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NVIDIA will stop supporting 3D glasses in April (updated)
Have you noticed that stereoscopic 3D is out of vogue, at least at home? So has NVIDIA. The graphics chip designer has unveiled plans to drop support for 3D Vision, its approach to gaming with 3D glasses. The last drivers to support 3D Vision will come with the final Release 418 in April, with future versions dropping it entirely. You'll still get support for "critical driver issues" in 418 through April 2020, but you'll otherwise need to move on.
NVIDIA is the latest tech giant blaming China's economy for poor sales
Add NVIDIA to the list of companies pinning at least some of their problems on China's struggling economy. The graphics chip maker has warned that its fourth quarter results will fall short of expectations due partly to "deterorating macroeconomic conditions," especially in China. People were more hesitant to buy graphics cards, NVIDIA said. It added that sales of "certain" high-end Turing-based GPUs (read: the RTX series) fell short of expectations because people were both waiting for price drops and games that made better use of RTX features like raytracing.
Watch AMD's CES press event in under 9 minutes
AMD didn't just respond to introductions from Intel and NVIDIA at CES 2019 -- it came out swinging. The chipmaker had plenty to show at its press event, and frequently claimed a performance edge over its rivals. The centerpiece was undoubtedly the Radeon VII, the first 7-nanometer graphics processor aimed at gamers. However, AMD had a little something for everyone, whether it was third-generation Ryzen CPUs for desktops, Epyc chips for heavy-duty number crunching and a talk about the hardware behind Google's Project Stream. That's a lot to digest, but our recap should help catch you up in a hurry.
NVIDIA's new flagship video card is delayed by a week
Many people have been waiting in eager anticipation for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, the video card that promises to be the fastest GeForce card ever. Now, it appears that those clamoring to buy it will have to wait a little longer. NVIDIA announced on its forums that the general availability date of the video card will be delayed by one week, to September 27th. Pre-orders are expected to arrive between September 20th and 27th. There is no change to availability for the GeForce RTX 2080. The change in dates was first spotted by Tech Report.
Leaks reveal NVIDIA GeForce RTX cards ahead of August 20th event
NVIDIA hasn't been shy about plans to unveil Turing-based GeForce video cards at its August 20th Gamescom event -- its teaser video effectively spelled out "GeForce RTX 2080" through not-so-subtle clues. But just how powerful will these cards be? You won't have to wait until the launch to find out. A slew of leaks on Reddit, WCCFTech and VideoCardz have spilled the beans on the first GeForce RTX-series boards, and they promise fundamental leaps in performance over the GTX 1000 hardware you're used to.
NVIDIA GPUs are 'Star Wars' merch now
It's easy to find flashy video cards that look good through a case window, but NVIDIA may have just kicked things up a notch. It's releasing two Star Wars-themed GeForce Titan Xp Collector's Edition GPUs that are very nearly art pieces, if also a classic example of arbitrary movie tie-ins. The Galactic Empire card is lit up in a sinister red and has a casing reminiscent of the dark, orderly nature of the Death Star, while the Jedi Order card is lit in a friendlier green and has the "battle-worn" finish you'd expect of Rebel gear. There are even nods to the hilt of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber.
NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 1070 Ti battles AMD's latest video cards
NVIDIA has largely been sitting pretty since the GeForce 10-series arrived and gave it a comfortable performance lead in the graphics realm, but things have changed: AMD's Vega cards are at least fast enough that you might consider them instead. Needless to say, NVIDIA isn't about to let that situation stand. It's launching the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti, a $449 upper mid-range card that could outperform the $399 Vega 56 and undercut the $499 Vega 64 on price. For all intents and purposes, it's very nearly as powerful as a GTX 1080: you have the same core clock speed as the pricier board, and only slight hits to the CUDA core count (2,432 vs. 2,560), texture units (152 vs. 160) and boost clock (1,683MHz vs. 1,733MHz). About the only major difference is that you're still limited to 'just' GDDR5 memory instead of the speedier GDDR5X on the 1080.
AMD returns to high-end gaming graphics with Radeon RX Vega
AMD has been content to cater to budget gamers with its graphics cards over the past couple of years, but it's ready to play in the big leagues once again. After plenty of leaks and no shortage of hype (Apple even name-dropped AMD at the iMac Pro debut), the chip giant has unveiled GPUs based on its high-end Vega architecture. The Radeon RX Vega series touts processors with numerous tweaks that promise to finally give AMD performance comparable to NVIDIA's higher-end offerings, including updated geometry and pixel engines, a high-bandwidth cache controller and support for multiple data operations per cycle. Overall, Vega promises twice the throughput per clock cycle and twice the memory bandwidth per pin of earlier Radeon hardware -- not the highest bar to clear given AMD's recent lack of top-end cards, but still a huge improvement.
