Yeah, I was thinking the same. It could also simply be super-optimized for Cinebench, but not so much for some other tasks.

While it could be that the processors are optimized to perform better at Cinebench, it would be a bit pointless. It's only one of the tests in a review, not the only one, and if it doesn't perform as well in the others, the trick will be easy to see.

IF the results are somewhat real, which I still douibt, there are other causes that could play a role in the big jump, like supporting faster RAM than the 6000 CL30 of Zen4 or that the improved AVX-512 helps it perform better in the test.

It's also curious that the benchmark was done using Cinebench 24 instead of the 23, which was the ones used for the reviews of Zen4 and the latest Intel chips.

News! News! I have all the news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has a sale and three new DotD:

• These are the three Deals of the Day, that will last 46 hours:
  • The first one is STAR WARS™: Dark Forces Remaster, 10% off (if you buy it, you’ll get the original for free until May 4th): https://www.gog.com/en/game/star_wars_dark_forces_remaster
  • Doors: Paradox gets a 40% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/doors_paradox
  • And you can get Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Complete Edition with a 67% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/sniper_ghost_warrior_contracts_2_complete_edition
• The Retro Classix Last Chance features 12 classics games that will be delisted from the store by its publisher. Now it’s your last chance to grab them 50% off during 14 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/retro_classix

Steam has three new deals:

• Above Snakes will be 35% off until the April 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1589120/Above_Snakes/
• Birth also gets a 35% discount until the same 21st: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1889040/Birth/
• Terra Invicta, still in Early Access, will feature a 30% deal until the 28th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1176470/Terra_Invicta/

Humble Bundle presents the Devious Deckbuilders Bundle, with up to 7 games to get during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/devious-deckbuilders.

And Fanatical’s new Star Deal is The Invincible, 45% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-invincible

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Red Dead Redemption 2 Just Got a New 12GB HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/red-dead-redemption-2-just-got-a-new-12gb-hd-texture-pack/
In the past couple of months, modder ‘garbageman42069’ released a lot of HD Texture Packs for Red Dead Redemption 2. These packs upgraded the textures of various objects like badges, boats, gravestones, food, and more. However, it was a pain in the a$s to download each pack separately. And, thankfully, the modder has now released a megapack that contains all of them.
This new HD Texture Pack weighs around 12GB in size, and will overhaul a lot of objects. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. For instance, you can expect better textures for food, gloves, trains, dynamite, lanterns and more.
>> The article has some screenshots.

World of Warcraft VR Mod Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/world-of-warcraft-vr-mod-available-for-download/
Modders ‘Streetrat’ and ‘Marulu’ have been working on a VR Mod for World of Warcraft for ten years. And today, this VR mod is finally available for download, letting you experience this classic MMORPG in a completely different and unique way.
Going into more details, this mod adds full 6DOF VR with motion controls to World of Warcraft. Players will be able to experience the game with directional audio, synced eye rendering), as well as the ability to switch between third-person and first-person viewpoints.
>> There’s an almost 2 minutes video of it.

Fallout London will be slightly delayed, will be compatible with Fallout 4 Next-Gen
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/fallout-london-will-be-slightly-delayed-will-be-compatible-with-fallout-4-next-gen/
The team behind the DLC-sized expansion mod for Fallout 4, Fallout: London, was planning to release it on April 23rd. However, Bethesda revealed that it will release a Next-Gen Update for Fallout 4 on April 25th. As such, the team has decided to slightly delay the mod to make it compatible with it.
Project Lead, Dean Carter, claimed that this new update will break a lot of core features of Fallout: London. For instance, the team expects the F4SE script to be incompatible with the Next-Gen Version of Fallout 4, and Fallout London relies heavily on it.
To be honest, this is understandable. The Fallout London team has been working on this fan expansion mod for years. So, releasing it just so that the expansion will be a broken mess after 48 hours is really not an option. Instead, the team will do its best to fix the compatibility issues, and then release it.
Unfortunately, there is no ETA on when the mod will come out now. Since the mod relies on the F4SE script, its author will have to make it compatible with Fallout 4 Next-Gen. Once that’s done, the team will try to resolve all the other compatibility issues.

