I was thinking about that one but the reddit thread is also interesting as well as hardware unboxed comments:

"its very simple, mindfactory has RMA stats public, lets look at them, shall we?

5600X = 0,5% RMA
5800X = 0,58%
5900X = 0,37%
3600 = 0,76%
3700X = 0,87%
3900X = 0,96%
10900K = 0,57%
10850K = 0,48%
10700K = 0,19%

the issue with the current intel cpus on mindfactory is that theyre really not selling well, so lets look at some older intel cpus that sold many more units:

i7 9700K = 0,74%
i5 9600K = 0,5%
i5 9400F = 0,36%
i7 8700k = 0,55%"

Speaking with major Aussie PC parts retailers I've been told the failure rate for each part is normal and under 2%. Out of interest I also made a poll: https://t.co/9iufuYg46M https://t.co/iFwBipaFYK

— Hardware Unboxed (@HardwareUnboxed) February 15, 2021

https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/lk763w/ryzen_5000_cpus_and_x570_motherboards_have_high/

So it's hard to tell if it's user error or something else. Still certainly something to keep an eye out for.

The other one that I forgot was

BREAKING NEWS: ADATA SX8200 Pro M.2 SSD performance has been DOWNGRADED by ADATA *AGAIN* in 2021!

https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/jiwyut/adata_has_made_a_secret_revision_to_the_sx8200/

They did this last year which already made it slow. Now it's even slower!

I'm expecting half the 5000 Series DOA's been people not realising they need to bios flash their motherboards.

Very interesting. Either someone is lying to make things look worse/better than they really are, or maybe there's been a batch of CPUs that haven't been up to par and the quality control hasn't been able to get them before leaving the plant.

We'll see how this develops, or if it just dies with no conclusion. 

The ones reporting the failures aren't customers that buy they own computers, but professionals that sell assembled PCs. One would assume that they know what they're doing.

But we live in a world where assuming anyhting could be a mistake.

Could be that the original chip for the memory controller was unavailable now during this chip crunch and thus switched to the one that was available. But either way, they

1. should have informed everyone about the switch, and
2. considering it's now virtually the same as the non-pro version save the slightly better DRAM, they should have renamed it to something different instead of selling them still under the Pro moniker.

Decided to take word of mouth from friends and dove into Valheim.

Gotta say, it's probably the most polished, content filled, bug free, early access game I've played, since probably Starbound. 

I really love the game's style and soundtrack. It has a BotW style vibe with it's environment visuals, and the soundtrack really reminds me of the game just as much. Then there's the boss fights, which sound like something out of a mix between DMC and Asura's Wrath.

This is just the first Boss fight to get you started:

The three parts of the game I'm really loving atm would have to be the fact that you use your tools/weapons, you gain exp using them, making you use less stamina/getting better at using them. The other two are smoke inhalation and tree physics. 

So say I build a campfire to cook my food in my little hut, if I don't build an actual chimney in my home, the smoke will billow across the ceiling and cause my character to choke, losing health.

When cutting down a tree, it can be something typical to most, but if you're not careful, the tree could end up landing on you, crushing you to death, or simply rolling down a hill and then crushing you as you run away, or even having a tree fall into another one, causing a domino effect of knocking down more trees in the surrounding area, greatly increasing your chances of getting flattened by one of them. It actually makes woodcutting more fun, imo. 

I know there's been many a crafting game over the past decade, but most of them are geared towards either building or PVP, but this feels more designed for exploration, some building/crafting and more PVE experiences/co-op with friends. It actually feels more fun than Ark/Conan were to me. I played Ark on and off for a few years, but it always felt clunky, boring after a while and confusing half the time, and Conan, just felt empty half the time and not much came your way, but Valheim seems to have the right amount of player agency and threats to keep you going.

Like for one example: I woke up from sleeping in-game, walked out my door, and I was told one of the gods was sending the general wildlife to basically come kick my ass. I shrugged it off and thought it was just some empty threat, but then, outta nowhere, wild boars and geckos came sprawling from every corner of the woodlands, straight towards me and my base, trying to fuck me up. 

After that brawl was over, I then decided I was gonna fortify my camp, so that I can safely snipe anyone who comes close to my base from high up top. Ark/Conan never had me doing anything like that in years.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Valheim surpasses two million players in under two weeks
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/valheim-surpasses-two-million-players-in-under-two-weeks/
Last week, Coffee Stain Publishing and Iron Gate revealed that their survival game, Valheim, had sold one million copies. And today, the teams announced that Valheim surpassed two million players in under two weeks.

