some good Nvidia 30 series price cuts if you check pcpartpicker, actually some movement now. Makes the 4060 Ti at MSRP look even worse, but it's good for the market. The highlight is the 3060 12GB for $279.99 with 1 fan or $289.99 with 2 fans.
First time 3050 under MSRP, but still really bad.

^ Yeah Ampere stock needs to drop faster. I can see it dramatically going down as soon as the 4060 comes out.

New hardware talks aside here's a pretty interesting video comparing some older mid range GPU's with a Ryzen 1700. Shows theres quite a bit of overhead in Nvidia's drivers. May be useful for those who have up to older Zen processors and want to upgrade their graphics card.

For those with older setups, its well worth upgrading CPU to like a 5600 or above for matching up to GPU's in this performance class.

Yeah, I think Nvidia CPU overhead should be discussed a bit more with terribly CPU limited games releasing lately.
Maybe it isn't because the CPU market is healthy and the GPU market still isn't.

The Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Get two Warhammer 40,000 strategy games free for a limited time
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-two-warhammer-40000-strategy-games-free-for-a-limited-time/
Each year the Warhammer Skulls event showcases another batch of new Warhammer games, like the upcoming RTS Realms of Ruin, and the latest updates to existing ones, like Darktide's new missions. This year there are a couple of giveaways as well, which is why you can get classic '90s strategy game Final Liberation: Epic 40,000 free as part of the Warhammer Skulls Digital Goodie Pack on the front page of GOG from now until May 28, and 4X strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Gladius – Relics of War free on Steam if you claim it by June 1.

The Humble Store takes part in the Warhammer Skulls Event, with up to 90% discounts during 7 days. All the keys are for Steam, except for Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector - Necrons that's also available for GOG and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/warhammer-skulls-event-2023/.

Fanatical has two new deals:

• The Star Deal, that started yesterday, is Total War: WARHAMMER III, 48% off during another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/total-war-warhammer-iii
• And the Warhammer Skulls Event will run for 6 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/franchises/warhammer

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Replica Studios brings AI-powered Smart NPCs to Unreal Engine 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/replica-studios-brings-ai-powered-smart-npcs-to-unreal-engine-5/
Replica Studios has announced its AI-powered Smart NPCs; a plugin coming to Unreal Engine 4 and 5 later this year. Smart NPCs are powered by OpenAI or the user’s own AI language model, and Replica’s library of over 120+ ethically licensed AI voices, allowing game developers to develop games at scale and create new dynamic gaming experiences.
To showcase the revolutionary technology, Replica has released a Smart NPC demo experience utilising a modified version of Unreal Engine’s Matrix Awakens sample project to showcase some of the features that will be available with the plugin.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Nothing-

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is not coming to Steam, will be exclusive to Epic Games Store & Ubisoft Connect
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assassins-creed-mirage-is-not-coming-to-steam-will-be-exclusive-to-epic-games-store-ubisoft-connect/
Ubisoft has issued a press release for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, revealing that the game will not be coming to Steam. Instead, this new AC game will be available on Windows PC through the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store.
>> Ubisoft never learns.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 gets a short but sweet gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/warhammer-40k-space-marine-2-gets-a-short-but-sweet-gameplay-trailer/
Focus Entertainment has released a short but sweet gameplay trailer for Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. Space Marine 2 will be using the Saber Swarm Engine, and this trailer will give you a glimpse at what you can expect from it.

The Last of Us Part I Patch 1.0.5.1 brings stability improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/the-last-of-us-part-i-patch-1-0-5-1-brings-stability-improvements/
Naughty Dog and Iron Galaxy have released Patch 1.0.5.1 for the PC version of The Last of Us Part I. According to the teams, this hotfix brings some stability improvements to the game.

Alone in the Dark Prologue is now available for download on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/alone-in-the-dark-prologue-is-now-available-for-download-on-steam/
THQ Nordic has just released Alone in the Dark Prologue on Steam. This is a free standalone prologue of the game that puts you in the tiny shoes of an 11-year-old girl, Grace Saunders.

