chip Archives

Winsage

November 8, 2024

Windows Central’s highest-rated laptops are already on sale ahead of Black Friday — save up to $640 with my shopping advice

As the holiday shopping season approaches, discounts on Windows laptops are becoming available, including high-end Copilot+ PCs and budget-friendly options. A curated list of the best deals for 2024 is being compiled, which will be updated as Black Friday nears. Windows laptops are categorized into three primary types: 1. Notebook: A classic clamshell design, often used for gaming. 2. Convertible: Heavier, pricier laptops with 360-degree hinges and touch displays, suitable for media and creative tasks. 3. 2-in-1: Devices with a detachable keyboard, allowing tablet-like use. AI PCs, equipped with processors that include a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), are gaining attention in 2024. Examples include Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen AI 300. Microsoft's Copilot+ PC program enhances the AI experience for laptops with NPUs. However, for most users, having an NPU may not be essential, and focusing on overall performance is recommended. The evaluation process for Windows laptops includes testing hinge strength, chassis durability, port speed, camera quality, speaker performance, fan noise, display quality, and battery life. All laptops in the Black Friday collection have ratings of four stars or higher. Black Friday 2024 is scheduled for November 29, 2024, with many retailers already offering deals. Cyber Monday will follow on December 2, 2024, focusing on online shopping, with some tech deals continuing from Black Friday.

Winsage

November 8, 2024

Microsoft tests emulator to bring support for x64 apps and games to Windows on Arm: What it means for users

Microsoft is testing a significant update for systems using Qualcomm's Arm-based processors, introduced in the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build. This update includes a tool that enhances Copilot Plus PCs with Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus processors through its Prism emulation layer, allowing a wider range of x64 applications and games to run on these devices. The update aims to enable high-demand games like Starfield and Helldivers 2 on Arm-based Windows devices and is currently being trialed by Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. The update improves the usability of 64-bit x86 software, providing access to processor extensions like AVX and AVX2, enhancing performance and compatibility. However, 32-bit software will still face limitations. Many applications, including Photoshop, Hulu, and Chrome, have transitioned to native ARM64 versions, while others rely on emulation. Adobe has re-enabled Premiere Pro for Windows 11 ARM devices powered by the Snapdragon X chip, allowing it to run under emulation after previously disabling it due to performance issues. Premiere Pro is now available within the Creative Cloud app, although performance may not match that of Intel or AMD-based machines. A native ARM version of Premiere Pro is in development, but no release date has been announced. Photoshop is currently the only Adobe application available natively for Windows on ARM, while other applications like After Effects are expected to gain support through emulation. Adobe's move aligns with its commitment to enhance its Creative Suite for Windows on ARM, and competitors like DaVinci Resolve are also working on native ARM versions of their software. Microsoft's Clipchamp has already been established as an ARM-native solution.

AppWizard

November 8, 2024

Can the Snapdragon 8 Elite run Popular PC Games?

The realme GT 7 Pro, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, has demonstrated the capability to run AAA PC games like Assassin’s Creed Black Flag at 60 frames per second with a GPU usage rate of around 70%. Videos have also shown the device running Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Grand Theft Auto V. The gaming performance is facilitated by an upcoming application called GameFusion, which is designed for running demanding games on mobile devices. The developers of GameFusion have faced scrutiny for past work on the EggNS emulator and have introduced a paid subscription model. There is an ongoing partnership with GameSir, and details about GameFusion's availability and business model are currently unclear.

Winsage

November 7, 2024

New Windows Build Brings AVX Support To Snapdragon X For Gaming And More

Recent evaluations of laptops with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processors have praised their performance and battery life, but issues arose with the high-end Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 chip in the Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, where certain applications were found incompatible due to limitations in emulation capabilities. The Windows operating system uses an emulation layer called Prism to run x86-64 applications on Arm architecture, but it initially lacked support for essential SIMD instructions like AVX2 and AVX. Microsoft announced an update in Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27744 that enhances Prism by adding support for AVX, AVX2, and other instructions, allowing Snapdragon-based Windows machines to run x86 software requiring these instruction sets. However, only x64 applications will benefit from this update, leaving legacy 32-bit x86 applications unaffected. This is significant for gaming, as many recent titles utilize AVX for improved processing speeds, potentially increasing compatibility for previously unplayable games on Snapdragon devices. Despite these advancements, Microsoft has not addressed the potential performance implications of the emulation process. Initial observations suggest that while performance degradation from Prism emulation is less severe than expected, it still does not match that of native Arm applications. Qualcomm is tasked with improving Snapdragon X Elite gaming capabilities, facing challenges with Windows graphics drivers, particularly the Adreno graphics drivers, which may hinder its competitiveness against AMD and Intel in the Windows laptop market.

