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Last week Google introduced a radical shake-up of search that presents users with AI-generated answers to their queries. Now the company says it will soon start including ads inside those AI Overviews, as the automatic answers are called.

Google on Tuesday announced plans to test search and shopping ads in the AI summaries, a move that could extend its dominance in search advertising into a new era. Although Google rapidly rolled out AI Overviews to all US English users last week after announcing the feature at its I/O developer conference, it’s unclear how widely or quickly ads will start appearing.

Screenshots released by Google show how a user asking how to get wrinkles out of clothes might get an AI-generated summary of tips sourced from the web, with a carousel of ads underneath for sprays that purport to help crisp up a wardrobe.

Google’s AI Overviews are meant to keep users from shifting to alternatives such as ChatGPT or the startup Perplexity, which use AI-generated text to answer many questions traditionally thrown at Google. How and when Google would integrate ads into AI Overviews has been a significant question over the company’s ChatGPT catch-up strategy. Search ads are the company's largest revenue generator, and even subtle changes in ad placements or design can spur big swings in Google’s revenue.

Google shared few details about its new Overview ad format in its announcement Tuesday. Ads “will have the opportunity to appear within the AI Overview in a section clearly labeled as ‘sponsored’ when they’re relevant to both the query and the information in the AI Overview,” Vidhya Srinivasan, Google’s vice president and general Manager for ads, wrote in a blog post.

AI Overview will draw on ads from advertisers’ existing campaigns, meaning they can neither completely opt out of the experiment nor have to adapt the settings and designs of their ads to appear in the feature. “There’s no action needed from advertisers,” Srinivasan wrote.

Google said last year when it started experimenting with AI-generated answers in search that ads for specific products would be integrated into the feature. In one example at the time, it showed a sponsored option at the top of an AI-generated list of kids’ hiking backpacks. Google says the early testing showed that users found ads above and below AI summaries helpful. Google’s much smaller rival Bing shows product ads in its Bing Copilot search chatbot, but in tests on Monday, WIRED didn’t trigger any ads in Bing’s competitor to AI Overview.

Every few years a technology such as ChatGPT emerges that gets media and investors wondering whether it will finally be the innovation that topples Google’s search ad business, which has been one of the most profitable and consistent enterprises on the internet for over two decades. In calls with investors over the past year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has downplayed the risks to his ads business from new search experiences. He has voiced confidence that the company can work through shifts as it has before, including threats from smartphones and Amazon.

It helps that the growth of Google’s cloud and hardware businesses are making the company’s revenue less dependent on search. In 2019, more than 60 percent of revenue for Google parent Alphabet stemmed from search ads. That figure has steadily fallen to about 57 percent last year. Overall profit in 2023 reached a near record of about $74 billion.

No matter how ads in AI Overviews perform, conventional search ads will remain important to Google. For one, AI-generated answers appear only on select queries when its algorithms determine a summary could be helpful. That means Google will be serving up plenty of results pages with real estate for traditional search ads.

Google is also exploring other ways to use AI to boost its ads business. The company on Tuesday announced updated image-generation tools to help advertisers shed production costs associated with tasks like photography, meaning they could have more budget left to spend with Google to actually run ads.

In addition, Google plans to test a new search ad experience that guides people through “complex purchase decisions,” according to Srinivasan’s post. For instance, AI could analyze photos uploaded by users of their furniture to suggest short-term storage options. Launching more sophisticated AI-enabled formats like that could allow Google to collect a premium compared with conventional ad slots, lining the company’s pockets more than ever.

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Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is launching on PC today, and Nvidia published detailed charts with approximate performance figures gamers can expect when playing on different RTX 4000 graphics cards with different resolutions. Thanks to DLSS support, every RTX 4000 GPU can more than double its FPS at 1440p and 1080p. Serum also exhibits similar performance increases.

What is new in Nvidia 555.85 WHQL?

Here is the official changelog:

Game Ready for F1 24 & Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

 

This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 3 technology including F1 24, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, and Serum. Further support for new titles includes the launch of XDefiant which supports NVIDIA Reflex.

The latest driver fixes the following bugs:

• Tekken 8 may randomly crash during gameplay on GeForce GTX 10-series graphics cards.
• Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition: Lower GPU utilization when Reflex is set to “On + Boost”
• Blender Cycles: Motion blur renders incorrectly with some GPU architectures

Finally, Nvidia 555.85 WHQL adds some newly validated G-SYNC-compatible monitors:

You can download Nvidia 555.85 WHQL on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11-based systems with the following graphic cards:

Full release notes for driver 555.85 WHQL and download links are available here.

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It's been a busy day in the world of Windows laptops. Microsoft, Qualcomm, and a host of major laptop manufacturers teamed up to unveil what our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino calls a "Great Reset" in the Windows PC industry. 

Seven major laptop brands, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Surface unveiled new PCs powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips. From budget-friendly laptops to flagship 2-in-1s meant to illustrate what a Copilot+ PC can be, there's a lot to digest. We have separate pieces for each laptop announced today, but with so many computers hitting headlines, a quick rundown is in order.

Surface Pro 11 and Surface Laptop 7

The Surface Pro 11 with Snapdragon X (Image credit: Microsoft)

Arguably the biggest announcements of the day were Microsoft's new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop (officially known as the Surface Pro 11th Edition and Surface Laptop 7th Edition, respectively). Both those devices showcase what Copilot+ PCs can be. They run on Snapdragon X processors, are designed with AI in mind, and have the latest features to utilize their high-end specs.

The Surface Pro 11th Edition finally has configuration options with OLED displays. The convertible PC also runs on Snapdragon X processors, supports plenty of AI features, and even has a new keyboard option. The Surface Pro Flex Keyboard costs $349.99 and has a haptic trackpad, carbon fiber reinforcement, and can connect wirelessly. Add in some new color options, and you have a worthy flagship to usher in the deluge of Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft made more visible changes when designing the Surface Laptop 7th Edition. The newest Surface Laptop has thinner bezels and rounded corners on its display. Like its convertible sibling, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition runs on Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite or Snapdragon X Plus. Those chips power a plethora of AI features and promise better battery life than their Intel counterparts. You can preorder the Surface Laptop 7th Edition in either 13.8-inch or 15-inch variation.

Acer Swift 14 AI

Acer's Swift 14 AI powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X (Image credit: Acer)

The Swift 14 AI is Acer's only new Copilot+ PC announced today, but its starting price of $1,099 makes it a strong contender for anyone who wants to test out the new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus CPUs without breaking the bank. That price tag needs to be placed in context, because we normally wouldn't call a $1,099 laptop a budget-friendly PC.

Copilot+ PCs have minimum requirements higher than what more affordable PCs ship with, such as 16GB of RAM. They also feature Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, which are the latest innovations from Qualcomm. Those chips have been the center of months of hype, and Microsoft literally optimized Windows 11 to work with them. That level of tech has a cost. While Qualcomm's new chips are competitively priced compared to their Intel counterparts, they are still new processors.

OpenAI recently launched its newest large language model, GPT-4o, but with so many versions now available, it's getting confusing to distinguish between them as they all understand and generate text responses. However, the differences lie in the accuracy, speed, cost, and specific features each model offers. 

In the case of GPT-4o, we also have to consider the ability to process video to generate responses almost as quickly as a human can process similar information.

In this guide, I'll give you an overview of the differences between OpenAI's large language models so you can have a basic understanding of the available versions. 

GPT-4o vs. 4 vs. 4 Turbo vs. 3.5

Currently, OpenAI offers four GPT versions for developers as well as for consumers using ChatGPT, including GPT-3.5, 4, 4 Turbo, and 4o, and here's an overview of all of them to understand their differences.

