TechPowerUP NEWS

[NextPowerUP]

As we enter the second to last week of August, we finally have a massive new AAA release that involves a magical Chinese monkey. As for the rest of this week's upcoming new games, we have a cyberpunk co-op looter shooter, a dusty story-driven action-adventure, a wholesome narrative game, wizards with guns and a game named after a very fast airplane, even though it doesn't even seem to involve any airplanes.

Black Myth: Wukong / This week's AAA release / Tuesday 20 August
Black Myth: Wukong is an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology. The story is based on Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. You shall set out as the Destined One to venture into the challenges and marvels ahead, to uncover the obscured truth beneath the veil of a glorious legend from the past. Steam Link
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[NextPowerUP]

Ola, an Indian automotive company, is venturing into AI chip development with its artificial intelligence branch, Krutrim, planning to launch India's first domestically designed AI chip by 2026. The company is leveraging ARM architecture for this initiative. CEO Bhavish Aggarwal emphasizes the importance of India developing its own AI technology rather than relying on external sources.

While detailed specifications are limited, Ola claims these chips will offer competitive performance and efficiency. For manufacturing, the company plans to partner with a global tier I or II foundry, possibly TSMC or Samsung. "We are still exploring foundries, we will go with a global tier I or II foundry. Taiwan is a global leader, and so is Korea. I visited Taiwan a couple of months back and the ecosystem is keen on partnering with India," Aggarwal said.
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[NextPowerUP]

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in standards development for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of the JESD406-5 LPDDR5/5X Serial Presence Detect (SPD) Contents V1.0, consistent with the updated contents of JESD401-5B DDR5 DIMM Label and JESD318 DDR5/LPDDR5 Compression Attached Memory Module (CAMM2) Common Standard.

JESD406-5 documents the contents of the SPD non-volatile configuration device included on all JEDEC standard memory modules using LPDDR5/5X SDRAMs, including the CAMM2 standard designs outlined in JESD318. The JESD401-5B standard defines the content of standard memory module labels using the other two standards, assisting end users in selecting compatible modules for their applications.
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[NextPowerUP]

Multiple users have recently reported that the August 13 Windows 11 update causes issues with dual-boot Linux/Windows configurations. However, there issues are actually related to changes in UEFI Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) policies. The issue stems from Microsoft enforcing SBAT and revoking old, exploitable certificates. Many Linux distributions use self-signed UEFI shims, which are no longer allowed due to known exploits. The new update revokes the SBAT certificates on affected, known exploitable versions of GRUB shipped with some Linux distributions. This can result in error messages like "Verifying shim SBAT data failed: Security Policy Violation" or "Something has gone seriously wrong: SBAT self-check failed: Security Policy Violation." To resolve this issue, Linux users need to update GRUB or disable the SBAT policy on the Linux side.

It's important to note that this is not primarily a Microsoft problem, but rather a necessary security update that affects some Linux distributions using outdated or vulnerable bootloaders. For more information on SBAT revocations and the boot process, users can refer to the Ubuntu Discourse here. This problem particularly impacts software developers and gaming enthusiasts who rely on dual-boot setups. As always, it's good practice for users to back up their data before performing any system updates. Considering alternatives like using virtual machines is also a good choice for users relying on older Linux distributions.

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[NextPowerUP]

GIGABYTE today debuted its AMD 800-series motherboards with the launch of the premium X870E AORUS Master. This will go on to be the company's second most premium product on this chipset, as the company is also planning the X870E AORUS Xtreme. The AORUS Master is still packed to the gills with everything this chipset has to offer, along with high-end onboard devices. The board is built in the ATX form-factor, and draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and two 8-pin EPS power connectors. It offers a 16+2+2 phase digital VRM featuring 110 A power stages. The board is laid out on a premium 8-layer PCB. You get tall extruded aluminium heatsinks for the CPU VRM, and the topmost M.2 NVMe Gen 5 slot.

The AMD Socket AM5 is wired to four DDR5 DIMM slots that support up to 192 GB of dual-channel DDR5, at speeds of over DDR5-8000. It also puts out no less than three M.2 NVMe Gen 5 slots. Two of these are wired to the dedicated x4 interfaces from the AMD "Raphael" or "Granite Ridge" processor, while one of them subtracts 4 lanes from the board's PCI-Express 5.0 x16 PEG slot. The board's fourth M.2 NVMe slot is Gen 4, and wired to the chipset. The only other expansion slots are a couple of PCI-Express 4.0 x16 (electrical Gen 4 x1). Besides the M.2 slots, you get four SATA 6 Gbps ports completing the board's storage connectivity.
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[NextPowerUP]

Thermaltake, a leading PC DIY brand for premium hardware solutions, is excited to release the G700 RGB Gaming Desk in black and snow. The black edition is now available for purchase and the snow edition is coming soon. The G700 is designed to redefine desktop space utilization for both office use and gaming. This desk supports up to two monitors and features a dynamic screen glide design for enhanced PC setup flexibility. Furthermore, its distinctive two-piece tabletop design simplifies cable management, making the G700 RGB Gaming Desk an excellent choice for those seeking both functionality and style.

