AMD’s 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X carries a $549 price tag that slots in between Intel's flagship Core i9 and Core i7 chips, but its performance defies the middle ground placement. Given its price point and gaming performance that matches or exceeds Intel's finest, paired with strong performance in desktop PC applications, the Ryzen 9 7900X appears to be a contender for our list of Best CPUs and our CPU Benchmark hierarchy. But there's a lot more at play than just chip pricing. Like the other Ryzen 7000 'Raphael' processors, the 7900X comes armed with the new Zen 4 architecture, which increases IPC by ~13%, etched on the TSMC 5nm process. That combo delivers incredible peak clocks of 5.6 GHz — a mere 100 MHz shy of the 5.7 GHz you'll get with the 16-core flagship Ryzen 9 7950X. It’s also surprisingly a higher clock speed than we see with even Intel’s fastest chips, at least until the company’s 6 GHz Raptor Lake chips come to market.Other advances make the Ryzen 7000 chips compelling. AMD has even developed its own EXPO DDR5 memory profiles for overclocking, rivaling Intel’s XMP standard. The Ryzen 7000 chips also come loaded with other new tech, like a new Radeon RDNA 2 iGPU for basic display output and support for AVX-512 and AI instructions. Paired with vastly improved power delivery, courtesy of a new platform, AMD’s process and architecture advances deliver truly explosive performance gains — but there are a few gotchas. AMD’s Zen 4 chips drop into the new AM5 socket on 600-series motherboards. The platform supports the latest interfaces, like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0, largely matching Intel’s connectivity options. However, in contrast to Intel's platform, which supports either pricey DDR5 or more affordable DDR4, the AM5 platform only supports DDR5 memory. That adds cost to your build. AMD's initial launch includes AM5 motherboards with the X670 and X670E chipsets, but they carry heavy premiums compared to similar Intel boards — and that's with direct comparisons of DDR5 motherboards. The picture becomes even more lopsided when we compare DDR4 options. And it doesn't look like the B-series motherboards will be as affordable as we've seen in the past, adding another layer of additional cost over similar Intel-powered systems. Despite its impressive performance in a wide range of apps, these pricing factors conspire to make the Ryzen 9 7900X less appealing than the sticker price suggests — this chip is certainly ripe for a big price reduction. The 12-core 24-thread Ryzen 9 7900X lands at $549, the same launch price as its predecessor, positioning it to compete with both the $589 Core i9-12900K and the $409 Core i7-12700K that are already on the market. Intel has surprisingly kept its pricing for its new Raptor Lake Core i9 and i7 similar to the existing models, so the 7900X will also eventually compete with the Core i9-13900K and Core i7-13700K when they arrive this month. The 7900X comes with four fewer cores than the 16-core Ryzen 9 7950X flagship, but has a 4.7 GHz base clock and a 5.6 GHz boost. It also has 64MB of L3 cache, like the flagship model, and an identical 170W/230W TDP/peak power rating. That's a 65W increase over the previous-gen Ryzen 9 5900X and a record for AMD's Ryzen family. This increased power consumption is partially due to AMD's drastically improved power delivery with the AM5 socket — it delivers much more power to keep the cores fully powered during heavy load — but it results in higher chip temperatures. The Ryzen 9 7900X doesn’t come with a bundled cooler; instead, AMD recommends a 240-280mm liquid cooler or equivalent. Even if you use a powerful cooler, you should expect the highest-end Ryzen processors to run at higher temperatures than we're accustomed to. Loaded temperatures regularly reach 90C to 95C, even with a powerful cooler. AMD says this is expected behavior — the chip is designed to consume all available thermal headroom to provide faster performance. The 95C thermal threshold is within safe operating limits, so it won’t result in degradation. If you're concerned about chip temperatures, AMD has an easily-activated ECO mode that reduces the TDP of any given processor to its most efficient point on the voltage/frequency curve. That significantly reduces temperatures, but it does reduce performance. The Raphael processors drop into a new AM5 socket that supports the PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 interfaces, matching Alder Lake on the connectivity front. The Socket AM5 motherboards can expose up to 24 lanes of PCIe 5.0 to the user. We have an extensive roundup of twenty 600-series motherboards here. Ryzen 7000 supports DDR5-5200 if you install one DIMM per channel (1DPC), but that drops to DDR5-3600 for 2DPC. AMD also introduced the new EXPO memory overclocking spec to compete with Intel’s XMP. EXPO profiles are designed for AMD processors to allow one-click memory overclocking to predefined speeds. You can find EXPO kits with speeds reaching up to DDR5-6400. The Ryzen 7000 processors come with the N5 TSMC 5nm process node for the core compute die (CCD) and the TSMC 6nm process for the I/O Die (IOD). The Ryzen 9 7900X has two active CCDs, but AMD disables four cores to create the 12-core design. You can learn more about this design in our Zen 4 Ryzen 7000 all we know article. The RDNA 2 iGPU is designed to provide basic display output capabilities only. The RDNA 2 iGPU comes with two compute units, 4 ACE, and 1 HWS, so gaming is off the table. You can see the iGPU gaming results in our Ryzen 9 7950X review, but the short version is that they're the slowest integrated graphics on a modern processor that we're aware of, but they work great for regular display duties. The integrated graphics are appealling for troubleshooting and OEM systems, though, and it has other redeeming qualities. For example, the iGPU supports AV1 and VP9 decode, H.264 and HVEC encode and decode, USB Type-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode, DisplayPort 2.0, and HDMI 2.1. You also get support for 4K60 and hybrid graphics. Ryzen 9 7900X Benchmark Test Setup We tested the Ryzen 7000 processors with an ASRock X670E Taichi motherboard. We tested all Intel configurations with DDR5 memory, but you can find performance data for DDR4 configurations in our CPU Benchmark hierarchy. We also tested with secure boot, virtualization support, and fTPM/PTT active to reflect a properly configured Windows 11 install. Our overclocks were rather straightforward — we enabled the auto-overclocking Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) feature with 'advanced motherboard' settings and adjusted the scalar setting to 10X. For our overclocked AMD configurations, we enabled the DDR5-6000 EXPO profile for the memory kit. This also automatically enables the AMD-recommended Auto setting for the fabric and a 1:1 ratio for the memory frequency and memory controller (Auto:1:1 is the recommended setting for memory overclocking with Ryzen 7000). You can find further details in the table at the end of the article. Gaming Performance on Ryzen 9 7900X — The TLDR Below you can see the geometric mean of our gaming tests at 1080p and 1440p, with each resolution split into its own chart. Be aware that a different mix of game titles could yield somewhat different results (particularly with the Ryzen 7 5800X3D), but this serves as a solid overall indicator of gaming performance. As usual, we're testing with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 to reduce GPU-imposed bottlenecks as much as possible, and differences between test subjects will shrink with lesser cards or higher resolutions. You'll find further game-by-game breakdowns below. The $549 Ryzen 9 7900X is plenty impressive in gaming, effectively matching the $699 Ryzen 9 7950X at 1080p with both stock and overclocked settings. The Ryzen 9 7900X also fares well against the more expensive $589 Core i9-12900K, leading it by 5% at stock settings, and tying after overclocking. The Ryzen 9 7900X is also 9% faster than the stock $409 Core i7-12700K, and 2.7% faster after tuning. But remember it also costs 34% more, meaning the 12700K is the better bang for your gaming buck. And that's before we factor in the higher DDR5 and motherboard costs associated with the AM5 platform. We typically recommend Ryzen 5 or Core i5 for most dedicated gaming rigs, and the $299 Ryzen 5 7600X and $399 Ryzen 7 7700X are the perfect examples of why. Both of these chips provide within 1 to 2 percent of the performance of the Ryzen 9 7900X but are much less expensive. That means the 7900X is not a good value if you're strictly interested in gaming. The 7900X does represent a big generational improvement, though — the Ryzen 9 7900X is 15% faster than its prior-gen counterpart, the Zen 3-powered Ryzen 9 5900X, which also comes with 12 cores. However, Intel only needs to gain ~5% with Raptor Lake to match the 7900X in gaming, setting the stage for quite the competition next month. AMD’s own $430 Ryzen 7 5800X3D remains the fastest gaming chip on the market by a fair margin, but this highly-specialized chip comes with caveats — its 3D V-Cache doesn't boost performance in all games. Additionally, the 5800X3D is optimized specifically for gaming, but it can't keep pace with similarly-priced chips in productivity applications. AMD will bring at least one Zen 4-powered Ryzen 7000 processor with 3D V-cache to market this year, so you might want to consider waiting a few more months if you’re after a specialized gaming chip. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-ryzen-9-7900x-review-cpu

