In the news cycle today, Intel is announcing an update to its planned deployment of its next generation Xeon Scalable platform known as Sapphire Rapids. Sapphire Rapids is the main platform behind the upcoming Aurora supercomputer, and set to feature support for leading edge technologies such as DDR5, PCIe 5.0, CXL, and Advanced Matrix Extensions. The announcement today is Intel reaffirming its commitment to bringing Sapphire Rapids to market for wide availability in the first half of 2022, meanwhile early customers are currently operating with early silicon for testing and optimization.
Intel’s Xe HPG desktop graphics card prototype (codenamed DG2) is now sampling to partners, suggesting an appearance for Team Blue's upcoming gaming GPU might be just around the corner.
While we appreciate this might not sound as exciting as a new release from AMD or Nvidia, this is huge news for the gaming market, potentially splitting the current duopoly.
In fact, two leaked benchmarks have appeared for variants of the GPU that suggest similar performance to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050, though it's worth noting that three additional SKUs are anticipated, with the flagship 512 EU (execution unit) card rumored to sit somewhere between the GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 for performance.
While the flagship model is expected to run at clock speeds of up to 2.2GHz, with 16GB of GDDR6 video RAM on board (and a 256-bit memory bus), both of the current leaks are for lower-powered variants, and we're working under the assumption that the SKUs currently being sampled are of the mobile variety rather than desktop.
Still, this means we could see an Intel discrete graphics card officially revealed in a matter of months, making CES 2022 a suitable window for Intel to show what its new gaming hardware is capable of. What makes all this especially exciting is that DG2 will have (allegedly) better ray tracing support than the current AMD 'Big Navi' GPUs, and another rival to Nvidia's DLSS feature is also being developed, dubbed XeSS.
If Intel can pull this off at an affordable price point, both Nvidia and AMD might have to accept the gaming GPU market is no longer a two-horse race. Ultimately, we will have to wait until more information is released into the wild before getting our hopes up.
Peddling back to the leaked benchmarks that have appeared on the scene, one appears to show the integrated graphics capabilities of Intel's upcoming 12th-generation CPUs, adding some weight to existing rumors that the DG2 graphics would be paid with some Alder Lake products.
This performance certainly won't be blowing anyone's mind, but for non-gaming optimized builds, this offers a suitable alternative to buying a dedicated graphics card.
And of course, that isn't to say it can't play games - it's anticipated that you'll see similar performance to that of the elderly Nvidia GTX 460, so indie titles and even low requirement games like League of Legends or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will run just fine.
The second benchmark to appear for the DG2 is a discreet GPU with 256 execution units and a maximum frequency of 1,400 MHz, achieving similar results to another outdated favorite, the Nvidia GTX 1050 with 18,482 points in OpenCL.
As with all rumors, take all of this with a healthy pinch of salt until we get some more official data from Intel, which shouldn't be that long of a wait now that partners are sampling prototypes. While both of the SKUs with benchmark leaks might not be as exciting as a rival to products like the GeForce RTX 3080 or the Radeon RX 6800 XT, there are high expectations for the flagship of the DG2 lineup.
Intel Xe is such a huge deal in the graphics card world, even if we don't know much about it. For so long the best graphics cards have been represented by only two companies: Nvidia and AMD. But, now that Intel Xe graphics cards are eventually going to arrive, we're finally going to get a third player in the GPU game.
Right now, the only Intel Xe graphics cards we've seen came with Intel Tiger Lake CPUs in the form of integrated graphics, much in the same way as Ice Lake's Gen11 Intel Iris graphics. However, we don't know when we're going to see the dedicated graphics – even though we did get to play with them at CES 2020.
Either way, Intel's first Xe graphics card is officially a thing. We have already got some GPUs for Exascale computing, but we know that consumer-facing GPUs will eventually make their way to market. These mainstream GPUs are still a way out, though, but there is loads of speculation to tide us over until then.
So, keep this page bookmarked, and we'll be sure to keep it updated with all the latest Intel Xe graphics card news and speculation.
Cut to the chase
What is it? Intel’s line of discrete graphics cards
When is it out? Sometime in 2022 most likely
What will it cost? No one knows yet
Intel's first discrete GPU coming in 2020: https://t.co/s9EPeFifBp pic.twitter.com/n5zmUY2Mc2June 12, 2018
See more
Intel graphics cards release date
Intel Xe graphics first saw the light of day last year with Tiger Lake integrated graphics, but discrete graphics cards have been pushed back from their original 2020 release.
So, at GDC 2019, Intel showed off some renders of its future graphics cards. Team Blue kind of did the same thing at CES 2020, but this time clarified that these renders were for PCIe versions of the DG1 mobile chip that it would send to developers, so that they could code on the new hardware. It's unlikely that any of the renders we've seen so far will be the final design of any consumer-facing GPU.
On the other hand, Intel released a graphics tuning software and updated it recently with a video recording feature. It's not quite as robust as the offerings from AMD and Nvidia, but it indicates that Intel is pretty far along the road to releasing gaming-ready graphics cards sometime in the near future.
More recently, Intel has confirmed that Xe HPG gaming graphics cards, previously known by it's prototype codename "DG2," is being sampled to graphics card partners. This is typically done in the final stages after the design and prototyping is finished and the graphics cards are ready for large scale production.
Given the semiconductor shortages in 2020 and 2021, it's unlikely that we'll get an actual Intel Xe HPG card going on sale in 2021. It's definitely possible that we can see them at CES 2022, however, with an actual release following soon after. Intel has been talking up its Xe HPG card a lot more recently, though, so a very late 2021 release can't be entirely ruled out either.