The G700 RGB boasts a large desktop of 160 cm (L) x 88.7 cm (W), capable of a dual-monitor configuration. It comes with a dynamic screen glide design, allowing users to effortlessly adjust the screens' horizontal position based on their preference. The slide rail is crafted with high-strength aluminum alloy, ensuring its durability to bear the weight of the screen.
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[NextPowerUP]

AMD has reportedly pushed the launch of mid-tier models from its AMD 800-series chipset to early 2025, reports ComputerBase.de. With the Ryzen 9000-series "Zen 5" processors already launched earlier this month, and compatible with existing AMD 600-series chipset motherboards with a BIOS update, motherboard vendors are leisurely announcing their motherboards based on the AMD X870E and AMD X870 chipsets. Motherboards based on both offer drop-in compatibility with Ryzen 9000-series processors, and introduce new connectivity features such as 40 Gbps USB4 and Wi-Fi 7.

The company probably wants the two to have some time in the Sun before they're joined by the more affordable B850, which gamers could be drawn to. The AMD B850 has mostly identical platform I/O to the AMD X870, except Gen 5 support for the PCI-Express x16 slot is optional (motherboard vendors can choose to wire this out as Gen 4). The 40 Gbps USB4 is also optional here. You still get CPU overclocking support. The B840 is an entry-level chipset that's being launched to probably phase out the A620 and A620A, since it features similar I/O features to the A620A, but will probably come with drop-in compatibility for 65 W Socket AM5 processors. A deferred launch of the mid-tier chipset isn't too off character for AMD. It launched its popular B450 and B550 chipsets several months after the X470 and X570, respectively.

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[NextPowerUP]

IBASE Technology Inc., a leading innovator of embedded computing solutions, announces the launch of the MI1002 Mini-ITX motherboard powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra processors Series 1 (Meteor Lake-PS platform) with an LGA1851 socket. The new platform provides advanced AI capabilities, enhanced graphics, and remarkable energy efficiency, enabling the MI1002 to handle complex tasks effortlessly, whether deploying AI applications, managing edge computing, or driving IoT solutions.

The MI1002 is available in two variants, MI1002AF and MI1002AF-1, both equipped with two DDR5 memory sockets, multiple M.2 slots for ultra-fast storage and 5G connectivity, and dual 2.5G LAN ports for high-speed networking. The MI1002AF includes support for Intel iAMT 18.0 and dTPM 2.0, which are essential for enhanced security and remote management capabilities. The MI1002AF-1, on the other hand, is equipped with fTPM 2.0, providing a more cost-effective solution for applications where Intel iAMT is not required.
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[NextPowerUP]

Intel has begun sampling the test tools for their "Oak Stream" platform which will house the "Diamond Rapids" generation of processors sometime in late 2025 or early 2026. Previously rumored to continue using the "Birch Stream" platform LGA 7529 socket that will soon be shipping with the 288-core flavor of the "Sierra Forest" efficiency core Xeons as well as 120-core "Granite Rapids" performance core Xeons, "Diamond Rapids" appears to instead be moving up to a substantially larger LGA 9324 socket. This is Intel's next-next generation of Xeon from what is shipping today, following up on the next-gen Intel 18A based "Clearwater Forest" which was only just reported to be powering on earlier this month. Other than the codename there is almost nothing currently known about "Diamond Rapids" but the rumor mill is already fired up and mentioning things such as increased core counts, 16 DRAM channels (similar to what AMD is expected to introduce with EPYC "Venice") and PCI-E 6.0 support.

The LGA 9324 test interposer for use with Intel's Gen 5 VR Test Tool that appeared on their Design-in Tools storefront before the page went to a 404 error carried a price tag of $900 USD and stipulated that this was a pre-order with an expected shipment date in Q4 2024.

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[NextPowerUP]

At Xbox, our vision is to bring more games to more players across a wide variety of devices. It's a great time to play Xbox games, many of which will be available on day one for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass for Console members. Starting in September, we're kicking things off with Age of Mythology: Retold, followed by an epic lineup of games in October including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and the Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred expansion. Plus, we're excited for players to experience other great games including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl later this year.

