Continuing its streak of offering a different game for free every 24 hours during the final weeks of 2024, the Epic Games Store is now giving away the high-octane cyberpunk-styled parkour slasher Ghostrunner 2 for a limited time.

Free to claim from now until 6PM UK time later today (the 27th of December), Ghostrunner 2 is the sequel to 2020’s fast-paced first-person parkour title which feels like a blend between Mirror’s Edge and Hotline Miami in which you “slice your enemies with a monomolecular katana, dodge bullets with your superhuman reflexes, and employ a variety of specialized techniques to prevail.”

Upping the ante on all fronts, Ghostrunner 2 expands upon the first game with new mechanics; skills; progression; boss fights; game modes and “nonlinear levels with complex motorbike sections.”

The Ghostrunner series offers slick, fun and satisfying gameplay with that ‘one more try’ type of loop, and so if you have yet to try it out, now is the time to do so.

As mentioned, you have until 6PM to claim the game, at which point it will be replaced by another as-of-yet-unknown title.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Epic’s offerings throughout 2024? Did you previously claim the original Ghostrunner through the EGS? What free game do you hope is next? Let us know down below.

The post Ghostrunner 2 is free on Epic for one day first appeared on KitGuru.

Various reports and leaks have been targeting the Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series lineup lately, and the latest ones have shed more light on the upcoming RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti graphics cards.

Renowned leaker kopite7kimi has reiterated the previously rumoured specifications for the RTX 5070 Ti. It will reportedly feature the GB203-300 GPU with 8,960 CUDA cores, 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, and a power consumption of around 300W (though some reports suggest it could be closer to 285W). As for the RTX 5070, kopite7kimi claims it will use the cut-down GB205-300 GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores and a 250W power consumption. Kopite7kimi has also confirmed that the RTX 5070 will feature 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, maintaining the same VRAM capacity as the RTX 4070.

While this might disappoint some gamers hoping for a VRAM upgrade, the move to GDDR7 memory should still provide a significant bandwidth boost. A future Super variant could offer a larger memory capacity, similar to how Nvidia did when it launched the RTX 40 Super SKUs.

Nvidia has yet to confirm these specifications, and it's worth noting that plans can change before launch. The RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti are expected to launch after the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090, which are rumored to arrive between mid-January and early February.

KitGuru says: What do you think of these specifications for the RTX 5070 series SKUs?

The post Leaker reveals Nvidia RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti specifications first appeared on KitGuru.

Nvidia has taken steps to address the recent performance problems plaguing its new GeForce Experience replacement, the Nvidia App. The app's Game Filters seem to be causing significant frame rate drops and stuttering in certain games, leading the green team to launch an update to disable the feature by default.

Following reports from gamers and investigations from various media outlets, which revealed frame rate dips of up to 15%, Nvidia has acknowledged the issue and taken action. Rather than releasing a full-fledged patch, the company went for a temporary solution by disabling the Game Filters feature by default in the latest app update (version 11.0.1). While NVIDIA hasn't specified a date for a permanent fix, it's expected to arrive sometime next year. In the meantime, disabling Game Filters appears to resolve the performance issues for most users.

For those unfamiliar, Game Filters are real-time post-processing effects that allow you to customise the look and feel of your games. They can add a vintage aesthetic, adjust colors and contrast, reduce blue light emissions, and even compensate for color vision deficiencies.

In addition to the app update, Nvidia has also released a GeForce Hotfix Display Driver (version 566.45) based on the latest Game Ready Driver. This hotfix addresses micro-stuttering issues in the recently launched Indiana Jones game and improves stability for Ubisoft titles based on the Snowdrop engine.

KitGuru says: If you have disabled Game Filters manually, you may skip this Nvidia App update. However, for all the new users getting an Nvidia GPU or a system equipped with one this Christmas, having Game Filters disabled by default will surely be helpful.

The post Nvidia App update disables Game Filters by default to prevent performance issues first appeared on KitGuru.

Despite its internal issues, Intel is joining AMD and Nvidia at CES 2025 with its own keynote. At the center stage will be the company's interim co-CEO, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who will deliver the keynote, which is expected to focus on AI PC technology.

While Intel hasn't revealed the specific topics Holthaus will cover, the keynote is expected to highlight the company's latest advancements in AI, including new hardware and software solutions. Intel's keynote is scheduled for 8:30 AM PST/4:30 PM GMT, meaning it will be before AMD and Nvidia keynotes.

