high-performance Archives

Tech Optimizer

July 3, 2025

Running high-performance PostgreSQL on Azure Kubernetes Service

PostgreSQL supports 36% of all database workloads on Kubernetes, an increase of 6 percentage points since 2022. Managing PostgreSQL workloads on Kubernetes involves complexities related to StatefulSets, deployments, and performance optimization. Two deployment options for PostgreSQL workloads are available: Azure Container Storage for low-latency, high-IOPS requirements using local NVMe, and Premium SSD v2 for price-performance optimization. Azure Container Storage is a managed solution that dynamically provisions storage backed by local NVMe drives. Benchmark results show PostgreSQL can achieve nearly 15,000 transactions per second (TPS) with low latency using Standard_L16s_v3 VM, and up to 26,000 TPS with larger VMs. Premium SSD v2 supports up to 80,000 IOPS and 1,200 MB/s per volume. Benchmark tests indicated local NVMe achieved 14,812 TPS at 4.321 milliseconds latency, while Premium SSD v2 recorded 8,600 TPS at 7.417 milliseconds latency. The CloudNativePG operator simplifies high availability PostgreSQL deployment on Azure Kubernetes Service, offering built-in replication, automated failover, and application-consistent backups.

Tech Optimizer

July 1, 2025

Fluent Commerce’s approach to near-zero downtime Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL upgrade at 32 TB scale using snapshots and AWS DMS ongoing replication

Fluent Commerce utilizes Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition as its OLTP database engine to manage complex customer search queries. The company migrated to AWS Graviton instances to enhance performance and cost-efficiency, requiring a major version upgrade from Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible 10.14 to 12.4 or higher. The migration involved upgrading over 350 production databases, some as large as 32 TB, using AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) and various upgrade strategies to minimize downtime. The migration process included configuring replication slots, creating snapshots, and validating data between source and target databases. AWS DMS was chosen for its cost-effectiveness, seamless integration with AWS services, and capabilities for ongoing data replication with minimal downtime. The cutover process involved updating application configurations, managing sequence numbers, and ensuring optimal performance through vacuuming and analyzing tables.

AppWizard

June 30, 2025

Forget Prime Day, Steam’s Summer Sale has unbeatable deals on the best games — here’s 15 I’m adding to my cart now

The Steam Summer Sale is currently happening and runs until July 10, offering significant discounts on a variety of games. Notable deals include Cult of the Lamb, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 priced at .99, Fallout 76 available for under , and Elden Ring at a discounted price. Prices for games in the sale start as low as . The sale features hundreds of games, providing an opportunity for gamers to expand their collections at reduced prices.

Winsage

June 28, 2025

Mercedes-AMG Might Be Having a Windows Vista Moment With These Four-Cylinder Hybrids

Microsoft's Windows Vista, released in 2007, faced significant user dissatisfaction due to performance issues, compatibility problems, and crashes, despite its advanced features. Similarly, Mercedes-AMG's introduction of four-cylinder plug-in hybrid vehicles has led to discontent among enthusiasts, who miss the auditory excitement typical of high-performance cars. Reports indicate that Mercedes is shifting back to inline-sixes and V8 engines due to this disconnect with traditional customers. The four-cylinder AMG models, launched in 2022, may have a short legacy, with fewer than 100,000 units sold. AMG's boss, Michael Schiebe, acknowledged the need for better communication about the technology to customers and salespeople. The criticisms of the new models highlight a lack of the expected sound experience that performance car enthusiasts value.

Winsage

June 24, 2025

Stay secure with Windows 11, Copilot+ PCs and Windows 365 before support ends for Windows 10

Windows has been the most widely used operating system globally since its launch in 1985, currently powering over a billion active devices each month. Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025, meaning Microsoft will stop providing security and feature updates, as well as technical support for Windows 10 PCs. Users can check their eligibility for upgrading to Windows 11 through the Settings menu or the PC Health Check app. Windows 11 features enhanced security, improved performance, and a modern user interface, with built-in accessibility tools and AI capabilities. The Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program will provide critical security updates for personal devices from October 15, 2025, to October 13, 2026. Organizations can subscribe to ESU for continued security updates for a year, with the option to renew annually. Windows 365 offers a cloud-based solution for transitioning to Windows 11 without needing to replace all devices immediately. Various Windows 11 and Copilot+ PCs are available from partners like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Surface.

AppWizard

June 22, 2025

This Week in Crypto Games: B3’s Self-Destruct PC, Avalanche Battle Pass

B3, a layer-3 gaming protocol founded by former Coinbase employees, acquired Andromeda Insights, a gaming PC manufacturer, to control the entire gaming ecosystem. Their first product, the B3PC, features a self-destruct storage drive, hardware wallet, encryption, on-chain game support, and offline transaction capabilities. It is available for preorder with a 0 deposit and expected delivery in Q1 2026. B3's protocol supports over 80 games and launched its native token in February 2023. Avalanche introduced a free-to-mint NFT called the Avalanche Battle Pass to incentivize cross-game participation. Developed by Ava Labs and Playfull, the pass allows players to earn rewards by engaging with partnered games and supports over a dozen titles. Off the Grid has over 300,000 daily players, while MapleStory N has reached 770,000 users since its May launch. Pudgy Penguins game Pengu Clash launched on Telegram, and Avalanche's Forgotten Playland implemented in-game NFT support as part of its major update.

