DDR5 Archives

AppWizard

June 23, 2026

The Steam Machine’s price has finally been revealed, and it’s not cheap

Valve has announced the pricing for its Steam Machine, with the entry-level 512GB model priced at ,049 without a controller. There are four configurations available: - 512GB model without a controller - ,049 / £879 - 512GB model with a Steam Controller - ,128 / £938 - 2TB model without a controller - ,349 / £1,149 - 2TB model with a Steam Controller - ,428 / £1,208 The pricing reflects recent market trends, including a 40% price increase for the Steam Deck. The specifications for the 512GB model include a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU, semi-custom AMD RDNA3 GPU, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, and support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Registration for interest in the Steam Machine is open until June 25th at 10 AM PT.

AppWizard

June 22, 2026

Steam Machine review: Valve’s underwhelming living-room PC has a serious price problem

The Steam Machine is a compact gaming system measuring 16.5 × 15.5 × 15.3 cm, designed to run SteamOS and provide access to the Steam library while offering a user experience similar to consoles. It features a custom AMD CPU with six cores and twelve threads, 16 MiB of L3 cache, and a maximum clock speed of 4.86 GHz. The system includes 16 GiB of DDR5 memory and a discrete Radeon graphics unit with 8 GiB of GDDR6 video memory based on the Navi 33 architecture, operating with 28 compute units and a power budget of 110 watts. Storage consists of an NVMe drive with approximately 1.9 TB of space and a zram swap of around 7.6 GiB. The Steam Machine runs SteamOS 3.8.9 in its x86-64 version, allowing it to function as either a Linux PC or a gaming interface. Connectivity options include one HDMI 2.0 port, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, four USB-A ports, a USB-C port, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3. Its hardware is aligned with PC architecture but lacks the customization options of a bespoke system.

AppWizard

June 15, 2026

Gothic 1 Remake PC Performance Analysis

THQ Nordic announced the Gothic 1 Remake for PC, utilizing Unreal Engine 5. The benchmarking was conducted on a high-end setup featuring an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor and various GPUs, including AMD Radeon RX 6900XT and NVIDIA RTX 4090. The game offers extensive graphics settings and supports technologies like NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 and AMD FSR 3.1. It does not include a built-in benchmark tool, so testing was done in a demanding scene. At 1080p with Very High settings, it consistently achieves 60FPS across many GPUs. At 1440p, leading NVIDIA GPUs maintained frame rates above 60FPS, while AMD's RX 9070XT and RX 7900XTX averaged 70FPS and 68FPS, respectively. For Native 4K at Very High settings, the NVIDIA RTX 5090 delivered a minimum of 65FPS. The game scales well with graphics presets, achieving over 60FPS at lower settings. DLSS 4.5 improved performance significantly, with frame rates exceeding 100FPS in some scenarios. The graphics are impressive, though character models may not match the quality of top-tier titles. Minor traversal stutters were noted but did not significantly impact gameplay. Overall, the game performs well across various PC configurations, especially at 1080p with compatible monitors.

AppWizard

June 12, 2026

This gaming PC can boot to Windows in just six seconds, runs Unreal at 1300fps

A Reddit user named OMORES constructed a gaming PC that boots to Windows 95 in six seconds, using a Ryzen 9 9900X processor, 64GB of DDR5-6400 RAM, and a PCIe to PCI adapter for legacy expansion cards. The setup includes an Nvidia GeForce 7900 GS graphics card and an NVMe M.2 SSD, achieving a boot time significantly faster than a typical Windows 11 system, which takes around ten to twenty seconds. OMORES's build can run classic games like Half-Life and the original Unreal at 1300 frames per second.

AppWizard

May 25, 2026

We tested Advanced Shader Delivery on the RX 9070 XT in six games — up to 95% improvement in load times and 33 percent faster 1% Low FPS

Advanced Shader Delivery (ASD) significantly reduces load times and improves frame rates in games. In tests across six titles, loading times improved by up to 95%, and certain games showed enhancements in 1% low FPS metrics. ASD allows precompiled shaders to be included with game downloads, preventing shader compilation stutter. Forza Horizon 6 saw load times decrease from 48 seconds to 2 seconds (96% improvement), while The Outer Worlds 2's load time dropped from nearly three minutes to 9 seconds (95% reduction). Ninja Gaiden 4 experienced smoother gameplay with ASD enabled, despite no pre-compilation step. Avowed's load time improved by 78%, reducing the wait by over two minutes. Hogwarts Legacy had a 56% reduction in load time, while Silent Hill f did not benefit from ASD in terms of load times but still faced shader compilation stutters.

