat Studios Launches USC: Counterforce
Developer Angry Cat Studios and Publisher Firesquid have officially launched their turn-based squad tactics title USC: Counterforce into Early Access on Steam. With hours of gameplay already available, players that dive into the game will be able to join a deep strategical experience with multiple missions, customizable commando forces and a powerful alien threat to destroy.

Taking inspiration from the likes of UFO/XCOM, Space Hulk and the Aliens series, USC: Counterforce has players controlling a group of geared-up commandos tasked with investigating an alien threat on the planetary body M-8322. Utilizing USC: Counterforce's advanced squad management interface with a class-free skill system and passive abilities, players must master combat and find the perfect combination of skills in order to keep back this alien threat. Bring along a friend to bring home glory using local co-op mode (hot seat or remote play together).
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Sony Could Roll Out PlayStation 5 Summer Price Cuts Across More Territories
Sony has implemented a time limited price reduction for its PlayStation 5 Standard/Disc Edition console in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy—according to billbil-kun (writing for Dealabs magazine) the time limited summer promotion is going to reach Germany, Great Britain and the United States shortly. The campaign has been running since mid-July, and customers in eligible regions have (so far) enjoyed a €75 reduction, bringing the standard PS5 model's price down to as low as €450 (~$498). Dealabs believes that that some of these regional offers have already ended (as of July 24).

The article seems to source some insider information, with very specific discount figures presented for the next batch of participants—German customers are set to get the aforementioned standard European €75 reduction, bringing the PS5's price down to €474.99 (from €549.99). UK gamers get £75 off, so £404.99 total (reduced from £479.99). US folks are lined up for a less generous $50 cut—due to Sony not implementing PS5 price increases for that market—resulting in $449.99 (instead of $499.99). Billbil-kun reckons that the following retail outlets will be taking part in the campaign's next phase: PlayStation Store/PlayStation Direct, Amazon, MediaMarkt, Target and GAME UK. The timing of these temporary cuts could point to Sony responding to Microsoft's unpopular decision to jack up asking prices for the Xbox Series X console, as well as Game Pass subscription fees.

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[NextPowerUP]

Just when you think the post-apocalyptic world being overrun by hordes of deadly enemies couldn't get any worse, along comes Remnant 2 with a whole new terrifying world of deadly creatures and god-like bosses. Remnant 2 is the continuation of the best-selling game Remnant: From the Ashes, and we (Xbox Wire) connected with David Adams, President of Gunfire Games, to talk about what you can expect from this intense Remnant combat experience.

Since this is a sequel, the first and most obvious question is, how does Remnant 2 align with everything we experienced in Remnant: From the Ashes, and what do those players who never played the first game need to know? "Story wise it picks up from the end of the first game's final DLC. The main threat has been seemingly defeated, and mankind is starting to fight back and take back the Earth," shares Adams. "However, something is obviously not perfect, or we wouldn't have a sequel. We try to keep the stories in our games simple, so players should have no trouble picking it up."
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PowerColor & Sapphire Launch Custom Radeon RX 7900 GRE Cards
PowerColor has today revealed the Red Devil Radeon RX 7900 GRE 16 GB graphics card, which appears to look like a slimmer version of its existing siblings—the more powerful Red Devil RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX. We have experienced a steady flow of news relating to AMD's new Golden Rabbit Edition GPU—with benchmark results released by review outlets in China, as well as a closer look at an unshrouded example. It was previously reported that Team Red would not be producing a reference model—VideoCardz now believes that XFX will be announcing itself as the primary manufacturing partner for said card.

Sapphire's custom equivalent was leaked earlier this week—a NITRO+ Lite-esque shroud design was unboxed and photographed ahead of today's official reveal. At the time of writing Sapphire has not published a product page for its brand new RX 7900 GRE model, but retail units are available to buy from their official store on JD.com. This NITRO+ variant is going for 5499 RMB (~$769), roughly $27 on top of AMD's official MSRP. PowerColor has not announced any pricing for the Red Devil RX 7900 GRE, but it has the same clock speeds—2050 MHz (game) & 2395 MHz (boost)—as the NITRO+. VideoCardz stated that these factory produced settings: "likely represent the highest configuration suggested by AMD."

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Acer Co-founder Skeptical about US Semiconductor Industry's Prospects
Stan Shih, the co-founder & honorary chairman of Acer Inc., thinks that the USA will have hard time catching up with Asian semiconductor production facilities. Yahoo Taiwan managed to extract some choice comments from the multi-faceted businessman—he believes that the US government's initiative to boost native chip making will not be enough to match existing overseas strongholds. A key area of focus was volume output—Shih reckons that North America is already too far behind Asian counterpart industries, with Acer's home base of Taiwan being particularly strong (in his opinion). Workplace culture and state of the art equipment are cited as the main pillars for success.

Shih observed that that US chip industry has historically been far too reliant on outsourcing (going back many decades) production to foreign facilities, and Asia's position has been fortified thanks to long established and optimized supply chains—he thinks that the American system is not mature enough to reach parity. On a semi-related note, TSMC is reportedly struggling to get its new US facility fully operational—company chairman Mark Liu (according to Tom's Hardware): "said that the Taiwanese company would delay mass production of its Arizona fab from early 2024 to 2025, partly due to a lack of cleanroom tools necessary to produce chips at scale." TSMC has been transferring staff from its home turf to plug staffing gaps at the Phoenix facility—Liu divulged his latest batch of complaints during an earnings conference (last Thursday): "We are encountering certain challenges, as there is an insufficient number of skilled workers with the specialized expertise required for equipment installation in a semiconductor-grade facility."

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GoDeal24 Announces July Sale, Save up to 62% on Genuine Software
GoDeal24 announces the July 2023 Sale. Get the software you need at the prices you want! As you plan your next-generation gaming PC build, let GoDeal help you find the software it needs, such as Genuine Windows 11 Pro, and Office 2021 Professional, at some of the lowest prices on the web. Get Windows 11 Pro at just $10.25. Office 2021 Professional Plus can be had at $24.25. Better yet, combine the two for just $32.99, and save even more. Check out great deals on other editions of Windows and Office, their combos, and system utilities.

Buy Windows 10 Pro at $7.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home at $7.15 | Buy Windows 11 Pro at $10.25 | Buy Windows 11 Home at $9.98 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus at $24.25 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac at $28.99 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $22.25 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac at $26.69

Please use the coupon code SGO62 on the following items to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $29.70 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $25.68 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $32.99 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.69

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 5-PC at $65.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 2-PC at $39.25 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $12.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $12.01 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 2-PC at $20.25 | Buy Windows 11 Home 2-PC at $19.25

Please use the coupon code SGO50 on the following items to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Visio Professional 2021 at $30.23 | Buy Project Professional 2021 at $33.82 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Standard at $26.13 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Standard at $16.06 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Datacenter at $30.75 | Buy Visual Studio 2022 Enterprise at $60 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC at $12.81 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC 10-PC at $50.99 | Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC 10-PC at $54.99
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(PR) SolidRun Intros Bedrock R7000 - an AMD Ryzen 7840HS Powered Fanless Edge-AI IPC
SolidRun has announced the world's first rugged system design that combines 8-core AMD Ryzen 7040 series processors with multiple Hailo-8 AI accelerators to create its Bedrock R7000 Edge AI for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. This new member in SolidRun's Bedrock family of fanless modular industrial PCs is specifically designed to meet demanding vision-based situational awareness in harsh environments.

The new system integrates with the AMD Ryzen 7840HS processor, a state-of-the-art 4 nm APU with 8C/16T Zen 4 CPU and integrated RDNA 3 Radeon 780M GPU. The 20 native PCIe Gen 4 lanes and up to three Hailo-8 AI accelerators can be fully utilized together with NVMe Gen4x4 storage, dual 2.5 Gbit Ethernet and 4x4K displays. The CPU and all devices are passively cooled by the innovative fanless cooling system of the Bedrock R7000 in an industrial temperature range of -40°C to 85°C.
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(PR) Starbreeze Schedules Payday 3 Closed Beta - August 2 to 7
Heisters! We are thrilled to announce that PAYDAY 3 is hosting a technical Closed Beta from August 2nd to August 7th. Players can sign-up for a chance to play the game on Steam and Xbox Series S|X. We have prepared a FAQ regarding the Closed BETA (see below).

PAYDAY 3 is the much anticipated sequel to one of the most popular co-op shooters ever. Since its release, PAYDAY-players have been reveling in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist. That's what makes PAYDAY a high-octane, co-op FPS experience without equal.
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AMD Radeon PRO W7600 GPU Spotted in Geekbench Database
An interesting system popped up on Geekbench Browser early this morning—on initial inspection the evaluated high-end PC was sporting hardware of 2021-vintage, but its graphics card was observed as an outlier. The Intel Core i9-12900K (Alder Lake-S) CPU was sitting on an MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi mainboard, with 64 GB of DDR5 SDRAM (3990 MT/s). The benchmarked computer was running Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (64-bit) on a power saver (economizador) plan. According to the entry's OpenCL information section we are looking at an attached GPU device called "GFX1102 ID," the board name is revealed to be "AMD Radeon PRO W7600" with 8 GB of VRAM. This lower-end alternative to existing (RDNA 3) Radeon Pro models—W7900 (48 GB) and W7800 (32 GB)—could be nearing a public launch.