Winsage

June 20, 2025

How Uniphore achieved 30% cost savings by modernizing Windows servers on AWS

Uniphore is an AI innovation company that faced challenges with its legacy Windows Server infrastructure, which was costly and raised security concerns due to its end-of-support status. To modernize, Uniphore utilized Amazon Web Services (AWS) for containerization and cloud-native solutions, achieving a 30% reduction in costs and improved operational capabilities. The migration involved transitioning from 50 bare-metal Windows Server 2008 R2 instances to a Linux environment on AWS, optimizing call-center analytics workloads and enabling better training of large language models. The modernization strategy included three key areas: application modernization through refactoring and containerization, a custom data migration solution using Type 2 hypervisor technology, and a cloud infrastructure setup with Amazon EC2, Amazon EKS, Amazon EFS, and Amazon S3. The migration was executed in three phases: deploying the hypervisor and DataSync agent, secure data migration and validation, and production cutover with application deployment. Best practices adopted during the process included Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform, CI/CD pipelines using GitLab, comprehensive monitoring with DATADOG and CloudWatch, and enforcement of AWS Backup policies. The modernization resulted in benefits such as improved scalability and performance, flexibility and portability of applications, enhanced security and compliance, efficient data management, reduced operational overhead, and significant cost savings.

AppWizard

June 19, 2025

Best deals for PC gamers today: boutique rigs and game bundles

Today's technology offerings include high-end and budget-friendly gaming systems. The MAINGEAR RUSH Mk. IV is priced at ,774 and features an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, 48GB T-Force Xtreem RGB Memory, 2TB T-Force A440 NVMe SSD, ASRock Phantom Gaming X870E Nova WiFi Motherboard, MAINGEAR Epic 360 RGB Cooling, 850W MSI MAG A850GL PSU, and Windows 11 Home. It is designed for serious gamers and delivers exceptional performance within five days of ordering, though GPU availability may vary. The Skytech King 95 is a budget option priced at ,099.99, with an additional 5% coupon available. It includes an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU, AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, 32GB DDR5 5600MHz RGB Memory, 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD, 850W Gold PSU, Wi-Fi, Windows 11 Home, and a free RGB keyboard and mouse. The ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless Gaming Keyboard is available for .99, featuring a 96% compact layout, tri-mode connection, hot-swappable NX Snow pre-lubed switches, sound-dampening foam, and durable PBT double-shot keycaps. The ASUS ROG Azoth 75 Wireless Keyboard has an OLED screen and hot-swappable switches, combining high performance with aesthetics. The ASUS ROG Keris II Ace Wireless Gaming Mouse weighs 54g and features ASUS's AimPoint Pro sensor. The Logitech G502 X Plus Wireless Gaming Mouse includes hybrid switches and a 25K HERO sensor. The ASUS ROG Spatha X Wireless Gaming Mouse offers customization options, swappable switches, and wireless charging. The Keychron K6 Pro Wireless Mechanical Keyboard supports wired and wireless use with customizable features. The Crucial T500 2TB NVMe SSD is a fast and affordable storage solution. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Processor is budget-friendly and suitable for 1080p gaming and multitasking. The PNY 256GB PRO Elite Prime microSDXC Card is priced under , offering speed and affordability for game storage. The Fanatical NSPCC Charity Bundle 2025 provides 0 worth of family-friendly and indie games for under , supporting the NSPCC. Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the latest installment in the Warriors franchise. The Fanatical Summer Mystery Bundle 2025 offers a gamble for gamers, potentially yielding great titles or quirky indie games at an affordable price.

Tech Optimizer

June 17, 2025

EDB Postgres AI Accelerates New Era of Sovereign Data and AI for Enterprises, Industries, and Nations

EnterpriseDB has introduced significant advancements to its EDB Postgres AI (EDB PG AI) platform, enabling secure and compliant deployment of AI solutions across Postgres environments. The platform integrates transactional, analytical, and AI workloads into a unified system, featuring automatic pipelines and built-in development tools for data automation. Key capabilities include low-code/no-code simplicity for rapid AI pipeline creation and comprehensive hybrid management for real-time insights across databases. Recent research indicates that only 13% of enterprises have successfully implemented agentic AI applications at scale, with early adopters achieving up to 227% higher ROI. Collaborations with Red Hat aim to provide organizations with solutions for successful AI outcomes. New features include enhanced data security, a purpose-built PG AI Analytics Engine for high-performance queries, and a universal data store for various data models. Performance advantages include six times better total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to SQL Server and up to 150 times faster NoSQL performance than MongoDB. A comparative analysis showed that EDB PG AI reduced overall complexity by 67% and maintenance costs by 38%.

Winsage

June 12, 2025

Microsoft Patched Windows Server 2025 Restart Bug that Disconnects AD Domain Controller

Microsoft has released a patch, KB5060842, on June 10, 2025, to address a vulnerability in Windows Server 2025 that affected Active Directory Domain Controllers' ability to manage network traffic after system restarts. This issue stemmed from the improper initialization of domain firewall profiles during startup, leading to service interruptions and authentication failures. The patch corrects the initialization sequence of these profiles, ensuring proper network traffic management post-restart. Organizations using Windows Server 2025 are advised to implement this update to maintain the reliability of their Active Directory services.