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AMD’s desktop CPU market share jumped nearly 10 percent in the last year, an analyst reported Thursday, on the heels of AMD’s strong rollout of its latest desktop gaming CPU. Mercury Research, which tracks the market share of PC CPUs from AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, reported sweeping gains in most segments of the CPU market. A portion of the report specific to AMD was provided to journalists by AMD, but confirmed by Mercury. In general, because of the relatively low share of Qualcomm Snapdragon X CPUs, any share gains AMD realizes usually reflect a corresponding drop in Intel’s market share. AMD’s results were excellent: The company’s desktop market share, in units, increased by 9.6 percentage points year-over-year, to 28.7 percent. In mobile, AMD now holds 22.3 percent of the CPU market, an increase of 2.8 percentage points. Intel typically holds 80 percent of the market, and AMD the other 20 percent. In overall client processors, that relationship still largely holds true: AMD sold 23.9 percent of all client CPUs during the period. In desktops, at least, there’s evidence of strong momentum for AMD’s existing Ryzen 7000X, 8000G and 9000X chips — even with middling 9000X reviews and post-launch, performance-altering Windows updates. Mercury’s numbers report the last year’s worth of sales. But the future looks bright, too. AMD just launched its Ryzen 9000X3D chips this week, and our Ryzen 7 9800X3D review reflects the majority opinion: It “obliterates” Intel’s best. Intel, of course, is wrestling with significant layoffs as well as buckets of red ink in its most recent earnings report. Analysts have begun to scrutinize Intel’s foundry plan, amid Intel complaints that it hasn’t seen a dime of the CHIPS Act money that’s been promised to build new fabs in the United States. President-elect Trump has threatened to at least rework the CHIPS Act, too. Mercury’s report is excerpted below, with one caveat: Revenue numbers are calculated by AMD itself, and not Mercury, Mercury analyst Dean McCarron said. AMD claims that server revenue share — its market share of the total amount spent on servers, rather than units — hit 33.9 percent, a new record. The report also excludes semicustom chips AMD sells into game consoles, as well as chips that sell into Internet of Things (IOT) devices. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Useful “MoonHalo” ambient light, plus ambient light sensor  Lots of USB connectivity  Tack-sharp 32-inch 4K display  Excellent color performance  Cons USB hub lacks features of some competitors, like Thunderbolt or Ethernet  Meager HDR performance  Only a 75Hz refresh rate, no Adaptive Sync  Our Verdict The BenQ RD320U is a great choice for programmers and can also prove itself useful as a do-it-all home office monitor. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: BenQ RD320U Retailer Price $649.99 View Deal BenQ $649.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Do you need a monitor for programming?   Technically, almost any monitor can work and, because of this, monitor makers often fail to market their displays specifically to programmers. However, BenQ is addressing this gap with its latest line of programming monitors. We’ve previously reviewed the BenQ RD280U, which is notable for its distinctive 3:2 aspect ratio. However, the company also offers the more traditional RD320U, a 32-inch 16:9 4K display packed with features tailored to meet the needs of programmers.  BenQ RD320U specs and features  At its core, the BenQ RD320U is a solid 32-inch 4K display. It has an IPS Black panel (which should improve the contrast ratio) and delivers a sharp image at 3840×2160 resolution.  Display size: 32-inch 16:9 widescreen  Native resolution: 3840×2160  Panel type: IPS Black  Refresh rate: Up to 75Hz  Adaptive sync: None  HDR: Yes, VESA DisplayHDR 400 Certified  Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with 90 watts of Power Delivery and DisplayPort Alternate Mode, 1x USB-B 3.2 Gen 1 upstream, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 downstream, 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 downstream, 3.5mm audio-out  VESA mount: 100x100mm  Speakers: 2x 3-watt speakers  Price: $649.99 MSRP  It’s also jam-packed with ports, including a USB-C port with DisplayPort and USB Power Delivery. Though pitched to programmers, the RD320U’s specifications make it a competitor to high-end home office monitors like the Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE and Philips Creator Series 27E2F7901.  