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PCIe 5.0 will be ready before PCIe 4.0 can launch
For the first time, three PCIe standards are expected to coexist, but they all have a separate role to play. PCIe 3.0 will most likely be relegated to budget motherboards or used for slower storage devices while PCIe 4.0 lanes are used for the graphics card. AMD already does something like on its X470 platform with PCIe 2.0.
PCIe 4.0 will solve some key problems, not with bandwidth, but rather with how lanes are assigned. With GPUs needing 16 and NVMe drives needing 4, the 20 to 24 PCIe lanes consumer motherboards currently have are quickly saturated. PCIe 4.0 could double the bandwidth or halve the lanes required for each device, letting users choose between lots of current gen devices or a few next-gen ones.
At CES 2019 Phison demonstrated its first PCIe 4.0 SSD, which could achieve impressive 4.1GB/s read and 4.3GB/s write speeds. When they upgrade it to Toshiba’s new BiCS 4 flash, they say they can achieve 4.8GB/s read speeds. Even if 7nm Ryzen can’t live up to the substantial hype, its PCIe 4.0 support will undoubtedly make it highly desirable for enthusiasts.
Companies have suggested that PCIe 4.0 storage will launch at the same time as Ryzen 3000, but nothing has been confirmed. AMD has already released a PCIe 4.0 graphics card for deep learning, which suggests their upcoming Navi GPUs might support it, too.
PCIe 5.0 specifications are currently at version 0.9, meaning they’re in the late stages of testing. Other than increasing transfer rates to 32 Gigatransfers per second, aka 63 GB/s, PCIe 5.0 just refines some light electrical standards and continues with the 128b/130b encoding from 3.0.
While consumer graphics cards already have much more bandwidth than they require with PCIe 3.0, the same can’t be said for the server space. High-power workloads such as deep-learning or scientific simulations require multiple GPUs to talk to each other quickly, something PCIe 5.0 can revolutionize. PCIe 5.0 storage devices will also help web servers access data much faster.
According to the group that finalizes PCIe specifications, PCI SIG, a variety PCIe 5.0 devices are in deep development and are expected to debut in the server market late this year.
By: Techspot
Intel is acting like it cares more about GPUs than CPUs, and that’s a good thing
Key to any product’s success is a strong platform and network. Ryzen, for example, not only introduced high core counts but also faster memory support, ECC memory support, backward compatibility with motherboards and usable box coolers. Intel didn’t seem to get the memo on the CPU side, but their graphics team was taking notes.
As PC Gamer noted recently, Intel’s decision to rebuild its graphics control panel from the ground up demonstrates the focus they’re putting on graphics. As you can see from their video in the tweet below, it’s not a casual update but a serious upgrade.
“Optimizing graphics for your games is essential, but control panels can be confusing,” Intel says. Speaking of confusing control panels, take a look at Intel’s Xtreme Tuning Utility for CPU controls. It’s out of date and way behind AMD’s Ryzen Master software, so why aren’t they updating that?
Even though drivers for integrated graphics are generally less essential than for discrete cards, Intel has matched Nvidia on the support front, too. Since the release of the RTX series, there have been six driver updates for both the RTX cards and Intel’s iGPUs.
When the Windows October Update launched, Intel had updated graphics drivers ready before Nvidia or AMD. Their last update for the CPU lineup, the Turbo Boost Max 3.0 update, came back in July while their iGPUs have already received two updates this year.
Intel also has plans to introduce adaptive sync to their integrated and discrete GPUs and are calling it a “priority.” While Nvidia only recently opened up to support FreeSync monitors, Intel is actually willing to go a step further. When a fan asked Intel, AMD, and Nvidia if they’d consider a joint adaptive sync certification program only Intel responded, and they called it a “great idea.”
Of all three manufacturers, Intel has the best setting recommendation program. The Gameplay Portal lets users search by either processor or game, and once both are determined, it spits out a screenshot of the in-game settings that the processor can run at 60 fps (or as close as it can get).
The solution isn’t as flexible as Nvidia’s Game Optimization program, which can theoretically let players adjust between performance and quality and consider other system specs. However, Nvidia’s solution has a terrible reputation for being completely wrong and full of glitches.
The elephant in the room is, of course, only a small portion of gamers rely on iGPUs, and most of what Intel is doing is overkill. Even with Intel’s plans to break the Teraflop barrier and double the performance of their iGPUs with the next generation, all their game-oriented services are still niche.
Casual Fortnite or Overwatch gamers who play on their iGPUs probably haven’t noticed all the little things Intel has been doing. For Intel, though, that’s okay, because they’re not doing it for them. They’re doing it for hardcore enthusiasts that purchase their discrete GPU next year, which, if it receives as much focus as their iGPUs as of late, could be a real hit.
