Technology Android

[dilla]

It's about that time again for CES. I'm curious to see how the new CPUs and GPUs perform. At least I'm hoping that's what we see. I've been following some news about them for the past month and reading people's speculations on the performance increase. And the price increases expected.

I've held off thinking about getting a new laptop because of this but many people have speculated that the newer GPUs will see a huge price increase compared to the 3000 series cards. I don't know if that will hold true for AMD's offerings. There were some solid deals during the Holidays for 3070tis and 6850M XTs but now Lenovo has ended those discounts and they are all full price. $2000+ and even almost $3000. So they might be aware that people were waiting for CES to see performance and pricing of newer components before making a decision and this might have trapped those that were waiting in to paying MSRP for older models and the higher MSRP for the new models.

We'll see. I read some places speculate that the gains will be substantial in this generation of updates even if they don't warrant the asking price.

 

[dilla]

@masta247 lol these 4000 series cards seem like a real bargain

$5200 for the maxed-out Titan. It's like a whole $1K more than what the 2022 models sell for

 

[dilla]

Lots of upset people about the pricing and specs of the announced hardware from AMD and Nvidia. It's gotten confusing to me again with the new naming scheme for AMD's CPUs even though I've seen the chart explaining it. Keeping it in memory is tough lol.

It sounds like people are expecting less performance from lower and mid-tier models and then great performance gains for the higher end models but all with a huge price increase and decrease in value.

I saw Lenovo's offerings and they actually removed USB-C ports? And the fingerprint sensor? And no AMD GPUs, if I remember correctly. Or maybe it was AMD CPUs.

Jarred Tech noted that OEMs like Dell and ASUS don't have AMD offerings this year and questioned what was going on with AMD. Possible supply issues?

I get the sense that unless there are steep discounts due to lack of demand, people are going to consider this generation a dud and wait for the next generation. I just hope 2022 models stay in stock long enough and get discounted further before we're forced to buy the 2023 models at whatever price point they're at.

 

[dilla]

M2 MBPs and Minis got announced today. I think that's kind of early for Apple to announce new Macs. I wonder if the industry is a bit "different" now and Apple felt some pressure to do something after Nvidia and AMD announced new chips? Usually we see updated Macs at WWDC, maybe, but usually in the summer or closer to September. The MBPs were overdue for the M2 upgrade after the MBAs got them like six months ago?

Benchmarks make it look amazing as it competes with a lot of high end GPUs and CPUs (I think) but I think Apple really widened the gap for gaming on Macs because now there's no hope for even using Boot Camp to play Windows games. And I know powerful CPUs and GPUs are used for more than gaming but of all the people buying these maxed-out Apple Silicon Macs, how many of them are still using it to the max with video editing and such?

I dunno, Apple should just pay off developers large amounts of money to work on bringing newer games to Macs.

Someone told me about a YT channel called Hardware Canucks and I really like the guy they have on there and how explains stuff. I think he's Indian? He's an Indian MKBHD.

EDIT: Also, Google killing off another service, Podcasts: https://9to5google.com/2023/01/18/google-podcasts-search-results-2/

And I guess Apple's timing was the exact opposite of what I thought and they actually delayed the M2 announcements? https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/18/apple-hints-m2-macs-in-2022/

 

[ARon]

M2 MBPs and Minis got announced today. I think that's kind of early for Apple to announce new Macs. I wonder if the industry is a bit "different" now and Apple felt some pressure to do something after Nvidia and AMD announced new chips? Usually we see updated Macs at WWDC, maybe, but usually in the summer or closer to September. The MBPs were overdue for the M2 upgrade after the MBAs got them like six months ago?

Benchmarks make it look amazing as it competes with a lot of high end GPUs and CPUs (I think) but I think Apple really widened the gap for gaming on Macs because now there's no hope for even using Boot Camp to play Windows games. And I know powerful CPUs and GPUs are used for more than gaming but of all the people buying these maxed-out Apple Silicon Macs, how many of them are still using it to the max with video editing and such?

I dunno, Apple should just pay off developers large amounts of money to work on bringing newer games to Macs.