Intel’s pricing for its graphics cards is ultimately going to boil down to what segment of the consumer market it plans to capitalize on it. We’re sure that there will be professional and datacenter GPUs that cost thousands of dollars, but we’re more interested in consumer or gaming graphics cards.
There are some signs that Intel is going to compete with the likes of AMD. In an interview with Russian YouTube channel Pro Hi-Tech – that's been taken down – Intel senior vice president of architecture said Intel graphics cards would target the mainstream, which starts at $200 (about £165, AU$294). Since then, however, Intel has since come out and clarified that Koduri was talking about the mainstream market starting at that price point and not future Intel graphics cards starting at that price.
However, it is possible that Intel would target the high-end enthusiast market, too. We've heard that Intel Xe graphics cards would feature baked-in support for ray tracing – something AMD hasn't caught up with. However, there is a chance that only high-end GPUs targeted at enterprise users would feature this capability.
Obviously, this far out from the actual launch of Intel Xe graphics cards, it's hard to nail down how much we'll have to pay for Team Blue's GPUs. And, because this would be the first generation of Intel graphics cards, we can't exactly look to the past to try and suss out how much we'll be spending.
At the end of the day, we don’t know what Intel is doing here, but we’re excited nonetheless. We’ll be keeping our ears to the ground on this one, waiting until more information starts surfacing — so stay tuned.
What can Intel Xe graphics cards do?(Image credit: Intel)
Intel graphics cards specs
Usually, this is the part of the story where we dive into past releases and try to guess what the future products are going to look like. But, we can’t really do that this time around – it’s been almost two decades since Intel has released a discrete GPU, and that didn’t end so well for team blue.
That doesn't mean that there isn't anything out there that we can take a look at. We have seen a leaked graphics driver show up on the Anandtech forums, possibly referencing several discrete graphics cards – and a rough idea on their specs. For instance, we saw a iDG2HP512, which looks like a bunch of random numbers and letters at first glance. However, if you take DG to mean 'discrete graphics' and the 512 to signify the number of EUs (execution units), we can get a rough idea of what it can do.
These execution cores are essentially Intel's equivalent to Nvidia's CUDA cores, where the more you have, the faster the GPU is. For comparison's sake, in Intel's latest Ice Lake processors that sport Gen11 integrated graphics, the beefiest GPU only has 64 EUs. Intel is claiming that these discrete Intel graphics should be an order of magnitude faster than the integrated Gen11 graphics on Ice Lake. In fact, Intel is claiming that even the integrated graphics found on Tiger Lake will be twice as fast as what's found on Ice Lake – which is already twice as fast as Whiskey Lake's graphics.
And, while Intel hasn't released specific Intel Xe graphics card specs, Team Blue had an Intel Xe GPU, lovingly called "DG1", at CES 2020, where it was able to run Destiny 2. For a new graphics card from AMD or Nvidia, this would hardly be noteworthy, but it does mean that Intel Xe graphics cards actually work in real life.
Intel has also announced that its discrete graphics will support hardware-optimized ray tracing – but it's unclear whether or not this will be an enterprise-level feature. However, now that we know the PS5 and Xbox Project Scarlett will feature ray tracing, Intel may need to include this capabilities in its graphics cards, especially if they release alongside AMD's rumored Navi 23 graphics.
Intel is taking some notes from its competition, when it comes to software, too. At GDC 2019, Intel launched the new Intel Graphics Command Center, which is the Blue Team’s equivalent to something like Nvidia’s GeForce Experience. This isn’t especially helpful right now, as integrated graphics aren’t the best for playing games, but it does mean that once Intel graphics cards do release, they’ll feature one-click game optimization.
At the end of the day, there are only a couple things we need to see in these new GPUs, they need to be capable of 4K gaming, and they need to be priced competitively. If Intel is able to hit these two marks, we could see Intel competing in the bloodthirsty GPU marketplace. But, we won’t know until Intel is ready to share.
from TechRadar: computing components news https://ift.tt/2T8uFB2
via IFTTT
As part of today’s International Supercomputing 2021 (ISC) announcements, Intel is showcasing that it will be launching a version of its upcoming Sapphire Rapids (SPR) Xeon Scalable processor with high-bandwidth memory (HBM). This version of SPR-HBM will come later in 2022, after the main launch of Sapphire Rapids, and Intel has stated that it will be part of its general availability offering to all, rather than a vendor-specific implementation.
It’s been a little over a year since we covered Marvell’s OCTEON TX2 infrastructure processors, and since then, the ecosystem has been evolving in an extremely fast manner – both within Marvell and outside. Today, we’re covering the new generation OCTEON 10 family of DPUs, a whole new family of SoCs, built upon TSMC’s 5nm process node and also for the featuring for the first time Arm’s new Neoverse N2 processors.
It’s been a few months since AMD first announced their new third generation EPYC Milan server CPU line-up. We had initially reviewed the first SKUS back in March, covering the core density optimised 64-core EPYC 7763, EPYC 7713 and the core-performance optimised 32-core EPYC 75F3. Since then, we’ve ben able to get our hands on several new mid and lower end SKUs in the form of the new 24-core EPYC 7443, the 16-core 7343, as well as the very curious 8-core EPYC 72F3 which we’ll be reviewing today.
Windows 11 has thrown a little known piece of hardware in the limelight, one that could potentially make or break the success of Windows 11. Meet the TPM.
Its purpose is to protect your data (business or personal). TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module, has been around for almost a decade and it's a tiny bit of hardware - usually a processor (that's right a CPU) - that makes a big difference by protecting the data on a device.
Why a TPM?
Data protection is particularly important with laptops and tablets, because of course such devices are lost and stolen in huge numbers.
Each of those laptops is a data disaster waiting to happen, because laptops are often used to store sensitive or regulated data - HR records, perhaps, or financial data, or your top secret plans for global domination. If that data got into the wrong hands.