Name of the game: Need for Speed™ Heat Price: 3,50$ Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222680/Need_for_Speed_Heat/ Offer ends up after X hours: 11 October Requirements: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Processor: FX-6350 or Equivalent; Core i5-3570 or Equivalent Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: AMD: Radeon 7970/Radeon R9 280x or Equivalent; NVIDIA: GeForce GTX 760 or Equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 50 GB available space RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Processor: Ryzen 3 1300X or Equivalent; Core i7-4790 or Equivalent Memory: 16 GB RAM Graphics: AMD: Radeon RX 480 or Equivalent; NVIDIA: GeForce GTX 1060 or Equivalent DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 50 GB available space

Russia ramped up security on its only bridge to Crimea after a huge blast destroyed sections of it on Saturday. President Vladimir Putin has now ordered the country's Federal Security Service (FSB) to oversee the key connector to the occupied peninsula. The bridge is also a pivotal symbol of Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The blast killed three people, Russian investigators said. Officials said work to fix the damaged sections would begin immediately. Russia's deputy prime minister ordered the destroyed parts of the bridge to be taken down immediately, and said divers would begin investigating damage below the waterline on Sunday morning, Russian news agencies report. Hailed by Russian media as "the construction of the century", the bridge has been crucial to Russia for the movement of military equipment, ammunition and troops into southern Ukraine. But new satellite images released on Saturday showed smoke and fire near the collapsed areas of the 19km (12-mile) bridge, which was opened with much fanfare four years after Moscow annexed Crimea. Since it plays a strategic role in the war, Ukrainian authorities have said it is a legitimate target, as they vow to retake the peninsula. Ukrainian officials responded with thinly veiled approval to the explosion - but have not indicated that their forces were behind the attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the incident in his nightly address on Saturday, saying: "Today was not a bad day and mostly sunny on our state's territory." "Unfortunately, it was cloudy in Crimea. Although it was also warm," he added. Russian authorities moved swiftly to reopen those parts of the key connector still intact, and said late on Saturday that the bridge has been partially reopened to road and rail traffic. It is a vital artery in Moscow's supply chain to the battlefront in its invasion of Ukraine - and to the annexed Crimean territory itself. The Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said there was a desire for revenge, but made reassurances that the peninsula still had a month's worth of fuel and more than two months' worth of food. "The situation is manageable - it's unpleasant, but not fatal," he said. Ukrainian official David Arakhamia, parliamentary head of Mr Zelensky's party, said "Russian illegal construction is starting to fall apart and catch fire. "The reason is simple: If you build something explosive, then sooner or later it will explode." And a Ukrainian MP told the BBC that regardless of who was responsible for the attack, this was a "big Ukrainian victory and very severe and hard loss for Russia". "The bridge is not destroyed but damaged, but the image of Putin is destroyed, that is the most important thing," Oleksiy Goncharenko said. It is hard to overstate the political, symbolic and strategic significance of the Crimean bridge. Russian officials previously claimed it was well protected from threats from air, land or water - particularly since it is more than 100 miles from Ukrainian-held territory. A Russian national anti-terrorism committee said the damage was caused by a truck bomb blowing up, which caused seven railway carriages to catch fire. The home of a man from the Krasnodar region of southern Russia is being investigated, it added. While Ukraine has not linked its armed forces to the explosion, it has targeted Crimea in the past. Last month, Ukraine claimed responsibility for a series of air strikes on Crimea - including an attack on Russia's Saky military base. Since the bridge attack on Saturday, Ukraine's social media has erupted in celebration. Its second-largest bank says it has already issued a new debit card design featuring the collapsed bridge. In recent weeks, Kyiv's forces have taken back significant amounts of territory seized by Russia earlier in the war. Hours after the bridge explosion, Russia appointed a new commander to lead its troops in Ukraine. Sergei Surovikin is a veteran commander known for leading Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing the decimation of the city of Aleppo. But Russia still controls swathes of Ukraine, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - the biggest in Europe - which has lost all external power and is relying on emergency diesel generators for the energy it needs for reactor cooling, according to the UN nuclear watchdog. And the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia, in Ukraine's south-east, saw overnight shelling which killed at least 12 people, according to regional governor Oleksandr Starukh. A dozen Russian air strikes hit several residential buildings, destroying some and damaging many more, he said. "There may be more people under the rubble. A rescue operation is under way at the scene. Eight people have already been rescued," he said on Telegram. Earlier, officials said 17 people had been killed in the shelling. Link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63189627

It's finally here: the Google Pixel 7 Pro, a phone that Google announced almost half a year ago at its Google I/O show, leaving us wondering what could be so great about this device that Google would shun its then-current Pixel 6 Pro. The answer turned out to be not very much – but the little differences matter. The Pixel 7 Pro is all about looks. It's a fancy, refined phone, available in a range of color options that include a few you won't see from any other manufacturer. That, along with its distinctive design, certainly helps Google's phone stand out. It looks almost exactly like the Pixel 6 Pro, with a bit more refinement, and we're not complaining. The Tensor 2 chipset in the Pixel 7 Pro will handle a number of computational features across the camera, the phone, and Google Assistant. It also has a faster GPU, which helps drive the screen to a smooth and bright 120Hz.As to the camera, Google says the Pixel 7 Pro will be the best smartphone camera you can buy, again with help from the Tensor G2. You'll get enhanced zoom, refined macro photos, and more realistic skin tones. The Google Pixel 7 Pro was unveiled at Google's Pixel 7 event (officially titled Made By Google '22), alongside the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel Watch. It's available to pre-order now, and will be on shelves from October 13. Prices start at $899 / £849 / AU$1,299, which gets you 128GB of storage, and which Google points out is less than recent Pro-level flagship launches from its major competitors. The price rises to $999 / £949 / AU$1,449 for 256GB of storage, and $1,099 / AU$1,599 for 512GB – note that there's no 512GB option in the UK. All models come with 12GB of RAM. A 30W USB-C charger is not included with the phone. The Google Pixel 7 Pro has a distinctive design in the phone world, especially if you're not familiar with the Pixel 6 family and newer. The Pixel 7 Pro keeps the camera band across the back, a strap of metal across the glass finish. The metal band sticks out quit a bit, but because it is uniform and symmetrical it feels more natural than a camera bump in the corner. Like the Pixel 7, you get two cameras hidden behind one opening in the bump, and the Pixel 7 Pro gets a second lens opening for the telescoping zoom camera. You can see a bit of the folded mechanism through the glass. The gray-ish Hazel color is our favorite, by far. The Snow finish is a classy looking slab of glossy white, while Obsidian – black to you and me – is a bit too plain to be interesting. We wish that Google had more unique color combinations like the Hazel, with its golden accent on the band. There's a USB-C port and a set of large speakers on the bottom of the phone. Google keeps a SIM card tray on its device, unlike (in the US) the latest iPhone 14. Round the front there's a tiny punch-hole camera, and a fingerprint reader under the screen. The camera can handle full facial recognition duties for face unlock, which is a nice addition over the Pixel 6 Pro. The 6.7-inch display on the Google Pixel 7 Pro looked fantastic in our hands-on time with the phone. The interface was ultra-smooth and lightning-quick. The screen can runs at 1000 nits brightness and can push 1500 nits, which is noticeably bright, but not quite as bright as the 2000 nit-capable iPhone 14 Pro. Like Apple's phone, Google's display is an LTPO OLED that can refresh at up to 120Hz. It also includes an always-on mode, which looks good and shouldn't drain the battery too much. The screen is very sharp and colorful, and the camera image looks great on the viewfinder. The screen is very large on the phone, with bezels that are slim enough to disappear. The glass is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, providing good damage protection, but we'll still get a protector for it. The glass and back are all sealed tight for IP68 water resistance. https://www.techradar.com/reviews/google-pixel-7-pro

