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GoDeal24 Unveils February Special Sale: Deep Discounts on Genuine Soft
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Spotted with Missing ROPs, NVIDIA Confirms the
TechPowerUp has discovered that there are NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards in retail circulation that come with too few render units, which lowers performance. Zotac's GeForce RTX 5090 Solid comes with fewer ROPs than it should—168 are enabled, instead of the 176 that are part of the RTX 5090 specifications. This loss of 8 ROPs has a small, but noticeable impact on performance. During recent testing, we noticed our Zotac RTX 5090 Solid sample underperformed slightly, falling behind even the NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition card. At the time we didn't pay attention to the ROP count that TechPowerUp GPU-Z was reporting, and instead spent time looking for other reasons, like clocks, power, cooling, etc.
Two days ago, one of our readers who goes by "Wuxi Gamer," posted this thread on the TechPowerUp Forums, reporting that his retail Zotac RTX 5090 Solid was showing fewer ROPs in GPU-Z than the RTX 5090 should have. The user tried everything from driver to software re-installs, to switching between the two video BIOSes the card comes with, all to no avail. What a coincidence that we had this card in our labs already, so we then dug out our sample. Lo and behold—our sample is missing ROPs, too! GPU-Z is able to read and report these units counts, in this case through NVIDIA's NVAPI driver interface. The 8 missing ROPs constitute a 4.54% loss in the GPU's raster hardware capability, and to illustrate what this means for performance, we've run a couple of tests.
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Former Sony Exec Views First-party PS5 to PC Porting as "Almost Like P
Last month, Shuhei Yoshida announced his retirement from Sony Interactive Entertainment. His career at the company started back in 1986, and by 1993 he became involved with the corporation's nascent PlayStation division. The Japanese industry veteran has gone on a press appearance blitz over the past couple of weeks; many headlines have been generated by his candid musings. Most recently, Sacred Symbols+ engaged in a conversation with Yoshida—their (paywalled) two-hour long podcast episode (#347) was made available to subscribers this week. The former PlayStation chief divulged that he pushed hard for the conversion of first-party titles from console origins to PC platforms, but his colleagues were reportedly reluctant to adopt this practice (at the time). Yoshida-san outlined the benefits: "releasing on PC does many things: it reaches a new audience who do not own consoles—especially in regions where consoles are not as popular. The idea is that those people may become fans of a particular franchise, and when a new game in that series comes out, they may be convinced to purchase a PlayStation." Sony started readjusting its exclusivity model a few years ago; greater ambitions were revealed in 2024.
He continued with this thought process: "it also adds additional income, because porting to PC is way cheaper than creating an original title...So, it's almost like printing money. And that helps us to invest in new titles now that the cost of games has increased." The ex-SIE boss believes that emerging markets are best served with releases on PC. Yoshida mentioned a huge (almost untapped) market—his ex-colleagues could do well, by targeting said region in the near future: "China is a huge PC game market...And China is a growing but very small console market. In order to reach the audience in countries like China then it's crucial to release on PC. So, I believe PC versions really reach a new audience." PC gamers have largely welcomed an improved flow of ported first-party titles, but Sony has absorbed feedback flak in early 2025; namely an underwhelming reception to Marvel's Spider-Man 2. In late January, Team Sony announced a revised PlayStation Network account policy; backpedalling from a system that featured strict sign-in requirements.
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(PR) Promise Mascot Agency Demo Available Now
You heard us the first time! The demo is playable RIGHT NOW! GO GO! Welcome to Kaso-Machi, where chaos goblins and crime mysteries await! For the first time EVER, you can get hands on with our colourful, sentient (of course, why wouldn't they be?!) mascots, get behind the wheel of your truck, and start discovering the mysteries that await you in Promise Mascot Agency! GO GO GO!
Delve into this open-world, genre-bending, creature collector, RPG. Be the boss, turn a profit, and collect the most chaotic roster of bizarre mascots. Severed pinky fingers run businesses? Sobbing Tofu! A Very Innocent Cat!? Oh my! Experience the star-studded cast FOR THE FIRST TIME! Featuring the dulcet tones of Takaya Kuroda (Yakuza's Kiryu Kazuma), Ayano Shibuya (Zelda Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom), and introducing Nobuyuki Hiyama (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask) as Captain Sign! So what are you waiting for? Mascots of every variety are waiting to be put on your books in this epic new 80-minute demo, now available as part of Steam Next Fest!
