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8GB Nvidia and AMD graphics card prices are plummeting, as PC gamers demand more VRAM
AppWizard
October 16, 2025

8GB Nvidia and AMD graphics card prices are plummeting, as PC gamers demand more VRAM

Gamers are increasingly avoiding 8GB graphics cards, despite their lower prices compared to 16GB models. AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB cards are currently priced at 9.99, below the MSRP, and similar discounts are seen for Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB cards. Reviews indicate that 8GB of VRAM is becoming inadequate for modern games, with performance issues noted even at 1080p resolution. For example, in tests, 8GB cards like the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 5060 struggle significantly in demanding games. In contrast, 16GB cards perform better, with the 16GB Radeon RX 9060 XT averaging 103fps at 4K. The market reflects this trend, as 16GB cards maintain their value while 8GB options are discounted. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, despite having 8GB VRAM, remains stable in price due to brand strength and lack of competition. Overall, there is a growing preference for 16GB graphics cards among gamers.
As yet another Stellaris DLC lands to negative outcry, Paradox admits fixing performance is a "long haul"
AppWizard
October 3, 2025

As yet another Stellaris DLC lands to negative outcry, Paradox admits fixing performance is a “long haul”

The Stellaris DLC, Shadows of the Shroud, has received a 43% positive rating on Steam, primarily due to performance issues such as bugs, desyncs, crashes, and instability, rather than the content itself. Game director Stephen 'Eladrin' Muray acknowledged these challenges and mentioned that the open beta for patch 4.1.4 revealed critical issues, leading to a new open beta, 4.1.5, focused on fixes. Performance is a top priority for the Stellaris team, with a subteam dedicated to diagnosing and resolving issues. Muray noted an unusually large number of ships in late-game saves, attributed to enhanced economies from version 4.0, and highlighted the AI's improved naval capacity. The performance of version 4.1 is marginally better than 3.14 until around 2300, after which performance diverges sharply. The team is working on reducing ship counts through economic balancing and mechanical changes. QA analyst 'Gosia' confirmed the team's commitment to performance testing across various machine specifications. Muray mentioned that the performance team is rewriting how modifiers are calculated, which could positively impact late-game performance. He also discussed a new mod that increases ship costs and power to reduce vessel numbers and emphasized the need to address non-linear growth in the post-4.0 economy. Multiplayer stability and desyncs are ongoing concerns, with the team actively working to resolve these issues and encouraging players to report problems.
How we loaded a petabyte into PostgreSQL before New Year — and what happened next
Tech Optimizer
August 26, 2025

How we loaded a petabyte into PostgreSQL before New Year — and what happened next

A team decided to test PostgreSQL's capabilities with a one-petabyte database, setting a challenge for December 10, with a report due by January 20. They initially sought cloud storage but found no provider could meet their requirement for a single chunk of storage, leading them to rent physical servers. They used Shardman, a distributed database engine, to manage the database across seven servers. They employed the YCSB benchmark for performance testing and faced various challenges, including data loading issues and hardware problems. By January 15, they reached 863 terabytes of data generation, falling short of their petabyte goal, and documented their findings for future reference.
In an embarrassment for Microsoft, SteamOS seems to destroy Windows 11 on gaming performance and battery life, as well as usability
Winsage
May 26, 2025

In an embarrassment for Microsoft, SteamOS seems to destroy Windows 11 on gaming performance and battery life, as well as usability

Early comparisons between SteamOS and Windows 11 on identical hardware show that SteamOS offers significantly better gaming performance, particularly in battery life. The Lenovo Legion Go S, when running SteamOS, provides over six hours of gameplay on 2D games like Dead Cells, while the Windows version only achieves 2.75 hours. Despite Windows 11's compatibility with various gaming platforms, it has faced criticism for performance issues and unnecessary features. Windows holds a dominant market share of about 70% in desktop operating systems, but the rise of SteamOS may challenge this position.
3 times Microsoft has tried (and failed) to reinvent PC gaming
AppWizard
March 24, 2025

3 times Microsoft has tried (and failed) to reinvent PC gaming

Microsoft has faced criticism from the PC gaming community due to frequent Windows updates causing crashes and altering features. The Universal Windows Platform (UWP), introduced in the mid-2010s to unify operating systems, faced backlash from gamers for restricting access to game files and complicating third-party software use. Many developers bypassed UWP, leading Microsoft to reintroduce Win32 games by 2019. DirectX 10 was exclusive to Windows Vista, resulting in only 87 games being developed for it due to the unpopularity of Vista and lack of backward compatibility. Games for Windows Live (GFWL) aimed to bring Xbox Live to PC but became frustrating due to its closed ecosystem, leading to accessibility issues and unplayable titles after server shutdowns. Microsoft has since improved the gaming experience on Windows, focusing on user choice and compatibility, with features like Auto HDR and DirectStorage integrated into Windows 11.
AMD's most powerful processor ever actually runs better on Windows 10 than Windows 11
Winsage
March 13, 2025

