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| RadioNZ - 19 Sep (RadioNZ)It comes as central government directs councils to `rein in the fantasies` and get back to core business. Read...Newslink ©2024 to RadioNZ | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 19 Sep (Stuff.co.nz)The good and bad news continues to be delivered in equal doses for Taranaki rugby coach Neil Barnes as he counts down to the business end of the National Provincial Championship. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | ITBrief - 19 Sep (ITBrief)Zinnov and ProHance`s study reveals 53% of Global Business Services leaders prioritise productivity in 2024, addressing economic instability and talent retention with robust frameworks. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | ITBrief - 19 Sep (ITBrief)Topgolf enhances player experience and business efficiency with LogicMonitor`s LM Envision, aiming for 50 billion balls hit by 2025 through advanced monitoring and proactive issue resolution. Read...Newslink ©2024 to ITBrief | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 19 Sep (Stuff.co.nz)One business said people used to walk by their shop all the time - but a parklet installed outside their property changed the game. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | Stuff.co.nz - 19 Sep (Stuff.co.nz)A four-storey building and hotel in Napier are to be sold by receivers to recover funds owed to creditors. Read...Newslink ©2024 to Stuff.co.nz | |
| | | BBCWorld - 19 Sep (BBCWorld)Carrie Jenkinson said everything has `gone a bit mental` since the pop star bought four of her hats. Read...Newslink ©2024 to BBCWorld | |
| | | PC World - 19 Sep (PC World)In a gaming PC, the graphics card is easily the most exciting component. Responsible for producing all those beautiful frames and pushing those frame rates as high as possible, you’d be lost without it.
But shopping for a graphics card can be madness. You have to navigate between Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, then sift through each one’s product offerings. You’ll struggle to discern between models like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 and the RTX 4070 Ti. And even after you’ve decided on a model, that model might have numerous variations — like a reference version and a factory overclocked version.
Related: Common mistakes when buying a graphics card
Honestly, it can be overwhelming. Should you pay up for those special GPU versions? What do you actually get for what you pay? Is it worth the stress or can you just ignore all of the noise?
Well, if you ask me, I’m going to say: don’t fret over any of it. You shouldn’t be paying extra for factory overclocked GPUs. To understand why, though, we have to first understand why all of these different GPU versions exist in the first place. Let me take you through it.
What’s a reference GPU?
For any given graphics card, you have to start with a baseline foundation. In industry talk, this baseline version is called the reference. (Nvidia’s reference cards are dubbed Founders Edition, but it’s the same thing.)
The three primary GPU manufacturers — Nvidia, AMD, Intel — release their own reference cards, and these reference cards are released with standard designs and hardware specifications. All of this establishes a baseline for any particular graphics card, and the manufacturer sets the MSRP for each card released (often as low as they can go).
These reference cards are distinct from third-party graphics cards, which we’ll get into in the next section below. For now, just know that the reference version of any graphics card tends to be the cheapest of all its variations (e.g., Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition has an MSRP of $599 while third-party variations are usually more expensive).
Side note: This wasn’t always the case. Years ago, Nvidia’s Founders Edition cards used to be priced higher than third-party versions, which made it easier for those third-party partners to sell their GPUs at cheaper prices. In recent years, though, Nvidia has been selling their Founders Editions at base MSRP and putting pressure on partners to provide more value with their versions.
Though reference graphics cards operate at base-level specifications, they often come in fancy packaging with premium build quality. They’re usually sold directly by the manufacturers or through exclusive retail partnerships. (In the US, Nvidia sells FEs through Best Buy and you likely won’t find them on sites like Amazon or Newegg. AMD and Intel reference cards can be found more widely, but still in limited quantities.)
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Since manufacturers control the production pipelines of their GPUs, they tend to have the best PCBs and hardware components — and they can afford to sell them for cheaper than third-party partners can.
That’s why reference GPUs have become quite desirable in recent years, not just for their designs but for their performance. (Historically, Founders Edition GPUs were noisy and inefficient, but lately they’ve been good enough to kill the need for other versions. Same goes for AMD.)
What’s an AIB partner GPU?
The term AIB has been causing confusion in the graphics card community for several years now because people keep using it to mean difference things. Here’s a quick explanation:
An add-in board (AIB) is any card that can be inserted into your PC’s expansion slots to extend capabilities. According to this definition, all graphics cards are technically AIBs, and there are many other non-graphics card accessories that are also AIBs.