New Sony Triple-A PC port rurmored to be releasing this July
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-sony-triple-a-pc-port-rurmored-to-be-releasing-this-july/
Leaker “The Snitch” has revealed that a new Sony triple-A PC port will be coming out in July 2023. The Snitch is one of the most reliable leakers we’ve seen lately, so we’re certain they know what they’re talking about.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Patch 1.08 released, adds support for NVIDIA DLSS 2 and Intel XeSS
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/wo-long-fallen-dynasty-patch-1-08-released-adds-support-for-nvidia-dlss-2-and-intel-xess/
Team Ninja has released Patch 1.08 for Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. According to the release notes, this new patch adds support for NVIDIA’s DLSS 2 and Intel’s XeSS AI-upscaling techniques. As such, the game now supports all three PC upscaling techniques (FSR 2.0, DLSS 2 and XeSS).

Friday news, part two:

Realms of Ruin is a fast, accessible RTS that wants to bring Warhammer's newest setting to PC gamers: 'It's about getting in there and sticking your axe into the guy's face'
https://www.pcgamer.com/realms-of-ruin-is-a-fast-accessible-rts-that-wants-to-bring-warhammers-newest-setting-to-pc-gamers-its-about-getting-in-there-and-sticking-your-axe-into-the-guys-face/
In 2015, the Warhammer world ended. You know, that place you fight over in Total War: Warhammer and Vermintide 2? Games Workshop literally blew it up. From its ashes rose a new setting, in a new era: the Age of Sigmar.
This grand, mythic universe, full of warring gods and arcane realms, hasn't had much of a videogame presence yet, other than a smattering of mobile games and smaller titles. With its new RTS Realms of Ruin, developer Frontier is hoping to fill that void—and introduce gamers to a whole new world of Warhammer.

With 2 new missions, I'm ready to jump back into Warhammer 40K: Darktide
https://www.pcgamer.com/with-2-new-missions-im-ready-to-jump-back-into-warhammer-40k-darktide/
In December, Robin wrote that a rough launch hadn't stopped Darktide from being the best Warhammer 40,000 game ever, and I agree—I played almost 100 hours of this co-op shooter over the past few months, even with its initial performance problems, bugs, and missing crafting system. Within its first few months those bugs were largely fixed, crafting was finally added, and the shooting held up to me running the same missions over and over again. But I'm definitely ready for something new, so I'm pumped about Darktide's showing during today's Warhammer Skulls event. Two new missions? Truly an Emperor's Blessing.

There's a slim chance Alan Wake 2 could get a physical release after all: The original Alan Wake PC publisher wants to make it happen
https://www.pcgamer.com/theres-a-slim-chance-alan-wake-2-could-get-a-physical-release-after-all-the-original-alan-wake-pc-publisher-wants-to-make-it-happen/
One of the biggest bits of news out of yesterday's PlayStation Showcase was the release date for Alan Wake 2. And one of the biggest disappointments, for some, is that there will be no physical release: It will only be available digitally. The upside for budget-conscious PC gamers is that we'll get it 10 bucks cheaper than console gamers—$50 on the Epic Games Store, vs $60 on other platforms—but it's definitely a letdown for box collectors.
But that may not be the end of the story. In response to a tweet about Alan Wake 2 being digital exclusive, THQ Nordic said it would be interested in publishing a boxed edition.

My highlight of Sony's PlayStation showcase is, you guessed it, coming to PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/my-highlight-of-sonys-playstation-showcase-is-you-guessed-it-coming-to-pc/
Sony broadcasted a PlayStation Showcase yesterday, notable because these days very little they show is actually exclusive to PlayStation. Spider-Man 2 looks amazing, sure, but given the original and Miles Morales are already on PC it's only a matter of time before that hits Steam. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater? We got that too. The only game I wasn't sure about was my personal highlight of the night, an OTT hack-and-slash game called Phantom Blade: Zero.

Will Smith finally picked a game to star in, and... it's a free-to-play survival shooter?
https://www.pcgamer.com/will-smith-finally-picked-a-game-to-star-in-and-its-a-free-to-play-survival-shooter/
Lightspeed Studios, best known for co-developing PUBG Mobile, and Will Smith, best known for slapping comedian Chris Rock on live television, have teamed up for a free-to-play open world survival shooter called Undawn.
(...)
Instead, Will Smith is now the face of a free-to-play mobile shooter that's also coming to Steam. So, yeah, I'm as confused as you are. Go ahead and watch the star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air wordlessly deliver a smackdown on some monsters making trouble in his neighborhood in the trailer above.

