News (Proprietary)
AMD mentions unreleased gaming-optimized Ryzen 7 9850X3D — could be the next fastest gaming CPU ever
29+ min ago (281+ words) Things can only get better. AMD has quietly listed the Ryzen 7 9850X3D processor in its 'Drivers and Downloads' section (via Gray). With this official mention, the existence of the product is all but confirmed, and if the new CPU does exist, it could be the next best processor for gamers in this generation of CPUs. AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor with eight cores running at up to 5.20 GHz with a 96MB last level cache already offers formidable performance in games. It has even inspired our Editor-in-Chief to call it the best gaming CPU. A higher product number almost certainly means higher performance, unless we are dealing with an OEM-specific SKU designed for a particular system. Tom's Hardware has inquired about the new SKU, but due to the long weekend, we don't expect a quick response. Now that TSMC's advanced packaging technologies enable AMD to…...
Chinese vendor showcases first mass-produced Imagination DXD GPU with ray tracing — sports modern features like super resolution, too
1+ hour, 29+ min ago (379+ words) The company claims to have doubled rendering performance and had demos running at ICCAD 2025. A Chinese vendor has shown what it calls the only mass-produced Imagination DXD-architecture graphics card currently on the market. The unveiling took place at the recent ICCAD 2025 in Chengdu. In a statement published on its website, Xiang Di Xian said the new card more than doubles the overall rendering performance of its predecessor, and ran a series of large-scale 3D graphics workloads throughout the event. The company also demonstrated digital-twin applications and next-generation techniques such as ray tracing and super-resolution. This is one of the first public demonstrations of Imagination's DXD architecture in production hardware. DXD is the company's high-performance GPU IP aimed at desktops and cloud-gaming infrastructure. It introduces native DirectX support to Imagination's roadmap and offers Feature Level 11_0 compliance, Vulkan, and OpenGL support, and a…...
Intel moves closer to building Apple’s entry-level M-series chips on 18A from 2027 — insider claims chipmaking deal could be close at hand
1+ hour, 49+ min ago (214+ words) Apple has taken Intel's 18AP PDK and is preparing for a potential second-source shift. On that trajectory, Intel could begin shipping production silicon in the second or third quarter of 2027. This would mark the first time Intel had fabbed any Apple silicon since Apple dumped the company entirely in late 2023. Intel expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M processor as early as 2027There have long been market rumors that Intel could become an advanced-node foundry supplier to Apple, but visibility around this had remained low. My latest industry surveys, however, indicate that'November 28, 2025 Kuo also notes that the move would align with Washington's push for more domestic semiconductor manufacturing. Intel's Arizona fabs are central to that policy and would be natural candidates to host 18A for an Apple order. For now, if accurate, Apple's decision to move beyond preliminary talks and into structured 18A evaluation…...
We built a 1440p gaming PC for less than $1,500 with Cyber Monday deals — your last chance to defeat the RAM apocalypse
2+ hour, 10+ min ago (687+ words) Defeat RAM pricing woes with a free CPU cooler and two free games Cyber Monday is upon us, and there are still PC hardware bargains aplenty. You might have noticed that there is something of a RAM apocalypse going on, with prices of DDR5 tracking upwards of 400% higher than they were just a few months ago. Building a PC in this economy is not for the faint-hearted. Luckily for you, Tom's Hardware eats PC hardware deals for breakfast. We're hooked up to a drip of discounts astride a database of hot hardware you wouldn't believe. To that end, we've scoured the internet, wringing every last possible dime out of a set of PC parts capable of 1440p performance on PC, without breaking the $1,500 mark. It wasn't easy (I'm looking at you, $274 of 32GB DDR5 RAM), but we did, in part thanks to the excellent…...
Micron plans $9.6 billion HBM fab in Japan as AI memory race accelerates
4+ hour, 24+ min ago (205+ words) U.S. chipmaker set to expand Hiroshima site with heavy support from Tokyo. Japan has been aggressive in courting this kind of investment, offering substantial government incentives to foreign chipmakers as part of a wider effort to rebuild domestic semiconductor capacity. TSMC's Kumamoto fabs and the state-backed Rapidus project are already part of this strategy. Micron itself has been a significant beneficiary. Last year, Micron announced plans to introduce EUV-based DRAM production on the same Hiroshima campus, investing 500 billion yen of its own cash and supported by nearly 200 billion yen in subsidies. The first LPDDR5X memory devices produced on its 1" process at this facility then began sampling in May of this year. For Micron, Hiroshima offers political and financial stability at a moment when both geopolitics and the market cause increasing uncertainty, and Tokyo's willingness to fund a third of the project removes…...