GPU manufacturers (i.e., Nvidia, AMD, Intel) work with third-party manufacturers (e.g., Gigabyte, MSI, PowerColor) who create their own riffs on reference graphics cards. These third-party manufacturers are typically called AIB partners or board partners.
Within the graphics card community, an AIB card is typically synonymous with custom card or non-reference card — in other words, a graphics card version created by an AIB partner.
AIB partners purchase GPU chips from Nvidia, AMD, or Intel, then design their own graphics cards with those chips while making sure they adhere to the original manufacturers’ specifications.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics card
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
The graphics card business has historically had low margins, which helps to explain why there are so many spruced-up versions — the goal is to upsell to consumers and earn more profit per card sold.
When you shop for a graphics card, you’re most likely looking at AIB partner versions. AIB partners want to sell their graphics cards far and wide so they’re available at many retailers, and they’re also the ones providing the warranties and RMA support for their products.
Most AIB partners offer simpler versions of the GPU on hand and sell for base MSRP. These hit the minimum specifications required by the GPU manufacturer and tend to have comparable performance, but they aren’t as aesthetically pleasing as their more-expensive counterparts.
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
AIB partners also create more expensive versions of the same GPU. For example, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 has an MSRP of $1,599 set by Nvidia, but ASUS sells its ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 variant for $1,999 and has cheaper TUF variants that can go as low as the $1,599 MSRP.
What are factory overclocked GPUs?
The premium build quality and strong performance of reference graphics cards have put AIB partners in a tight squeeze. With thin profit margins at baseline MSRP, they need to upsell their variants — and to do that, they need to figure out ways to entice buyers to shell out more cash.
One way is through factory overclocked GPUs.
A factory overclocked GPU is a graphics card that’s sold at a higher clock speed compared to its reference card. It’s pre-overclocked, if you will, and it’s been tested by the AIB partner for stability and performance. It frees you from the need to overclock the GPU yourself, and the card may also come with some modifications to support the higher clock speed.
Why factory overclocked GPUs generally aren’t worth paying extra
In my mind, there are two big reasons why factory overclocking isn’t worth whatever premium the AIB partner wants to charge.
First, factory overclocked GPUs have negligible performance gains.
If you were to go out and buy a factory overclocked GeForce RTX 4090 for $1,999, the reality is that you’d likely only see a single-digit performance difference compared to the $1,599 reference card or the AIB partner’s non-factory overclocked variants.
Intel Arc A770 Limited Edition graphics card
Intel Arc A770 Limited Edition graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Intel Arc A770 Limited Edition graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
In other words, the markup for factory overclocking doesn’t actually get you that much more performance, and non-factory overclocked AIB partner GPUs perform just as well in many cases — definitely capable of meeting baseline specifications, at the very least.
Related: Reference vs. custom graphics cards, compared
Take the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ($999) reference model, for example. It has a dual 8-pin PCI Express power connector and a TDP of 355 watts, with a game frequency of 2,300MHz and boost frequency up to 2,500MHz. Compare that to PowerColor’s Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ($1,899), which ups the power connector to a triple 8-pin PCI Express design and bumps the game frequency to 2,395MHz and boost frequency to 2,565MHz.
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
It’s basically the same GPU but with minor changes to eke out a tiny bit of extra performance, and it might give you several more frames per second in most games — barely noticeable to the naked eye.
Side note: Nvidia and other manufacturers often release mid-cycle GPU upgrades, too. These are entirely new product lines that typically replace the previous SKUs. For example, the GeForce RTX 4080 Super is a slightly improved version of the RTX 4080. The kicker here is its lower cost: $999 versus the $1,199 of its predecessor. AIB partners usually do the same thing to these by offering factory overclocked variants with slight performance tweaks at higher costs.
Second, factory overclocked GPUs often have oversized coolers.
While the performance gains on factory overclocked GPUs may be small, they still come at a cost: increased heat and noise. In increasing the power limits of a GPU, AIB partners may choose to compensate with better cooling — perhaps via beefier coolers.
The problem is, many of the larger and more complex coolers you see on factory overclocked GPUs are downright overkill and unnecessary for heat management. (In fact, with proper airflow in your PC case, base MSRP GPUs shouldn’t thermally throttle even when overclocked.)
Related: How to check your GPU’s temperature
You end up with an enormous graphics card that likely doesn’t fit in your average PC case. Many owners of large GPUs like the GeForce RTX 4090 have had to upgrade their PC cases because they just couldn’t close their glass side panels. Sort of a headache, isn’t it?
