Brian

So did they do anything special to use 10% less power or is it a case of binning?

NVIDIA just sent word that they have created a new "GeForce GTX VR Ready" program where participating hardware partners will produce GeForce GTX equipped systems that will have the NVIDIA approved GeForce GTX VR Ready badge. NVIDIA is doing this in hopes of simplifying the buying process as many consumers aren't aware of the immense GPU power necessary to deliver a quality VR experience. According to NVIDIA, VR demands "seven times the graphics processing power of traditional 3D games and applications". Some of the partners that will be participating in this new program include Alienware, MAINGEAR and MSI with the full list of partners available here. The press release is as follows: View full article

AMD has just e-mailed the press release (found at the end of this article) for it's new next generation 14nm FinFET GPU architecture called Polaris. In addition, AMD has produced a new video in which Raja Koduri, SVP and Chief Architect of AMD's Radeon Technology Group, and others from AMD, discuss Polaris and also give us a demonstration of it with 2x perf/watt gains vs "a comparable GPU from the competition". Earlier VideoCardz leaked some Polaris slides that are now confirmed as being accurate so we've included them here: A lot of this information isn't a big surprise to those that follow the GPU industry closely but at least now we have official confirmation from AMD. The following is their official press release: EDIT: Article corrected for errors 1/4/16 View full article

@Khenglishcan probably verify more than I can but it looks similar to what I've seen when memory fails on a GPU. Aside from that, do you have any custom bios/vbios installed on your system? If you do, first thing I'd do is revert to stock settings. Since you connected the system to a TV and it still happened, that rules out the monitor or any connections to it. Edit: It's an integrated GPU and you swapped motherboards right? So as Khenglish said below, try a fresh Windows install.

Even as Microsoft's newest CEO Satya Nadella tries to steer the company back into relevance by attempting to unify Microsoft notebook, desktop, tablet and smartphone platforms under the "One Microsoft" structure devised by his predecessor Steve Ballmer, most consumers and developers don't seem to care and the company appears destined to fall into obscurity. While it currently dominates the desktop market, it's newest and greatest hope in achieving the "One Microsoft" vision is Windows 10 and at the end of 2015, it barely had climbed to 10% share despite Microsoft's strong marketing push by giving it away for free. In fact, Windows 7 still retains 55% of the desktop OS market with consumers and developers alike perfectly content to stay where they are. According to Forbes, Microsoft is now changing tactics by attempting to scare consumers into upgrading to Windows 10 by telling them Windows 7 has potentially serious security risks and hardware compatibility issues. In speaking to Windows Weekly, Microsoft Marketing chief Chris Capossela said that users who continue on with Windows 7 do so "at your own risk, at your own peril". Forbes Gordon Kelly notes that Microsoft's statements about Windows 7 amount to "complete rubbish" as Windows 7 will be supported until 2020 and with its greater market share vs Windows 10, it is guaranteed to receive more developer attention--which includes security patches and driver updates. Microsoft's motives are fairly transparent as it has a stated goal of one billion devices running Windows 10 within 2-3 years of it's release and with Windows 10 adoption seemingly faltering, they are getting desperate. To make things worse, Vox has an article with a very interesting graph created by Joshua Kunst which illustrates Microsoft losing significant ground among developers since 2008. He made the graph by tracking popular tags on Stack Overflow, a popular forum where many developers hang out and answer programming questions. Looking at this chart, going back to 2008 when Stack Overflow was founded, it becomes clear that Microsoft backed programming languages and applications have declined: C#, .NET, ASP.NET, SQL all lost ground, yet competing alternatives such as PHP, MYSQL, JavaScript gained significantly. JavaScript owes part of its rise thanks to Android which uses it as the main language for Android apps. In the gaming market, Xbox One started off with a faulty strategy of attempting to force users into purchasing their Kinect device while their competitor Sony produced a more powerful system that did not have similar bundling restrictions. Microsoft eventually backed off but it seems to be too late as Sony's PS4 now holds a dominant lead over Xbox One despite Microsoft's best efforts. (image credit: Ars Technica) So will Microsoft be able to turn around its misfortunes? Maybe if Windows 10 has a drastic turn around in 2016 with more developers getting on board, it is possible but as of right now, the future doesn't seem too bright. View full article

Seems like a clear cut driver issue. Ask @J95if he can assist you with a driver mod.