Steam has two new daily deals and a new range of weeklong deals:

• The first daily deal is Call of the Sea, 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1042490/Call_of_the_Sea/
• The second one is Ancestors Legacy, 75% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/620590/Ancestors_Legacy/
• And these are some of the weeklong deals:
  • TOKOYO: The Tower of Perpetuity gets a 20% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1393420/TOKOYO_The_Tower_of_Perpetuity/
  • The Betrayal Collection is 35% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/559640/Betrayal_Collection/
  • Paper Dolls: Original / 纸人 is 50% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1051310/Paper_Dolls_Original/
  • MOMO.EXE gets a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/923470/MOMOEXE/
  • And finally FOTONICA has a 90% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/253290/FOTONICA/

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The World Builder Sale brings up to 80% discounts on city-builder games during the next 6 days. The keys are for Steam, UPlay and there's also a couple for GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/world-builder-sale/
• And the Combat Strategy Sale features up to 82% discounts during the next 6 days. The keys are for Steam and GOG: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/combat-strategy-sale/

Fanatical has launched a new BundleFest and the first bundles are now live:

• The Assassin's Creed BYOB features 10 games to choose your 3 or 5 games bundle during the next 10 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/assassins-creed-build-your-own-bundle
• And the new Festival BYOB comes with 28 games to choose your 1, 5, 10 or 20 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-festival-bundle
• And there's also a new contest to win several games. The contest will last another 12 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/pick-win-deluxe-steam-game-bundle-aaa-games-to-be-won-bundlefest

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Halo Combat Evolved SPV3.3.0 Mod available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/halo-combat-evolved-spv3-3-0-mod-download/
The team behind one of the best mods for the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, has released a brand new version of it. According to the devs, the SPV3.3 update brings to Halo CE a huge amount of new features to the acclaimed mod.
In case you weren’t aware of, SPV3 is a total overhaul of the original Halo game. This mod adds new weapons, vehicles, enemies, features, graphics, extended levels, new levels, new story terminals and much much more.
Version 3.3 adds Firefight, 15 new skulls to modify campaign missions, new weapons, armor and other customization options. Furthermore, it brings new graphics features like ray-traced SSR, and a new MCC validation system.
>> You can download it from ModDB.

Command & Conquer: Generals Remake Mod Beta for Red Alert 3 released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/command-conquer-generals-remake-mod-beta-for-red-alert-3-released/
Gunship_Mark_II has released a beta version of his Command & Conquer: Generals Remake Mod for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. As its title suggests, this mod aims to bring C&C: Generals to the Red Alert engine, featuring great performance and some cool stuff.
Going into more details, Gunship_Mark_II and his team has ported almost every unit from the original game. They also added some brand new units to spice up gameplay a bit. These new units include: Laser Crusader, Laser Paladin, Laser Humvee, Laser Comanche, Bombcars, Katyusha, Armadillo Outpost.
>> This one is also available from ModDB.

The Dark Mod 2.09 is now available for download, brings better performance & graphics
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-dark-mod-2-09-is-now-available-for-download-brings-better-performance-graphics/
In July 2020, we informed you about the release of The Dark Mod V2.08. And today, we are happy to report that its development team has launched a brand new version of this freeware THIEF-inspired game.
The Dark Mod 2.09 brings various performance and graphical improvements. For instance, it uses a brand new Backend that takes advantage of UBO, Persistent Mapping, Bindless textures, and Multi-Draw. Additionally, Normal Map compression now uses RGTC resulting in lower storage, VRAM requirements, and less artifacts.
>> You'll find it over here.

Get your Final Fantasy 7 Remake fix with this Tekken 7 Tifa mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-your-final-fantasy-7-remake-fix-with-this-tekken-7-tifa-mod/
We're still in the dark about when (or even if) Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to PC once Playstation exclusivity lifts, but fighting game fans can have the next best thing with a new Tekken 7 mod that plonks Tifa Lockhart into the game.
Created by Wolfe, the mod is a character replacement for Josie. Five of Tifa's iconic outfits are included—her classic FF7 outfit, Advent Children outfit, the Mature and Sporty variants of her Wall Market dress, and her yee-haw flashback cowboy attire. Wolfe is also working on her Exotic dress, which they say is 90% complete.
The mod also comes with HUD replacements, an announcer for Tifa on the character selection screen, and even a voice replacement pack for Tifa, though the latter is currently incomplete. There are a few kinks to work out—Tifa's hair goes a little ham during Rage Art, as well as some general clipping and physics issues.

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.1.2 releases tomorrow, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/assassins-creed-valhalla-title-update-1-1-2-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has announced that Title Update 1.1.2 for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release tomorrow, and shared its complete changelog. This update will be 18GB in size on the PC, and will be available on both UPLAY and Epic Games Store.
>> That is today.

Star Citizen is free to play until February 25th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/star-citizen-is-free-to-play-until-february-25th/
Cloud Imperium has announced that Star Citizen is currently free to play for a limited time. From today and until February 25th, PC gamers can download and play it.

Instinction is a new dinosaur game, using Unreal Engine 4, Ray Tracing, DLSS & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/instinction-is-a-new-dinosaur-game-using-unreal-engine-4-ray-tracing-dlss-more/
Hashbane is currently working on a new dinosaur game, called Instinction. Instinction targets PC and current-gen consoles, will be using Unreal Engine 4, will take advantage of Ray Tracing, and will release in 2022.