GPT-3.5

GPT-3.5 became available in March 2022. It's a language model built on the GPT-3 architecture featuring enhancements in scale and training data, and it's currently the version available completely free (without internet search capabilities) through the OpenAI ChatGPT service. 

This language mode includes improvements in natural language understanding and generation. Compared to GPT -3, version 3.5 offers better coherence, relevance, and contextual understanding and can more accurately handle more complex instructions than its predecessor.

In addition, there's the less talked about GPT-3.5 Turbo, which introduced various improvements over the original release. This version of the language model was released in preparation for the GPT-4 release, and it allowed developers to customize the model for different use cases and run these models at scale.

During the Microsoft Event 2024 keynote, the company unveiled Copilot+ and discussed how next-gen AI features go hand-in-hand with AI PC laptops. Despite having a name similar to that of the Copilot AI assistant, Copilot+ is very different and encompasses several different things rather than one specific service.

So, just what is Copilot+? Does it cost money to use? What features does Copilot+ have? How is Copilot+ different from plain old Copilot? And when does it come out? We'll discuss all that and more.

Microsoft Copilot+: What is it?

Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant that has been around since November 2023. It's become a brainstorming staple for many people and a means to generate AI imagery or written outlines with text prompts.

But now, Microsoft has unveiled Copilot+, which boasts next-gen AI features and AI tools. But just what is the difference between Copilot+ and the original Copilot? There's a lot to take in here, so let's figure it out. 

Copilot+ vs Copilot: Pricing

According to the Microsoft's X (formerly Twitter) post, Copilot uses natural language conversations to guide players when they get stuck or need information. At a demonstration, Copilot was used within Minecraft. A player asked Copilot how to craft a sword, and Copilot was able to explain the process and even direct the player to the necessary resources.

Copilot could be a big help for gamers who sometimes get frustrated when they don't know how to progress in a game. Instead of searching online guides, Copilot allows for quick conversations right within the game.

However, one of the most criticized behaviors of AI-powered chatbots is hallucination. This occurs when the AI confidently provides an answer to a question, but the information presented is factually incorrect. This means that Copilot can 'hallucinate' in games and mislead the player.

The company anticipates selling approximately 50 million laptops with the new Copilot+ PC label. To support this, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm will be providing processors equipped with AI-powered chips designed for Windows and its Copilot assistant. Major PC companies such as Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Samsung, and Lenovo, will be making Copilot+ PCs.

Microsoft also announced updated versions of its Surface Laptop and Surface Pro with all-new Snapdragon X processors. According to Microsoft, the new Snapdragon X Plus/Elite chips deliver a significant performance boost. It claims that the Surface Laptop is 86% faster, while the Surface Pro is 90% faster than its predecessor.

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The new Surface Pro (it is actually called "Surface Pro 11th Edition") is now available for preorder starting at $999. However, you can still find the previous generation on sale, often with big discounts. Therefore, here is a detailed spec-by-spec comparison between the three generations to help you make a decision.

The biggest update in the new Surface Pro is unquestionably the processor. Instead of Intel chips, Microsoft's flagship tablet now uses ARM processors exclusively. Customers can pick between the cheaper Snapdragon X Plus with 10 cores or the more expensive 12-core Snapdragon X Elite.

According to Microsoft, the shift to ARM chips enables significant performance and efficiency improvements, and the under-the-hood improvements in Windows 11 allow for much better emulation in software that is not yet optimized for Windows on ARM. As for the battery life, the new Surface Pro is rated for up to 14 hours of video playback on a single charge.

Although many popular apps already have native ARM64 versions, you should mind potential compatibility issues before ordering the new Surface Pro. Luckily, with quite a lot of manufacturers supporting Qualcomm's latest chips, we can expect more developers to port their projects to Windows on ARM.

Surface Pro 9

Surface Pro 8

Besides offering performance and efficiency improvements, the new Surface Pro has some exclusive features. Recall is one such thing (previously rumored as "AI Explorer"), and it will let you go back in time to any app, file, email, conversation, or anything else on your computer. More information about Windows 11's Recall feature is available here.

Another important change is OLED displays. However, it is worth saying right off the bat that OLED displays are only available in much more expensive configurations. In fact, the cheapest Surface Pro with an OLED display will set you back $1,499 (OLED models also have a slightly bigger battery). The more appealing $999 version comes with a regular IPS display that still features plenty of pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support, and more.

In addition to the new tablet, Microsoft announced fresh accessories, such as the Surface Keyboard Pro Flex, which is more rigid, works wirelessly, and has a haptic trackpad. However, the keyboard supports the previous generations, such as the Surface Pro 10 for Business, Surface Pro 9 and Surface Pro 8.

As for colors, the Surface Pro 11th Edition is available in Platinum, Black, Dune, and Sapphire:

Here are the key changes summed up in a list:

• Optional OLED displays with rounded corners
• Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite processors instead of Intel
• A minimum of 16GB of RAM with 32GB max
• Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
• Optional 5G connectivity (coming later in 2024)
• New accessories and new colors
• New 1440p ultra-wide front-facing camera
• "Copilot+ PC"

Here is a more detailed spec-by-spec comparison:

It is also worth noting that the ARM-based Surface Pro is not the only tablet Microsoft released this year. A couple of months ago, the company revealed the Surface Pro 10 for Business. Check out its Specs Appeal article here.

The Surface Pro 11th Edition is now available for preorder in the Microsoft Store. Are you buying it?

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The next-generation Surface Laptop with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processors inside is finally here. Microsoft unveiled its next-gen laptop at the special May 20 event, promising that the device "isn't even close" in terms of performance when compared to the previous generations.

The new Surface Laptop (yep, just "Surface Laptop" or "Copilot Plus Surface Laptop") is available in two sizes: 13.8-inch and 15-inch. Both variants use 3:4 IPS touchscreen displays with a resolution of 2,304 x 1,536 pixels and 2,496 x 1,664 pixels. The refresh rate has been bumped to 120Hz, plus the Surface Laptop now supports HDR. And yes, screen corners are now rounded to match Windows 11's aesthetics.

Powered by Qualcomm's latest chips, the Surface Laptop is 86% faster than the Intel-powered Surface Laptop 5. You will be able to spec the 13.8-inch variant with either the Snapdragon X Elite or Plus, while the larger variant will only be available with the Snapdragon X Elite. Memory-wise, you get to choose from 16GB or 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Other "Copilot Plus PCs" will also come with a minimum of 16GB—that is a new baseline.

Besides boosting performance, the new processors significantly improve battery life. The 13.8-inch Surface Laptop can play video for up to 20 hours, while the 15-inch variant can last up to 22 hours.

As for ports, you get two USB-C/USB4 ports that can charge your Surface Laptop, transfer data, power external displays (up to three 4K displays), and connect accessories. There is also one USB-A 3.1 port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and the good old Surface Connect port. The 15-inch variant also has a microSDXC card reader.

Other changes in the new Surface Laptop include a haptic trackpad, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support, a 1080p webcam with Windows Hello and Windows Studio effects, two Dolby Atmos speakers, and Studio microphones with voice focus.

The new Surface Laptop is now available for preorder in the Microsoft Store. The 13.8-inch variant starts at $999 and tops at $2,399. The larger model starts at $1,299 and goes all the way up to $2,499. Color options include Sapphire (blue), Dune (gold), Platinum, and Black.