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(PR) Atelier Yumia's Feature Set Explored, KOEI TECMO Opens Up Digital
Atelier games have been around since the late '90s, with more than two dozen titles shipped in that time - but you're forgiven some unfamiliarity the series, as Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories and the Envisioned Land will be the very first to arrive on Xbox. After playing through the first few hours of the game and speaking with producer Junzo Hosoi, it's becoming clear that the first Atelier title on Xbox isn't simply the latest in the series, it's the most ambitious entry yet.
"As a huge Xbox fan, I'm thrilled to finally bring the series to the system," Hosoi told me via email, "But when I look at the game as a whole, I don't describe Atelier Yumia as the next Atelier game. I describe it as a completely new JRPG series that has Atelier features." My preview session bore that out; players will find familiar RPG elements aplenty - strategic, real-time battles, crafting, exploration - but they come together in way that feels altogether different from others in the genre. The secret ingredient, if you will, lies in the super deep crafting system.
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(PR) Team Jade Announces Launch of Delta Force's Black Hawk Down Co-op
Mogadishu, 1993. Operation Gothic Serpent. What began as a routine mission to capture enemy lieutenants descended into chaos when two Black Hawks were shot down. U.S. forces found themselves trapped and outnumbered, fighting for survival in the heart of enemy territory. Now, you can experience the intensity of that fateful day firsthand.
Black Hawk Down is coming completely FREE on February 21! As a gesture of gratitude to all the Operators for all the support during the Open Beta, one of the most iconic military operations will be available to all for free. Squad up, stay sharp, and overcome! Remember...no one gets left behind! Delta Force is a definitive free-to-play modern team-based tactical shooter coming to PC, consoles, and mobile. As the latest installment of the classic series that has defined the genre for 25 years, Delta Force is back with four main game modes: large-scale multiplayer PVP—Warfare, next-gen extraction shooter—Hazard Operations, PVE mode—Raid, and classic PVE campaign mode—Black Hawk Down.
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Apple M4 MacBook Air Gets Geekbenched, Leaked Results Suggest Near Mac
Apple's unannounced M4 MacBook Air family is likely reaching market availability status at some point next month. Last December, slimline notebook enthusiasts started hearing about an updated lineup; macOS's Sequoia 15.2 update reportedly referenced upcoming MacBook Air M4 13-inch and 15-inch models. An early sample unit—named "Mac16,12"—has participated in a Geekbench 6.4.0 (macOS AArch64) gauntlet; results appeared online yesterday. The alleged "MacBook Air 13" candidate posted an overall Metal score of 54,806, and an overall OpenCL tally of 36,305. The two separate Geekbench Browser entries confirm that the sampled device makes use of a 10-core M4 processor, with Cluster 1 containing four performance cores. Cluster 2 consists of six power efficiency-oriented cores. Base frequency is listed at 4.41 GHz; reportedly the highest recorded for an M4 SoC. Said chip accessed 24 GB of unified memory, during its macOS 15.2 (Build 24C2101)-based test session.
Notebookcheck and Wccftech compared the aforementioned data points with slightly older M4-equipped hardware, including a premium model. Both outlets observed a "measly" five percent performance difference. Elaborating on their findings, Notebookcheck stated: "as always, we would recommend taking early benchmark results with a healthy amount of skepticism for the time being. With that being said, the MacBook Air 13 benchmarked falls about 5% short of the median Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Metal results we achieved so far when benchmarking the M4 versions of Apple's Mac Mini and MacBook Pro 14." The rumored next-gen MacBook Air is expected to operate with a fan-less cooling system—press outlets reckon that the MacBook Pro's air-cooled operation puts it at a slight advantage (in benchmarks).
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Intel 18A Is Officially Ready for Customer Projects
Intel has updated its 18A node website with the message, "Intel 18A is now ready for customer projects with the tape outs beginning in the first half of 2025: contact us for more information." The contact hyperlink includes an email where future customers can direct their questions to Intel. Designed as a turnaround node for Intel, 18A carries industry-leading features like SRAM density scaling comparable with TSMC's N2, 15% better performance per watt, and 30% better chip density vs. the Intel 3 process node used in Intel Xeon 6, as well as PowerVia backside-power delivery to increase transistor density.
Other features like RibbonFET are the first to replace FinFET transistors, making gate leakage a tighter control. Interestingly, Intel's first products to use the 18A node are client CPUs "Panther Lake" and "Clearwater Forest" Xeon CPUs for data centers. External Intel Foundry customers using the 18A node include Amazon's AWS, Microsoft for its internal silicon for Azure, and Broadcom exploring 18A-based designs. The process of gaining customers for advanced manufacturing is complex, as many existing Samsung/TSMC customers are not risking their capacity and contracts with established advanced silicon makers. However, if Intel's first few customers prove successful, many others could flock over to Intel's fabs as geopolitical tensions are questioning whether the current models of the semiconductor supply chain are feasible in the future. If US companies and startups decide to move with Intel for their chip manufacturing, Intel could experience a complete recovery.
