TechSpot : Tech Enthusias Australia

CD Projekt Red slapped with class action lawsuit over buggy Cyberpunk 2077 launch - TechSpot

Highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 was released earlier this month to mixed reviews, as its visually impressive Night City environment and decent story was crushed under a mountain...

Cutting corners: In the aftermath of an eventful launch for Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red will have to deal not just with angry gamers that are demanding the game they've paid for, but also with investors seeking damages for being misled about potential game-breaking issues. Highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077 was released earlier this month to mixed reviews, as its visually impressive Night City environment and decent story was crushed under a mountain of technical issues on certain platforms, ranging from somewhat funny glitches to game-breaking bugs like corrupted save files. For many people who have been looking forward to an incredible neo-noir experience in a complex, dystopian environment and the ability to customize their character's looks, cybernetic enhancements, and personality, the released game brought only headaches as it was nearly unplayable in older hardware -- (side note) for once PC gamers were rewarded with a buggy yet enjoyable experience that took full advantage of high-end hardware, which is why you'll hear less complaints in some circles. For public investors like Andrew Trampe, however, this has become an unacceptable spectacle. CD Projekt Red now faces a class action lawsuit for allegedly violating federal securities laws and misleading investors about the abysmal performance on last-gen consoles like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The suit was filed by Rosen Law Firm in a Los Angeles court and seeks to represent anyone who bought the company's securities between January 16 and December 17 this year. According to the lawsuit, CD Projekt Red claimed the game was "complete and playable" in January, a statement contradicted by the many delays that were, by the developer's own admission, due to the massive undertaking of trying to release the game on many different platforms and ironing out the technical issues that arise in such a complex project. This has become the norm in the gaming industry, with many studios choosing to push out unfinished games hoping to patch them up in the months after the release. For CD Projekt Red, this is proving to be an expensive approach, with stock plunging nearly 30 percent during Cyberpunk's launch week. Furthermore, despite having sold over 13 million copies in the first 10 days, many players on last-gen consoles are demanding refunds, which is why Sony decided to simply remove the game from the PlayStation store "until further notice". In the meantime, a number of class-action lawsuits are brewing in other states, which could turn ugly for the Polish developer in the near future.

Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition photos appear online - TechSpot

The images, courtesy of Videocardz, show the RTX 3060 Ti Founders edition has a near-identical cooler design to the RTX 3070 FE, with dual-axial fans and finned...

Highly anticipated: Have there ever been so many photos and leaks of an unconfirmed product as the RTX 3060 Ti? Nvidia has remained quiet about what could be the next Ampere product, thought to arrive on December 2, but information keeps arriving thick and fast. The latest pieces of the puzzle are purported images of the cards Founders Edition, which looks a lot like the RTX 3070 FE. The images, courtesy of Videocardz, show the RTX 3060 Ti Founders edition has a near-identical cooler design to the RTX 3070 FE, with dual-axial fans and finned radiator. Theres also the same single 12-pin PCIe power connector in the middle of the card, Thankfully, it will come with a 12-pin to two 8-pin adaptor. The publication does note that one minor difference is the color: the upcoming card is slightly more silver than the RTX 3070 FE. It was only last week when we saw whats claimed to be leaked presentation slides from Nvidia showing the RTX 3060 Ti outperforming the RTX 2080 Super and absolutely crushing its previous-gen equivalent, the RTX 2060 Super. The RTX 3060 Ti is expected to feature the same GA104 GPU found in the $499 RTX 3070. It will have fewer CUDA cores (4,864), Tensor cores (152), and RT cores (38), but uses the same 8GB of GDDR6 memory clocked at 14 Gbps, 256-bit memory bus, and 448 GB/s maxmium bandwidth. The FE is said to come with a 1,410 MHz base clock and a 1,665 MHz boost clock, while costing around $399. Videocardz also notes that a few alleged custom designs of the RTX 3060 Ti have appeared online, including some from Inno3D and Gigabyte. With that supposed December 2 launch date just one week away, one would expect Nvidia to make some announcement, or at least drop a hint about its arrival, in the next few days.

AMD Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs will reportedly have 16 Gbps GDDR6, 320 W TGP - TechSpot

Earlier this month, AMD unveiled the Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 series of desktop CPUs with absolute confidence that this time they'll take both the productivity performance and...