Someone told me about a YT channel called Hardware Canucks and I really like the guy they have on there and how explains stuff. I think he's Indian? He's an Indian MKBHD.

EDIT: Also, Google killing off another service, Podcasts: https://9to5google.com/2023/01/18/google-podcasts-search-results-2/

And I guess Apple's timing was the exact opposite of what I thought and they actually delayed the M2 announcements? https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/18/apple-hints-m2-macs-in-2022/

Everyone's favorite nerd explains some of this in this video, you'll probably like it.

 

[dilla]

Everyone's favorite nerd explains some of this in this video, you'll probably like it.

I missed this LTT video. A lot of it still goes over my head lol but once the chipmakers figure it out, it sounds like there will be more competition than just Nvidia and AMD and Intel.

The Mac Studio looks really neat. Maybe needs to come down in price a little bit, though, for the base model.

 

[dilla]

Embargo on the 4000 series GPUs is up later this week. It'll be interesting to see prices. And performance.

 

[masta247]

Hello after a break. I was writing a long message about the S23U is, but it got deleted as I accidentally pressed "back".

Long story short, it is incredible how many improvements that you can't easily see or explain in the spec sheets went into this phone. But that translate into an amazing "you've got to feel it to understand" experience. There are the obvious things that jump out right at you:

1. Samsung suddenly went to having a device that's the fastest on the market (beating the latest iPhone for the first time at touch responsiveness, app launch times, and user interface responsiveness),

2. The battery never dies. They've got the longest battery life on the market. It last nearly twice as long as the S10 I was already happy with. I was so impressed by the 14 Pro Max' battery, its 10+ hour screen-on-times and weekends without needing to charge. And it is just craziness that the S23U now matches the times and exceeds them at consistency.

So you can see that the stars have aligned and they've got the best designed Snapdragon chipset in five years there, the best camera array in the market, etc etc..

But what really gets me is the sheer volume and scale of improvements under the hood that aren't as easy to sell or quantify. Starting from obvious, like that they made their video camera go from mediocre to the best in market with out of this world stabilization within a single generation. Or the generational leap to suddenly having the best sounding speakers. Then the tiny things like designing the new camera binning algorithm in a way that only captures light through portions of the lens that don't generate artifacts or blurriness. Or making a brand new panel just to reduce and perfect its curvature so the device feels firm in hand.
The little software tricks and how much image processing has improved.

There are so many of those things, and they add up to this feeling of holding a brick of excellence. It is the most polished Samsung experience. And likely the most polished phone package period to date that I've witnessed.

And I want to reiterate the polish around the Snapdragon chip and hardware&software integration as no reviewer is as impressed about this as they should be. You can tell they went all out optimizing this device for this one particular (and excellent) chip, now that they're using it for all S23 phones in all markets. This level of making the best out of the included hardware is something I'm seeing for the first time from Samsung, and combined with the fact this is literally the fastest mobile chip available, and the most responsive mobile display available, you're getting something that for the first time at Samsung exceeds the "brand-new-iPhone" effect of smoothness and overall performance.

It's the first Samsung phone since the S10 that I am not returning, and this is despite how much I prefer smaller phones. Samsung really went all out and put everything they've got into this thing in all possible aspects, and you can tell every time you unlock it.

I thought I'd wait with my upgrade until something groundbreaking comes out - a phone that does something crazy, new and fun. Instead I got the S23 Ultra - the phone that truly does everything I already expected from a normal smartphone in a way that really exceeds my expectations, regardless what I ask of it.

 

[dilla]

Hello after a break. I was writing a long message about the S23U is, but it got deleted as I accidentally pressed "back".

Long story short, it is incredible how many improvements that you can't easily see or explain in the spec sheets went into this phone. But that translate into an amazing "you've got to feel it to understand" experience. There are the obvious things that jump out right at you:

1. Samsung suddenly went to having a device that's the fastest on the market (beating the latest iPhone for the first time at touch responsiveness, app launch times, and user interface responsiveness),

2. The battery never dies. They've got the longest battery life on the market. It last nearly twice as long as the S10 I was already happy with. I was so impressed by the 14 Pro Max' battery, its 10+ hour screen-on-times and weekends without needing to charge. And it is just craziness that the S23U now matches the times and exceeds them at consistency.