Celebrity overclocker Allen 'Splave' Golibersuch has overclocked the Core i9-13900K processor to 8.2 GHz under liquid nitrogen (LN2) at the finale of Intel's Creator Challenge(opens in new tab). The flagship Raptor Lake chip, which will fight for a spot on the list of best CPUs, will hit the retail market on October 20 for $589. The Core i9-13900K is a 24-core processor with eight P-cores and 16 E-cores. The chip has a maximum turbo boost clock of 5.8 GHz thanks to Intel's Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB) technology. Splave pushed the Core i9-13900K to 8.2 GHz, a spectacular 41% increase over Intel's specification. The Core i9-13900K shows huge overclocking potential— in contrast, the prior-gen Core i9-12900K only achieved 7.6 GHz. Therefore, the Core i9-13900K shattered the Core i9-12900K's record by 8%. AMD's Zen 4 processors have their own merits as well. For example, we recently saw the Ryzen 9 7950X got up to 7.2 GHz on a single core and up to 6.5 GHz on all cores. However, according to HWBot, 7.4 GHz (7,471.96 MHz) is the highest that the Ryzen 9 7950X has reached. Therefore, the Core i9-13900K's clock speed is approximately 11% higher than the Ryzen 9 7950X. It'll be interesting to see whether Raptor Lake can continue to conquer the overclocking charts. It's been a while since we've seen processors surpass the 8 GHz barrier. AMD's antiquated FX series of chips were notorious for hitting high clock speeds, and most of the HWBot submissions hail from the Bulldozer days. However, the FX-8370 still holds the record of the highest-clocked processor at 8.7 GHz (8,722.78 MHz), a feat from 2014. While Intel and AMD continue to one-up each other in the overclocking game, consumers care more about out-of-the-box performance. So while the Core i9-13900K looks impressive under LN2, we'll soon see if it can overpower AMD's Ryzen 9 7950X when Raptor Lake launches on October 20. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/core-i9-13900k-soars-to-82-ghz-leaving-ryzen-7000-in-the-dust

Name of the game: Total War: THREE KINGDOMS Price: 20,39$ Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/779340/Total_War_THREE_KINGDOMS/ Offer ends up after X hours: 13 October Requirements: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 64 Bit Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.00Ghz Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: GTX 650 Ti 1GB|HD 7850 1GB|Intel UHD Graphics 620 DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 60 GB available space Additional Notes: 6GB Memory if using integrated GPU RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 64 Bit Processor: Intel i5-6600 | Ryzen 5 2600X Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: GTX 970 | R9 Fury X 4GB VRAM DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 60 GB available space

Chevrolet clearly likes a challenge. The last Chevrolet Corvette Z06 used a supercharged version of GM’s long-lived pushrod ‘small block’ V8, and there’s no obvious reason to an outsider why the track-focused version of the current, C8 generation couldn’t have taken the same route to increased performance. Instead, the new Z06 gets an all-new, naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V8, one that uses both a flat-plane crank and twin-cam cylinder heads to produce a very impressive peak of 670bhp. While there are plenty of other changes over the regular Chevrolet Corvette C8, the new engine is the transformational one, radically altering the character of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. While the basic Corvette has a burbling idle and is curtailed by a lowly 6500rpm redline, the Z06 fires up like a race car and snarls its way to 8500rpm before the limiter calls time, sounding more like a Ferrari than a traditional ’Vette as it does so.Low-down torque is limited but the new engine is tractable at low speeds, and the same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as the regular C8 can be both smooth and punchy according to which dynamic mode the car is in. Beyond 4000rpm, it starts to come alive, and well before it gets to the red part of the digital rev counter, it is pulling with a vigour that seems more supercar than sports car. Chevrolet claims a 2.9sec 0-60mph time, a figure that feels, if anything, pessimistic. Z06 buyers have further choices to make. The biggest is between the standard Targa-style roof, with a single lift-out panel, or the cleverer but 45kg-heavier convertible, which uses a power-retractable hard-top. Both cars have the same torsional rigidity, although the convertible also lacks its sibling's glass engine cover. A hardcore Z07 pack brings stiffer suspension settings – the standard Z06 is already 30% firmer than the basic Corvette – plus carbon-ceramic brakes and track-spec Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Buyers can also choose an aero package, which brings a raised rear wing and takes peak downforce to 330kg, plus the stand-alone option of carbonfibre wheels to save an other 5kg per corner. Although the Z06 is firmer than the regular C8, it isn’t too firm. Granted, my test route in Michigan consisted of some of the roads the car was developed on – a point made to me by a Vanishing Point encounter with a disguised Z06 prototype going the other way. But in the gentlest Tour dynamic setting, it is still compliant enough for road use, and even moving up to Sport didn’t turn it excessively harsh. Steering is high geared and very direct, with only minimal inputs required in all but the tightest corners. Which is probably just as well, given the awkward shape of the squared-off steering wheel, and the fact that the top and bottom of the rim are made from slippery carbonfibre. While I didn’t get to experience the Z06 on a track, the steering felt set up for high-load circuit work. Similarly, real-world loadings gave no chance to push beyond the massive adhesion generated by the tyres. The car I drove was on the road-friendly Pilot Sport 4S tyres rather than the Cups, but on dry Tarmac, grip was huge. A full 61% of the Z06’s static mass sits over the rear wheels and this imbalance is obvious in the way the car aggressively tightens its cornering line when the throttle is eased, but the near impossibility of engendering understeer at road speeds means there isn’t really any need to do this. With limits so high, though, I suspect that when the Z06 does let go, it will do so suddenly. But it doesn’t feel snappy or skittish, and even at road speeds, the chance to listen to the engine’s zinging soundtrack feels properly special. With the exhaust in its loudest switchable mode, it seems effectively unsilenced and could certainly never pass Europe’s stringent drive-by noise regulations. As for habitability, the Z06 benefits from the same impressively spacious cabin as the basic Corvette, certainly by sports car standards. Unlike many track-focused specials, it doesn’t feel harsh or compromised on the road. Note also that in addition to selectable settings for the adaptive dampers, engine map, exhaust note and steering feel, the Z06 has adjustable ‘brake feel’, which alters the weight and level of resistance of the pedal. I struggle to imagine anyone wanting anything but the firmest setting in a car so potent. The Z06 is also a performance bargain compared with the wider American market, although it is certain that dealers will be screwing substantial ‘market adjustment’ hikes onto the official list price. The most basic version starts at $109,295 before taxes in the US, barely more than an entry-level Porsche 911, and even putting a full set of dynamic options onto the most expensive 3LZ Convertible won’t take it past $150,000. For perspective, that’s $75,000 less than the starting price for the new Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Sadly, despite the precedent set by the right-hand-drive basic Corvette, there are no plans to brings the Z06 to Europe. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/chevrolet/corvette-z06/first-drives/chevrolet-corvette-z06-first-drive