Enter TPM; TPM can be used to encrypt data so that even if it falls into the wrong hands, unauthorized users can't access it in theory.
A close up of a TPM module(Image credit: Quiet PC)
TPM in action
A TPM-protected device requires its user to identify themselves. Depending on your systems, that identification can be accomplished in several ways: using a PIN code or a password, through bio-metric data such as fingerprints, via a smart card or a one-time password, or by a combination of those methods (note that this step usually happens before password managers come into play).
Whatever method you choose is the key to your system, and your data is safely locked away. TPM's job doesn't stop when the correct user is logged in. It can be used to encrypt the entire hard disk or just parts of it, it can authenticate online activities such as secure email and virtual private networking (VPN), and it can also be used to ensure that when a computer reaches the end of its life it doesn't go to the recycler/refurbisher with any confidential data still on it.
TPM, so hard to beat
TPM-based encryption is exceptionally difficult to break. TPM-protected data can't be read without the correct authentication, and because encryption keys are processed independently by the TPM processor, it isn't vulnerable to operating system vulnerabilities or software-based hacking attacks.
It isn't vulnerable to physical attack either. TPM-enabled devices can tell if hardware has been added or removed, and they can be configured so they'll refuse to operate if they detect such tampering.
You can't beat the encryption by removing the hard disk and putting it in another machine, because TPM-based encryption can only be unlocked from by the specific TPM processor that locked it away in the first place.
And even extreme measures such as transplanting the TPM chip into a different computer won't work, because the TPM processor is tied to the device it was first installed in.
Taken together, those features mean that the TPM offers businesses something very important: the knowledge that even if devices fall into the wrong hands, the data on them won't.
TPM and Windows 11
Windows 11 was announced on June 24 and came with a rather unexpected surprise, the presence of TPM 2.0 as one of the minimum requirements for setting it up. Given the fact that TPM is historically a business/enterprise feature, it is therefore less common in DIY, custom-built and boutique-sourced rigs.
Adding TPM, for many, turns out to be a doddle for whoever knows how to access a BIOS and enable Firmware TPM (or fTPM) but then again, your mileage will vary and for many, many users, that might mean having to either add a TPM module or buy a compatible Windows 11 PC when they come to the market.
As to why Microsoft made it compulsory to have TPM, well other than the security aspect, some might posit that doing so could make it harder, much, much harder for pirated/illegal copies/licences of Windows 10 to be sold in the open market.
from TechRadar: computing components news https://ift.tt/2TVWSed
via IFTTT
Today’s announcement from SiFive comes in two parts; this part is significant as it recognizes that Intel will be enabling SiFive’s IP portfolio on its 7nm manufacturing process for upcoming foundry customers. We are expecting Intel to offer a wide variety of its own IP, such as some of the x86 cores, memory controllers, PCIe controllers, and accelerators, however the depth of its third party IP support has not been fully established at this point. SiFive’s IP is the first (we believe) official confirmation of specific IP that will be supported.
Since the launch of Intel’s Third Generation Xeon Scalable Ice Lake processors in April, it was widely expected that the initial volumes of hardware would be going towards Intel’s biggest customers through their OEM partners. Users who want retail hardware would have to wait a while, although exactly how long was a bit of a mystery. The answer to this seems to be that Ice Lake Xeon hardware is now available at retail: both motherboards and a CPU or two.
TeamGroup has launched its first commercially available DDR5 memory kits, and while DDR5 is predicted to become the new standard of RAM by as early as 2023, you might not want to run out and buy some for your rig just yet.
Not only are these kits essentially unusable until DDR5-compatible motherboards are also released (with the first mainstream platforms expected to release products around Q4 2021), but you might need to think about how you're going to finance your new purchase as TeamGroup is selling its 32GB, 4,800 MHz kit for $399.99 (around £300, AU$550).
A TeamGroup spokesperson previously suggested to TechRadar Pro that DDR5 will be more expensive than the current DDR4 standard (which won't come as a surprise) and that DDR5 modules are most likely going to be 16GB as standard, with both claims now being seemingly confirmed with this product launch.
As WCCFTech points out in its reporting, prices for DDR4 4,000 MHz (32 GB) kits are around $299-$399 which means this DDR5 kit is actually in line with the current going rate for the speed you'd be getting, but that doesn't make the hefty asking price any more affordable.
TeamGroup has only released the DDR5 kit to US customers, but plans are in place for a global release in the coming weeks. The full product specifications are listed below:
Module Type: DDR5 288 Pin ECC Unbuffered DIMM
Frequency: 4800
Latency: CL40-40-40-77
Capacity: 16GBx2
Data Transfer: 38,400 MB/s
Voltage: 1.1V
Dimensions: 32(H) x 134(L)mm
Warranty: 3-year limited warranty
Should you upgrade to DDR5?
We're hesitant to recommend anyone jumps at this offer, given this is early days for DDR5, despite the new generation of memory already having a number of advantages over DDR4. DDR5 can register speeds of up to 6.4Gbps, smashing DDR4’s potential rate of 3.2Gbps. You'll also be using less power with DDR5, which makes it the more efficient choice if you want to be kind to your power supply.
All of these component woes already make the DIY PC market a depressing state, so the addition to buying a new motherboard to accommodate for this faster RAM isn't as appealing as it rightfully should be.
There isn't a guarantee that waiting a few months for the market to (hopefully) stabilize will actually help, but buying DDR5 right now doesn't have any clear advantages, especially as both AMD and Intel aren't expected to launch DDR5 supporting ranges until sometime in 2022.
Best gaming PC: the best computers to get into PC gaming with
Today Google is announcing a new Cloud instance based on AMD Milan – but beyond the new hardware, it’s really what’s behind the new performance numbers which is what should shake the cloud system – is Google abandoning SMT vCPUs?
