Thanks for the reminding. I guess using the common "season" moniker would have been a better approach in this case.

AMD better don't get too comfy because they'll strike back. Intel is already in motion to do it:

Intel’s 11th Gen 8 Core & 16 Thread Rocket Lake CPU Benchmarked on MSI Z590-A PRO Motherboard – Early 4.2 GHz Sample Up To 21% Faster Than i7-10700K in Single-Core Tests
https://wccftech.com/intel-8-core-16-thread-rocket-lake-cpu-benchmarks-leak-msi-z590-motherboard/
Yesterday, Intel officially lifted the curtains of its 11th Gen Rocket Lake Desktop CPU which will be launching in Q1 2021. Intel provided a high-level overview of the features and some specifications that its lineup would feature which definitely are their way of saying to consumers that we've also got something coming for the mainstream desktop segment. Now the latest benchmarks of Intel's Rocket Lake CPUs have leaked within UserBenchmark database (via TUM_APISAK) that show some huge gains in single-core performance on early engineering samples.

The benchmarks show an unreleased 11th Gen Intel Rocket Lake Desktop CPU. The CPU comes with 8 cores and 16 threads which should be the maximum core and thread count on the Rocket Lake lineup. The CPU also has its clock speeds listed at 3.4 GHz base and 4.2 GHz boost which are lower than what Intel has hinted us. According to Intel themselves, the Intel Rocket Lake Desktop CPUs will come in Core i9, Core i7, Core i5 flavors and rock frequencies beyond 5 GHz so 4.2 GHz max clocks are not even close to the final retail variants which launch early next year.

Intel also shadow-dropped the information for Rocket Lake yesterday, to the complete surprise of everyone even in their own PR department.

So, it is confirmed now that Cypress Cove is just a backport of Sunny Cove, aka Ice Lake. It also comes with the new Xe Graphics, but most probably only 32 EU to keep the die size in check What's more is that Intel touted a 50% over 9th gen, which sounds great... until you remember that Tiger Lake doubled the Graphics performance. That's also the probable reason why there are only 8 cores compared to 10 on the current Gen. TDP is again rated at 125W, with a turboboost at 250W. They also confirmed a release in the first quarter of next year.

What they didn't confirm apart from the size of the GPU part is any clock speeds. Ice Lake infamously underperformed hard in that domain, And now we'll see if that was all just due to the pretty catastrophic 10nm process or if the design of Ice Lake simply didn't allow for high (sustained) clock speeds without sucking power from the plug like nothing else.

Speaking of which, Charlie Demerjian over at SemiAccurate blasted Intel and eviscerated Rocket Lake in a truly epyc rant. Can't remember seeing him so negative about a CPU even during the Bulldozer days...

https://semiaccurate.com/2020/10/29/intels-palpable-desperation-on-display-with-rocket-lake/

About that bench:

1. Is it sure that this is Rocket Lake - or could that be an Alder Lake already?
2. The bench run was only 130s long - that could have fit into the boost period and drop off sharply afterwards or towards the end
3. It barely beats current gen, so I doubt I will hold well against third gen Zen.
4. Are the clock speed readouts correct? This is not always true on ES chips.

As for Intel's touted clock speeds, I don't remember them saying anything about all-core speed, only maximum speed, which is purely single-core. So I'll wait until Intel goes more into detail before I'll hold my breath.

Hah! Mine too, I had the Powercolor Radeon HD 6970. It was decent but had some driver issues and sounded like an airplane on load. Before that, I had the X1950XTX, whose noise kept the whole house awake and easily warmed up my entire bedroom within an hour on load.

Even if performance is on point and the prices are good, I need to see that they've learned how to create drivers and that they're fully on board with all modern rendering tech. I'm really hoping for it, my PC next year probably gets a whole lot cheaper then, especially if the surplus RAM situation remains stable and storage keeps coming down in price.

As you can see from the leak on twitter, the Alder Lake part is a guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's an accurate one. But that, and everything else, is open to debate.

The last round of news of the week is here!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Call of Duty: Warzone has been downloaded 80 million times—that's 20 billion GB
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-warzone-has-been-downloaded-80-million-timesthats-20-billion-gb/
Call of Duty: Warzone is a big game, and I don't just mean in terms of popularity. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in an interview with VentureBeat that Warzone has now been downloaded a whopping 80 million times, and at a 250GB install size, that works out to an astounding 20 billion GB of accumulated drive space

Steam is having a Halloween sale
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/steam-is-having-a-halloween-sale/
Like every year, Steam is having another Halloween sale with many titles on sale. The sale is now live, and it will last until November 2nd. The Halloween sale is the perfect opportunity to grab some scary and gory games in a reduced price.