This information aligns the workstation-oriented card with AMD's Navi 33 GPU—the same GFX1102 designation appears within TPU's database entry (look at the Shader ISA (GFX11.0) graphics feature). VideoCardz reckons that the leaked Radeon PRO W7600 is closely related to AMD's mobile Radeon RX 7700/7600 series—based on Navi 33, due to their matching IDs. Their report proposed: "Based on this data, the GPU is expected to have a clock speed of 1940 MHz. Comparatively, this is 310 MHz lower than the Radeon RX 7600 gaming model, which refers to its Game Clock of 2250 MHz. The Compute Unit field refers to "Workgroup Processor/WGP" cluster, so the card features 32 Compute Units or 2048 Stream Processors, the same configuration as the RX 7600. The card is listed with 8 GB of memory, but it remains uncertain whether this model will support ECC (error correction), a feature found in the W7900/W7800 models. It's important to note that the W6600 did not utilize this type of memory."

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[NextPowerUP]

It's been ten… long… years…We are thrilled to announce that Slender: The Arrival, the spine-chilling horror game that has captivated millions of players, is about to become even more terrifyingly immersive. Brace yourselves for a huge update coming this October as we introduce a complete visual overhaul utilizing the latest and greatest technologies within Unreal Engine 5.2.

Every shadow, every material, every model and every hair-raising encounter with the mysterious Slender Man will be rendered in stunning detail. This new update not only enhances the graphics but also elevates the overall gameplay experience. Mark your calendars because this October, Slender Man is back.
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NVIDIA Predicted to Pull in $300 Billion AI Revenues by 2027
NVIDIA has been raking in lots of cash this year and hit a major milestone back in late May, with a trillion dollar valuation—its stock price doubled thanks to upward trends in the artificial intelligence market, with growing global demand for AI-hardware. Business Insider believes that Team Green will continue to do very well for itself over the next couple of years: "Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh has given NVIDIA's stock price another 20% upside to run—and even this new target of $530 is "conservative," according to a Sunday client note seen by Insider. Rakesh's previous price target for NVIDIA was $400. NVIDIA shares closed 0.7% higher at $446.12 apiece on Monday. The stock has surged 205% so far this year."

Despite the emergence of competing hardware from the likes of AMD and Intel, Rakesh predicts that NVIDIA will maintain a dominant position in the AI chip market until at least 2027: "With demand for generative AI accelerating, we see significant opportunities for hardware suppliers powering the higher compute needs for large-language models, particularly AI powerhouse NVIDIA. Insider reports that the company: "could generate around $300 billion in AI-specific revenue by 2027 with a 75% market share of AI server units...That's 10 times his projection of $25 billion to $30 billion in AI revenues this year." Rakesh has reportedly stuck with a $140 buy rating and price target for AMD shares.

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Seagate Starts Shipping Commercial Exos HAMR HDDs
Seagate has revealed that it has received revenue for Exos Corvault systems during a fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 conference call—the latest server range is equipped with heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) hard drives. We heard about evaluation samples being sent out to an important data center client around Spring time, but fresh corporate announcements have revealed that the first commercial HAMR-based systems have been picked up by paying customers. Gianluca Romano, the firm's chief financial officer stated: "Importantly, we shipped our first HAMR-based CORVAULT system for revenue as planned during the June quarter. We expect broader availability of these CORVAULT systems by the end of calendar 2023."

Seagate's chief executive, Dave Mosley, also revealed that higher capacity HAMR-based nearline hard drives have been sent out for testing in the field. He boasts that this was achieved during corporate cost cutting initiatives: "We reduced production output by approximately 25% compared with peak volume in order to drive better supply/demand dynamics and enhance profitability as the markets recover. And all of these accomplishments were made while delivering on our 30 TB+ HAMR product development and qualification milestones with volume ramp on track to begin in early calendar 2024...Initial customer qualifications are progressing well. We are on track to begin volume ramp in early calendar 2024. We are also preparing qualifications with a broader number of customers, including testing for lower capacity drives targeting VIA and enterprise OEM workloads." He also outlined plans to keep PMR and SMR hard drive technologies alive for another generation: "Development efforts on what may be our last PMR product are nearing completion and will extend drive capacities into the mid- to upper 20 TB range." Clients who are reluctant to jump onto HAMR could be offered some alternatives—24 TB+ models based on PMR+TDMR and SMR+TDMR configurations are roadmapped for release by the end of the year.
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(PR) AMD & Xilinx Introduce the Versal HBM Series VHK158 Evaluation Kit
Introducing the Versal HBM Series VHK158 Evaluation Kit. This features the Versal HBM series VH1582 device, which integrates multi-Tbps High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), hardened connectivity IP, and adaptive compute in a single device, eliminating the bottlenecks between memory, I/O, and compute while delivering up to 6 times more memory bandwidth.

The VHK158 evaluation kit is an evaluation platform for the Versal HBM series VH1582 device designed to keep up with the higher memory needs of compute intensive, memory bound applications, providing adaptable acceleration for data center, wired networking, test & measurement, and aerospace & defense applications. The VHK158 board's primary focus is to enable demonstration and evaluation of the VH1582 silicon and support customer application development
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(PR) REDMAGIC Announces New Cyberbuds DAO TWS
REDMAGIC, the gaming brand known for its iconic flagship professional gaming smartphones, continues to expand its gaming line with the new REDMAGIC Cyberbuds DAO TWS for international markets. The wireless earphones offer seamless connectivity with a futuristic design and RGB effects to offer comfort, and durability for gamers. Powered by Qualcomm's latest Bluetooth 5.3, Qualcomm S5, it offers a minimum delay of 28 ms when connected with the matching dongle. Capable of running as long as seven hours at a single charge, the new Cyberbuds DAO TWS are compatible with PC, PS4, PS5, Switch and android smartphones.

For a better gaming experience in various scenarios, users can modify the RGB light effects and sound modes. The earphones and charging base have a modern transparent design, showcasing cyber technology with cool RGB light effects and sci-fi vibes. An application called "Goper" is also available in PlayStore and soon in App Store, that allows users to manage functions such as codec format (SBC, AAC, LE Audio, aptX, and LHDC 5.0), audio EQ modes, game modes, lighting effects, and even pop-up window pairing when connected to a smartphone.
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[NextPowerUP]

DeepCool, a leading provider of high-performance cooling solutions for computers, is proud to announce the release of its latest product, the AN600 low profile air cooler. The AN600 is the perfect option for mid-level small form-factor systems that require a short CPU cooler. Designed to provide 180 W of cooling, the AN600 is the perfect match for processors that are not K-designated or for HEDT.

The AN600 features a stylish modern minimalist design with a brushed aluminium finish and a window into the fan motor that displays the high-quality FDB bearing. The AN600 utilizes 6 optimized heat pipes and a raised copper cold plate to pack 180 W of cooling potential in a short 67 mm tall CPU cooler. Its balanced two-way heat pipe technology and full ITX motherboard compatibility make it an ideal choice for gamers and enthusiasts who want high-performance cooling in a compact package.
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(PR) Sony Celebrates PlayStation 5 Surpassing 40 Million Unit Sales
We launched PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and the world was in a strange and different place than when we announced the console in 2019. Despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID, our teams and our partners worked diligently to deliver PS5 on time. We continued to face headwinds with the pandemic, and it took months for supply chains to normalize so we could have the inventory to keep up with demand. For more months than I care to remember, we kept thanking our community for their patience while working through these issues. But now PS5 supply is well-stocked and we are seeing that pent up demand finally being met.

With the support of PlayStation fans, we have reached a milestone of 40 million PS5 consoles sold through to gamers since launch. Thank you so much to our community of gamers - without you this would have been an impossible task. PS5 launched with the best catalog of games in our history and the momentum for great content keeps getting stronger. From innovative indie games to AAA blockbusters, there are more than 2,500 PS5 games now available, and it has never been a better time to experience PS5 In the last two months alone, we have seen incredible new games from our partners, including Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, and Street Fighter 6.
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(PR) Lords of the Fallen Showcased in Extended Gameplay Presentation
Lords of the Fallen beckons with an all-new 18-minute Extended Gameplay Presentation. Witness exhilarating combat in vast sprawling lands, calamitous boss fights that call for the utmost of nerves, and the ever-looming threat that spills darkness into this world. Set your gaze below..."The team at Hexworks is thrilled to finally share an extended gameplay presentation and reveal numerous new details of our dark fantasy action-RPG," said Saul Gascon, Head of Studio. "We have passionately carved our own path in this increasingly popular genre, and we are particularly excited to see how players will approach the game's unique dual-world mechanic when it releases this October."

Explore two, vast interconnected worlds
Mournstead stands ever parallel, luring all would-be adventurers who seek righteous glory. This vast and sprawling world of Lords of the Fallen beckons for exploration, from the ascending cliff face of Pilgrim's Perch, to the ever-burning city of Calrath. As you venture into the rich world of Lords of the Fallen, you will uncover that each major environment is interconnected with at least two others, offering freedom to forge your own path, that aligns with your story. Be warned As the lamp-bearer, take great caution when you embark on your journey, for it will be perilous, fraught with unspeakable dangers, however, those who bargain with their life can uncover a realm teeming with untold treasures.
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(PR) Silicon Motion Announces Results for the Period Ended June 30, 2023 and an Acquisition Update
Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion", the "Company" or "we") today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. For the second quarter of 2023, net sales (GAAP) increased sequentially to $140.4 million from $124.1 million in the first quarter of 2023. Net income (GAAP) increased to $11.0 million, or $0.33 per diluted American Depositary Share of the Company ("ADS") (GAAP), from net income (GAAP) of $10.2 million, or $0.30 per diluted ADS (GAAP), in the first quarter of 2023.