Among the anticipated announcements are Intel's new Arrow Lake-H and HX laptop CPUs. These mobile processors, part of the Core Ultra 200 family, are expected to be paired with Nvidia's upcoming GeForce RTX 50 laptop GPUs, offering a new combination for gaming and content creation on the go. Desktop users can also expect updates, with the Core Ultra 200S desktop series likely to be featured in the keynote, specifically the 65W non-K SKUs. Moreover, the new B860 motherboards should also be present.

With all three keynotes scheduled for January 6th (Nvidia's will be on January 7th in Europe and Asia timezones), attendees can expect a flurry of announcements from various hardware manufacturers even before the event officially starts.

KitGuru says: What do you think Intel will show off during its keynote? Will there be any surprises?

The post Intel announces AI-focused keynote at CES 2025 first appeared on KitGuru.

Antec has been on a roll with its new case launches lately, with both the dual chamber C8 and the Flux Pro getting rave reviews online. Today we take a look at another new Antec case featuring support for up to EATX motherboards, big graphics cards and multiple 360mm radiators. It even comes with four RGB fans and a PWM ARGB hub. But is it as good as the C8 and Flux Pro? Let’s find out.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:40 The C7 / Colours / Pricing
01:56 Front IO
02:08 Removing the panels – a look inside
04:09 Cooling support
05:16 Motherboard. GPU. air cooler support
05:51 Cutouts / back connect
06:22 Vertical GPU support
06:35 Back
07:06 Right hand side / drive support / FAN RGB Hub
09:33 Floor
10:23 Accessories included
10:53 Test System spec
12:08 Installation thoughts / cable management
13:14 Thermal and Noise Performance
14:44 Closing Thoughts

Antec C7 Features:

• The Antec C7 features a panoramic tempered glass front and side panel design with 45-degree bevelled glass edges, allowing for a seamless joint and an unrestricted view of the system.
• It is equipped with a vertical cooling method including a vented lower chamber and multidirectional intakes for bottom-to-top airflow as well as support for the installation of up to 10 fans with three 120mm reverse blade fans and one 140mm regular fan pre-installed.
• It also includes support for the installation of EATX motherboards including back connect, huge graphics cards, dual 360mm radiators installed simultaneously and great options for storage drive installation.

Specifications:

• Case Type: Mid-Tower
• Dimensions (LxWxH): 485mm x 214mm x 504mm
• Net Weight: 11.7kg
• Material: Steel, Plastic, Glass
• Motherboard Support: EATX (up to 272mm), ATX, Micro-ATX, ITX
• Expansion Slots: 7 (horizontal and vertical)
• Storage bays: 3 x 3.5/2.5” + 2 x 2.5”
• Max GPU Length: 450mm
• MAX GPU Height: N/A
• MAX GPU Thickness: N/A
• Max CPU Cooler Height: 180mm
• Max PSU Size: ATX up to 210mm
• Pre-installed fans: 3 x Antec P12R ARGB PWM Reverse, 1 x P14R ARGB PWM
• Fan Support: 3 x 120mm/2 x 140mm (Top) 3 x 120mm (Right Side) 1 x 120mm / 1 x 140mm (Rear) 3 x 120mm (PSU Shroud)
• Radiator Support: 360/280/240/120 (Top) 360/280/240/120 (Right Side) (Rear)
• Dust Filters: Front, Left, Bottom
• Font I/O: 1 x USB 3.2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0 Type-A
• LCD Screen: N/A

Thermal Performance Testing

To simulate thermal demand we run the Cinebench R23 multi-thread benchmark and 3DMark Speed Way stress test simultaneously in a loop for 30 minutes to load the system fully. This gives the CPU and GPU enough time to reach constant steady-state temperature. With this data, we can compare how the system handles the thermal demand and measure peak noise levels.

Thermal performance is measured with the case in various configurations, such as the default, with the tempered glass left-hand side panel removed and with the front panel removed to see how these configurations affect the CPU and GPU temperature. During testing, only stock case fans are used unless otherwise specified. All water pumps are set to maximum RPM and fans are set to a custom RPM curve by the Motherboard software/BIOS.

All temperature measurements are presented as Deltas – meaning the ambient temperature has been deducted from the CPU temperature giving us a Delta. Data shown in the charts represent the average component temperature over the length of the test as measured by HWiNFO and then the last 15 minutes of the data are calculated to get the average. The ambient temperature during thermal tests is between 19-20⁰C.

Test System Specification:

• CPU – AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• Motherboard – ASRock X870 Steel Legend WiFi
• Graphics Card – INNO3D RTX 4080 Super X3 OC White
• Memory – 64GB (2 x 32GB modules) G.SKILL RipJaws M5 RGB DDR5-6400
• Storage – 2TB Seagate FireCuda 530 PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD
• CPU Cooler – Antec Symphony 360 ARGB
• Power Supply – Seasonic Focus ATX GX-1000 80+ Gold PCIe 5 ready
• Case fans – Stock + 3 x 120mm be quiet! Light Wings LX White Reversed
• Chassis – Antec Constellation C7
• Operating System – Windows 11

Thermal Performance Overview

We tested the case thermals with a 360mm AIO CPU cooler installed in the roof and with the case in several different configurations. The default configuration shown in the charts is with a 360mm roof-mounted AIO, the stock case fans installed and all case panels fitted.