By: Techspot
Verizon to offer free spam and robocall protection starting in March
Verizon in March will begin rolling out free spam alerting and call blocking features to wireless customers whose smartphones support them.
The features were previously part of Call Filter (formerly Caller Name ID), a premium service offered by Verizon for $2.99 per month, per line. Call Filter also allows subscribers to see a photo of a caller so long as they have uploaded one to their profile.
As The Verge highlighted in mid-2017, Verizon’s decision to charge for these features was puzzling considering competitors AT&T and T-Mobile offered similar solutions without the paywall.
Joe Russo, senior vice president of network operations for Verizon, said the company has alerted wireline customers to nearly a billion potentially malicious robocalls since last year and has identified close to 300 million numbers associated with robocalling and spam to date.
Russo said more information on how to sign up for the free service on Android and iOS will be provided closer to launch.
Lead photo courtesy Charles Taylor via Getty Images
By: Techspot
Windows 10 Mobile support ends in December
Microsoft revealed in 2016 that its mobile OS wouldn’t be a priority that year and in late 2017, executives reiterated that stance. Since that time, the company has only committed to releasing security updates and bug fixes.
Soon, those will be coming to an end as well and Windows 10 Mobile will officially be laid to rest.
In a recent update on its lifecycle FAQ, Microsoft revealed that it’ll end free support for all Windows 10 Mobile products including Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise on December 10, 2019. Third parties or paid support programs may provide ongoing support, we’re told, but these won’t be publically provided updates.
Microsoft ended support for Windows Phone 8.1 on July 11, 2017.
The latest release of Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709, launched in October 2017 for most phones. Lumia 640 and 640 XL phones, however, were only supported through version 1703 and will see support ended on June 11, 2019, we’re told.
You can still use your Windows 10 Mobile device after official support ends but it’s not recommended. Instead, Microsoft suggests moving to a supported Android or iOS device for your mobile needs.
Lead image courtesy Roman Pyshchyk via Shutterstock
By: Techspot
Digital license plates are heading to Michigan
Michigan has become one of a handful of states to authorize the use of digital license plates, joining California and Arizona in modernizing the 125-year-old practice of stamped metal plates.
The state of Michigan is working with Reviver Auto, creators of the first and only digital license plate, to roll out the plates to interested parties.
Reviver Auto’s digital plate, the Rplate, debuted on California roads in mid-2018 and offers a number of benefits over traditional stamped plates. A digital plate can automate the vehicle renewal process, replacing legacy stickers with digital decals and eliminating the need to visit your local tax collector’s office or submit a request by mail.
A digital plate can also enable new levels of personalization, potentially allowing drivers to promote charitable causes, passion for a sports team or their child’s academic achievements. The Rplate even offers geo-fencing capabilities for business and government entities and can assist with stolen vehicles.
Future features could include Amber and weather alerts as well as marketing capabilities. Advertising on your license plate, I’m sure you’re thrilled at that prospect.
A standard Rplate will set you back $499 while a premium version with advanced telematics commands a cool $799. Both begin shipping this spring, we’re told.
By: Techspot
Just a Few New Storage Alternatives!
Many of our customers would benefit from additional storage and this year C.E.S. brings in many New SSD Drives with up to 2 TBs of storage and faster speeds than ever before.
Samsung has had the T1 portable SSD 1 TB drive and now the T3 portable SSD with up to 2 TB’s with much longer drive life than ever before.
The T3 has from 250GB’s to 2TB’s of storage and phenomenal speeds up to 450 MB/sec and costs from $130 to $850 (MSRP).
The T3 is now made of aluminum making it sturdy and very compact design 74 x 58 10.5 mm smaller than a deck of cards with USB-type C connector, working with most Android and Windows and Mac most anything with USB connections. Additionally, Samsung has the 840 EVO 750 GB SSD, and now they have added the 850 PRO 1 TB SSD and the 850 EVO 500 GB SSD.
Using the small amount of the drive space as a fast buffer to increase write speed using Samsung Magician software on Windows systems.
120 GB at $100 (MSRP)
250 GB at $150 (MSRP)
500 GB at $270 (MSRP)
1 TB at $500 (MSRP)
Seagate is in with new offerings in the Ultra Slim line-up with 150 MB/s Writing and 170 MB/s Reading up to 2 TB SSD for $90 and 1 TB SSD for $70 (MSRP).
SanDisk 1.92 TB SSD with speeds up to 350 MB/s price at $800 (MSRP).