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To begin with, Surface fans finally have a device with OLED displays. The new Surface Pro has a 13-inch PixelSense Flow OLED display with a 1M:1 contrast ratio, 120Hz, a 2,880 x 1,920 pixels resolution, and Gorilla Glass 5. However, there are also variants with regular IPS displays. In fact, you will have to settle for a standard LCD panel if you want the basic $999 configuration—the cheapest model with an OLED display will set you back $1,499.

Processor options include either the Snapdragon X Plus or Snapdragon X Elite, and you get to choose between 16GB and 32GB of RAM. According to Microsoft, these chips make the new Surface Pro 90% faster than the previous generation. As for storage, Microsoft lets you spec the new Surface Pro with a removable SSD with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of capacity.

Connectivity-wise, the new Surface Pro supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. A configuration with 5G will be available later in 2024.

Another important change is the brand-new Surface Pro Flex Keyboard, which now works wirelessly, allowing you to place it separately from the tablet wherever convenient. It also features extra layers of carbon fiber for stability and durability and a new customizable haptic touchpad. Just like the regular keyboard for the Surface Pro, it still has integrated pen storage, which doubles as a charger.

The new Surface Pro is available in four colors: Black, Platinum, Dune (gold), and Sapphire (Blue). You can already preorder one in the Microsoft Store. Prices start a $999 for the LCD variant and $1,499 for the OLED variant.

Update: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the new Surface Pro has a 4K webcam. The webcam is actually an ultra-wide QHD (1440p) one.

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The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x is a thin and relatively light laptop (2.82 lbs or 1.28kg) with a 14-inch 3K 90Hz OLED touchscreen that can reach a whopping 1000nits of peak brightness. The computer is powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chip, which can be configured with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and 1TB PCIe Gen 4 storage.

Additional features include a big trackpad, a FullHD webcam with Windows Hello support, three USB-C ports, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 5.3.

The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s is a business-focused device with a 14-inch 16:10 IPS display. You will be able to spec the laptop with an optional 2.8K OLED panel. Unlike its more affordable sibling, the T14s has optional 5G connectivity and up to 64GB of LPDDR5X memory. However, its 58Wh battery is notably smaller than the one in the Yoga Lim 7x. Despite that, Lenovo still promises "multi-day battery life" thanks to the use of efficient low-power IPS displays.

Here are the detailed specs of both laptops:

The base configuration of the Yoga Slim 7x will set you back $1,299. The ThinkPad T14s will be available in the US starting June 2024, and the price will start at $1,699.

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The laptop that will interest most PC consumers is the new version of the Dell XPS 13, with the Snapdragon X Elite chip (it will also be sold with the lower-end Snapdragon X Plus chip, but only in China). This will be a very light laptop, coming in at just 2.6 pounds (720 g).

The new XPS features a 13.4-inch non-touch screen with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels. Additional options include a 2,560 x 1,600 touchscreen or a 2,880 x 1,800 touchscreen OLED display. Other specs include up to 64GB of RAM and up to 2TB of SSD storage, with a 4TB SSD option becoming available sometime after the initial release.

Other hardware that's part of the new Dell XPS 13 includes Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, a 1080p webcam, and a 55Wh battery, which the company says will offer "all day" battery life. The XPS 13 with the Snapdragon X Elite chip will be available for preorder today and will launch sometime later this year for the starting price of $1,299.

Dell also announced the new Inspiron 14 Plus notebook with the Snapdragon X Plus chips. It is available for preorder today for a starting price of $1,099, and Dell plans to launch it sometime later this year. The 3.17-pound notebook will have a 14-inch 2,560 x 1,600 resolution display, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and a 54Wh battery. A standard Dell Inspiron 14 notebook with the Snapdragon X Plus chip is also planned for release later this year.

Finally, Dell will launch the Latitude 5455 notebook with the Snapdragon X Plus processor, along with the Latitude 7455 notebook in both Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite processor versions later this year as well.

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The Acer Swift 14 AI will be available to buy with both the high-end 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor and the less powerful and more affordable 10-core Snapdragon X Plus chip. The laptop will feature up to 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 RAM and up to 1TB of NVMe PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage.

The 3.7-pound (1.68 kg) notebook will come with a 14.5-inch WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and it will have 100% sRGB color support. The laptop will also have a touchscreen display option as well.

The Acer Swift 14 AI will have a 180-degree hinge for its display, so the notebook can be placed on a table almost completely flat. The thin and light laptop will include an AI icon that will be stamped on the cover of the notebook. There will also be an Activity Indicator on the touchpad that will light up when Microsoft's Copilot AI assistant is activated.

Other hardware features for the Acer Swift 14 AI include a 1440p QHD IR webcam that comes with a triple microphone array and Windows Hello support, along with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless hardware. There will also be two USB-C ports and two more USB-A ports. The notebook will have a 75 Wh battery, which Acer says should last up to 12 hours on a single charge.

You won't have to wait long to get the Acer Swift 14 AI notebook. It will first launch in Europe sometime in June with a starting price of €1,499. In July, it will go on sale in the US, beginning at $1,099.

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What is new in the May 2024 firmware update for the Surface Laptop Go 3?

Improvements and fixes:

 

• Addresses a potential security vulnerability related to Intel® Security Advisories INTEL-SA-00923, INTEL-SA-00929 & INTEL-SA-00950.

• Addresses pre-boot (PXE) security vulnerability.

• Fixes a flickering or screen flashing issue when the device is connected to Surface Dock 2.

• Improves device connectivity to Wi-Fi and addresses concerns regarding Bluetooth pairing when device is on standby.

• Addresses security vulnerabilities related to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to secure devices from a potential threat.

Here is the list of new drivers:

Here is extra information about the release:

You can update your Surface Laptop Go 3 in the Settings app. Alternatively, go to the official Surface Support website and download a manual update package, which contains all the previous fixes and improvements.

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ExplainingComputers (1.01M subscribers)

May 19, 2024

Video length: 14m 54s

Chapters

00:53 Digital Audio (sample rate & bit depth)

03:16 Codecs & Containers

05:03 Non-compressed audio formats

07:44 Lossless compression formats

10:24 Lossy Compression formats

13:28 Wrap

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You're welcome.

On Monday, Microsoft will unveil its vision for a new era of the Windows PC, consisting of new Arm silicon from Qualcomm paired with next-gen AI experiences. These will result in new Windows devices that are always aware of what you’re doing, able to translate languages in real-time, improve your webcam with artificial lighting and filters, artificially increase gaming performance, and generate text and images on-device.

Microsoft has been working towards this combination of hardware and software since early 2021, after it held an all-hands meeting with leaders across Windows and Surface to discuss how it would respond to Apple Silicon. The company discussed a project called CADMUS, which aimed to bring to market a new era of Windows devices that are performant, efficient, and AI-capable.

Microsoft has worked very closely with Qualcomm on its new Snapdragon X chips, resulting in a moment for Windows on Arm that it’s never had before. The next wave of Windows on Arm devices will be the first with true all-day battery life and consistent instant wake without sacrificing performance. These new chips do trade blows with Apple Silicon.

A new generation of Windows PCs

Windows PCs are about to get good. (Image credit: Ben Wilson | Windows Central)

Internally, I'm told Microsoft has described these CADMUS devices as "the next generation of Windows PCs," differentiated by the AI experiences that will be exclusive to them. Microsoft will unveil the first CADMUS PCs in the form of a new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, powered by Snapdragon X and featuring quality-of-life upgrades such as an OLED display on the Pro and a refreshed design on the Laptop that includes a haptic trackpad.