'Marathon' this, 'Spider-Man' that, as far as I'm concerned the real PlayStation Showcase showstopper was the years-in-the-making follow-up to the most autumnal game of all time
https://www.pcgamer.com/marathon-this-spider-man-that-as-far-as-im-concerned-the-real-playstation-showcase-showstopper-was-the-years-in-the-making-follow-up-to-the-most-autumnal-game-of-all-time/
There were a lot of heaters at yesterday's big Sony "State of Play" announcement stream, but only one of them (ok, two, I can't deny Alan Wake 2) really set my heart aflutter: Revenant Hill, a cozy, autumnal "stray cat in a strange world" game that just might put Stray on notice. Revenant Hill will be the first release of The Glory Society, a developer co-op founded by Night in the Woods creators Bethany Hockenberry and Scott Benson.

Homeworld 3 is delayed to 2024
https://www.pcgamer.com/homeworld-3-is-delayed-to-2024/
Blackbird Interactive announced today that its upcoming space opera RTS Homeworld 3 has been delayed. Instead of arriving in the first half of 2023 as expected, the studio now says it will be out in February 2024.

Rising Storm studio Antimatter Games is being closed
https://www.pcgamer.com/rising-storm-studio-antimatter-games-is-being-closed/
Rising Storm studio Antimatter Games is being closed. Parent company Enad Global 7 said the decision to shutter the studio was made "after exploring various strategic options," and will likely take place sometime this summer.

Travel back in time to fight zombies and tyranny in this upcoming survival shooter that's looking for beta testers right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/travel-back-in-time-to-fight-zombies-and-tyranny-in-this-upcoming-survival-shooter-thats-looking-for-beta-testers-right-now/
The Front is a "survival open-world crafting shooter" that promises a little bit of everything. It sets players up as resistance fighters who travel back in time to stop the rise of a tyrannical empire that used technology taken from mysterious artifacts to conquer the world. It sounds pretty straightforward as a sci-fi shooter setup, and not immediately terrible. But there are also zombies running around for some reason, and "exiles, thugs, and rebels" to deal with, tanks to drive and planes to fly, and even bases to build and defend "with tower defense-style traps." And that's without even mentioning the weather, which is also apparently pretty bad.

Yet another battle royale shooter bites the dust: Super People is super over
https://www.pcgamer.com/super-people-2-shut-down/
The live service grim reaper has come knocking on the door of another multiplayer shooter: Super People 2 (formerly just Super People, confusingly), the PUBG-style Battle Royale game that tried and failed to gain popularity by adding super powers to the formula.

Somebody check if hell's frozen over, because 2010s voxel RPG Cube World is back
https://www.pcgamer.com/somebody-check-if-hells-frozen-over-because-2010s-voxel-rpg-cube-world-is-back/
Is this real life? 12 years ago, in a very different PC gaming environment where voxels were just becoming the style du jour, a solo indie project called Cube World made a hell of a splash. Minecraft-like, but with more of an RPG bent, the development videos posted to YouTube pulled in tens or even hundreds of thousands of views. It was progressing slowly but steadily until 2014, only to go silent for five years. When it abruptly returned and released, well, Cube World turned out to be… pretty bad.
That anticlimax seemed destined to be the end of Cube World's story, but here we are whiplashing back to the early 2000s again. Cube World's back, with a new trailer and a new website, where developer Wolfram von Funck briefly described its return. It certainly seems to be in the same spirit Cube World always was, with an emphasis on using procedural generation to create variety.

Bungie's Marathon ARG is gorgeous, extensive, and how the hell do people work this stuff out anyway
https://www.pcgamer.com/bungies-marathon-arg-is-gorgeous-extensive-and-how-the-hell-do-people-work-this-stuff-out-anyway/
(...)
This new Marathon is obviously going to be very different to the originals, but Bungie itself… it's still Bungie, still teasing, still having fun with all us silly meatbags who just love their stuff and cannot get enough about whatever they're doing. The announcement came alongside various official accounts, and following breadcrumb trails (such as which accounts the Marathon account was following on Twitter) leads to more breadcrumbs and, eventually, the odd slice of lovely bread. Luckily, we can all just sit back and wait for internet sleuths to do the hard work.

