It's still a bit in the grey area. When AMD announced the three X3D CPUs, they left the base clock of the 7800X3D undefined, sugesting that it could be lower than the other two. That may have changed as you can now find that slide with a 4.2GHZ base clock fot he 7800X3D, same as the other two, but this back and forth makes it hard to guess what we'll see in the end.

Even Techpowerup said that they'd be lower in the first page of its simulated 7800X3D article:

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/ryzen-7800x3d-performance-preview/

"In this review, we present performance numbers of a Ryzen 9 7950X3D processor with its second CCD disabled, leaving it with just the one with the 96 MB L3 cache. This contraption isn't a perfect simulation of a 7800X3D—the clock-speeds of the 7800X3D will be lower according to AMD's announcement, and boosting behavior may be slightly different. These numbers will still give you a fairly good idea of what to expect from the 7800X3D, and whether it's worth waiting a month to save some money."

AMD really needs to start catching up in feature set as Intel continues to make big strides to offer similar feature sets as Nvidia.

Some other hardware news:

Valve just enabled native ray tracing on the Steam Deck and it actually looks pretty wild
https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-just-enabled-native-ray-tracing-on-the-steam-deck-and-it-actually-looks-pretty-wild/
So yeah, ray tracing on the Steam Deck (opens in new tab) is now properly a thing. It's been do-able if you wanted to dig in and do some Linux-y tweaking before, but with the latest beta OS Valve is starting to go native. For a device that costs less than the price of an RTX 3050 (opens in new tab)—a graphics card no-one should buy at that price—to be able to enable ray tracing that's worth a damn is seriously impressive.

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT Now Available For $799 US, Same Price As The RTX 4070 Ti
https://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-7900-xt-now-available-for-799-us-same-price-as-the-rtx-4070-ti/
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has seen some aggressive price cuts by retailers over the last couple of months. The card was recently dropped to $830 US. Now, the same cards can be bought for as low as $799 US which brings the total discount to $100 US or 11% below the MSRP. This price drop can be attributed to the lower-than-expected sales for the card as the flagship still retains its $999 US+ pricing.

AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D Sold More Than 50% Better Than What The 7900X Did At Launch, 7950X3D CPU Mostly Out of Stock
https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-9-7900x3d-sold-more-than-50-percent-better-7900x-did-at-launch-7950x3d-cpu-mostly-out-of-stock/
In numbers compiled by TechEpiphany, we can see the sales figures of the AMD Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs at the retailer, Mindfactory. The numbers show the launch day figures and it looks like AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D CPUs were quite popular. The retailer was able to sell 360 units which might be seen as lower than the Ryzen 7 5800X3D (490 units sold) and Ryzen 7 5800X (400 units sold) but at the same time, the chip sold much better than its non-3D brother, the Ryzen 9 7900X which only managed to sell 230 units during its launch week.

The 7800 will release with a better binned CCD than the one in the 7900X3D part, though, so it's hard to believe it won't match it in clock speeds.

If not by default (to save the 7900's face, I assume) then with a little tweaking. But I think the delay suggests they know it will top the charts for a lower price.

Oh, there is no doubt in my mind that the 7800X3D will be great for gaming... but not so great for productiviy (it won't surprise me if the 7700X beats it in those tests).

That might be the case, but I'd argue the 7700X performs fine for productivity (better than the 13700K depending on the task) so the 7800X3D pricing is okay. Not great, not bad.

Also in the news, Delaytel strikes again:

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-discontinues-rialto-bridge-hpc-gpu-roadmap-shifts-to-2025-falcon-shores

I feel this urge to prove they can catch up in GPGPU/manufacturing nodes is making Intel overpromise and underdeliver. Feel bad for the investors who fell trap to their marketing slides...

I don't feel bad for them i f they still continue to believe Intel will be on time after this many delays.

The 7800X3D hasn't got enough threads.

The 7900X3D is crippled when games use more than 6 cores.

The 7950X3D is probably the one I am most interested in... Or maybe just the vanilla 7950.

I would like to see AMD release revisions of these chips where both CCD's have extra cache, even if there is an impact to clocks or a higher TDP.

It's looking like it'll be a couple of years yet until we see products using Intel 4 or TSMC's 3nm from Intel, even if they release some token mobile chips in the newer node, like they did with 10 nm years ago.