In the default configuration without additional intake fans on the PSU shroud, both the CPU and GPU temperatures are OK. GPU temperature at 45°C over ambient is perfect however the CPU temperature at 67°C over ambient is a few degrees higher than some other cases in which we used the 7800X3D to test thermals.

There is an improvement in CPU temperature under load when removing the mesh top and side panels, indicating that these ultra-fine mesh panels may restrict airflow a little more than normal since the CPU temperature drops by 4°C.

The best GPU temperature is recorded when adding three 120mm intake fans to the PSU shroud, but it only improves by 2°C compared with the default configuration so the additional cost of fans might outweigh the thermal and performance benefit.

The stock case fans that are included with the Antec C7 do a good job of keeping the system cool while still being quiet. At idle the system is virtually silent, under load there is little change in noise between the configurations that we tested, even the higher noise output of 41dBA is well within tolerable limits.

Closing Thoughts

Building the system inside the Antec C7 was one of the most hassle-free test system builds I have done in a while. Nothing at all stood out as being awkward or difficult, everything just goes together as it should. It's easy to get access inside with all the major panels being tool-free removal and the case feels very well built and solid, plus the shade of white between panels of different materials is matched very well. So in terms of build quality and system installation experience, the C7 scores very high.

Cooling is OK too, in the default configuration using the stock fans that come pre-installed there are no worries with cooling our high-end gaming test system. The CPU temperature may have been a few degrees hotter than in some other recent case tests but it’s nothing to worry about, the 7800X3D temperature is still well within specified limits. The included fans provide decent airflow and run quietly with a manual fan curve set which is good news.

There are just a few very minor things worth mentioning about the Antec C7. Our thermal test showed that removing the mesh panels dropped CPU temperature by 4°C so maybe the diameter of the ultrafine mesh perforations are too small and restricting airflow a little, something Antec could look at. None of the radiator brackets are removable either, which is a feature I would like to see in cases of this price range, and there's no integrated GPU support which again is a useful feature to have.

However, these are minor problems, as a whole it’s an excellent case, build quality is superb, hardware support is great with EATX motherboards, back connect, long graphics cards and 360mm radiators all supported. Out-of-the-box cooling seems to work OK, GPU cooling can be improved by adding some PSU shroud intake fans and it's good value compared with some of the competition. Take Corsair's iCUE Link 3500X which very similar style case that includes fans and an RGB hub, but the Antec C7 is considerably cheaper which is why I would recommend it without question over the iCUE Link 3500X.

The Antec C7 is available to purchase now from Scan priced at £117.98 in black HERE and £129.98 in white HERE.

Pros: 

• Easy access into the case with tool-free panels.
• White panels of different materials are colour-matched very well.
• Good hardware support including back-connect motherboards.
• Included fans produce decent airflow and are quiet

Cons:

• Ultrafine mesh panels are a little restrictive.
• Missing removable radiator/fan brackets.
• A GPU support would be nice.

KitGuru Says: If you need a new case with lots of glass but you don't have the space for dual chamber, the Antec C7 is well worth checking out.

The post Antec C7 Case Review first appeared on KitGuru.

A leaked image of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 PCB has surfaced online, offering a glimpse into the architecture of Nvidia's next-generation flagship graphics card.

The image shared on Chiphell (via HXL) showcases a large PCB, significantly larger than typical designs, packed with over 40 capacitors and a massive package substrate for the GPU. Previous reports claimed that the GPU would measure 24×31 mm with a package size of 63×56 mm, which seems to match the photo.

The photo also shows 16 slots for VRAM modules. The arrangement of the VRAM modules matches previously leaked information, with five modules on each side, four on top, and two below the GPU. This configuration could support various memory capacities, ranging from 32GB to 64GB, depending on the memory modules' density (2GB, 3GB, or 4GB). The PCB also features a single power connector, likely the new 12VHPWR (12V-6×2) connector designed for high-power GPUs. Moreover, the photo shows the card uses a PCIe 5.0 interface, as seen by its interface pattern.

While the lack of visible Nvidia branding suggests this isn't a Founders Edition card, a closer examination of the PCB reveals that this is a PNY sample based on the PG145 board and the GB202 GPU.