The Metal Gear Solid collection will also include the first two Metal Gear games
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-metal-gear-solid-collection-will-also-include-the-first-two-metal-gear-games/
Konami finally announced the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection this week, bringing the first three 3D entries in Hideo Kojima's classic stealth series to modern platforms. 'Solid' was always a bit of an in-joke: Not just referring to the protagonist Solid Snake, but to the series becoming 3D. It began on the MSX home computer platform with Metal Gear, and now the official PlayStation store has let slip that the Master Collection will include the first two games in the series.

And these are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• The first of the five Deals of the Day is The Falconeer, 65% off during 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_falconeer
• The second DotD is City of Gangsters, 70% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/city_of_gangsters
• PolyClassic: Wild, with a 88% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/polyclassic_wild
• NeuraGun, still in development, gets a 90% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/neuragun
• And the fifth, and last, DotD is NeverSynth, that also features a 90% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/neversynth

+Steam

• New World will be 50% off until May, 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1063730/New_World/
• The Indie Houses 2023 Publisher Sale features up to 90% discounts until May, 31st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/theindiehouses2023
• Squad will be free to try during the next 3 days and 25% off until the 1st of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/393380/Squad/
• One Military Camp, still in Early Access, gets a 25% discount until the 1st of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1743830/One_Military_Camp/
• Publisher Jackbox Games puts its titles on sale with up to 63% discounts until June, 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/JackboxGamesWeekendSale
• Roguebook will be free to try during the weekend and 65% off until next Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1076200/Roguebook/
• Solasta: Crown of the Magister will be free to try during another 2 days and also 70% off the 1st of June: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096530/Solasta_Crown_of_the_Magister/
• The Warhammer Skulls Event lands on Steam with up to 90% discounts until Thursday, June 1st: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/skulls
• And Publisher Curve Games puts its titles up to 93% off until June, 8th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/curvepublishersale2023

And that will be all. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Totally. A lot of people who are looking to buying new GPU's are on older systems and don't realise that they'd be leaving a lot of performance on the table. Most reviewers show these in the best possible light with the some unrealistic set up like a 7800X3D to show the GPU's full capabilities of like a 4060Ti and 7600. Would be cool to see reviewers do tests on older systems and see how they stack up as well, in less optimal rigs.

Especially in this price class where value is much more important to more budget orientated builds.

Talking of value you can get a 5800X for 228€/£164 from Amazon Spain https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0815XFSGK?smid=A1AT7YVPFBWXBL Bargain

Some 6+2pin power cables may not fully fit into Radeon RX 7600 reference card

https://videocardz.com/newz/some-62pin-power-cables-may-not-fully-fit-into-radeon-rx-7600-reference-card

Lol did Radeon get jealous of Nvidia's cable controversy or what? This is such a dumb oversight.

MSI GeForce RTX 3070/3060/3050 series get major discounts, RTX 3060 12GB now below $280

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-geforce-rtx-3070-3060-3050-series-get-major-discounts-rtx-3060-12gb-now-below-280

Finally some juicy discounts

AMD Radeon RX 7600 drops to €259 in Spain, just one day after launch

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-7600-drops-to-e259-in-spain-just-one-day-after-launch

ASUS Slaps A 3-Slot ROG STRIX Cooler On NVIDIA’s 115W GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, Just As Big As RTX 4090 ROG STRIX

https://wccftech.com/asus-slaps-3-slot-rog-strix-cooler-on-nvidia-115w-geforce-rtx-4060-gpu/

4060 Strix will cost $100 more according to the article for which you could get a 4060 Ti.

Chinese Powerstar x86 CPUs Confirmed To Be Rebadged Intel 10th Gen Comet Lake Chips

https://wccftech.com/china-powerstar-x86-cpus-confirmed-rebadged-intel-10th-gen-comet-lake-chips/

115W card with such a heatsink should run games in 0 RPM mode, lol. It's like for the people that show off their case, it doesn't show the model name.

Since it's as big as a 4090 Strix, they would likely need to buy a new case as well lul

Lmao