Something to look forward to: With only a week until their official reveal, AMD's Big Navi graphics cards keep generating a lot of buzz, and rumors and leaks abound. Everything points to an exciting launch with powerful GPUs backed by ample memory and quite an appetite for electricity, just like Nvidia's latest offerings. Earlier this month, AMD unveiled the Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 series of desktop CPUs with absolute confidence that this time they'll take both the productivity performance and gaming performance crowns. The company has been relentless in delivering significant performance jumps since the first Ryzen release, which is why it gained a lot of mindshare in the eyes of enthusiasts, with 25 percent of Steam users now owning a Ryzen CPU. AMD is also preparing the launch of its RDNA2-based Radeon 6000 series graphics cards, which are set to be revealed on October 28. As we inch closer to launch, rumors seem to be driving enthusiasm around the new hardware to a point where we might see the new cards getting sold out just as fast as Nvidia's RTX 3000 series. When AMD CEO Lisa Su previewed the Radeon 6000 series, she said that these are geared for 60+ FPS at 4K in popular titles like Borderlands 3, which means they'll pack some serious power. Over the weekend, software engineer and reliable leaker Patrick Schur posted on Twitter the purported specifications of a Navi 21 XT graphics card that he claims were sourced from an AIB partner. If these turn out to be accurate, "Big Navi" will be a well-deserved moniker for these cards, as this seems to confirm earlier rumors that the upcoming flagship 6900 XT will feature 16 GB of VRAM, which is more than you get with Nvidia's RTX 3080. It's widely expected that the Navi 21 XT will be positioned as a direct competitor to the RTX 3080, which is quite power hungry with a TGP of 320 watts. A leak in the macOS Big Sur beta code showed before that Navi 21 is going to have 5120 cores, which means AMD has done some architectural wizardry for what appears to be a Godzilla GPU. According to Igor's Lab, the 255 watt figure as shown above is just for the GPU and the Samsung GDDR6 memory (235 watts + 20 watts). Once you add in MOSFETs, fans, and other electronics, you get an additional 65 watts that bring the total to around 320 watts, so effectively on par with an RTX 3080. Some custom cards are expected to need as much as 355 watts. The more interesting tidbits from the last batch of rumors are about availability. Considering Nvidia hasn't been great at managing supply and doesn't expect the shortage situation to get much better in the coming months. AMD could take advantage of this wide window, and Igor says AIB partners have had an easy time with implementation as Big Navi's board design isn't all that different to Navi 10. Better yet, it looks like AMD is already busy implementing measures to cope with demand and prevent scalpers from ruining the launch.

Nvidia is reportedly partnering with TSMC for 7nm Ampere production next year - TechSpot

As a result of this production inadequacy, Guru3D reports that Nvidia is already planning to shift much of the workload to TSMC. The change is expected to...

In context: Samsung is Nvidia's current partner for the production of the latter's latest 30-series Ampere GPUs, but as consumers have seen, uncertainty surrounding the former's ability to improve yields has led to a very small product launch. So small, in fact, that retailers have struggled to hold onto any stock at all. As a result of this production inadequacy, Guru3D reports that Nvidia is already planning to shift much of the workload to TSMC. The change is expected to take effect in 2021, and could signify the long-awaited arrival of 7nm Ampere cards. The production capacity Nvidia has snagged over at TSMC will be "high volume," which could be good news for consumers that are having a hard time getting their hands on the Green Team's latest products. We don't know precisely when in 2021 Nvidia is hoping to kick things off with TSMC, nor do we know which products will be developed on its 7nm nodes. Still, we can probably expect more details on both of those fronts in the coming months -- perhaps after the holiday season winds down.

Bots snap up RTX 3090 cards at launch, despite Nvidia's efforts - TechSpot

Following the launch of the RTX 3080 last week, there were reports of scalpers using bots to bulk buy the cards within seconds of them going live—one...

Facepalm: After its RTX 3080 cards disappeared from stock at a suspiciously fast rate, Nvidia said it would fight back against the scourge of bots using methods such as manually reviewing orders. That might have brought some level success with its own store but judging by the speed at which the RTX 3090s disappeared from other retailers, the bots were at it again. Following the launch of the RTX 3080 last week, there were reports of scalpers using bots to bulk buy the cards within seconds of them going liveone reseller bought 42 from Nvidias site before they sold out. Most of these are now selling on eBay for several thousand dollars. Many of the scalpers were using Bounce Alerts, a group that charges members $75 per month for the use of bots that are usually put to work grabbing sneakers at launch for resale. Some subscribers thanked the company on Twitter for helping them buy RTX 3080 units. Would you really pay this much for an RTX 3090? Our job at Bounce Alerts was to ensure our customers were able to purchase the product for their needs, the group said. When given the chance, Im sure most people would purchase more than 10+ units if they have the capital and look to make upwards of $25,000+ in one single day from [the] secondary market. Nvidia apologized in advance for the RTX 3090 launch problems. The company said that since the $1,500 product was created for a unique group of users, like the Titan RTX, supply would be limited. For a brief moment I saw one 3090 on newegg switch to "in stock" but the second I added to cart, it removed from cart and went back to out of stock. 3080 launch all over again which we kinda saw coming. lame Kyle (@bitwitkyle) September 24, 2020 Unsurprisingly, the bots were at it again yesterday. Twitter was flooded with peopleincluding Kyle from YouTube tech channel Bitwitcomplaining that as soon as they added an RTX 3090 to their cart, it was removed by the retailer and shown as out of stock. There are now numerous listings for RTX 3090 cards on eBay, most of which add at least $1,000 to the MSRPone auction for a Founders Edition pre-order went for $79,320, though its unclear whether the winner actually paid. Weve also seen the same thing happen with the PS5 and Xbox Series X (and possibly the One X). Make sure to check out our review of the RTX 3090 right here.