A jailed Belarus activist and two groups from Ukraine and Russia have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for championing human rights and democracy. The decision to honour Ales Bialiatsky, Russia's Memorial and the Ukrainian Centre for Civil Liberties (CCL) is a rebuff to two authoritarian leaders. Russia forced Memorial to close last December, ahead of Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. Bialiatsky was imprisoned amid protests against Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko. Ukraine's CCL has monitored political persecutions and crimes against humanity in areas of the country occupied or annexed by Russia. Norwegian Nobel Committee head Berit Reiss-Andersen told reporters that all three had made "an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power". Asked whether the committee was sending a signal to Russia's leader on his 70th birthday, she pointed out that the Nobel prize was always awarded "for something and to somebody and not against anyone". Belarus's long-time ruler is a close ally of President Putin. After a re-election in 2020 that was widely condemned as rigged, he brutally cracked down on protesters and then allowed Russian forces to use his country as a launchpad in its war against Ukraine. RAINSFORD: Putin's dream of victory slips away in Ukraine Ales Bialiatsky, 60, founded Belarus rights group Viasna, which means spring, in 1996, two years after Mr Lukashenko came to power. He was first jailed in 2011, then last year, he was detained again without charge. He is one of 1,348 people who Viasna says are currently held as political prisoners in Belarus. Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya praised the Nobel committee's "recognition for all Belarusians fighting for freedom and democracy" and Bialiatsky's wife Natallia Pinchuk said she was "overwhelmed with emotion". A foreign ministry spokesman in Minsk said Alfred Nobel was "turning in his grave" following the decision to hand Bialiatsky the Nobel Peace Prize. Memorial is one of the oldest human rights groups in Russia. Led initially by another Peace Prize laureate, Andrei Sakharov, in the late 1980s, its work uncovered the true scale of Joseph Stalin's repression in the form of Gulag camps of forced labour, where tens of millions of people are thought to have died. But it went on to document more recent human rights abuses, including kidnappings and torture in the Russian republic of Chechnya. The head of its Chechen branch, Natalia Estemirova, was murdered in 2009. In December 2021, Russia's Supreme Court liquidated Memorial, although it continues to operate in a harsh climate where criticism of the war in Ukraine is considered a criminal offence. The head of Russia's human rights council, Valery Fadeyev, urged Memorial to reject the prize, describing it as completely discredited, Tass news agency reports. Although a Ukrainian organisation was jointly awarded the peace prize, there was some annoyance in Kyiv that it was shared with representatives of Belarus and Russia. "Nobel Committee has an interesting understanding of word 'peace' if representatives of two countries that attacked a third one receive the Nobel Prize together," said presidential adviser Mikhailo Podolyak. "Neither Russian nor Belarusian organisations have been able to organise resistance to this war." Ukraine's Centre for Civil Liberties has in recent months turned its attention to abuses committed by Russian forces, after spending the previous years documenting political persecution in Russian-annexed Crimea and crimes in areas of eastern Ukraine run by Russian-backed separatists. The centre's head, Oleksandra Matviychuk, said she was delighted they were sharing the prize with "our friends and partners at Memorial and Viasna". In order to give the hundreds of thousands of victims of war crimes a chance of justice, she said an international tribunal should be created to "bring Putin, Lukashenko and other war criminals to justice". Link : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63175334

When we talk about having big shoes to fill, the Audi RS4 Avant is a fine example. Every new RS4 is, after all, a spiritual successor to the supercar-slaying Audi RS2 fast estate of the early 1990s – a car that managed to out-launch even the McLaren F1 to 30mph. Despite the need for such broad shoulders, the RS4 has in general stepped up to the task over the generations, offering blistering pace and enough personality to get under your skin, even after its V8 heart was swapped out for the twin-turbocharged V6 of the current generation. But what if you want more? Well, enter the new RS4 Avant Competition. Limited to just 75 cars in the UK, it’s an even faster and more capable version of the B9-era RS4 and has been designed with a specific focus on the track. Yes, the track. So what’s actually changed? Not much in the powertrain department, where you still have the same 444bhp, 443lb ft 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6. Admittedly, software tweaks to the gearbox have reduced the 0-62mph sprint time by 0.2sec to 3.9sec, and the gearchanges themselves are noticeably faster and more aggressive than in the standard car, cogs being swapping almost instantly and with a race car-esque jolt. But mostly, it's as before. Elsewhere, the fitment of Pirelli P Zero Corsa tyres and retuned ABS and carbon-ceramic brakes (a £6150 option on the regular RS4) are claimed to shave two metres off the braking distance from 62mph. Send those g-forces the other way and straight-line performance is frankly blistering, with the masses of torque forcing you into your bucket seat from almost any speed in any gear. Certainly, the upcoming BMW M3 Touring will do well to feel quite this urgent, even with its power advantage. An enticing twin test awaits. Feeding power to all four wheels has always meant the RS4 majors on traction through corners, but the Competition’s stiffer anti-roll bars, increased spring rates and new four-way dampers take things one step further. The extra control, stability and grip is quite sensational for a car so family-ready, giving you even more confidence to barrel into corners faster and faster. As for the ride quality, the smooth Spanish roads of our test route are perhaps not the most useful for assessing the compliance of something like the RS4 Competition. However, rougher patches of road surface did suggest that, at least without the optional coilover suspension, the car is passably comfortable in its softest damper setting. Certainly, there's little to fear here so long as you accept that the RS4 Competition is essentially an extremely fast and focused performance car, just one wearing a boiler suit. An eventual UK test of the car when fitted with its most extreme bit of hardware – optional 10mm-lower (or even 20mm, should you choose to alter them) RS Sport Suspension Pro with manually adjustable dampers, and not tested in this case – will be interesting. At £84,600, the Competition is quite the step up in price from the standard car, but if you do happen to want an RS4 that’s practical in the week and track-ready at the weekend, you at least now have that option. Be quick though, if you like the idea of this car, because most have already been snapped up. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/audi/rs4-avant/first-drives/audi-rs4-avant-competition-first-drive