So you can see that the stars have aligned and they've got the best designed Snapdragon chipset in five years there, the best camera array in the market, etc etc..

But what really gets me is the sheer volume and scale of improvements under the hood that aren't as easy to sell or quantify. Starting from obvious, like that they made their video camera go from mediocre to the best in market with out of this world stabilization within a single generation. Or the generational leap to suddenly having the best sounding speakers. Then the tiny things like designing the new camera binning algorithm in a way that only captures light through portions of the lens that don't generate artifacts or blurriness. Or making a brand new panel just to reduce and perfect its curvature so the device feels firm in hand.
The little software tricks and how much image processing has improved.

There are so many of those things, and they add up to this feeling of holding a brick of excellence. It is the most polished Samsung experience. And likely the most polished phone package period to date that I've witnessed.

And I want to reiterate the polish around the Snapdragon chip and hardware&software integration as no reviewer is as impressed about this as they should be. You can tell they went all out optimizing this device for this one particular (and excellent) chip, now that they're using it for all S23 phones in all markets. This level of making the best out of the included hardware is something I'm seeing for the first time from Samsung, and combined with the fact this is literally the fastest mobile chip available, and the most responsive mobile display available, you're getting something that for the first time at Samsung exceeds the "brand-new-iPhone" effect of smoothness and overall performance.

It's the first Samsung phone since the S10 that I am not returning, and this is despite how much I prefer smaller phones. Samsung really went all out and put everything they've got into this thing in all possible aspects, and you can tell every time you unlock it.

I thought I'd wait with my upgrade until something groundbreaking comes out - a phone that does something crazy, new and fun. Instead I got the S23 Ultra - the phone that truly does everything I already expected from a normal smartphone in a way that really exceeds my expectations, regardless what I ask of it.

Wow, I didn't expect you to upgrade so soon after getting the S10. I haven't heard too much about the S23 and so I just assumed it was another, minor, incremental upgrade over the 22, which was also the same magnitude of an upgrade over the 21.

Since so much of the upgrades you mentioned are more software related than hardware, do you think the recent mainstream coverage of AI (ChatGPT) is a sign that that AI has finally arrived on a large scale? It was always there and Google had some algorithm (which I assume is just fancy for "AI") that vastly improved low light pictures and made Pixels take some of the best shots of any phone camera.

I get variable battery life. At least a day but to have it last over two nights requires really not using it much. But I have always used LTE and leave bluetooth on all the time. And bluetooth/WiFi scanning even when WiFi is off because my car uses both to run Android Auto wirelessly.

 

[masta247]

Wow, I didn't expect you to upgrade so soon after getting the S10. I haven't heard too much about the S23 and so I just assumed it was another, minor, incremental upgrade over the 22, which was also the same magnitude of an upgrade over the 21.

Since so much of the upgrades you mentioned are more software related than hardware, do you think the recent mainstream coverage of AI (ChatGPT) is a sign that that AI has finally arrived on a large scale? It was always there and Google had some algorithm (which I assume is just fancy for "AI") that vastly improved low light pictures and made Pixels take some of the best shots of any phone camera.

I get variable battery life. At least a day but to have it last over two nights requires really not using it much. But I have always used LTE and leave bluetooth on all the time. And bluetooth/WiFi scanning even when WiFi is off because my car uses both to run Android Auto wirelessly.

Yeah I thought so too, and it's even easier to think that way because the design has changed so little that those phones look similar. But they changed a lot on the inside. Software is a large part of it, but hardware too, especially for things that are rarely mentioned (like speakers or camera stabilization, which is suddenly insanely good).

The battery life and performance improvements from the S22 are massive. The CPU is ~30% faster, which is a huge jump from gen to gen. It is also much more efficient. The S23 Ultra is fairly consistently the longest running smartphone in battery tests.

