Category: Hardware

RespawnFirst hardware category covers everything from PC parts including motherboards, graphics cards and CPUs to consoles.

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Hardware

PS4 Crossplay Support Now Available For All Games, Crossplay Support Now Out Of Beta

PS4 Crossplay Support

Crossplay support was all the rage when it was introduced. While Microsoft supported it but, Sony resisted implementing cross-platform play for PS4. Eventually, Sony came to its senses and introduced PS4 crossplay. Now, PS4 Crossplay support is out of the beta phase and apparently is available for any game to use.

This according to a report from Wired. According to the report, PS4 Crossplay Support is official out of the beta phase and is now available for any game to implement it with upcoming Modern Warfare taking advantage of it.

While it’s not announcing the news explicitly, the PS4’s cross-play efforts have officially moved out of the beta stage, meaning that the console can support cross-play on any titles that studios provide the functionality for. This month’s Modern Warfare may be the first major title to take advantage of it at launch, and likely won’t be the last.

Not only that, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan also hinted that not implementing PS4 crossplay before was a mistake. “The track record of the incumbent platform winning the next time around is not a great one. So the major thrust of my executive energy is to avoid complacency.”

However, the current-gen is coming to an end with Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5 releasing in 2020. Both consoles will use CPU based on 7nm AMD Zen 2 architecture with AMD Navi graphics capable of real-time Ray Tracing support.

According to a report, both PS5 and Xbox Scarlett’s ray tracing implementation will be done using different techniques compared to Nvidia RTX GPUs. Considering, AMD’s GPU architecture is different than Nvidia’s, a different technique of implementing ray tracing makes sense.

Not only that, Sony has also filed a patent for a PS5 AI assistant. According to the patent, the AI assistant will work with voice commands. The AI assistant will be able to pull gameplay videos for gameplay guidance.

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Hardware News

PlayStation 5 And Xbox Scarlett’s Ray Tracing Implemtion Is Completely Different Than Nvidia RTX GPUs

With Nvidia introducing real-time Ray Tracing with its RTX GPUs, more and more devs are including this feature to the PC version of their games. This eventually led to Sony and Microsoft confirming real-time ray tracing support for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett. However, next-gen consoles have a very different implementation of it.

This is according to a Gizmodo insider, who recently reported a leak regarding next-gen consoles. Reportedly, both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Scarlett feature different techniques to implement real-time ray tracing. It seems like the source did reveal what techniques will be used but Gizmodo refrained from sharing them.

Both PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will use AMD Navi based GPUs. Considering that, it’s understandable that next-gen consoles will use different techniques to implement ray tracing compared to Nvidia RTX GPUs.

However, that isn’t the only thing the report has revealed. Reportedly, PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will see the biggest leap in performance than any console generation. This makes sense since Microsoft has announced that they are targeting a 120 Hz refresh rate, native 4K, and real-time ray tracing support for Xbox Scarlett.

Xbox One came to the market with a mandatory Kinect unit. However, with its abysmal performance, Microsoft decided to drop it and it was quickly forgotten. But according to the report, both Xbox Scarlett and PlayStation 5 feature cameras and apparently Scarlett’s camera is superior. Reportedly, the dev kit features a camera capable of 4K and with 2ms lag.

It goes without saying that this is just a leak, not a confirmation. So, take it with a grain of salt.

Speaking of next-gen consoles, it seems that PS5 will also feature an AI assistant. According to the filed patent, the PlayStation 5 AI assistant will use voice commands to provide gameplay guidance. The AI assistant will pull gameplay videos in response to the player’s command.

A method for gaming assistance. Information related to a plurality of game plays of players for a gaming application is received over a network at a back-end server. A query is received from a first player playing the gaming application, wherein the query is related to first gameplay of the first player. A current game context of the first gameplay of a first player is determined from the information. A response to the query and the current game context is generated based on the information related to the plurality of gameplays. The response is delivered back to a device of the first player.

With so many leaks and official conformations regarding next-gen consoles, it seems that both PS5 and Xbox Scarlett will feature huge leaps in gaming performance.

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Hardware News

Chuwi UBook Pro Features A 12.3-Inch, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display

Microsoft started the 3:2 aspect ratio trend with the Surface Pro series, but a few companies have revamped their PC lineup and followed Microsoft’s lead This aspect much more useful than 16:9 for a productivity laptop. Chinese computer manufacturer CHUWI is about to launch their latest UBook Pro 2-in-1 laptop on Indiegogo, with a 12.3-Inch, 3:2 aspect ratio display!

