Take a look at the users section on the site, then click to filter and look at the banned list, it's absolutely insane.

There have been a stupid amount of bots straight up flooding the site, and some if not all of the online mods have had to swat each and every one of them on a daily basis. This is more bots than what we'd usually get on a monthly/yearly basis, it's so annoying.

Also would not be surprised if we're going to get DDOS'd at some point, considering the site is already slowing to a crawl, and we know there are some past ex members who were booted off here, that are still likely salty as hell and want some revenge (it's happened before when the site went down, and I know it wouldn't be some random hack, because this site has no real worth to anyone who hasn't been on this site before). 

Again I do wish people unleashing bots could be traced, reported, arrested and have tech bans slapped on them, because it's just getting beyond stupid/obnoxious with how many sites get infested with them. 

I can see it running about the same honestly. 3D vapor chamber plus a shitton of copper pipes.

The caveat is that this makes it deceptively heavy for that size. I wouldn't use it without a support bracket. Many people probably won't because they'll see it's only two slots and there you go, GPU sag.

You would think a company like Radeon would look at their 10% market share and money from console sales slowing due to Xbox not competing and such as an indication to go for "Desperate times calls for Desperate measures" mode but naw. At this rate, we are head towards the dark age of PC gaming and I'll likely be keeping my 4090 for at least 4-6 years. The only light that I see might be Intel with their GPUs but who knows. So many things have gone to shit, it's not even funny.

I think it's blowing the air away efficiently enough to not overheat.

The problem is that it's blowing all that hot air directly onto the CPU, and maybe worse even, the VRMs. RIP air coolers and cheap MoBos.

I can believe that for the dark ages. We've already lived through one with PC gaming, but this one feels artificially constructed (back with the original dark age, we couldn't actually keep up, prices were still high for the hw at the time and we sold less than consoles back then) from just pure greed/laziness and ignorance. 

My biggest nightmare scenario is that we reach a point where we're so gunked up on AI, that raster stops being a thought in techie minds, and then suddenly the AI stops being efficient or just stops working and then we get dogshit performance and brute forcing will cease to exist as a concept in reality within the PC market, and all because of the AI craze. 

Now don't get me wrong, I don't mind AI (in fact I want to live to see an actual sentient AI I can converse with and hang out with, because I'm just that interested in that type of AI), but what I don't like is a bunch of people being in charge, acting like monkeys who just discovered fire and thinking we should set everything on fire to keep warm. having AI to just replace everything is a rather foolhardy approach and doesn't 100% guarantee us from lesser quality or crappy performance, and I'd rather we have brute forcing raster exist as a viable option on the table (I'd like this forever pls, I like having actual options, Jensen...).

Also AMD's tap in the console market is going to dry up eventually, because with Xbox just not selling well in their hw dept, they have to rely on Sony and some of the 3rd party portables in the other spaces, while Nintendo is dealing with Nvidia, who has most of the market share. But like with how Nvidia is super damn comfy with Data center/AI markets, AMD likely won't care if they just outright lose the GPU sector and just fall back onto CPU's with AI injected into them.

It's just sad that AMD/Nvidia both have super similar mindsets/mannerisms, with the only two big differences being market share, and that the Nvidia is far richer, while AMD just ain't that rich (Also their og goals used to be different, but now AMD is basically straight up following Nvidia at this point, that they're losing their own identity, making thier brand existence kinda useless outside of Zen CPU's).