An ex-policeman has killed at least 37 people, most of them children, in a gun and knife attack at a childcare centre in north-east Thailand. Police say he then killed himself and his family after a manhunt following the attack in Nong Bua Lamphu province. Children and adults are among the casualties at the nursery - police say the attacker mostly stabbed his victims before fleeing the scene. The former officer, aged 34, was sacked in June for drug use, police said. It is not clear if there was a motive for the attack. Headteacher Nanticha Panchum said the attacker's son attended the centre but had not been there for a month. The man used to drop his child off, and was always polite and chatty, she said. Ms Panchum said there were usually more than 90 children at the school, but just over 20 were present on Thursday due to bad weather and a school bus breakdown. The shooter came in around lunchtime and shot four or five officials at the childcare centre first," a local official, Jidapa Boonsom, who was working nearby, told Reuters news agency. One of them was a teacher who was eight months pregnant. "At first people thought it was fireworks," she said, adding that the man then forced entry to a locked room where children were sleeping. 'It's shocking' - witnesses describe nursery attack horror Thai pre-school attack: What we know Videos shared on social media appear to show the tears and distress of parents and relatives of those killed, as they gathered at a shelter outside the centre. Police officers arriving after the attack were confronted with horrific scenes, the bodies of adults and children, some of them very young, lying inside and outside the building. "After inspecting the crime scene, we found that the perpetrator tried to break in and he mainly used a knife to commit the crime by killing a number of small children," said Police Chief Damrongsak Kittiprapat. "Then he got out and started killing anyone he met along the way with a gun or the knife until he got home. We surrounded the house and then found that he committed suicide in his home." Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha described the incident as "a shocking event" Police named the attacker as Panya Kamrab, a local man who had been a police lieutenant colonel before he was suspended for drug use in January, and then dismissed in June. He is understood to have appeared in court on Thursday on charges related to the use and possible sale of methamphetamine. The verdict was scheduled to be delivered on Friday. Armed with a shotgun, a pistol and a knife, he stormed the nursery at about 12:30 local time (05:30 GMT). The details of what followed are still emerging, but after the killing spree the attacker fled the scene in a white four-door Toyota pick-up truck with Bangkok registration plates, according to police, who launched a search for him and warned locals to keep indoors for their own safety. Eyewitnesses were quoted saying the attacker had driven into bystanders and opened fire at some of them, injuring several people as he made his escape. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63155169

Google has announced that it is shutting down its game streaming service Google Stadia on January 18th, 2023. For now, players will be able to access their Google Stadia game libraries, but come mid-January they'll lose access to those titles – though the Stadia controller should still work as a wired controller for non-Stadia PC games. Thankfully, in the official blog post(opens in new tab) about the shutdown Phil Harrison, Google’s Vice President and General Manager of Stadia, said that Google will be "refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store."Google says it expects to have the "majority" of refunds completed by mid-January, and it has released a page on its help center(opens in new tab) answering questions about how Stadia will work in its final months, and some details about the refund process. Full details haven't been issued yet, but Google has said it will provide more information about how players can get refunds in the coming weeks. An expected shutdown Google Stadia had what could generously be called a rocky start in November 2019, launching in early access without many of the best features that had been promised in promotional material for the service. These included most of its social and multiplayer features like achievements, Crowd Play – which would allow viewers to play with streamers they’re watching – and Family Sharing – which would let families share games. Yet despite these setbacks, Google promised that it would continue to work on Stadia and make it a gaming platform that players would love as much as their console. Even as recently as July 29, 2022, Google told fans in a tweet that “Stadia is not shutting down” saying that it would continue to work on the platform and bring great games to it. And over time Google did improve Stadia’s features adding many of the ones missing at its launch. On top of that, it added a few platform-exclusive games and expanded the Stadia library with third-party titles too. But the improvements never quite went far enough to compete with its rivals in the game streaming space like Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Nvidia GeForce Now. The first signs that Stadia was struggling came in February 2021 when Google shut down its in-house game development studios. The reasoning behind the move, according to Google(opens in new tab), was to free up resources that would allow the company to develop the Google Stadia platform itself. Now it looks like the whole platform is being shut down to free up resources for the rest of Google's projects. Stadia will apparently live on in some sense, though, with Phil Harrison saying in his blog post that the underlying technology behind Stadia has clear applications for YouTube, Google Play, and its expanding AR efforts. Exactly what form this technology will take is currently unclear, but we do know that it'll no longer be used to power Google's cloud gaming platform come January 18, 2023. https://www.techradar.com/news/breaking-google-is-shutting-down-google-stadia

As AMD is rolling out its next-generation Ryzen 7000-series 'Raphael' processors, die hard overclockers are already finding ways to cool down these CPUs and push them to the limit. As reported by ExtremeTech Legendary overclocker Roman 'der8auer' Hartung this week delidded AMD's 12-core Ryzen 9 7900X processor and discovered that direct-die cooling lowers chip temperature by approximately 20 degrees Celsius under heavy loads. Lowering CPU temperature by about 20 degrees Celsius in Cinebench (a resource heavy benchmark) enabled der8auer to increase the clocks on all 12 cores to 5.50 GHz by increasing the voltage by 30 millivolts. Even at 5.50 GHz on all 12 cores, the CPU temperature was only 74.9 degrees Celsius, which means that the processor has quite some headroom for further overclocking. Integrated heat spreaders (IHS) are there to protect a fragile CPU die (or dies) and ensure decent contact with a cooling system in normal conditions. But IHSs as well as their thermal interface materials (TIMs) that attach them to dies are not always ideal from a thermal conduction point of view. Removing IHS can lead to more efficient cooling and better overclocking results, if you are brave enough to attempt it. Delidding (removing the IHS) a CPU usually leads to 10 – 15 degrees Celsius temperature reduction. In case of Der8auer's AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, the temperature difference in Cinebench R20 was about 20 degrees Celsius, well beyond typical expectations. There are possible explanations for this. First up, AMD's IHS for AM5 CPUs is extremely thick, perhaps in a bid to maintain compatibility with previous-generation (AM4) coolers. Secondly, Roman 'der8auer' Hartung used his own liquid metal thermal grease that is not yet available and which is supposed to outperform existing liquid metal-based pastes as well as solder that AMD uses for its CPUs. New thermal interface is not going to dramatically lower temperature by itself, but a combination of direct-die cooling and new thermal grease can bring surprising results. Since AMD only started to sell its Ryzen 7000-series processors on September 27, there are no off-the-shelf tools to delid these CPUs (so the overclocker had to custom-make one), there are no custom frames to hold a cooling system (again, he had to invent his own), it is hard for an average enthusiast to replicate Hartung's experiment. Nonetheless, the numbers speak for themselves. Lowering temperature by 20 degrees Celsius and pushing all twelve cores to 5.50 GHz is a big deal. Hartung says that eventually the delidding tool as well as custom AM5 frame for delidded CPUs will be available from his website. https://www.tomshardware.com/news/ryzen-9-7900x-delidded

Name of the game: Assassin's Creed® Odyssey Price: 11,99 Link Store:https://store.steampowered.com/app/812140/Assassins_Creed_Odyssey/ Offer ends up after X hours: 13 October Requirements: MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64bit versions only) Processor: AMD FX 6300 @ 3.8 GHz, Ryzen 3 - 1200, Intel Core i5 2400 @ 3.1 GHz (MORE DETAILS HERE) Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 285, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 (2GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0) (MORE DETAILS HERE) DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 46+ GB available space Additional Notes: Video Preset: Lowest (720p) RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64bit versions only) Processor: AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz, Ryzen 5 - 1400, Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.5 GHz or better (MORE DETAILS HERE) Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 290, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0) or better (MORE DETAILS HERE) Storage: 46+ GB available space Additional Notes: Video Preset: High (1080p)