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The first one is a Halloween Sale with up to 90% discounts for the next 3 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/halloween-sale/
• And the RPG Sale also brings up to 90% discounts for the next 6 days. Except for Origin, there are keys for every other store: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/rpg-sale/

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal: Heavy Rain that is 55% off for the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/heavy-rain

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-also empty-

GAMING NEWS

Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine have been delayed to fiscal 2020-2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/far-cry-6-and-rainbow-six-quarantine-have-been-delayed-to-fiscal-2020-2021/
Ubisoft has announced that both Far Cry 6 and Rainbow Six Quarantine have been delayed. Far Cry 6 was originally coming out in February 2021, whereas Rainbow Six Quarantine was targeting a fiscal 2020-2021 release. However, both of them are delayed to fiscal year 2021-2022.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is a new Warhammer VR game, coming to PC in 2021
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/warhammer-age-of-sigmar-tempestfall-is-a-new-warhammer-vr-game-coming-to-pc-in-2021/
Carbon Studio has announced a new Warhammer VR game, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall. Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Tempestfall is coming to the PC in 2021 and in order to celebrate this announcement, Carbon Studio has also released its debut/announcement trailer.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands releases on November 23rd, gets a story trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/world-of-warcraft-shadowlands-releases-on-november-23rd-gets-a-story-trailer/
Activision has announced that World of Warcraft Shadowlands will release on November 23rd. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher has also released the game’s story trailer.

EVERSPACE 2 and Path of Exile December Expansion delayed due to Cyberpunk 2077
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/everspace-2-and-path-of-exile-december-expansion-delayed-due-to-cyberpunk-2077/
A couple of days ago, CD Projekt RED announced that Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed until December 10th. Apparently, though, this has forced two studios to delay their upcoming projects. These projects are: Path of Exile’s December Expansion and EVERSPACE 2’s Early Access.
>> The typical domino effect. And these two may not be the only ones.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Update #5 released, full patch notes revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/microsoft-flight-simulator-update-5-released-full-patch-notes-revealed/
Microsoft has released the fifth update for Microsoft Flight Simulator. According to the release notes, this new update brings some tweaks and enhancements to a number of planes. It also brings enhancements to UI, Weather, and to the game’s engine.

Genshin Impact Update 1.1 releases on November 11th, will add new story content
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/genshin-impact-update-1-1-releases-on-november-11th-will-add-new-story-content/
miHoYo has announced that a brand new update for Genshin Impact will release on November 11th. Update 1.1 will add new story content, four new playable characters, and the first seasonal event Unreconciled Stars. Furthermore, it will introduce a new city reputation system and a series of new tools for exploration and combat.

Watch Dogs Legion PC Patch released, is 1.44GB in size, doesn’t bring major performance improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/watch-dogs-legion-pc-patch-released-is-1-44gb-in-size-doesnt-bring-major-performance-improvements/
As promised, Ubisoft has released the first PC update for Watch Dogs Legion. This PC update was promising to improve overall performance, as well as RTX performance. Thus, we’ve decided to test this patch and unfortunately, there aren’t any major performance improvements.

Friday news, part two:

The Destiny 2: Beyond Light launch trailer showcases snowy fun on Europa
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-destiny-2-beyond-light-launch-trailer-features/
Earlier this week, Bungie dropped a new vidoc—a "chunky video explainer"—running through the highlights of the upcoming Destiny 2: Beyond Light expansion and the Season of the Hunt. Today it's time for a more cinematic take on things courtesy of the Beyond Light launch trailer, which in fine Destiny fashion features booming music, overwrought narration from Lance Reddick, and a cataclysmic threat to humanity that only a team of intrepid immortal super-soldiers can stop.

Destiny 2 director finally gives fashion fans the news they needed
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-director-finally-gives-fashion-fans-the-news-they-needed/
Relax, fashion nerds. It's going to be fine. We've known for some time that Destiny 2 is going to be getting a new transmog system sometime in Year 4, but crucially we haven't had a clear sense of how it's actually going to work. Thankfully, the most important question was cleared up today by director Luke Smith, who was appearing on the Twitch Weekly show.

CD Projekt boss apologizes for saying Cyberpunk 2077 crunch is 'not that bad'
https://www.pcgamer.com/cd-projekt-boss-says-cyberpunk-2077-crunch-is-not-bad-thatand-never-was/
Kiciński's comments minimizing the impact of crunch on the studio sparked an immediate backlash, which he has now apologized for in an email sent to employees, obtained by Jason Schreier of Bloomberg.

Electronic Arts faces €10 million fine over FIFA loot boxes in the Netherlands
https://www.pcgamer.com/electronic-arts-faces-euro10-million-fine-over-fifa-loot-boxes-in-the-netherlands/
A study of loot boxes in ten videogames conducted in 2018 by the Netherlands Gaming Authority—the Kansspelautoriteit, or Ksa—determined that four of them were in violation of the country's gambling laws, and would have to be changed. No names were provided at the time, but the agency warned that "enforcement action" would be taken if the required changes weren't put into place by June 20 of that year.
In a statement released today, the Ksa said that most of the companies involved in the matter complied as required, but Electronic Arts did not, and as a result it's now facing fines of up to €10 million ($11.7 million): €5 against EA itself, and €5 million against EA Swiss Sàrl, a division of the company that processes payments in some countrries.
>> That's too little.

