processors

Winsage
May 1, 2025
Windows 12 is speculated to potentially launch in two to three years, following the end of support for Windows 10. It may draw inspiration from previous successful versions like Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 10, focusing on user customization, performance, and reducing bloatware. Windows 11, launched six years after Windows 10, introduced a new visual style and features but faced criticism over hardware requirements. Windows 12 is expected to build on Windows 11's foundation with incremental improvements and enhanced support for ARM processors.
Winsage
April 29, 2025
Microsoft has reintroduced its Recall feature, initially designed for Qualcomm Snapdragon X-powered laptops, which captures snapshots of users' desktops to help locate old documents, images, and web pages. Enhanced security measures have been implemented, including Windows Hello sign-in, data encryption, and isolation protocols, with all data processed locally on users' devices. Recall is an opt-in feature that can be removed. Additionally, Microsoft has introduced an AI-powered Windows search mechanism that allows users to search for files by description. These features are currently exclusive to devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors, with support for AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and Intel Core Ultra 200V series chips expected later this year. Users without compatible hardware must rely on traditional file management methods.
Winsage
April 26, 2025
Microsoft is rolling out enhancements for Copilot+ PCs, including the Recall feature and a revamped Search function that understands contextual meanings for a more intuitive experience. The new "Click to Do" feature allows users to copy text from images, search on-screen content, and summarize or rewrite text by pressing the Windows key and clicking. To use Copilot+, PCs must have specific hardware requirements, including a neural processing unit (NPU) capable of over 40 trillion operations per second. Supported processors for Copilot+ include Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips, Intel's Core Ultra 200V-series laptop chips, and AMD's Ryzen AI 300 series. The Recall feature and enhanced Search are available for both Arm and x86 PCs, while some Click to Do features are exclusive to Arm systems.
AppWizard
April 26, 2025
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered utilizes an Unreal Engine 5 wrapper to enhance the original game, but it carries over some of the original's issues and suffers from significant performance challenges, including frequent stuttering. Digital Foundry analyzed the remaster against the original 2006 version, highlighting advancements in graphics but also noting that the remaster struggles with limited polygon budgets and basic effects. The remaster's performance is inconsistent, especially on mid-range CPUs, leading to poor experiences even on high-end hardware. Disabling hardware RT-based Lumen global illumination can improve performance by about 35%, but at the cost of visual quality. Lowering settings yields only marginal performance improvements, and the game fails to deliver an attractive experience compared to the original. A recent patch did not resolve the stuttering issues, indicating that fundamental CPU-related problems remain unaddressed.
Winsage
April 22, 2025
Windows 11 has released a new preview build in the Beta channel, identified as build 26120.3872, which includes enhancements for accessibility and search functionality, particularly for Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon processors. The update introduces Microsoft's 'Reading Coach' app, available for free starting in 2024, as part of the Click to Do functionality that uses AI for context-sensitive actions. Additionally, Voice Access has been improved, allowing users to customize the system's dictionary by adding specific words for better recognition. The update also includes various tweaks to enhance overall functionality, with a focus on expanding access to these features across different devices.
Tech Optimizer
April 21, 2025
The server-class CPU market is primarily dominated by AMD and Intel, both of which offer dedicated lines of CPUs for server applications. AMD's Threadripper chips are strong competitors to Intel's Xeon processors, with AMD often providing higher core counts that enhance performance for multi-threaded applications. The price-to-performance ratios of both manufacturers are relatively comparable, but each has unique strengths. Prospective buyers are encouraged to research using resources like AnandTech, Tom's Hardware, and the official sites of Intel and AMD for benchmarks and comparative analyses.
Winsage
April 18, 2025
On October 14, 2025, Windows 10 will reach its end of life, affecting users with older PCs that cannot upgrade to Windows 11. ChromeOS Flex is a free operating system by Google designed to modernize older Windows PCs and Macs, offering a fast and secure alternative built on Chromium OS. It does not support standalone Windows applications but allows access to Microsoft 365 and other SaaS applications via web portals. ChromeOS Flex focuses on security with features like automatic updates and data encryption, and it has never experienced a reported ransomware attack. The minimum system requirements include an Intel or AMD x86-64-bit compatible device, 4 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, and the ability to boot from a USB drive. To install ChromeOS Flex, users must back up their files, create a USB installation drive using the Chromebook Recovery Utility, and boot from the USB drive to test compatibility before proceeding with a full installation.
Winsage
April 15, 2025
On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop providing security updates for Windows 10 PCs unless users enroll in the Extended Security Updates program. Upgrading to Windows 11 on machines older than five years may result in an error message about CPU compatibility, as Microsoft will not change the requirement for a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. While automatic upgrades may be hindered, there are workarounds for most PCs designed for Windows 10. To upgrade, the computer must boot using UEFI, support Secure Boot, and have an enabled TPM (version 1.2 is acceptable). Users can check their system's BIOS mode and TPM status using the System Information utility and the Trusted Platform Module Management tool, respectively. If UEFI is not an option or if the PC lacks a TPM, an undocumented hack can be used to bypass compatibility checks. A new restriction with the Windows 11 version 24H2 update requires CPUs to support SSE4.2 and PopCnt instructions, making upgrades impossible for PCs built in 2008 or earlier. Most Intel CPUs from 2009 and AMD CPUs from 2013 should meet this requirement. Users can bypass CPU checks and accept any TPM version through a registry edit, which requires running the Setup program from the current Windows installation. The process involves creating a registry key and modifying its value. Alternatively, the Rufus utility can be used to create a bootable USB drive that circumvents compatibility checks, but it cannot bypass the restrictions for very old CPUs lacking support for SSE4.2 and PopCnt instructions.
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