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January 30
- Reviewer reports RTX 5080 FE instability — PCIe 5.0 signal integrity likely the culprit
➀ Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5080 FE has been reported to have instability issues;
➁ The problem may be related to the multi-PCB design of the card;
➂ PCIe 5.0 signal integrity is suspected to be the cause of the issue.
- The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) OLED gaming laptop with RTX 4060 is now $500 off
➀ The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) OLED gaming laptop with RTX 4060 is now $500 off, priced at $1,099.99 at Best Buy.
➁ It features a 120 Hz OLED screen, Ryzen 9 8945HS, 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 1 TB NVMe Gen 4 SSD.
➂ The laptop is recommended for its vivid OLED display, decent speakers, and good port selection, although it lacks RGB lighting and upgradable RAM.
- Rapidus to reportedly install 10 EUV chipmaking tools at its fab in Japan
➀ Rapidus plans to install 10 EUV lithography tools in its upcoming fabs in Japan.
➁ The tools will be used for mass production of chips on 2nm-class process technology starting in 2027.
➂ The installation is expected to begin at IIM-1 and IIM-2 semiconductor production facilities.
January 28
- AMD-powered NUC appears to be in the works — Ryzen AI Max 395+ powered mini-PC spotted
➀ Asus is reportedly developing the first NUC with an AMD CPU, specifically the Ryzen AI Max-395/W 8060S.
➁ The new mini-PC is likely to be tested by the Bureau of Indian Standards, suggesting a potential Indian launch.
➂ The integrated Radeon 8060S graphics of the Ryzen AI Max 395+ are claimed to outperform the RTX 4070 laptop GPU by up to 68%.
- AMD denies 9070 XT leaked prices — '$899 USD starting price point was never part of the plan'
➀ AMD denies the rumored $899 starting price for the RX 9070 XT.
➁ Rumors suggest that AMD's RDNA 4 graphics cards were expected to compete with Intel and Nvidia's mid-range offerings.
➂ There are speculations about delays and stock readiness for AMD's latest GPUs.
- Crucial's X9 Pro 2TB external SSD is now only $119 — fast and portable storage
➀ Crucial's X9 Pro 2TB external SSD is currently available for $119 on Amazon, offering fast and portable storage.
➁ The SSD features a compact design with read and write speeds up to 1050MB/s and is water and dust resistant with an IP55 rating.
➂ The product is ideal for gamers and professionals who need to move large files between devices.
- Cyberpunk 2077 SteamDB page indicates that the Apple MacOS port is just around the corner
➀ A recent update to the SteamDB listing for CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 suggests that a MacOS version is coming soon, aligning with previous early 2025 estimates.
➁ Current Macs can run the game at around 40+ FPS without ray tracing, but with the native MacOS port, 60 FPS performance is expected with ray tracing support.
➂ The MacOS port is likely to perform well without ray tracing, but performance with RT enabled might be questionable with current-generation hardware.
- ViewSonic VG1656N portable monitor review: Delivering wireless freedom
➀ Tom's Hardware reviews the ViewSonic VG1656N, a portable monitor priced under $300 with compelling features including a 16-inch IPS display and wireless casting.
➁ The monitor has a built-in battery and USB-C dongle for wireless functionality, but it suffers from poor color performance and mediocre speakers.
➂ Despite these drawbacks, the VG1656N offers good value for money, especially for those seeking a wireless portable monitor.
- Nvidia loses $589 billion in market cap — broad stock plunge triggered by DeepSeek AI release
➀ Nvidia's stock price fell sharply, losing over $589 billion in market cap.
➁ The decline was partly due to the release of DeepSeek R1, an AI model that outperforms OpenAI's model with significantly less hardware cost.
➂ Investors are concerned about the rising cost of AI hardware and its impact on power consumption and infrastructure.
- Ex-Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger loads up on Nvidia stock, says the market's reaction to DeepSeek is wrong
➀ Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger argues that the market's reaction to DeepSeek's breakthrough in AI is wrong.
➁ Gelsinger believes that reducing the cost of AI will expand the market, not contract it.
➂ He also emphasizes the importance of openness in fostering innovation and collaboration in AI.
- DLSS Swapper now updates FSR, XeSS, and DLSS, too — Supports all major upscaling/frame gen technologies
➀ DLSS Swapper, a utility for updating NVIDIA's DLSS, has been updated to support AMD's FSR, Intel's XeSS, and other frame generation technologies.