CHUWI chose this aspect over their previously used 16:9 because they say it falls right in between 4:3 and 16:9, which are the two most common aspects in reading and media.  In other words, they’re claiming it to be the best intermediate solution. Little black bars won’t be too distracting in video playback, but web pages, magazines and especially PDF feel way more comfortable in reading or editing.

It’s also interesting that smartphones nowadays are getting taller too, like the SONY Xperia 1’s 21:9 aspect ratio, but the reason here is the same: People like to read top-down on web pages and with data, for more visible content.

Compare that experience to reading a web page on a 16:9 screen with copious amounts of scrolling, and it is not hard to see the benefits. In fact, both SONY, Microsoft and CHUWI are doing the same thing: make the screen taller to read more content (just with different orientations).

It’s understandable that many other laptop makers haven’t opted the 3:2 aspect ratio, Video is something that all users care about. But a laptop is more than just a video playback machine, For millions of users, it’s a primary productivity tool for making a living. They use these devices to read, write, remember, create, connect, and communicate. And in this regard, CHUWI’s absolutely doing a great job with their UBook Pro.

Except for the favorable display, UBook also comes with the 3.4Ghz Core™ m3-8100Y, one of the most high-efficiency core ULV processor, and 8GB RAM+Up to 512GB SSD under the hood. All of these make UBook Pro an ALMOST perfect 2-in-1 laptop, the only unknown for now, is the price. But since CHUWI’s never let us down on price/performance ratio, UBook Pro’s absolutely something worth looking forward to in this autumn.

Now UBook Pro is in the preheating stage for its crowdfunding. During which time, early subscribers can get 25% OFF email-only discount.

Click Here to sign up and learn more about Chuwi UBook Pro.

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Hardware News

Gears 5 PC Benchmarks: AMD RX 5700 Beats Nvidia RTX 2060

Gears 5 is available on PC and the performance benchmarks are very interesting indeed. The AMD RX 5700 is a relatively new graphics card from the company and it competes with the Nvidia RTX 2060. The AMD RX 5700 is able to beat the Nvidia RTX 2060 in these Gears 5 PC benchmarks.

At the time of writing, the ASRock Radeon RX 5700 reference design card is available for $350 and the cheapest RTX 2060 version that we could find was the MSI GeForce RTX 2060 VENTUS XS, for the same price. There are more expensive options on the market.

Gears 5 PC Benchmarks: AMD RX 5700 Vs Nvidia RTX 2060

Gears 5 PC were taken using the 1080p resolution and different presets including Ultra, High and Medium. These cards are more than capable of running the game at 1080p 60 FPS so we have not included numbers for the Low preset. You can check out the Gears 5 PC benchmarks below:

Ultra Preset

With all the settings maxed out at 1080p, the AMD RX 5700 has the upper hand here. It is ahead by around 11 FPS on average. For $350 the AMD RX 5700 is impressive value for money keeping in mind the performance that we see here but the performance will vary from game to game.

High Preset

Lowering the preset we get the same result. AMD is still on top and the lead is even bigger this time around. You could tweak the settings and get to 120 FPS if you have a 120 Hz monitor and are interested in playing the game at a higher refresh rate.

Medium Preset

The story is the same for the medium preset as well.

You can see that the AMD RX 5700 is able to beat the Nvidia RTX 2060 when it comes to Gears 5. If you are interested in learning more about the game then you can check out our Weapons Guide, Horde Mode Guide and Boss Guide.

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Hardware

AMD Responds To Boost Clocks Issues, Announces BIOS Fix

AMD Ryzen 3000 series does not hit the advertised boost clocks and Intel has already fired shots at AMD because of this issue. AMD now responded to the issue and has announced an upcoming BIOS update that will fix the problem.

Fans have complained regarding the matter and it seems to be a serious issue. You can check out the official statement below:

We closely monitor community feedback on our products and understand that some 3rd gen AMD Ryzen users are reporting boost clock speeds below the expected processor boost frequency. While processor boost frequency is dependent on many variables, including workload, system design, and cooling solution, we have closely reviewed the feedback from our customers and have identified an issue in our firmware that reduces boost frequency in some situations.

AMD has made it clear that it knows about the issue and that a fix will be released on September 10th. Users can download the latest BIOS update in order to reach the boost clocks that AMD markets.

We are in the process of preparing a BIOS update for our motherboard partners that addresses that issue and includes additional boost performance optimizations. We will provide an update on September 10 to the community regarding the availability of the BIOS.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the issue is resolved once the BIOS update has been released.  YouTuber Der8aeur recently conducted a survey in which 2,700 took part and only 5.6% reported being able to reach the boost clocks that AMD marketed. That is very interesting indeed but it is going to change in the upcoming few days. At least I hope that is the case.