Nvidia made a few announcements during E3 2021 regarding beloved features such as ray tracing, Nividia Reflex and DLSS support for the popular first-person shooter Rainbow Six Siege. As it turns out, that patch might have been a slighter bigger deal than we previously thought, with several eagle-eyed Reddit users noticing the game is using DLSS 2.2, a version of Nvidia's 'deep learning super sampling' technology that has yet to be officially announced.
The DLL library (nvngx_dlss.dll) that was added to the latest patch of the game states that the product version of DLSS being used is 2.2.6.0, which if correct would mean that Rainbow Six Siege is the first game to use the updated tech.
AMD vs Nvidia: which should be your next graphics card?
While it's unlikely this will see a huge improvement from DLSS version 2.1, players of the Vulkan version of Rainbow Six Siege can allegedly boost 4K performance by up to 50%.
Nvidia provided its own benchmarking during its E3 keynote, displaying that at 4K resolution and DLSS running in performance mode, the GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card can achieve up to 211 frames-per-second if paired with a powerful Intel Core i9-10900K CPU. For context, you can expect to get around 145 fps on the same setup without any help from DLSS.
Don't take our word for it, give it a whirl
If you want to enable DLSS in Rainbow Six Siege and give it a try yourself then you'll need to ensure you have an Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics card with the latest Game Ready Driver installed. Follow the below instructions to get yourself game ready if you fit the hardware requirements.
Download the latest North Star Rainbow Six Siege update from the Ubisoft Connect client
Load into the game and head into 'Options'
Under 'Graphics' you should now see a toggle for DLSS where you can select your chosen quality level
DLSS has come a long way since version 1.0 was released, with many people finding it didn't quite match what Nvidia was promising. That all changed with DLSS 2.0, with game performance seeing massive improvements thanks to artificial intelligence, scaling up lower resolutions without putting additional strain on your GPU.
AMD is currently working on its own version of this framerate-boosting tech, dubbed FidelityFX, in order to compete with Team Green. DLSS is a huge selling point for many Nvidia GPUs over AMD offerings such as the Radeon RX 6700 XT, so it's really hard to understate just how much this feature has revolutionized the playability of demanding games. It's likely that DLSS 3.0 won't be with us anytime soon, but any developments and updates made to the current version are a welcome sight.
Noctua has launched a passive CPU cooler, meaning one that dispenses with the need for any fan and therefore works completely silently – and it can tackle Intel’s Rocket Lake flagship processor (although as you might expect, this comes with a bunch of caveats).
First off, let’s look at the cooler itself, the Noctua NH-P1 which the manufacturer promises has been designed from scratch to work without the need for a fan bolted to it.
Noctua’s chief executive, Roland Mossig, explains: “The NH-P1 is our very first passive cooler, and it should be easy to see that we didn’t just take a regular heatsink and omit the fan. A lot of engineering work went into designing this unit for fanless operation from the ground up and we’re truly proud of the end result.”
The result being that it can cope with taming Intel’s Core i9-11900K processor, albeit running at its stock speed – but that’s still impressive for totally silent operation. In Noctua’s testing, the 11900K ran at around 3.6GHz (1,00MHz faster than the stock clock, in fact), and that’s being stress-tested with Prime 95.
(Image credit: Noctua)
However, under the list of the fan’s compatible processors, Noctua does note that the 11900K (and indeed other high-end models) might “fall slightly below base-clock under continuous full load”.
In other words, don’t expect too much pep from beefy chips – and it goes without saying, don’t even think about overclocking with this cooler.
In fact, you need to step down to the Core i5-11600 for Noctua to remove the potential thermal throttling warning for fanless operation, or the Ryzen 5 3600 on the AMD front.
Cooler compromise
For those who do want to get a better level of performance out of the CPU, Noctua offers an option to attach a 120mm fan (NF-A12x25 LS-PWM). But, doesn’t that defeat the whole point of the silent exercise?
Well, sort of, but the thing is this add-on fan is a low-speed and “ultra-quiet” model, so you won’t be hearing much noise from it – a rated 12.1dB at most – and it can be set as semi-passive. That means it only kicks in when the PC needs it, leaving operation completely silent when you’re not doing anything particularly demanding.
Noctua goes to pains to make it clear that anyone wanting to use the NH-P1 in passive mode to make a silent system should be aware that there are lots of considerations in designing such a stealth PC (maybe as a living room HTPC).
You’ll need a well-designed roomy PC case with good airflow – Noctua recommends a bunch of those here – and careful selection of accompanying components aside from the CPU plus cooler. The vendor offers a load of advice on considerations to take into account here, plus there’s a how to video on YouTube too.
The NH-P1 is out now (though it’s still not yet in stock on Amazon at the time of writing) and retails at $110 (around £78, AU$143), with the optional NF-A12x25 LS-PWM fan costing $30 (around £21, AU$39).
Consider upgrading to one of the best RAM available if your PC is starting to feel sluggish. Chances are, if your computer is experiencing slowdowns, you might not need to replace the whole thing, just your existing memory. It might be where your problem is if your PC is having trouble keeping up when playing one of the best PC games or running intensive apps.
Just as important as having the best graphics card and the best processor, the best RAM with faster memory speeds can make all the difference when trying to take on tasks such as creating content, designing, and gaming. It also helps if you increase the amount of memory – these days, 16GB is the perfect amount for most people with demanding workloads.
So, don’t just give up altogether on your sluggish PC. It might just be that you need to upgrade your RAM. We’ve put together our picks of the best RAM here, and have included our price comparison tool so you can find the best deal as well.
