| AMD Benchmarks Show Radeon R9 290X Outgunning Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 at 4K Resolution Posted: 17 Oct 2013 01:07 PM PDT  AMD steals thunder from Nvidia's press event
Nvidia is hosting a two-day press event in Montreal, but it's AMD that's stealing some of the headlines. The Sunnyvale chip designer decided to crash Nvidia's party by setting up shop in a hotel across the street to showcase its Radeon R9 290X graphics card and compare benchmarks against Nvidia's GeForce GTX 780 part. It's a brazen tactic and we hear Nvidia isn't real happy with AMD's stunt, but GPU politics aside, we have some benchmarks AMD is allowing the media to share. AMD benchmarked both cards on a test system consisting an Intel Core i7 3960X processor clocked at 3.3GHz, MSI X79A-GD65 motherboard, 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM, and Windows 7 64-bit with SP1. AMD used a future Catalyst 13.11 beta driver release for its own graphics card, and Nvidia driver 331.40 for the GTX 780. Here's how the benchmarks came out: BioShock Infinite (3840x2160, Ultra Settings) - AMD Radeon R9 290X "Quiet Mode" average frame rate: 44.25
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 average frame rate: 37.67
Tomb Raider (3840x2160, Normal Preset w/ TressFX On Off) - AMD Radeon R9 290X "Quiet Mode" average frame rate: 40.2
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 average frame rate: 34.5
It's worth noting that TressFX runs better on AMD hardware currently, and You can bank on future driver releases improving performance on Nvidia's side. For now, however, this is a pretty good showing for AMD's R9 290X. Expect more information about AMD's flagship card in the coming weeks. In the meantime, have a look at specs and details of five other upcoming Radeon R7 and R9 Series graphics cards. Update The Tomb Raider benchmarks were run with TressFX turned off, not on. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Nvidia's GeForce GTX Holiday Bundles Feature Free Games and Shield Discounts Posted: 17 Oct 2013 11:58 AM PDT  Tis the season to stay inside and play games
Nvidia wants to help grow your games collection when you purchase select GeForce GTX graphics cards. Games that are up for grabs include Assassins's Creed IV: Black Flag, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Splinter Cell Blacklist. In addition, you can save up to $100 off the purchase of an Nvidia Shield handheld. This is all part of Nvidia's new GeForce GTX Holiday Bundle, which is is available in two different tiers. Let's have a look. Gamers who purchase a GeForce GTX 660, 670, 680, 690, or 760 from October 28th until November 26th from participating retailers and e-tailers are eligible to receive downloadable copies of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist. If you live in the U.S., you'll also receive $50 off of an Nvidia Shield. If you purchase a GeForce GTX 770, 780, or Titan during the same time frame, you'll receive the same games, plus Batman: Arkham Origins. You'll also save $100 off of an Nvidia Shield instead of $50 (again, for purchases made in the U.S. only). 
Interested? You'll want to bookmark and visit the GeForce GTX Holiday Bundle landing page on October 28th to see a full list of participating e-tailers. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Cooler Master Announces GM Series Power Supplies for Gamers Posted: 17 Oct 2013 09:36 AM PDT  Flat ribbon cables and 80 Plus Bronze certification
Cooler Master this week expanded its line of power supplies by introducing its new GM Series under its gaming umbrella. Billed as being "efficient and valuable," Cooler Master says these new PSUs boast better efficiency and improved heat dissipation thanks in part to being manufactured with a unique 3D circuit design. The GM Series also boasts semi-modular cabling with flat-ribbon cables. Semi-modular means that only the most basic system cables are permanently attached, including the main ATX12V line. The reason some PSUs are fully modular is because it can be easier to install a PSU without cables dangling out, though the main connectors always end up being plugged in at some point anyway. The GM Series features a single +12V rail design and 80 Plus Bronze certification. They're available in 450W, 550W, 650W, and 750W models, though so far they've only been launched in Europe. No word on when they'll ship stateside or for how much. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Generates a $3 Billion Profit in Q3, Makes Wall Street Look Silly Posted: 17 Oct 2013 08:12 AM PDT  Never underestimate a giant
Intel this week reported third-quarter revenue of $13.5 billion, operating income of $3.5 billion, and net income of $3 billion (or 58 cents per share), the latter of which represents 48 percent sequential growth. A peek around the web reveals that Intel's profit growth is almost 10 percent higher than Wall Street was expecting, allowing Intel to hush the naysayers during a period of transition to mobile. "The third quarter came in as expected, with modest growth in a tough environment," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. "We're executing on our strategy to offer an increasingly broad and diverse product portfolio that spans key growth segments, operating systems and form factors. Since August we have introduced more than 40 new products for market segments from the Internet-of-Things to datacenters, with an increasing focus on ultra-mobile devices and 2 in 1 systems." Total revenue was up 5 percent sequentially, though flat year-over-year. Interestingly, Intel's PC Client Group revenue rose 3.5 sequentially to $8.4 billion, but was down by the same percentage year-over-year. The chip maker's Data Center Group picked up the slack by increasing revenue 6.2 percent sequentially and 12.2 percent year-over-year to $2.9 billion. All-in-all, it was yet another lucrative quarter for Intel, though the challenge of competing with ARM in mobile is one that remains. Unfortunately for Intel, it had to delay its Broadwell launch by a quarter until Q1 2014 due to a defect in manufacturing. Broadwell, which will mostly end up in mobile devices, is built on a 14nm manufacturing process, allowing for thinner and more power efficient devices than what's possible with Haswell at 22nm. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Are You Planning to Upgrade to Windows 8.1 Today? Posted: 17 Oct 2013 07:37 AM PDT  Windows 8.1 update now available to download
If you already own a copy of Windows 8, this is the day you may have been waiting for. Effective immediately, Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update is available to download and install for free, provided you already own a copy of Windows 8 (you should see a notification in the Windows Store). If not, you can pre-order the full version of Windows 8.1 for $120 from the Microsoft Store, which will begin shipping out tomorrow. Installing the update over the top of Windows 8 is supposed to be an easy process. We recommend doing a full backup beforehand, especially if you're toying with a mission critical system, but in theory the update shouldn't muck with your programs, saved files, or settings. Windows 8.1 is a major update to Microsoft's touch oriented OS. It includes a new version of Internet Explorer that's better optimized for touch and has split-screen browsing capabilities, an enhanced Windows Store, different size Tile options, the return of the Start button (takes you to the Start screen if you're in Desktop mode), and more. So, do you plan on installing Windows 8.1 today? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Asus VN247H-P 23.6-inch Monitor, G.Skill Ripjaws 16GB Memory Kit, and More! Posted: 17 Oct 2013 06:51 AM PDT |