AMD Ryzen 3000 series comprises of slower and faster cores and that is not going to change with the BIOS update. You could get better performance out of the best cores. We will know for sure once the update is available and is tested.

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Hardware

Intel Fires Shots At AMD For False Marketing Of Boost Clocks

Intel is trying to educate the press regarding AMD CPUs and their boost clocks. In a recently released slide deck, Intel included quotes from reviews that mentioned that AMD CPUs did not hit the advertised boost clocks on all cores. That might be true but it does not really affect a lot of people keeping in mind that the AMD Ryzen chips are more competitively priced when compared to Intel CPU.

It makes sense to pick the cores that are best and have them boost to the highest frequency possible. Boost clock is not something ideal to have on all cores at all times. You can check out the Intel slide that mentions AMD false marketing its boost clocks below:

It is a pity that Intel is trying to fire shots at AMD this way. Intel is a bigger company and should know better. AMD does make fun of Intel at times but that is cocky marketing. These slides claim that AMD is trying to mislead the consumers when it comes to the boost clocks of their CPUs.

It is safe to say that moves like these will only hurt Intel’s image as a company and its credibility. As the industry leader, Intel should do a better job at leading rather than trying to fire shots at AMD. When a company resorts to firing shots at its competitor that is a signal that something is really off behind the scenes and that might be the case with Intel.

Interestingly, in 2019, Intel is still marketing clock speeds rather than concentrating on actual performance. Consumers want to see performance gains across the board, not just clock speeds and how long a CPU is able to maintain a boost clock.

On the bright side, it is interesting to see that Intel has actually considered AMD a competitor. This means that things are getting serious. A while back an internal memo from Intel did leak and Intel admitted that AMD Matisse could outperform the 9th generation Intel CPUs. It also mentioned that Intel had a “great strategy and great roadmap” to counter AMD. Firing shots at the underdog might be part of said strategy.

AMD has not commented on the matter at the time of writing but I am sure that CEO Lisa Su has a few things on her mind right now.

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Hardware

Intel Xe GPUs Will Compete With AMD and Nvidia on All Price Tiers

Intel Xe GPUs will release in due time and people have been wondering about the price. While a mistranslation on the internet made it appear that the entry-level cards will start at $200, we did get some information out of the correct translation.

Intel’s chief architect and graphics head Raja Koduri is working on the Intel Xe graphics cards as we speak and it turns out that Intel will not only compete with AMD but will take on Nvidia for the position of the best-performing graphics card on the market. The AMD Radeon graphics cards are great and perform well but they are not powerful enough to challenge the RTX 2080 Ti.

In order for Nvidia to be competitive, we need another player in the market that can offer the same level of performance as the RTX 2080 Ti. With that kind of competition, Nvidia will have to bring something innovative to the table or will have to offer more competitive prices.

In a time where you can play games on your mobile phones or the Nintendo Switch, not many people are interested in spending $500-600 on a graphics card that is something that Raja Koduri himself pointed out. So what price point is Intel going to target with the Xe GPUs? All of them seems to be the correct answer according to Koduri. Here is what he had to say regarding the matter:

We have to hit everything; it’s just a matter of where do you start? The First one? The Second one? The Third one? And the strategy that we have within a period of roughly – let’s call it 2-3 years – to have the full stack.

Intel is not only going for the mid-range market but the entry-level and high-end market as well. This means that Intel is not only going to go up against AMD but Nvidia as well. That might not be the case right off the bat and Intel might start off with a mid-range graphics card but a high-end model is most likely in the works according to the included statement.

I hope that whatever Intel is working on is able to match or outperform the Nvidia counterpart at the time. That would be very interesting indeed. I would like to see what Nvidia does in order to counter such a threat.

Nvidia has been on top for as long as I can remember. The company has released some great product but the top tier graphics cards have been too expensive. I think that some competition could potentially bring the price down.

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Get 3 Months Of Xbox Game Pass With Radeon GPUs And Ryzen CPUs

Xbox Game Pass for PC was announced at E3 2019 and beta access is available now but you can get 3 months free with the purchase of AMD Radeon graphics cards or Ryzen CPUs. This gives you access to a library of more than 100 games and you can also play titles like Gear 5 at launch.