Fallout: New Vegas ATMOS Ambience Overhaul Mod adds an object-based directional sound system
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/fallout-new-vegas-atmos-ambience-overhaul-mod-adds-an-object-based-directional-sound-system/
Fallout New Vegas fans, here’s something for you today. Modder ‘TheKetzku’ released a new mod for it that upgrades the game’s audio system. It’s called ATMOS Ambience Overhaul, and it makes the sounds in New Vegas much better. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The ATMOS Ambience Overhaul Mod will upgrade the background sounds in the game with modern enhancements. It also uses advanced technology to make sounds come from specific directions. Plus, the mod includes over 1000 new custom-made sound effects, created with high-quality equipment used in the film industry. Additionally, it includes other cool audio features to make your time in the Mojave Desert feel even more realistic and immersive.
>> There’s an over 7 minutes video of the mod.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion just got a new DLC-sized expansion mod, featuring over 80 locations and 100 scripts
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-just-got-a-new-dlc-sized-expansion-mod-featuring-over-80-locations-and-100-scripts/
Modder ‘Samtheson’ has just released a new DLC-sized expansion mod for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, called Journey to the Centre of Nirn. This mod has been in development for two years, and it features over 80 new locations.
Going into more details, this fan expansion is inspired by Jules Vernes’ famous story. In this mod, players will travel through vast magma chambers and dark caverns solving puzzles, riddles and intriguing mazes before finally discovering the fate of a lost Ayleid city.
Journey to the Centre of Nirn features its own sound fx and atmospheric background music. Moreover, it numerous easter eggs and references placed, some to lighten the mood. For instance, you will be able to find a 1980s C64 game easter egg.
>> While the article has an over 3 minutes video of the mod, it doesn’t have the link to said mod. You’ll have to find it yourselves.

Modders are bringing Cliff Bleszinski’s LawBreakers back to life
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/modders-are-bringing-back-to-life-cliff-bleszinskis-lawbreakers/
A group of modders is working on reviving Cliff Bleszinski’s multiplayer shooter, LawBreakers. They’re calling it The RELB Project, and the goal is to bring back the game’s online features so PC gamers can play it again. The mod had a public test this weekend, and there are plans for even more open beta tests.
Although there is no ETA on when its final version will come out, this weekend, the team held a public test. Since this was an open test, everyone was able to participate. From what I’ve seen, this project has been live for over a year. So, if you are remotely interested in it, we suggest joining its Discord server.
>> There are a couple of videos.

This unofficial remaster of Super Mario 64 will make your jaw drop
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/this-unofficial-remaster-of-super-mario-64-will-make-your-jaw-drop/
Mario fans, here is something for you today. The project lead of the Super Mario 64: ReRendered project, Bradley, has shared the following WIP screenshots. And believe me when I say this. Super Mario 64 has never looked this good. These screenshots showcase Super Mario 64 with a new lighting system, new textures, and some new highly detailed character models. And, as you will see, this is exactly what you’d expect from an official remaster of this classic Nintendo 64 title.
>> Besides the screenshots, there’s also a video of the intro that the author of the mod shared a few months ago.

A canceled Nintendo 64 Tomb Raider knock-off has been saved so you can emulate it today
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/a-canceled-nintendo-64-tomb-raider-knock-off-has-been-saved-so-you-can-emulate-it-today/
In the late 1990s, following the success of Tomb Raider and Perfect Dark, a developer called Bits Studios set to work carving itself a slice of the "third-person action-puzzler starring an attractive polygonal lady" pie. Nintendo were all set to publish the game, which was called Riqa, and even showed it off at E3 in 1999. It never got past the prototype stage, however, and was canceled after multiple delays.
One of the designers, Ten Shu—who previously released ROMs of another of the studio's unfinished games,  Die Hard 64—has documented Riqa on YouTube, with a series of videos showing various builds. In most of them protagonist runs around in camo pants, dodging lasers, climbing ladders, and occasionally shooting dudes in an extremely "what if Tomb Raider but a bit anime" kind of way, even passing a disused mech at one point. 
ROMs of those builds have now been hosted on the Internet Archive for the sake of posterity, and Ten Shu has put together a video explaining how to play Riqa on PC via an emulator today.
>> There’s an over 9 minutes video in the article, but it’s not the how to play one.

GAMING NEWS

Here are all the tweaks, fixes, changes and improvements for Battlefield 2042 Patch 7.1.0
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/here-are-all-the-tweaks-fixes-changes-and-improvements-for-battlefield-2042-patch-7-1-0/
DICE has announced that Update 7.1.0 for Battlefield 2042 will be released on April 16th, and shared its full patch notes. This update features improvements for the Visual Weapon Recoil, a balancing pass to Shotguns, increases to Rocket Launcher Ammo for Engineers and more. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Cloud Imperium has updated Star Citizen’s PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cloud-imperium-has-updated-star-citizens-pc-requirements/
Cloud Imperium has just updated the official PC system requirements for Star Citizen. These new PC requirements are for the Alpha version of Star Citizen, and not for its final version. So, let’s take a closer look at them.
>> They’re not too bad.