Makes me wonder if they're comfortable announcing delays this early because they already know AMD/Nvidia will stay on the same node or use just an improved version next year (given low supplies and subpar cost/benefit of 3nm - although it's not as if they needed an excuse to increase prices).

Let's go with the Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG starts the week with four new Deals of the Day, a Giveaway and three new sales:

• First comes the GIVEAWAY: Figment will be free during the next 73 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/figment
• These are the four DotD, available until Wednesday:
  • River City Girls is 50% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/river_city_girls
  • Paradise Killer is 60% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/paradise_killer
  • The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition gets a 65% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_secret_of_monkey_island_special_edition
  • And the last one is the Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Season Pass Bundle, 71% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/pathfinder_kingmaker_season_pass
• The Female Protagonist Sale brings up to 90% discounts during the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230306_female_protagonist
• The Break the Loop Sale is full of Metroidvania, Roguelite and Roguelike games with up to 90% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230306_break_the_loop
• And the Neon Dreams is full of cyberpunk games up to 90% off until next Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230306_neon_dreams

Steam has two new sales:

• Temtem will be 20% off until March, 12: https://store.steampowered.com/app/745920/Temtem/
• And Hokko Life gets a 50% discount until the 13th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/824000/Hokko_Life/

The Humble Store has a Super Simulator Sale, featuring up to 90% discounts during 4 days. There are keys for Steam, GOG, EGS and UPlay (1): https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/super-simulator-sale/,

Fanatical has started its Spring Sale!:

• There are two flash deals that will last 24 hours:
  • Resident Evil Village Gold Edition, 33% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/resident-evil-village-gold-edition
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, 70% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-anniversary-edition
• There are also 5 new bundles:
  • Star Wars Collection, 79% off during 13 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/star-wars-collection
  • Batman: Arkham Collection, 88% off during 14 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection
  • Rimworld with all expansions, 12% off during 17 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/rimworld-with-all-expansions
  • The Jackbox Quintpack, 40% discount during 17 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/the-jackbox-quintpack
  • S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Complete Bundle, with an 80% discount during 17 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/stalker-complete-bundle
• And there is also a scratchcard that you can get to win discounts, coupons and even some games. Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/bonus-scratchcard-how-it-works-what-you-can-find

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

You can finally play as Harry Potter in Hogwarts Legacy thanks to mods
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/you-can-finally-play-as-harry-potter-in-hogwarts-legacy-thanks-to-mods/
The moment most Harry Potter fans have been waiting for is finally here. Yes, we finally got mods that allow us to play as Harry Potter himself in Hogwarts Legacy.
There are currently two Harry Potter mods that you can download. The first mod comes from modder ‘Chris Rubino’ and the second one is from ‘Crazy Potato’. From what I can tell, the 3D model from the first mod appears to be the closest one to Daniel Radcliffe. Nevertheless, I’m sharing both of them for you to try.
>> There are some screenshots and a roughly 3 minutes video.

New Cyberpunk 2077 4K Texture Packs for Rogue, Delamain, Hanako & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-cyberpunk-2077-4k-texture-packs-for-rogue-delamain-hanako-more/
Modder ‘XilaMonstrr’ has released a few new 4K Texture Packs for Cyberpunk 2077. These new packs overhaul the textures of Evelyn, Rogue, Delamain, Kerry Eurodyne, Ozob Bozo and Hanako Arasaka.
As always, XilaMonstrr used ESRGAN in order to upscale the original textures. As such, these improved textures retain the art style of the original ones.
>> There are a handful of screenshots.

Mortal Kombat New Era 2023 is a free MK Mugen game, featuring over 150 fighters
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/mortal-kombat-new-era-2023-is-a-free-mk-mugen-game-featuring-over-150-fighters/
Now here is something for all our Mortal Kombat fans. Earlier this year, a new beta version of Mortal Kombat New Era surfaced online. Mortal Kombat New Era (2023) Beta 3.0 features over 150 fighters, and appears to be one of the best free MK Mugen games.
Beta 3.0 brings improvements to Van Damme (Guile), Fujin, Kenshi, Tanya, Sektor, Ryu, Undertaker, Jade, Raphael (TMNT), Kitana, Michelangelo (TMNT) and Zombie Liu Kang. And yes, you read that right. Mortal Kombat New Era 2023 features characters from both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.
Furthermore, this new release adds endings to Jarek, Fujin, Tanya, and Shinnok.
>> There's a 39 minutes long video, if you have the time for it.