We expect to see some of the best RAM get decent discounts on and before Prime Day 2021. We’re keeping an eye on those Prime Day deals, and keep you apprised on the best ones that can save you money. Check in regularly before you hit the buy button. You might find a great deal on a great RAM before the sale event is over.
Corsair is one of the most trusted names when it comes to the best RAM on the market. Its Vengeance series, especially, has something for everyone with its LED DDR4 offerings. On top of giving PC builders that extra touch of vibrant lighting, this RAM has robust heat spreaders that maximise cooling for higher overclocking and maximum performance. Corsair’s Vengeance LED DDR4 series also features CL16 latency and whopping 3,466 MHz speeds, so it’s just as fast and responsive as it is aesthetic.
It’s hard to argue with the G. Skill TridentZ RGB as the best RGB RAM. (Image Credit: G.Skill)
At this point, everyone kind of knows about G. Skill and its Trident Z RGB series of RAM. This is some of the best RAM not just because it’s fast, but the top of every DIMM features a full-spectrum rainbow wave light bar that you can use to match your RGB lighting across your entire system. Trident Z RGB DDR4 RAM features CAS latencies between 14 and 19 which is awesome enough, but with speeds up to 4,266, it’s almost perfect. No matter your aesthetic, it’s hard to argue with the G. Skill TridentZ RGB as the best RGB RAM.
Kingston HyperX Predator is particularly tuned for speed and extreme-performance. (Image Credit: Kingston)
3. Kingston HyperX Predator
Best DDR3 RAM
Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 8GB, 16GB | Speed: up to 4600MHz
Great price
Excellent overclocking potential
RGB doesn't always work
Pricier than others
Kingston’s high-performance HyperX has some of the best DDR3 RAM on the market and the Predator models is particularly tuned for speed and extreme-performance that’s further expandable with XMP profiles. The Predator DDR3 series achieves CL9 to CL11 latencies and speeds between 1866MHz to 2666MHz.
Kingston HyperX Fury can have a huge impact on the performance of your rig. (Image Credit: Kingston)
4. Kingston HyperX Fury
Best budget RAM
Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB | Speed: up to 3733MHz
Affordable at lower speeds
Strong performance
A bit slow
3733MHz speed is pricey
This Kingston HyperX Fury is auto overclocked memory that won’t empty your wallet. This smart DDR3 or DDR4 RAM auto-detects system components to overclock to the highest speeds possible, optimizing performance for all of Intel’s latest chipsets. It comes with latencies between CL14 and CL16, and has speeds between 2,133 and 2,666MHz. While it’s inexpensive, it really can have a huge impact on the performance of your rig.
Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB is the best RAM around in 2019. (Image Credit: Corsair)
If you want the best of the best, and you don’t care about pricing, Corsair’s Dominator Platinum memory has always been at the top of the list. However, in 2019, it’s been refreshed to include Corsair’s new Capellix RGB LEDs, leading to a much richer and more colorful design. It’s the same high-end RAM we know and love, with speeds up to 3,600 MHz, but the better RGB make the Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB the best RAM around in 2020.
With speeds of up to 3,733MHz and CL15–19 latencies, HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz is simply fast.(Image credit: HyperX)
6. HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz
Best high frequency RAM
Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 4GB to 32GB single modules, up to 128GB kit configurations | Speed: 3733MHz
Great RGB
Fast
Choppy RGB lighting
Gigabyte and MSI RGB support doesn't always work
The HyperX Fury RGB 3733MHz is not just pretty with its RGB design. With speeds from 2400MHz to 3,733MHz as well as CL15 to CL19 latencies, it’s just as fast as it is stunning, making it well-deserving of the best high frequency RAM accolade. What’s more is that it’s fitted with predefined Intel Extreme Memory Profiles for maximum performance as well as yperX’s patent-pending infrared sync technology. For an even more immersive gaming experience, you can daisy chain this RAM to sync with multiple other RGB devices. This is some of the best RAM to invest in right now.
If you need a lot of RAM without taking up too many DIMM slots, G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC is for you. (Image Credit: G.Skill)
Sometimes, especially when you’re looking for the best gaming components, ‘go big or go home’ is the best advice. And, when you want more RAM than you’ll know what to do with, you’re going to want to go with the G.Skill Trident Z RGB DC memory. The DC stands for double capacity, as in, 32GB per stick. Now, this is definitely not the fastest memory in the world, right now it’s only available in up to 3,200 MHz, but if you need a lot of RAM without taking up too many DIMM slots (like if you have a big CPU cooler or a Mini-ITX board), you can’t go wrong with the G.Skill TridentZ RGB DC.
Adata Spectrix D80 is great for your all-out gaming rig. (Image Credit: Adata)
8. Adata Spectrix D80
Best gaming RAM
Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 16GB (2x8GB), 32 (2x16GB) | Speed: up to 4,133MHz
Great looks
Performs very well in four-DIMM configurations
Expensive
Mediocre two-DIMM performance
If you’re building an all-out gaming rig, you’ll want the flashiest hardware on offer – who doesn’t want a gaming rig that lights up the entire room? If this sounds appealing, the Adata Spectrix D80 is the RAM to go for. Not only is it available in frequencies up to 5,000MHz, but it’s also liquid cooled, meaning you don’t have to worry about it overheating. The Adata Spectrix D80 is going to be the best RAM for gaming in an RGB-lit cavern.
The TridentZ Royal memory gets our vote as the best RGB RAM on the market.(Image credit: G.Skill )
Finding RAM that fits in perfectly with your light up gaming rig is easy with G.Skill. In fact, its TridentZ Royal memory gets our vote as the best RGB RAM on the market right now, thanks to its unique crown jewel design. That means that it’s fitted with a crystalline light bar that basically scatters the eight customizable RGB colors for lighting that dazzles and sparkles. The RAM itself is polished with aluminum heatspreaders of gold or silver colors to keep the whole thing cool. Of course, it’s not all looks – the G.Skill TridentZ Royal also delivers great reliability and performance.