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail PC Benchmark Releases Tomorrow, Will Support AMD FSR 1.0 & NVIDIA DLSS 2 [Update: Available Now]
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/final-fantasy-xiv-dawntrail-pc-benchmark-releases-tomorrow-will-support-amd-fsr-1-0-nvidia-dlss-2/
Square Enix has announced that a PC benchmark tool for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail will be made available for download tomorrow. To celebrate this announcement, the team has also shared an official trailer for it that you can find below.

Here are even more news!

WoW's Pandaria Remix feels like it's emerged from an extended Pandaren brew session in the dev room
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/wows-pandaria-remix-feels-like-its-emerged-from-an-extended-pandaren-brew-session-in-the-dev-room/
The WoW expansion Mists of Pandaria, initially released in 2011, built out a faction and region of Azeroth that had been a part of Warcraft since 2003: essentially, boozed-up kung fu pandas. It's definitely one of my favourite expansions purely for the change in tone it brought to the game, and now Blizzard has announced a time-limited event called WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria is under development, and it looks… well, it looks like someone's been on the panda brew.

MultiVersus fans have become convinced that the game is now slower, and they absolutely hate it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/multiversus-fans-have-become-convinced-that-the-game-is-now-slower-and-they-absolutely-hate-it/
MultiVersus is in its makeover montage era right now. It's been "rebuilt from the ground up" in Unreal Engine 5, ready to emerge with its glasses off and hair down sometime in May. Are people excited about that? Maybe not so in the wake of new clips that have fans convinced the game looks and plays worryingly differently now.

One week after saying it was 'hard at work on our next project,' Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios has reportedly furloughed most of its remaining staff
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/one-week-after-saying-it-was-hard-at-work-on-our-next-project-immortals-of-aveum-developer-ascendant-studios-has-reportedly-furloughed-most-of-its-remaining-staff/
Six months after laying off nearly half its staff following the poorly-received launch of Immortals of Aveum, developer Ascendant Studios has reportedly now furloughed the majority of its remaining employees.

Helldivers 2's new Ground Breaker armor suffers a wardrobe malfunction—it launched with the wrong passives
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2s-new-ground-breaker-armor-suffers-a-wardrobe-malfunctionit-launched-with-the-wrong-passives/
Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Game Studios has confirmed that there was a bit of a mixup with the Democratic Detonation warbond that went live yesterday: Somehow, the CE-27 Ground Breaker medium armor rolled off the line with the wrong passive.
>> By the way, melee weapons are not off the table, but they won’t be lightsabers.

In this strategy city builder you'll grow your capital through 2,500 years of history
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/in-this-strategy-city-builder-youll-grow-your-capital-through-2500-years-of-history/
April is already a monster month for city builders and colony sims, and yet another city building game has just been announced, this one with a bit of a Civilization theme. The cities you grow and manage in most city builders can last for years, sometimes decades, and occasionally hundreds of years… but what about for thousands of years?

Game studio owner suddenly lays everyone off and blames a Kotaku report that hasn't been published
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/possibility-space-closure/
It's despairingly common to hear about game studios closing lately, but I don't think I've ever heard a studio owner blame their company's closure on leaked information that has yet to be made public. That's what happened today when every employee at Possibility Space, a relatively young studio whose first game hadn't yet been revealed, was suddenly laid off.

Bethesda design director confirms Fallout: New Vegas is still canon: 'Of course it is'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/bethesda-design-director-confirms-fallout-new-vegas-is-still-canon-of-course-it-is/
The Fallout TV series arrived this week and the response has been almost entirely positive. (...)
I won't spoil things here, but midway through the series we learn the date of an important event that may (or may not) overlap with the timeline of Fallout: New Vegas. This led some Fallout fans to claim that the New Vegas storyline was being retconned out of Fallout lore altogether. (...) Emil Pagliarulo, Bethesda Game Studios design director and lead designer and writer of Fallout 3 and 4, posted a Fallout timeline on Twitter yesterday, hoping to clear up some confusion about when things happened across the main games of the Fallout series. That wasn't quite enough to settle the matter, but thankfully one Twitter user popped the real question: "So is New Vegas canon or not?"