If you're into e-sports then you've probably heard of MLG (Major League Gaming) as they were pretty big in the scene and held tournaments for StarCraft 2, Call of Duty and others. It turns out that MLG was running substantial debt and needed a way out and so on Dec. 21st, MLG's Board of Directors approved an Asset Purchase Agreement with Activision Blizzard for $46 million. Of course the stockholders had no idea this was happening and it seems most of them will be left with next to nothing after MLG's debts are paid off. Esports Observer spoke with one of the affected stockholders who said, "I got fucked on stock". In fact, it was only the next day after the purchase agreement that the stockholders were informed of the sale. Nobody knows what Activision Blizzard intends to do with this purchase since they are close with ESL so starting their own competing eSports tournament may not make much sense. View full article

Although internet gaming addiction isn't officially a disorder in DSM-5, it is mentioned in DSM-5 section III as follows: The subject of gaming addiction is nothing new and there are studies that can be found on nih's website which go back several years. Popular Science has an interesting article about a recent internet gaming addiction study found in the journal Addiction Biology. This study took MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of 78 teenage boys that were diagnosed with Internet Gaming Disorder (as noted above, not an official diagnosis in DSM-5) and compared them against 73 control subjects that did not have this disorder. What they found is that the teens with the gaming addiction had formed several stronger connections between certain parts of the brain such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insulae that allow them to react more quickly to certain events (e.g. twitch shooters like CS:Go). Conversely however, the researchers also found a lack of impulse control in the subjects attributed to a strong connection between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction, something that is found in patients with Down syndrome, schizophrenia and autism. With the prevalence of internet game streaming on twitch and the draw of tournament prize pools worth millions of dollars, the number of teens and adults drawn to long hours of gaming will almost certainly lead to a much larger number of people who may be susceptible to these possible deleterious changes to their physiology. (photo credit: extremetech) However, before any definite conclusions can be drawn about internet gaming addiction, many other causal or contributing factors would need to be accounted for such as those with preexisting disorders being naturally drawn to video games. Additionally, female teens and adults addicted to gaming warrants further study to compare them against their male counterparts. View full article

See the instructions for that here:

Read the forum promotion rules.

Ian Murdock, the founder of the Debian project and CTO of the Linux Foundation has passed away at a young age of 42 years old. Although no official reason is given for his death, it is speculated that he committed suicide. On his now deleted twitter account , he talked of an altercation with the police who he claimed had assaulted him. In one particular tweet, he threatened to commit suicide to bring to light what he viewed as unchecked police brutality. Unfortunately, he used some unsavory language to convey his anger and feelings of mistreatment: A reddit thread of concerned users discussed his twitter posts and although his twitter account was deleted, one user managed to preserve all his tweets via pastebin: 7:12pm: I am a white male, make a lot money, pay a lot of money in taxes, and yet their abuse is equally doned out. DO NOT CROSS THEM! 7:08pm: This was right after the female officer ripped off my underwear.. I guess that's not considered rape if you're not a woman being raped. 7:03pm: "We're the police, we can do whatever the fuck we want.." 6:49pm: What does one have to get education wise to become a police officer.. asking for a friend. 6:42pm: The rest of my life is to fight against the police.. they are NOT friends, so don't ever ever believe otherwise. 6:41pm: The police are uneducated, evil, and sadistic. Do not trust them. 6:33pm: (2/2) They are uneducated, bitter, and and only interested in power for its own sake. Contact me [email protected] if you can help. -ian 6:31pm: (1/2) The rest of my life will be devoted to fighting against police abuse.. I'm white, I made $1.4 million last year, 6:07pm: i'm hoping coming from a successful white guy it will help everyone 6:06pm: i'm going to post my case on my blog.. if anyone can post it on hacker news or wherever i would apprieciate it 6:00pm: @jacksormwriter wants me dead 5:48pm: Writing up my experience for others to hopefully prevent others from police abuse then you won't hear from me again 5:45pm: where they put you in a cell with absolutely no instructions whatever aside from the spell on the floor in piss? 5:45pm: shall i post pictures for all my bruises from my against the police officers? 5:38pm: they said no 5:38pm: i asked if they had cameras 5:37pm: then followed my home from there 5:37pm: i had to have swtitches 5:36pm: then they pulled me out of my house and did it again 5:36pm: they followed me home 5:36pm: i had to go to the hospital 5:35pm: they beat the shit out of me twice, then charged me $25,000 to get out of jail for battery against THEM 5:34pm: if anyone wants to come over and see what the police did to me i would be more than happy for that 5:30pm: I'm not committing suicide today. I'll write this all up first, so the police brutality ENDEMIC in this so call free country will be known. 5:27pm: Maybe my suicide at this, you now, a successful business man, not a NIGGER, will finally bring some attention to this very serious issue. 5:25pm: My career is over now, so I'll be gone soon. 5:23pm: Quote: "We're the police, we always win." 5:22pm: I'll write more much later. They still don't have cameras on all police so I'm going to use my somewhat celebrity to hopefully stop this. 5:21pm: My bail for "assault against a police officer" are all that: $25,000. 5:20pm: Then beat me up some more. 5:20pm: I'll write more on my blog later. But the police here beat me up for knowing on my neighbor's door.. they sent me to the hospital. 5:17pm: https://t.co/I1CSCJErWf 5:14pm: watch my blog later http://ianmurdock.com 5:13pm: i'm committing suicide tonight.. do not intervene as i have many stories to tell and do not want them to die with me #debian #runnerkristy67 Whatever the reason or cause, it is a loss to the Linux and Debian community. View full article