For the second quarter of 2023, net income (non-GAAP) increased to $12.6 million, or $0.38 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), from net income (non-GAAP) of $11.2 million, or $0.33 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), in the first quarter of 2023.
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AMD's Radeon RX 7900 GRE Gets Benchmarked
AMD's China exclusive Radeon RX 7900 GRE has been put through its paces by Expreview and the US$740 equivalent card should in short not carry the 7900-series moniker. In most of the tests, the card performs like a Raden RX 6950 XT or worse, with it being beaten by the Radeon RX 6800 XT in 3D Mark Fire Strike, even if it's only by the tiniest amount. Expreview has done a fairly limited comparison, mainly pitching the Radeon RX 7900 GRE against the Radeon RX 7900 XT and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070, where it loses by a mile towards AMD's higher-end GPU, which by no means was unexpected as this is a lower tier product.

However, when it comes the GeForce RTX 4070, AMD struggles to keep up at 1080p, where NVIDIA takes home the win in games like The Last of US Part 1 and Diablo 4. In games like F1 22 and Assassin's Creed Hall of Valor, AMD is only ahead by a mere percentage point or less. Once ray tracing is enabled, AMD only wins in F1 22 and it's by less than one percent again and Far Cry 6, where AMD is almost three percent faster. Moving up in resolution, the Radeon RX 7900 GRE ends up being a clear winner, most likely partially due to having 16 GB of VRAM and at 1440p the GeForce RTX 4070 also falls behind in most of the ray traced game tests, if only just in most of them. At 4K the NVIDIA card can no longer keep up, but the Radeon RX 7900 GRE isn't really a 4K champion either, dropping under 60 FPS in more resource heavy games like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us Part 1. Considering the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti only costs around US$50 more, it seems like it would be the better choice, despite having less VRAM. AMD appears to have pulled an NVIDIA with this card, which at least performance wise, seems to belong in the Radeon RX 7800 segment. The benchmark figures also suggests that the actual Radeon RX 7800 cards won't be worth the wait, unless AMD prices them very competitively.

Update 11:45 UTC: [Editor's note: The official MSRP from AMD appears to be US$649 for this card, which is more reasonable, but the performance still places this in in a category lower than the model name suggests.]

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[NextPowerUP]

BIOSTAR, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and storage devices, today announced its latest line-up of industrial motherboards and application systems. BIOSTAR's latest BIQ67-AHP, the BIW68-AHP, and the BIELK-PAT motherboards, with MT-J6412, and MT PRO-J6412 application systems are built to address various system integration and industrial needs, offering innovative features that ensure high performance, reliability, and longevity.

The BIQ67-AHP and BIW68-AHP motherboards are excellent for system integration, general industrial systems and GPU AI workstation. These allow businesses to have reliable computers that help stay up-to-date on customers' contact details, transaction history, accounts, communication, and business management on a reliable and efficient platform. Featuring Intel Q670 chipset and Intel W680 chipset respectively, the BIQ67-AHP and BIW68-AHP motherboards carry additional features and functionality such as DDR4 support up to 128 GB, dual Intel LAN, multiple PCI/PCIe slots, M.2 slots, USB 3.2, COM ports, and more. The BIELK-PAT motherboard, with its wide range temperature -40 °C ~ 85 °C and voltage support, is built to withstand and function optimally in diverse environments and outdoor applications. It is ideal for uses such as EV charging stations, kiosks, refrigerated factories, and is great for HMI applications for businesses of all sizes.
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(PR) AMD Announces Plan to Invest Approximately $400 Million Over the Next Five Years in India
AMD today announced plans for continued growth in India through an approximate $400M investment over the next five years. The planned investment includes a new AMD campus in Bangalore, Karnataka that will serve as the company's largest design center, as well as the addition of approximately 3,000 new engineering roles by the end of 2028. The new AMD campus is expected to open before the end of 2023 and will feature extensive lab space, state-of-the-art collaboration tools and seating configurations designed to foster teamwork. The investment is supported by the various policy initiatives of the Government of India focused on the semiconductor industry.

"We welcome the AMD plan to expand its leading-edge R&D engineering operations in India," said Mr. Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Cabinet Minister for Railways, Telecommunications, Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. "I welcome AMD's decision to set up its largest R&D design center in India and expansion of the India-AMD partnership. It will certainly play an important role in building a world class semiconductor design and innovation ecosystem. It will also provide tremendous opportunities for our large pool of highly skilled semiconductor engineers and researchers and will catalyse PM Narendra Modi's vision of India becoming a global talent hub," said Mr. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
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AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE ASIC Smaller than Navi 31, Slightly Larger than Navi 21
The GPU at the heart of the China-exclusive AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition) sparked much curiosity. It is a physically different GPU from the one found in desktop Radeon RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX graphics cards. AMD wouldn't go through all that effort designing a whole different GPU just for a limited edition graphics card, which means this silicon could find greater use for the company—for example, this could be the package AMD uses for its upcoming mobile RX 7900 series. AMD wouldn't go through all the effort designing a first-party MBA (made by AMD) PCB for the silicon just for the RX 7900 GRE, and so this PCB, with this particular version of the "Navi 31" silicon, could see a wider global launch, probably as the rumored Radeon RX 7800 XT, or something else (although with a different set of specs from the RX 7900 GRE).

We compared the sizes of the new "Navi 31" package found in the RX 7900 GRE, with those of the regular "Navi 31" powering the RX 7900 XT/XTX, the previous-generation "Navi 21" powering the RX 6900 XT, and the NVIDIA AD103 silicon powering the desktop GeForce RTX 4080. There are some interesting findings. The new smaller "Navi 31" package is visibly smaller than the one powering the RX 7900 XT/XTX. It is a square package, compared to the larger rectangular one, and has a significantly thinner metal reinforcement brace. What's interesting is that the 5 nm GCD is still surrounded by six 6 nm MCDs. We don't know if they've disabled two of the six MCDs, or whether they're dummies. AMD uses dummy chiplets as structural reinforcement in some of its EPYC server processors. The dummies spread some of the mounting pressure applied by the IHS or cooling solution, so the logic behind surrounding the GCD with six of these MCDs could be the same.
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[NextPowerUP]

Global memory brand Team Group announced the launch of its updated ELITE memory modules with enhanced frequencies today: the ELITE PLUS DDR5 and ELITE DDR5 Desktop Memory 6400 MHz (1.1 V CL52-52-52-103). Both comply with JEDEC memory standards and fulfill the needs of demanding applications and high-performance computing.

In response to the growing demand for high-speed computing and digital technology, Team Group has introduced the upgraded ELITE PLUS DDR5 6400 MHz and ELITE DDR5 6400 MHz memory modules, which boast higher frequencies and low power consumption. The updated specs of the ELITE memory fully meet the needs of learning, entertainment, and more on desktop computers. With the modules' low operating voltage of 1.1 V, power consumption is significantly reduced, and the computer's lifespan is extended. In addition, DDR5's Same-Bank Refresh feature and optimized IC structure can process the double amount of data simultaneously compared to DDR4, which enables computers to operate more smoothly while multi-tasking and significantly improves operating efficiency.
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AMD's Upcoming Strix Halo Mobile SoC Said To Feature 16 Cores, Improved IO Die and GPU
Based on details posted on Twitter/X by a pair of well known leakers, AMD appears to be working on a pair of different Ryzen 8000-series mobile processors. The previously known Strix Point is said to get up to four Zen 5 cores and eight Zen 5c cores, whereas the Strix Halo is said to get 16 Zen 5 cores, according to @Olrak29_. This is something that was posted by Moore's Law is Dead back in April as well, who claimed the chip will launch sometime at the end of 2024. MLID also suggested that the Strix Halo will feature a 40 CU GPU and a 256-bit LPDDR5X memory interface, making it a very different proposition from your average APU from AMD.

@kopite7kimi chimes in on Twitter to point out that "Strix Halo looks like a desktop Zen 5 with a different IOD." This is definitely something that would be possible for AMD to do and if we look at the MLID information, the Strix Halo processor appears to have something called a Mall Cache, which seems to be something of a catch all cache for the various components inside the chip, such as the AI Engine and the GPU. Time will tell if AMD delivers on Strix Halo or not, but this might be the first notebook processor that can handle gaming at a decent resolution without needing a discrete GPU. Then again, with a rumoured peak TDP of 120 W, this chip is also going to run hotter and draw more power than most mobile processors to date.

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This Week in Gaming (Week 31)
As we enter the month of August, July still has a couple of new gaming titles to offer of which both obviously are launching on the same day. That said, August starts with a bang and brings a highly anticipated AAA title. The rest of this week's releases is as always a mix of games that will hopefully appeal to at least one of you, since the past polls suggest that the TPU readership is a picky crowd to please when it comes to games.

Baldur's Gate 3 / This week's AAA title / Thursday 3 August
Gather your party and return to the Forgotten Realms in a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Mysterious abilities are awakening inside you, drawn from a mind flayer parasite planted in your brain. Resist, and turn darkness against itself. Or embrace corruption, and become ultimate evil. From the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2 comes a next-generation RPG, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
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(PR) EasySMX 9124 Pro Gamepad Launched with Dual Hall System
We are very pleased to introduce to you our brand new product: EasySMX 9124 Pro Gamepad. Knowing your love for games, we want to give you a chance to change your gaming experience.