Alleged GeForce RTX 5090 prototype with 24576 cores, 800W power and 32GB 32Gbps memory has been pictured

https://videocardz.com/newz/alleged-geforce-rtx-5090-prototype-with-24576-cores-800w-power-and-32gb-32gbps-memory-has-been-pictured

First Arc B570 GPU already available with 10% discount in Germany

https://videocardz.com/newz/first-arc-b570-gpu-already-available-with-10-discount-in-germany

Beware of “Bogus” AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU Listings As A New Scam Emerges in Chinese Marketplaces

https://wccftech.com/beware-of-bogus-ryzen-7-9800x3d-cpu-listings-as-new-scam-emerges/

Silicon Motion is developing a next-gen PCIe 6.0 SSD controller

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/silicon-motion-is-developing-a-next-gen-pcie-6-0-ssd-controller

1080 Ti -> 2080 Ti was a 47% gain over a period of 18 months

2080 TI -> 3090 was a 46% gain over a period of 24 months

3090 -> 4090 was a 96% gain over a period of 24 months

4090 -> 5090 is reported to have a 27% gain over a period of 27 months*

In 3dmark  so the % are a bit inflated but the point is still there.

The Tuesday news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100 and see the new charts)

Steam has the following deals:

• Publisher WSS playground puts its titles on sale with up to 60% discounts until January, the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/wssplaygroundpublishersale
• Publisher Spike Chunsoft Co., Ltd. celebrates its 40th anniversary putting its games up to 90% off until the 30th of January: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/SPIKECHUNSOFT40th
• UBOAT will have a 70% discount until the 1st of February: https://store.steampowered.com/app/494840/UBOAT/
• BlazBlue Entropy Effect is going to be 30% off until February, the 3rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2273430/BlazBlue_Entropy_Effect/
• Publisher 11 bit studios has its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until the 3rd: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/11bitstudiosPublisherSale2025
• Another publisher sale, Daedalic Entertainment also has its games up to 90% off until the 3rd: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/DaedalicPublisherSale2025
• And, of course, there’s also the new weeklong deals

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

After ten years of inactivity, Havok releases a new tech video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/after-ten-years-of-inactivity-havok-releases-a-new-tech-video/
Now here is something interesting. Havok has just released a new tech video, showcasing dynamic destruction with the Havok physics. This tech video comes almost ten years after the previous one. And, as you will see, it looks really cool.
This video shows how Havok Physics Particles and full rigid bodies can change the environment. They can block paths, open new areas, or even destroy the world around you. As Havok claimed, dynamic destruction and huge numbers of physically simulating bodies can add depth and intensity to any level.
The level shown here was created in Unreal Engine. This means that this new Havok tech is most likely already available to the devs using Epic’s engine. So, let’s hope that some of them will take advantage of them.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

-Empty-

GAMING NEWS

Half-Life 2 RTX – New Leaked Screenshots & Gameplay Video
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/half-life-2-rtx-new-leaked-screenshots-gameplay-video/
It appears that some new screenshots and a 6-minute gameplay video for Half-Life 2 RTX have been leaked online. Sadly, we don’t have any additional information about these shots. So, we don’t know from which build they originate.

Tuesday news, the second part:

'You deserve better customer service': Path of Exile 2 studio apologizes for long support wait times but with 545,000 emails received, it's kind of understandable
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/you-deserve-better-customer-service-path-of-exile-2-studio-apologizes-for-long-support-wait-times-but-with-545-000-emails-received-its-kind-of-understandable/
Grinding Gear Games says it's sorry for the slow response times to Path of Exile 2 customer support requests, but it's dealing with an absolute avalanche of them—roughly 545,000 email requests since the game launched in November, far more than it was prepared to deal with.

The first multiplayer demo for my most anticipated RTS, Tempest Rising, is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/the-first-multiplayer-demo-for-my-most-anticipated-rts-tempest-rising-is-out-now/
There are a surprising number of RTS romps knocking about these days, but few of them have managed to leave a mark. Pessimism has overtaken me, but there are some exceptions. Tempest Rising—Slipgate Ironwork's sci-fi throwback—is one of them. If you've ever dreamed of a reality where EA didn't completely wreck Westwood's Tiberium saga, this one's for you.
(...)
Multiplayer might not be at the heart of real-time strategy (despite the number of developers who have been mistakenly convinced that it is), but it's still a vital component. Certainly it's one of the reasons why StarCraft 2 managed to sit at the top of the pile for so many years. The good news, then, is that Tempest Rising's latest demo is showcasing its multiplayer chops.