Jurassic Park: Trespasser VR Showcase Demo released for Oculus Quest 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/jurassic-park-trespasser-vr-showcase-demo-released-for-oculus-quest-2/
Now here is something really cool. TresCom member ‘s13n1’ has released a VR Showcase Demo of Jurassic Park: Trespasser for the Oculus Quest 2.
This showcase demo will allow you to play the first mission of Jurassic Park: Trespasser in VR. The demo features real-time water physics, boob physics, environmental physics, and physics-based sound collisions. Basically, there is a lot of environmental interaction. The demo also features a raptor, though its AI appears to be basic and it doesn’t have any full-body collisions.
s13n1 claims that they will be building upon this version for the PCVR version.
>> There's a short video of this demo.

Prey HiDef V2.0 HD Remaster available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/prey-hidef-v2-0-hd-remaster-available-for-download/
In December 2021, modder ‘y2keeth’ released an HD overhaul mod for the first Prey game. And earlier today, the modder released a brand new version of this unofficial HD remaster for this classic FPS game.
Prey HiDef attempts to improve the graphics of the game by improving its textures and 3D models, as well as adding full shadows map files.
While y2keeth has not provided any changelog, we can assume that this latest version improves more textures (and perhaps additional 3D models). Thus, if you plan to replay this game, we suggest downloading the mod from here. Version 2.0 is 6.47GB in size, whereas its previous version was only 2.85GB.
>> There are some screenshots and a video.

Star Wars Jedi Knight Remastered 3.0 is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/star-wars-jedi-knight-remastered-3-0-is-available-for-download/
Modder ‘GeneralTantor’ has released a new version of the HD Remaster Project for Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. Version 3.0 features the new OpenJKDF2 Engine, OpenJKDF2 by shinyquagsire23.
OpenJKDF2 is a function-by-function reimplementation of Dark Forces 2 in C, with 64-bit ports to MacOS and Linux. It generally improves performance in certain scenarios and brings numerous quality-of-life improvements.
Thanks to OpenJKDF2, Star Wars Jedi Knight Remastered now offers true ultrawide gaming up to 360 degrees. Not only that, but it eliminates the stuttering issues that were present in the previous versions.
>> There's a 30 minutes video of this mod in action.

GAMING NEWS

Unreal Engine 5 Titanic: Honor & Glory Demo 401 Update 2 available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unreal-engine-5-titanic-honor-glory-demo-401-update-2-available-for-download/
As promised, the team behind the Unreal Engine 5-powered game, Titanic: Honor & Glory, has released a brand new version of it. This demo lets you explore 50% of the RMS Titanic, and showcases some truly amazing visuals.

Multiplayer footage surfaces from Doom 4’s canceled 2012 version
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/multiplayer-footage-surfaces-from-doom-4s-canceled-2012-version/
Yesterday, we shared a concept trailer for the canceled “Call of Duty” version of Doom 4. And today, we present you with another short video, this time showcasing some multiplayer action from it.

Pax Dei is a new social sandbox MMO game using Unreal Engine 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pax-dei-is-a-new-social-sandbox-mmo-game-using-unreal-engine-5/
Earlier this week, Mainframe Industries announced a new social sandbox MMO game that will be using Unreal Engine 5, called Pax Dei.

Minecraft “Trails & Tales” Update 1.20 Key Features
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/minecraft-trails-tales-update-1-20-key-features/
Mojang has announced that Minecraft’s upcoming update 1.20 will be called Trails & Tales. In addition, the team revealed its key features which you can find below.

Unreal Engine 5-powered Crime Boss: Rockay City gets new gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/unreal-engine-5-powered-crime-boss-rockay-city-gets-new-gameplay-trailer/
505 Games has released a new short gameplay trailer for Unreal Engine 5-powered first-person shooter, Crime Boss: Rockay City. This trailer also showcases some of its Hollywood stars like Michael Madsen, Kim Basinger and Michael Rooker.

The Wolf Among Us 2 will be using Unreal Engine 5, won’t release in 2023
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-wolf-among-us-2-will-be-using-unreal-engine-5-wont-release-in-2023/
Telltale Games has announced that The Wolf Among Us 2 will be now using Unreal Engine 5, and that it will not release in 2023. Telltale Games claims that this delay was necessary as the game needs a lot more work. Thus, releasing it in 2023 would mean a rushed product.