➁ The new version of DLSS Swapper allows users to update their games' DLL files in a single interface, including those for Nvidia's Frame Generation and Ray Reconstruction.
➂ Users can manually add games, use custom cover art, and write per-game notes with the new update. However, the software is currently only available for Windows.
- Offloading Lossless Scaling Frame-Gen to secondary GPU eliminates overhead
➀ A method to enable lossless scaling frame generation without gaming performance overhead by using a secondary GPU has been discovered by YouTuber Ryan Spencer.
➁ This method works for both desktop and laptop GPUs, provided the secondary GPU is sufficiently powerful.
➂ The approach is particularly useful when the primary GPU does not natively support frame generation or when multi-frame generation is required.
- AMD RX 9000 series will focus on desktop GPUs first — RDNA 4 mobility offerings to follow later
➀ AMD confirms that RDNA 4 architecture will initially target desktop GPUs, with mobile offerings to follow later.
➁ RDNA 4 introduces several improvements, including optimized Compute Units, enhanced AI, and faster ray tracing.
➂ Despite the current shortage of Radeon dGPU-powered laptops, AMD plans to prioritize desktop GPUs with RDNA 4 before moving to mobile platforms.
- Nvidia RTX 5090D experiment bakes the label off a 750W SFX power supply
➀ TechTubers tested the power supply requirements for an RTX 5090D and Ryzen 7 9800X3D mini ITX build.
➁ The experiment involved using an underspecified power supply, leading to extreme heat and the disintegration of the PSU label.
➂ The test revealed the need for a higher wattage PSU for stable operation and better temperature control.
January 27
- AMD slides claim Strix Halo can beat the RTX 4070 laptop GPU by up to 68% in modern games
➀ AMD unveiled its Ryzen AI 300 flagship lineup, codenamed Strix Halo, at CES 2025.
➁ New benchmarks suggest that the top-end Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is up to 68% faster than the RTX 4070 mobile GPU in gaming.
➂ However, the Nvidia comparison system used in these tests was constrained by the thermal design power of the Asus ROG Flow Z13.
January 26
- MSI MAG B860 Tomahawk Wifi Motherboard Review: A more affordable Z890 alternative
➀ MSI B860 Tomahawk Wifi is a high-end motherboard with features like Wi-Fi 7, 5GbE, and PCIe 5.0.
➁ Despite its higher price, it offers good overall performance and EZ DIY features.
➂ The design includes a matte-black PCB, large heatsinks, and various connectivity options.
- MSI Afterburner 4.6.6 Beta 5 adds Nvidia RTX 50 plus initial Arrow Lake and Zen 5 support
➀ MSI Afterburner 4.6.6 Beta 5 adds support for Nvidia's RTX 50 Blackwell GPUs and introduces asynchronous fan-speed control for these GPUs.
➁ The update includes experimental compatibility with Intel's Arrow Lake and AMD's Zen 5 processors, addressing previous compatibility issues.
➂ The new version defaults to the Windows 11 Dark skin and introduces quad-fan control support, along with updates to RivaTuner to version 7.3.7 Beta 5.
- Microsoft experiments with ‘Drag Tray’ — share menu appears when dragging a file in Windows 11
➀ Microsoft is testing a 'Drag Tray' feature in Windows 11 that appears when dragging a file, making sharing via email or Phone Link easier.
➁ This feature is similar to sharing files on Android and iOS devices, which could make the Windows 11 experience more familiar to smartphone users.
➂ Despite new features, Windows 11 remains a buggy OS, and many users are hesitant to upgrade from Windows 10.
- MSI optimizes affordable Intel 800 mobos for China's first homegrown DDR5 memory chips
➀ MSI has announced several Intel B860 motherboards in China, including the MAG B860 Tomahawk Wi-Fi, MAG B860M Mortar Wi-Fi, and Pro B860M-A Wi-Fi.
➁ These motherboards are optimized for ChangXin Memory Technology (CXMT) DDR5 memory ICs, which are the first locally produced DDR5 chips in China.
➂ CXMT uses a less advanced production node to stay within U.S. export restrictions, making its DDR5 chips larger but potentially advantageous due to lower import duties.
- AMD FSR 3.1 game titles 'should just work' with FSR 4 drop-in DLL file replacement hints leaker
➀ A reliable source suggests that the RDNA 4 driver for AMD RX 9000 series GPUs will automatically replace FSR 3.1 DLL files with FSR 4, enabling seamless upgrades for supported games.
➁ This upgrade process implies that all AMD FSR 3.1-enabled games will benefit from FSR 4 without developer intervention.