This offer applies to the following graphics cards:

  • AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary
  • AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
  • AMD Radeon RX 5700
  • AMD Radeon VII
  • Radeon RX Vega 64
  • Radeon RX Vega 56
  • Radeon RX 590
  • Radeon RX 580
  • Radeon RX 570
  • Radeon RX 560

You can three months of free Xbox Game Pass on PC with the following AMD Ryzen CPUs:

  • AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
  • AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
  • AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
  • AMD Ryzen 7 2700
  • AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
  • AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • AMD Ryzen 5 2600E
  • AMD Ryzen 5 2500X
  • AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
  • AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • AMD Ryzen 5 3400G
  • AMD Ryzen 5 2400G
  • AMD Ryzen 5 2400GE

According to the official site:

With select AMD Radeon graphics or Ryzen processors get 3 months of PC Games with Xbox Game Pass and play Gears 5, coming Fall 2019! From one of gaming’s most acclaimed sagas, Gears is bigger than ever, with five thrilling modes and the deepest campaign yet. With all-out war descending, Kait Diaz breaks away to uncover her connection to the enemy and discovers the true danger to Sera – herself.

AMD has done great since it came back into the CPU market. The 3rd generation of AMD Ryzen has very impressive performance. Intel needs to step things up if it is interested in staying in the game. It has been a while since the company has released anything new. The latest 9th generation CPUs are based on the old 14nm process that has been around for a while.

Let us know what you think about AMD bundling 3 months of Xbox Game Pass for PC with AMD Ryzen and Radeon products.

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Hardware News

AMD Zen 2 Threadripper CPUs Coming Soon, 16 Cores, 32 Threads

With the release of the AMD Ryzen 3000 series, we got a consumer-level 12 core CPU. With that in mind, some people wondered if AMD was killing the Threadripper series. We did not hear about them for a while but it seems that AMD Zen 2 based Threadripper CPUs are around the corner.

A new leak confirms that the Zen 2 Threadripper CPUs will launch with at least 16 cores and 31 threads. At this point, we know that AMD can go much higher than that so expect to learn more in the upcoming few weeks. The upcoming Zen 2 based Threadripper CPUs are supposed to be based on the 7nm process which means better efficiency.

According to the latest leaks, the CPU will have a base clock speed of 3.6 GHz and will be able to boost to 4.05 GHz. That is pretty impressive for a 16 core CPU. You can check out the performance numbers below:

AMD has not confirmed the existence of these CPUs so take this information with a grain of salt. It is likely that these benchmarks are old and that the final product will be able to perform better with proper drivers. That is something that we will have to wait and see.

There is little that we know about these CPUs but it is expected that they will have better cache latency and support quad-channel memory. It is more than likely that these upcoming CPUs will require a new chipset which means that they will not be compatible with existing motherboards but we are still waiting on confirmation from AMD to be sure.

AMD Ryzen 3000 series CPUs support PCIe Gen 4.0. It is more than likely that these upcoming AMD Zen 2 Threadripper CPUs will support the new standard as well. If you are interested in learning more then you can check out the comparisons between the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Core i9-9900K at 1440 and 4K. You can also check out the benchmarks of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 vs i7 8700K.

The next-generation AMD Threadripper series should be very interesting indeed.

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New Nintendo Switch Has A Battery Life Of Up To 9 Hours, Pre-order Now

A new Nintendo Switch has been rumored for a while now and even though this new product does not offer better graphics it does offer better battery life. The older model has a battery life of 2.5 to 6.5 hours and can run The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for around 3 hours.

The new model has a battery life of 4.5 – 9 hours and can run The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for around 5.5 hours. That almost doubles the battery life compared to the older model. The older model is version HAC-001 (product serial number starts with “XAW”). The new Nintendo Switch model variant is HAC-001(-01).

The new Switch model will be available starting the middle of August. Nintendo has not revealed an exact release date for the new Nintendo Switch but you can check out the official website for more information regarding the console refresh.

We are not exactly sure how Nintendo has been able to increase the battery life of the new Switch. We did find a patent a few days back that pointed towards a better CPU and faster storage. A more efficient CPU could lead to better battery life. It is unlikely that the company has gone with a bigger battery.

We will know more about the hardware side of things once the product is released so stay tuned for updates and more news regarding the new Nintendo Switch model.

It is worth mentioning that there are no improvements in graphics that we know about yet. So if you already have a Nintendo Switch then you might not find the upgrade worth it. It is worth mentioning that both the new Nintendo Switch and the older model cost the same. So if you are interested in the additional game time then you could get the new model.

It will be interesting to see how many people sell their existing consoles for the newer model and how many people get the Nintendo Switch Lite instead. The pro version has been rumored for a while now. This will offer better graphics in handheld mode and when docked. It is possible that the product will release next year. Around the same time as the Xbox Scarlett and PS5.