Further reading: Best home office monitors BenQ RD320U design   At a glance, the BenQ RD320U’s design is basic. It’s clad in various shades of charcoal black that don’t immediately catch your eye. Take a second look, though, and you’ll notice the details, like the rippled pattern that cascades down the rear of the monitor and the lower display bezel. These add a subtle bit of flair that makes the monitor distinct from its competition.  The star of the show, however, is in fact a moon — or MoonHalo, as BenQ calls it. The MoonHalo is a ring of LED lights centered on the rear of the monitor. It’s like the RGB-LED lights on gaming monitors, but instead meant to provide soft, consistent ambient light. The MoonHalo is always white, but you can adjust the color temperature to match the display. I enjoyed the MoonHalo; it looks nice and I felt it made the display less tiring to view after dark.  The “MoonHalo” on the back of the BenQ RD320U.Matthew Smith / Foundry The monitor ships with an ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, pivot, and swivel. The stand is attached to a mid-sized, flat base. It’s a bit wider than it needs to be, but since it’s flat, the desk space it occupies remains usable. I’m not a fan of the stand’s cable management, however. The faux-leather strap BenQ provides for the purpose is attractive but can’t hold many cables.  While the included stand is nice, BenQ also provides a 100x100mm VESA mount for use with third-party monitor arms and stands.  BenQ RD320U connectivity and menus   The BenQ RD320U has four video inputs: two HDMI, one DisplayPort, and one USB-C with DisplayPort. To be honest, I’d rather it had two DisplayPort ports than two HDMI, but that’s a nitpick. This is a solid range of video connectivity.   In addition to DisplayPort, the USB-C port also provides up to 90 watts of USB Power Delivery and supports data for connections to multiple downstream USB-A and USB-C ports. Two USB-A ports, and one USB-C port, are located on the monitor’s chin, which makes them easy to access. A KVM switch function is included, too.  A USB-B upstream port provides an alternative way to connect to the monitor’s USB hub, which is useful if your PC lacks USB-C.   The BenQ RD320U’s USB connectivity isn’t as extensive as the Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE, which has more USB ports and provides Ethernet, so those looking for a USB hub should give Dell’s alternative a look. Still, the BenQ’s connectivity is a hair above average, as it delivers several downstream USB ports and places them in convenient locations.   The BenQ RD320U’s on-screen menu.Matthew Smith / Foundry BenQ’s on-screen menus are accessed with a quick, responsive joystick centered on the monitor’s chin. The menu is large, which makes it easier to see and read (though, unfortunately, the menu’s font is still a bit thin). I also found the menus logically arranged and had no issues finding the settings I want. BenQ, like most of its competitors, also provides a Windows software utility (Display Pilot 2) to access and control monitor settings.  The BenQ RD320U’s image quality options are a bit underwhelming. It uses vague presets for gamma and color temperature instead of providing the proper, numerical labels. An sRGB color gamut preset is available, but no preset is available for DCI-P3 or AdobeRGB. I understand this isn’t a “creator” monitor, but its performance is certainly good enough to make these presets useful.  Programmers won’t mind, however, because the RD320U offers several features that come in handy while coding. This includes two preset “Coding Booster” modes that adjust brightness, contrast, and gamma to make code easy to read.   The monitor also has an ambient light sensor that can automatically adjust the monitor’s brightness throughout the day. The ambient light sensor is pitched to programmers as a way to reduce eye strain, but the feature is just as useful for writers, creators, accountants, and anyone else who spends a lot of time in front of a monitor.  Speakers are included, but they’re not great. The pair of bundled 3-watt speakers produce sound with reasonable clarity at low volumes but quickly become overwhelmed as volume is increased. They’re fine for listening to a podcast or playing soft, ambient tones, but speakers or headphones will be necessary for true audio enjoyment.   