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Numemory Releases Optane Successor: "NM101" Storage-Class Memory
Numemory has introduced the NM101, a 64 Gb storage-class memory module that uses technology similar to Intel's now-discontinued Optane architecture. The device implements phase-change memory and crossbar technology in a 3D selector-only memory structure, matching Optane's 3200 MT/s transfer rate specification. The technical architecture diverges from Intel's implementation by using a single selector in its cross-point structure rather than the dual-selector approach of 3D XPoint memory. Operating at 1.2 V with an X8 bus width, the NM101 uses 3D stacking to achieve claimed performance metrics of 10x faster read/write speeds than NAND flash. Xincun Technology, which established the Numemory division in Wuhan in 2022, holds 273 patents related to the technology, including 60 international and 213 Chinese patents. The company's R&D team of 144 engineers has developed the architecture since 2019, three years before Intel ended its Optane program.
Production plans specify an initial manufacturing target of 10,000 units monthly by the end of 2025. Guao Technology has committed ¥10 billion to establish production facilities in Zhejiang province, with additional funding from the Anji county government. The NM101's operating temperature range spans 0-70°C, suitable for standard data center environments. While the device's specifications suggest the potential for data center deployment, specific IOPS and latency metrics remain unpublished. Initial production will serve domestic Chinese servers and storage manufacturers. The technology's viability in mass production remains to be demonstrated, particularly given the manufacturing challenges that contributed to Optane's market exit. The Chinese internal market is massive, so serving only domestic companies could be enough for Numemory at the beginning. If the company continues development, worldwide expansion could pick up where Optane stopped.
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PC Enthusiast's Next Stop is... 12VHPWR Power Connector with Active Fa
Just when you thought you'd seen everything, a Taobao seller has unleashed what might be the most over-engineered power connector solution yet: a 16-pin 12VHPWR power adapter complete with its own cooling fan and real-time monitoring display. Yes, you read that right—we're now actively cooling power connectors. The $30 adapter appears as manufacturers continue struggling with melting cable problems on NVIDIA's RTX 4090 series, despite the company's claims of resolving the issue. The adapter includes an LCD screen showing real-time temperature and power consumption readings, while its 180-degree design prevents sharp cable bends that are often blamed for connection problems. However, unlike more comprehensive solutions proposed by engineering experts, it doesn't address the fundamental issue of uneven power distribution across the connector's 12 power wires.
The adapter works with RTX 4090, 4080, and 4070 graphics cards. Still, it shouldn't be used with newer RTX 50 series cards, as the sales listing doesn't mention any GeForce RTX 50 series compatibility, and the latest "Blackwell" GPU design uses an updated 12V-2x6 power connector, which still appears riddled with issues. While adding a fan to a power connector may seem excessive, an intriguing possibility is that we may soon find water-cooler power connectors for the newer 12V-2x6, so users can prevent their $2000 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 GPUs from melting their power connectors. Irony aside, power delivery safety is a growing concern, and no clear resolution exists. NVIDIA has reassured users in the past that these problems are now solved, but the issues are piling up as more users get ahold of their RTX 5090 GPUs.
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(PR) Arc & Snapshot Games Unveil Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids, Ma
We're proud to reveal Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids, a new action-packed strategy game that combines thrilling third-person action with the strategic depth of real-time strategy (RTS) gameplay - all set in a colorful, comic book-style world brimming with a unique cast of characters. Whether strategizing in battle or diving into the action firsthand, you will find a uniquely engaging and heroic adventure that keeps you coming back for more.
PLAY THE DEMO
As part of Steam Next Fest: February Edition from February 24 to March 3, the first-ever demo of Chip 'n' Clawz vs. The Brainioids will be available for you to experience this exciting heroic action RTS adventure before it launches on PC, Xbox and PlayStation this spring with cross-platform play support at launch. The demo will give you plenty of Chip 'n' Clawz action to dive into, as it'll feature online and local campaign co-op and PvP multiplayer support, four Mission levels, two Challenge levels, two PvP maps, and plenty of weapons, mods, collectibles and base building options! If you want to join the Chip 'n' Clawz community and find fellow Earthlings to adventure with or challenge in PvP, join the official Chip 'n' Clawz Discord!
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