Nvidia’s flagship RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are failing. Or are they?
Owners of Nvidia's RTX 2080 Ti have been complaining about crashes, blue screens, artifacts, and repeated RMA issues for weeks now, but investigations aren't turning up anything too definitive with what's going on. It does appear, however, that the cards causing the most problems are Founders Editions.
AMD’s impressive Vega 7nm graphics cards arrive, but they’re not for gaming
AMD has launched the world's first 7nm graphics cards based on its new Vega 20 architecture, but they aren't for gamers. The new cards come with as much as 32GB of HBM2 memory and will help accelerate servers and enterprise compute tasks, even scaling up to multiple GPUs with AMD's Infinity Fabric.
Bing, Windows search evolve into new, cross-platform Microsoft Search
Microsoft is upgrading the search experience on Bing, in Windows, and in its Office platforms, augmenting the results with more contextual suggestions, including commands, web results, and application features, which can all be accessed at the click of a button. The rollout is set to begin immediately.
Nvidia’s ‘binning’ practice could mean the best RTX 2070s are third-party cards
Nvidia is binning the GPUs found at the core of its RTX 2070 graphics cards, giving the best to third parties for higher clocks and better overclocking potential. To separate out the chips Nvidia is giving the binned ones a unique designation, so anyone with a 2070 can find out which one they have.
Dell Ultrasharp 49 vs. Samsung CHG90
Picking a 49-inch, curved monitor should be easy, but there's a surprising amount of competition in even that niche-ultrawide space. Taking two of the best options out there to see which would be the better option for you, we pitted the Dell Ultrasharp 49 vs. Samsung CHG90 in the age-old battle of buck for your buck.
Want a GTX 1080 Ti? Buy one now before the stock runs out
Stock of Nvidia's last-generation flagship graphics card, the GTX 1080 Ti, is reportedly running low following a halt in its production. Interest in the GPU has been high following the launch of the costly and not-much-better RTX Turing GPUs, but buyers may be stuck with second-hand cards soon.
Won’t get fooled again: Chrome 71 to block all ads on abusive sites
If a website displays ads which are designed to trick or manipulate users and Google finds out about it, its Chrome browser will start blocking all of their ads, starting in December. The Chrome 71 release is looking to crack down on abusive web practices, and hoodwinking ads is one of them.
Privacy is becoming obsolete, but not everyone thinks you should fear its demise
Privacy often seems to be at odds with government surveillance and smart assistant technologies like Siri and Cortana. But do we need to sacrifice one for the other? We asked experts in a variety of fields to find out what a future without privacy might look like and whether that's really such a bad thing.
Oculus VR could upgrade the Rift with a new display in 2019
Oculus may release a new version of its Oculus Rift headset in 2019, though it won't be a Rift 2. The new rumor calls the design the Rift S, and suggests it will have a better display and ditch the external constellation tracking cameras in favor of simpler and arguably less accurate, inside-out tracking.
Dell patent hints at a super-thin, OLED-backlit keyboard
Dell's latest patent gives it the exclusive opportunity to produce keyboard keyboards with OLED backlighting. While that might be a more expensive solution than LED backlighting, it could make backlit keyboards thinner and the lighting far more versatile, potentially allowing for inter-key lighting animation.
Asus’ new monitor is 49 inches of high-speed gaming goodness
Asus' new gaming display might be perfect for game streamers, offering an enormous 49-inches of screen real estate and a triple picture in picture mode. Such a display would allow streaming gamers to play the game and view a chat interface on the same screen without sacrificing size or detail levels.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update won’t launch in October after all
Microsoft's long-planned and long-expected October 2018 update for Windows 10 is looking less likely to release in that month at all. With just hours to go until we tip into November, it seems more apt to rename it the November 2018 update following multiple delays, bug fixes, and insider test releases.
Drink up. Intel’s Whiskey Lake 8th-gen CPUs are coming to Chromebooks
Intel's 8th-generation Whiskey Lake CPUs look set to make their way into a new Chromebook design code-named Sarien. The new Chromebook has made its first appearance in the Chromium repository so is likely months away from being revealed, but its potential with the new Intel CPUs is exciting nonetheless.
Apple’s MacBook Pro 15 gets an upgrade with AMD Radeon Pro Vega graphics
AMD and Apple have continued their graphics partnership with the MacBook Pro with the upcoming introduction of a new graphical option. Buyers who want more power will be able to opt for a Radeon Pro Vega 20 or 16 graphics chip come late November, giving them greater gaming and 3D-rendering capabilities.
New Apple Mac Mini packs four- and six-core CPUs with up to 64GB memory for $800
Apple has made its new generation of Mac Mini hardware much more powerful than its predecessor. Upgrading to 8th-generation Intel processors, potential buyers have a choice of Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs and up to 64GB of memory, as well as up to 2TB of storage space, all in a compact, space-gray chassis.
AMD’s new Threadripper 2 CPUs offer improved performance at a discounted price
AMD's Threadripper 2000-series CPUs are now available in all of their guises following the release of the 2970WX and 2920X. These chips offers more affordable versions of the flagship 2990WX and 2950X chips, with slightly weaker core counts, but the same clocks and same features for high-speed multitasking.
