Wow. You haven't wasted any time getting your parts.

Congratulations.

Nice 👍 grats! Those are some excellent parts and choices right there.

Sweet! That's gonna kick some ass for sure!

Half Life 2 gets path tracing makeover with NVIDIA RTX Remix

https://videocardz.com/newz/half-life-2-gets-path-tracing-makeover-with-nvidia-rtx-remix

ASUS introduces GeForce RTX 4080/4070 Ti ProArt GPUs for creators

https://videocardz.com/press-release/asus-introduces-geforce-rtx-4080-4070-ti-proart-gpus-for-creators

I do like that it looks a lot more subtle instead of super flashy like their ROG line

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang is Computex 2023 Keynote Speaker

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-is-computex-2023-keynote-speaker

Maybe 4060 Ti?

AMD Radeon RX 6800 drops to $469, while RTX 4070 is still in stock

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-6800-drops-to-469-while-rtx-4070-is-still-in-stock

Very cheap for how much performance it gives

AMD working on ROCm support for Windows OS

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-working-on-rocm-support-for-windows-os

The Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Get the Peaky Blinders stealth puzzle game that was delisted on Steam free for a limited time
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-the-peaky-blinders-stealth-puzzle-game-that-was-delisted-on-steam-free-for-a-limited-time/
I've never seen an episode of Peaky Blinders, the Netflix series about a gang of Birmingham criminals set at the tail end of World War I. Hell, until I looked it up just now I assumed the name was some obscure rhyming slang, but it turns out they were named for their fashionable peaked flat caps. To get to the point, three years ago Peaky Blinders was turned into a top-down heist puzzle game in the vein of Commandos or Shadow Tactics called Peaky Tactics: Mastermind and now you can get it for free.
That's surprising, because Peaky Blinders: Mastermind was delisted from Steam on December 30 of last year, presumably because the license expired. It's still not available to buy on PC, though it is also one of the current free games you get with an Amazon Prime subscription as well as being given away by Fanatical. Maybe it's about to be relisted? The Xbox One version seems to be available to buy again, though the Steam page notes only that it's "no longer available".
At any rate, you've got until April 27 to claim a free Steam key from Fanatical, which you'll have to activate before May 11, when it'll expire. Keys are valid everywhere except China, and if you have trouble with the website I find trying again from a different browser usually does the trick. You're welcome.

Fanatical has a new Star Deal: the Batman: Arkham Collection Bundle, with three games and a 88% discount during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/batman-arkham-collection.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 531.61
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-531-61
Highlights
Gaming Technology

• Introduces support for the GeForce RTX 4070

What’s New in Release 530

• Support for RTX Video Super Resolution
• Added support for CUDA 12.1
• Increased the maximum number of concurrent NVENC sessions from 3 to 5 on supported GeForce GPUs

Fixed Issues

• [Assassin’s Creed Origins] Game may have stability issues when using 531.18. [4008770]
• [The Last of Us Part 1] Game may randomly crash during gameplay on GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs [4031676]
• [Hogwarts Legacy] [Regression] Black Screen/Hang on Launch at Shader Compilation Screen using Driver 531.18 [4012825]

INTEL Arc & Iris Graphics 31.0.101.4311
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-iris-graphics-31-0-101-4311
Highlights

• Boundary
• Minecraft Legends
• Total War: Warhammer III – Mirror of Madness
• Dead Island 2

Fixed Issues
Intel® Arc™ Graphics Products

• Microsoft Flight Simulator (DX11) may experience application crash during gameplay.
• Sea of Thieves (DX11) may exhibit color corruption on water edges.
• Bright Memory Infinite Ray Tracing Benchmark (DX12) may experience lower than expected performance.
• Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve may exhibit color corruption with Optical Flow.

>> The article also has a performance comparison in five games between this driver and the 31.0.101.4257. Feel free to check them it you want.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Last of Us Part I looks incredible in first-person mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/the-last-of-us-part-i-looks-incredible-in-first-person-mode/
YouTube’s ‘Voyagers Revenge’ has shared a video, showcasing a first-person mod that is currently in development for the PC version of The Last of Us Part I.
Surprisingly enough, The Last of Us Part I looks amazing in first-person mode. In fact, this video gave me major Dead Island/Dying Light vibes. Some of its environments also reminded me of the latest Far Cry games.
From the looks of it, everything seems to be working fine in this first-person mod. Yes, every animation and every cut scene looks great. So this made me wonder. Why Naughty Dog didn’t include such a mode in the game? Because, in all honesty, this is a great alternative way to replay it.
>> The video is ten minutes long.

