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Best Prime Day CPU and GPU deals: Everything you need to know
We'll be sharing all the best CPU and GPU deals from the second Prime Day of 2023 right here!
Amazon Prime Day already greeted us with countless technology-related deals in July and the online retail giant is working hard behind the scenes to prepare the stalls for another round. We're still waiting for Amazon to confirm when precisely its Prime Big Deal Days will take place, but if we were to make some bets, we'd say it will be somewhere in the middle of October to match what we experienced the year prior.
Intel 'Raptor Lake Refresh' launch date leaked; Core i9-14900k incoming
The Raptor Lake Refresh lineup will be announced next week.
Intel is set to announce its 14th-gen Core 'Raptor Lake Refresh' desktop processors later this month as an iterative upgrade over last year's Raptor Lake lineup. Much has already been leaked about the upcoming processors, including the names and key specifications of most of the top-end SKUs like the Core i9-14900K that's expected to be the new flagship. Now, a new leak claims that the new CPUs will be available for purchase from next month.
Leak reveals Intel's full 14th-gen desktop CPU lineup
The 'Raptor Lake Refresh' chips are launching later this month.
Intel is set to announce its next-gen desktop CPU lineup later this month as an upgrade over the 13th-gen 'Raptor Lake' series that was launched late last year. Called 'Raptor Lake Refresh,' the upcoming lineup has been in the news often in recent weeks, thanks to multiple leaks that have revealed some key details, including core counts and clock speeds of some of the mosts notable SKUs, including the flagship Core i9-14900K. Now, a new leak has seemingly revealed the key specifications of the entire lineup.
Intel 'Meteor Lake' leak reveals Core Ultra 9 185H with 16 cores and 5.1 Ghz clock speed
The 1st-gen Core Ultra chips are coming next year.
Earlier this year, Intel announced a major rebrand for its processors in over a decade. Starting with the Meteor Lake lineup, the 'Core i' nomenclature will give way to 'Core Ultra' for high-end chips, while the more mainstream parts will move from the "i3/i5/i7/i9" branding to a "Core 3/5/7/9" naming convention. Prior to this week, we already knew a few things about the 1st-generation Core Ultra family, but a new leak has now revealed more details about a few of the SKUs in the upcoming lineup.
Best CPUs in 2023
Trying to build your next PC for gaming or work? Here are the best CPUs you can buy for a new machine or if you're looking for an upgrade.
The central processing unit (CPU) is one of the most important components inside a PC. It's what handles all the calculations for just about everything you do on Linux or Windows and so the better the CPU you have, the more you'll be able to do. This guide showcases the best CPUs available right now from AMD and Intel, taking into account budget, performance, and value.
Intel's Core i9-14900K "Raptor Lake Refresh" CPU leaked on Geekbench ahead of launch
The next-gen CPUs are expected to be announced later this month.
Intel is expected to launch its Raptor Lake Refresh CPU lineup later this month, and recent leaks have already revealed several details about it. Earlier this year, a report is believed to have revealed the specifications of at least three unlocked K-series Raptor Lake Refresh desktop SKUs, including the Core i9-14900K, i7-14700K, and i5-14600K. Now, a new leak seemingly confirms some of the leaked specs and also gives us some insight into the performance of the flagship SKU - the Core i9-14900K.
Intel Core i9-13900K vs. Core i9-12900K: Should you buy 12th or 13th Gen?
Should you upgrade your 16-core Intel CPU?
It should come as no surprise that the Intel Core i9-13900K is a brilliant processor, as we noted in our review. It has far more performance than most people could effectively utilize, but how does it compare to the older Intel Core i9-12900K? The latter, being a previous-gen processor, could help you save more money, but is it still worth buying? We're going to compare the specifications, performance, and value to determine which to buy or whether you should upgrade from the 12th-generation chip.
Why APUs can't truly replace low-end GPUs
Replacing low-end GPUs is like replacing cheap cars with scooters and saying it's actually better
Recently I wrote about how the demise of the budget GPU posed a big problem for PC gaming, namely that having to spend an extra $100 to $200 just to buy the cheapest GPU would be a serious hurdle for many gamers who simply don't have as much as others. Without newer budget models to replace older ones, these gamers would inevitably get left behind, finding their options to be inadequate for the latest and even sort of recent PC games. It could even harm the PC gaming ecosystem as a whole if these gamers are squeezed out of PC and switch to consoles.
Watercooling your PC: What is it and should you do it?
When it comes to cooling computer components, water cooling is the most premium option, but it's not just for high-end systems.
While all coolers for computer parts like CPUs and GPUs generally involve a heatsink and some fans to cool that heatsink off, the best, highest-end coolers are water or liquid coolers. You see water cooling solutions all the time in premium PCs built by OEMs and individuals alike, and they usually perform better than regular air coolers. But there is more to water cooling just being better than air cooling (which isn't always true), and it's not for everyone.
Massive leak reveals key details about Intel's 14th-gen Core processors
The 14th-gen Core 'Raptor Lake Refresh' lineup is expected to be launched later this year.
Intel is expected to announce its 14th-gen Core 'Raptor Lake Refresh' CPUs later this year as a follow-up to last year's Raptor Lake lineup. Various leaks over the past few months have revealed quite a bit about the upcoming processors, but the latest info about them comes straight from Taiwanese motherboard manufacturer MSI, confirming several key details, such as the names and core counts of multiple chips in the next-gen family.
Best Intel CPUs in 2023
If you're in the market to buy a new Intel CPU, then we have some solid recommendations for you in our collection of the best Intel CPUs.
