Axagon Riddle (2/2024). Can you guess what’s in the photo?

In cooperation with Axagon, we have prepared a cyclical activity for this year, which may be of interest to HWCooling readers. We’ll post a detail of some piece of hardware and you can guess what it is. You can compete (and eventually win something) on a regular basis, with a new challenge every month. But for now, you need to get “to the next round” through the next one, in February. Read more “Axagon Riddle (2/2024). Can you guess what’s in the photo?” »

12-pins on GPUs melting again: Both fans and critics are wrong

Yet again, reports of melted 12-pin power connectors and damaged GeForce graphics cards are coming in – this time involving hundreds of CableMod adapters – and with that, the debate about whether the 12-pin is dangerous is back. Unfortunately, it’s full of black and white arguments that are pretty much off the mark. We will try to point out such fallacies. The issue is in fact much more complicated than the positions usually taken on it. Read more “12-pins on GPUs melting again: Both fans and critics are wrong” »

Non-hybrid Intel gaming CPU? Bartlett Lake to have 12 big cores

Although releasing a fresh LGA 1851 desktop platform with brand new Arrow Lake processors this year, news are coming that Intel also plans another refresh of Raptor Lake processors as a plan B. But these chips, called Bartlett Lake, may yet be more interesting than one would expect. In fact, they might feature an entirely new, more powerful chip without E-Cores aimed at gaming performance, that would still run on the LGA 1700 socket. Read more “Non-hybrid Intel gaming CPU? Bartlett Lake to have 12 big cores” »

Arrow Lake CPU spotted. Missing HT and AVX-512 confirmed

Couple days ago, documents leaked on Arrow Lake-S processors and Generation 800 chipsets – Intel’s next-gen desktop platform with the new LGA 1851 socket, due out in the second half of the year. Besides the things we already analysed, those documents also indicate that Arrow Lake P-cores have only one thread. This has now been confirmed by a log from testing a sample of this CPU. After 22 years, Intel processors are dropping HT. Read more “Arrow Lake CPU spotted. Missing HT and AVX-512 confirmed” »

Zen 5 is delayed. AMD has confirmed desktop launch in H2 2024

First there was a report that things might not be so hot with Intel’s next generation of desktop processors – the 2nm Arrow Lake on the LGA 1851 platform. To make things better, the other side seems to have its own issues too: AMD’s Zen 5 will be delayed. Hopefully it won’t be anything dramatic, but the reports of spring launch that we recently shared won’t come true. It’s not clear if this will also delay gaming models with 3D V-Cache. Read more “Zen 5 is delayed. AMD has confirmed desktop launch in H2 2024” »

The new card you won’t hear – Asus RTX 4080 Super Noctua

Asus and Noctua managed to launch the latest joint graphics card earlier than ever this time. The Asus RTX 4080 Super Noctua Edition is being released alongside the other models. Noctua has apparently already optimized its cooler to satisfaction on the older variant, the RTX 4080, and the situation on the RTX 4080 Super hasn’t changed enough to require design intervention. Everything is ready for production. Read more “The new card you won’t hear – Asus RTX 4080 Super Noctua” »

RTX Video HDR: Nvidia’s AI gives ordinary web videos HDR look

Last year, Nvidia introduced a feature called RTX Video Super Resolution, which uses the GPU to upscale and enhance web video with a DLSS 1.0-like filter utilising an artificial intelligence (though you can use this upscaler in VLC Media Player as well). This technology has now been extended to RTX Video HDR, which is again an AI filter that recreates (simulates) an HDR component for an ordinary video, adding high dynamic range visuals. Read more “RTX Video HDR: Nvidia’s AI gives ordinary web videos HDR look” »

HAMR disks are here. Seagate launches Mozaic 3+, a laser HDD

It was supposed to happen last year, but it wouldn’t be HAMR if the technology wasn’t always further away from market than expected. However, we finally have the official announcement of the first of these “laser” HDDs, the arrival of which kept being anticipated and then delayed over and over for the last decade or more. HAMR drives use amazingly advanced nanotechnology, but according to Seagate, their reliability has been carefully tested. Read more “HAMR disks are here. Seagate launches Mozaic 3+, a laser HDD” »

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super by Asus: 9 cards, 3 different designs

Covering the graphics cards coming out now as the GeForce RTX 4000 “Super” refresh, we’ve looked at a card directly by Nvidia, an MSI card, and we’ll look at Gigabyte one soon. We’ll miss on Asus as the third major manufacturer, so instead we’ll take a look at the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super versions that this brand will be offering. There’s quite a lot of them, including some using the BTF backside board power supply instead of a 16pin. Read more “GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super by Asus: 9 cards, 3 different designs” »

MSI officially about RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Ventus 3X faults

MSI has released a statement saying that the RTX 4070 Ti Ventus 3X graphics cards did indeed come out with an untweaked BIOS that prevents this graphics card from achieving its maximum performance. However, there seems to be a fix already that could solve everything. Still… let’s revisit this topic and try to sort through the possible technical reasons that cause the significant fluctuation in the performance of the cheapest three-fan MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super. Read more “MSI officially about RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Ventus 3X faults” »

Axagon Riddle (1/2024). Can you guess what’s in the photo?

Can you tell from the detail photo what hardware it is? Years ago you were very good at it, now it might be a bit more complicated, we’ll make it even harder. But we know you’re inquisitive and you like a challenge. The most successful solvers will again be rewarded with the chance to choose any Axagon products. This will already be relatively easy given the wide portfolio of practical ones. Read more “Axagon Riddle (1/2024). Can you guess what’s in the photo?” »

RTX Video Super Resolution alternative: FSR for YouTube and VLC

Last year Nvidia came out with RTX Video Super Resolution, a video upscaling and postprocessing technology for usage in web browsers and later also in VLC Media Player. It looks like something similar will be available also for AMD GPUs, but while Nvidia’s approach is the equivalent of DLSS 1.0 applied to video content, Radeon’s upscaling will probably be based on FSR 1.0, so it could be usable by other vendor GPUs, like FSR. Read more “RTX Video Super Resolution alternative: FSR for YouTube and VLC” »

Return to FDB – the main new feature of the Arctic P12 Max White

Arctic has released a new, white version of the P12 Max fan. However, it is not only a choice between light (P12 Max White) and dark (P12 Max Black), but also between different types of bearings, fluid dynamic and ball ones. In any case, it is once again a 120 mm fan that will be taking the top ranks in comparison tests with its performance characteristics. It has all the prerequisites to do so. Read more “Return to FDB – the main new feature of the Arctic P12 Max White” »

Ryzen 9000 with Zen 5 cores is in production. Launch in 3 months?

AMD still hasn’t officially said anything about when Zen 5 processors might hit the market. But it looks like it could be surprisingly soon. Usually, if something is supposed to come out “in 2024”, it’s more likely to come out towards the end of it, but according to rumors, the Ryzen 9000 desktop processors (as Zen 5 might be called) could come out in just a few months at an early date, similar to the release of Ryzen 2000. Read more “Ryzen 9000 with Zen 5 cores is in production. Launch in 3 months?” »

Fluid Motion Frames now also for Radeon iGPUs, leaves preview

Last year AMD released FSR 3 frame generation, of which a simplified version that doesn’t use game vector data is also usable globally on the GPU driver level as the AMD Fluid Motion Frames feature. It can be used in all sorts of games that lack their own FSR 3 (or Nvidia’s DLSS 3) support. This technology will soon make its way from beta to standard drivers, and it now even works on integrated GPUs, including gaming handhelds. Read more “Fluid Motion Frames now also for Radeon iGPUs, leaves preview” »