This also seems to highlight some of my impressions:

As for AI, I think it will be a gradual introduction into more and more areas of technology. While ChatGPT is a really awesome thing that came out of nowhere, I think we will see more and more cool breakthroughs like this enabled by machine learning. The thing about AI is that breakthroughs also come fairly quickly. You design an algorithm, it learns, and suddenly you have something delivering amazing results. So something like ChatGPT suddenly far outclasses all of the mobile assistants that corporations have spent huge money on over the years, and I expect similar things to happen to things like image processing and other results produced by our phones, and beyond. There are even AIs designing chips as we speak.

 

[dilla]

I started goofing around various PC build configurators like PCPP:https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Rjdjzf

As well as Microcenter. I've been watching a ton of hardware videos on different builds and I've seen about a dozen walkthroughs of building a PC from the likes of Linus, Austin Evans, and Jayz2Cents. Stills looks a bit daunting in some steps but it's been something I've wanted to do for some time.

I think I've got a decent value build going on so far. MC offers to build it for you for $150 or so, but I may try it on my own. The cables are the things that give me some second thoughts. Routing them and keeping them clean and organized.

 

[ARon]

I'm surprised you've never built a PC. Do it, don't pay MC or anyone to do it for you. It's not difficult, it's just a lot of meticulous little steps. You can find a youtube video for every single step along the way too. Don't know how to put on thermal paste? Gamers nexus already tested every way you can think of. Cable management etc, so many options. Take your time and watch a few so you get a good idea of what you want.

MC is offering some good in-store package discounts for MB, CPU and DDR5 ram so def take advantage of that. Only things I'd really pay attention to is making sure your GPU will fit in whatever case you choose, they are getting big. Also, if you want to use an AIO make sure the radiator has enough clearance with your MB and RAM. PCPP does a good job of catching those things but I'd still make sure. Buy a good PSU, LTT or Cultists have good tier lists that everyone uses.

You'll find some good guides like you already mentioned but definitely watch Jayz2cents videos about what to do after building the pc. I like to undervolt my cpu or gpu and he shows how to do that and a lot of other things.

Your build is good, the cpu and gpu are pretty much best bang for your buck for gaming as far as top of the line goes. Can probably afford to get a cheaper gpu if you're doing 1440p but whatever. Although, I think it's worth it to take advantage of MC deals and get the newest gen cpu, mb and ram. I don't really like corsair AIOs because they are overpriced and you can't find a lot better for cheaper. Lian li makes one I like more in the same price range and then Arctic makes the one I actually use, their 'refurbished' ebay deals are crazy. Got my AIO and case fans for around 100.

 

[dilla]

I'm surprised you've never built a PC. Do it, don't pay MC or anyone to do it for you. It's not difficult, it's just a lot of meticulous little steps. You can find a youtube video for every single step along the way too. Don't know how to put on thermal paste? Gamers nexus already tested every way you can think of. Cable management etc, so many options. Take your time and watch a few so you get a good idea of what you want.

MC is offering some good in-store package discounts for MB, CPU and DDR5 ram so def take advantage of that. Only things I'd really pay attention to is making sure your GPU will fit in whatever case you choose, they are getting big. Also, if you want to use an AIO make sure the radiator has enough clearance with your MB and RAM. PCPP does a good job of catching those things but I'd still make sure. Buy a good PSU, LTT or Cultists have good tier lists that everyone uses.

You'll find some good guides like you already mentioned but definitely watch Jayz2cents videos about what to do after building the pc. I like to undervolt my cpu or gpu and he shows how to do that and a lot of other things.

Your build is good, the cpu and gpu are pretty much best bang for your buck for gaming as far as top of the line goes. Can probably afford to get a cheaper gpu if you're doing 1440p but whatever. Although, I think it's worth it to take advantage of MC deals and get the newest gen cpu, mb and ram. I don't really like corsair AIOs because they are overpriced and you can't find a lot better for cheaper. Lian li makes one I like more in the same price range and then Arctic makes the one I actually use, their 'refurbished' ebay deals are crazy. Got my AIO and case fans for around 100.

I'm just watching more and more tutorial videos on the process. I still don't feel 100%, or close to it, but eventually I will have to take the plunge and do it.

