#gaming-cpu-performance

#gaming-cpu-performance

Rising RAM prices have made upgrading your PC more expensive. Virtual RAM is a less expensive way of boosting an older computer's performance, but it has limited use cases because it can't match the speed of physical RAM.

After Google released its TurboQuant compression algorithm, which can purportedly drastically reduce the amount of memory required for certain AI workflows, stock prices for memory manufacturers dropped significantly.

When Falcon initially debuted the FragBox in 2004, it was notable for being a genuinely small PC that used full-sized parts. That's still a main selling point today: It can still fit in large NVIDIA GPUs, including the beefy RTX 5090, as well as either Intel's latest Core Ultra chips or AMD's Ryzen 9000 CPUs. A huge 280mm radiator sits at the top pulling out hot air, and it also serves as an All-in-One (AIO) liquid cooler for the CPU.

AMD clarified those estimates are based on a comparison between an eight-GPU MI300X node and an MI500 rack system with an unspecified number of GPUs. The math works out to eight MI300Xs that are 1000x less powerful than X-number of MI500Xs. And since we know essentially nothing about the chip besides that it'll ship in 2027, pair TSMC's 2nm process tech with AMD's CDNA 6 compute architecture, and use HBM4e memory, we can't even begin to estimate what that 1000x claim actually means.

The Ryzen 7 9850X3D features the same 8-core, 16-threads design as the 9800X3D, as well as the same 96MB L3 cache that makes these chips especially suited for gaming workloads. Thanks to the higher level of binning, the 9850X3D can now hit 5.6GHz clock speeds, up from the 9800X3D's 5.2GHz, at the same 120W TDP. This is an almost 8% increase in clock speed, and should make the 9850X3D the fastest gaming CPU in AMD's lineup, and consequently, on the market.

"Many people in the PC industry said, well, if you want graphics, it's gotta be discrete graphics because otherwise people will think it's bad graphics," Macri said at last year's CES. "What Apple showed was consumers don't care what's inside the box. They actually care what the what the box looks like. They care about the screen, the keyboard, the mouse. They care about what it does."

Lenovo has brought a slew of updates to its Legion and LOQ line of gaming laptops for CES 2026. The refreshed laptops are all built around Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs. The new Legion 7a is both thinner and lighter than the previous generation and is aimed at gamers, creators, and working professionals. Lenovo says the new 7a will be powered by AMD Ryzen AI 400 CPUs and RTX 50-series GPUs, delivering up to 125W of total system power.

According to IGN and TechCrunch, sources say Intel is going to compete by developing a custom Intel Core G3 "variant or variants" just for handhelds that could outperform the Arc B390 GPU on the chips it just announced. IGN reports that by using the new 18A process, Intel can cut different die slices, and "spec the chips to offer better performance on the GPU where you want it."

The ROG Xbox Ally X is the newest handheld gaming device from Asus, and the third of its kind from the company in as many years. The Xbox Ally X, along with the cheaper Xbox Ally, is made in collaboration with Microsoft's Xbox division, and features a unique design that mirrors Xbox controllers, as well as ships with a lightly modified version of Windows 11.

There's no shortage of handheld gaming PCs to choose from lately, but the Steam Deck has been a popular option thanks in part to its operating system. SteamOS works far better than Windows on these machines, and fortunately, it's available on another device: Lenovo's Legion Go 2. The company recently rolled out the Legion Go S with SteamOS, but for anyone looking for a handheld with more heavy-duty hardware--and Switch-like controllers--the Legion Go 2 has been a solid option.

They won't have an Nvidia graphics chip next to an Intel CPU, but rather an Nvidia N1 system-on-chip at the helm - and overnight, a Lenovo leak revealed that the company has built six laptops on the upcoming N1 and N1X processors, including a 15-inch gaming machine. Dataminer Huang514613 posted those names to X, including 14 and 16-inch models of the Ideapad Slim 5, two variants of the 15-inch Yoga Pro 7, and a Yoga 9 transforming 2-in-1.

There's support for DDR4-3200 memory, and the processor also comes bundled with an AMD Wraith Stealth cooler, which maintains its temperature while offering consistent performance for all your tasks. Additionally, the processor features a full suite of Ryzen technologies such as Precision Boost 2 and Precision Boost Overdrive to take the experience even further. The former intelligently raises CPU clock speeds to deliver maximum performance, while the latter pushes it further when your system can handle it.