Roller Champions is expected to be out early next year
https://www.pcgamer.com/roller-champions-is-expected-to-be-out-early-next-year/
We haven't heard much about Roller Champions since the closed alpha that ran in March (nor had we heard much about it up to that point), but Ubisoft said during today's Q2 earnings call that it's expected to be out at the beginning of next year.

16 years later, World of Warcraft players finally found Mankrik's wife—in hell
https://www.pcgamer.com/16-years-later-world-of-warcraft-players-finally-found-mankriks-wifein-hell/
"Where's Mankrik's wife" is one of World of Warcraft's longest-running memes, and it it all started with a forgettable little quest. Back when World of Warcraft first launched in 2004, Horde players would venture into the vast Barrens and would encounter an orc named Mankirk who had been separate from his wife during a quillboar attack.

Lovecraftian turn-based tactics game Stirring Abyss is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/lovecraftian-turn-based-tactics-game-stirring-abyss-is-out-now/
Remember Terror From the Deep? The underwater X-COM seems like an obvious inspiration for Stirring Abyss, and there's a fair bit of the more recent and less damp Firaxis XCOM games in the mix as well. In Stirring Abyss, your squad of divers spend their action points crossing the ocean floor, firing spear guns at jellyfish creatures, and hoping the percent-to-hit plays out in their favor. It's also got an damaged submarine to repair and upgrade, pumping out the water to gain access to rooms with different functions like your Avenger in XCOM.

Half-Life remake Black Mesa now has a Definitive Edition in open beta
https://www.pcgamer.com/black-mesas-definitive-edition-enters-open-beta/
After 15 long years, Black Mesa's ambitious retelling of Half-Life finally wrapped up with a 1.0 release this March. Except, not quite, because Crowbar Collective announced they'd be working on a 1.5 "Definitive Edition" of the fan remake before they'd even pushed the finished thing out the door.
Seven months of relative silence later, the Definitive Edition has surfaced with an exhaustive blog post explaining the changes. You can see where they're coming from, too—Black Mesa was a project spanning 15 years, with a literal decade separating some of its levels and features.

Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War integrates with Warzone in December
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-integrates-with-warzone-in-december/
During an Activision earnings call it was announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War will integrate with Call of Duty: Warzone shortly after launch. Blops launches on November 13, but won't become a part of Warzone until sometime in December.

It's your last chance to vote in the Golden Joystick Awards 2020
https://www.pcgamer.com/its-your-last-chance-to-vote-in-the-golden-joystick-awards-2020/
If you've yet to vote in the Golden Joystick Awards 2020, you've only got until November 2 to use your excellent taste for good, helping to determine the best games of the last 12 months.

Teardown's demolition experts are creating works of art
https://www.pcgamer.com/teardowns-demolition-experts-are-creating-works-of-art/
Launching yesterday, Teardown's voxellated smash 'n' grab sandbox already has me hooked. On top of being a satisfying sandbox of blocky, Red Faction Guerrilla-style destruction, there's a solid campaign of crime capers in there—a gradual escalation of tense heists that unlocks new tools, maps, and increasingly complex criminal challenges.

Apex Legends' new vehicles can be turned into gassy, gun-toting monsters
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-new-vehicles-can-be-turned-into-gassy-gun-toting-monsters/
Arriving next week, Apex Legends season 7 brings a new hero, map, player-run community Clubs and more to the battle royale. But as demonstrated by a new launch trailer, the most exciting new addition is a nippy little motorbike that can be kitbashed into a tank.

Let's end the news checking the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• The first deal is the Halloween Sale with more than 850 deals.
• The weekend sale is a Star Wars franchise sale, with up to 75% discounts: https://www.gog.com/promo/star_wars_sale
• And there are two new releases on the store:
  • Stirring Abyss launches with a 15% discount until November 5: https://www.gog.com/game/stirring_abyss
  • And Someday You'll Return lands on the store with a 50% discount until November 6: https://www.gog.com/game/someday_youll_return

+Steam

• Ruinarch, in Early Access, is 20% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/909320/Ruinarch/
• Ashen is half its price until the 2nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/649950/Ashen/
• The first of the weekend deals is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition, 35% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/814380/Sekiro_Shadows_Die_Twice__GOTY_Edition/
• Fault, still in Early Access, is 40% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1106750/Fault/
• The Games made in France sale features up to 60% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/GamesMadeInFrance
• The Star Wars franchise is also on sale here, with discounts that go from 20 to 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/themandalorians2sale
• The Sims 4 is free to try and features up to 75% discounts: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/EA/sale/sims4saleoctober
• Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is also free to try and 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/552500/Warhammer_Vermintide_2/
• And there's also the weeklong deals.

And just like that, we're done with the news. Until the next edition, have a happy and gaming weekend.

Black Mesa Definitive Edition. Wut? :o Time for a replay.

So AMD has released some more benchmarks. Now one BIG thing to note is all of these are with Smart Access Memory enabled which is a Zen 3 + 500 Series + RDNA 2 exclusive feature. I am curious to see what it all will look like with that disabled. But for now, it's looking quite good!







https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-6900-xt-rx-6800-xt-rx-6800-gaming-4k-wqhd-benchmarks/