AMD's sub-$200 gaming video cards launch in early August
AMD said that the Radeon RX 480 would be followed up by lower-cost models this summer, and it's acting on that promise in a timely fashion. Both the RX 470 and RX 460 (not pictured above) are now slated to arrive on August 4th and August 8th respectively. While AMD hasn't outlined the specific pricing, these newer boards should cost significantly less than the $199 RX 480 -- the RX 460 should sit closer to the coveted $100 mark.
NVIDIA's latest pro video cards help you livestream VR video
Did you think NVIDIA's newest Titan X was a monster of a video card? You haven't seen anything yet. The GPU maker has unveiled its latest Quadro workstation cards, the Pascal-based P5000 and P6000, and they both pack power that makes your gaming-grade card seem modest. The P6000 (above) is billed as the fastest graphics card to date, and for good reason. It has even more processing cores than the Titan X (3,840 versus 3,584) and twice as much memory -- a whopping 24GB of RAM. The P5000 is closer to the GTX 1080 in performance with "just" 2,560 cores, but its 16GB of RAM handily bests the gaming card's 8GB. If you're working with massive amounts of 3D data, these are likely the boards you want.
ASUS' GeForce GTX 1080 is faster and more colorful
NVIDIA's official GeForce GTX 1080 is fast, but let's face it: you're really waiting for the third-party cards that push the limits of what the high-end graphics chipset can really do. And it looks like your patience just paid off. ASUS has revealed the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080, and it pushes well past what NVIDIA's board can do. The regular Strix runs at a 1.76GHz base clock speed (with a boost to 1.9GHz) versus the reference model's 1.6GHz, and an overclocked version bumps that to 1.78GHz (boosting to 1.94GHz). You're only looking at a few more frames per second in your games, but that can make the difference between a glass-smooth 60 frames per second and the occasional hitch.
Glitchy NVIDIA graphics driver cooks graphics cards (update: not that bad)
Many gamers will tell you to hold off on installing the latest drivers for your video card until you know they're safe... and here's why. NVIDIA has pulled a GeForce driver (364.47) after numerous reports of problems with the installation. The symptoms vary from freezing and visual glitches to serious crises like failures to boot or, supposedly, burnt out cards. That's not fun if it turns your costly Titan X into a paperweight. The exact cause isn't clear, but NVIDIA's early look suggests that choosing the express installation creates the problem. Some fans suggest that it may be due to a conflict between old and new software.
Review: VideoCard for Christmas, New Year for iOS
If you're a bit tardy getting those holiday cards out, here's an app that might get you out of a jam. VideoCard is a free for a limited time and allows you to create a clever animated card to send to family and friends. Here's how it works: You open the app, select music for your card from your library, select a cover, then an inside template. The covers are nicely animated with holiday scenes. You take a picture or a video that gets inserted at the end of the animation. When the card is rendered, you can email it, post to Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, or send it as an SMS message. You can also save it to your camera roll. The templates are varied and professional-looking, and the animation is smooth. A couple of quibbles: You can only take a picture 'live.' You can't use images in your camera roll, which seems a odd choice. If you send an emai, the subject line defaults to 'Merry Christmas," but you can manually fix the spelling error or make a new subject. The audio selection doesn't really fade but ends abruptly. Still, I like the idea of this app, and at a price of free, it's worth a try. Certainly, people will appreciate the video cards that are unique.
AMD offering Never Settle: Reloaded games bundle with Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs
If you're the fidgety type that's also in the market for a new GPU, AMD's ready to tempt you into springing for a Radeon HD 7000 series card with the promise of free gaming swag. The imaginatively named "Never Settle: Reloaded" bundle reuses several titles from last year's promotion -- Farcry 3, Sleeping Dogs and Hitman: Absolution -- and adds a few more it hopes will grab your attention: BioShock Infinite, Crysis 3, DmC Devil May Cry and Tomb Raider. AMD's 7770 GHz Edition GPU no longer qualifies, but purchase a 7800 or 7900 series card and you'll be given at least a couple of games to enjoy on your new hardware. Exactly what software you'll receive varies on how much dough you're waving around and what region you're shopping in, so head to the source link for a full rundown of the options. A single 7990 or a two-pack of 7900 series cards will get you the most games, but if you don't quite have the bread, ask Lara for a loan -- she might be willing to share some of her perilous adventure fund and help you out.