The trigger and joystick adopt the hall design, which provides a more accurate response time while the joystick is drifting, and also increases the life of the controller by 2-4 times. Whether you are a PC, Xbox, PlayStation or Switch player, our EasySMX 9124 Pro controller can be perfectly adapted. Simple connection and convenient operation allow you to fully immerse yourself in the game world. We know that games are not only a visual enjoyment, but also a physical and mental experience. Therefore, the EasySMX 9124 Pro handle is equipped with a vibration feedback system, allowing you to feel every hit, explosion or sprint.
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GoDeal24 Announces July Sale, Save up to 62% on Genuine Software
GoDeal24 announces the July 2023 Sale. Get the software you need at the prices you want! As you plan your next-generation gaming PC build, let GoDeal help you find the software it needs, such as Genuine Windows 11 Pro, and Office 2021 Professional, at some of the lowest prices on the web. Get Windows 11 Pro at just $10.25. Office 2021 Professional Plus can be had at $24.25. Better yet, combine the two for just $32.99, and save even more. Check out great deals on other editions of Windows and Office, their combos, and system utilities.

Buy Windows 10 Pro at $7.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home at $7.15 | Buy Windows 11 Pro at $10.25 | Buy Windows 11 Home at $9.98 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus at $24.25 | Buy Office 2021 Home and Business for Mac at $28.99 | Buy Office 2019 Professional Plus at $22.25 | Buy Office 2019 Home and Business for Mac at $26.69

Please use the coupon code SGO62 on the following items to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $29.70 | Buy Windows 10 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $25.68 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2021 Professional Plus at $32.99 | Buy Windows 11 Pro + Office 2019 Professional Plus at $28.69

Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 5-PC at $65.25 | Buy Office 2021 Professional Plus 2-PC at $39.25 | Buy Windows 10 Pro 2-PC at $12.25 | Buy Windows 10 Home 2-PC at $12.01 | Buy Windows 11 Pro 2-PC at $20.25 | Buy Windows 11 Home 2-PC at $19.25

Please use the coupon code SGO50 on the following items to avail the prices you see here.
Buy Visio Professional 2021 at $30.23 | Buy Project Professional 2021 at $33.82 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Standard at $26.13 | Buy Windows Server 2019 Standard at $16.06 | Buy Windows Server 2022 Datacenter at $30.75 | Buy Visual Studio 2022 Enterprise at $60 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC at $12.81 | Buy Windows 10 Enterprise 2019 LTSC 10-PC at $50.99 | Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC 10-PC at $54.99
Check out great deals on system software.Read full story

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PowerColor & Sapphire Launch Custom Radeon RX 7900 GRE Cards
PowerColor has today revealed the Red Devil Radeon RX 7900 GRE 16 GB graphics card, which appears to look like a slimmer version of its existing siblings—the more powerful Red Devil RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX. We have experienced a steady flow of news relating to AMD's new Golden Rabbit Edition GPU—with benchmark results released by review outlets in China, as well as a closer look at an unshrouded example. It was previously reported that Team Red would not be producing a reference model—VideoCardz now believes that XFX will be announcing itself as the primary manufacturing partner for said card.

Sapphire's custom equivalent was leaked earlier this week—a NITRO+ Lite-esque shroud design was unboxed and photographed ahead of today's official reveal. At the time of writing Sapphire has not published a product page for its brand new RX 7900 GRE model, but retail units are available to buy from their official store on JD.com. This NITRO+ variant is going for 5499 RMB (~$769), roughly $27 on top of AMD's official MSRP. PowerColor has not announced any pricing for the Red Devil RX 7900 GRE, but it has the same clock speeds—2050 MHz (game) & 2395 MHz (boost)—as the NITRO+. VideoCardz stated that these factory produced settings: "likely represent the highest configuration suggested by AMD."

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Acer Co-founder Skeptical about US Semiconductor Industry's Prospects
Stan Shih, the co-founder & honorary chairman of Acer Inc., thinks that the USA will have hard time catching up with Asian semiconductor production facilities. Yahoo Taiwan managed to extract some choice comments from the multi-faceted businessman—he believes that the US government's initiative to boost native chip making will not be enough to match existing overseas strongholds. A key area of focus was volume output—Shih reckons that North America is already too far behind Asian counterpart industries, with Acer's home base of Taiwan being particularly strong (in his opinion). Workplace culture and state of the art equipment are cited as the main pillars for success.

Shih observed that that US chip industry has historically been far too reliant on outsourcing (going back many decades) production to foreign facilities, and Asia's position has been fortified thanks to long established and optimized supply chains—he thinks that the American system is not mature enough to reach parity. On a semi-related note, TSMC is reportedly struggling to get its new US facility fully operational—company chairman Mark Liu (according to Tom's Hardware): "said that the Taiwanese company would delay mass production of its Arizona fab from early 2024 to 2025, partly due to a lack of cleanroom tools necessary to produce chips at scale." TSMC has been transferring staff from its home turf to plug staffing gaps at the Phoenix facility—Liu divulged his latest batch of complaints during an earnings conference (last Thursday): "We are encountering certain challenges, as there is an insufficient number of skilled workers with the specialized expertise required for equipment installation in a semiconductor-grade facility."

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(PR) SolidRun Intros Bedrock R7000 - an AMD Ryzen 7840HS Powered Fanless Edge-AI IPC
SolidRun has announced the world's first rugged system design that combines 8-core AMD Ryzen 7040 series processors with multiple Hailo-8 AI accelerators to create its Bedrock R7000 Edge AI for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. This new member in SolidRun's Bedrock family of fanless modular industrial PCs is specifically designed to meet demanding vision-based situational awareness in harsh environments.

The new system integrates with the AMD Ryzen 7840HS processor, a state-of-the-art 4 nm APU with 8C/16T Zen 4 CPU and integrated RDNA 3 Radeon 780M GPU. The 20 native PCIe Gen 4 lanes and up to three Hailo-8 AI accelerators can be fully utilized together with NVMe Gen4x4 storage, dual 2.5 Gbit Ethernet and 4x4K displays. The CPU and all devices are passively cooled by the innovative fanless cooling system of the Bedrock R7000 in an industrial temperature range of -40°C to 85°C.
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[NextPowerUP]

Heisters! We are thrilled to announce that PAYDAY 3 is hosting a technical Closed Beta from August 2nd to August 7th. Players can sign-up for a chance to play the game on Steam and Xbox Series S|X. We have prepared a FAQ regarding the Closed BETA (see below).

PAYDAY 3 is the much anticipated sequel to one of the most popular co-op shooters ever. Since its release, PAYDAY-players have been reveling in the thrill of a perfectly planned and executed heist. That's what makes PAYDAY a high-octane, co-op FPS experience without equal.
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AMD Radeon PRO W7600 GPU Spotted in Geekbench Database
An interesting system popped up on Geekbench Browser early this morning—on initial inspection the evaluated high-end PC was sporting hardware of 2021-vintage, but its graphics card was observed as an outlier. The Intel Core i9-12900K (Alder Lake-S) CPU was sitting on an MSI MPG Z690 Carbon WiFi mainboard, with 64 GB of DDR5 SDRAM (3990 MT/s). The benchmarked computer was running Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (64-bit) on a power saver (economizador) plan. According to the entry's OpenCL information section we are looking at an attached GPU device called "GFX1102 ID," the board name is revealed to be "AMD Radeon PRO W7600" with 8 GB of VRAM. This lower-end alternative to existing (RDNA 3) Radeon Pro models—W7900 (48 GB) and W7800 (32 GB)—could be nearing a public launch.

This information aligns the workstation-oriented card with AMD's Navi 33 GPU—the same GFX1102 designation appears within TPU's database entry (look at the Shader ISA (GFX11.0) graphics feature). VideoCardz reckons that the leaked Radeon PRO W7600 is closely related to AMD's mobile Radeon RX 7700/7600 series—based on Navi 33, due to their matching IDs. Their report proposed: "Based on this data, the GPU is expected to have a clock speed of 1940 MHz. Comparatively, this is 310 MHz lower than the Radeon RX 7600 gaming model, which refers to its Game Clock of 2250 MHz. The Compute Unit field refers to "Workgroup Processor/WGP" cluster, so the card features 32 Compute Units or 2048 Stream Processors, the same configuration as the RX 7600. The card is listed with 8 GB of memory, but it remains uncertain whether this model will support ECC (error correction), a feature found in the W7900/W7800 models. It's important to note that the W6600 did not utilize this type of memory."

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NVIDIA Predicted to Pull in $300 Billion AI Revenues by 2027
NVIDIA has been raking in lots of cash this year and hit a major milestone back in late May, with a trillion dollar valuation—its stock price doubled thanks to upward trends in the artificial intelligence market, with growing global demand for AI-hardware. Business Insider believes that Team Green will continue to do very well for itself over the next couple of years: "Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh has given NVIDIA's stock price another 20% upside to run—and even this new target of $530 is "conservative," according to a Sunday client note seen by Insider. Rakesh's previous price target for NVIDIA was $400. NVIDIA shares closed 0.7% higher at $446.12 apiece on Monday. The stock has surged 205% so far this year."

Despite the emergence of competing hardware from the likes of AMD and Intel, Rakesh predicts that NVIDIA will maintain a dominant position in the AI chip market until at least 2027: "With demand for generative AI accelerating, we see significant opportunities for hardware suppliers powering the higher compute needs for large-language models, particularly AI powerhouse NVIDIA. Insider reports that the company: "could generate around $300 billion in AI-specific revenue by 2027 with a 75% market share of AI server units...That's 10 times his projection of $25 billion to $30 billion in AI revenues this year." Rakesh has reportedly stuck with a $140 buy rating and price target for AMD shares.