Startup to apply quantum mechanics to protect data in fiber-optic cables
A new trial of a quantum network which would protect its data through quantum entangled encryption keys is set to begin in the near future. The network will connect New Jersey and New York, giving participating businesses the chance to send data in a manner that will destroy the data if snooping occurs.
Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are dying in alarming numbers
Hundreds of disgruntled early adopters of Nvidia's RTX 2080 Ti graphics cards are reporting failures, crashes, BSOD issues, and overheating GPUs, leading to returns and replacements, sometimes multiple times. This raises concerns over the failure rate and quality control of Nvidia's new Turing GPUs.
Alienware to offer Threadripper 2 CPUs in new Area-51 builds
Dell is expanding its Alienware Area-51 configuration options with a new Threadripper Edition. It adds support for the first-generation 1900X, as well as the newer 2920X and 2950X CPUs. They can be paired with up to 64GB of memory, 4TB of storage, and a choice of graphics cards all the way up to the Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti.
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 vs. Pixel Slate
Microsoft might lead the 2-in-1 pack with its Surface range of products, but there are many pretenders to the crown. Samsung and Google both have their own offerings with unique features and hardware, so we pitted the Galaxy Book 2 vs. Pixel Slate in a classic head to head to see which is the best value for money.
‘Final Fantasy XV’ dev claims Nvidia’s new card greatly improves performance
Nvidia's RTX-graphics-powered DLSS technology could make a dramatic improvement on not only the visuals but the frame rate in the PC version of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XV. The technical director claimed in an interview that the developer may implement ray tracing in the game in the future too.
Yoga Book C930 vs. Surface Go
Finding a laptop that's also a good tablet isn't easy, especially if you want to do so without paying through the teeth for it. Lenovo and Microsoft have some entry-level options which could fit that bill, though. To find out which is best, we pitted the Yoga Book C930 vs. Surface Go in a classic head to head.
Apple CEO demands Bloomberg retract its Chinese surveillance story
Following Bloomberg's report that Apple may have purchased compromised servers from Super Micro that were manufactured in China with embedded surveillance chips, Tim Cook is now calling for the publication to retract its story. Cook said that an internal investigation revealed no truth to the report.
Intel Core i9 vs. AMD Threadripper
Intel's Core i9 CPUs have been some of the most powerful in the world for years, but AMD's Threadripper offers new competition with tonnes of cores and comparable clock speeds. What's the difference between these two chip technologies? And when you pit Core i9 vs. Threadripper, which CPUs come out on top?
Samsung Galaxy Book 2 packs Snapdragon 850 into Always Connected Windows 2-in-1
Samsung has announced a new version of its Galaxy Book 2-in-1. The second-gen design ditches the Intel Core processor and replaces it with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850. It also comes with a higher resolution display, improved battery life, and Gigabit LTE data connectivity to keep you connected on the go.
Ryzen shine! AMD’s next CPUs could beat Intel at gaming in 2019
AMD's next-gen Ryzen CPUs could offer a much bigger boost to performance than its Zen+ chips did. The latest rumor suggests that the Zen 2 design delivers as much as 13-percent increase in instructions per clock, which could make AMD CPUs better than Intel's best at gaming and single-threaded tasks.
Microsoft patent highlights a potential VR text input system
Microsoft has been awarded a patent for a new typing method in virtual reality and with console gamepads that leverages a radial wheel. The system has trappings of the Microsoft Surface Dial and could prove a more intuitive way to type out long messages while using virtual reality motion controllers.
Problems with Microsoft’s Windows October 2018 Update aren’t over yet
Microsoft still isn't quite ready to relaunch its October 2018 Update for Windows 10, despite two weeks of additional bug testing and fixing after its debut. The update continues to prove problematic with new concerns over audio issues and misreported CPU usage in Task Manager, as well as crashes.
Winamp eyes big comeback in 2019 with podcast, streaming support
Classic audio player Winamp is set for a big revamp next year, in what the developers hope will bring together all audio streaming solutions in a single application that's cross-platform. The newly updated app will support podcasts, local and cloud audio, radio stations, and other audio sources.
Memory is still expensive, but Intel’s 9th-gen CPU lets you have 128GB of it
Intel's new 9-series CPUs, like the 9900K, 9700K, and 9600K, will have support for as much as 128GB of RAM using new double-height modules. Pricing remains unclear for such a system, but the new kits will no doubt be inordinately expensive, making these sorts of high-capacity PCs unlikely to be commonplace.
Did your Windows 10 audio stop working after the update? Microsoft has a fix
Microsoft's latest update for Windows 10 fixes an audio issue that materialized after the rollout of its October 2018 Update. Affected users received no sound from their speakers or headsets at all, with only some driver uninstalls fixing the issue temporarily. This official fix should put a stop to it.
Personal info of 30,000-plus Pentagon employees compromised in contractor breach
More than 30,000 Pentagon employees may have had their personal information, including credit card details, revealed during a recent hack. A government contractor was said to be responsible for the breach and the Department of Defense is continuing an investigation into how and when it occurred.
Why Intel and Nvidia controversies prove you should always wait for benchmarks
Recent launches of hardware from Intel and Nvidia have been mired by concerns over misleading benchmark results which heavily favored their new products over the competition. This is a great time remind ourselves that pre-ordering hardware without third-party test results is a bad idea for a number of reasons.