Love Lego? Check out this RTX 3090 from Galax - TechSpot

Galax has a history of producing unconventional graphic cards. Earlier this year, it unveiled the RTX 2070 Super/2080 Super EX Pink Editions, adding to the colorful white...

Why it matters: Are you a fan of Lego? Do you want an RTX 3090? Have you got a lot of money? If the answer to all three is yes, then Galaxs GeForce RTX 3090 Gamer Edition graphics card could be for you. The aftermarket card takes Nvidias upcoming gaming monster and wraps it in a design heavily inspired by the Danish companys small plastic bricks. Galax has a history of producing unconventional graphic cards. Earlier this year, it unveiled the RTX 2070 Super/2080 Super EX Pink Editions, adding to the colorful white and black RTX 20-series in its roster. Theyre still not as outlandish as this Lego design, though. Images from Expreview show the Gamer custom model is a triple-slot, triple-fan design. It comes with splashes of red and blue, and there are some Lego-like sections dotted around the sides, so maybe youll be able to attach a few of your Lego pieces to it. Elsewhere, we see the card has a ventilated backplate that will allow air to pass through the rear. It also supports ARGB lighting with a four-pin interface, and there are two 8-pin power connectors. Theres no word on how much this card will cost but expect something that will make your wallet cry. Nvidias Founders Edition alone is $1,499, and aftermarket cards such as the Asus RTX 3090 ROG Strix cost $1,700. Sadly, it appears that the Galax GeForce RTX 3090 Gamer Edition will only be released in China, so getting your hands on one wont be easy. Still, hardcore Lego fans could be willing to pay for imports.

Comprehensive study shows that playing video games does not make you violent - TechSpot

The study was led by Aaron Drummond, a researcher from New Zealand’s Massey University. The meta-analysis—a design used to systematically assess the results of previous research—involved re-examining 28 studies going back to 2008 that looked for links between…

What just happened? No matter how many studies show no link between the two, some people are quick to blame video games for acts of violence. But a new report will hopefully put the debate to rest. It re-examined 28 previous studies that included over 21,000 participants and concluded that video games do not lead to violence or aggression. The study was led by Aaron Drummond, a researcher from New Zealands Massey University. The meta-analysisa design used to systematically assess the results of previous researchinvolved re-examining 28 studies going back to 2008 that looked for links between video games and acts of real-life violence. The report, published in the Royal Society Open Science today, found that playing violent video games does not appear to meaningfully increase the aggressiveness of players over time. The previous studies did show an extremely small positive correlation between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior, but it was too small to be practically meaningful. The meta-analysis also found that some poor-quality studies exaggerated the impact of games on aggression, with better-quality studies confirming that the effects are negligible. It also found that playing games over the long term does not result in users becoming slowly more aggressive. According to the study, theres no evidence to show a long-term link between aggressive video games and youth aggression. We call on both individual scholars as well as professional guilds such as the American Psychological Association to be more forthcoming about the extremely small observed relationship in longitudinal studies between violent games and youth aggression, wrote the authors. Back in January, former US vice president and presidential candidate Joe Biden referred to game developers he met while VP as creeps and arrogant who make games that teach people how to kill. Following several shootings in 2018, video games found themselves under the kind of scrutiny not seen since the Columbine massacre. It led to the subject being discussed in the White Houseand a video games montage being created to illustrate the violence in certain titles (above). We even saw a judge ban a boy from playing violent titles following a shooting threat.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Review - TechSpot

Intel has always ruled the laptop world, but AMD is finally fighting back. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is among the first notebooks to deploy a Zen 2 processor, and the Ryzen 9 4900HS chip used in this laptop is stunning with an enviable 8-core, 16-thread speci…