Every avid PC fps player has dreamed of being in the thick of the action in a more simulated way than a keyboard and mouse provides. With the promise of VR like Oculus and HTC Vive, we're supposed to be taking the first steps towards that reality although they both still leave a lot to be desired for those that want to hold an item physically and manipulate it in real time. Hexus has an article about a small group of avid fps players and developers called UzBrainnet that want to fill that gap with their RAIL GUN controller via their Kickstarter campaign. According to UzBrainnet's biography, they're a team of engineers who are obsessed with popular FPS games like Counter Strike that want to bring the feeling of shooting a real gun to the genre. They do this by offering four separate attachments or "units" for an airsoft gun that connect wirelessly via USB and can be used on nearly every platform including PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One and even in conjunction with Oculus. UzBrainnet claims that the RAIL GUN employs special "Fast Rotation" algorithms that allow you to turn 180 or 360 degrees naturally without that awkward feeling typically associated with other motion sensing technologies. In addition to motion sensing, because the RAIL GUN kit attaches to an actual airsoft gun that typically has it's own recoil and sound, you end up with a fully immersive experience. As for game compatibility, it purports to be compatible with a wide assortment of FPS games that include Call of Duty, Star Wars: Battlefront, Destiny, Battlefield Hardline and many others and can be used by nearly anyone ranging from an FPS beginner to enthusiast. The following is their official Kickstarter campaign video that shows off the device in action and another gameplay video of a stormtrooper playing Battlefront: What the Kickstarter campaign doesn't mention is what kind of latency one should expect with the RAIL GUN but looking at the Battlefront video above, it is easy to pick up on the slight lag between the person moving the gun and the on screen action. If the campaign is successful, perhaps the development team will continue to improve upon this to minimize any latency since that is one key factor in nearly any FPS game. With 21 days left in the campaign and nearly $27,000 raised out of the $100,000 goal, it has a decent chance of succeeding. The cost of entry for one of the finished RAIL GUN units is $165. View full article

Are you sure this is really malicious software? A cursory search shows it to be laptop tracing software in case it gets stolen. I think this is the company behind it: https://www.absolute.com/en Of course if you don't want it on your device, then @Prema would be the man to flush it out.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan I was mildly interested until I saw the above. This guy hasn't made a good movie since sixth sense and is basically a master of flops.

So far the friend I mentioned has been part of the insider program shortly after Win 10 launched and he keeps getting free updated builds. The only caveat is you cannot opt out of updates which doesn't seem like a bad deal to me.

Seems obvious but why not just upgrade his system to Windows 7? This way he gets a free upgrade to Windows 10 as well. The license should be transferable to his new desktop as long as he calls MS and tells them. Edit: Okay it seems that seller on Amazon is a bit shady, shame. He can alternatively join the MS insider program and get Windows 10 insider builds right now for free. A friend of mine did that and it's a legitimate path to an upgrade. It seems long term that might be less stressful than trying to find a work around for Vista.

Yes thanks to the likes of Apple who then influenced Dell and the others. But with AMD making a come back with Zen I hope things change in 2016.

First post links fixed. Always report the post if you see a broken link otherwise we don't know about it and can't fix it.

@Khenglish Been waiting for this type of guide for a while now. Looking forward to see how things go with the 970m. Question is if the timings can be manipulated via vbios for the new memory, maybe @Prema would be someone to consult with about this? P.S. Nice job, promoting it.

12/27/15 - Host DDOS - ISSUE RESOLVED If you experience connectivity issues with Tech|Inferno, it is because there is a large DDOS attack directed at our hosting company. They are aware and taking care of it so please bear with us until then.