Pulsar releases Bruce Lee-themed peripherals to celebrate his 85th birthday — options include keyboard, mice, and mouse pads
7+ hour, 33+ min ago (427+ words) Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He's been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he's been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics. Pulsar Gaming Gears just released a new line of gaming peripherals to celebrate the 85th birthday of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. According to the company, this is its second collaboration with Bruce Lee Enterprises, after the successful run of another limited-edition gaming peripheral set three years earlier. All the items come in a navy blue and white theme, following the actor's iconic look in Enter the Dragon, when he went face-to-face with O'Hara, one of the main antagonists in the film. There are several items in the Bruce Lee 85th Edition collection " a Pulsar X2 CrazyLight gaming mouse in either Mini or Medium size, a Pulsar PCMK 3 HE TKL available…...
Windows update makes sign-in password icon invisible — Microsoft says you can still click on empty space to enter your password
9+ hour, 41+ min ago (341+ words) Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He's been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he's been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics. Insider channel users caught this bug before it went mainstream This isn't a critical security or performance issue, especially as it only impacts the Windows user interface. Furthermore, it's part of a preview update, meaning users in the preview channel should be the only ones affected. It's nonetheless annoying to those users, especially if you forgot your PIN for Windows Hello and you now can't quite figure out how to type in your password. Microsoft said that it's already "working to resolve this issue and will provide information when it's available." Windows Updates are meant to fix security issues, bugs, and release new features, but if you're tinkering…...
Gaming-first Linux distro delivers a petabyte of ISOs in one month as users avoid forced updates to Windows 11 — Bazzite distro is another safe haven for Win 10 refugees
10+ hour, 49+ min ago (173+ words) The makers of Bazzite served approximately 150,000 ISOs in the last month. For those unfamiliar with Bazzite, it first blipped on our radar back in 2023, when it made waves as a gaming-centric SteamOS clone for those without a Steam Deck, but who were looking for a similar experience. The latest figures suggest that nearly 90% of Windows games run on Linux. The improvement of games compatibility has reduced the potential friction of migrating away from Microsoft's OS. Moreover, things only seem to be getting better for Linux switchers (check that link for some hands-on Bazzite action). I've tried Zorin, and it works well with old, abandoned software I like to use, even though it can have compatibility issues on Windows 11. That was an unexpected bonus. So, Zorin OS reportedly achieved 1 million downloads in 5 weeks. And now we hear Bazzite served almost 150,000 Linux…...
Xbox expansion drive from Seagate crashes to lowest ever price — install more games with 2TB of snappy storage for just $184, just 9 cents per GB
11+ hour, 58+ min ago (252+ words) A new low for Cyber Monday! If you own an Xbox Series X or Series S, then listen up, Seagate's excellent Storage expansion Card has just dropped to its lowest-ever price in the 2TB format, now just $184.76 at Amazon. As mentioned, that's a new lowest-ever price on this capacity, just 9 cents per GB. That might be more than your average PC SSD, but this is a proprietary plug-and-play drive for current-gen Xbox hardware, meaning it'll slot safely into the back of your console with no cables and no fuss. Get 2TB of storage for your Xbox Series X or Series X, fully compatible with Quick Resume and just as performant as internal Xbox storage. The drives also come with a three-year limited warranty, giving you peace of mind should something go wrong. If you're looking for more Cyber Monday savings, check out…...
This $2699 MSI RTX 5090 is the cheapest you'll find right now
18+ hour, 33+ min ago (411+ words) RTX 5090s are all marked up, but you don't have to spend $3000+ to get one At $1999 and up, no RTX 5090 can be described as cheap. But we've been searching far and wide this holiday deals season for air-cooled versions of 5090s that aren't trading for $3000 or more. If you're still trying to get the RTX 5090 upgrade you've been dreaming of before prices potentially rise even more, B&H has your back with MSI's GeForce RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC card. At $2699, this is the least costly RTX 5090 we've seen anywhere in the post-Black Friday rush. At this point, the RTX 5090 needs no introduction. If you need the highest gaming performance possible from a GeForce card to push a 4K monitor even with RT effects maxed and ultra settings dialed in, this card is your ticket. No RTX 5090 comes cheap, but this $2699 MSI card is…...