Intel has always ruled the laptop world, but AMD is finally fighting back. The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is among the first notebooks to deploy a Zen 2 processor, and the Ryzen 9 4900HS chip used in this laptop is stunning with an enviable 8-core, 16-thread specification. The laptop market is still dominated by chips like the i7-9750H and now the i7-10750H, but Ryzen has seen AMD snatch back market share on the desktop, so Zen 2 coming to laptops is tremendously exciting. Its all the more impressive when the Zephyrus G14 weve reviewed costs $1,449. That compares favorably with the Razer Blade 15 a base model with a six-core Intel 10th Gen CPU and an RTX 2060 costs $1,799, and Advanced models with the 8-core i7-10875H start from $2,999, albeit with better screens and GPUs. The Ryzen 9 4900HS has base and boost speeds of 3GHz and 4.3GHz, with those figures reduced from the 3.3GHz and 4.4GHz of the conventional 4900H. The slightly slower speeds allow the 4900HS to operate with a TDP of 35W, which will improve thermal and battery performance. The conventional Ryzen 9 4900H can operate at a peak TDP of 54W, which isnt necessarily needed in a thinner gaming laptop. Features and Design The Zephyrus G14 weve reviewed costs $1,449, equipped with a GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics core. Its got the usual 1,920 stream processors, 30 RT cores and 6GB of memory, but its boost clock speed has seen a slight reduction, from 1,200MHz to 1,185MHz, and the TDP has dropped from the conventional minimum of 80W to 65W. This model serves up 16GB of dual-channel 3200MHz DDR4, a 1TB Intel 660p SSD and WiFi 6. The machine weve reviewed is finished with Asus Eclipse grey color, although at retail this specification is currently available with the bolder Moonlight White coating. Other specifications are available, with a cheaper model available for $999 that includes a Ryzen 7 4800HS CPU, a GTX 1650 GPU and 8GB of memory. Prices go up with 2TB and 4TB SSD options and memory upgrades available. Two newer models are also coming: theyll have a 1440p, 60Hz screen and Asus customisable lid LEDs with white and grey finishes. Those new models share the same CPU, GPU, memory and storage configuration as the machine weve reviewed, and both will cost $1,999. Those customisable lid LEDs arent available on all versions of the Zephyrus, but theyre the most eye-catching bit of design on any G14. On compatible models the rear of the display is covered with 1,215 LEDs that can display logos, custom images, even audio visualisations and status notifications. It's a smart innovation albeit with limited practical use and the G14 looks good elsewhere. The grey and white finishes both look great, and the design is clean and impressive: the bezels are small, the rear has subtle vents and the drop hinge angles the keyboard towards the user. The only aesthetic misstep is found underneath. The design may be ruled by practicality here, but the mish-mash of angles, recesses and air vents is not attractive. The G14 looks great overall, though. Few gaming laptops look better, although the Razer Blade 15 is certainly cleaner and slicker thanks to its darker metal and more minimal design. The Asus pairs good design with solid dimensions. The 14" display means that this machine is a modest 324mm wide, and its body is 18mm thick with a 3.5-pound weight. The slimline dimensions make it easy to take the G14 on the daily commute, and build quality is excellent the magnesium-aluminium alloy used throughout is consistently strong. The Asus' power button doubles as a fingerprint reader, and the G14 has good versatility throughout. It has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port that supports DisplayPort 1.4, and it can also charge the laptop, albeit at a slower rate. Theres a second conventional Type-C connector without the ability to charge the notebook. The G14 has two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.0b output and a headphone jack. The only things missing are wired networking, a card reader and a webcam. The keyboard has n-key rollover, and the buttons strike an excellent balance between the comfort required for long typing sessions and the speed needed for gaming. The buttons are smooth and comfortable, and their typing action is consistent. Theyve also got a generous 1.7mm of travel. You'll also find a few extra buttons on the G14 three to handle volume and microphone duties, and a fourth to open the Armoury Crate software utility. For mainstream gaming, casual gaming and typing, the Asus keyboard is excellent. However, the commitment to a slightly softer feel does mean that these buttons lack the sheer snap of many gaming keyboards. If you play esports titles or fast-paced games, this keyboard may not be the most satisfying around. The G14s trackpad is a little disappointing. The pad is accurate and smooth, and the buttons are fast but they feel hollow, and the left button stuck a little on our sample. If youre at all concerned with gaming, a USB rodent is a must as usual. The Zephyrus weve reviewed sports a 1080p display with a 120Hz refresh rate and support for adaptive sync (FreeSync). That refresh rate is ample for smooth, single-player gaming, even in frantic titles, and its also enough to sate casual and mainstream esports players. Its not the best refresh rate around though, as today you'll find base gaming laptops going to 144Hz and it's even possible to find 240Hz laptops for $1,599. When it comes to quality, the display is impressive, with only a couple of minor drawbacks. The average Delta E of 2.32 and the color temperature of 6,750K are excellent good enough to ensure that there are no color discrepancies. The panels sRGB coverage level of 93% is decent, and easily high enough for gaming. The contrast ratio of 1,330:1 is high for an IPS display, and it delivers plenty of punch and vibrancy. The black level of 0.2cd/m2 is impressive, and it helps create solid depth in darker areas. The only real issue is the brightness level of 266cd/m2. For gaming indoors, its not a problem but its not meant for outdoor viewing. The 14" display is paired with four speakers. The pairs of tweeters and woofers are excellent, with solid volume, a crisp high-end and a detailed mid-range and a surprising amount of bass for such a small machine. For games and media, the kit here is easily good enough, although a headset will be better. The G14 is managed by the familiar Asus Armoury Crate app. The utilitys main screen has system monitoring information alongside quick options to switch between Performance, Turbo and Silent modes, and other modules allow users to save game profiles, switch between screen modes and free up memory. Its easily navigable, but doesnt offer anything new. Performance This is the first time weve reviewed the Zephyrus G14, but its not the first time weve seen this laptop we ran these components through our benchmarks when we reviewed the Ryzen 9 4900HS processor. The AMD chip is impressive and it remains excellent when lined up against Intels latest competitor the