The BenQ RD320U includes two preset ‘Coding Booster’ modes that adjust brightness, contrast, and gamma to make code easy to read.   BenQ RD320U SDR image quality  The BenQ RD320U is a great example of a monitor that doesn’t necessarily need great image quality to satisfy its intended user. Programmers are staring at code, right? Fortunately, BenQ doesn’t use that as an excuse to deliver half-baked SDR image quality. On the contrary, the BenQ RD320U looks great.   Matthew Smith / Foundry BenQ gets off to a great start in brightness, as the RD320U delivers an excellent 426 nits of peak SDR luminance. That’s a lot, and certainly far more than most programmers will need.   Still, a high level of SDR brightness means the monitor remains usable in a brightly lit room. That’s good news if your office has sunlit windows or you’re coding in a bullpen that looks straight out of The Wolf of Wall Street.  Matthew Smith / Foundry There’s more good news in contrast, as the BenQ RD320U comes close to delivering a contrast ratio of 2000:1. BenQ doesn’t market the monitor as having an “IPS Black” display panel, but this is a level of contrast I’ve only witnessed in IPS panels of that type. It keeps the RD320U competitive with class leaders like the Dell U3223QE and Philips 27E2F7901.  The comparison with BenQ’s RD280U is notable, as well. BenQ’s smaller programming monitor clearly has a different IPS panel that doesn’t match the RD320U in contrast.  While the BenQ RD320U’s contrast is great for its category, shoppers should remember that OLED displays can achieve an effectively infinite contrast ratio, which makes them a better choice for games, movies, and other entertainment.   Matthew Smith / Foundry I was worried the BenQ RD320U might neglect the color gamut and limit itself to a narrower range, but that’s not the case. It covers up to 95 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut and up to 89 percent of DCI-P3. The RD320U looks vibrant and alluring when displaying photos, videos, and games.  With that said, however, the RD320U falls behind the Dell U3223QE and Philips 27E2F7901 in coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. So, while the RD320U does well enough, it’s not the best choice for content creators who care about DCI-P3.   Matthew Smith / Foundry I was even more surprised by the BenQ RD320U’s color accuracy, which absolutely bakes. Or cooks? What are the kids saying, these days?  Either way, it’s good. Extremely good. Top-5-PCWorld-has-ever-tested good. It’s a bit of a surprise, and I suspect there’s a little bit of random variance at play here; I likely lucked out with an especially good example of the RD320U. Still, BenQ has a history of good color accuracy, and it’s excellent to see the RD320U score well here. Though meant for programming, the RD320U can serve as an entry-level monitor for digital artists and photographers.  The gamma and color temperature tests reported more good news, as the BenQ RD320U hit our target gamma of 2.2 and color temperature of 6500K. Most monitors come close to these targets, but it’s nice to see the RD320U hit both dead-on. This means the monitor does not look overly bright or dark, nor too cool or warm.   With that said, the ideal gamma and color temperature can vary depending on your needs and personal preference. The monitor has options to adjust both — though, as mentioned previously, they’re not well-labeled.   Sharpness is yet another perk. The 32-inch 3840×2160 panel provides a sharpness of 138 pixels per inch (PPI). It’s not quite as sharp as a 27-inch 4K display, which hits 163 PPI, but it’s noticeably superior to any 1440p monitor. This is helpful for programmers, as it helps the monitor display small fonts with a crisp, tack-sharp look.   The BenQ RD320U scores high marks in SDR image quality. It scores well across every metric and has no significant weakness that might place it behind the competition. Alternatives like the Dell U3223QE can match the RD320U, but older monitors like the ThinkVision P32p-32 can’t keep up.  BenQ RD320U HDR image quality  The BenQ RD320U supports HDR and has VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, but it’s not a good pick for HDR movies and games.  