Vertical extraction shooter Exoborne holds its first playtest soon, and you can sign up now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/vertical-extraction-shooter-exoborne-holds-its-first-playtest-soon-and-you-can-sign-up-now/
We got some hands-on time with Exoborne, the new extraction shooter from Sharkmob, in August 2024, and it looked potentially very promising, particularly for more casual players interested in an experience that isn't built to punish them at every opportunity. In February, curious shooter fans will have an opportunity to try it for themselves in Exoborne's first-ever public playtest.

'You’re not supposed to say this out loud!': Baldur's Gate 3 dev reacts to analyst who says some game makers 'hope' Grand Theft Auto 6 will cost up to $100 at launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/youre-not-supposed-to-say-this-out-loud-baldurs-gate-3-dev-reacts-to-analyst-who-says-some-game-makers-hope-grand-theft-auto-6-will-cost-up-to-usd100-at-launch/
Larian head of publishing Michael Douse warned that game companies are saying the quiet part out loud after industry analyst Michael Ball wrote that some of them are hoping Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch with a price of at least $80, and possibly as high as $100.
>> spynx has made a thread about the statement from this analyst.

Marvel Snap is back online after falling afoul of TikTok's temporary ban, and unsurprisingly, its creators are on the search for a new publisher
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/marvel-snap-is-back-online-after-falling-afoul-of-tiktoks-temporary-ban-and-unsurprisingly-its-creators-are-on-the-search-for-a-new-publisher/
When TikTok was temporarily blocked in the US at the weekend, one of the unexpected knock-on effects was the simultaneous blocking of Marvel Snap, a CCG starring the usual gaggle of buoyant American superheroes. TikTok access was reinstated after 12 hours, but the game remained offline for another 12 hours.
Now it's back (on PC at least: it's still absent on smartphones at time of writing) which is good news for its California-based studio Second Dinner, and fans of card games and superheroes in general. But it may not be good news for Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse, which is a subsidiary of TikTok owner ByteDance and, as a result, clearly the source of this card game getting caught up in the mess.
In its announcement on X, Second Dinner was unusually straight-to-the-point: "MARVEL SNAP is back online in the U.S. But to make sure this NEVER happens again, we’re working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher," the official Second Dinner account tweeted.

The Witcher 3's director says he has designed his new vampire RPG to explore 'something in pop culture that nobody yet has done' in videogames: 'We will see how people like it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-witcher-3s-director-says-he-has-designed-his-new-vampire-rpg-to-explore-something-in-pop-culture-that-nobody-yet-has-done-in-videogames-we-will-see-how-people-like-it/
(...)
After explaining why he left CDPR to bring this new dark fantasy RPG to fruition, Konrad then elaborated on why he cast Coen, a half human half vampire, as the protagonist of the game's story.
“I felt that I wanted to do a game which would not be a game about, like, a normal, let’s say superhero, which we know from Marvel movies," says Tomaszkiewicz. "It’s hard to do those stories because you are [just] stronger and stronger and stronger. [So] I searched for an idea for the hero, which would be near the ground—or grounded—and needed to solve things in a different way. But, also, I wanted to give some kind of superhero to the players.
"That’s why I designed a protagonist who, in the day, is a human, with all the weaknesses of a human being. [However], at night, you are a vampire, which is stronger and faster, and you have better abilities and supernatural skills. It’s somehow interesting, this duality of the hero, which we know from Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde, for example. It’s something in pop culture that is well known and wasn’t yet explored in games. It gives you a different layer to those non-realities, and I think it would be quite interesting because nobody yet has done that. And we will see how people will like it.”