Officially, the upgrade path for the Alienware M18x-R1 ends with the nVidia GTX 580M but is that really going to stop the Tech|Inferno enthusiast from trying the latest and greatest? Absolutely not! So let’s get started. Parts & Tools Needed Quantity Part Needed (1) or (2) Clevo GTX 680M Kit from RJTech (1) X-Bracket (also included with 680M kit when purchased from RJTech) (1)Screws Screws (Also included with 680M kit from RJTech) (1)680M SLI cable SLI Cable (optional, can be found on eBay or directly from Dell) (1)IC Diamond ICD7 Diamond(recommended) or MX-4 Thermal Paste (1)Thermal pads Aftermarket Thermal Pads (1) ESD Mat + Strap (1) Precision Screwdriver Set (1) Techni-Tool Spudger Clevo GTX 680M Upgrade Kit When you purchase the Clevo GTX 680M Upgrade Kit from places like RJTech or MXM-Upgrade, they usually send a full kit that includes the X-bracket, screws, thermal paste, and Clevo heatsink. For the M18x-R1 or R2, the Clevo heatsink will be useless so you can elect to either resell it on eBay or just toss it in the garbage. A point of importance to keep in mind is that whether you opt to purchase the GTX 680M by itself or as a kit, be sure it comes with the x-bracket and Clevo screws (more information on this below). Typical price for an upgrade kit as of September 2012 is around $750-$850.00 USD. M18x Disassembly The Alienware M18x-R1 is a fairly sophisticated system that requires the user to have a familiarity with taking apart notebooks. Because some of the parts in the M18x are fragile, it is recommended you only attempt this if you feel you have sufficient experience. Refer to the Alienware M18x Service Manual to learn how to take apart the system. View Alienware’s Tear Down videos to see how its done. Installation Installation is pretty straightforward, be sure to use the ESD mat + strap when handling the M18x and GTX 680M so that no damage occurs to the sensitive electronics. Once the M18x has been opened up, remove the existing video cards. Ensure that you are using GTX 560M/580M video card heatsinks for full compatibility with the GTX 680M. You must use the screws (linked in the above table) designed for the Clevo GTX 680M X-Bracket since the Dell screws do not fit. Remove the retention washers from the 560M/580M heatsink in order to remove the original screws. Clean the previous thermal paste from the GPU using isopropyl alcohol and a cotton pad. Alternatively, coffee filter paper also works well. Place the thermal pads on the video card according to the picture below: One problem you may encounter while fitting new pads is that the heatsink does not make full contact with the inductors on the video card. To alleviate this, a thicker aftermarket thermal pad can be used or copper shims + ICD7 such as the photo below: Once the thermal pads and/or shim have been placed, do a test placement with the heatsink to ensure all the thermal pads make contact with the heatsink. An example of proper contact is illustrated in the photos below: After proper pad contact has been determined, place a thin line of thermal paste across the GPU, seat the heatsink and fasten it with the screws. Both the right and left heatsinks require different fitting of the pads so always check for proper contact before installation. Driver .inf Modification The Clevo GTX 680M may require the proper device id to be added to the nvcv.inf file found in the Display.Driver directory. Credit: jhmonroy Instructions Using Notepad, open nvcv.inf from the ‘Display.Driver’ directory (I suggest you copy a backup of file elsewhere) (Using the replace function) Replace all occurrences of DEV_11A0&SUBSYS_51051558 with DEV_11A0&SUBSYS_xxxx1028 (You can replace any GTX 680M Dev ID code you wish) Replace all occurrences of %NVIDIA_DEV.11A0.5105.1558% with %NVIDIA_DEV.11A0.xxxx.1028% <–Dell hardware ID. Replace all occurrences of NVIDIA_DEV.11A0.5105.1558 with NVIDIA_DEV.11A0.xxxx.1028 The latest beta drivers require more extensive modification that go beyond the scope of this article at this time. However, there are modified nVidia beta drivers available at LaptopVideo2Go that have the .inf files already modified for both the desktop and notebook and thus are a simple point and click installation–which is what we recommend. Update 9/13/12: You can grab the latest 306.23 modded drivers from our forum to use with the M18x-R1 and Clevo GTX 680M. Clevo GTX680M Gallery

The question is how much temperature tolerance processors like this will have? I'd imagine the temperature would have to be kept fairly cool and controlled so they'll probably use it in quantum computing at first. Also, can it run Crysis?

We got word that Green Man Gaming is offering 25% off some of the most anticipated titles of 2016 like The Division, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Hitman, Street Fighter V and many others. You can check out the full list of the games and the coupon code here: http://www.greenmangaming.com/most-anticipated-2016/ Personally I'll be picking up Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Hitman from them using this coupon. This is a nice discount for the holidays so pass it on to your friends and family and start 2016 off with some of the best games at discounted prices. Now if only Steam would offer the same kind of deals on new games. View full article

It's a frostbite engine based game and it's notorious for taking long, especially when compiling shaders. So yeah if you take a cursory look at Google, it seems a lot of others had similar issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/32f3cb/no_spoilers_is_anyone_else_experiencing_extremely/ Check out these tweaks for the game: http://forum.bioware.com/topic/529838-a-collection-of-tweaks-and-fixes-for-the-pc-version/ Welcome to Tech|Inferno!