HW News - NVIDIA Adds 'Smart Access Memory,' Zen 3 Delid & Die Shots, Intel Add-in GPU In this week's hardware news recap, the spotlight shines on NVIDIA's latest moves in response to AMD's Smart Access Memory (SAM). The video from Gamers Nexus brings several key updates that are relevant for PC enthusiasts and gamers alike.
NVIDIA's Counter to AMD's Smart Access Memory
The leading story revolves around NVIDIA's announcement to implement PCIe resizable BAR functionality, aiming to compete with AMD's SAM advantages for gamers using AMD's RX 6000 series graphics cards together with Ryzen 5000 CPUs. NVIDIA has indicated that this would not only enhance performance for its own GPUs but also work seamlessly on Intel platforms, provided certain conditions are met. The resizable BAR capability allows for improved communication between the CPU and GPU, potentially increasing performance in various titles—a feature AMD has highlighted with significant success. Initial benchmarks have shown that AMD's implementation can yield performance boosts ranging between 2% to 11%, depending on conditions.
AMD's Position
AMD, meanwhile, has been addressing allegations regarding its Ryzen 5000 series launch being nothing more than a "paper launch." They are currently seeing intense demand, which has outpaced supply. AMD representative Frank Azor defended the company's efforts by stating that they are committed to ensuring their products reach end users, as opposed to being swallowed up by bots and scalpers.
MSI Factory Fire
In an unfortunate turn of events, MSI's Shenzhen factory experienced a fire. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries and the factory’s production lines reportedly remained intact. This facility is critical as it produces around 1.6 million motherboards and an equivalent number of graphics cards monthly.
De-lidding the Zen 3 CPUs
The video also discusses a fascinating incident where a user, known as Fritzkin, de-lidded a Ryzen 5 5600X processor, offering deep insights into the chip's architecture. This year, AMD's Ryzen 5000 CPUs have received a lot of attention for their strong performance, making any available information about their internals of great interest to the community.
Apple and Intel Updates
In other significant news, Apple is making strides with its ARM-based M1 processors, which could profoundly change the CPU landscape away from x86 architectures. Meanwhile, Intel is gearing up to ship its first discrete server GPUs, the XG310, highlighting its continuous push into the discrete GPU market—a space that is crucial for cloud gaming and media streaming applications.
Conclusion
With ever-increasing competition among NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel, hardware enthusiasts have a lot to digest this week. From new technological advancements and product launches to industry controversies, the landscape of PC gaming and computing continues to evolve rapidly.
Engagement
What do you think about NVIDIA's response to AMD's Smart Access Memory? Are you excited about the Ryzen 5000 series or Apple's new M1 chips? Share your opinions and experiences below!
