Processors

Intel Somehow Squeezes More Performance Out of Its 11th-Gen Desktop Processors, but I’m Not Sure It Should Have

Just when you think Intel couldn’t do anything else with its desktop processors on that old, 14nm node, it manages to do something else. I thought the company hit a limit with its previous generation, although the gains it does make gen-over-gen aren’t the most impressive. Between Intel’s long, fraught saga getting its architecture down…

Reviews Joanna Nelius Mar 30

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Review: Meet the New Best Desktop Processor

Since introducing its Ryzen series of desktop processors into the PC market, AMD has consistently increased core counts and core clocks, shrunk its transistor size to 7nm, and modified its architecture to be more efficient all on the same motherboard socket. The scaling AMD achieved between its Zen and Zen 2 architecture generation was impressive…

Reviews Joanna Nelius Nov 5

AMD’s Newest Processors Are So Good, But So Confusing

If the consumer desktop processor market wasn’t already confusing enough, AMD’s 3000-series Ryzen lineup just grew by another three chips, bringing the total number to 13. Did AMD need refreshed versions of the Ryzen 9 3900X, Ryzen 7 3800X, and Ryzen 5 3600X processors it released last year? Not really, especially considering the only difference…

Reviews Joanna Nelius Jul 7

Intel’s High-End 10th-Gen Desktop Processors Have Hit the 14nm Limit

How much can Intel squeeze out of its 14nm architecture? A lot, surprisingly, especially since things didn’t go as planned for its 10nm process. After six years on the same process, and five on the same architecture, this latest round of desktop processors still manages to make a few changes, most notably a thinner die…

Reviews Joanna Nelius Jun 11

AMD’s New $100 Processors Are Magnificent Little Beasts Worth Every Penny

What exactly will just a $100 get you in a desktop CPU? A lot. If I wanted to build a new rig on a budget, and I wanted to do it sooner rather than later, I could buy either AMD’s Ryzen 3 3100 or Ryzen 3 3300X and know I’m getting a solid deal. They…

Reviews Joanna Nelius May 7

AMD’s Third Generation Ryzen CPUs Are Just Terrific

AMD did it. It produced a ridiculously fast series of CPUs that use a lot less power than their competitors and predecessors while also being cheaper and adding some bonus features, like PCIe 4.0 support, only hardcore PC users need. The new $500 Ryzen 9 3900X and $330 Ryzen 7 3700X deliver on many of…

Reviews Alex Cranz Jul 9

Intel’s 5GHz i9 Processor Is Incredible for Hype and Pretty Good for Computing, Too

The product categories in the CPU marketplace are rapidly eroding. Intel and AMD have spent the last year and a half furiously releasing new products, and tweaking their lines to take on the competition. In some cases, prices have been slashed. In others, it’s meant CPUs have had more cores or threads packed in. The…

Reviews Alex Cranz Oct 19

AMD’s 16-Core Beast Creams Intel, but You Might Be Better Off Without It

I won’t lie, when AMD’s new 16-core monster CPU, the Ryzen Threadripper 2950X, arrived, I ran around the office showing off it and its accompanying air cooler to anyone who would make eye contact with me. The thing is enormous—easily twice as large as a standard desktop CPU from Intel. The air cooler, saddled with…

Reviews Alex Cranz Aug 13

Our First Look at AMD’s Second-Generation Ryzen CPU Is Proof It’s No One Hit Wonder

Last year AMD finally gave us something we desperately needed with the release of Ryzen: A viable rival to Intel in the CPU space. The rivalry has meant faster CPUs for desktops and laptops as each company races to surpass the other, but there’s a potential problem for AMD. It doesn’t have the same track…

Reviews Alex Cranz Apr 19

Rivals Intel and AMD Got Together and Made Something Beautiful for Gamers

After Intel’s very bad last few months and AMD’s very good last few months, it seemed awfully confusing that the two rival CPU makers would team up for a new chip. Sure, it was all good for AMD—which is riding high on the success of its new Ryzen CPUs and Vega GPUs—but Intel has spent the…

Reviews Alex Cranz Mar 29

Intel Invented the Traditional SSD Killer of the Future, and It’s So Fast and So Expensive

This thing flies. The machine I installed it in is already positively loaded: It’s got Intel’s latest 6-core i7 processor, an Nvidia 1080 graphics card, and a whole mess of RAM. But this little stick of storage makes everything even faster. Intel’s Optane 800P storage is likely some of the fastest storage you can buy.…

Reviews Alex Cranz Mar 8

AMD’s Newest Processors Are So Good You Can Skip the Graphics Card

In the past year, graphics cards have gone from the reasonably priced computer part you pick up on Amazon or Newegg to something bordering on as precious as gold. If you happen to find one being sold at its MSRP, you can easily snatch it up and sell it on Amazon for twice the price.…

Reviews Alex Cranz Feb 12

Intel’s Latest Coffee Lake Processors Are Fast as Hell

Today Intel launches the next portion of its 8th Generation of processors. The CPUs, designed for use in desktop PCs, are fast, affordable, and they’re probably going to leave you very confused. That’s because Intel’s 8th Generation is a confusing Frankenstein-like monster. Normally the entire generation of a new family of processors is based on…

Reviews Alex Cranz Oct 5

Intel’s Optane Memory Makes Cheap Hard Drives as Fast as Expensive SSDs

It isn’t only the junk processor that makes a really cheap computer slow. Or the memory or the video card (or lack of video card). The primary reason your cheap laptop loudly chugs along at glacial speeds is because of the hard drive. Cheap laptops use cheap hard disk drives, which are much slower than…

Reviews Alex Cranz Apr 24

Processors

Intel Somehow Squeezes More Performance Out of Its 11th-Gen Desktop Processors, but I’m Not Sure It Should Have

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X Review: Meet the New Best Desktop Processor

AMD’s Newest Processors Are So Good, But So Confusing

Intel’s High-End 10th-Gen Desktop Processors Have Hit the 14nm Limit

AMD’s New $100 Processors Are Magnificent Little Beasts Worth Every Penny

AMD’s Third Generation Ryzen CPUs Are Just Terrific

Intel’s 5GHz i9 Processor Is Incredible for Hype and Pretty Good for Computing, Too

AMD’s 16-Core Beast Creams Intel, but You Might Be Better Off Without It

Our First Look at AMD’s Second-Generation Ryzen CPU Is Proof It’s No One Hit Wonder

Rivals Intel and AMD Got Together and Made Something Beautiful for Gamers

Intel Invented the Traditional SSD Killer of the Future, and It’s So Fast and So Expensive

AMD’s Newest Processors Are So Good You Can Skip the Graphics Card

Intel’s Latest Coffee Lake Processors Are Fast as Hell

Intel’s Optane Memory Makes Cheap Hard Drives as Fast as Expensive SSDs

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