Notably, these devices will only be available with Qualcomm's Arm chip. You won't find Intel variants of Microsoft's latest consumer-facing offerings, and that's a big deal. It shows just how confident Microsoft is about its CADMUS effort, further strengthened by the fact all the big-name OEMs are expected to ship their own Arm-powered devices this summer alongside Microsoft.

It's the first time in Windows on Arm's history that this is happening. Microsoft's hardware partners are all coming together for this big Windows on Arm relaunch, and they are all now confident that Windows on Arm is ready for mainstream audiences. The new chips are so powerful that most emulated apps will no longer feel emulated, which was a big hurdle for Windows on Arm to overcome.

These new devices will be the first to set 16GB RAM and 256GB storage as a baseline. You won't find a CADMUS device on the market with 8GB RAM, which itself is a big step forward for Windows PCs. People have been asking for this forever, and it seems to be finally happening. 

1. Windows 10 and 11 news
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Gaming news
5. Great deals to check
6. A blast from Microsoft's past
7. Random fact about Microsoft

Windows 11 and 10

Here we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And of course, you may find a word or two about older but still supported versions.

This week, Microsoft released the May 2024 security update series. Windows 10 got KB5037768, KB5037765, KB5037763, and KB5037788 for supported versions. Windows 11 received KB5037771 and KB5037770. Besides security updates, the latest Patch Tuesday release fixed a known bug with broken VPN connections in Windows 10 and 11 and an NTLM bug.

Sadly, not everything is shiny in the May 2024 cumulative updates. For starters, IT Admins now have to deal with failing Windows updates (confirmed), and regular users are forced to accept a new wave of blatant ads in a premium product. Sigh size: big.

Microsoft also released a new version of its Windows Development Environment virtual machines. Version 2405 is now available for download and free use for 90 days. The latest update includes all the Moment 5 features Microsoft recently released for Windows 11 users.

Finally, Windows Holographic version 24H1 is now a thing. Microsoft launched a new OS update for its HoloLens AR helmet, bringing support for account sharing and more.

Microsoft will soon end Windows 10 21H2 support. Business-focused editions will receive their final security update on June 11, 2024. After that, Windows 10 version 22H2 will be the only supported Windows version (minus LTSC releases, of course).

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released this week for testing in the Windows Insider Program:

Although the release notes for build 26217 are rather modest, inside the update, users discovered a new section for the Settings app. Microsoft will soon let you check the history of AI component updates on compatible systems.

There is also some hidden stuff in the latest Beta Channel updates. As it turned out, Microsoft is preparing even more tabs for Windows 11's File Explorer. Its home page will soon let you switch between recent files, favorites, and shared files.

Also, the Snipping Tool app got the ability to perform a visual search via Bing.

To finish the Windows section of this week's Weekly, here are some interesting experiments enthusiasts conducted with Microsoft's operating systems. One installed Windows 11 on the Nintendo Switch, another one got Windows XP running on the Intel i486, and another one showed what could happen when you connect a Windows XP system to the modern internet (spoiler alert: nothing good).

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

This week was full of Microsoft Edge updates. Version 125 is now available in the Stable Channel with improvements for Workspaces, copy-paste improvements, and more. Before that, Microsoft released two (one here and one here) security updates to patch several security vulnerabilities, some of which are exploited in the wild. Dev users also received a new weekly feature update with media control improvements and fixes across the browser.

As for more specific features, the browser is getting an AI-powered theme generator. You will be able to use it to generate a new tab page background and a matching color for the rest of the user interface.

Finally, Microsoft is about to end Edge support on very old computers without SSE3 support. If you, for some reason, still use a PC released about two decades ago, get ready for Microsoft Edge dropping support in version 126.

Mozilla also released a new feature update for its browser. Firefox 126 is now available in the Release channel, bringing users support for RTX Video, new privacy features, AV1 hardware decoding on M3-based Macs, and more.

Opera has joined the list of browsers that offer native ARM64 versions. The first Dev release for Windows on ARM promises significant performance and energy efficiency improvements on existing devices and the upcoming ones, such as the leaked Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge and Pro.

A bunch of Surface devices received new firmware. The second-generation Surface Laptop 2 received fixes for camera, audio, network, and various bugs. The Surface Pro 7 received improvements to prevent overheating, and the fourth-generation Surface Go received network improvements ahead of its rumored consumer launch.

Microsoft 365 users and insiders have a few features to try. PowerPoint on the web will soon get support for auto-generated captions in videos, and Word for iPad now allows inserting page borders. Also, the new Outlook for Windows "app" now supports embedded Microsoft Stream videos.

Netflix is working on some changes for its Windows 10 and 11 app. A future update will most likely upset a few users due to the removal of the ability to download videos for offline viewing. An official support page confirmed the upcoming changes.

Broadcom and VMware announced big changes to their virtualization software. VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro are now available for free for personal use (commercial use still requires a license). In addition, VMware fixed a bug with high-CPU usage by NAT.

Here is a short guide to help you get started with VMware Workstation Pro or Fusion Pro

Other notable updates include the following:

• Microsoft released Places, a new Teams app to help remote workers with in-office schedules.
• Teams channels received improvements for creating, managing, and retiring.
• Paint.NET 5.1 Alpha is out with full-color management support, new effects, and canvas customization.
• Microsoft committed €4 billion to French AI infrastructure and training.
• Microsoft Forms now supports pre-filled links for responses.
• A new app for Windows 10 and 11 now lets you hide the Start menu search and adjust the menu's transparency.
• Microsoft's official app for "boosting performance" on Windows 10 and 11 now claims your PC needs repair if you do not use Bing. What?
• The Microsoft Rewards program received new features such as Streak Protection and Restore.
• Microsoft reported a significant increase in indirect carbon emissions from building lots of data centers.
• Microsoft is reportedly asking hundreds of Chinese employees to relocate out of the country.

Here are the newest drivers released this week:

• Intel 31.0.101.5518 non-WHQL with Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut and Homeworld 3 support.
• Intel 31.0.101.5522 WHQL with Senua's Saga: Hellblade II support.
• AMD Radeon Software 24.5.1 with Ghost of Tsushima, Hellblade II, F1 24 support and more.

Finally, here is our weekly recap of everything Microsoft added to its Microsoft 365 Roadmap. The latest additions include file previews in Teams, a new Copilot-powered feature for Loops, and shared folder improvements in OneDrive for the web.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts and more.

We have updated our picks for the most anticipated PC games in 2024. The latest additions include Tempest Rising, Frostpunk 2, and Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.

Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios announced new content updates for their racing games, Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5. Forza Motorsport Update 8 brings Safety Rating tweaks, AI improvements, a new Track Toys Tour, fresh cars, and more. Forza Horizon 5, on the other hand, is about to get the "Horizon Retrowave" update with new retrofuturistic cars, fresh character customization props, a brand-new synthwave radio station, and more.

Fallout 4, another Microsoft-owned game, received a much-needed update to fix what the previous next-gen update broke. The latest release brings frame rate modes, multiple patches, and small improvements.

Starfield also has been updated with new maps, graphics options on Xbox, and ship interior customization, giving gamers more flexibility on consoles and better in-game personalization.

Although Microsoft recently announced the closure of a few Xbox studios, the affected games will still receive their final updates. An offline mode is coming to Redfall, and Hi-Fi Rush received its final patch.

Here are some Xbox and PC Game Pass news: the service is getting quite a lot of games during the second half of the month, and they include Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Sports NHL 24, Hellblade II, and more.

Nvidia GeForce NOW, another gaming service, also announced a fresh batch of games you can play in the cloud. Palworld is finally available, plus you can play Die by the Blade, Men of War II, Colony Survival, and more.