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Seagate Starts Shipping Commercial Exos HAMR HDDs
Seagate has revealed that it has received revenue for Exos Corvault systems during a fourth quarter and fiscal year 2023 conference call—the latest server range is equipped with heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) hard drives. We heard about evaluation samples being sent out to an important data center client around Spring time, but fresh corporate announcements have revealed that the first commercial HAMR-based systems have been picked up by paying customers. Gianluca Romano, the firm's chief financial officer stated: "Importantly, we shipped our first HAMR-based CORVAULT system for revenue as planned during the June quarter. We expect broader availability of these CORVAULT systems by the end of calendar 2023."

Seagate's chief executive, Dave Mosley, also revealed that higher capacity HAMR-based nearline hard drives have been sent out for testing in the field. He boasts that this was achieved during corporate cost cutting initiatives: "We reduced production output by approximately 25% compared with peak volume in order to drive better supply/demand dynamics and enhance profitability as the markets recover. And all of these accomplishments were made while delivering on our 30 TB+ HAMR product development and qualification milestones with volume ramp on track to begin in early calendar 2024...Initial customer qualifications are progressing well. We are on track to begin volume ramp in early calendar 2024. We are also preparing qualifications with a broader number of customers, including testing for lower capacity drives targeting VIA and enterprise OEM workloads." He also outlined plans to keep PMR and SMR hard drive technologies alive for another generation: "Development efforts on what may be our last PMR product are nearing completion and will extend drive capacities into the mid- to upper 20 TB range." Clients who are reluctant to jump onto HAMR could be offered some alternatives—24 TB+ models based on PMR+TDMR and SMR+TDMR configurations are roadmapped for release by the end of the year.
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(PR) AMD & Xilinx Introduce the Versal HBM Series VHK158 Evaluation Kit
Introducing the Versal HBM Series VHK158 Evaluation Kit. This features the Versal HBM series VH1582 device, which integrates multi-Tbps High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), hardened connectivity IP, and adaptive compute in a single device, eliminating the bottlenecks between memory, I/O, and compute while delivering up to 6 times more memory bandwidth.

The VHK158 evaluation kit is an evaluation platform for the Versal HBM series VH1582 device designed to keep up with the higher memory needs of compute intensive, memory bound applications, providing adaptable acceleration for data center, wired networking, test & measurement, and aerospace & defense applications. The VHK158 board's primary focus is to enable demonstration and evaluation of the VH1582 silicon and support customer application development
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(PR) REDMAGIC Announces New Cyberbuds DAO TWS
REDMAGIC, the gaming brand known for its iconic flagship professional gaming smartphones, continues to expand its gaming line with the new REDMAGIC Cyberbuds DAO TWS for international markets. The wireless earphones offer seamless connectivity with a futuristic design and RGB effects to offer comfort, and durability for gamers. Powered by Qualcomm's latest Bluetooth 5.3, Qualcomm S5, it offers a minimum delay of 28 ms when connected with the matching dongle. Capable of running as long as seven hours at a single charge, the new Cyberbuds DAO TWS are compatible with PC, PS4, PS5, Switch and android smartphones.

For a better gaming experience in various scenarios, users can modify the RGB light effects and sound modes. The earphones and charging base have a modern transparent design, showcasing cyber technology with cool RGB light effects and sci-fi vibes. An application called "Goper" is also available in PlayStore and soon in App Store, that allows users to manage functions such as codec format (SBC, AAC, LE Audio, aptX, and LHDC 5.0), audio EQ modes, game modes, lighting effects, and even pop-up window pairing when connected to a smartphone.
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[NextPowerUP]

We launched PlayStation 5 in November 2020 and the world was in a strange and different place than when we announced the console in 2019. Despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID, our teams and our partners worked diligently to deliver PS5 on time. We continued to face headwinds with the pandemic, and it took months for supply chains to normalize so we could have the inventory to keep up with demand. For more months than I care to remember, we kept thanking our community for their patience while working through these issues. But now PS5 supply is well-stocked and we are seeing that pent up demand finally being met.

With the support of PlayStation fans, we have reached a milestone of 40 million PS5 consoles sold through to gamers since launch. Thank you so much to our community of gamers - without you this would have been an impossible task. PS5 launched with the best catalog of games in our history and the momentum for great content keeps getting stronger. From innovative indie games to AAA blockbusters, there are more than 2,500 PS5 games now available, and it has never been a better time to experience PS5 In the last two months alone, we have seen incredible new games from our partners, including Final Fantasy XVI, Diablo IV, and Street Fighter 6.
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(PR) Lords of the Fallen Showcased in Extended Gameplay Presentation
Lords of the Fallen beckons with an all-new 18-minute Extended Gameplay Presentation. Witness exhilarating combat in vast sprawling lands, calamitous boss fights that call for the utmost of nerves, and the ever-looming threat that spills darkness into this world. Set your gaze below..."The team at Hexworks is thrilled to finally share an extended gameplay presentation and reveal numerous new details of our dark fantasy action-RPG," said Saul Gascon, Head of Studio. "We have passionately carved our own path in this increasingly popular genre, and we are particularly excited to see how players will approach the game's unique dual-world mechanic when it releases this October."

Explore two, vast interconnected worlds
Mournstead stands ever parallel, luring all would-be adventurers who seek righteous glory. This vast and sprawling world of Lords of the Fallen beckons for exploration, from the ascending cliff face of Pilgrim's Perch, to the ever-burning city of Calrath. As you venture into the rich world of Lords of the Fallen, you will uncover that each major environment is interconnected with at least two others, offering freedom to forge your own path, that aligns with your story. Be warned As the lamp-bearer, take great caution when you embark on your journey, for it will be perilous, fraught with unspeakable dangers, however, those who bargain with their life can uncover a realm teeming with untold treasures.
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(PR) Silicon Motion Announces Results for the Period Ended June 30, 2023 and an Acquisition Update
Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion", the "Company" or "we") today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. For the second quarter of 2023, net sales (GAAP) increased sequentially to $140.4 million from $124.1 million in the first quarter of 2023. Net income (GAAP) increased to $11.0 million, or $0.33 per diluted American Depositary Share of the Company ("ADS") (GAAP), from net income (GAAP) of $10.2 million, or $0.30 per diluted ADS (GAAP), in the first quarter of 2023.

For the second quarter of 2023, net income (non-GAAP) increased to $12.6 million, or $0.38 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), from net income (non-GAAP) of $11.2 million, or $0.33 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), in the first quarter of 2023.
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[NextPowerUP]

In the modern world, healthcare facilities rely on a steady supply of electricity to power essential medical equipment and provide continuous care to patients. However, power outages are an unfortunate reality, and these events can cripple a medical facility in a matter of minutes. This is where backup healthcare power solutions come in. In this article, we'll discuss why backup power is crucial for healthcare institutions and explore the benefits of solar power generators over traditional diesel options. We'll also take a look at some top Anker solar power generators, their respective features and advantages, and what medical devices they can support. Read on to find out!
Buy Anker SOLIX F1200 | Anker SOLIX F2000Read full story

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(PR) Xebec Snap: World's First Portable Monitors That Instantly Attach to Your Laptop, Now On Kickstarter
Xebec, a pioneering name in flexible work products, today announced the launch of the Kickstarter campaign for their latest innovation - the Xebec Snap, the first portable monitors that instantly snap onto your laptop. The Xebec Snap is the ultimate portable workstation that lets you instantly attach additional monitors to your laptop in portrait, landscape, or presentation mode. The Snap is available in Dual-Screen and Tri-Screen options, both featuring 13.3-inch Snap Screen displays with premium all-aluminium housing. The Snap's modular design enables users to perfectly optimize their work setup, allowing even greater flexibility to increase productivity based on the task at hand.

"The Xebec Snap is born out of our relentless pursuit of empowering users to be more productive and creative, no matter where they work," said Alex Levine, Co-founder and CEO of Xebec. "We've listened to our customers' feedback and are excited that the combination of our modular design, larger screens, and Xebec Snap technology creates a product that is truly one of a kind, offering a workspace like never before."
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(PR) AMD Reports Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results, Revenue Down 18% YoY
AMD today announced revenue for the second quarter of 2023 of $5.4 billion, gross margin of 46%, operating loss of $20 million, net income of $27 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.02. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin was 50%, operating income was $1.1 billion, net income was $948 million and diluted earnings per share was $0.58.

"We delivered strong results in the second quarter as 4th Gen EPYC and Ryzen 7000 processors ramped significantly," said AMD Chair and CEO Dr. Lisa Su. "Our AI engagements increased by more than seven times in the quarter as multiple customers initiated or expanded programs supporting future deployments of Instinct accelerators at scale. We made strong progress meeting key hardware and software milestones to address the growing customer pull for our data center AI solutions and are on-track to launch and ramp production of MI300 accelerators in the fourth quarter."
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Corsair Intros 180-degree 12VHPWR Power Bridge
Corsair rolled out a handy accessory that should help cable management in builds with graphics cards that have 16-pin 12VHPWR power connectors. Called simply the 12VHPWR GPU Power Bridge, the contraption inverts the power connector 180° as shown in the pictures below; so your power cable emerging from behind the motherboard tray doesn't have to make that turn. The Power Bridge hence reduces mechanical stress on the power cable from your PSU.