➂ The move aims to streamline the adoption of advanced upscaling features for future AMD GPUs, ensuring smoother performance and image quality improvements.
- RTX 5080 outperforms RTX 4080 by 10% in Blender benchmark — only 8% higher than RTX 4080 Super
➀ NVIDIA has released benchmark results for the GeForce RTX 5080, showing a modest 10% performance increase over the RTX 4080 Super in Blender.
➁ These results are less impressive compared to earlier benchmarks, which indicated a 22% improvement over the RTX 4080.
➂ The real-world performance of the RTX 5080 remains uncertain until the official launch on January 29.
January 25
- RTX 5090D overclocked to 3.4 GHz consumes 1,000W — beats dual RTX 3090 Ti and quad GTX 1080 Ti
➀ Tony Yu, General Manager of Asus China, reviewed the RTX 5090D and demonstrated its overclocking potential.
➁ The RTX 5090D achieved impressive results in 3DMark benchmarks, outperforming multiple high-end configurations.
➂ Despite artificial constraints imposed by Nvidia, the RTX 5090D still managed to perform exceptionally well under extreme conditions.
- Espresso Display 15 Portable Monitor Review: Can’t touch this
➀ Tom's Hardware reviewed the Espresso Display 15, a more affordable 15-inch portable monitor compared to its touch-enabled siblings.
➁ The Display 15 offers solid color performance and a versatile stand, but lacks touch support and integrated speakers.
➂ Despite being more affordable, the Display 15 still faces competition from other mainstream monitors in terms of pricing and features.
- BOE reportedly mulls producing glass substrates for China's CPUs — new focus on semiconductors
➀ BOE, a leading Chinese display manufacturer, is reportedly planning to establish a pilot production line for glass core substrates for next-generation processors.
➁ This move could position BOE alongside semiconductor giants like Intel, Samsung, and TSMC.
➂ Challenges include the need for significant research, development, and new process technologies to handle the stringent requirements of semiconductor packaging.
- China-exclusive Arrow Lake CPU poses for photos — Core Ultra 5 230F debuts in sleek, black box
➀ Intel's Core Ultra 5 230F has been officially unveiled and is confirmed to be exclusive to China.
➁ The Core Ultra 5 230F has a ten-core configuration with higher frequencies and slightly more cache than the Core Ultra 5 225(F).
➂ The CPU's specifications are altered manually by Intel, but it is unclear if this will affect its performance.
January 24
- Student builds open-source laptop in 6 months — uses 4K AMOLED screen and has 7h battery life
➀ Brian Huang, a high school senior, completed a fully open-source laptop project in six months.
➁ The laptop features a 4K AMOLED display, Cherry MX mechanical keyboard, and approximately 7 hours of battery life.
➂ Huang faced challenges with signal integrity when driving the 4K display but eventually solved the issue by shortening the cable length.
- Asus' Q-Release Slim feature is reportedly damaging some GPU PCIe connectors
➀ Asus recently introduced a new feature called Q-Release Slim, which allows users to easily remove their GPU without dealing with bulky CPU coolers or large fingers.
➁ However, new reports suggest that this feature could potentially damage the GPU's PCIe connector, causing visible wear and tear after frequent use.
➂ The issue appears to be related to a metallic piece on the motherboard's PCIe slot that scrapes against the GPU's connector during removal.
- India set to launch its first semiconductor chip based on 28nm this year
➀ India is preparing to release its first domestically produced semiconductor chip in 2025, with a focus on the 28nm process.
➁ The country aims to position itself as a reliable alternative to Chinese and Taiwanese suppliers, bolstered by government initiatives like the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM).
➂ Plans include attracting significant foreign investments and establishing new manufacturing plants, such as Micron Technology's $2.75 billion facility in Gujarat.
- Intel proposes easily repairable and sustainable modular PC design for laptops and mini PCs
➀ Intel proposes a modular and repairable PC design for laptops and mini PCs to reduce e-waste.
➁ The design separates components into three modules: motherboard, and two IO modules.
➂ This approach can improve upgradability and reduce engineering efforts for partners while potentially reducing e-waste.
- Chinese semiconductor production equipment makers set sales records
➀ Leading Chinese semiconductor equipment makers reported significant revenue growth in 2024.
➁ AMEC, ACM, and Naura saw increases in sales and profitability despite increased R&D spending.
➂ The growth is attributed to the increasing demand for chipmaking tools and the construction of new fabs in China.