Finally, Microsoft has officially rolled out keyboard and mouse support for some games available on Xbox Cloud. Also, some Xbox Insiders can try a new pre-download update feature that should make it easier to play games on day one.

Deals and freebies

Now to everyone's favorite part. This week's Weekend PC Game Deals features plenty of discounts on all sorts of titles, including rare discounts on Minecraft, a new freebie from the Epic Games Store, an Endless Legend giveaway on Steam, and more.

Other gaming stories from this week include the following:

• Microsoft will reportedly make the 2024 Call of Duty game a Day One Xbox Game Pass title.

• New rumors claim the Perfect Dark reboot may be shown at June's Xbox Games Showcase.

• Rockstar's original Red Dead Redemption may finally be coming to PC.

• Vague rumors and filings hint at a possible new Doom game reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase.

• Microsoft reported a notable increase in Xbox player safety in a new transparency report.

• Star Citizen's free fly event is live, giving everyone access to its ships and vehicles.

   

Random fact about Microsoft

And here is a randomly selected piece of trivia about the company, Windows, and other Microsoft-made things.

You probably know the purpose of the Windows key in the bottom-left corner of your keyboard. It debuted in 1994 as part of Microsoft's Natural Keyboard. Later on, the Gateway Solo became the first laptop with a physical Windows key. But did you know you can mimic the Windows key with the Ctrl + Esc shortcut? If your Windows key is broken, pressing Ctrl + Esc will bring the Start menu in the same manner.

Source

AI Overviews, also known as "Search Generative Experience," is Google's new search feature that summarizes web content using its in-house LLM (large language models).

Google says AI overviews appear only when the search engine believes it can provide more value than traditional blue links.

When you're signed into Google and search for general topics like how to install one of Windows 11's recent updates, Google's AI will rewrite content from independent websites and summarize it in its own words.

This feature may sound good in theory, but Google's AI integration has several quality issues, including causing a slight delay as it generates the answer and, even more problematic, sometimes displaying incorrect information.

For example, Google AI Overviews recently told searchers to drink two quarts of urine when they asked how to pass kidney stones quickly.

While initially released as an opt-in Search Labs experiment, Google recently began rolling out AI Overviews to everyone in the United States whether they want it or not, with other countries coming soon.

Google says that AI Overviews cause people to "use Search more, and are more satisfied with their results," but that doesn't seem to be the case based on the many Google support forum questions on how to turn off the feature.

"I'm finding the results very repetitive, often wrong, and they don't at all match what I'm looking for but they take up so much space and feel in the way. I just want them to go away," posted a user trying to disable AI Overviews.

"Every single result I've received from the AI overviews has been incorrect. I'm more than capable of misinterpreting internet articles on my own, and I can probably get at least slightly closer to actually understanding than the AI because I actually have cognitive processes," posted another user.

As the posts on Google forums suggest, early feedback on Google AI Overviews has been negative, with people finding the feature unnecessary and often misleading.

Unfortunately, there is no way to disable it now that it is out of Search Labs, and Google has quickly locked support threads for many people asking how to do so.

As the Google search we all fell in love with 26 years ago no longer exists, now filled with endless features, sponsored results, and shopping results, the company recently introduced a new "Web" search option to return the old search feel.

When using the new Google Web search, search results will no longer be cluttered with the abundance of features we usually see, including "Top Stories", "AI Overviews", and shopping listings.

For those who don't want to see AI Overviews, we can use this new Web search feature to get rid of Google's AI feature.

How to remove Google AI Overviews

If you dislike Google AI Overviews, you can force Google to always show Web search results without AI summaries, videos, images, and other search features.

To do this, change the search engine in your web browser to a specific Google entry point that triggers the "Web" filter by following these steps:

1. Open Google Chrome, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select Settings.
2. Scroll down to the Search engine" section and click Manage search engines and site search.
3. Click Add next to Site search.

• In the Add search engine dialog, enter a name for your search engine (e.g., "Google Web"). For a shortcut, enter a keyword to quickly use this search engine from the address bar (e.g., "Web").

  

   

1. Change URL to {google:baseURL}/search?udm=14&q=%s.
2. Click Add.
3. Click on the three-dot menu next to the new search engine you created and select Make Default.
4. The new search engine will now appear as the default under Search engines.
5. Close the Settings page.

Now, when you search from the address bar in Google Chrome, it will perform the search using Google's new Web search feature instead. To switch back to the previous Google search, just go back into the Search settings and set Google as the default search engine.

The overall process remains the same whether you're using Chrome or Edge, yet the location in the browser's settings may be different.

If you don't want to change search settings manually, you can also install a Google Chrome extension called "Hide AI Overviews" from the Chrome Web Store.

This extension allows you to hide the generative search overviews from Google.com without changing settings manually.

On mobile devices, you'll need to install Firefox and change its search engine settings to force the above entry point.

Source

We know why reviewers generally do it. They want to create a situation wherein the graphics card (GPU) is not the bottleneck such that I can measure how the CPU performs without the GPU holding it back. While this is simple to grasp on the surface, it is also difficult to figure out why this is the correct way to test.

The idea of writing this article occurred to me when Neowin colleague and friend Steven Parker and I were discussing how to benchmark the CPUs in games for the reviews he does. Steve said he did not really like benchmarking games at lower resolutions as running a high-end GPU at something like 1080p or below made little or no sense since it wasn't a realistic way to test such a system.

He jokingly quipped that running games at such a low resolution on a powerful card like a 4090 was sort of similar to running Cinebench single-threaded tests. As rendering is a multi-threaded workload, a Cinebench single-thread test is unrealistic; and since we don't assess Cinebench single-threaded outcomes in our reviews for that reason, Steve said we shouldn't be doing low-resolution game tests either as the same logic should stand.

This made me dwell on the idea of whether Steve had a good point, that perhaps such testing is simply too academic and does not serve much real-world usefulness.

It had me thinking for a long while. Sure I know I lower game resolution and sometimes graphics settings to unload the GPU in the case of CPU testing but figuring out whether it made any real-world sense outside of comparing some bar graphs was harder than I had initially fathomed.

In the next sections of the article, I break down why such testing is conducted and why it is the right way to test

Quick links:

1. Why we shouldn't base our CPU testing on 'realistic' game settings
2. Realistic CPU testing is useful and relevant
3. Benchmarking 101!
4. How low-resolution testing exposes a weak gaming CPU
5. Proving this is indeed the right way to test a CPU in games
6. More tests to confirm
7. The takeaway

Why we shouldn't base CPU testing on realistic game settings

This, frankly speaking, stumped me for a while, because I had a hard time figuring out why Steve was wrong, even though I sort of intuitively understood the flaw in his reasoning. Finally, though, after much thought, I was ready to put the logic into words.

You see, when we set up to run a CPU benchmark in games choosing 'realistic' settings based on the particular system we have, we are setting ourselves up for inaccurate measurements. Let me explain using a couple of hypothetical situations!

Let's say we have a Ryzen 7 7800X3D that we are trying to benchmark, and we have a complementing RTX 4090 in our system. If we were to measure the 7800X3D based on realistic test settings, we would likely choose 4K as our test resolution, and at these settings, the tested system would give us a certain frame rate.

Now let's assume in the second situation that we instead have a Radeon RX 7800 XT, which is far less powerful than a 4090. So based on realistic settings, we would likely choose 1440p in this case. The frame-rate output this time with a 7800 XT at 1440p would be different than what we had with the RTX 4090 at 4K.