The CPU (central processing unit) is one of the most important components inside a PC. It's what largely determines how much processing power will be available for tasks such as gaming and running software. Choosing the right processor is a complex decision to make, but buying the best CPU is crucial as it plays an intricate role in deciding how well your PC performs in different workloads, how well it runs games, and more. Intel failed to provide answers to AMD's Ryzen series of processors, but we're big fans of what the company achieved with the 13th Gen Raptor Lake chips.
How many cores do you need for gaming?
More cores is better, right? Well, for gaming it's not that simple. Here's what you need to know about cores and gaming.
When it comes to rendering, video editing, and number crunching, more CPU cores is always better, and the best and fastest CPUs have lots of cores. So, if you want the best gaming CPU, you might think you'd want the CPU with the most cores, but it's not that simple. While cores are important for running the latest games, more cores stop mattering after a certain point. Here's what you need to know about games and CPU cores.
Old vs new: Why the Raptor Lake refresh might be more competitive than you think
While we'd love to see new Intel CPUs on the desktop, what we're getting with 14th-generation Raptor Lake chips isn't bad either.
Until somewhat recently, we expected Intel would continue its comeback story with Meteor Lake, manufactured on the formerly troubled Intel 4 process (previously called 7nm). However, one or two generations of good but late 10nm CPUs like Alder Lake couldn't undo five years of 14nm Skylake refreshes, and some of Intel's worst CPUs on its own, and AMD certainly isn't slowing down. After the 13th-generation Raptor Lake in 2022, it was natural to think it would be followed up with Meteor Lake sometime in 2024, maybe 2023, if we're lucky.
What is Moore's Law, and why is it dying?
You've probably heard about Moore's Law and how it's apparently dying.
If you've been paying attention to tech media over the past decade, you'll probably have heard about Moore's Law and how it's apparently dying. Unfortunately, it's hard to describe what Moore's Law is and how exactly it's dying in a standard news piece. Here's everything you need to know about Moore's Law, what it means for processors, why people are saying it's dying, and how companies are finding workarounds.
How to update Intel and AMD chipset drivers
It's pretty important to install chipset drivers on any PC, and here's how you do it.
While CPUs and motherboards don't require drivers in the same way a GPU does, there are drivers for CPUs and motherboards called chipset drivers. These drivers often contain important updates for fundamental stuff, and it's generally a good idea to make sure this stuff is up to date, especially if you want your CPU to operate as expected. Here's how you update chipset drivers for Intel and AMD PCs.
AMD is making a hybrid CPU, and here's what it will look like
It was surprising to hear AMD confirm its plans to make a hybrid CPU, and the first one is already on the way.
When Intel launched its 12th-generation Alder Lake chips in late 2021, it did something really unique by using two completely different kinds of cores in the same package. Of course, Intel didn't invent what it calls "hybrid architecture" since Arm was doing essentially the same thing under what it calls big.LITTLE for years. However, on desktop, this was a big deal since it allowed Intel to achieve a high amount of performance while using less power and area than a non-hybrid CPU would have. AMD, meanwhile, has continued to offer just one architecture per CPU.
The AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX3D brings 3D V-Cache to laptops
3D V-Cache isn't just for hitting higher framerates, but for increased efficiency in gaming too.
If you're familiar with AMD's Ryzen 7045 series for laptops, you'll know that these chips use the exact same silicon as desktop Ryzen 7000 CPUs, which are among the best CPUs out there, so it was only a matter of time until AMD made mobile versions of its Ryzen 7000X3D series. Today, AMD is announcing just that, the very first mobile Ryzen chip with 3D V-Cache: the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. While you might think 3D V-Cache is better suited for high-end CPUs in desktops, 3D V-Cache is perhaps better suited for laptops than anything else.
Zenbleed: Everything you need to know about this AMD security bug
The latest in a long series of security bugs for CPUs, Zenbleed is yet another thing that needs to be patched. Here's what you need to know.
After the Spectre and Meltdown CPU exploits were publicized in 2018, the computing world has been pretty vigilant about finding security bugs and loopholes in processors, and in the past five years, researchers have found a ton. On July 24, yet another exploit was publicly disclosed after first being reported in May. This time, it's specific to AMD processors built on the Zen 2 architecture, and it's dubbed termed "Zenbleed". Here's everything you need to know about Zenbleed and what it means for the world.
Best CPU coolers in 2023
Buying the best CPU cooler is just as important as buying any other core component. Here are some of the best CPU coolers on the market.
The central processing unit (CPU) handles a certain number of calculations per cycle. The more powerful the CPU the more calculations can be processed and the more waste heat is produced. A CPU cooler is attached to the chip to help keep temperatures within safe operating ranges. It's a critical component as they also allow the processor to run as fast as designed by the manufacturer. Without ample thermal headroom, you may encounter thermal throttling. We've compiled a list of the very best air and liquid CPU coolers right here to keep your PC running cool and smooth.
Save $60 on Intel's Core i7-12700KF gaming CPU for Prime Day
For $220, you can get a last generation Intel CPU that's still good to go for gaming and more.
Although Intel's 13th-generation CPUs are a good bargain, they're nothing compared to 12th-generation chips now that they're on sale. While the Core i5-12600K is enjoying a pretty good Prime Day discount at $180, along with many other good CPU deals, an even better deal might be for the Core i7-12700KF, the 12600K's bigger brother. It comes with two extra P-cores, and with a $60 discount, it's now a surprisingly cheap CPU for both gaming and productivity.