Unlike several such 180° power bridges of generic brands floating around online retail, some of which even convert 8-pin PCIe to a 12VHPWR; the Corsair Power Bridge comes with the quality assurance that comes with the badge. The company claims to have extensively tested it for endurance. The internal wiring between the two connectors on the bridge is tested to withstand 105 °C temperatures. Please note, that the bridge is not physically compatible with the ASUS ROG Strix and TUF Gaming graphics cards. The company is backing this with a 1-year warranty.

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(PR) Total War: PHARAOH - Canaanite Faction Deep Dive
INTRODUCING THE CANAANITE FACTIONS—Canaan is a region ravaged by wars waged by the larger empires bordering its north and south. However, while often disregarded by Hatti and Egypt, it's best not to underestimate the peoples of Canaan. Be it the humble diplomat or the great raider, a Canaan leader will rise from the embers of both Hatti and Egypt - be it through subterfuge or by further fanning the flames of war. Today, we're taking a look at the two playable Canaanite factions in Total War: PHARAOH. Please note that the game is still in development, and certain things may yet change between now and release.

THE CONTRASTING FIGURES OF IRSU AND BAY PROVIDE VERY DIFFERENT VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF EGYPT
Canaan's two leaders could hardly be more different from one another. Starting out in Retjenu, Irsu has no interest in ruling. Instead he yearns only to acquire. Be it resources, money or conflict - if you have something he wants, he will take it. Society's downfall is of no concern to him - he will continue to raze and loot regardless. A prize fighter who brings heavyweight champions to their knees, to most his arrival heralds an oncoming apocalypse.
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(PR) Mortal Kombat 1 Out Next Month - Series History Explored
The fighting game genre has many notable franchises. One of the earliest to earn iconic status is Mortal Kombat. It punched its way onto the arcade scene in 1992 and quickly found its way to the home console market, wowing players with at-the-time realistic visuals and controversial over-the-top gore. That controversial content ushered in the now-industry standard ratings system, but Mortal Kombat's legacy has been defined by much more than that. For over 11 mainline installments, the series built gameplay innovations and an ever-growing roster atop its core 1-on-1 fighting system.

Ahead of the series returning to-and recreating-its "roots" with Mortal Kombat 1, now is an amazing time to look at how it evolved through the eras.
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[NextPowerUP]

Introducing the EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 W/850 W Gold FTW Series - The power supply series designed to support up to 235% total power excursion and exceed the needs of today's most powerful PCs. With a half-bridge LLC resonant controller, DC-DC converter, and 100% Japanese Capacitors, the EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 W/850 W Gold FTW Series gives you the peace of mind to push your system to the limits.

Designed to support current and future standards, the EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 W/850 W Gold FTW Series is fully-compliant with ATX12V V3.0 and PCIe Gen 5.0 standards. This means you can use these power supplies with your current system or the system you want to build. More to the point, these power supplies are built to support up to 235% total power excursion and respond significantly faster to transient spikes, ensuring your card and system stay safe and fully powered at all times.
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AMD Releases Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart-specific Graphics Drivers
AMD just released a special version of its Adrenalin graphics drivers with specific optimization for "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart." The company's recent 23.7.2 WHQL drivers lacked day-zero optimization for the game, which caused some controversy, especially given that real time ray tracing in the game wouldn't work. The one-off drivers carry the version number 23.10.23.03, and come with optimization for the game. They also address the application crash and driver timeout issues noticed when running the game with ray tracing and DSR enabled. Since these drivers are not a part of the main driver trunk of AMD Software, we will not be hosting them.

DOWNLOAD: AMD Software Adrenalin 23.10.23.03 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Drivers
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(PR) Glorious Introduces the all-new Raptor Clicky Switch
It's time to awaken your gaming instincts and unleash the beast within. Our latest proprietary mechanical clicky switch is now available, and here to shake things up with seismic power. As the final piece to our switch trifecta, the Raptor Clicky Switch follows the might of the Panda Tactile Switch and the sleek swiftness of the Lynx Linear Switch, completing the circle of our Glorious family of switches.

When crafting the Raptor, we spared no expense in the meticulous attention to detail. Thanks to its premium click bar design, which reigns supreme over the average click jacket in regular clicky switches, the Raptor produces a thunderous click sound on both press and release. Using tighter manufacturing tolerances, we've minimized key wobble, ensuring a consistent sound and feel for each switch. Additionally, its pre-lubricated components provide smooth, scratch-free key presses without sacrificing that beloved clicky feel. The result? A premium switch that guarantees unparalleled performance and durability.
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(PR) Deck13 Reveals a Last-minute Atlas Fallen Revelation
Hey everyone! The release of Atlas Fallen is imminent, we can't wait to see you glide across the sands of this shattered world! We cooked a special trailer for the occasion for you to discover new gameplay footage and a jaw-dropping vision of your fast-approaching journey in Atlas Fallen! Coming to Steam on August 10, the Standard and Limited editions are available for pre-order.

I don't like sand… I love it, duh!
In a devastated, sand-covered world, seize the divine power of a mysterious Gauntlet and wield heroic abilities to defeat a tyrannic, almighty god. Tame the sands to shape them into a shape-shifting weapon and watch it grow larger as you build Momentum to unleash the full, irrepressible power of the Gauntlet. The 151 Essence Stones that can be found in the world of Atlas grant you a wide range of extra effects and abilities. Whether you prefer to play aggressively or prefer to use shields, debuffs and healing, combine Essence Stones how you like to create your own approach to combat.
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(PR) Teledyne LeCroy Launches OakGate R350-G5-PowerPlus SSD Validation Solution
Teledyne LeCroy, the worldwide leader in protocol test and measurement solutions, is pleased to announce availability of the OakGate R350-G5-PowerPlus 3U Rackmount Appliance for PCI Express 5.0, with solid state drive (SSD) power and sideband test capabilities.

Data centers and Hyperscalers are measured on their power sustainability and power usage goals and require SSD vendors to test SSD performance during normal system shutdown, abnormal system shutdown, power surges, low and/or idle power states, and voltage fluctuations. SSD vendors would ideally like these test results to highlight competitive product differentiators, often citing lower active power consumption, better power efficiencies and/or reduced cooling efficiencies. SSD design and validation test engineers can now use the OakGate R350-G5-PowerPlus Rackmount Appliance to analyze voltage and current over time and under stress to determine SSD power utilization, efficiency, and consumption, and possibly find opportunities to improve SSD power consumption. Moreover, the R350-G5-PowerPlus operates without the use of 3rd-party power interposers, reducing cost and simplifying test setup.
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(PR) Xbox Game Pass Adds Broforce Forever, Everspace 2, A Short Hike & more...
My favorite announcements are those coming soon, especially when "soon" means "right now" (looking at you Celeste!). We have hikes, we have Bros., kingdoms, and space, and more, so let's get to the games!

Available Today
Celeste (Cloud, Console, and PC)—Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight platformer from the creators of TowerFall. Brave hundreds of hand-crafted challenges, uncover devious secrets, and piece together the mystery of the mountain.
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(PR) Baldur's Gate 3 PC Launch Plans Revealed
Happy launch week, folks! We hope you've printed out your lawyer-approved special dispensation form to explain your mysterious absence from work on August 3rd to your boss, because there are only two days to go before release. After six years in the making, Baldur's Gate 3's PC launch is right around the corner and we couldn't have gotten here without you. So let's have one last Community Update before then to wrap things up, answer some of your biggest questions, and reveal a few final surprises before you finally get stuck in.

Launch Day
So just how big is this game, anyhow? What time should you expect the game to release? And where did I put my keys? The answers to most of these questions can be found below.
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[NextPowerUP]

NVIDIA joined Pixar, Adobe, Apple and Autodesk today to found the Alliance for OpenUSD, a major leap toward unlocking the next era of 3D graphics, design and simulation. The group will standardize and extend OpenUSD, the open-source Universal Scene Description framework that's the foundation of interoperable 3D applications and projects ranging from visual effects to industrial digital twins.

Several leading companies in the 3D ecosystem already signed on as the alliance's first general members—Cesium, Epic Games, Foundry, Hexagon, IKEA, SideFX and Unity. Standardizing OpenUSD will accelerate its adoption, creating a foundational technology that will help today's 2D internet evolve into a 3D web. Many companies are already working with NVIDIA to pioneer this future.
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(PR) Gunfire Games & Gearbox Celebrate Remnant 2 Passing One Million Units Sold
Remnant 2 sold more than one million units in just four days across PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 Gearbox Publishing announced today. Gamers and media around the globe showered praise on Remnant 2 as the breakout hit of 2023. Remnant 2, the follow-up to the best-selling Remnant: From the Ashes, also more than doubled the number of concurrent players at launch, breaking its own franchise record.

"To everyone who helped us achieve this amazing milestone, thank you for your unwavering support," said David Adams of Gunfire Games. "This was a multi-year journey for us and we couldn't be happier to see fans having such a great time with a game we put our heart and soul into."
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(PR) Xbox Introduces Stormcloud Vapor Special Edition Controller
Introducing a brand-new controller to the Xbox lineup, the Xbox Wireless Controller - Stormcloud Vapor Special Edition. This controller's rich color will pull you in, featuring a dynamic dark navy swirl - each with its own energy and pattern. The design is inspired by clouds and storming skies, with each billowing puff of vapor bringing a unique design to each controller.