Therefore, testing the same CPU at two different realistic settings will lead to two widely different scores even though we are measuring accurately. This means the flaw is not in our testing data but rather in the methodology itself.

This methodology issue gets even more obvious when you try and think about all the possible hardware combinations (CPU + GPU combos) that can be made with the Ryzen 7800X3D. It is nearly impossible to guesstimate the performance we can get out of such systems based on data from realistic settings tests as every combo will have widely different results across the board.

Hence, while a reviewer could argue that they are only trying to test for their own gear, it would then hardly be representative of the 7800X3D's performance had the paired GPU been a different one.

Realistic CPU testing is useful and relevant

Of course, this does not mean that game data at higher resolutions like 4K or 1440p is not useful. That data in itself is meaningful to determine how capable a certain setup is at those particular resolutions. After all, most people with an RTX 4090, outside of eSports players and competitive gamers, are far more likely to play at 4K or ultrawide 1440p.

However, it is not an accurate way to gauge if that's what a CPU is best capable of.

Benchmarking 101!

First, it's important to understand the basics of benchmarking and the purpose it's meant to serve.

To put it simply, benchmarking hardware is to gauge and assess the maximum performance or throughput that the hardware is capable of outputting, and an essential criterion to meet is that the tested hardware itself is the only limiting factor in that assessment scenario and nothing else should be holding it back.

For example, if we are testing a graphics card, the GPU must be the limiting factor, and not the CPU or the PCIe interface; or if it's an SSD, that drive itself must be the limiting factor, not the SATA / M.2 interface or some other disk drive we are transferring data to and fro.

Likewise, when we test a processor to evaluate its gaming performance, that CPU must be what's limiting the performance in that game and not the GPU (or something else).

The analogy is essentially the same as bottlenecking, except when benchmarking, the goal is to intentionally bottleneck the component we test. Therefore, for CPU game testing, it has to be the CPU that is the bottleneck.

There are two simple ways to create a CPU bottleneck in a game:

1) Lowering the resolution and graphics settings (at least some):

Resolution is typically the most intense workload for a graphics processing unit (GPU). Pixel pumping hits both the core of the GPU as well as the memory (VRAM) the hardest. Hence, once the resolution is turned down sufficiently, we establish a CPU-bound situation.

Interestingly, and although it might seem counter-intutive at first, we try and keep certain graphics settings maxed since such settings as shadows, geometry/ tessellation, and ray tracing do have an impact on the CPU as well. Others like textures are turned down. The level of detail (LOD) is also lowered such that the GPU has to render fewer details at a distance.

2) Pairing with a powerful GPU, like an RTX 4090:

To further aid in making a CPU the bottleneck, top-tier graphics cards like the RTX 4090, a 7900 XTX, or a 4080 Super, are used. A mid-tier card like an RX 7700 XT, or an RTX 4060 Ti/ 4060/ 7600 XT, will have a generally hard time not becoming the bottleneck itself since games, in general, are more graphically demanding.

How low-resolution testing exposes a weak gaming CPU

I ran multiple game tests on my rig consisting of a Ryzen 7 5700G and an RX 6800 XT to demonstrate this. My system runs dual 16 Gig DDR4-3600 CL16 memory for 32GB in total. To simulate a less powerful CPU part, I disabled cores and converted my octa-core 16-thread 5700G into a dual-core quad-thread part, making it similar to an entry-level AMD Athlon or an Intel Pentium.

In terms of testing methodology, I measured two different situations.

• To create a GPU-bound instance, I dialed all the graphics settings including the resolution up to as far as possible (without over-flowing the VRAM buffer).
• On the other end, to create a CPU-bound scenario, I lowered the resolution and settings as far as the game would allow (without changing the 16:9 aspect ratio).
  Some graphics settings like those related to shadows and geometry (tessellation) were kept maximized as these are known to be CPU-dependent. On the other hand, the object level of detail (LoD) was minimized to make the scenes were heavy on the processor as possible.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

To become GPU-bound in 2018's Shadow of the Tomb Raider (SotTR), the game was run at 2880p with the Resolution Modifier (RM) maxed out for 100% resolution scaling. The cool thing about the Tomb Raider benchmark is that it tells us how GPU-bound the game is, and at 2880p I managed to be "100%" GPU bound.

You may notice that I have "RT shadows on" and "off" mentioned in the graphs. That's because I tested two scenarios: one where ray-traced shadows were used and the other where ray-traced shadows were disabled (the game automatically replaces it with the rasterized alternative). Ray tracing is also said to require some decent CPU grunt and this was done to account for that.

RT on
The performance of the simulated Athlon/Pentium (2c/4t) and the 5700G (8c/16t) are almost identical at 2880p. However, the octa-core is truly able to stretch its arms and legs once I lower the resolution to 634p (1128x634) and minimize the Resolution Modifier (RM), such that the benchmark became CPU-bound; the SotTR benchmark too confirmed this as it indicated the results as being "0% GPU bound."

At these CPU-bound settings (634p, RM min), the 5700G comes out to be around twice as fast as the simulated Athlon, clearly exposing the weakness of the dual core and the advantage of having four times more cores. This was not evident at the higher resolution where the game was GPU-bound.

The averages are nearly double here (145 vs 73), and the gaps between the 5% lows and minimums are even bigger.

RT off
In the next situation when the ray-traced shadows are replaced with the less CPU-demanding rasterized shadows, the dual-core manages to gain some ground on the octa-core, though once again, the performance difference is quite substantial in favour of the latter. I see that the eight-cored 5700G is able to easily outpace the dual-core part once I was at the CPU-bound settings. The 8c/16t is 65% faster than the 2c/4t in terms of averages. And once again, the gap widens in the case of 5% lows and minimums.

The SotTR charts above depict how high-resolution realistic settings can be misleading in the case of CPU benchmarking.

If one were to only look at the 2880p data in the above images, one would get the impression that a dual-core chip is just as capable as the octa-core for gaming. However, the low-res numbers reveal the full picture and demonstrate the actual performance gap between the two CPUs. The data shows the 8-core is capable of pushing up to an average of 152 and 145 frames per second (fps), meanwhile, the dual-core is limited to around 92 and 73 fps.

The extra frames on the CPU-bound octa-core 5700G do not appear out of thin air. The higher number of cores and threads on the 8c/16t 5700G helps it keep up with the 6800 XT as the 8-core is capable of processing the game logic, physics, and draw calls much faster than the 2-core can.

This difference is not evident in the GPU-bound situation as the graphics card is under a much heavier load leading to longer GPU processing time.

Hence, the weaker dual-core is able to catch a breather and completes processing the game logic, physics, and draw calls in around the same amount of time the octa-core does.

The Assassins' Creed Origins GPU-bound 3888p frametime chart below highlights this well as both the dual-core and octa-core report 33 ms of processing time for the GPU.

Proving this is indeed the right way to test a CPU in games

From 1128 x 634 (634p), we went a step further and lowered the pixel count to 800 x 600 and the results were identical to what I had got at 634p. Although this may appear surprising at first since lowering resolution typically leads to an increase in frame rate, the same does not happen here indicating that I had successfully bottlenecked the CPU and no further drops in resolution will lead to any performance improvement.

On the flip side too, adding a more powerful card in this situation won't add any more frames either as our 6800 XT is nowhere near maxed out with its usage hovering around a lowly 30-50%, meaning it still has a ton of headroom left.

So, even if I were to replace the 6800 XT with an RTX 4090 (the latter is twice as fast), the fps numbers of the two processors here (octa-core 5700G and the simulated dual-core 5700G) would not change as they won't be able to process the game at a rate faster than what they are already doing.