BMW’s M Division is returning to its roots rather fittingly with this, its 50th anniversary present to its diehard fans: the new BMW M4 CSL. The company is offering another headline new product in this its big birthday year but, as you might have read elsewhere, it’s a curious plug-in hybrid SUV that, for reasons unfathomable to many of us, appears to have been named after a Citroen. The reasons that the BMW XM exists at all aren’t so hard to fathom, of course; but the CSL is the real party piece - not least because it’s a CSL. BMW’s Motorsport division was founded in 1972 in order to better run its parent company’s competition efforts (if you don’t know how it happened, our own Richard Lane’s BMW M anniversary drive story is well worth a read). And its first road car was actually the memorably wild-looking homologation version of the ‘E9’ coupe: the ‘Batmobile’ 3.0 CSL.Those three letters - which stand for ‘Competition Sport Lightweight’ - hold the most special of statuses for Munich. They have only been used on one other road-going BMW since the ‘E9’: the celebrated ‘E46’ M3 CSL of 2004, which plenty still hail as the greatest BMW M car there has yet been. And so, while limited-run M3s and M4s have used other model identities over the decades, from CRT to GTS and even GTR in a few cases, we can safely assume that this one must be an exceptional prospect. You don’t blow nearly twenty years of dust off an iconic nameplate without being sure that you’re going to deploy it properly. Before we move on, then, let’s reflect on how the more rarefied end of the market for German performance cars has changed since the ‘E46’ CSL of 2004. That was BMW’s first road-going M car to get a semi-slick ‘cup’ tyre, you may remember. The first with a weight-saving roof made out of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic, too. It jettisoned its sound insulation, factory navigation- and stereo systems, air conditioning, electric front seats and its occasional rear ones; and it ended up 110kg lighter than the M3 Coupe on which it was based. The new CSL is 100kg lighter than its series-production equivalent, while retaining niceties such as air con, a stereo and an infotainment system. Because, as companies like BMW have gradually learned over the decades, even the wealthiest and most enthusiastic petrolheads like performance cars that they can actually use. The M3 CSL was priced from a whisker over £58,000 when it came to market in 2004: a figure which will sound incredibly reasonable when you consider that this new M4 CSL has a showroom price of just under £130k in 2022 (correct the former for eighteen years of inflation and it comes out at about £90k; so that’s a big price hike even in real terms).BMW is clearly aiming high with this new ultimate M car, then - and, if it hits its target market dead centre, it will in turn become extra-profitable for the M Division, and worth the outlay for the lucky one hundred UK owners who’ll reap the rewards of a car whose reputation far outstrips its supply. It’s a well-practised trick. The new CSL, like so many cars of its kind, plays to the high-rolling collector, and uses so much power and apparent hardcore temperament to flag its status loud and clear.So what will they get for the money? The new CSL’s bonnet and bootlid are made out of ‘CFRP’ in addition to the roof. The standard-fit M Carbon racing bucket seats save 24kg compared with the M4’s standard seats, and another 21kg comes courtesy of throwing out the second-row passenger seats and belts completely. Special forged alloy wheels, standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes, and BMW M’s axle makeover saves 21kg across the car’s rolling chassis. 15kg of sound insulation has been removed from various places. And the CSL’s new titanium exhaust is 4kg lighter than the one it replaces. https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/bmw/m4-csl

At least 174 people have died in a crush at an Indonesian football match that has become one of the world's worst stadium disasters. About 180 were also hurt in aftermath of home team Arema FC's loss to bitter rivals at the overcrowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java. The crush took place after police tear-gassed fans who invaded the pitch. As panic spread, thousands surged towards Kanjuruhan stadium's exits, where many suffocated. Fifa, the world's governing football body, states that no "crowd control gas" should be carried or used by stewards or police at matches. One eyewitness told the BBC that police had fired numerous tear gas rounds "continuously and fast" after the situation with fans became "tense". Fifa President Gianni Infantino said it was "a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension". 'It had gotten anarchic' - Police Early reports put the death toll at about 130, but officials later announced a significant rise to 174, with 11 more people seriously injured. President Joko Widodo has ordered that all matches in Indonesia's top league must be stopped until an investigation has been carried out. Videos from the stadium show fans running on to the pitch after the final whistle marked the home team's 2-3 defeat, and police firing tear gas in response. "It had gotten anarchic. They started attacking officers, they damaged cars," said Nico Afinta, police chief in East Java, adding that two police officers were among the dead. "We would like to convey that... not all of them were anarchic. Only about 3,000 who entered the pitch," he said. Fleeing fans "went out to one point at the exit. Then there was a build-up, in the process of accumulation there was shortness of breath, lack of oxygen", the officer added. Videos on social media show fans clambering over fences to escape. Separate videos appear to show lifeless bodies on the floor. The Indonesian football association (PSSI) said it had launched an investigation, adding that the incident had "tarnished the face of Indonesian football". Violence at football matches is not new in Indonesia, and Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya are long-time rivals. However Persebaya Surabaya fans were banned from buying tickets for the game because of fears of clashes. Chief Security Minister Mahfud MD posted on Instagram that 42,000 tickets had been sold for the match at Kanjuruhan stadium, which has a stated capacity of 38,000. President Widodo called for this to be the "last soccer tragedy in the nation" after ordering that all Liga 1 games should be paused pending an investigation. 'It was bang, bang, bang' - Eyewitness Muhamad Dipo Maulana, 21, who was at the match, told BBC Indonesian that after the game had ended a few Arema fans went on the pitch to remonstrate with the home team players but were immediately intercepted by police and "beaten". More spectators then took to the pitch in protest, the supporter said, adding that the situation became "tense". "Police with dogs, shields, and soldiers came forward," Mr Dipo told the BBC. He said he had heard more than 20 tear gas shots towards spectators at the stadium. "There was a lot, like bang, bang, bang! The sound was continuous and fast. The sound was really loud and directed to all the stands," he added. Mr Dipo said he saw people in disarray, panicking and suffocating while trying to get out of the stadium. There were many children and old people who were affected by the tear gas, the eyewitness added. One of worst football disasters The stampede is one of the worst of a tragically long line of stadium disasters. In 1964, a total of 320 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during a stampede at a Peru-Argentina Olympic qualifier in Lima. In 1985, 39 people died and 600 were hurt at the Heysel stadium in Brussels, Belgium, when fans were crushed against a wall that then collapsed during the European Cup final between Liverpool (England) and Juventus (Italy). https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63105945

Spotify is mysteriously installing itself onto Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs, appearing in the Taskbar when you start up your PC – and I've had the pleasure of experiencing this myself. Starting up my PC this week, I found Spotify's icon glowing in my Taskbar as other apps were also starting up. It's an app I use on my iPhone and Mac daily, but it's never been on my PC as it's only used for games. It was the quickest uninstall I've done in recent years, as it's not just a bug, but a potential security flaw. I didn't allow this app to be installed onto my PC, and while I've reached out to Microsoft for comment, it's made me wonder why this has happened without notice.Another situation that springs to mind is when Apple and U2 made an agreement to make the band's album, 'Songs of Innocence(opens in new tab)', available for users as a giveaway, to mark the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models in 2014. Users weren't happy then, either, as some would have a mix of Euro-Dance albums and U2's new release – which would be a good ice breaker on one end of the spectrum, and an awkward conversation on the other. However, this could be a feature. The Microsoft Store has been known(opens in new tab) to install apps on its own, with games and other Microsoft utilities appearing on your Taskbar. But the company hasn't notified its Windows users of Spotify being available through the Store this week, so the only reaction that myself and other users are experiencing from this is annoyance. Hopefully, Microsoft will respond to this strange appearance of a third-party app soon, as it could be a PR disaster waiting to happen. Link : https://www.techradar.com/news/is-microsoft-forcing-spotify-onto-windows-11-users

