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A hacker stole and leaked the Xbox Series X graphics source code
AMD has been having a particularly rough few months, apparently. The chip designer has revealed that a hacker stole test files for a "subset" of current and upcoming graphics hardware, some of which had been posted online before they were taken down. While AMD was shy on details, the claimed intruder told TorrentFreak that the material included source code for Navi 10 (think Radeon RX 5700 series), the future Navi 21 and the Arden GPU inside the Xbox Series X.
Ray tracing comes to more games thanks to new software tools
You haven't seen much ray tracing in games due in part to the limited frameworks for it. Outside of Microsoft's DirectX, creators have usually had to lean on proprietary approaches. Soon, though, it might be relatively ubiquitous. The Khronos Group has released "provisional" ray tracing extensions for Vulkan, the open graphics standard effectively replacing OpenGL on multiple platforms. You should see sophisticated reflections, fewer light artifacts and otherwise more natural-looking lighting in titles that support the technology.
An algorithm could make CPUs a cheap way to train AI
AI is the backbone of technologies such as Alexa and Siri -- digital assistants that rely on deep machine learning to do their thing. But for the makers of these products -- and others that rely on AI -- getting them "trained" is an expensive and often time-consuming process. Now, scientists from Rice University have found a way to train deep neural nets more quickly, and more affordably, through CPUs.
Intel showed off its upcoming discrete graphics card on stage at CES
At its CES keynote this evening, Intel saved its most important reveal for last. After almost two years of leadup, the company finally showed off its upcoming Xe GPU platform. And not only did we learn how it will integrate with Intel's forthcoming Tiger Lake processors, we saw DG1, its first discrete graphics card. While Intel didn't provide a lot of details on the card, it showed it running Destiny 2. The company plans to first integrate the platform into its upcoming Tiger Lake processors that will come out later this year. Intel's Lisa Pearce showed a Tiger Lake-equipped notebook running Warframe. She didn't speak too much to how the integrated graphics card handles modern 3D games, but did say that you'll be able to play "HD" games without issue. Additionally, Intel showed the GPU upscaling an old, low-resolution image using an AI-accelerated processor. The "Horseshoe Bend" foldable display tablet Intel showed off at the keynote had a Tiger Lake processor and integrated Xe GPU. We'll likely learn more about both variants of Xe as Intel gets closer to releasing its new CPUs later this year.
Watch AMD's CES 2020 event here at 5PM ET
AMD's CES 2020 press conference is about to take place and it should include some details on next-generation Ryzen processors. There also might be some more info on Renoir chips as well as another GPU to round out the current 5000 lineup.
NVIDIA's new GeForce drivers include a framerate cap to reduce latency
With CES as a backdrop, NVIDIA has released its first set of GeForce drivers for 2020. Alongside the usual slate of compatibility updates and bug fixes, the software includes a new feature that allows you to set a framerate limit across all your games, whether they individually offer the option or not.
Apple will license Imagination's graphics tech once again after public spat
The new year is a time to kiss and make up, and Apple and Imagination are taking that to heart. After months of public spats, chipmaker Imagination Technologies has been welcomed back into the Apple fold with the announcement of a new multi-year license agreement for Apple to use its intellectual property.
PC gamers: Rate and review the RTX 2060 Super or 2070 Super
Affordable, fast and with excellent dual-fan cooling, NVIDIA's two new ray-tracing cards (the RTX 2060 Super and the 2070 Super) took the place of the company's excellent Ti lineup. NVIDIA's release of the GPUs was, according to senior editor Devindra Hardawar, "clearly a response to AMDs new midrange" cards. Dev managed to get impressive frame rates and gaming performance out of each, awarding the 2060 Super a score of 87 and the 2070 an 86.
AMD's new Radeon software offers game streaming away from home
AMD is finishing 2019 with a big software update, particularly for gamers who'd rather not leave their PC games at home. It just released Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020, and the most eye-catching feature is support for game streaming to phones over the internet, not just the local WiFi network. This is far from a new concept, but still helpful if there's a slower-paced game you'd like to play during your commute. The feature is already enabled for Android devices and should come to iOS on December 23rd.
Are the Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT ideal GPUs for your gaming PC?
In the battle of graphics cards, AMD and NVIDIA have been duking it out for space in your custom-built gaming tower. With the release of the Radeon RX 5700 and 5700 XT, AMD threw down two solid mid-range offerings showcasing its Navi architecture (now known as Radeon DNA or RDNA). Both 7-nanometer cards feature a minimalist design, a blower-style cooler (using a single fan to pull in air) and 8GB of GDDR6 RAM. Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar gave them scores of 85 and 86 respectively, dinging both slightly for their high temperatures and lack of real-time ray tracing.
NVIDIA's RTX Studio driver speeds up ray-traced V-Ray rendering
When you see a particularly shiny, photorealistic 3D scene, there's a good chance it was created on Autodesk's 3DS Max or Maya using Chaos Group's V-Ray renderer. It can take a long time for workstations to crunch through V-Ray scenes, however, so NVIDIA has just unveiled an instant speedup. If you have an NVIDIA GeForce RTX or Quadro RTX card, the latest Studio driver will speed up V-Ray GPU renders by 40 percent on average, NVIDIA announced.