Update: Fallout 4's lead writer reverses course, clarifies that main character is not actually a war criminal
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/uh-i-guess-fallout-4s-male-protagonist-is-canonically-a-war-criminal-now/
Well, this was unexpected: Fallout 4 lead writer Emil Pagliarulo took to Twitter yesterday to reveal that Fallout 4's male protagonist participated in the extrajudicial execution of a Canadian partisan during the illegal US occupation of its neighbor "up 'nort" in the 2070s. I always knew that guy had bad vibes.
Update: That was fast. Shortly before this story first went live, Bethesda design director Emil Pagliarulo amended his reveal about Fallout 4's male protagonist, whose default name is Nate.
"I wanted to share what I thought was a cool Fallout tidbit without realizing how divisive it might be," Pagliarulo tweeted. "I should have... Not every bit of Fallout info I share is automatically canon. Nate is NOT a war criminal."

Deep Rock Galactic is rolling out a feature to let you play old seasons
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/deep-rock-galactic-is-rolling-out-a-feature-to-let-you-play-old-seasons/
Cooperative shooter Deep Rock Galactic will soon let players take its old seasons of stuff out of the closet and take them for a spin. That means the first four rounds of themed extra stuff to do in Deep Rock will be available as their own game modes alongside a separate Vanilla module that can spit out events and game modes from every season—and all of that's coming as part of DRG season 5 this June.

Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition update adds cross-platform multiplayer, another cut character, and more
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/rise-of-the-triad-ludicrous-edition-update-adds-cross-platform-multiplayer-another-cut-character-and-more/
Ye olde 1990s knockabout shooter Rise of the Triad was remastered and rereleased as Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition last year. As our Shaun Prescott said at the time, it hasn't aged well but you should still play it. It's a goofball historical artifact with some fun power-ups and more hidden doors than Castle Dracula, and it's just received an update.
Version 1.1 brings cross-platform multiplayer, meaning that players on Steam and GOG can gib each other at last, as well as our friends over on Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. It also adds an alternate Lightning Guard enemy—the last cut character from the beta version to be restored for the Ludicrous Edition—and shows your kills and secrets completion on the map screen for each level.

Town-building survival RPG Bellwright hits Early Access this month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/town-building-survival-rpg-bellwright-hits-early-access-this-month/
Survival and town-building RPG Bellwright will release on Steam this month, with developers Donkey Crew announcing that they're targeting April 23 for a release. The low fantasy RPG was well-received during its Steam Next Fest demo last year for its blend of survival crafting gameplay and third-person town building.

Elden Ring dataminer uncovers unused alternate underground zones tied to cut 'cataclysm' system that would have altered the world map as you progressed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/elden-ring-dataminer-uncovers-unused-alternate-underground-zones-tied-to-cut-cataclysm-system-that-would-have-altered-the-world-map-as-you-progressed/
Prolific Elden Ring dataminer Sekiro Dubi has released a long video outlining alternate versions of some of the game's extensive underground areas. These zones seem to tie into a previous iteration of Elden Ring that involved more world map altering "cataclysms" similar to the meteor that strikes Limgrave in the final game.

Wait, what? You want more news? Well, ok. I mean, sure, but maybe you should find help. Too many news ain’t good for you:

Check out this town builder with a deep simulation of ecology and climate
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/check-out-this-town-builder-with-a-deep-simulation-of-ecology-and-climate/
A fascinating new survival city builder called Of Life and Land released on Steam this month: Of Life and Land is the debut game from new studio Kerzoven. In it, you build medieval settlements from scratch in remote, wild places. 

Blasphemous dev reveals that Baldur's Gate 3 studio Larian quietly backed the game on Kickstarter for $1000 and never asked for anything in return
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/blasphemous-dev-reveals-that-baldurs-gate-3-studio-larian-quietly-backed-the-game-on-kickstarter-for-dollar1000-and-never-asked-for-anything-in-return/
In a welcome bit of feel good industry news, Blasphemous level designer Enrique Colinet revealed on Twitter that Larian Studios was one of the game's biggest backers on Kickstarter, and that the studio never made a big deal of it or asked for the backer rewards such a contribution would entail.

Former Blizzard president suggests you should be able to leave a $10 or $20 tip for the devs because 'Some games are that special'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/former-blizzard-president-suggests-you-should-be-able-to-leave-a-dollar10-or-dollar20-tip-for-the-devs-because-some-games-are-that-special/
First reported by VG247, Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra took to Twitter a few days ago to suggest a new form of showing developer appreciation: having the option to leave a $10 or $20 tip on a game you love. You know, I guess I like the sentiment at least.
>> Would I get my money back if the game sucked? No? Then shut up.