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition graphics card
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
On the other hand, Founders Edition or reference GPUs are often the smallest in their class. They provide nearly the same performance while fitting snugly in small PC cases, with quiet cooling that’s capable enough to handle modern games. (Of course, some reference cards are still hefty. The GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition is smaller on average than an AIB partner variant, but it’s still quite large.)
GPU size is becoming a key factor for many PC builders, and it’s important enough that Nvidia has decided to act upon it — by introducing the GeForce SFF guideline for GPUs that fit in smaller PC cases.
When is a factory overclocked GPU worth buying, then?
Performance is only one angle when it comes to factory overclocked GPUs. You can’t forget about aesthetics.
Some gamers are attracted to the small cosmetic details that differentiate one GPU variant from another. Others are all about brand loyalty, willing to stick with one brand despite price. And yet others care more about matching system components than anything else.
I mean, if you have an ASUS ROG-branded gaming setup, you’re probably willing to pay a premium for an ASUS ROG factory overclocked GPU. That’s perfectly fine and can be as valid a reason as greater performance. Pay for what you value.
Founders Edition GPUs are aesthetically monochromatic and industrial by design.
Founders Edition GPUs are aesthetically monochromatic and industrial by design.Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Founders Edition GPUs are aesthetically monochromatic and industrial by design.Thiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
You might find the straightforward designs of reference and Founders Edition GPUs to be off-putting. Maybe they don’t feel “gamery” enough for you, in which case it might make sense to pay up for another variant that has the wow factor you’re looking for — and many factory overclocked GPUs rely on said wow factor to attract buyers.
These more-expensive GPUs tend to have fancier fan designs and the all-important RGB lighting setups that ooze that gamer vibe. Said GPUs can also punch themselves up with other non-essential features for enthusiasts, like dual BIOS and higher power limits.
Hardcore overclockers tend to prefer these pricier models because they offer more room to tweak performance and achieve higher benchmarks. For example, GPUs like the older EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Kingpin provide enthusiasts with more than just factory overclocking — but for most gamers and users, these features aren’t needed and can often lead to issues for less-experienced tinkerers.
Related: How to benchmark your graphics card
Sometimes you may not have a choice
Given the intricacies of the GPU market, factory overclocked GPUs may actually be your only option at times.
Even though the GPU shortages are behind us, you’ll probably see fewer baseline MSRP GPUs from AIB partners on store shelves going forward. (Remember, AIB partners want to upsell you on factory overlocked GPUs to score higher margins.) What happens when reference and Founders Edition GPUs sell out fast and remain unavailable for months? You may have no choice but to buy those more expensive AIB partner cards.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition graphics card
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition graphics cardThiago Trevisan / IDG
Thiago Trevisan / IDG
On the other hand, you sometimes run into factory overclocked GPUs that are basically the same price as reference editions, in which case the choice is a no-brainer. For example, we reviewed the AMD Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7900 XT and found it to have superior acoustics and better ports than the reference edition, and it cost nearly the same.
Sure, the more expensive version has a dual BIOS and RGB lighting, but that won’t matter for most users who would rather save on cost with similar performance.
And then you have limited edition GPUs or special themed products that only come in factory overclocked variants. If you want that limited edition product, you have no alternative. (But if you end up buying such a thing, you’re probably enough of an enthusiast to want the extra goodies.)
Don’t pay extra for factory overclocked GPUs unless you have a good reason
There’s only a tiny performance difference between reference GPUs and factory overclocked GPUs, so smart money will typically go with the reference edition. Often, you aren’t sacrificing anything — many modern reference graphics cards have incredible bang for your buck.
But availability can be an issue. If all the reference cards are out of stock, you may not have a choice but to shell out for a factory overclocked GPU. Or you may want the factory overclocked GPU for reasons other than performance, which are all totally valid.
Only you can decide whether a given GPU is worth the price — and in the case of factory overclocked GPUs, it may make sense to pay up if you know what you’re getting and know what the premium is for.
But if you only care about performance? It’s generally best to avoid paying extra for factory overclocked GPUs.
Further reading: The best graphics cards for every budget Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 18 Sep (PC World)The new Outlook has been available as a finished program since August 2024. New PCs delivered with the latest Windows 11 installations (Windows 11 24H2) will receive the new Outlook as an alternative to Windows Mail and the Windows Calendar app.
In addition, users who use the classic Outlook can switch to the new Outlook at any time using a slider in the top right-hand corner. As a Windows 10/11 user, you can use the new Outlook free of charge if you have a license for Microsoft Office or Microsoft 365. Here’s what you need to know about it.