NVIDIA's RTX GPUs give a speed boost to Adobe's AI features
NVIDIA has unveiled a new RTX GPU features that will accelerate a new AI feature in Premiere Pro and speed up Adobe's 3D apps, Dimension and Substance Alchemist. As Adobe just announced, Premiere has a new feature called Auto Reframe that can analyze content in a regular, 16x9 horizontal video and automatically convert it to a vertical smartphone format. That process can take a long time, but NVIDIA said it will go 400 percent faster on NVIDIA RTX GPUs compared to just using the CPU.
NVIDIA will remaster more games with RTX ray tracing
Quake II RTX is far from the last game to receive an NVIDIA ray tracing upgrade. DSOG has discovered that NVIDIA is hiring a producer for its Lightspeed Studios unit to lead work on a "game remastering program" that will add RTX ray tracing to more classic titles. The GPU maker is unsurprisingly shy about just which games are in the pipeline. The next project is a game "you know and love" -- not a real clue, but promising nonetheless.
NVIDIA's Quadro RTX 6000 should be the most powerful laptop GPU ever
With the introduction of RTX Studio, NVIDIA put its gaming RTX GPUs on a nearly equal footing with more costly professional Quadro products. Now, it has given content creators a reason to spend the extra cash with the launch of the RTX Quadro 6000 mobile GPU, first arriving to the ASUS StudioBook. With 24GB of high-speed memory and performance nearly equal to its desktop counterpart, the mobile version should soundly thrash any GeForce RTX 2080 8GB or Quadro 5000 16GB laptop.
NVIDIA's latest GPU drivers pack a speed boost for 'Apex Legends'
It's common for graphics card drivers to provide optimizations for games, but the improvements aren't often this conspicuous. NVIDIA has released a Gamescom Game Ready Driver that offers significant speedups for multiple games, most notably Apex Legends. If you're using one of the company's GeForce RTX Super cards, you can expect performance jumps between 15 to 23 percent at 1080p resolution -- that could make all the difference in such a frame rate-sensitive shooter. You'll also see a roughly 13 to 17 percent gain in Forza Horizon 4 at 1440p as well as milder improvements for Battlefield V, Strange Brigade and World War Z.
NVIDIA revamps Moon landing recreation in time for Apollo 11's 50th
You knew NVIDIA couldn't resist reviving its GPU-based Apollo 11 recreation for the Moon landing's 50th anniversary. Sure enough, the tech firm has updated the demo to take advantage of its RTX ray tracing technology, allowing a more faithful rendition of the moment Buzz Aldrin followed Neil Armstrong to the lunar surface. The biggest improvement, as you might suspect, is the lighting. Real-time raytracing captures how the Sun's rays bounced off the lunar lander and even the spacesuits -- the glowing highlights and varied shadows are closer to what you saw in the TV footage and photos than the slightly dulled look of the 2014 demo.
Microsoft blocks May 2019 Windows update on the Surface Book 2
Microsoft has blocked the latest major Windows 10 (May 2019, version 1903) update on its own Surface Book 2. According to the company, a compatibility issue caused some apps and games that used the Nvidia GPU to crash after the update was installed. Until that glitch is resolved, Surface Book 2 owners won't be able to download the update.
AMD fires back at 'Super' NVIDIA with Radeon RX 5700 price cuts
AMD unveiled its new Radeon RX 5700 line of graphics cards with 7nm chips at E3 last month, and with just days to go before they launch on July 7th, the company has announced new pricing. In the "spirit" of competition that it says is "heating up" in the graphics market -- specifically NVIDIA's "Super" new RTX cards -- all three versions of the graphics card will be cheaper than we thought. The standard Radeon RX 5700 with 36 compute units and speeds of up to 1.7GHz was originally announced at $379, but will instead hit shelves at $349 -- the same price as NVIDIA's RTX 2060. The 5700 XT card that brings 40 compute units and up to 1.9GHz speed will be $50 cheaper than expected, launching at $399. The same goes for the 50th Anniversary with a slightly higher boost speed and stylish gold trim that will cost $449 instead of $499. That's enough to keep them both cheaper than the $499 RTX 2070 Super -- we'll have to wait for the performance reviews to find out if it's enough to make sure they're still relevant.
NVIDIA 'Super' GPU leaks hint at not-so-super speed boosts
There might not be much mystery left to NVIDIA's "Super" launch. VideoCardz claims to have detailed specs and release details for the company's GeForce RTX Super lineup, and they appear to be what you'd expect: souped-up versions of existing RTX chipsets to compete with AMD's Radeon RX 5000 series. The first ones out of the gate would be the RTX 2060 Super and RTX 2070 Super, both of which would have more cores than their 'standard' equivalents without shaking up the basic formula. They'd be roughly 15 to 16 percent faster than their predecessors.
Watch AMD's E3 keynote in just 15 minutes
If you want to get up to speed with AMD's announcements at this year's E3 but don't have time to sit through the entire presentation, step this way. We've edited out all the fluff to give you the main highlights and talking points, all packaged neatly into a 15 minute video. You'll get the scoop on the new Radeon 5700 XT and the RX 5700, plus a load of side-by-side demos showing off its graphics prowess against the competition.