AMD’s most powerful processor ever actually runs better on Windows 10 than Windows 11

Recent benchmarks indicate that AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D performs better on Windows 10 than on Windows 11. In gaming tests, it achieved 729 fps on Windows 10 compared to 710 fps on Windows 11, with a further decline when virtualization-based security (VBS) was enabled. For example, in Fortnite, it recorded 591 fps on Windows 10 and 541 fps on Windows 11, with VBS causing a 9.2% performance drop. Other games also showed similar discrepancies between the two operating systems. A custom-tuned version of Windows 11 24H2 did not outperform a standard installation of Windows 10. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D was released on March 12, 2025, and is priced at 9/£699/AU,349. It features 16 cores, but only eight access the 3D V-cache, which may affect its performance compared to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.
Unreal Engine often gets flack for games running poorly or stuttering, but as Avowed demonstrates, it's really about how devs use it and the pressures of time
AppWizard
February 13, 2025

Unreal Engine often gets flack for games running poorly or stuttering, but as Avowed demonstrates, it’s really about how devs use it and the pressures of time

Black Myth: Wukong, Frostpunk 2, Palworld, Stalker 2, Tekken 8, Silent Hill 2, and Avowed are all developed using Unreal Engine 5 (UE5). These games have shown inconsistent performance on PC platforms, with social media often blaming UE5. Avowed, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, has erratic frame rates and unconventional upscaling techniques but is visually impressive and generally smooth. Silent Hill 2, developed by Blooper Team, faced bugs and inconsistencies at launch, although patches have been released. Both Obsidian and Blooper Team have experience with Unreal Engine, raising questions about performance issues. Critics compare UE5 unfavorably to Id Tech 7, a proprietary engine known for high performance, due to the extensive customization available to its developers. Unreal Engine is versatile for game development and other applications but presents challenges in transitioning from simple projects to AAA games. Epic Games is addressing common issues like shader compilation stutter and traversal stutter in UE5, but large developers face challenges in updating code without introducing new issues. The timing of game releases often leads to less-than-ideal launch states, with the expectation of post-launch fixes. Avowed may also require adjustments after release, depending on its commercial success and the resources available to Obsidian, who is also working on a sequel to The Outer Worlds using UE5. The main challenge for developers is time, which affects the quality of game releases.
Call of Duty: Warzone Runs Significantly Better On Xbox PC & Battlenet Than Steam, Since Season 1 Launched
AppWizard
November 22, 2024

Call of Duty: Warzone Runs Significantly Better On Xbox PC & Battlenet Than Steam, Since Season 1 Launched

Players of Call of Duty: Warzone on Steam are experiencing significantly lower frame rates compared to those on Battle.net and the Xbox PC app, with Steam users struggling to maintain even 80 FPS while others enjoy frame rates between 100 to 200 FPS. The most popular GPU among surveyed users is the RTX 3060, which can deliver over 100 FPS at 1440p in competitive titles. The performance issues may be related to optimization challenges specific to the Steam version of the game, with speculation that a fix could be pending approval from Steam. Ongoing post-launch challenges are common for Call of Duty games, and players may want to consider alternatives to Steam for better performance and ownership rights.
I tried to settle the dumbest debate in PC gaming | Digital Trends
AppWizard
September 8, 2024

I tried to settle the dumbest debate in PC gaming | Digital Trends

Many gamers debate the merits of borderless versus fullscreen modes in PC gaming, often seeking optimal settings for performance. A recent benchmarking of modern games revealed little to no performance differences between these display options. Notable titles tested, including Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption 2, showed consistent results, with only Hitman 3 presenting an exclusive fullscreen option. The term "fullscreen" can be misleading, as it traditionally referred to exclusive fullscreen where the graphics card controls the display, while modern games may not adhere to this definition. The introduction of the DXGI flip presentation model in Windows 8 improved frame rendering efficiency, allowing even fullscreen games to utilize the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) for composition. As of 2024, the distinction between borderless and fullscreen modes is less significant, allowing players to choose based on preference rather than performance.
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