Thomas Joos
Thomas Joos
Thomas Joos
There will be two different Outlook versions from Microsoft in the future: The previous Outlook from the Microsoft Office package and the Microsoft 365 apps that will be retained over the next few years and will be called “classic Outlook.” The new Outlook is an alternative to Windows Mail and the Windows Calendar app for end users using Windows 10/11.
Microsoft has announced that it will discontinue the old UWP-based Mail app in September 2024, forcing users to use the new Outlook app. Private users who work with the older programs will have to change because the old programs will be replaced.
The user interface of the new Outlook is based on WebView2–meaning the Outlook website runs in a native Windows window. This sometimes leads to a cluttered and inefficient user experience. The app is slower than the classic version and has annoying adverts, some of which are disguised as emails.
Microsoft routes all e-mails via its servers, including login details
The new Outlook is more like a web-based app in terms of operation and interface. In addition to Microsoft e-mail accounts, accounts from third-party providers can also be connected to the new Outlook. However, all e-mails from providers are generally routed via Microsoft servers, including the login details for the mailbox.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Microsoft mailbox, for example, Microsoft 365 or Outlook.com, or the mailbox of another provider like Google.
Anyone who doesn’t want this experience shouldn’t use the new Outlook. However, as Microsoft plans to remove the discontinued Windows Mail and Windows Calendar apps from Windows by the end of 2024, alternatives should then be found.
The best-known alternative is Mozilla Thunderbird. Data protection concerns further exacerbate the situation, as Microsoft shares data with over 770 third-party companies.
After clicking on the three dots, you can access combinable folder settings under the “Folder modes” menu item. They bundle mail accounts and help you to access folders more quickly.
After clicking on the three dots, you can access combinable folder settings under the “Folder modes” menu item. They bundle mail accounts and help you to access folders more quickly.
IDG
After clicking on the three dots, you can access combinable folder settings under the “Folder modes” menu item. They bundle mail accounts and help you to access folders more quickly.
IDG
IDG
Microsoft already enables the connection of numerous e-mail accounts, including Microsoft 365/Exchange Online, Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and manually configurable connections with IMAP4/POP3. It is to be expected that more providers will be added here and, of course, on-premises Exchange will also be added.
Professionals can decide for themselves when to use the new Outlook
Corporate customers can continue to work with classic Outlook for the next few years without any problems. It’s currently planned that the new Outlook will be supported until 2029. Although it is already possible to connect mailboxes in the new Outlook from Exchange Online, it is not yet possible to connect locally installed Exchange servers. According to Microsoft, however, this is set to change very quickly, presumably with the release of the new Exchange version Exchange Server SE (Subscription Edition) at the latest.
Admins in companies or even experienced users can use policies to prevent other users of the PC from activating the new Outlook. If this block is not active, every user can change their Outlook installation via the slider Test the new Outlook. It is possible to undo this step, but this may result in data loss. In our tests, the switch worked several times without any problems, but it is difficult to say with certainty whether this is the case everywhere.
Thomas Joos
Thomas Joos
Thomas Joos
You can also switch back using the slider. Both Outlook versions cannot be used in parallel, at least not without a great deal of effort.
The new Outlook is still under development: not everything works yet
Over the last few months, the development of the functions in the new Outlook have become apparent. Microsoft is regularly expanding the range of functions, but this does not change the fact that numerous functions are still missing. For example, there is no support for PST files nor is it possible to import or export data. Anyone who needs these functions should wait until Microsoft integrates them into the new Outlook. It’s currently unclear when this will be, and it’s also not certain whether all the functions from classic Outlook will make it into the new Outlook.
There are lots of settings that are available in the options in classic Outlook, but are missing in the new Outlook. One example of this is the Trust Centre, in which numerous security settings can be made. External programs, APIs, and tools will probably not work with the new Outlook, either. Many registry settings such as signatures, profiles, and other settings that you were previously able to export and import no longer work with the new Outlook.
Thomas Joos
Thomas Joos
Thomas Joos
Users also often miss the option of dragging and dropping attachments onto the desktop, the creation and management of quick blocks and the simple use of QuickSteps and e-mail rules. The options for resending e-mails, forwarding contacts via business card, or exporting emails as PST files are either no longer available or are much more cumbersome.
Another particular problem is that the new Outlook no longer allows multiple mailboxes to be merged into a single inbox, which makes managing multiple email accounts considerably more difficult.
