Author: bfteam

While AMD's portfolio of embedded products doesn't receive quite as much attention as it should, it's not a product lineup to be underestimated. AMD's "fourth platform" covers a surprisingly wide range of chips for embedded devices and applications, ranging from miniscule chips for industrial computers and edge devices, all the way up to mighty EPYC processors designed for high throughput workloads. It's the latter that AMD is focusing on today, as Embedded World 2023 kicks off. A key fixture in the global trade show season for highlighting and releasing embedded and IoT solutions, AMD is using the show to unveil…

In a world that has seen various security breaches at several top companies and supposedly secure companies through hackers and exploiters, the onus isn't only on software developers to keep users and businesses safe but also at the hardware level. In contrast, hardware vendors have different levels of platforms for users, workstations, servers, and whatnot; Intel's key and integrated security platform for desktops is called vPro. Intel's vPro platform isn't a new feature for their desktop and mobile platforms. Still, as ransomware and malware become more sophisticated, the underlying technologies within the platform designed to protect valuable data must also keep up. Every time…

One of the key elements to how processor portfolios will evolve moving forward involves mixing and matching current generation and previous generation parts using the benefits of (supposedly) cheaper older processors taking advantage of economies of scale. It’s been no secret, for example, that below $300, AMD recommends its previous generation hardware on the desktop. On the Notebook however, along with the launch this week of next-generation hardware, AMD also launched updates to the previous generation under the heading of ‘Barcelo’. These new 2022 Barcelo APUs are minor updates to the 2021 Cezanne APUs. They use the same Zen 3…

In our series of PC peripheral buyers guides, here’s the latest update to our list of recommended mechanical keyboards. All numbers in the text are updated to reflect pricing at the time of writing. Best Mechanical Keyboards: Holiday 2022 Once you have picked your main system components, such as the CPU, the PSU and the GPU, it is also time to have a look at the peripherals. Considering that a PC’s peripherals can easily outlive the main system’s components and usually stay the same even after several main system upgrades, they are often not given the attention they deserve. Keyboards…

Over the last couple of years since the emergence of AMD's Ryzen mobile and Radeon offerings, along with a significant uptick in performance over previous generations, some vendors have implemented complete AMD offerings to satisfy user demand. During CES 2022, ASUS unveiled its ROG Zephyrus G14 for 2022, which has the power of AMD's latest Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors and its Radeon RX 6000 series mobile graphics. It also comes with many other impressive design characteristics and features, making it one of the most attractive gaming laptops coming to market this year. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 series of gaming…

One of the most interesting things in August (there were a lot) was that a company in China invested the best part of 400 million RMB / $60 million USD in a custom processor for its upcoming console and PC hybrid system. This processor comes from AMD’s Semi-Custom Division, and uses four Zen cores paired with 24 Vega compute units, making a beefy APU for a console system and a sizeable performer as a PC. One of the unique parts about the chip is that it uses GDDR5 for both CPU and GPU, which will be critical to its performance.…

Intel today is announcing a new range of mobile 12th Gen Core family processors designed for enthusiast and desktop-replacement class laptops, the Alder Lake-HX series. Focusing on the more performance-driven high-end models, the Alder Lake HX series transfers its hybrid desktop design (ADL-S) into a thinner BGA package with up 16 cores (8P+8E) that's more suitable for mobile devices. And since it's based on that desktop hardware, Alder Lake-HX also brings with it some additional features that were previously limited to the desktop, such as support for PCIe 5.0, as well as a more desktop-like base TDP of 55 Watts. In…

When Samsung teased the ongoing development of GDDR7 memory last October, the company did not disclose any other technical details of the incoming specification. But Cadence recently introduced the industry's first verification solution for GDDR7 memory, and in the process has revealed a fair bit of additional details about the technology. As it turns out, GDDR7 memory will use PAM3 as well as NRZ signaling and will support a number of other features, with a goal of hitting data rates as high as 36 Gbps per pin. A Short GDDR History Lesson At a high level, the evolution of GDDR memory in…

In Q3 of last year, AMD released the first CPUs based on its highly anticipated Zen 4 architecture. Not only did their Ryzen 7000 parts raise the bar in terms of performance compared with the previous Ryzen 5000 series, but it also gave birth to AMD's latest platform, AM5. Some of the most significant benefits of Zen 4 and the AM5 platform include support for PCIe 5.0, DDR5 memory, and access to the latest and greatest of what's available in controller sets. While the competition at the higher end of the x86 processor market is a metaphorical firefight with heavy weaponry,…

One of the most interesting PC designs to come out in recent years was that of the Mac Pro. Sure, it looked like a cylinder into which one might throw discarded objects, or its size/power limitations has meant it can’t extend into that high end workstation that some users require, but in terms of performance per liter, it caused quite a stir. Well it turns out that MSI has done something similar, but this time focused on the gaming community. The Vortex isn’t new for CES, and there have been murmurings and images floating around for a while, although I…