Here's a free demo for upcoming survival crafting, monster-battling, town-builder Tinkerlands
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/heres-a-free-demo-for-upcoming-survival-crafting-monster-battling-town-builder-tinkerlands/
Fans of games like Terraria and Necesse might want to take a look at an upcoming top-down survival crafting game called Tinkerlands, which just recently released a free prologue—Tinkerlands: A Shipwrecked Adventure—on Steam. The demo lets you explore an open world island, encountering some cool biomes and building up stuff to check out.

There's a Pac-Man battle royale coming to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/theres-a-pac-man-battle-royale-coming-to-steam/
Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle originally released back in 2020 as a Stadia exclusive, and seemed to have died with Google's gaming platform. But you can't keep a good Pac-Man down. He's been chewing his way out of Stadia's corpse ever since. Renamed Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs, the battle royale-inspired multiplayer version of the arcade maze game will be arriving on Steam in May.

City builders continue to dominate Steam as Manor Lords becomes its most wishlisted game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/city-builders-continue-to-dominate-steam-as-manor-lords-becomes-its-most-wishlisted-game/
There hasn't been a better time to be obsessed with city builders, and it looks like our appetite for plotting out road networks and crafting bustling towns is as strong as ever, with Slavic Magic's Manor Lords now topping the Steam wishlist charts. 

Lethal Company's v50 update may 'seem antagonistic to speedrunners,' but Zeekerss stresses that it's a necessary change
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/horror/lethal-companys-v50-update-may-seem-antagonistic-to-speedrunners-but-zeekerss-stresses-that-its-a-necessary-change/
Lethal Company's latest update, v50, was released over the weekend, so you can jump back into your crummy little spaceship and check out all the new changes for yourself. We already knew that this update included new moons, monsters, and even a change to your running speed, but now that v50 is out, the developer, who goes by Zeekers, clarified some more changes. 

Final Fantasy 14's blacklisting functionality is getting an overdue overhaul: 'it is time we implement features to protect everyone's experience'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/final-fantasy-14s-blacklisting-functionality-is-getting-an-overdue-overhaul-it-is-time-we-implement-features-to-protect-everyones-experience/
With expansion Dawntrail around the corner, there are some big changes coming to Final Fantasy 14. Some of these were outlined in a 14-hour livestream that took place over the weekend, and one in particular stood out to me: an overhaul to how blacklisting players works.

ASUS Intros ProArt Display PA32KCX Monitor: 32″ 8K, 4096-Zone Mini-LED, DisplayPort 2.1

https://wccftech.com/asus-proart-display-pa32kcx-monitor-32-8k-4096-zone-mini-led-displayport-2-1/

Honestly if it was 4k with a decent price, I'd actually be very interested. But those specs are basically pointing to $$$. The second monitor in the article however is kinda interesting. It's the same OLED panel as their current PG32UCDM but with one main difference... The lack of ROGness which means it actually looks like a normal monitor. I might keep my eye out for PA32UCDM since the ProArt series has been pretty good honestly.

AMD RDNA 4 & RDNA 3+ GPUs Receive Updated Support In Linux Graphics Drivers

https://wccftech.com/amd-rdna-4-rdna-3-gpus-receive-updated-support-in-linux-graphics-drivers/

TSMC Sees Big Share Price Target Boost On Back Of Intel Orders, A.I. Demand

https://wccftech.com/tsmc-sees-big-share-price-target-boost-on-back-of-intel-orders-a-i-demand/

PlayStation 5 Pro to get faster Zen2 CPU mode and ‘about 45% faster GPU rendering’

https://videocardz.com/newz/playstation-5-pro-to-get-faster-zen2-cpu-mode-and-about-45-faster-gpu-rendering

10% faster cpu mode that is

Intel “Beechnut City” validation platform for Xeon 6 “Granite Rapids” and “Sierra Forest” pictured up close

https://videocardz.com/newz/intel-beechnut-city-validation-platform-for-xeon-6-granite-rapids-and-sierra-forest-pictured-up-close

Radeon RX 7900 XT drops to £629 in the UK, marking the lowest price yet

https://videocardz.com/newz/radeon-rx-7900-xt-drops-to-629-in-the-uk-marking-the-lowest-price-yet

I just watched the Hardware Unboxed video of the crappy new budget B650 motherboards and that frog gif made me wonder what would happen with a 14900KS running on such crappy boards, given that some of them reach 120º with a 7950X. They would melt.

As announced:

https://store.steampowered.com/category/action_fps