Contrast and luminance are issues. While the monitor can peak above 400 nits, that’s not enough to deliver the full oomph of HDR, as most HDR content targets a peak brightness of at least 1,000 nits.   The monitor also lacks a dynamic backlight, which means the monitor’s contrast isn’t comparable to Mini-LED or OLED displays. Placed next to such alternatives, the BenQ RD320U’s HDR image will look flat and washed-out.  This, to be fair, is a typical problem for all mid-range IPS monitors. A productivity and programming display like the BenQ RD320U might support HDR, but it’s not the focus, as nearly all productivity software is designed for SDR. Still, buyers should be aware: This is not the monitor for HDR.  BenQ RD320U motion performance  It’s not the monitor for motion clarity, either.  The BenQ RD320U has a maximum refresh rate of up to 75Hz and doesn’t support Adaptive Sync for smooth frame pacing in PC games. Motion clarity is fine for less hectic games, but it’s an obvious step behind a 144Hz monitor.  Of course, programmers spend most of their time looking at relatively static code, so mediocre motion clarity isn’t a huge deal. Still, I suspect many programmers would like to play some PC games in their downtime. The BenQ RD320U isn’t the best choice for that.   Is the BenQ RD320U worth it?  The BenQ RD320U is a solid 32-inch 4K monitor. Though it’s targeted at programmers, and offers several features they’ll appreciate, it has broader appeal as a home office and productivity monitor. It has a bright, crisp image, an ambient sensor to automatically adjust brightness, and packs a useful USB-C hub.   BenQ faces a lot of competition in this space, such as the Dell U3223QE, which has an equally attractive panel and a wider range of connectivity, including Ethernet. I’d still recommend the Dell U3223QE over the RD320U for general productivity, but it’s a close call, and the discounts available at the time you buy could sway the decision either way. If you’re a programmer, though, the RD320U has an advantage. Read...

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In October, Microsoft unveiled a roadmap for next-generation AI experiences within Windows 11. Today, two of those — in Paint and Notepad — begin rolling out to testers. Microsoft’s October AI roadmap included tweaks to Paint, Notepad, and Search. Microsoft Recall was expected soon, too. Recall, of course, has been delayed again until December, as Microsoft works to ensure it’s secure and private. For now, three new features are debuting in the Canary and Dev Channels within Windows 11: AI rewriting within Notepad, plus Generative Fill and Generative Erase within Microsoft Paint. Generative Erase is already within the Photos app, and the addition to Paint looks very similar. In Paint, you can highlight a section of the image and Paint will “erase” it, intelligently filling in the background. I find this especially useful in Photos, in case I need to touch up and remove a bit of dust. (In general, however, I leave images untouched for authenticity’s sake.) Generative Erase with Microsoft Paint.Microsoft Generative Fill, however, is more interesting. Paint already includes Creator, which produces a 1024×1024 image that can be added to a screen via a layer, one of the additions Microsoft made previously. Those additions, however, don’t naturally flow and combine with the existing content of a scene. Generative Fill allows you to first outline or designate a particular region of the image with the Selection Tool, then “fill” it with AI-generated art. Generative Fill’s magic is that it is designed to integrate the AI art into the scene, so that it looks more natural. Microsoft is also making Cocreator faster, using the local NPU. Generative Fill will only be available to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft said, but Generative Erase will be available for any PC running the Windows Insider code. An example of Generative Fill within Microsoft Paint.Microsoft You’ll see generative erase and fill features in other programs, such as Photoshop — but Paint is simpler, and most importantly, free. As for Notepad, well, if you ever wanted some AI help creating a note, AI can help. It’s not designed to actually “write” for you, but simply to change the tone and length of a highlighted selection. The new additions are part of Paint (version 11.2410.28.0) and Notepad (version 11.2410.15.0). Read...