Nvidia is expected to unveil the RTX 5090 and other RTX 50 series GPUs at its keynote at CES 2025.

KitGuru says: With such a massive PCB, we wonder how big the final product will be. If you plan on getting an RTX 5090, know that you might have to change your case, or this behemoth might not fit. 

The post RTX 5090 PCB photos show massive GPU package substrate first appeared on KitGuru.

Elden Ring marked a turning point for FromSoftware, with the 2022 game quickly becoming by far the studio’s most successful title. That said, Elden Ring has now managed to hit yet another major milestone – being only the 11th game on Steam to receive over 1 million reviews.

With 1,000,449 reviews and counting, Elden Ring is now officially the 11th title in Steam’s history to surpass 6 figures – 92.8% of which are positive.

For context, the 10 other titles which reside within this exclusive club are the following:

• Counter Strike (8.45M)
• PUBG (2.48M)
• DOTA 2 (2.4M)
• GTA V (1.92M)
• Terraria (1.36M)
• Rainbow Six Siege (1.34M)
• Rust (1.15M)
• Team Fortress 2 (1.13M)
• Garry’s Mod (1.12M)
• Black Myth: Wukong (1.07M)

Black Myth: Wukong aside, all of these games are getting up there in age, with the newest title being the now-7-year-old PUBG – whose rapid rise was a phenomenon in and of itself.

Given the cache that Miyazaki and FromSoftware have garnered with the release of Elden Ring, it will be interesting to see whether their upcoming Nightreign spin-off will manage to reach similar heights.

KitGuru says: Do you review games on Steam? Will Nightreign be as successful as Elden Ring? Will any game ever surpass Counter Strike in terms of review counts? Let us know down below.

The post Elden Ring hits new Steam milestone first appeared on KitGuru.

For Day 26 of the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with ASRock to give one lucky reader a new motherboard to kickstart their next PC build! 

Today's prize is the ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi motherboard, providing you with a perfect starting point for a Mini ITX build using an AM5 CPU, like the latest Ryzen 9000 series processors. The winner will also receive a gaming themed backpack.

HOW TO ENTER:

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys to tell us – Do you use an Intel or AMD processor?

This competition is open in the UK and EU.

The winner will be picked randomly shortly after 11AM GMT December 27th, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 27. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK and EU, starting at 11AM GMT on December 26th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 27th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual, and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to all entering – we'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner. 

The post KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 26: Win an ASRock Lightning motherboard! first appeared on KitGuru.

As has been the case for the past few Christmas seasons, the final weeks of the year sees the Epic Games Store give away a different title for free every 24 hours. Right now, all those with an Epic Games account can get their hands on the excellent and unique 3rd person action-adventure shooter Control.

Available to add to your library from now until 6PM UK time, Control is the latest original game to come from the much-loved Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment, known for hits such as the Alan Wake series and the original Max Payne duology.

Originally released in 2019, Control took the best elements from Remedy’s past and combined it into an action-adventure title with a unique explorable world, fun and interesting gameplay, and an impressive physics system.

While Epic is only giving away the base game, its DLC ties into Remedy's other IPs including Alan Wake. Given the recent release of Alan Wake II – and the fact that Control is set to get a sequel – those who have not tried out the game yet now have the opportunity to do so for free.

If you did want to check out Control’s DLC after-the-fact, the Season Pass can currently be had for just £3.59. As mentioned, you have less than 24 hours to claim the base game, at which point it will be replaced by another as-of-yet-unknown title.

KitGuru says: Have you played Control? How does it compare to Alan Wake II? What would you like to see Remedy do with the sequel? Let us know down below.

The post Control is free on the Epic Games Store for a limited time first appeared on KitGuru.

Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Our winner today is Callum Mullin. If you missed out this time then keep an eye out as we still have a few competitions left before the end of the month. Today's giveaway can be found HERE.

For Day 25 of the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with NVIDIA to give one lucky reader a new graphics card. One winner today will receive a brand-new RTX 4070 Super graphics card! 

The RTX 4070 Super is an excellent graphics card for both 1080p and QHD gaming, offering high frame rates in multiplayer titles and smooth gameplay for the latest AAA blockbusters. As part of the RTX 40 series, you will also have access to the latest features, like DLSS 3 and improved ray-tracing performance.

HOW TO ENTER:

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys to tell us – What graphics card do you currently game with? 

This competition is open in the UK.

The winner will be picked randomly shortly after 11AM GMT December 26th, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 26. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open in the UK, starting at 11AM GMT on December 25th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 26th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual, and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to all entering – we'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner. 