I've been seeing those bundle deals for about a month now and I thought it would be the route to go. But I did read some comments on SlickDeals (where the deals were posted) and people were criticizing the quality of the RAM and/or the SSD. I'll have to double check again what it was but it put me off and I thought I understood why they were being bundled for so cheap. Not that I think MC is nefarious and trying to dump poor quality under the guise of a bundle. But there were criticisms of some of the components.

I don't know if it's counter-intuitive to want an AM5 build with a 7000 series Ryzen and DDR5 RAM but still get a previous gen GPU. 6950 isn't bad and a lot of the benchmarks I've seen show it to be about 10-15% "worse" than the XT or XTX. The pricing is what attracts me the most. But the other components I'm using, I'm not really cheaping out on those. I'm thinking maybe I go the 7900XT route since it can be had for a tad under $1K.

PSU, I head Corsair was plenty good and the warranty was pretty generous. AIO, I have reconsidered the Corsair. Looks nice but I've been reading the iCUE software is rather bloated and sometimes gives issues. Arctic was another one I read elsewhere and now you've just mentioned it, too. I'll give it a look.

If I don't have MC build it, then I might as well really shop around for bargains and use a combo of both MC and PCPP. I think some vendors also offer cash back which might end up knocking off liek $50 or so off the entire build if I get the majority of the parts from Newegg.

 

[ARon]

You'd be fine getting AM5 and a 6000 series GPU. That's what I have at the moment just cus fuck this new GPU market.

Check r/buildapcsales. That's the best way to stay up on deals I think, besides bot discords

 

[dilla]

You'd be fine getting AM5 and a 6000 series GPU. That's what I have at the moment just cus fuck this new GPU market.

Check r/buildapcsales. That's the best way to stay up on deals I think, besides bot discords

I've been using SlickDeals lol. Also, the Microcenter deals for those bundles, I took a second look at them.

This deal: https://www.microcenter.com/product...ries-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-combo


would actually be cheaper than what I had specced out on PCPP by about $200.

Also, I might forego the AIO. I went to MC today coincidentally since I was in the area. And I updated the list as I walked around lol

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/KvFp6r

I heard AMD might drop prices of, both, the 7000 and 6000 series GPUs. I can wait but I'm not sure if the savings would be enough. I have to look at some more comparisons between the two 7900s and the 6950. I'm thinking the VRAM helps this build not need an upgrade for 5+ years. So many reviewers stressed the VRAM of the 7900s as being a better thing over the 4070s and even the 4080s.

 

[Pittsey]

I've built dozens of PCs over the years. I once bent some pins on a CPU because I was impatient. But that's the only issue I've ever had

 

[dilla]

I've built dozens of PCs over the years. I once bent some pins on a CPU because I was impatient. But that's the only issue I've ever had

Dude, I've watched so many tutorials now. They all mention the risk but when they actually do it, they do it in one shot and seemingly very passively. No fuck-ups. But it's still enough to have me worried that I'll bungle it.

I'm just going to have to stop being a bitch and just do it. I knew about the Build a PC reddit Aron mentioned and I was subbed to it after PCMR but now I've been combing through threads there and looking for builds people did.

 

[Tha Massive Bell]

Dude, I've watched so many tutorials now. They all mention the risk but when they actually do it, they do it in one shot and seemingly very passively. No fuck-ups. But it's still enough to have me worried that I'll bungle it.

The first time I bent it I was horrified but they don't break off that easily.

 

[dilla]

The first time I bent it I was horrified but they don't break off that easily.

Yeah, the more videos I watch, the more it seems the USB 3.2, or something, is the dangerous one. The one that gets you input from the front of the case. Austin and LTT both made mention of how tricky it is and how shitty the design of the pin and plug is. You don't know if it's in or not until you push and pushing it incorrectly can cause it to bend and break.

I'm seeing prices drop further on AMD GPUs. I might wait this one out a little longer, though I am tempted to buy one of the Microcenter triple bundles and just hang on to those until the other prices drop.

Also, I really want to get the Hyte Y60 because of the design but I'm worried it might be too big. A close second is the NZXT H510.

 

[Jokerman]

I can build a computer with a couple of beer cans and some safety pins.