Stormcloud Vapor features rubberized, blue diamond-pattern grips on the back case that allow you to hold onto all your gaming action. By using Bluetooth and Xbox Wireless, the Stormcloud Vapor controller can connect to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, PC, mobile phones and tablets. Its 3.5 mm audio jack allows you to talk with friends with your favorite compatible headset as you utilize the dedicated Share button to show off all your most unbelievable gaming highlights.
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(PR) Inventec's C805G6 Data Center Solution Brings Sustainable Efficiency & Advanced Security for Powering AI
Inventec, a global leader in high-powered servers headquartered in Taiwan, is launching its cutting-edge C805G6 server for data centers based on AMD's newest 4th Gen EPYC platform—a major innovation in computing power that provides double the operating efficiency of previous platforms. These innovations are timely, as the industry worldwide faces converse challenges—on one hand, a growing need to reduce carbon footprints and power consumption, while, on the other hand, the push for ever higher computing power and performance for AI. In fact, in 2022 MIT found that improving a machine learning model tenfold will require a 10,000-fold increase in computational requirements.

Addressing both pain points, George Lin, VP of Business Unit VI, Inventec Enterprise Business Group (Inventec EBG) notes that, "Our latest C805G6 data center solution represents an innovation both for the present and the future, setting the standard for performance, energy efficiency, and security while delivering top-notch hardware for powering AI workloads."
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(PR) Anker Unleashes Groundbreaking Anker Prime Series Charging Solutions
Anker, the world's #1 mobile charging brand, today introduced its highly anticipated Anker Prime Series, setting a new standard for best-in-class charging solutions for every need. The new generation of high-speed, multi-port chargers were developed to leverage the full benefits of Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, including more efficient power transfer, compact design and active heat reduction and monitoring. The Anker Prime lineup features the 240-watt charger for high-performance laptops and the 250-watt power bank (also available in two lower watt models) with an optional 100-watt charging base. The compact charging base enables users to wirelessly charge their power bank, and also doubles as a standalone charger. In addition, the Anker Prime series includes a 100-watt charger and 67-watt charger, as well as a sleek and powerful 6-in-1 charging station, ideal for maintaining an uncluttered workspace.

"When you are on the road with a phone, a tablet, a smartwatch, headphones, and a laptop - how often have you had to make a choice about which product to keep powered on?" asks Steven Yang, CEO of Anker. "At Anker, we understand these dilemmas and are dedicated to providing solutions that empower our customers to stay connected without compromise. Our latest Anker Prime Series has taken a leap forward in delivering charging accessories that not only charge everything faster but also cater to the growing demands of today's diverse devices. With the Anker Prime Series, Anker continues its mission to charge everything, anywhere, faster and all at once; empowering users with unrivaled power, portability, and performance."
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(PR) NVIDIA DLSS Coming to More Games
Each week, we bring you news of the latest DLSS and ray tracing integrations in games and apps. Last week, Remnant II launched with DLSS 2, new DLSS 3 integrations were revealed, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launched with NVIDIA DLSS 3, NVIDIA DLAA, NVIDIA Reflex, and NVIDIA RTX IO. August looks to be another great month for DLSS and RTX, headlined by the official launch of Baldur's Gate 3, enhanced with DLSS 2 and DLAA.

Additionally, DLSS 3 has been added to DESORDRE: A Puzzle Game Adventure and Remnant II, and will be available at the launch of Lost Soul Aside. And as for DLSS 2, Grand Emprise: Time Travel Survival has just launched with support for frame rate accelerating technology. For gamers with GeForce RTX GPUs, DLSS ensures you receive the definitive experience in each title, and thanks to GeForce RTX Ray Tracing Cores, you'll enjoy the highest possible frame rates when enabling ray-traced effects in DESORDRE: A Puzzle Game Adventure and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
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(PR) New Alone in the Dark Teaser Trailer Released
Have you ever wondered what's lurking in the dark? Maybe it's best not to turn around... Alone in the Dark got a new teaser trailer showing a little more of the horrors that await. In this case: the Dark Man! Alone in the Dark is a love letter to the ground-breaking original that lets you experience a haunting story through the eyes of one of the two protagonists: play as either Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood in this re-imagination of the classic survival horror game where Psychological Horror meets Southern Gothic. Explore your environments, fight monsters, solve puzzles, and uncover the uneasy truth of Derceto Manor...

Deep in the 1920's south, Emily Hartwood's uncle has gone missing. Together with private investigator Edward Carnby, she embarks on a journey to Derceto Manor, a home for the mentally ill where something is lurking. You'll encounter strange residents, nightmarish realms, dangerous monsters, and ultimately uncover the plot of rising evil. At the intersection of reality, mystery, and insanity, an adventure awaits that will change your core beliefs. Who can you trust, what will you believe, and what will you do next? Alone in the Dark is developed by Pieces Interactive in Sweden and will be coming to PC, Xbox Series S/X and PlayStation 5.
The trailer follows.Read full story

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[NextPowerUP]

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, announces the launch of the VX3267U-2K and VX3267U-4K monitors for a remarkable and immersive viewing experience. At 32-inches, with QHD and UHD resolution respectively, the VX3267U-2K and VX3267U-4K feature notable performance and features, including USB-C connectivity and HDR10 content support.

The ViewSonic VX3267U-2K and VX3267U-4K utilize the latest SuperClear IPS panel technologies to ensure stunning visuals to go along with the wide viewing angles. The VX3267U-2K features QHD (2560x1440) resolution, while the VX3267U-4K comes with native 4K UHD (3840x2160) resolution. Both come with super thin bezels, Flicker-Free technology, and a Blue Light Filter for reduced eye fatigue.
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(PR) ASUS Announces TUF Gaming LC II 360 ARGB AIO Liquid Cooler
ASUS today announced the TUF Gaming LC II 360 ARGB AIO liquid cooler, armed with a beefy 360 mm radiator and offering dazzling Gen 2 ARGB lighting and compatibility with a wide variety of chassis and CPU sockets.

The TUF Gaming LC II ARGB series delivers the performance and features users need to bring out the best in any mainstream gaming build. Coolant flows through an illuminated coldplate to reinforced sleeved tubing that arrives at a high-capacity radiator chilled by three 120 mm ARGB fans - which have grooved fins for optimal airflow and reduced noise. Meanwhile, Aura Sync ARGB elements illuminating the radiator fans and the TUF Gaming logo on the pump cover ensure unmatched style.

The TUF Gaming LC II 360 ARGB also features a new cooling design where the pump head and motor are separated for less noise and vibration, while a new place-and-twist retention mechanism makes installation a snap by eliminating the need for tools. As a nod to premium durability, each cooler comes with a class-leading six-year ASUS warranty.
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(PR) It's Party Time: Baldur's Gate 3 Available Today on PC
An epic RPG six years in the making and more than twenty years in the waiting, Baldur's Gate 3 is out today on PC via Steam, GOG, and NVIDIA GeForce Now. The game releases at 8am PDT - see the attached map for the release time in your region. Baldur's Gate 3 is a next-generation RPG from the creators of Divinity: Original Sin 2, set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons and providing a level of breadth and depth unprecedented in a modern RPG.

More than twenty years after the release of Baldur's Gate 2, it's finally time to return to the Forgotten Realms. Your choices shape this tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power.
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(PR) Corsair Gaming Reports Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results, Revenue up 14.6% YoY
Corsair Gaming, Inc. ("Corsair" or the "Company"), a leading global provider and innovator of high-performance gear for gamers, streamers, content-creators, and gaming PC builders, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, and reiterated its financial outlook for the full year 2023.

Second Quarter 2023 Select Financial Metrics

• Net revenue was $325.4 million compared to $283.9 million in the second quarter of 2022, an increase of 14.6%. Gaming components and systems segment net revenue was $246.7 million compared to $194.9 million in the second quarter of 2022, while Gamer and creator peripherals segment net revenue was $78.8 million compared to $89.0 million in the second quarter of 2022.
• Net income attributable to common shareholders was $1.1 million, or net income of $0.01 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $59.4 million, or a net loss of $0.62 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2022.
• Adjusted net income was $9.8 million, or net income of $0.09 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net loss of $19.0 million, or a net loss of $0.20 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2022.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $17.8 million, compared to a loss of $11.0 million in the second quarter of 2022.
• Cash and cash equivalents were $184.0 million as of June 30, 2023.

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PowerColor AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Pictured, Confirmed Based on "Navi 32"
PowerColor inadvertently released the first pictures of its AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Red Devil graphics card. These pictures confirm that the RX 7800 XT is based on a maxed out version of the "Navi 32" GPU, and not the compact "Navi 31" powering the limited edition RX 7900 GRE. The "Navi 32" is a chiplet-based GPU, just like the "Navi 31," albeit smaller. Its 5 nm GCD (graphics compute die) physically features 60 RDNA3 compute units, which work out to 3,840 stream processors, 120 AI accelerators, 60 Ray accelerators, 192 TMUs, and possibly 128 ROPs. This GCD is surrounded by four 6 nm MCDs (memory cache dies), which each has a 16 MB segment of the GPU's 64 MB Infinity Cache memory, and make up its 256-bit GDDR6 memory interface.

The specs sheet put out by PowerColor confirms that the RX 7800 XT maxes out the "Navi 32," enabling all 60 CUs, and the chip's full 256-bit memory interface, to drive 16 GB of memory. The RX 7800 XT uses 18 Gbps memory speed, and hence has 576 GB/s of memory bandwidth at its disposal. The PowerColor RX 7800 XT Red Devil has dual-BIOS, and assuming the "standard/silent" BIOS runs the card at AMD reference clock speeds, we're looking at Game clocks of 2210 MHz, and 2565 MHz boost. The Red Devil draws power from a dual 8-pin PCIe power connector set up (375 W max); the cooler is visibly smaller than the one on the company's RX 7900 series Red Devil cards. A 16+2 phase VRM powers the card. With pictures of the card out, we expect a global product launch within the next 30 days.