ASUS announces ROG Ares II video card, dual Radeon HD 7970 GPUs, 1050MHz clock speed
The original ROG ARES graphics card was a head spinner, and the just announced sequel seems to follow suit. ASUS' ARES II features two AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition GPUs, and has a slimline two-slot design. The manufacturer claims it's the fastest graphics card available, outperforming the GeForce GTX 690 reference card by some 13 percent. There's 6GB of video memory, 1,100MHz boost clock, 1,050MHz base clock and 2 x 384-bit memory interface. If this sounds like something you just gotta have, then you'd better keep them eyes peeled, as upon release (no exact details on this just yet) it'll be a limited edition. Also limited are the details on price. Spin up the source for more info. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
AMD Never Settle bundle gives Radeon HD 7000 buyers free games they'd actually care to play
Just about anyone who has bought more than one aftermarket graphics card knows that bundled games rarely matter. They're usually year-old titles or neutered editions built only to showcase the GPU's performance for a few hours. AMD thinks its Never Settle bundle might finally get us to notice. Buy any modern Radeon HD video card from the 7770 GHz Edition on up and you'll get a download code for at least one new game you'd genuinely want to try, ranging from Far Cry 3 on basic cards to a full three-game deal that supplies Far Cry 3, Hitman: Absolution and Sleeping Dogs to high rollers buying the 7900 series. There's likewise a discount for Medal of Honor: Warfighter and promises of bundles in 2013 for Bioshock Infinite and the reimagined Tomb Raider. As long as you're not dead set on springing for a GeForce board in the next few months, one of the qualifying cards might be worth a look to jumpstart your game collection.
Slickdeals' best in tech for October 3rd: 60-inch Panasonic Viera Plasma HDTV and more
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long. Now that the NFL season is in full swing, a new HDTV could make weekend spectating a bit more enjoyable. In today's round of tech deals, a 60-inch Panasonic plasma display tops the list with a handsome $200 discount in tow. If you're not looking to invest quite that much, there are four other offers that will gladly accept your eager mouse clicks. Head on past the break to view 'em all, but be mindful of those coupon codes and rebate forms.
Slickdeals' best in tech for September 26th: HIS IceQ Radeon HD 7870, SSDs and Skullcandy earbuds
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long. If Monday's round of links didn't meet your gadget needs, perhaps today's lineup of discounts will be a bit more enticing. More components make the list this time around as well as a set of gaming keys and a price cut on in-ear Skullcandy headphones. We won't hold you up any longer, so head on past the break to take a gander at the goods. There are a few rebates today, though, so mind the extra links should you need 'em.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 and 660 review roundup: hitting the sweet spot, sometimes
If you're building or upgrading a budget gaming rig, it'll be hard to ignore the GeForce GTX 650 and 660. Whether or not NVIDIA's new chipsets are worth the glance is another matter, and early reviews suggest that a sale depends on just which market you're in. The GTX 660, by far the darling of the review crowd, competes solidly against the Radeon HD 7850 by outrunning AMD's hardware in most situations while undercutting on the official price. Only a few have taken a look at the lower-end GTX 650, but it's not as much of a clear-cut purchasing decision -- the entry-level video often slots in between the performance of the Radeon HD 7750 and 7770 without the price edge of its bigger brother. Either card is much better value for the money than the GT 640, however, and looks to be a meaningful upgrade if you're trading up from equivalent prior-generation gear. Read - AnandTech (GTX 660) Read - Benchmark Reviews (GTX 660) Read - Bit-Tech (GTX 660) Read - Guru 3D (GTX 650) Read - HardOCP (GTX 660) Read - Hot Hardware (GTX 660) Read - PC Mag (GTX 660) Read - PC Perspective (GTX 660) Read - Tom's Hardware (GTX 650 and 660)
Nvidia's Quadro K5000 GPU coming to a Mac Pro near you, and it's fast
Graphics card maker Nvidia has announced that its brand new Quadro K5000 GPU will be available inside of Apple's Mac Pro computers, and Engadget recently got a chance to see the new cards in action. The cards will offer 4 GB of graphics memory and some superfast performance, and will be able to support up to the new 4K video standard (which is what the television manufacturers are planning as a resolution after the current 1080p). As you'd expect, Engadget says everything ran very impressively. Adobe Premiere Pro ran without a hitch, even when including plenty of video effects and processing. But that isn't really a surprise, as a super card like this shouldn't struggle in a demo situation. We'll probably need a brand new Mac Pro with one of these in it to really know for sure how the card works. Anyone have five or six grand they can spare?