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Today, the internet has become like water and electricity, a necessity for everyday life and something we take for granted. Most people never think about routers, network cables, frequency bands, and more as long as everything works. But wireless networks — Wi-Fi — are not flawless and few users have never had problems. Common problems include weak coverage in parts of the home, devices being disconnected and having to be reconnected manually, choppy music and video playback on connected devices, and slower-than-promised speeds on large downloads. By optimizing your router’s settings and placement in your home, you can achieve a more stable and faster Wi-Fi network. Often this is enough, but otherwise there is help from different types of networking equipment. Foundry Optimal router settings Different routers offer different levels of customization for Wi-Fi settings, but the vast majority have at least the following settings: Channel width Channel width refers to how much of the available frequencies in a frequency band the communication between router and devices takes up. Narrow channels allow for more channels, which means that several different networks can operate simultaneously in the same location without interfering with each other. But wider channels mean more data can fit per transmission, resulting in a higher overall speed for connected devices — as long as the signal is strong enough. If your router can choose the channel width automatically, this is likely to give you the best results. Some routers can automatically vary the channel width to optimize the network. If you have to choose for yourself, or just want to test whether it can be useful, you can test from the top down — start with 160MHz in the 5GHz band and step down to 80- and 40MHz and see how it affects the experience of devices around the home. If your router supports the 6GHz band, you can probably push a little harder and choose the widest possible channels, but as radio is complicated, it’s always best to test the waters. Foundry Channel – manual or automatic Depending on the channel width, there are different numbers of channels to choose from. For example, with 160MHz channel width there are only three channels, while with 40MHz there are 14 in the 5GHz band. The 2.4GHz band can only use channels of 20- or 40MHz, and the normal one is 20Mz because it can fit three channels without overlap (channels 1, 6, and 11). In houses without interference, 40MHz can work. Normally, it’s best to let the router choose itself as it has a better idea of which channel has the least “noise,” but if you have coverage problems in a particular part of the house and can see that a neighbor in that direction is using the same channel as your router has chosen, you can try a different channel. TP-Link Combined or separate frequency bands Behind the scenes, Wi-Fi over 2.4GHz and 5GHz are completely separate and use different antennas, but normally the router creates a common network name (SSID) to which devices connect. Which frequency band they connect with can either be up to the device itself, chance, or the router (see below). This usually works well, but you may find it useful to choose two separate networks with separate names instead. This can be useful, for example, if you have smart home devices that only support 2.4GHz and are having trouble connecting (which is relatively common). It can also help if you have devices that insist on connecting to the 5GHz band even though the signal is weak due to an obstruction such as a brick wall or some other reason. Lower frequencies penetrate walls better, so the 2.4GHz band is often more reliable at a distance from the router. Band steering On networks that combine multiple frequency bands, devices or routers must choose which band to communicate in. Most routers have a feature called band steering that automates the selection based on various parameters. On newer routers from Asus, you can set how it should choose, but as you can see in the picture below, solid knowledge is required to do a better job than the router, if possible. The Quality of Service (QoS) function balances the network and ensures that no single device takes up all the bandwidth.Foundry If you have a specific problem, such as devices that insist on connecting on the 5GHz band even in parts of your home where the signal is so weak that the internet is slow, you can experiment with the settings. The Small Net Builder website has a good guide to Asus settings. Quality of Service gives all devices a chance Quality of Service, or QoS, is a feature found in many higher-end routers that balances the network so that no single device hogs all the bandwidth. Without QoS, a computer running Bittorrent, for example, with hundreds of active connections, can saturate the connection to the internet service provider on its own. QoS can also be used to prioritize certain types of traffic. Most typical are online games that require very short response times to mitigate lagging. Setting QoS to prioritize games reduces the likelihood that temporary spikes in network activity will cause games to hack. Video calling is also something that can benefit greatly from a QoS service in the router, as it requires both relatively short response times and a steady stream of data. Routers with large processors often do better without QoS than less well-equipped routers. Problems that can be solved with QoS are often due to something called bufferbloat, where the router queues up too many packets and can’t forward them all in a reasonable time. A faster connection won’t help, and incorrect router settings can make it worse. Bufferbloat test results from Waveform.Foundry You can test for yourself how much bufferbloat your router suffers from with tests at dslreport.com or waveform.com. Both give a rating, so you don’t need to understand all the numbers. But in case you’re wondering, it’s all about how much response times degrade when the connection is heavily loaded. Whether you have a lot of bufferbloat or not, you can try enabling QoS if your router