AppWizard

May 21, 2026

Save $400 on this Nvidia RTX 5080 gaming PC that’s cheaper than you could build yourself

iBuyPower is offering substantial discounts on pre-built gaming PCs during their Memorial Day sale, with the RDY Trace X B01 model featuring an RTX 5080 graphics card, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a 2TB SSD, a 360mm AIO CPU cooler, and an 850W power supply. The original price of the RDY Trace X B01 was ,199, but it has been reduced to ,799. The system is powered by an Intel Core i9 14900KF CPU on a Z790 motherboard. While it may not perform as well for gaming compared to AMD's latest processors, it is a solid choice for those not concerned with future upgrades. The closest comparable build found on PCPartPicker totaled ,796.79, excluding a Windows license and peripherals.

Winsage

May 18, 2026

Why Your Windows 11 PC Doesn’t Get AI Features

Several hundred million Windows 11 users are experiencing frustrations due to the absence of Microsoft features like Recall and Cocreator, which are only available on Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft has divided Windows 11 into two tiers, with the latest AI functionalities requiring specific hardware known as Copilot+ PC. To qualify, a device must have: - An NPU capable of at least 40 TOPS - A minimum of 16 GB of RAM (DDR5 or LPDDR5) - At least 256 GB of SSD storage - Windows 11 version 24H2 or newer - A processor from specific families: Qualcomm Snapdragon X series, Intel Core Ultra 200V (Lunar Lake), or AMD Ryzen AI 300 series Many PCs lack these features due to missing NPUs, insufficient TOPS ratings, unsupported processor generations, outdated Windows versions, rollout delays, or regional limits. Features locked behind Copilot+ include Recall, Click to Do, Cocreator in Paint, Windows Studio Effects, Live Captions with Translation, Improved Windows Search, and Auto Super Resolution. To check for Copilot+ compatibility, users can verify the presence of an NPU in Task Manager, ensure they have Windows 11 version 24H2 or newer, and confirm their processor against the approved list. While some workarounds exist to enable features on unsupported PCs, they are often unstable and not recommended for primary use. Most users may not need to upgrade their laptops unless they require on-device AI features or their current device is significantly outdated. The AI feature gap is not currently critical for most users, as many features are optional or not essential.

Winsage

May 11, 2026

My Windows 11 PC now has the iconic Windows XP taskbar, and it’s weirdly perfect

An enthusiast with a gaming PC featuring an RTX 4070 Ti and 32GB of DDR5 RAM integrated a Windows XP taskbar into their Windows 11 setup using Windhawk, a customization tool. After installing Windhawk, they selected the "WinXP" theme from the "Windows 11 Taskbar Styler" mod, transforming the taskbar into a nostalgic XP version without compromising functionality. Core features like notifications and pinned applications remained intact, and the system tray adopted the XP theme. The user also explored various other mods, including real-time CPU and RAM usage display, a middle-click application close feature, and a volume control center on the taskbar, enhancing their personalized computing experience.

AppWizard

May 9, 2026

Steam Machine release window, specs, and price estimate

The Steam Machine is a compact gaming system developed by Valve that allows users to access their Steam library from a living room setup. It features a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 six-core CPU, an AMD RDNA 3 GPU, 16GB of RAM, and options for 512GB or 2TB NVMe SSD storage. The device supports 4K gaming through AMD's FSR upscaling technology and includes various connectivity options such as DisplayPort, HDMI, and USB ports. Its dimensions are 156 x 162.4 x 152mm, and it weighs 2.6 kg. Valve has hinted at a release window of "early 2026" and is targeting a price around 9 for the 512GB model and 9 for the 2TB version, although market conditions may affect final pricing.

AppWizard

May 9, 2026

Knockout CLX RTX 5080 gaming PC deal with 285K and insane 64GB DDR5 RAM also comes with free games

The CLX Set gaming PC features an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor and an RTX 5080 graphics card, designed for high frame rates at 4K and 1440p resolutions. It includes 64GB of DDR5 RAM, a 2TB SSD, and a 4TB HDD, catering to both gaming enthusiasts and professionals. The current price is ,600.99, reduced by , and includes two games: PRAGMATA and Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, valued at .99 and .99, respectively. The system is capable of handling demanding tasks such as encryption, encoding, 4K video editing, and AI applications. The RTX 5080 supports seamless 4K gaming and content creation, with options for overclocking.