AppWizard

November 6, 2024

Android 16 release: New features, floating app windows likely to arrive in…

Android 16 is expected to debut between April and June 2025, with a specific launch date of June 3, 2025, when it will be available on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Pixel users will receive an over-the-air (OTA) update on the same date. The update will introduce features such as "Rich Ongoing Notifications," allowing third-party developers to customize notifications, and a "bubble anything" function for multitasking, enabling users to operate apps in floating windows. Google's expedited release schedule aims to meet the demand for faster software updates and align better with device launches.

AppWizard

November 5, 2024

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is awesome, but it’s let down by the state of Android tablet apps

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra features a 14.6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1,848 x 2,960 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz, achieving a brightness of 930 nits. It is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus chip, which includes four Cortex X4 CPUs and a 12-core Arm Immortalis GPU, offering performance comparable to Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and 8 Gen 3. The tablet has a battery capacity of 11,200mAh, allowing for several days of use, but lacks a charger in the box and has slow charging speeds. It operates on Android 14 with One UI 6.1 and is promised seven years of security patches and OS updates. The device includes a quad-speaker setup tuned by AKG and comes with accessories like a keyboard case and S Pen stylus. Priced at ,200, it faces challenges due to the limited availability of optimized Android applications for its large display.

AppWizard

November 5, 2024

Huawei’s new made-in-China software takes on Apple and Android

Huawei is set to unveil its Mate 70 smartphone this month, which will feature advanced semiconductors indicative of China's progress in domestic chip production. The device will also introduce HarmonyOS NEXT, marking a significant shift towards technological self-sufficiency and a departure from Western-supported systems. This launch aims to redefine user experience and strengthen China's position in the global tech landscape.

AppWizard

November 4, 2024

Don’t look now, but Macs are finally getting good for gaming

The evolution of gaming on Mac has progressed significantly, with notable improvements in performance, particularly with the introduction of the M-series chips. The Mac Studio M2 Ultra and the 16-inch MacBook Pro M3 Max have demonstrated impressive gaming capabilities, with the latter achieving nearly 90 frames per second in Baldur's Gate 3 and maintaining around 50 FPS at high graphics settings. Historical data shows a clear trajectory of improvement in gaming performance across different MacBook models, with the M3 Max able to run Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 120 FPS at 1200p resolution. Despite these advancements, MacBooks still face challenges compared to dedicated GPUs from competitors like AMD and Nvidia. Upcoming M4 MacBooks are expected to further narrow the performance gap with Windows laptops, particularly as some Windows devices struggle with compatibility issues.

AppWizard

November 3, 2024

A New Era in Gaming: ‘Minecraft’ Clone Is Generated by AI in Real-Time

Oasis is an AI-generated game developed by the hardware startup Etched, in collaboration with AI developer Decart. It allows players to create and modify virtual environments in real time and is inspired by the sci-fi narrative “Ready Player One.” The demo was showcased on Twitter, and it operates on Nvidia’s H100 Tensor Core GPUs, with plans for Etched's own chipset, Sohu, which will offer faster performance. The project is currently free and serves as a research and proof-of-concept initiative. Interest in the demo has surged, overwhelming the hosting site. The technology behind Oasis relies on AI to produce graphics in real time without a traditional game engine.

Winsage

November 2, 2024

Microsoft: Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs are 5x faster than popular 5 year old PCs

Microsoft's Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs are faster and offer increased battery life compared to older Windows machines. Recent benchmarks show that these devices, powered by Snapdragon processors, can be up to five times faster than popular Windows PCs that are five years old. The evaluation used the Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core benchmark, comparing Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon X Elite 12 core and Snapdragon X Plus 10 core configurations against older models. The Copilot+ PCs provide up to 2.3 times more battery life for local video playback and up to 3 times more battery power for web browsing compared to five-year-old Windows devices. Testing was conducted under controlled conditions with specific settings for Wi-Fi and screen brightness.