The post KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 25: Win an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super graphics card! (CLOSED) first appeared on KitGuru.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been a great surprise to end the year on. Machine Games delivered a fantastic original story that slots nicely between the original films. Now, it appears that Disney has more plans for Indiana Jones video games. 

According to film leaker, DanielRPK, who typically focuses on leaks for big franchises like Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Alien and others, we are going to be getting “more Indy games” following the success of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

The new Indiana Jones game, developed by Machine Games, released earlier this month to great acclaim amongst both critics and fans. I've already spent quite a lot of time with the Xbox and PC versions of the game myself. If you are a fan of Immersive Sim games, I would say this slots well into that category, with tons of emphasis placed on exploration and secrets hidden all across the game world.

Currently, we're unsure what to expect from the future of Indiana Jones in gaming. Given the success of The Great Circle, I would certainly like to see Machine Games given an opportunity to develop a sequel.

KitGuru Says: If there are more Indiana Jones games on the way, they are already facing extremely tough competition out of the gate thanks to the team at Machine Games. Have you played Indiana Jones and the Great Circle already? Would you like to see a sequel? 

The post Disney reportedly looking to release more Indiana Jones games first appeared on KitGuru.

Nvidia is shaking things up with its GeForce RTX 50 series launch, prioritising the RTX 5080 launch over the flagship RTX 5090. While an exact release date remains unknown, multiple sources suggest a mid-January launch for the RTX 5080, with the RTX 5090 following in the next few weeks.

This shift in strategy marks a departure from previous generations, where the flagship model typically led the series launch. However, as reported by Wccftech, it looks like things will be different this time, with the RTX 5080 being the first RTX 50 series GPU to be released. According to the same report, this GPU will be available in mid-January.

Renowned leaker Kopite7kimi, who initially hinted at this release order in May, reiterated that the RTX 5080 will precede the RTX 5090. This suggests a deliberate strategy by Nvidia to prioritize the 5080's launch, potentially due to its anticipated strong price-to-performance ratio and appeal to a wider audience.

While the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 have been extensively leaked, their final specifications remain uncertain. Conflicting reports about the 5080's memory speed and potential adjustments to power consumption figures have surfaced (latest rumours pointing to 400W). As for the RTX 5090, initially, it has been suggested a 600W TGP, but the latest reports now claim it might be slightly lower. This highlights the confusion arising from the interchangeable use of terms like TGP (Total Graphics Power), TBP (Total Board Power), and TDP (Thermal Design Power) in early leaks.

Based on current information, the RTX 5090 is expected to feature the GB202-300 GPU with 21,760 CUDA cores and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. The RTX 5080 will likely utilise the GB203-400 GPU with 10,752 CUDA cores and 16 GB of GDDR7 memory. With CES 2025 just weeks away, we expect Nvidia to shed more light on the RTX 50 series launch schedule and finalise the specifications of these GPUs.

KitGuru says: Are you planning on getting an RTX 50 series graphics card? Which one are you considering buying?

The post Nvidia RTX 5080 expected to launch before RTX 5090 first appeared on KitGuru.

Get ready for a jam-packed CES 2025 from AMD! The red team is reportedly planning a triple whammy of gaming product launches, with the Ryzen 9 9000X3D CPUs, the Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU, and FSR 4 all set to be announced during the event and launched simultaneously.

AMD leaker @AnhPhuH has hinted that these three products will be unveiled simultaneously at CES. This aligns with previous rumours suggesting a late January launch for the Ryzen 9 9000X3D processors, bringing AMD's 3D V-Cache technology to the high-end desktop segment. The Radeon RX 9070 XT, one of AMD's next-generation RDNA 4 graphics cards, is also expected to be revealed at CES. This new GPU will spearhead the Radeon RX 9000 series, skipping the 8000 series naming convention, which is reportedly reserved for integrated graphics in the upcoming Strix Halo APUs.

AMD is also expected to unveil FSR 4, its next-generation upscaling technology. This new iteration is rumoured to be “fully AI-based”, potentially rivalling Nvidia's DLSS technology in terms of image quality and performance gains. Historically, AMD has been updating its FSR technology slower than DLSS. However, the simultaneous launch of FSR 4 alongside the Radeon RX 9070 XT suggests that AMD is taking a more proactive approach this time around.

With NVIDIA also expected to unveil its RTX 50 series GPUs and Intel launching its Arc B570, January 2025 is shaping up to be a busy month for PC gamers. The competition in the graphics card market is heating up, and these new releases promise to deliver significant performance improvements and cool new features.

KitGuru says: Of all AMD announcements, which one interests you most?

The post AMD to launch new Radeon 9000 GPUs, Ryzen 9 9000X3D and FSR 4 at the same time first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9700 XT has been linked to leaked 3DMark Time Spy and Port Royal benchmark scores. The card's performance results are inconclusive, with one test putting it at the same level as the RX 7900 GRE and the other above even the RX 7900 XT.