six-core i7-10750H and the 8-core i7-10875H. In Cinebench R20 and Cinebench R15, the G14s AMD chip opened a comfortable lead over both Intel parts. For multi-threaded workloads, the Ryzen CPU is a convincing victor. That pattern repeated in the Handbrake video-encoding test: the Ryzen 9 4900HS zipped through the test in 34.8 minutes, while the Intel CPUs took 50.7 and 43.5 minutes. And, unsurprisingly, AMD continue to dominate in multi-threaded cryptography tests, and in 7-Zip and Adobe Premiere. The full suite of benchmarks is available in our AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS review The AMD chip led the way in other tests, but by smaller margins. The G14 had a modest lead in PC Mark 10s lighter, single-threaded workloads no surprise when Intel chips are better in single-threaded tasks. Both Intel chips were marginally quicker than the Ryzen part in Adobe Acrobats single-threaded PDF export workload, and there was little to choose between Intel and AMD in Pugets Photoshop test. Dont expect big things from the G14s extra performance modes. Activating the Turbo option saw the machines Cinebench result jump from 4,104 to 4,196, but that tiny gain was delivered alongside extra fan noise. The Silent mode reduced that Cinebench result to 3,182, and the laptop still produced noise. Those modes dont really help in games, either the Turbo option is only available when the laptop is plugged-in, and it only delivers an extra frame or two. AMDs CPU is superb though, with more productivity pace than Intels chips in the majority of scenarios so if you need a notebook for work and play, a Ryzen-based machine is a great option. The SSD is solid, too: the Intel 660p drive returned read and write speeds of 1,881MB/s and 1,781MB/s. Its not the fastest PCIe drive on the market, but it keeps the machine feeling snappy. The RTX 2060 Max-Q is a reliable GPU for 1080p gaming. Weve previously tested the G14s gaming ability, and it has the pace to handle single-player games and to tackle any esports title at the speed required to max out the 120Hz screen. Its weakest average framerate came in Control, where the Asus managed 45.4fps, and it topped out in Resident Evil 2 at 127.3fps. The G14 got beyond 60fps in seven games. In the 1% Low tests, the RTX 2060 Max-Q always got beyond 30fps, but it only ran beyond 60fps in four titles. The full suite of benchmarks is available in our AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS gaming review Theres enough speed here to run single-player games at high settings without issues, and stepping up to a full-power RTX 2060 wont make a huge difference itll only grab you a handful of extra frames. To get a more significant improvement, youll need an RTX 2070-based laptop. Thatll cost at least $100 to $200 more, and those machines will likely come with an Intel CPU until we get to see more Ryzen machines around. Our deep-dive into gaming on the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS revealed how the G14 competed with Intel-based machines. Several trends emerged: the AMD chip often proved faster than Intel-based machines in 1% low tests, and the AMD part also proved fast in CPU-intensive games. Conversely, Intels chips remained marginally quicker in average frame rate tests. Those tests were conducted with Intels 9th Gen CPUs, so 10th-gen laptops will prove slightly faster in games. We dont anticipate the newer chips making a huge difference, though, with those trends remaining largely unchanged. Ultimately, GPU choice is more important when it comes to gaming pace if you want more speed, switching to a full-power RTX 2060 or an RTX 2070-based GPU is more effective. The G14 didn't suffer internal temperature issues in our testing. During a gaming test the CPU and GPU reached peak temperatures of 81 degrees and 72 degrees, which are fine and, impressively, better than many larger laptops. The GPU never had throttling issues, and the G14s peak gaming noise output of 45db is good a little better than the latest Razer Blade machines and among the best results weve seen from a smaller gaming notebook. This laptop isnt always perfect on the outside. During prolonged, intense gaming the underside became warm. If youre gaming at a table then thats not a problem, but the G14 will be annoying if you want to use it on your lap. An air-vent on the right-hand side pumps hot air from the machine during intense use, which could be annoying if youre a right-hander using a USB mouse. During a work benchmark, the G14s peak noise output was a reasonable 42db. With all of the CPUs cores stressed, the chip did exhibit some throttling it started at 3.7GHz and dialled back to 3.1GHz. During a single-core test, the CPU had no issues, with one core reaching just shy of 4.3GHz. The Asus has one more trick up its sleeve stellar battery life. The Asus has one more trick up its sleeve stellar battery life. The G14 lasted for just over eight hours in our video playback test, which is hours beyond many gaming notebooks. The G14 lasted for a similar amount of time in web browsing and everyday work tests, so youll be able to use this machine for a day at the office. If youre really pushing the components in productivity software then the G14s battery life drops to around four and a half hours, and it lasted for two hours in a gaming test. None of that is a surprise as always with gaming machines, youll need to stay connected to get the most out of this notebook. Wrap Up The Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a tremendous work/play machine. AMD has made a significant leap forward with this Zen 2 laptop chip. For heavy workloads, the AMD processor is the best option by a long way. If you want a laptop that can handle video encoding, rendering, file compression or anything else where multiple threads are key, the 4900HS is fantastic. Its better in many single-threaded workloads, too. This is important because many gaming laptops are also purchased for their productivity abilities. The RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics core is capable of handling most games and esports titles at good frame rates, and the rest of the components are solid. The display offers smooth gameplay and good color reproduction, and the keyboard has a decent amount of snap. The speakers are good, battery life is lengthy, and the compact exterior serves up robust build quality. Problems are minor, and not surprising considering the mid-range price. The trackpad is mediocre, and the keyboard doesnt have RGB LEDs. Theres no wired networking, and no webcam. These issues shouldn't be deal-breakers for most though theyre acceptable compromises. The ROG Zephyrus G14 offers reasonable value and there's a lot to like about this machine. While it is possible to find cheaper laptops with full-power RTX 2060 GPUs, those thicker, heavier machines dont have the awesome AMD CPU. Wed only consider looking elsewhere if youre specifically searching for more GPU power, a larger screen, or a higher refresh rate. The G14 is a compelling option for gaming and productivity. Shopping Shortcuts