The Blood of Dawnwalker's creative director explains how the RPG's narrative sandbox works: 'the core of it is maximising players' freedom'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-blood-of-dawnwalkers-creative-director-explains-how-the-rpgs-narrative-sandbox-works-the-core-of-it-is-maximising-players-freedom/
I traveled to Rebel Wolves recently to speak to key developers about its debut RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, which promises a dark fantasy cinematic adventure involving vampires deep within the Carpathian Mountains.
As well as speaking to the game's director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the man who directed the now legendary fantasy RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, about why he left CDPR and why he decided to cast a half human half vampire as the game's protagonist, I also spoke to the game's design director, Daniel Sadowski about the game's unique 'time as a resource' mechanic and creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz about the studio's 'narrative sandbox' approach to game design.

The cake was a lie, but Silksong 'is real, progressing and will release' say devs, after flurry of conspiracy theories revealed to be a 'nothingburger'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-cake-was-a-lie-but-silksong-is-real-progressing-and-will-release-say-devs-after-flurry-of-conspiracy-theories-revealed-to-be-a-nothingburger/
Alright, Silksong gang, pack up the cork boards and sorrowfully spool away your red string—turns out we were being had. Or maybe just drunk on pattern recognition. Most definitely the latter.
In case you've been out of the loop (honestly, you're better off), the Silksong community had a conniption last week after a developer William Pellen's alt account, typically used for shitposting, changed its handle and profile picture to some chocolate, then cryptically tweeted out the words "something big is coming. keep your eyes closed tomorrow".
(...)
Hollow Knight speed and challenge runner fireb0rn posted to X that Matthew Griffin—otherwise known as Leth, who handles marketing and publishing for Team Cherry, had "reached out to me to confirm there was no Silksong ARG, and that the changes to William's account and the tweet were a nothingburger. Apologies to have misled everyone. The cake was a lie."

A Marvel Rivals player 'hit GrandMaster doing 0 damage' through the blindingly simple strategy of healing teammates a lot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/a-marvel-rivals-player-hit-grandmaster-doing-0-damage-through-the-blindingly-simple-strategy-of-healing-teammates-a-lot/
We're not even halfway through Marvel Rivals Season 1, and one player has already done a GM no-damage challenge. This player, in particular, decided to one-trick the Strategist Rocket Raccoon, and despite getting no damage or kills, has done a terrifying amount of healing.
"I hit GrandMaster doing zero damage," Marvel Rivals player Habooskie, also known as NoDmgRocket, says. They also posted their stats for everyone to see. With 18.6 hours with Rocket Raccoon in Season 1, 2.9 million healing, and a 65% win rate, it seems like being a pacifist isn't an entirely bad idea.
>> His teammates must love him.

That's abysmal as fuck. Even with the newer cores and AI feature set, that's still a shit uplift if ever have I seen one. Even when you look back at the 1080ti. This proves they made the 1080ti what it was supposed to be, a strong and really good card, but with the 90 series years later, they actually feel lesser than the 1080ti (despite the fact 1080ti cannot do RT).

Man that new line is so cucked. I already said they priced me out of their brand, but I was thinking of just waiting for some sale in the future, but nah, fuck that entire gen line. I'll just wait for something from Intel at this point. AMD cucked themselves as they always seem to, and I don't wanna wait for them to slightly un-cuck themselves.

Yea I don't think there's much winning no matter what you buy this gen. Nvidia may as well start at $750 for Rtx 5000 and even if you have 2k to spend, you won't feel like you got something untouchable like you did with a 4090.

Getting Radeon feels like you are buying from a sleazy car salesman. Their leadership is so garbage that they have zero idea on how to move forward until Nvidia shows them the way so they can price their shat slightly under them. And it feels like they will always be behind Nvidia or possibly even Intel with feature sets.

And getting Intel still feels like you are getting into an experiment. Driver issues, cpu overhead and questionable support for old games and emulators. But least their price and hardware is amazing.