Intel Arc A750 and A770 are about to reset pricing expectations on October 12. Intel Arc Alchemist has been in development for several years, and after delays and misstarts, we're finally in the home stretch. The Arc A770 and A750 will launch on October 12, and they're setting their sights firmly on the midrange market for the best graphics cards. Intel provided additional details on what we'll see when the cards arrive in just a couple of weeks. Earlier this week, during the Intel Innovation keynote, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger revealed a starting price of $329 for the A770. But which A770 was Pat referring to? It's the A770 8GB model, to the surprise of no one, but the other Arc A700-series cards are priced equally aggressively. Intel's own Arc A770 16GB Limited Edition will cost $349, just $20 more than the baseline A770 8GB. $20 for double the memory? Yes, we'll take that in a heartbeat, even if it probably won't matter that much in most games, at least today. But the bigger deal is arguably the Arc A750, which will have 8GB and a starting price of just $289. Intel's not being shy about performance comparisons, going straight after Nvidia's nominally $329 RTX 3060 — except that actual GPU street pricing for that card still starts at $369. Amazon has the PNY RTX 3060 XLR8 for $377(opens in new tab), while Newegg has the MSI RTX 3060 Ventus for $369(opens in new tab) (plus a 15% off code right now if you hurry). That might be the first time we've seen an RTX 3060 go for less than its MSRP since it first launched in January 2021. Even at price parity, though, Intel still thinks it may have the upper hand. To that end, it provided a full suite of 67 gaming benchmarks with the A770, A750, and RTX 3060. The games were tested at both 1440p high and 1080p ultra, which seems a reasonable target for midrange hardware. Intel also provided several "bang for the buck" slides showing the A770 and A750 going up against the RTX 3060, but the catch is that it used a "current" price of $418 for the RTX 3060. That might have been the going rate for the card last month, but GPU prices are quite volatile right now, and we're able to find much better prices just one week after Intel collected its data. As with all manufacturer-provided benchmarks, we can't vouch for the performance data shown in this slide. Intel tested both cards with a Core i9-12900K, 32GB of memory, and an Asus Z690 DDR5 motherboard. While it didn't show the raw framerates, even the lower-priced Arc A750 showed generally better performance across the test suite. Intel made a point of testing games that use all three major graphics APIs as well: DirectX 12, Vulkan, and DirectX 11. Games that support DX12 or Vulkan were tested using that API, as for Intel that generally means better performance. That might not be true of the RTX 3060, however, where DX11 at times still runs better than DX12 or Vulkan — again, a dose of skepticism is certainly warranted. DX11-only games not surprisingly remain the lowest performing class overall, with about ten of the 17 games in that group showing better performance on the 3060. The DX12 titles meanwhile showed Intel Arc A750 leading in 32 of the 43 tested games, and in Vulkan the A750 was ahead in six of the seven games. Unlike AMD, Intel isn't obviously avoiding comparisons in ray tracing games. It also showed off performance in 17 different games that use ray tracing. Even there, an area where Nvidia has traditionally reigned supreme for the past four years, the Arc A770 was faster in 13 of the tests. Intel also discussed how building the Arc drivers using the integrated drivers as the starting point proved problematic. It's worked hard over the past several months to improve the situation, and that's beginning to pay off. The DX12 Optimized titles are games where Intel has specifically delivered targeted performance improvements, while the other DX12 games are just using standard code. As time passes, a lot more games should start to fall into the "optimized" category, with commensurate performance. The full details of the Arc desktop lineup remain unchanged, but it's nice to see the A580 still waiting in the wings. That won't be launching on October 12 alongside the A700 cards, but given the $289 price point on the A750, we can't help but wonder how low Intel will go. $249 would put it right against the RTX 3050 and RX 6600, though AMD's card easily outclasses the 3050 at that price point. That brings up another interesting topic: How do the Arc A750 and A770 fare against AMD's RX 6650 XT starting at $300(opens in new tab)? That's typically 10–20% faster than the RTX 3060, according to our GPU benchmarks hierarchy, at least in our standard non-ray tracing test suite. (In the DXR suite, the 3060 ends up being 25–30% faster.) Things could be close, which is why we still need to run the benchmarks ourselves. That will be happening over the next two weeks as we prepare for the retail launch. There are other things to consider as well. Standard apples-to-apples gaming performance is a good starting point, but Nvidia has a lot of games with DLSS support now available. At present, there are only a few XeSS-enabled games. Intel showed performance improvements ranging from 37% to as much as double the fps with XeSS Performance mode at 1440p. We tested Shadow of the Tomb Raider with XeSS earlier this week, and a few other games are now publicly available with XeSS support (like Death Stranding). On the A380, XeSS was a bit problematic, but Intel says a lot of that might be due to trying to scale down the algorithm to a significantly slower GPU. We'll see how it does on the faster Arc GPUs soon enough. But now Nvidia has DLSS 3 waiting in the wings, clearly trying to stay one step ahead of the competition. That's not coming to RTX 3060, however, and who knows when we'll see an RTX 40-series competitor to Arc A770 (our guess: next spring). Intel Arc GPUs are set to launch in just a couple of weeks, and we're excited to test them out and see how they stack up to the AMD and Nvidia competition. We're also glad to see a potential true mid-range GPU launch for the first time in far too long. Intel almost certainly wouldn't have priced Arc this low had it been ready six months ago, but fears that it might try to stick to earlier rumored pricing are at least safely put to rest now. As Intel shifts from the Alchemist launch over to Battlemage, which it once again reiterated is where most of the graphics team is now working, we can only hope it will execute better on Arc. The A750 and A770 both look promising right now, and we'll see them in action soon enough. But at this point, we're now looking on to AMD RDNA 3 and Nvidia Ada Lovelace. The sooner Battlemage can join the fray, the better. The full presentation deck can be viewed below. Again, performance per dollar data needs to be taken with a healthy helping of salt, as the 3060 prices have dropped potentially $40 or more in the interim. And who knows where they'll be in two more weeks when Intel's competing cards officially arrive? Link : https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-arc-a750-a770-full-pricing-revealed

Name of the game: Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ Price: 5,99$ Link Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/356190/Middleearth_Shadow_of_War/ Offer ends up after X hours: 6 October Requirements: MINIMUM: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 SP1 with Platform Update Processor: AMD FX-4350, 4.2 GHz / Intel Core i5-2300, 2.80 GHz Memory: 6 GB RAM Graphics: AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 70 GB available space Additional Notes: X64 required RECOMMENDED: Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Creators Update Processor: AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz Memory: 12 GB RAM Graphics: AMD RX 480, 4 GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage: 70 GB available space Additional Notes: X64 required