Dell launches two value-oriented 27" gaming monitors - TechSpot

The crowded market of gaming monitors has received two new 27-inch entries: Dell's S2721HGF 1080p curved display and the S2721DGF 1440p flat-panel. Unlike its Alienware division, Dell's latest 27-inch duo isn't going all-out in terms of design or specs but&he…

The crowded market of gaming monitors has received two new 27-inch entries: Dell's S2721HGF 1080p curved display and the S2721DGF 1440p flat-panel. Unlike its Alienware division, Dell's latest 27-inch duo isn't going all-out in terms of design or specs but is focused on delivering value for money, especially with the curved 27-inch G-Sync compatible unit going for under $300. Dell S2721HGF 27" Curved Gaming Monitor Sporting a 1080p VA panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, this model's 1500R curvature won't be as immersive as a curved ultrawide display but will likely excel when compared to a flat panel. Its affordable price point also lowers the bar for gamers new to fast curved monitors capable of 144Hz, 1ms response time, along with G-Sync and FreeSync Premium compatibility. The display doesn't support HDR but gets reasonably bright at 350 nits, supports 16.7M colors, and has a 3000:1 contrast ratio. In terms of I/O, there's 2 x HDMI 1.4 and 1 x DisplayPort 1.2, alongside a 3.5mm audio jack. The VESA mountable monitor is said to only come with an HDMI cable out of the box and is set to release on August 21 for $280. Dell S2721DGF 27" Gaming Monitor The more exciting and more expensive option is the 1440p 165Hz variant. Coming in at over twice the price of its sibling and sporting a flat display, this gaming monitor is compatible with G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro. It uses an IPS panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and features a 1ms response time and HDR400 compliance. Apart from the higher resolution and refresh rate, the S2721DGF supports 1.07B colors for 98% DCI-P3 coverage, sports a slightly more interesting design -- even if it's only on the rear -- and has better I/O. That includes 2 x HDMI 2.0 ports, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 4 x USB 3.0 Type-A and a mic in/headphone jack. The monitor is also VESA mountable and will be released by Dell a few weeks earlier on July 28 for $580.