has the feature, especially if you experience occasional problems with gaming or video calls. If you can’t find the settings for your particular router, search for “[router model] qos” and you’ll probably get both an answer to whether it has the feature at all and, if so, how to enable it. Change the order of priority in Adaptive QoS.Foundry As an example, take my newly purchased Asus router, which has a feature called Adaptive QoS. Here, I can choose one of five preset profiles that prioritize different things — gaming, streaming, general browsing, distance learning, or remote work. You can also set the prioritization order manually. I should point out, however, that Adaptive QoS is one of several features in Asus routers that require you to authorize security firm Trend Micro to collect data from you. Other router manufacturers may have other similar agreements for certain features. Netspot Map your home and find the radio shadows If you’ve tested out the best Wi-Fi settings on your router but are still having problems with slow internet, or devices occasionally losing connection in remote parts of your home, it might be time to look at upgrading your network. Before splurging on a new, more powerful router or any kind of extension, it’s a good idea to check what the signal strength is actually like in your home. There are a number of programs that can help you with this, such as Netspot. You will need a floor plan of your home and a laptop. Once you have installed the program and launched it, select the Survey tab and create a new project. Here you can upload an image of the floor plan or draw it manually. A calibration function ensures that the distances are correct, and before you start taking measurements, you can choose how large an area each measurement point should cover. I recommend the default setting. Then you simply carry the computer around to different locations in your home and let Netspot measure the signal strength. Click on the floor plan to show where you are at each measurement and on the stop button when you’re done. The results are displayed as a color chart of the floor plan, with warmer colors indicating stronger signals. Areas in blue show parts of the home where the router has difficulty reaching. Measuring many places around your home can give you a good idea of where it might make sense to place an extender, or whether a router with stronger antennas is likely to reach all corners. It can also help you spot poor router placement, and if you move it to a location that should provide better coverage, you can repeat the survey and check whether it actually did. Dmitry Didorov Reduce the load with cable connections If your problems don’t seem to be due to a weak signal, it could be that you are utilising the full capacity of your Wi-Fi network with many connected devices. If you have a large family where everyone watches a lot of streaming services, this can easily happen. An easy way to give the router and the devices that can only connect wirelessly some wiggle room is to connect desktop computers and other fixed devices with an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi. Televisions, games consoles, smart home hubs and media players often have a connector for network cables. If your router doesn’t have enough connectors, you can buy a cheap switch from Netgear or TP-Link, for example. A switch also allows devices connected to it to communicate directly with each other without going through the router, which can further reduce the load on it. For example, if you have a media library on a NAS device and stream from it to a TV or computer and both are connected to the switch, it can have a big effect on the speeds of the Wi-Fi network for other connected devices. Sabine Kroschel Get a Wi-Fi booster, repeater, or mesh Sometimes the only solution to Wi-Fi problems is to upgrade your hardware. There are different options depending on what you have today and what the possibilities are for running cables in your home, for example. Wi-Fi amplifier A Wi-Fi repeater extends an existing network by creating its own network with the same name (SSID). Newer models can connect either by cable or wirelessly. The latter is obviously more flexible, but offers slower speeds and longer response times as devices connected to the extension communicate with the router in two stages. TP-Link Repeater Wi-Fi repeater is the name of an older technology that is not as common today, where a radio intercepts the signal from the router and simply sends it out again. It rarely gets much better and I do not recommend it. Linksys Mesh With mesh routers, you place two or more base stations in the home, where one acts as the main unit and is connected to the broadband. They connect to each other wirelessly but do so either smarter or with separate antennas and channels so that that transmission doesn’t clash with the regular network. For those who have Wi-Fi problems with a regular router and want a simple solution, a mesh system with two or three base stations is often the simplest solution, but rarely the cheapest. Use Netspot to find the best placement of base stations, then just sit back and enjoy. Roadlight Some traditional routers now have a built-in mesh function so you can expand your network afterwards with compatible base stations. Asus, for example, has a feature called AI Mesh, while TP-Link calls its equivalent Onemesh. Both of these manufacturers are flexible with what additional devices you use as base stations, such as another regular router, a mesh router, or a dedicated Wi-Fi extender that supports the mesh system. Unlike regular Wi-Fi extenders, all devices in one of these mesh networks must be from the same manufacturer and support the mesh technology in question. One important thing to consider if you’re getting mesh is to position the base stations so that they have the best possible signal to each other. This means that their signals should overlap but not too much, and there should be as few walls as possible in the straight line between two base stations. Read...

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