Corsair Vengeance LPX is essential for PC builds with massive CPU coolers. (Image Credit: Corsair)
Corsair’s Vengeance LPX RAM is made for users who want the maximum performance with minimum footprint. This low-profile RAM is essential for PC builds with massive CPU coolers. Despite being so low-profile, they still feature an eight-layer heat spreader to cool while overclocking. While its thin design doesn’t allow for LEDs, but you can get it in three colors: black, red or blue.
G.Skill Mac RAM has memory upgrades for Macs. (Image Credit: G.Skill)
11. G.Skill Mac RAM
Best Mac RAM
Type: DDR3 | Capacity: 4GB (2x2GB) | Speed: up to 1066MHz
Affordable alternative
Best value
May not be compatible with much older Macs
Slow for power users
G.Skill isn’t just dedicated to laptop and desktop RAM, but it also has memory upgrades for Macs. You see, Apple charges inordinate amounts for RAM upgrades, so going with a third party kit can save a ton of money. Well, as long as your Mac is old enough to still have upgradeable RAM. These SO-DIMM kits have a CAS latency between 9 and 11 and feature speeds between 1,333MHz and 1,600MHz. The best bang for your buck seems to be the G.Skill DDR3-1,333 for Mac.
Crucial Ballistix Sport boasts efficient battery life and delivers fast speeds for multi-tasking. (Image Credit: Crucial)
12. Crucial Ballistix Sport
Best laptop RAM
Type: DDR4 | Capacity: 32GB (2x16GB) | Speed: up to 3200 MHz
Low profile
Great value for gaming
Doesn't alway work with AMD Ryzen
Nothing extraordinary
Crucial is by far the best RAM for laptop systems. This manufacturer has designed its Crucial Ballistix Sport SODIMMs for efficient battery life while still delivering fast speeds for multi-tasking. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to speed up the best laptops, and this memory likely offers higher memory speed than anything coming stock in your laptop. Just make sure your laptop actually lets you upgrade the RAM – repairability is falling out of fashion these days.
from TechRadar: computing components news https://ift.tt/36O1WWh
via IFTTT
Subtle memory bugs, including buffer overruns and pointer errors, create ticking time bombs inside your applications. Malicious actors can exploit these bugs to execute unauthorized code, take over systems to add them to malware botnets, or simply cause applications and systems to crash. The notorious Morris Worm of 1988 was one of the earliest examples of a malicious application exploiting a buffer overflow. Announcements of memory safety issues creating potential exploits arrive with alarming frequency, either from security researchers or found loose in the wild.
The impact on users can be substantial. Rogue applications can take advantage of unsafe memory in order to gain access to sniff out sensitive data, such as user credentials and passwords, enabling access to higher levels of privilege in the system. This allows bad actors to gain access to confidential data or make the system part of a larger botnet. It’s not always outside forces that cause problems – sometimes unsafe memory results in unpredictable system crashes due to memory leaks and related issues, frustrating users. It’s estimated that two-thirds of all Android vulnerabilities happen due to unsafe memory practices.
Arm Memory Tagging Extension
Software-based solutions, including Address Sanitizer (Asan), help mitigate these memory issues by integrating memory corruption detection into modern compilers. However, Asan requires adding software instrumentation to application code, which can significantly slow down app runtime and increase memory usage, particularly problematic in mobile and embedded systems.
What’s needed is a solution to detect and minimize memory bugs with minimal impact on performance and memory use. Properly implementing a hardware-based method for detecting potentially unsafe memory usage results in smaller memory usage and better performance, while improving system reliability and security.
Arm introduced its memory tagging extension as a part of the Armv8.5 instruction set. MTE is now built into Armv9 compliant CPUs recently announced by Arm, such as the Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, and Cortex-A510. Future CPUs based on Armv9 will also integrate MTE. These all include memory tagging as a basic part of the architecture.
Over at E3 2021, Nvidia has made a few announcements on ray tracing and DLSS support, with the latter now live for Rainbow Six Siege – and both coming to Doom Eternal very soon.
Rainbow Six Siege is getting a patch today which introduces DLSS for the Vulkan version, and massively improves frame rates at higher resolutions with up to 50% frame rate hikes in evidence.
AMD vs Nvidia: which should be your next graphics card?
Going by Nvidia’s benchmarking at 4K resolution, with DLSS running in performance mode, the RTX 3070 can comfortably exceed 200 frames per second (211 fps) when paired with an Intel Core i9-10900K CPU. Without DLSS, this GPU manages 145 fps.
The RTX 3060 Ti isn’t far behind the 3070 at all on 193 fps with DLSS (127 fps without), and the vanilla RTX 3060 manages to achieve 147 fps (compared to 94 fps without).
DLSS comes on top of Nvidia Reflex support that was introduced for Rainbow Six Siege in March, reducing input lag and effectively making sure that your actions – like taking a shot – happen with less delay. Both that added responsiveness, and smoother gameplay with DLSS, will obviously benefit those with Nvidia GPUs.
For DLSS, as well as the latest patch for Rainbow Six Siege, you also need to install the newest Nvidia graphics driver.
Doom boon
Nvidia also announced that Doom Eternal’s major (free) update will bring ray tracing and DLSS support to the game when it’s unleashed on June 29, just a couple of weeks from now.
Team Green also pointed out that Naraka: Bladepoint now has a launch date confirmed, namely August 12, and this martial arts-themed battle royale will come with both Nvidia DLSS and Reflex.