These restrictions and the inability to intuitively customize the user interface, as was possible in the old Outlook, have caused frustration among many users and raise questions about the future viability of the new Outlook version. Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
| | | PC World - 18 Sep (PC World)CPUs and GPUs are old news. These days, the cutting edge is all about NPUs, and hardware manufacturers are talking up NPU performance.
The NPU is a computer component designed to accelerate AI tasks in a power-efficient manner, paving the way for new Windows desktop applications with powerful AI features. That’s the plan, anyway.
All PCs will eventually have NPUs, but at the moment only some PCs have them. Here’s everything you need to know about NPUs and why they’re such a hot topic in the computer industry right now.
What is an NPU?
NPU stands for neural processing unit. It’s a special kind of processor that’s optimized for AI and machine learning tasks.
The name comes from the fact that AI models use neural networks. A neural network is, in layman’s terms, a vast mesh of interconnected nodes that pass information between them. (The whole idea was modeled after the way our own human brains work.)
Related: How neural networks are finally maturing
An NPU isn’t a separate device that you buy and plug in (as you would with a GPU, for example). Instead, an NPU is “packaged” as part of a modern processor platform — like Intel’s Core Ultra, AMD’s Ryzen AI, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus. These platforms have a CPU along with an integrated GPU and NPU.
NPU vs. CPU vs. GPU: What’s the difference? Explained
For many years now, computers have been running tasks on either the central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU.) That’s still how it works on AI PCs (i.e., computers with NPUs).
The CPU runs most of the tasks on the computer. But the GPU, despite its name, isn’t just for graphics and gaming tasks. The GPU is actually just optimized for a different type of computing task, which is why GPUs have been critical for non-gaming endeavors like mining cryptocurrency and running local AI models with high performance. In fact, GPUs are very good at such AI tasks — but GPUs are awfully power-hungry.
That’s where NPUs come into play. An NPU is faster than a CPU at computing AI tasks, but not as fast when compared to a GPU. The trade-off is that an NPU uses far less power than a GPU when computing those same AI tasks. Plus, while the NPU handles AI-related tasks, the CPU and GPU are both freed up to handle their own respective tasks, boosting overall system performance.
Why use an NPU instead of a CPU or GPU?
If you’re running AI image generation software like Stable Diffusion (or some other AI model) on your PC’s hardware and you need maximum performance, a GPU is going to be your best bet. That’s why Nvidia advertises its GPUs as “premium AI” hardware over NPUs.
But there are times when you want to run AI features that might be too taxing for a regular CPU but don’t necessarily need the top-tier power of a GPU. Or maybe you’re on a laptop and you want to take advantage of AI features but don’t want the GPU to drain your battery down.
With an NPU, a laptop can perform local (on-device) AI tasks without producing a lot of heat and without expending inordinate battery life — and it can perform those AI tasks without taking up CPU and GPU resources from whatever else your PC might be doing.
And even if you aren’t interested in AI per se, you can still take advantage of NPUs for other uses. At CES 2024, HP showed off game-streaming software that uses the NPU for video-streaming tasks, freeing up the GPU to run the game itself. By using the NPU’s extra computing power, the streaming software doesn’t take up any GPU resources… and it’s much faster than using the CPU for the same type of task.
But what can Windows PC software do with an NPU, really?
With an AI PC, the NPU can be used by both the operating system and the apps that reside on the system.
For example, if you have laptop with Intel Meteor Lake hardware, the built-in NPU will let you run Windows Studio Effects, which are AI-powered webcam effects that provide features like background blur and forced eye contact in any application that uses your webcam.
Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs — the first wave of which are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips — have their own AI-powered features that use the NPUs built into that platform. For example, the Windows Recall feature that Microsoft delayed will require an NPU.
Related: What is a Copilot+ PC? Explained
In November 2024, AMD and Intel PCs will get access to those same Copilot+ PC features that were previously exclusive to Qualcomm PCs, but only AMD and Intel PCs that have the new AMD Ryzen AI 300 series and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 (Lunar Lake) processors.
And those are just the features built into Windows; app developers will also be able to use the NPU in a variety of ways. Don’t be surprised to see plug-ins for Audacity and GIMP that offer AI-powered audio and photo editing that’s powered by a computer’s NPU.
The possibilities are endless, but it’s still early days for the hardware so it’ll be a while before its full potential is realized.
Why do I need an NPU if my PC can already run AI software?