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(PR) Razer Nexus 3.0 Turbocharges Mobile Gaming on Android and iOS
Razer, the leading global lifestyle brand for gamers, already pushes boundaries of mobile gaming, but today unveiled a substantial update to its Razer Nexus app for both iPhone and Android. Nexus 3.0 brings a variety of innovative new features for Android and a polished and upgraded experience for iPhone users. As the main game launcher for Razer Edge & Kishi V2, and driven by Razer's dedication to high-performance gaming, the Razer Nexus 3.0 update embodies innovation, immersion, and intuitive user experiences. The app update is available to users free of charge.

Redefining Game Discovery: The Razer Nexus app becomes the ultimate game concierge, presenting a meticulously curated selection of games for the Razer community. Optional video previews and carefully considered categories minimize the time between discovery and gameplay. This enriched catalog is now live for Android and iPhone users.
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Blizzard Details Diablo IV Patch 1.1.1 Details Ahead of August 8 Launch
Blizzard has revealed full Diablo VI Patch 1.1.1 details although it won't be available until August 8th. The new patch mostly focuses on class balance changes and other various gameplay updates, but it does also bring some bug fixes as well.

The biggest improvements come to Sorcerers and Barbarians classes, with improved survivability for Sorcerers class and increased Fury generation on Basic Skills and increased power of Unique items for Barbarians. The patch also diversify the use cases for Legendary items and strengthen builds that aren't reaching a high power level. The full patch notes also include detailed adjustments for Rogue, Druid, and Necromancer classes as well. There is also an extensive list of gameplay updates which brings better rewards, but also higher health levels of bosses. There are plenty of other bug fixes and this patch comes to all platforms.
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[NextPowerUP]

Xbox is coming to Gamescom 2023 in full force, showing 30 titles in three blocks. Starfield, Forza Motorsport, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ara: History Untold, PayDay 3, Mortal Kombat 1, are just some of the titles that will be at the Xbox Gamescom booth.

Running from August 23rd to August 27th, Gamescom 2023 will definitely have some pretty big names from the game industry, and its Opening Night Live will be live on August 22nd, hosted and produced by Geoff Keighley.
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(PR) NVIDIA GeForce NOW Gets 41 New Games This Month
The Ultimate upgrade is complete - GeForce NOW Ultimate performance is now streaming all throughout North America and Europe, delivering RTX 4080-class power for gamers across these regions. Celebrate this month with 41 new games, on top of the full release of Baldur's Gate 3 and the first Bethesda titles coming to the cloud as the NVIDIA and Microsoft partnership benefits gamers everywhere.

And catch GeForce NOW at QuakeCon - the popular bring-your-own-PC mega-event running Aug. 10-13 - where the in-person and digital GeForce NOW Ultimate challenge will kick off. Plus, game on with gaming peripherals and accessories company SteelSeries, which will be giving away codes for three-day GeForce NOW Ultimate and Priority memberships, along with popular GeForce NOW games and in-game goodies.
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(PR) Lenovo Legion Slim 5 Begins Shipping in August
The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (14", 8) will begin shipping in August, becoming available in select markets around the world starting September. First introduced in March, this is the first 14-inch gaming laptop in the Legion ecosystem. Featuring up to AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processors and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPUs, the Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (14", 8) laptop can be pushed to its limits through Lenovo's AI Engine+, which harnesses the Lenovo LA1 AI chip to track key components and processes to maximize performance and battery life, growing more intelligent over time as it adapts to user habits.

"The Lenovo Legion Slim 5 (14", 8) embodies yet another set of innovation firsts for Lenovo's gaming offerings. Its new 14-inch form factor and a vibrant OLED panel bring to life the expectations and imaginations of our Legion of fans," said Jun Ouyang, Lenovo's vice president and general manager of the Consumer Business Segment, Intelligent Devices Group. "We are excited for the future of Lenovo Legion's ever-expanding ecosystem of gaming devices and peripherals and can't wait for gamers to get their hands on this new laptop."
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AMD Readying AGESA 1.0.0.7c for AM5 Motherboards
According to a post by @g01d3nm4ng0 on Twitter/X, we now know that AMD is readying yet another AGESA update for AM5 motherboards. The new version is, based on information from our own sources, a minor update to the current version. As such, AMD will be moving from 1.0.0.7b to 1.0.0.7c. @g01d3nm4ng0 didn't reveal any details of the new AGESA apart from the screenshot below, but we asked around and managed to find out what the new AESA addresses.

The update is specifically for those with Samsung DDR5 memory in their AM5 motherboards and it addresses multiple memory related stability issues. We weren't given the full details as to what those are, but there have been some reports about there being issues specifically with Samsung DDR5 memory in some AM5 boards and hopefully this will solve all those problems. We don't have a release time frame for the updated AGESA, but with 1.0.0.7b barely out the door, it might take a few weeks before this one makes it through all the internal testing at the motherboard makers.

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(PR) KIOXIA Announces the First Samples of Hardware that Supports the Linux Foundation's Software-Enabled Flash Community Project
KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced the availability of the first hardware samples that support the Linux Foundation's vendor-neutral Software-Enabled Flash Community Project, which is making flash software-defined. The company is expecting to deliver customer samples in August 2023. Built for the demanding needs of hyperscale environments, Software-Enabled Flash technology helps hyperscale cloud providers and storage developers maximize the value of flash memory. The hardware from KIOXIA is the first step to putting this working technology in the hands of developers.

The first running units will be showcased in live demonstrations in the KIOXIA booth (#307) next week at Flash Memory Summit 2023 (FMS 2023). This new class of drive consists of purpose-built, media-centric flash hardware focused on hyperscale requirements that work with an open source API and libraries to provide the needed functionality. By unlocking the power of flash, this technology breaks free from legacy hard disk drive (HDD) protocols and creates a platform specific to flash media in a hyperscale environment.
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India Imposes Import Restrictions on Prebuilt PCs
The Indian Government on Thursday announced restrictions on the import of pre-built laptop and desktop PCs, tablets, and convertibles. These restrictions take effect immediately. The decision is designed to get major PC manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo, and Apple, to manufacture their devices on Indian soil, or subject each individual PC model through a lengthy import licensing regime—essentially a penalty for not manufacturing locally. The new restrictions find several parallels to India's 2020 decision to restrict import of TVs, which caused major consumer electronics firms to rush to set up local assembly lines to keep up with the country's market demand.

The restrictions on the import of PCs is seen as complicating things for PC manufacturers, especially as the country heads into its biggest consumer cycle with Diwali (Q4-2023). India's current import restrictions on smartphones and TVs have caused most consumer electronics giants to set up assembly lines in India; however these lines barely contribute 20% of value-addition to the product (i.e. much of the product comes knocked down and is simply put together); however manufacturers are incentivized to localize more of their value-addition, through the country's performance-linked incentives (PLI) scheme. Certain whitebox ODMs have localized even PCB placement, and display panel manufacturing. India's ICT imports for the period of just Q2-2023 stood at $19.7 billion, the country clocks roughly $75-90 billion in ICT/PC sales per year.

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(PR) Phanteks Introduces The New Glacier One D30 240 and 360 AIO Coolers
Today, Phanteks is excited to unveil the release of the Glacier One D30 240 and 360 AIO cooler, a remarkable cooling solution that not only delivers exceptional performance but also adds a touch of visual brilliance to PC builds. With an impressive range of features, the Glacier One D30 AIO cooler stands out as the preferred choice for PC enthusiasts and builders alike.

Equipped with cutting-edge D30 fans, this high-performance cooling solution offers a smooth D-RGB lighting system that elevates the aesthetics of any PC setup. The vibrant lighting effects are sure to captivate even the most discerning users. One of the standout qualities of the Glacier One D30 AIO cooler is its ability to be daisy-chained and controlled through a single cable. This innovative design eliminates cable clutter and simplifies the installation process, making it easier than ever to achieve a clean and organized build. The cooler's large copper base and fin array ensure efficient heat dissipation, making it the perfect cooling solution for high-end CPUs.
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AMD Announces Radeon PRO W7600 and W7500 Graphics Cards
AMD today announced the Radeon PRO W7600 and W7500 graphics cards for the professional-visualization (pro-vis) market segment. These cards target the mid-range of the pro-vis segment, with segment price-band ranging between $350-950. The two are hence positioned below the W7800 and W7900 that the company launched in April. The W7600 and W7500 are based on the same RDNA3 graphics architecture as those two, and the client-segment RX 7000 series. AMD is pricing the the two new cards aggressively compared to NVIDIA. Both the W7500 and W7600 are based on the 6 nm "Navi 33" silicon.

The Radeon PRO W7600 leads today's launch, maxing out the silicon it is based on—you get 32 RDNA3 compute units, or 2,048 stream processors; 64 AI Accelerators, 32 Ray Accelerators; 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The card comes with 8 GB of 18 Gbps GDDR6 memory across a 128-bit wide memory bus. The memory does not feature ECC. The card comes with a 130 W typical power draw, with a single 6-pin PCIe power connector. It uses a slick single-slot lateral-airflow cooling solution. AMD claims 20 TFLOPs peak FP32 performance.
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