Leaker @All_The_Watts has shared a screenshot of the Time Spy benchmark results, showing the “AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT” achieving a graphics score of 22,894 points. While this puts it slightly ahead of the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, it's significantly slower than the RX 7900 XT, which has a 15-20% performance advantage.

Image credit: All_The_Watts

However, based on the Port Royal benchmark results, it looks quite a bit better. The unreleased card scored 14,723 points, about 20% faster than the RX 7900 GRE and 5% faster than the RX 7900 XT. Comparing it to Nvidia's side, it scores about the same as an RTX 4070 Ti.

The same leaker also recently added that the RX 9070 XT will pack a 256-bit bus, while the RX 9070 will be limited to a 192-bit bus. Moreover, it has also been claimed that the Navi 48-based GPUs (RX 9070 series) will be priced between $449 and $649, while the Navi 44-based cards (likely the RX 9060, 9050, and 9040 series) will cost $179 and $349.

AMD is expected to officially unveil the RX 9070 XT and other RDNA 4 GPUs at CES 2025, alongside its new FSR 4 upscaling technology and Ryzen 9000X3D CPUs.

KitGuru says: Are you impressed with the Radeon RX 9070 XT numbers? At what price should AMD sell this GPU?

The post AMD Radeon RX 9700 XT is reportedly faster than the RX 7900 GRE first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD's upcoming Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors will offer more alternatives within the Ryzen 9000X3D series starting in late January. Contrary to the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the new processors will reportedly have no boost frequency compromises, hitting the same clock speeds as their non-X3D counterparts.

Leaker HXL has revealed that these high-end CPUs, slated for launch next month, will not suffer from the frequency limitations that affected the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This is because, unlike the 9800X3D, the new Ryzen 9 X3D models will feature a single CCD with 3D V-Cache, while the other CCD will be optimised for maximum clock speeds. This design mirrors the approach used in the previous generation Ryzen 7000X3D series, where the CPUs maintained the same maximum frequencies as their non-X3D counterparts.

HXL also suggests that the single- and multi-threaded performance of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D will be on par with that of the Ryzen 9 9950X, indicating a significant performance uplift compared to the previous generation.

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 9950X3D are expected to be revealed at CES 2025 during AMD's keynote. AMD is also expected to unveil the new Radeon RX 9000 graphics cards and FSR 4 in the same event.

KitGuru says: Would you prefer 3D V-Cache on the two CCDs over the higher clock speeds?

The post AMD Ryzen 9 9000X3D CPUs to get clock speed bump first appeared on KitGuru.

Ubisoft first began its foray into blockchain and NFT-infused games with Rainbow Six a few years ago. There was swift, loud backlash against this idea and since then, Ubisoft has instead opted to not publicise any of its NFT projects. Recently, the publisher launched another one, based on Captain Laserhawk, which became a popular Netflix show in 2023. 

Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E. features characters that appeared in the Netflix animated series, as well as a number of new characters. Players buy an ID Card, an NFT, which grants them use of the character displayed on the ID card in-game. There are roughly 10,000 ID Cards on sale.

As you can see by the trailer, Rayman does feature in this game. What was once one of the most recognisable mascot characters in gaming has now been reduced to a side character in a game all about selling NFTs.

Not many people seem to know about this game at this point in time, as there is barely any gameplay footage floating around the web. The trailer doesn't really give us any gameplay, but one video from the YouTube channel Skill Gaming gives us a short look at the top-down multiplayer shooter in action, running at a frame rate that I can only describe as sub-par.

KitGuru Says: Ubisoft has only lost money chasing the idea of ‘Web 3' gaming. From the looks of it, Captain Laserhawk won't be changing that trend. 

The post Ubisoft has quietly launched an NFT game featuring Rayman first appeared on KitGuru.

Update: This competition is now CLOSED. Our winner today is Aaron Nickolopoulos! If you missed out this time then keep an eye out as we still have a few giveaways left on the calendar. Today's competition can be found HERE.

For Day 24 of the KitGuru Advent Calendar, we have teamed up with AMD to offer one lucky reader a CPU upgrade. One winner today will get a new Ryzen 7 9700X processor! 

The Ryzen 7 9700X belongs to AMD's latest generation of Zen 5 desktop processors. We were quite pleased with it when we reviewed it back in August, and we're sure the winner will be very happy with it too.

HOW TO ENTER:

Entering this giveaway is simple, all you need to do is head over to THIS POST on our Facebook page and leave a comment. We plan to have a new discussion topic each day, today we are asking you guys to tell us – What CPU do you currently game with? 