Hence if you think about it, this confirms that I have effectively maxed out the 5700G CPU's performance.

More tests to confirm

Assassin's Creed: Origins

Aside from SotTR, we also tested more games as examples of this study. Up next, I have Assassin's Creed: Origins, which, although a slightly older title (released in 2017), is known to be fairly CPU-heavy.

Like in SotTR, we again increased the resolution to as far as I could go in order to become fully GPU-bound. I managed to do so at 3888p (6912 x 3888). At the polar opposite end, I benchmarked at 360p (640 x 360) for a CPU-bound situation.

And it's a similar story here too. At the 360p settings, the dual-core part manages to go up to 50 fps, a 67% increase compared to the 30 fps it managed at GPU-bound 3888p settings. Unsurprisingly, the octa-core gains a whole lot more, almost 200%, or nearly three times, as it goes from 30 fps up to 89.

Final Fantasy XV

Up next, I have Final Fantasy XV (FF XV) and this is one of those games that seems to scale nearly perfectly with cores and threads.

Unfortunately, since we used the FF XV Windows Edition standalone benchmark, I was unable to go higher than 2160p (4K), which meant I wasn't able to create a situation where I became totally GPU-bound such that both the dual-core and octa-core would be putting out similar FPS figures.

Nonetheless, the numbers are still insightful as I see that the octa-core performs ~3.73 times the dual-core at the CPU-bound 720p resolution, which is the near-perfect scaling I talked about before. In contrast, the dual-core was only improved by 30% when I dropped from 2160p down to 720p.

It is interesting to note here that FFXV, despite being a DirectX 11 title, is so easily able to utilize the CPU resources as that's something typically associated with DirectX 12.

Far Cry 6

Finally, I have Far Cry 6 (FC 6), where we ran the game at 3024p (5376 x 3024). We can see in the numbers below that I wasn't completely GPU bound even at 3024p as the octa-core setup manages to render significantly more frames. However, going any higher was not possible as the game was allocating more than 16GB VRAM on my card (guess I needed a 4090 or a 7900 XTX/XT) to go higher.

In the total frames rendered metric, the dual-core goes up from 1651 to 3527 as I go down from 3024p to 360p, an increase of over two times. The octa-core meanwhile gets three times higher as it reaches 6277 frames up from 1999.

The outcome is fairly similar on FC6 as well. The average sees a bigger uplift at 360p on the octa-core (103 up from 59 or +74.6%) against

The minimums are, again, much more in favour of the more powerful octa-core. I see a 92.7% improvement on the 8c/16t at 360p (79 vs 41) as opposed to the 36.36% gain (30 vs 22) at the more GPU-bound 3024p. This indicates that the game, despite not being mult-threaded, does enjoy the benefits of those extra threads on the 8-core in some of the intense scenes where the dual-core is overwhelmed.

The takeaway

The numbers speak for themselves. In all the tested games, the lower resolutions do expose the real difference between a more powerful processor and a less powerful one. And the 5700G in its full octa-core glory was undoubtedly faster. As such, even if I were to pair something like a hypothetical future super-powerful Nvidia flagship like an RTX 9090 Ti Super with my 5700G, I can confidently say that 8-core will easily outperform the simulated 2-core.

Ultimately, the point of benchmarking a CPU should not just be about how well the chip performs today, or how well it does with a particular GPU, but also to gauge how powerful the CPU truly is which is important to estimate the potential of the processor in terms of future performance. And our test data above helps us understand this.

Source

TEAMGROUP is a memory, AIO and SSD manufacturer based out of Taiwan and founded in 1997. They sell memory under the T-FORCE brand, and when their contact person reached out to me wondering if I was interested in taking a look at their DDR5 memory sticks, I jumped at the chance; after all, I have a relatively new Intel i7-14700K test PC that I decided to build after doing a review for Intel last October.

TEAMGROUP sent me the T-FORCE Delta RGB DDR5 Ram 32GB (2x16GB) 7600MT/s PC5-60800 CL36 White kit which has timings of 36-46-46-84.

Introduction

The T-FORCE memory was benchmarked in the following system:

• Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P MAX

• ASRock Z790 PG-ITX/TB4

• Intel Core i7-14700K with Thermal Grizzly Carbonaut Pad
• Corsair Vengeance 2x16GB 6000MT/s C30 (XMP Profile)
• ASRock AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming
• Kingston Fury Renegade SSD

The ASRock Z790 PG-ITX/TB4 motherboard had BIOS version 11.12 at the time of testing, and I reset BIOS to default settings and only enabled the Intel XMP 3.0 profile with the Corsair 6000MT/s CL30 and T-FORCE 7600MT/s CL36 memory sticks.

Windows 11 was up to date with build 22631.3527 (KB5036980) at the time of testing and I ensured I had minimal programs running in the background with the exception of AMD Adrenaline, Razer Central, and Microsoft Defender active in the system tray.

Benchmarks

First up we ran CPU tests with the dGPU in the system. For our benchmarks, UL Solutions provided us with Professional (commercial use) licenses for 3DMark, and Procyon.

As you can see from the image above, while the older Sky Diver DX11 Physics test shows a significant improvement (~11.4%) with the T-FORCE 7600MT/s memory, there's barely any difference with Fire Strike. This is certainly interesting. Given the fact that Sky Diver is much lighter on the GPU side than Fire Strike, it seems likely that with the faster memory, the increased bandwidth helped scale the CPU more easily in Sky Diver as the GPU was not holding the CPU back much if at all.

We tested the physics test only and not the entire suite since the CPU is what is necessary for processing the game physics, logic, as well as GPU draw calls for the graphics card. A CPU-heavy test like the 3DMark Physics test helps us determine the best way to gauge the CPU's capability.

It's an entirely different story with DX 12 as there are significant gains with Time Spy with the 7600MT/s memory showing a clear advantage. Since DX 12 is a low-level API vs DX 11, it looks like the faster RAM kit boosts the more intensive Time Spy score and DDR5-6000 was already maxing out Night Raid.

The takeaway from these tests? If you play lighter DX 11 titles, like CS 1.2 or CS: GO, for example, you will benefit from fast memory. However, for newer games with DX 12, lightweight games won't likely see much benefit.

Having quicker memory clearly helps with compression as 7600 MT/s was ~7.24% faster than 6000 at our tested settings. Decompression also saw a ~1.7% improvement.

So if you love archiving data, faster memory is an upgrade worth considering.

Cinebench 2024 showed a very slight advantage with the T-FORCE memory in the multi-core test, gaining on average 10 points after three runs of the test. Though, as is usually the case, rendering is not a memory dependent workload and the same is the case with Cinebench 2024 too as we don't even gain a percentage point.

We tested browsing performance using the recently released Speedometer 3.0. Speedometer provides a value and also a range showing the highest and lowest scores as indicated in the chart above by the two scores for each browser.

Chrome was the fastest out of the three browsers and DDR5-7600 was certainly leading the pack almost everywhere.

Next up we performed iGPU tests, which meant removing/disabling the dGPU(the 7900 XTX). I decided to take out the dGPU because in order to switch out the memory, I had to remove it anyway, this facilitated running iGPU tests without the dGPU in the system. Thanks to the construction of the Corsair NR200P Max, this also meant having the dGPU backplate of the NR200P removed as well, which increased airflow, so we cheated a little bit here I guess.

Without the assistance of the dGPU, the scores start to quickly line up and although the gains are somewhat significant in Sky Diver (DX 11), there's barely any difference in Night Raid (DX 12). Meanwhile, in Vulkan-based Wild Life is somewhere in the middle.