The Best (and Worst) Radeon RX 5600 XT Graphics Cards - TechSpot

We've have on hand nearly every Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card model in existence. We've tested them and now we want to share what are the best models, and more importantly, which one you should (and shouldn't) buy.

TechSpot's Best Of features are designed to simplify your shopping process by condensing all the information we gather from reviews and tests into digestible buying guides broken down by price bracket or intended use. Granted, once you've settled on the best GPU for you, you will still have to choose a specific brand and model. And more often than not, you can find several different models based on the same GPU. For the past few months we've had on hand about a dozen Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics cards from different manufacturers which is almost every 5600 XT model in existence. We've tested them and now we want to share what are the best models, and more importantly, which one you should (and shouldn't) buy. Here goes a quick breakdown that will steer you in the right direction for your 5600 XT purchase. Best Value / Best 5600 XT When it comes to Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics cards, this is about the only category that matters, and thats because the 5600 XT is a cut-down 5700, which is a lower-clocked 5700 XT, and therefore you dont want to go spending 5700 money on a fancy 5600 XT. Radeon RX 5700 graphics cards have been known to go on sale for as low as $300. As of writing we could find an Asus Dual Fan Evo model selling for around $310 at Newegg, and MSI and Asrock base models are usually fetching $330. That being the case, $300 is the most you should consider spending on a 5600 XT. Thankfully, the two best cards are found around the $280 MSRP: the Sapphire Pulse and Gigabyte Gaming OC. In terms of cooling performance they rival premium models from the likes of Asus, MSI and PowerColor. Out of the two, we favor the Sapphire Pulse as it just feels like a step up from the Gigabyte in terms of quality. Also when looking at user reviews people seem to be having a better experience with the Pulse. Going by those reviews, for some reason cards like the Gaming OC have been more susceptible to black screen issues and other bugs that have plagued AMD for over a year now. Unfortunately we have little to no experience with these issues. Well admit after seeing the verified user reports on Newegg -- it does make us a bit hesitant to recommend any 5600 XT graphics card -- but we also find it puzzling how a card like the Gaming OC can have so many unhappy user reports, while the Pulse has almost none. We have both cards on hand and in our experience both have worked flawlessly. Even more puzzling is that the issues reported for the Gaming OC seem to be driver related, but again nowhere near the volume of issues has been reported with the Pulse. Taking that into account, we feel the Sapphire Pulse is the best value Radeon RX 5600 XT graphics card and the one you should be looking to buy. Best Performance If we could pick one of the many 5600 XT graphics cards and pick one for my own gaming system, and we didnt have to pay the retail price, wed take MSIs Gaming X. This massive graphics card borrows its cooler from the 5700 XT, so its complete overkill on a 5600 XT. That said, its not that much better than the Sapphire Pulse which is shocking given the Gaming X weighs almost 70% more. The massive heatsink means you can turn the fans right down and still keep the hot spot below 80C. Its also a menacing looking graphics card and while looks arent that important, its a nice bonus. Unfortunately though, the 5600 XT Gaming X isnt a product you should buy at the current asking price of $330. It makes no sense as you can purchase an RX 5700 for that price. The RX 5700 isnt just better because its faster, you also get an 8GB frame buffer opposed to the 6GB buffer that comes on the 5600 XT. There are a few other high quality 5600 XT graphics cards like the Gaming X that are priced so high they make no sense to purchase. In that group we find the Asus TUF Gaming, Asus Strix, XFX THICC 3 Pro and PowerColor Red Devil. But we believe it's worth mentioning them because they are all good quality 5600 XTs and if any of them are discounted later in their life cycle and are available for a price that makes sense (same or less than the Pulse), then theyd certainly be worth purchasing. Best Compact The vast majority of 5600 XT graphics cards will take up three slots in your system and most are fairly long. The Sapphire Pulse is one of the more compact designs measuring 254mm long, but again it will require three slots. If you're after a dual-slot card your options are quite limited and we recommend avoiding cheaper models such as the Gigabyte WindForce OC. The best dual-slot 5600 XT that weve come across is without question the PowerColor Red Dragon. Its by far the best performing model that takes up two slots and its relatively compact at just 240mm long. The Red Dragon seems to be available for $290 right now (it's usually a tad more expensive) which isn't ideal, but its not a bad price either. There is a second option thats even smaller. Also from PowerColor, the RX 5600 XT ITX is nice, simple and to the point. Weve got the ITX model on hand and it works quite well, though as you might expect it runs a bit hotter than the larger models. With the fan spinning at 1600 RPM its reasonably quiet and a peak hotspot temperature of 90C isnt terrible given the card's size. The memory and VRM temps are surprisingly good, the GDDR6 memory peaked at 76C in our test while the VRM reached just 71C. Overall impressive stuff for a tiny single-fan 5600 XT, and we've got no issues recommending it for compact Mini-ITX builds. Worst Models As for which models you need to avoid... thankfully most 5600 XT cards are good, which wasnt the case with the first wave of RX 5700 series graphics cards. We do recommend you actively avoid the XFX THICC II Pro, MSI Mech, and Gigabyte WindForce models. The XFX THICC II Pro suffers from high hotspot temperatures while the Mech and WindForce models are loud and despite that still run quite hot. We're also going to tentatively recommend you avoid the Asrock Challenger D. This one in particular we don't have on hand and have been unable to buy locally, but the fact that Asrock tried to avoid us testing it and its selling below the MSRP already, is not a good sign.