The MG 5 EV is a triumph of common sense: practical, good value, no nonsense. It’s a relief, in fact, to see that such qualities still pay off in the car market, as the MG 5 has been one of the best-selling electric cars in the UK since it arrived in 2019. Despite being almost remarkable in its unremarkable-ness, 21,946 MG 5s were sold in the UK in 2021.This 2022 facelift solves some of that styling blandness with a completely redesigned front-end that’s inherited something of the squinty-eyed attitude of the new MG 4. It’s a big improvement in our books, as is the new infotainment system that’s the other significant upgrade for this facelift. Gone is the clunky, aftermarket-looking system, and in its place is a glossy touchscreen that benefits from decent sat-nav, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and the ability to control your timed charging parameters – the latter being a notable oversight in the MG 5 until now. The touchscreen is straightforward to navigate and benefits from physical shortcut buttons, but it does require a hefty prod to get the screen to react, and sometimes it’s slow to do so. Perhaps more annoying is that the climate controls are in the touchscreen, so you have to leave your nav or media screen altogether just to change the cabin temperature. Anyway, in most respects the new touchscreen is perfectly decent, and it’s also now mounted in a dash that gets smart, textile and metal-effect finish for usefully improved perceived quality around the cabin. It doesn’t feel cheap up front in the MG 5, despite this being a budget proposition by the standards of the class, with this 61kWh (57kWh usable) Long Range model starting at £30,995. A cheaper, 199-mile range version may yet join the MG5 range in the UK, although this is yet to be confirmed. Otherwise, there are no changes inside the MG5 so you’re still getting a roomy family car. There’s enough room in the back seats for a couple of average-sized adults to lounge comfortably, but lankier passengers may find themselves a little tight on headroom. The boot is a very serviceable 479 litres, and the rear seats fold in the usual 60/40 split, but still leave a step up from the boot floor and expose plenty of tatty, unfinished material edges that show some clear cost-saving. We’ll cheerfully take some shabby finishes in hidden bits of the boot, though, if that’s what it takes for MG to be able to offer keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, the aforementioned touchscreen and even vehicle-to-device charging, as standard on the cheaper SE trim. Trophy gets 17-inch alloys, leatherette upholstery, heated seats, auto wipers and a few other extras. The same 154bhp electric motor powers the MG 5, but a change in torque delivery has seen 0-62mph has drop by 0.6sec to 8.3sec. Despite that, the MG 5 feels more than fast enough even if you ask for a mid-range splurge of acceleration. Meanwhile, the regenerative braking has three levels, which you toggle through via a switch on the console. None of them are heavy enough to be called a one-pedal mode, however. Soft spring settings let the body roll quite a bit more than you’ll experience in the Volkswagen ID 3, for instance, but it’s progressive and undramatic even in quicker direction changes. That’s a fair price to pay for the way the MG 5 sponges up the worst of the road’s bumps and intrusions any day, in a car like this. Predictably, the steering has little sense of real connection to the wheels but it’s weighted well enough to give confidence in faster stuff or to make light work of an urban commute, and there’s enough grip to stave off dramatic understeer unless you really try for an optimistic cornering attitude. In fact, the MG 5 EV is usefully more composed in terms of its ride and handling than the MG ZS EV that many will also consider while shopping for a roomy, well-priced, long-range EV. Overall, the MG 5 EV is about as dynamic as a cup of chamomile tea, and that’s just as it should be; an unpretentious focus on comfort is pretty ideal for a small estate like this.It’d be nice to have faster charging since the 87kW peak DC charging rate is a little slow next to rivals like the Vauxhall Mokka-e and VW ID.3 and will take some 40mins for a 10-80% charge. It’s also a shame that prices have now jumped to north of £30k. Even so, monthly prices still promise to make this one of the cheapest long-range EVs out there and the 2022 updates successfully address most of the MG5’s niggles. Ultimately, it’s still delightfully sensible, not to mention more recommendable than ever. Link : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mg-motor/5-ev/first-drives/mg-5-ev-long-range-2022-first-drive

Messages between Elon Musk and Twitter boss Parag Agrawal have been published in a court filing. They reveal how the pair's relationship, after a good start, went dramatically south. In late March, it became clear that Elon Musk was interested in purchasing shares in Twitter - and potentially sitting on Twitter's board. On 27 March, Parag Agrawal reaches out: "Hey Elon - great to be connected directly. Would love to chat," he says. Elon Musk likes the message. "Perhaps tonight around 8?" he says. So far so good. By 31 March, a hastily planned dinner is arranged near San Jose as the deal really starts heating up. The speed of developments is clearly exhilarating for Mr Agrawal. The world's richest person is about to become a Twitter board member. Mr Agrawal tells Mr Musk he's "excited" to see him in person. Bret Taylor, Twitter's board chair, texts Musk about the dinner. "I think they were looking for an Airbnb near the airport and there are tractors and donkeys," he says in a text. The location, he continues, "wins for the weirdest place I've had a meeting recently". The dinner goes well despite the farmyard location. "Memorable for multiple reasons. Really enjoyed it", Mr Agrawal says. A few days later it's announced that Elon Musk is to join the board. "Super excited" Mr Agrawal messages. As the announcement goes public, all sorts of names begin to text Mr Musk. Podcaster Joe Rogan asks Mr Musk whether he is going to "liberate Twitter from the censorship happy mob". "I will provide advice, which they may or may not choose to follow," Mr Musk replies. On 5 April, Jack Dorsey, former chief executive of Twitter, tells Mr Musk that Mr Agrawal is an "incredible engineer", but that Twitter's board is "terrible". By 7 April, Mr Agrawal and Mr Musk are burnishing their coding credentials - the start of a seemingly beautiful working relationship. "I wrote heavy duty software for 20 years," Mr Musk says. "I interface way better with engineers who are able to do the hardcore programming than with program manager/MBA types". Agrawal replies: "In our next convo - treat me like an engineer instead of a CEO and let's see where we get to." "You got it", Mr Musk replies. But then disaster. On 9 April, Mr Musk tweets asking why so few of Twitter's most followed accounts tweeted very much. "Is Twitter dying?" he asks. This tweet angers Mr Agrawal. Later that day he messages: "You are free to tweet 'is Twitter dying?' or anything else about Twitter - but it's my responsibility to tell you that it's not helping me make Twitter better in the current context. "Next time we speak, I'd like to you provide you [sic] perspective on the level of the internal distraction right now and how it [sic] hurting our ability to do work." Elon Musk, notoriously, does not like being told what to do - especially whether and what he can tweet. We can't be certain what is going on behind the scenes, but this message seems to have infuriated Elon Musk. A few hours later he shoots off a volley of irascible messages. "What did you get done this week?... I'm not joining the board… This is a waste of time. Will make an offer to take Twitter private." Mr Agrawal appears bewildered by the texts. Who is Elon Musk? Why did Musk get cold feet on Twitter? He rings Bret Taylor, who desperately tries to understand what is going on. "Parag just called me and mentioned your text conversations. Can you talk?" he says. "Fixing Twitter by chatting with Parag won't work," Mr Musk says. "Drastic action is needed." "Can you take 10 minutes to talk through with me?" Mr Taylor asks. "It has been about 24 hours since you joined the board. I get your point, but just want to understand about the sudden pivot," he continues. Elon Musk follows through. He offers $44bn to take Twitter private. On 25 April, the board accepts the offer. The next day, Jack Dorsey makes another attempt to patch up the relationship between the two. He organises a call. It doesn't go well. "You and I are in complete agreement," Mr Musk messages Mr Dorsey after the conversation. "Parag is just moving far too slowly and trying to please people who will not be happy no matter what he does." Mr Dorsey replies: "At least it became clear that you can't work together." From there the relationship between Mr Musk and Twitter gets worse and worse. Mr Musk eventually attempts to pull out of the deal entirely in July. But Twitter still approves the purchase in September. A court case in Delaware in mid-October will decide whether he will be allowed to walk away - or forced to buy the company. But the messages show that the relationship between Twitter's CEO and Mr Musk had broken down far earlier. They also suggest that if Mr Musk is made to buy Twitter - Parag Agrawal will need to look for another job. James Clayton is the BBC's North America technology reporter based in San Francisco. Follow him on Twitter @jamesclayton5. Link : https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63098117