The Tuesday news, part two:

Neverwinter's Feywild has been 'fully rebuilt from the ground up' for Sharandar
https://www.pcgamer.com/neverwinters-feywild-has-been-fully-rebuilt-from-the-ground-up-for-sharandar/
Tomorrow, free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons MMO Neverwinter returns to some of its earliest zones with its latest expansion, Sharandar. But while our party is venturing forth into the elfy forests of ages yore, these aren't the forests you remember from back in the day.
>> Once again, that should be today.

Overcooked! All You Can Eat is coming to PC after all
https://www.pcgamer.com/overcooked-all-you-can-eat-is-coming-to-pc-after-all/
Overcooked All You Can Eat will come to PC via Steam on March 23rd for $40, or £30. It's the compilation of chaotic cooking party games Overcooked and Overcooked 2, plus a few new levels and a lot of features, that was previously exclusive to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S last year. The key upgrade here is that it runs at 4k and in 60fps on PC.

Imperator: Rome's 2.0 overhaul makes big changes to UI and warfare
https://www.pcgamer.com/imperator-romes-20-overhaul-makes-big-changes-to-the-ui-and-warfare/
Ancient-era grand strategy game Imperator: Rome's 2.0 update releases on February 16, bringing with it an overhaul of the game's user interface and military system. The new legions and levies systems replace standing armies with levies raised for war, requiring technologies to innovate the idea of standing armies, now called legions.

Source claims 'Resident Evil Outrage' is the third instalment in the Revelations series
https://www.pcgamer.com/source-claims-resident-evil-outrage-is-the-third-instalment-in-the-revelations-series/
Resident Evil Outrage is a new game in the Revelations sub-series and will release "within a year" of Resident Evil Village, claims a leaker with a decent track record. That leaker is Dusk Golem, who correctly reported on Resident Evil 8 ahead of its reveal, among other things.

Rainbow Six Quarantine won't become Rainbow Six Parasite, Ubisoft clarify
https://www.pcgamer.com/rainbow-six-quarantine-could-become-rainbow-six-parasite/
A report over on MP1st provides some pretty compelling evidence that Rainbow Six Quarantine will have its name changed, as Ubisoft hinted last week. Rainbow Six Parasite is the new name according to the report, and that image above is taken from a patch that has apparently been uploaded to the PlayStation Network. That patch info was sourced from a site that auto-scrapes title updates for all PSN items. You can see the listing for yourself here.
Update: Ubisoft has since told Eurogamer that Rainbow Six: Quarantine hasn't been renamed Parasite. While the datamine was largely accurate, that moniker is simply a placeholder name used by the publisher's internal teams. We can expect to find out what Quarantine's actual new name is sometime soon.

Here's some unsettling concept art from Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama's next game
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-some-unsettling-concept-art-from-silent-hill-creator-keiichiro-toyamas-next-game/
It's been a long time since the last Silent Hill game, and arguably longer still since the last good one. But while series creator Keiichiro Toyama might've left the series behind, an early peek at his new studio's latest project shows a nightmarish menagerie of monsters that wouldn't look out of place in gaming's foggiest town.

Peter Molyneux's 22cans hit with a round of layoffs
https://www.pcgamer.com/peter-molyneuxs-22cans-hit-with-a-round-of-layoffs/
22cans, the Peter Molyneux-founded studio behind Godus and Curiosity: What's Inside The Cube, has suffered a round of layoffs, according to a report by GamesIndustry.biz.
While the developer hasn't specified how many employees have been made redundant, a spokesperson for the company confirmed that multiple people have lost their jobs—and that the studio will provide "some support" in finding new employment for affected staff.

Nioh 2 PC vs PS5 Port Analysis: Graphics Comparisons, Performance Analysis + More

PS5 has a higher LOD setting than what's possible on PC. Both versions have random hitches at the same spots. PS5 also has Dynamic Resolution which isn't possible on PC. PC also has V-sync locked. PC getting DLSS 2.0 patch in the future.

Other than that, it runs fine. Hopefully they fix the LOD issue and V-sync issue.



Microsoft has announced AI and Gaming Research Summit on February 23, 2021 - February 24, 2021 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/event/aiandgaming2021/

This is mainly a lot of technical stuff but hopefully, we will get more wording on DirectML.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti briefly listed on retailer website in a prebuilt PC

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3070-ti-briefly-listed-on-retailer-website-in-a-prebuilt-pc

According to the images, it has 16GB of Vram that will be used for mining.

Internet Cafes are transforming into Cryptocurrency Mining Cafes: ‘profits are higher’

https://videocardz.com/newz/internet-cafes-are-transforming-into-cryptocurrency-mining-cafes-profits-are-higher

So PC-Launcher time-exclusives are okay when they are declared "early access"?

Can't find the game outside of Valve's own store, f. e. the Steam partners Humble Store or GreenManGaming.