The maximum number of Total War: Warhammer 3 mods you can install just went up to 65,534
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-maximum-number-of-total-war-warhammer-3-mods-you-can-install-just-went-up-to-65534/
The latest expansion for Total War: Warhammer 3 is here, and Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs brings a variety of big, excellent hats with it. New DLC time is also new update time, taking the perilous fantasy grim-em-up to version 3.0. Tucked away in the "general updates" section of the patch notes is a mention this update has "introduced a new pack file limit that increases the number of mods that can be hypothetically run simultaneously (barring any cross mod issues)."
That's a boring way of saying what William Håkestad, a Creative Assembly designer working on Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC, announced to the Total War modding Discord in a more exciting fashion: "The new packfile limit is 65,534 simultaneously. Your move."

GAMING NEWS

Single-player magic FPS, Immortals of Aveum, will release on July 20th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/single-player-magic-fps-immortals-of-aveum-will-release-on-july-20th/
Electronic Arts and Ascendant Studios announced today that Immortals of Aveum will release on July 20th on PC via EA App, Steam and Epic Games Store. In order to celebrate this announcement, the teams have also shared the game’s debut trailer that you can find below.

First screenshots, trailer and details for Ride 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-screenshots-trailer-and-details-for-ride-5/
Milestone has just announced the latest chapter of its two-wheel racing simulation franchise, RIDE 5. RIDE 5 will release on August 24th, and below you can find its first screenshots, announcement trailer and details.

New Diablo 4 gameplay trailer shows off the Sorcerer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-diablo-4-gameplay-trailer-shows-off-the-sorcerer/
Blizzard has shared a short but sweet gameplay trailer for Diablo 4, showcasing the Sorcerer class. In Diablo 4, the Sorcerer will be able to control the elemental forces, and teleport small distances.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed by 6 months
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-league-has-been-delayed-by-6-months/
Warner Bros has announced that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been delayed by 6 months, and will now release in 2024. According to the publisher, this delay will give Rocksteady enough time to polish it.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum requires an RTX3080 for 1440p/High Settings/Ray Tracing/DLSS
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-lord-of-the-rings-gollum-requires-an-rtx3080-for-1440p-high-settings-ray-tracing-dlss/
Daedalic Entertainment has revealed the official PC system requirements for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. According to the specs, the game will support both DX11 and DX12, and will require 45GB of free hard-disk space.

The second part of the Friday news:

The musical RPG from the former lead writer of Dragon Age finally gets a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-musical-rpg-from-the-former-lead-writer-of-dragon-age-finally-gets-a-release-date/
After a successful 2019 crowdfunding campaign and an unsuccessful plan to launch in 2021, Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is now set to launch on Steam on August 3.

Call of Duty dips into 'pay-to-win' with $12 bundle that gives you actual gameplay advantages
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-dips-into-pay-to-win-with-dollar12-bundle-that-gives-you-actual-gameplay-advantages/
Call of Duty is treading where few live service games dare go. As part of this week's launch of Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 3, a new cosmetic bundle that grants significant gameplay advantages in DMZ mode has appeared, and more are coming. Players are declaring this a move toward Warzone 2 becoming "pay-to-win," and they're not wrong.

Bungie announces major crackdown on third-party peripheral cheaters, bans incoming
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungie-announces-major-crackdown-on-third-party-peripheral-cheaters-bans-incoming/
The PvP community in Destiny 2 is rarely a happy one, which is understandable given that at one point the mode had gone almost three years without a new map. These days Bungie seems more engaged with making improvements to the flagship Iron Banner and Trials PvP modes (we don't speak about the Competitive playlist), but until today hadn't really engaged with the complaint from top level players that cheaters are using third-party input devices such as XIM and Cronus to gain an unfair advantage.

Diablo 4's respec cost isn't changing before launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4s-respec-cost-isnt-changing-before-launch/
When it launches in June, Diablo 4's respec costs will work just like the recent beta, Blizzard says.
The amount of gold required to move your skill points around is "final," associate game director Joseph Piepiora said in a group interview with GamesRadar.

Street Fighter 6 is promising 'big news' with Lil Wayne on 4/20
https://www.pcgamer.com/street-fighter-6-is-promising-big-news-with-lil-wayne-on-420/
Street Fighter 6 is less than two months away, kicking off the next generation of awesome fighting games. Capcom still has some reveals under its belt before the big release, with a showcase broadcasting on the biggest day of the year: 4/20. Oh, and Lil Wayne is hosting it for some reason.

Destiny 2 fashionistas will finally be rewarded for their sense of style earlier than planned
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-fashionistas-will-finally-be-rewarded-for-their-sense-of-style-earlier-than-planned/
The primary reason I play Destiny 2 now is to find new threads for my handsome Guardian—I will stop endless existential threats just so I can look marginally cooler the next time I have to save humanity. And with the upcoming midseason patch, fashionistas are finally going to get kudos for dressing well.