Razer updates the mecha-membrane Ornata keyboard with dedicated media keys - TechSpot

Razer's idea of putting hybrid mecha-membrane switches on the Ornata was certainly unique, even if the approach divided opinion into two camps. Some liked its combination of soft typing and clicky keys, especially those accustomed to membrane or rubber domes,…

In brief: Razer's refresh of the 2017 Ornata mecha-membrane keyboard isn't exactly groundbreaking, but the inclusion of dedicated media controls, improved cable routing, and software tweaks are a welcome addition to the V2, now on sale for $99.99. Razer's idea of putting hybrid mecha-membrane switches on the Ornata was certainly unique, even if the approach divided opinion into two camps. Some liked its combination of soft typing and clicky keys, especially those accustomed to membrane or rubber domes, while others used to full-on gaming mechanical keyboards disliked it for the same reason and also because of its price. There is, of course, a third camp of keyboard enthusiasts, who dismiss the idea of a gaming keyboard entirely. With that said, it all comes down to personal preference, and those curious about the new Ornata will be pleased to know that it now features dedicated media keys on top of the numeric keypad. These replace the LED indicators (lock keys, macro, and gaming mode), which are now located above the arrow keys. There's also a grippy infinite scroll wheel next to the media keys that can also be pressed down like a switch. Unlike the previous model that initially launched with green-backlit keys, the V2 only comes in RGB flavor powered by Razer Chroma with support for Ambient Awareness, Audio Meter, and Wheel lighting effects enabled through Razer Synapse 3. The V2 also has new cable routing that pushes the wire out the back in all three positions, replacing the older's configuration of letting it out on either side or through a single slot on the rear. In terms of what the newer model carries over from the original Ornata, there's its plastic build, mecha-membrane keys, the soft magnetic wrist rest, and the usual gamer-oriented features like 1000Hz Ultrapolling, alongside support for N-key rollover, macros, custom profiles, and key bindings. The Ornata V2 is now available to buy from Razer's official website priced at $99.99. It also comes with a 2-year warranty.

Ex-Windows boss reveals his new desktop PC is an iPad Pro - TechSpot

Having joined Microsoft back in 1989 as a software design engineer, Sinofsky worked his way up to President of the Windows division by 2009, finally departing the company at the end of 2012.

What just happened? Apple has spent years calling the iPad a computer, a claim most people, including Microsoft, like to mock. But the arrival of the powerful iPad Pros saw Cupertino double down on its position. Now, the tablets have been given the seal of approval from none other than a former Windows chief: Steven Sinofsky, the man behind Windows 8. Having joined Microsoft back in 1989 as a software design engineer, Sinofsky worked his way up to President of the Windows division by 2009, finally departing the company at the end of 2012. In a tweet posted earlier today, Sinofsky posted a photo of an iPad Pro along with the message: New desktop PC. New desktop PC. pic.twitter.com/b2OcaEgLEK Steven Sinofsky (@stevesi) May 25, 2020 The ex-Microsoft boss included a breakdown of all his kit, including the prices. In addition to the 12.9-inch 256GB iPad Pro (Wi-Fi only), which costs $1,099, he uses a $70 Heckler Design iPad Stand, $99 Magic Keyboard, $149 Trackpad 2, $129 Pencil, $5 right angle cable, and $10 7 in 1 dongle. All in all, the setup costs $1,500, which would get you a pretty good PC, monitor, and peripherals. Sinofsky was in charge of producing Windows 8 during his time at Microsoft and used to write about the process in a blog called Building Windows 8. The successor to Windows 7 was designed with touch-screen tablets in mind, though it wasn't very successful. Sinofsky did add a slight caveat, noting that the iPad won't be his main computer. He said the use case I am looking forward to is as a second screen for video meetings. The iPad Pros credentials as a real computer improved with the release of iPad OS, adding the likes of native USB, mouse, and trackpad support. There was also the Magic Keyboard and the powerful new A12X and A12Z (both are virtually identical) SoCs helping its case.