This competition is open worldwide.

The winner will be picked randomly shortly after 11AM GMT December 25th, and a new competition will also be announced for Day 25. The chosen winner has 48 hours to respond, if we do not hear from them, a new winner will be picked.

Terms and Conditions: This competition is open worldwide, starting at 11AM GMT on December 24th and ending at 10:59AM GMT on December 25th. Due to the busy Christmas season, prize deliveries could take longer than usual, and some prizes may not ship until January. In compliance with GDPR, we will not collect or store any personal information as part of this competition. Once the winner has been contacted and their prize received, personal details will be deleted from our email servers. Your details will not be shared, we respect your privacy.

KitGuru Says: Good luck to all entering – we'll be back tomorrow to announce the winner. 

 

The post KitGuru Advent Calendar Day 24: Win an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X CPU! (CLOSED) first appeared on KitGuru.

Although the launch of Nvidia's RTX 50 series might still be a few weeks away, leaks are already surfacing about the specifications of the upcoming laptop variants. 

Listings for several upcoming gaming laptops from Asus ROG have appeared online, revealing some details about them and the RTX 50 series mobile GPUs. While the display options seem to be the usual mix of mini-LED and OLED panels for gaming laptops, the CPU and GPU configurations are where things get interesting.

The table leaked by @94G8LA suggests that both AMD and Intel CPUs will power the new Asus ROG laptops with RTX 50 series GPUs. Intel's Arrow Lake-HX processors are expected, but the real surprise is the inclusion of “older” AMD's Ryzen 7000HX series. This might disappoint those hoping for the newer Ryzen 9000HX series to arrive sooner.

One of the leaked laptops is the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (G835), which will reportedly feature a Core Ultra 9 285HX CPU and either an RTX 5080 or an RTX 5090 Laptop GPU. However, a potential disappointment is that the RTX 5090 Laptop GPU is listed with only 16 GB of GDDR7 VRAM, half the capacity of its desktop counterpart. The RTX 5080 Laptop GPU will also come with 16 GB of VRAM. Both laptop variants have a 175W TDP.

The leaks also reveal details about lower-tier laptops. The ROG G16 (G615) is mentioned with options for an RTX 5070 Ti, featuring 12 GB and 140W TDP. Moreover, there are also various listings of Zephyrus G14 and G15 with RTX 5070, RTX 5060, and RTX 5050 Laptop GPUs, all listed with 8 GB of VRAM. We expect to learn more about the RTX 50 Laptop series at CES 2025.

KitGuru says: What do you think of the memory capacity of the upcoming RTX 50 Laptop GPU series?

The post Nvidia RTX 50 laptop GPU specs claimed to include 16GB VRAM and up to 175W TDP first appeared on KitGuru.

AMD is apparently changing the naming scheme of its mainstream GPU products. A recent report suggests that the upcoming Radeon RX 8000 series naming will be exclusive to the RDNA 3.5-based graphics, while the RDNA 4-based GPUs will get the Radeon RX 9000 naming.

While we previously anticipated the “Strix Halo” mobile APUs iGPUs and the next-gen RDNA 4 discrete GPUs would both be part of the Radeon RX 8000 series, according to HXL, this branding will be exclusive to RDNA 3.5-based iGPUs. As for the RDNA 4-based products, these will belong to the Radeon RX 9000 series.

The Radeon RX 9000 series highlights AMD's strategic shift towards prioritizing the high-volume mid-range market rather than chasing the ultra-enthusiast segment. RDNA 4 boasts improved SIMD IPC performance and a dedicated ray tracing approach that significantly reduces performance overhead compared to current solutions. According to a tweet from @All_The_Watts, some of the SKU series we can expect include the AMD Radeon RX 9070 (9070 XT, 9070, 9070M XT, 9070M, 9070S), 9060, 9050, and 9040.

RDNA 3.5-based graphics, on the other hand, will be a refined iteration of the current RDNA 3 architecture, exclusive to AMD's mobile platform (at least for the foreseeable future). This updated architecture will power the integrated graphics within the upcoming Strix Halo APUs, offering a performance uplift for laptops and mobile devices. Both RDNA 4 GPUs and RDNA 3.5-based APUs are expected to be officially unveiled at CES 2025 in January.

KitGuru says: If we limit the RDNA 3.5 for the RX 8000 and the RDNA 4 for the RX 9000, this naming scheme does make a bit more sense than bundling different architectures under the same series.

The post Next gen AMD RDNA 4 desktop GPUs to be branded ‘RX 9000’ first appeared on KitGuru.