We were honestly a bit surprised by how little the UHD 770 gained with the faster kit. However, it also makes sense considering UHD 770 is far slower than most modern-day integrated graphics on the market.

Geekbench Compute benchmark is the same story, although there's still a gain of 48 points in favor of T-FORCE. One thing is clear though, whether it's gaming or compute, there is performance to be had with faster RAM but you really need something more powerful than Intel UHD 770.

Conclusion

So what have we proven here? Quicker memory is quicker? Duh, well obviously. But it is good to see how much of a difference the extra 1600MT/s can make even though it is in Gear 2 mode (the processor's integrated memory controller or IMC runs at half the speed of the memory clock). If we look at the decompression and compression score of 7-Zip, having the faster memory really starts to make a difference, and combined with a decent dGPU you start to see even more gains. And web browsing also sees a decent improvement when you have faster RAM.

Also in case you are wondering about AMD's performance with this, the kit is only XMP-certified, so we were not able to test it with AMD Ryzen.

This 32GB T-FORCE Delta RGB DDR5 7600MT/s C36 kit is currently on sale on Amazon for $159.99, which is 30% off its MSRP of $229.99. If we compare it to my non-RGB Corsair DDR5 6000MT/s C30 32GB kit, then it's $45 cheaper at $119.99 on Amazon. However, if we find an identical kit of RGB 7600MT/s over on Corsair then they cost $189.99. That configuration is not even available on Amazon or Newegg.

So these work out to be $30 cheaper, which makes it an even more compelling sell.

I find it hard to find any faults with this memory kit, perhaps if we were in a position to test against the same memory speed of a different brand, we might start to see the quality of the chips in the benchmark, but all we can prove right now is that choosing a higher memory speed for your DDR5 system is not only about bragging rights, there are real differences when it comes down to it. And this is despite the fact that DDR5-6000 is considered to be the sweet spot for DDR5 memory.

TEAMGROUP gets a thumbs up from me for their T-FORCE memory, they installed without any issues and from the multiple times I powered on the system, the ASRock motherboard did not have to recalculate the timings.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Source

Here's a look at what we can expect to see at the media event and also at Build 2024, and how you can watch at least some of these proceedings.

Microsoft Media event - Monday, May 20

Microsoft is inviting select members of the media to attend a press event in Seattle that will be held on Monday, May 20. As it does on occasion, the company has decided not to livestream the event. Windows Central reports that it will begin at 1 pm Eastern time (10 am Pacific time) and last about an hour.

The company used its X (formerly Twitter) account to post a teaser for that event, claiming, "A new era is coming." It also has a microsoft.com/event URL that, when you head to that address, takes you to the Microsoft Surface site at the moment.

That should be a big clue that the event will reveal new Surface devices. The rumor mill claims that Microsoft will announce consumer versions of its Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 models that were previously announced in March in their business models.

Perhaps more importantly, the new Surface models are rumored to have Qualcomm's previously announced Snapdragon X Elite processors. They will include a neural processing unit designed to boost AI apps and features like Microsoft's Copilot assistant. It's also likely that Microsoft will use the occasion to reveal some new upcoming Windows 11 updates and features.

ASUS will be holding its own announcement on May 20, starting at 2 pm Eastern time (11 am Pacific time). That event will be live-streamed, and the company's press release says it will reveal a new "AI PC" laptop that will be "a collaboration between Microsoft, Qualcomm, and ASUS."

Build 2024 - May 21-23

The annual Build 2024 developers conference from Microsoft will be held in Seattle as well from May 21-23. Unlike the company's May 20 press event, it will livestream many of its events on the Microsoft YouTube channel.

The big ones to watch for are the two keynote addresses, with the first starting at noon Eastern time (9 am Pacific) on May 21. It will feature Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the company's chief technology officer Kevin Scott, and its Executive Vice President for Experiences and Devices, Rajesh Jha.

The second keynote will be held on May 22 at 11:30 am Eastern time (8:30 am Pacific time). It will feature Microsoft's Executive Vice President for Cloud and AI, Scott Guthrie, and other company executives. Based on the sessions published on the Microsoft Build site, we expect to see new announcements for Windows, Microsoft's AI efforts and more.

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The repair website iFixit has published its teardown of the 13-inch iPad Pro, revealing what's hiding inside its super-thin 5.1 mm chassis. Apple claimed during its announcement that the 13-inch iPad Pro (now lighter than the iPad Air) is the thinnest device the company has ever launched, including the iPod Nano.

This year's iPad Pro might improve the aftersales experience for the users and repair technicians. iFixit said, "There’s something truly remarkable inside this device that Apple didn’t mention. This iPad has a repair-friendly change that could save hours in repair time."

In the video about eight minutes in length, the presenter starts removing the iPad Pro's screen by placing it on a heat mat. He then uses a prying tool to remove the screen, followed by a series of screws, connectors, brackets, and cables. Four bracketing cables hold the iPad Pro's screen in place, two for each OLED panel.

The presenter then tries to pull out the battery by removing multiple pull tabs blocked by an aluminum lip. "It's a bit annoying to have to do this to get to the only truly consumable part in this device," the presenter said commenting on the aluminum lip. However, these pull tabs make the job of removing the battery a lot easier.

"Alright, so despite the hassle of getting to those pull tabs, the fact that you can remove the battery without having to remove every major component inside this device is still a huge win for repairability. It's a massive improvement over the previous generations," he added.

Having a super thin 5.1 mm chassis on the iPad Pro also means a smaller battery. The teardown reveals a 38.99 Wh battery inside the 13-inch iPad Pro, a bit smaller than the 6th generation's 40.33 Wh. The credit goes to the power efficiency of the M4 chip. Apple claims that the M4 chip can deliver the same performance as M2 using just half the power.

Image: Apple Pencil Pro/iFixit

The presenter also dismantled the Apple Pencil Pro further down the teardown video, revealing components such as the Taptic Engine at the top, two sets of magnets at the center, logic board, and battery.

Previous teardowns have suggested Apple is gradually leaning towards DIY repair-friendly products but Apple's $129 stylus for iPad may not be one of them.

iFixit calls Apple Pencil Pro a "disposable" tech because the battery is irreplaceable due to its sealed design. Even the pencil itself is left in a state after the teardown that it can not be put back together.

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According to a German blog, WinFuture, Samsung is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Book4 Edge and Galaxy Book4 Edge Pro with 14 and 16-inch displays. Both devices will feature Snapdragon X Elite chips with 12 CPU cores and a minimum of 16GB of RAM. However, the Pro variant should get the most powerful Snapdragon X Elite X1P-84-100 SKU with the fastest cores running at up to 4.2GHz.

There is no information about the maximum amount of RAM, but all the base specs should ship with 16GB of memory.

Product images shared by WinFuture show the laptop duo in their full glory. You can spot a rather modest selection of ports (two USB-C, one HDMI, and one headphone jack) and displays with rounded corners and quite massive chins. Those wanting to get more ports will have to opt for 16-inch variants, which also have a num pad, a microSD reader, and an extra USB-C port for "legacy" accessories.

Speaking of displays, Samsung has reportedly decided to use AMOLED panels with 3K resolutions and a maximum brightness of up to 400 nits. Prices, however, are currently unknown but do not expect these computers from Samsung to be cheap.

Besides showing the devices from every angle possible, the leak showcases a new default Windows 11 wallpaper. It looks like Microsoft has decided to ship its AI PCs with a new colorful Bloom variant. It looks nice, and it will make it to the internet in no time, adding to the already extensive collection of various Bloom wallpapers.

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