Cliff Bleszinski teases news about LawBreakers, the excellent arena shooter that died 5 years ago
https://www.pcgamer.com/cliff-bleszinski-teases-news-about-lawbreakers-the-excellent-arena-shooter-that-died-5-years-ago/
Remember LawBreakers, the ill-fated competitive FPS that closed down a few months after its developer went defunct? It might not be as dead as you thought. So says Cliff Bleszinski, the game's director, who's been teasing upcoming news about the game over on Twitter.
>> I don't think he'll launch it again, will he? After all, the game already failed.

And now, it's time to check the weekend deals at GOG and Steam

+GOG

• There are six Deals of the Day, available during the next 70 hours:
  • Demons Roots is 20% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/demons_roots
  • Old World: Complete, with the game and 2 DLCs gets a 25% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/old_world_completee
  • Sins of a Solar Empire® - Ultimate Edition, with the game and a lot of DLCs, is going to be 72% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/sins_of_a_solar_empire_ultimate_edition
  • Euphoria: Supreme Mechanics is getting a 90% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/euphoria_supreme_mechanics
  • Inquisitor’s Heart and Soul, still in development, also gets a 90% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/inquisitors_heart_and_soul
  • And Hell Division will have a 93% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/hell_division
• The Weekend Sale is full of games up to 90% off until Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230414_weekend_sale

+Steam

• TinyBuild's Everything Must Go Sale features up to 75% discounts until April 20: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/tinybuild/sale/everythingmustgo
• Cyberpunk 2077 will be 50% off until the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1091500/Cyberpunk_2077/
• Wartales gets a 25% discount until Monday. 24th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1527950/Wartales/
• Vampire Survivors will be 20% off until April 27: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/
• Against the Storm, still in Early Access, is getting a 25% discount until the 27th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1336490/Against_the_Storm/
• And Steam also has the Plug In Digital Sale the other stores run, putting its games up to 80% off until the same 27th: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/plug-in-digital/sale/PIDpublishersale2023

And just like that, another week of news has passed. Until the next time (hopefully in time, unlike today), I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

So I finished upgrading from my old CPU/Mobo/Ram to my new one. Installed drivers, updated the BIOS and etc and I got some thoughts after playing games on it and such.

- While the new motherboard doesn't have any on board RGBs, I do think it looks quite good and there are ARGB headers.
- They also have a button that easily "ejects" the GPU in the primary PCI-E slot
- The new m.2 latch system they added basically makes installing m.2 ssds tooless. No more needing to screw in those SSDs.
- 7800X3D is fast, like really fast in games. With Spiderman Remastered with Max Ray Tracing on, when I turned on DLSS on my 4090 with the 5950x, there was hardly any improvements because the 5950x couldn't keep up. So I played Spiderman Remastered at 4k Native with Max RT on. It still got over 120fps mind you but with the 7800X3D, DLSS finally has meaningful improvements.
- 7800X3D is also runs cool and efficient. Highest I have seen go to is 80C under max all core workload even with overclocked using PBO in my setup.
- I have been monitoring symptoms of the Intel 2.5G NIC but I have not had any issues thus far. I checked event viewer and everything but zero disconnects
- Motherboard actually supports Thunderbolt through the USB4 ports so they are actually full USB4 ports and not gimped ones
- Some games feel a lot more consistent than before. 5950x had some odd dips when playing at high framerates in certain games. It's not very often mind you but you could still notice them if you play at very high framerates. Could be windows scheduler doing wonky things but now that all the cores are in a single CCD with Vcache, I don't see those dips.

Now for some not so goods and mehs

- Boot times are significantly longer. You can find out how long it takes to boot via Task Manager and startup. With the 5950x, it took 10-15 seconds to boot. Now it takes 40 seconds and this is an issue with Zen 4 + AM5 as a whole. I did update to the latest BIOS and etc but still nothing. Kind of lame honestly.
- Going from 16 to 8 cores of course has some add on downsides. All my games that need to do shader compilation are needing to redo them and yea, you can feel the core difference.
- ProArt doesn't come with any stickers like my ROG board did despite the ProArt costing more. Come on Asus.

Old:

New:

I can't believe you've already put it together.

The boot times are, indeed, a problem. Gigabyte seems to have nailed them pretty well, while MSI is the worst one (at least those were the results TechSpot got with their B650 motherboard round up). That said, I read somewhere that Asus boards had to re-train the memory with every boot unless you changed some setting in the BIOS. I'm not sure if that's correct but, if it does bother you, you could try to find more info around the web.

From your words, it looks like you got what you wanted, higher and more consistent framerates, even if the fewer cores may bite you in the back from time to time.

Well, congratulations again for your new rig.

Btw, are you really complaining about the lack of stickers? Really?

Thanks dude.

I just think it's pretty urghh worthy that my $500 Corsair Dark Hero got 3 pages worth of stickers while my $600 ProArt gets nothing. Like yes Asus classifies the ProArt motherboards as workstation boards but come on Asus. Give me at least one page. Maybe I'll just keep them instead of giving those to my friend lul. Least it comes with a ruler.