It seems AMD has jumped the gun on its Radeon RX 9000 series reveal. A new marketing campaign on Reddit has inadvertently showcased a never-before-seen graphics card, and eagle-eyed enthusiasts are convinced it's an upcoming RX 9000 series graphics card.

The leaked image from an ad on Reddit (via VideoCardz) features a triple-fan graphics card with a black and silver design. An illuminated Radeon logo adorns the side, but there's no indication of the model name or generation. The ad, uploaded by AMD's official Reddit account, appears to be a genuine marketing campaign, suggesting that the company accidentally revealed the reference design ahead of its official launch.

Adding to the leak, renowned hardware leaker @AnhPhuH has confirmed that the pictured card is indeed the Radeon RX 9070 XT. However, it remains unclear whether this is AMD's reference design or a custom variant from a board partner.

The timing and context of the ad are somewhat peculiar. It was published in early December and features the card alongside Ryzen 7000 series packaging and a PC equipped with a current-generation RX 7000 series GPU. However, marketing often prioritises aesthetics over accuracy, so it's possible that the surrounding elements are not to be taken as 100% accurate.

Despite the leak, AMD hasn't bothered to remove the ad, further suggesting that this might be a legitimate glimpse at the RX 9070 XT's design. With the card rumoured to launch in late January, it's likely already in production, making an accidental leak like this more plausible.

KitGuru says: Do you like the look of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT's supposed reference design?

The post AMD may have leaked the RX 9000 reference GPU design first appeared on KitGuru.

MSI's Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ gaming handhelds have apparently had their release date pushed to 2025. Although the first listings were pointing to a release on December 26th, it looks like the launch date has been pushed back to January 15th.

While MSI's official US store (Claw 8 AI+, Claw 7 AI+) shows the new January 15th release date, retailer listings on Amazon and Newegg (via VideoCardz) show conflicting information. Amazon has removed the release date for the Claw 8 AI+ altogether, while listing the Claw 7 AI+ for release on February 4th. Newegg, on the other hand, indicates a January 18th launch date for both models (1, 2).

Despite being mentioned on its official product page, MSI has yet to list the more affordable version of the Claw 8 AI+ with the Core Ultra 7 256V and 16 GB of memory. Considering the 32 GB model will have an MSRP of $899, the lower-specced handheld will certainly come cheaper (while probably performing similarly).

We expect to learn more about MSI's upcoming gaming handhelds at CES 2025, which will be running from January 7th to the 10th.

KitGuru says: Are you planning on getting one of MSI's new portable gaming consoles with the Core Ultra 200V SoCs? Which one of the three models we know would be your choice?

The post MSI Claw 7 AI+ and Claw 8 AI+ handhelds to release in January first appeared on KitGuru.

2024 has been a busy year. It feels like CES 2024 took place about three years ago and Computex – a mere six months ago – is ancient history. You have to think long and hard to recall that yes, Nvidia 40-series Super did indeed arrive in 2024. This is my video about my recollections of the year and that pretty much boils down to CPUs and motherboards.

00:00 Start
01:12 Leo shows hardware and what he bought
06:35 The current state of Intel
08:20 Leo buys Intel Arc B580
08:56 Leo’s gaming processor of the year
09:12 Nvidia 5000 series coming

At the time of writing, KitGuru has posted 196 videos in 2024, so by the turn of 2025 we will have passed 200 which is a crazy amount and far too many to list, let alone to cover. Glancing through them just now I was reminded of a few highlights such as Computex and meeting Paul, Kyle and DaPoets at the AMD event in Los Angeles, and also the sadness of visiting EKWB in Slovenia.

After that brief glance down memory lane, let's turn to CPUs. AMD launched Zen 5 desktop CPUs in August, which led to a series of reviews that started with Ryzen 5 9600X HERE.

The launch was a rocky affair which led to a bunch of retesting as we figured out what was going on with Windows 11 24H2 as you can see HERE and HERE

By the time we got to the launch of Ryzen 7 9800X3D in November we had everything running like a Swiss watch and the reviews were stellar as you can see HERE

By contrast Intel had a miserable time with their launch of Arrow Lake/Core Ultra 200S which landed with a dull thud in October. We have not yet reviewed those CPUs and explain why HERE

Intel is still working on fixes for the new platform which ought to be complete in the next couple of weeks, just as we arrive in Las Vegas for CES 2025.

Once I return home I shall doubtless be working on reviews of Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 but for the time being I shall put them out of my mind and turn my thoughts to turkey, Brussel Spouts and the new movie featuring Wallace and Gromit.

KitGuru Says: That was Leo's year in a nutshell. Yo Ho Ho and leave a comment under the video.

The post Yo Ho Ho and a Merry End to 2024 (which turned out a bit weird) first appeared on KitGuru.