Most current applications that have AI features — including Microsoft’s Copilot chatbot — don’t utilize an NPU yet. Instead, they run their AI models on faraway cloud servers. That’s why you can run things like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Adobe Firefly, and other AI solutions on any device, whether an old Windows PC, a Chromebook, a Mac, an Android phone, or something else.
Adobe
Adobe
Adobe
But it’s expensive for those services to run their AI models on the cloud. Microsoft spends a lot of money churning through Copilot AI tasks in data centers, for example. Companies would love to offload those AI tasks to your local PC and reduce their own cloud computing expenses.
Of course, it’s not just about cost savings. You also benefit from the ability to run computationally heavy AI tasks on your local device. For example, those AI features will still work even when you’re offline, and you can keep your data private instead of uploading it all to cloud servers all the time. (That’s a big deal for companies, too, who want to maintain control over their own business data for privacy and security reasons.)
Which NPUs are available and how powerful are they?
Intel
Intel
Intel
NPU performance is measured in TOPS, which stands for trillion operations per second. To give you a sense of what that means, a low-end NPU might only be able to handle 10 TOPS whereas PCs that qualify for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC branding must handle at least 40 TOPS.
As of fall 2024, the following NPUs are available:
Intel Core Ultra Series 1 (Meteor Lake): Intel’s first-generation Core Ultra NPU can deliver up to 11 TOPS. It’s too slow for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features, but it does work with Windows Studio Effects and some third-party applications.
Intel Core Ultra Series 2 (Lunar Lake): Intel’s Lunar Lake chips will include an NPU with up to 48 TOPS of performance, exceeding Copilot+ PC requirements.
AMD Ryzen Pro 7000 and 8000 Series: AMD first delivered NPUs on PCs before Intel did, but the NPUs in Ryzen 7000 series processors are too slow for Copilot+ PC features, with up to 12 and 16 TOPS of performance.
AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series: The NPUs in the latest AMD Ryzen AI 300 series processors can deliver up to 50 TOPS of performance, more than enough for Copilot+ PCs.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus: Qualcomm’s Arm-based hardware includes a Qualcomm Hexagon NPU that’s capable of up to 45 TOPS.
It’s worth noting that NPUs aren’t just on PCs. Apple’s Neural Engine hardware was one of the first big splashy NPUs to get marketing attention. Google’s Tensor platform for Pixel devices also includes an NPU, while Samsung Galaxy phones have NPUs, too.
Bottom line: Should you get a PC with an NPU right now or wait?
Honestly, it’s risky being on the bleeding edge.
If you went out of your way to get a Meteor Lake laptop in hopes of future-proofing your PC for AI features, you actually got burned when Microsoft later announced that Meteor Lake NPUs were too slow for Copilot+ PC features. (Intel disagreed, pointing out that you still get all the features those laptops originally shipped with.)
The silver lining to that? Copilot+ PC features aren’t that interesting yet. And especially with the delay of Windows Recall, there just isn’t much remarkable about Copilot+ PCs. Most of the biggest AI tools — ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, etc. — don’t even use NPUs at all.
Still, if I were buying a new laptop, I’d want to get an NPU if possible. You don’t actually have to go out of your way to get one; it’s just something that comes included with modern hardware platforms. And those modern processor platforms have other big features, like big battery life gains.
Related: The laptops with the longest battery life, tested
On the other hand, those fast NPUs are only on the latest laptops right now, and you can often find great deals on older laptops that are nearly as fast as the latest models. If you spot a previous-generation laptop that’s heavily discounted, it may not make sense to shell out tons more cash just for an NPU, especially if you don’t have any AI tools you plan to run.
As of this writing, most big AI tools still run in the cloud — or at least offer that as an option — so you’ll be able to run them on any Windows laptop, Chromebook, or even Android tablets and iPads.
For desktops, the NPU situation is different. Intel’s desktop CPUs don’t have NPUs yet. You could hunt down an AMD desktop chip with a Ryzen AI NPU, but AMD’s Ryzen 7000 and 8000 series chips don’t support Copilot+ PC features anyway. So, if you’re putting together a desktop PC, set aside the NPU for now. It just isn’t that important yet.
Looking for a PC with a high-performance NPU? Consider Arm-based Windows laptops like the Surface Laptop 7 and AMD Ryzen AI 300 series laptops like the Asus ProArt PX13. Plus, stay tuned for our reviews of Lunar Lake-powered Intel laptops when they arrive. Until then, catch up with all the AI PC jargon you need to know.
Further reading: Key things to know before buying a Copilot+ laptop Read...Newslink ©2024 to PC World | |
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