The best PC cooler is one of the best PC investments you’ll ever make. That graphics card, processor and motherboard you’ve just spent a lot of money on need to be looked after and kept running at their peak efficiency, after all. And, only a quality cooling solution can keep them in that condition.
Whether it’s your first time building a PC or you’re looking to upgrade the specs in your existing one, be sure to allocate some of your budget to getting one of the best CPU coolers below to keep those internals nice and cool, and working optimally. After all, no one wants to see their gaming PC to throttle when performing demanding tasks or worse, catch fire because they got too hot.
With Prime Day 2021 just around the corner, it’s likely that Amazon will drop some Prime Day deals on some of the best CPU coolers. We’re keeping an eye out for them from now until June 22 so check in regularly.
The best CPU cooler at a glance
Noctua NH-D15
Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition
Noctua NH-L9
NZXT Kraken Z-3
Corsair iCUE H115i Elite Capellix
Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage
Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120R RGB
Arctic Liquid Freezer 120
Corsair Hydro Series H5 SF
NoFan CR-95C
MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero
Image Credit: Noctua
1. Noctua NH-D15
Best CPU cooler
Type: Fan and heatsink | Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – LGA 2066; AMD AM2 – AM3+, FM1 – FM2+ | Rotation frequency: Up to 1500 RPM | Noise volume: 19.20dbA – 24.60dbA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 160 x 150 x 135mm | Weight: 2.91 pounds (1.32kg)
Whisper quiet
Six-year manufacturer’s warranty
Too big for some PC builds
The Noctua NH-D15 is one of the best CPU coolers you can buy in 2019 simply because it performs just as well as – if not better – than some liquid coolers, while costing a fraction of the price. You might not be too familiar with Noctua’s name, as they’re relatively small in the CPU cooler world, but its business is revolves around designing coolers, so you know that when you buy one of their products, you’re getting a product by people who really know their craft. On top of delivering a fantastic cooling performance, the NH-D15 is nearly silent as well.
(Image credit: Cooler Master)
2. Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition
Better than ever before
Type: Fan and heatsink | Compatibility: Intel LGA 1150 – LGA 2066; AMD AM2 – AM4, FM1 – FM2+ | Rotation frequency: 650 - 2,000 RPM | Noise volume: 8 - 30 dBA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 120 x 79.6 x 158.8 mm | Weight: 1.54 pounds (700g)
Improved performance
Easy installation
Quiet fan
RGB lighting just ok
Cooler Master’s Hyper 212 CPU RGB cooler is back with a vengeance, and sporting a sleek gun-metal black brushed aluminum finish to boot. It’s not only jet black look that’s upping this CPU cooler’s cool factor – though it does help what with that aluminum top cover and nickel plated jet black fins to complete the look. It’s also easily one of the best CPU coolers on the market with its stacked fin array that ensures least airflow resistance, four heat pipes that boast Direct Contact Technology to better battle the heat, and a wide speed range for fine-tuning cooling performance and silent operation.
Image Credit: Noctua
3. Noctua NH-L9
Best low-profile CPU cooler
Type: Fan and heatsink | Compatibility: Intel LGA 1156/1155/1151; AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1/FM2 | Rotation frequency: Up to 2500 RPM | Noise volume: 14.8dbA – 23.6dbA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 206 x 184 x 37mm | Weight: 1.03 pounds (0.47kg)
Ultra compact
Six-year manufacturer’s warranty
Only 92mm fan
Noctua is an Austrian manufacturer that does one thing, and one thing only: make the best CPU coolers and fans. What this means is that even though the Noctua NH-L9 is tiny, it is still more than capable of insane cooling with no compromises. This is a fantastic cooler for anyone with a smaller build, or even if you’re using a ton of large components, and you’re not comfortable with liquid cooling.
(Image credit: NZXT)
4. NZXT Kraken Z-3
Personalize your all-in-one liquid cooler
Type: Fan and heatsink | Compatibility: Intel Socket LGA 1151 – 2066, Intel Core i9 / Core i3 – i7, AMD Socket AM4, TR4, AMD Ryzen 3 – Ryzen Threadripper | Rotation frequency: 500-1,800 + 300 RPM | Noise volume: 21-38dBA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 143 x 315 x 30mm
Total customization
Superior performance
Premium price
Whether you’re going for 360MM or 280MM, the NZXT Kraken Z-3 is an excellent choice if you’re looking for liquid cooling. First of all, thanks to its vibrant 2.36-inch LCD screen that’s capable of displaying 24-bit color, this liquid cooler allows total customization so you can fine-tune settings as well as display your favorite images and animated gifs. More importantly, it delivers impressive liquid cooling performance and is easy to install.
(Image credit: Corsair)
5. Corsair iCUE H115i Elite Capellix
Brighter is better
Type: Liquid cooling system | Compatibility: Intel 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2066, AMD AM4, AM3, AM2, sTRX4, sTR4 | Rotation frequency: Up to 2,000 | Noise volume: 36dBA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 322 x 137 x 27mm
Insane performance
Brighter RGB lighting
Only minor improvement over predecessor
The Corsair iCUE H115i Elite Capellix continues Corsair’s tradition of outstanding liquid coolers. It couples excellent cooling, thanks to its split-flow copper cold plate and its low-noise centrifugal pump, with bright RGB lighting, due to the use of Capellix LEDs. And, the RGB lighting is, in true Corsair style, customizable through the company’s proprietary iCue software. If you want a powerful liquid cooling system that looks good too, the Corsair iCUE H115i Elite is a perfect choice.