Beginning later today, players will be able to pre-order the Xbox Series S - 1 TB in Robot White, Xbox Series X - 1 TB Digital Edition in Robot White, and Xbox Series X - 2 TB Galaxy Black Special Edition. For many players, we know our consoles are the preferred choice to play the incredible titles available on Xbox. I'm excited to share that the three new Xbox Series X|S console options, announced earlier this year at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, will release on October 15, with select countries following on October 29.
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[NextPowerUP]

Bethesda has officially announced that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game will be launching on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass on December 8th. In addition, we got to take a look at the whole new trailer. In addition, Bethesda has announced that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will feature NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 with Ray Reconstruction support, promising some impressive visuals as well as performance, at least on Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs.

As announced, Bethesda is bringing "a new level of cinematic immersion in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PC thanks to full ray tracing, which can be accelerated and further enhanced by NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 with Ray Reconstruction. From the hallowed halls of the Vatican and the sunken temples of Sukhothai to the pyramids of Egypt and the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, you'll experience Indy's adventure at peak performance and image quality on GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs."
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[NextPowerUP]

SilverStone today launched the NovaPeak ARGB line of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers. These come in two variants based on radiator size—NovaPeak 360 ARGB and NovaPeak 240 ARGB. These coolers are characterized by a decorative acrylic ARGB diffuser on top of the pump-block, high static-pressure fans, and daisy-chained fan-cabling that reduces cable clutter. The pump features a 6-pole motor for greater endurance. It features a copper cold-plate and an aluminium chamber. The radiator is made of aluminium as well.

Each of the two or three included 120 mm fans comes with addressable RGB lighting, with the LEDs located in the impeller hub. The fans connect to each other with a convenient daisy-chaining cable that reduces clutter compared to Y-splitters. These each turn between 500 and 2,200 RPM, pushing up to 75.74 CFM of airflow at 3.4 mm H₂O static pressure, and 12-33 dBA noise output, depending on the speed. Among the CPU socket types supported are LGA1851, LGA1700, AM5, and AM4.

Update Aug 22nd: The NovaPeak 240 RGB is priced at $99.99, and the NovaPeak 360 RGB goes for $122.99.

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[NextPowerUP]

GAMDIAS, a leading name in high-quality gaming PC hardware, is pleased to unveil the ATHENA M3 Series. As one of our most enduring case lines, the ATHENA M3 is distinguished by its fully mesh front panel, engineered to maximize airflow and enhance cooling efficiency. "Our ATHENA M3 Series exemplifies our dedication to integrating advanced technology with precise design, providing a high-performance case that enhances the gaming experience for everyone," stated Stimson Wang, CEO of GAMDIAS Technology. Available in matte black and snow white, this mid-tower case expertly combines a classic design with top-tier airflow performance, making it an ideal choice for all users.

The ATHENA M3 Series excels in airflow optimization with its fully mesh front panel, ensuring superior air intake and enhanced thermal performance. This mid-tower case includes four 120 mm PWM ARGB fans, three at the front and one at the back, and an 8-port PWM ARGB fan hub, delivering a stunning visual ARGB display while maintaining excellent cooling efficiency. The mesh front panel and tempered glass side panel showcase your build beautifully, highlighting the vibrant lighting and impressive internal components.
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[NextPowerUP]

Today, 2K and Hangar 13 officially revealed Mafia: The Old Country, a new entry in the critically-acclaimed action-adventure franchise launching in 2025 (during Take-Two's Fiscal Year 2026) on PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. Available to wishlist now, additional details about Mafia: The Old Country will be unveiled in December 2024.

Mafia: The Old Country announced with a stunning, tone-setting teaser trailer. Uncover the origins of organized crime with a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era, with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for.
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[NextPowerUP]

Funcom are thrilled to announce that Dune: Awakening, the Open World Survival MMO, will release in early 2025, with the console release planned for a later date. Premiered at Gamescom Opening Night Live, fans were treated to a 5-minute Exclusive Gameplay Reveal, which shows, for the first time, a player's rise from scavenging and survival to mobilizing an entire guild in the hunt for spice. See the new gameplay in action now.

Set on the most dangerous planet in the universe Dune: Awakening will challenge players to…

• SURVIVE the scorching desert and colossal sandworms by learning the ways of the Fremen.
• EXPAND your influence through combat, spice flow, building and upgrading bases, crafting vehicles, and trade. Develop your character by walking the path of the Mentat, Trooper, Planetologist, Swordmaster or Bene Gesserit.
• CONTROL the spice and cling to power as guild intrigue and warfare rage. Join a guild and align with House Harkonnen or Atreides, and clash for the precious spice in dynamic guild versus guild battles involving a range of vehicles, tech, and specialized combatants.

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