(Image credit: Cooler Master)
6. Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage
Cool and hypnotic
Type: Liquid cooling | Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – LGA 2066; AMD AM2 – AM4, FM1 – FM2+ | Rotation frequency: up to 2000 ±10% RPM | Noise volume: 27dbA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 277 x 120 x 27 mm | Weight: 2.11 pounds (1,237g)
Threadripper support
Gorgeous RGB lighting
Pricey
With the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage in your gaming rig, you won’t only end up playing for hours on end without worrying about thermal throttling or overheating. You might just an hour or so admiring your CPU, especially if you have one of those glass-window cases, as this CPU cooler is indeed hypnotically pretty. It’s mostly thanks to its transparent pump design that lets you see the impeller spinning while bathed in different RGB lighting, like a colorful spinning wheel at a funhouse. Performance-wise, it definitely deserves a spot in our best CPU coolers list, with its PPS+ glass fiber housing and nozzle that provides temperature and liquid resistance, EPDM rubber O-Ring that helps eliminate liquid emission, and a low-resistance radiator that increases flow rate, heat exchange efficiency and cooling performance.
Image Credit: Cooler Master
7. Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120R RGB
The best compact liquid cooler
Type: Liquid cooling system | Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – LGA 2066; AMD AM2 – AM4, FM1 – FM2+ | Rotation frequency: Up to 2000 RPM | Noise volume: 6dbA – 30dbA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 83.6 x 71.8 x 52.7mm
Luminous RGB lighting
Premium build
A little expensive
There isn’t a single component that can’t be improved through RGB, and Cooler Master is well aware – jumping on the RGB bandwagon with the MasterLIquid ML 120R RGB. What’s more, it integrates some of the first addressable LEDs seen on a liquid cooler. This all-in-one liquid cooling solution isn’t just about aesthetics – it features an oxidation free pump and an efficient radiator. This means that not only will it last longer – but it’ll keep your CPU cooler, and all without giving up too much case real estate, which is why it’s made our best CPU coolers list.
Image Credit: Arctic
8. Arctic Liquid Freezer 120
Best budget liquid-cooler
Type: Liquid cooling system | Compatibility: Intel LGA 2011 – 2066; AMD AM2 – AM3+, FM1 – FM2 | Rotation frequency: Up to 1350 RPM | Noise volume: 22.5dBA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 120 x 120 x 25mm | Weight: 2.65 pounds (1.2kg)
Strong performance
Inexpensive
Somewhat noisey
Few features
For less than 70 big ones in both US dollars and British sterling, the Arctic Liquid Freezer 120 is a deal you can’t pass up if you’re on the prowl for a liquid cooler that won’t break the bank. While it lacks the bells and whistles of pricier, more extravagant liquid coolers, like the NZXT Kraken, the Arctic Liquid cooler is enough to get you by, not to mention it’s still a massive step up from the classic fan and heatsink pairing. So, while you can’t expect RGB lighting or software – or even hardware-based fan control, the 120mm variant of the Arctic Liquid Freezer makes our best CPU coolers list as it will keep your system refrigerated at a (mostly) quiet volume.
This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Corsair Hydro Series H5 SF
Image Credit: Corsair
9. Corsair Hydro Series H5 SF
Best low-profile CPU liquid-cooler
Type: Liquid cooling system | Compatibility: Intel LGA 115x; AMD FM2 – FM2+ | Rotation frequency: Up to 1,800 RPM | Noise volume: 36dBA – 42dBA | Dimensions (W x D x H): 167 x 57 x 84mm | Weight: 2 pounds (0.91kg)
Guaranteed leak-free tubing
Compact, all-in-one form factor
Blower style cooler
Even if your budget will allow you to really go all-out on a serious liquid cooling solutions, if you have a smaller PC case, you’ll likely not have enough space. That’s where something like the Corsair Hydro H5 SF comes into play. Even on the smallest PC cases, you’re able to use this CPU cooler to keep your CPU chilled, even if you have some beastly overclocks happening. Plus, because it’s a closed loop, you don’t even need to worry about maintenance. Set it up, and let it do its thing – you won’t be disappointed.
Image Credit: NoFan
10. NoFan CR-95C
Best fanless CPU cooler
Type: Passively cooled heatsink | Compatibility: Intel LGA 775 – 1156; AMD AM2 – AM3+; FM1 | Noise volume: 0dBA | Dimensions (W x H x D): 180 x 148 x 180mm | Weight: 1.6 pounds (0.73kg)
You won’t hear a peep
Works well with low-power CPUs
Exorbitantly massive
95W TDP limitation
Rounding out our best CPU coolers list is the NoFan CR-95C. You’ve probably never heard of NoFan – unless you’re already neck deep into the rabbit hole that is silent PC assembly. The South Korean component company specializes in helping enthusiasts reach that 0dBA silent sweet spot. In doing so, of course, will severely limit your set-up in terms of power, with its CR-95C fanless solution being limited in compatibility to processors whose TDP fall below 95W. Still, the NoFan CR-95C is worth a shot if you want to build a low-power computer that completely blends into the background.
This Product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noctua NH-L9
(Image credit: CoolerMaster)
11. MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero
Best CPU cooler for overclocking
Type: Liquid cooler | Compatibility: LGA1200 | Noise volume: < 35 dBA pump, 8 - 26 dBA fan | Dimensions (W x H x D): 394 x 119.6 x 27.2 mm radiator, 57.3 x 57.3 x 92.2 mm pump, 120 x 120 x 25 mm fan
For Intel’s high-TDP chips
Has a condensation barrier
Loud pump
Powered by Intel’s Cryo Cooling Technology, the MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero from Cooler Master allows increased performance for Intel’s high-TDP chips by letting them reach higher frequencies at lower voltages. This liquid cooler boasts a 360mm radiator and fans that are able to spin at low rpm while delivering a high air pressure to air flow ratio. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer who loves to overclock or a content creator with demanding processing needs, this is the best CPU cooler for you.
from TechRadar: computing components news https://ift.tt/3iLWKVa
via IFTTT
