That's a tricky question.

I mean, you only need to check one of the charts that HoloDust posted to see that it's in the bottom half of them, far from what newer cards can offer. But at the same time, at the 1440p resolution I game on, it's still capable of delivering 65fps on The Witcher 3. Not too shabby!

If you add to this the fact that I don't have many new and demanding games, that I'm perfectly ok playing on medium settings (it helps that games no longer look like two completely different titles if you go from high to low), and that I'm not picky with the fps count (I was a console player for a very long time and 30fps don't bother me at all), the result is that I'm still very happy with it.

But of course, that's a very subjective experience that most people won't share.

That's not to say that I wouldn't mind an upgrade, but cards with 16GB of VRAM without major compromises are still a bit over my budget.

I remember the time you posted a Civ V screenshot captured at that resolution. It was amazing to see so much of the map at the same time.

On Epic's store, there seems to be a free month of Discord Nitro for those that care: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/discord--discord-nitro Found this by searching why I got a free week of Nitro, and this was one of the top results in Google.

Swapped my 9950X for the 9950X3D and wow almost the same name, but different beast. It runs cooler than my ex’s heart and smoother than my pickup lines. Now my PC runs cooler than I do in social situations. That extra cache isn't just for show.

edit: Oh yeah, in case y'all are wondering. I'm running CO all core at -20. Basically told my CPU to chill, and it actually listened.

Some games in the W40K franchise will be removes from sale.

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon - Da Orks

Warhammer 40,000: Sanctus Reach

Let’s go with the Friday gaming news!

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

While we're in the GTA 6 waiting room, the Epic Games Mega Sale has the next best one on discount
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/while-were-in-the-gta-6-waiting-room-the-epic-games-mega-sale-has-the-next-best-one-on-discount/
We have no idea when Grand Theft Auto 6 will arrive on PC, but that doesn't mean we have to lead GTA-less lives until then. The Epic Store's 2025 Mega Sale has a discount on GTA 5 Enhanced—and several other games—to keep you busy.
>> This explains why the weekly free games aren’t revealed in advance.

Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a bundle:

• The new Star Deal is Grow: Song of the Evertree, with an 82% deal during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/grow-song-of-the-evertree
• The newest bundle added to BundleFest is the Supreme Collection – BYOB (May 2025), featuring 17 titles to choose for your bundles of 2+, 3+ or 5+ games during 40 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/supreme-collection-build-your-own-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam's monthly top-seller list is automated now, and goes all the way back to 2004 when it's just Half-Life 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steams-monthly-top-seller-list-is-automated-now-and-goes-all-the-way-back-to-2004-when-its-just-half-life-2/
Every month Steam publishes a list of its top releases by revenue, which often includes some surprises. This month Oblivion Remastered, The Last of Us 2, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Blue Prince are selling real well, though Steam's gold-tier top 12 also includes The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, a game so ambitious it pushed its creators to the brink of bankruptcy.
Steam's been doing these charts since 2019, though until now they were assembled by hand, which Steam's latest news blog says has been "leading to a less-than-consistent publishing cadence as we waited to complete all of the necessary work each time."
From now on the charts will be automated and published on the 15th of each month, with calculations based on "the first two weeks of revenue for each of the games released during the month." Since being "released" on Steam can mean either entering early access or leaving it to hit 1.0, early access games will be considered for the list twice. Each list will contain 50 entries, including DLC if it sells well enough.
These newly automated lists can also be browsed backward, meaning you can jump all the way back to November of 2004, when the top release on Steam was Half-Life 2 because it was the only release on Steam. The list then stays blank until October, 2005, when Rag Doll Kung Fu arrives (though Darwinia, which was famously the other early non-Valve game released on Steam, doesn't show up for some reason).
>> I have 2 things to say: 1) Well, that explains why they hadn’t done the March list! 2) There’s no f*cking way I’ll do a post with the now 50 best releases every month, so I have to decide if I stop doing them or if I limit myself to post just the 12 Gold titles. I’m open to suggestions.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This stunning new armor mod for Oblivion Remastered is the outfit upgrade I’ve been desperate for
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/this-stunning-new-armor-mod-for-oblivion-remastered-is-the-outfit-upgrade-ive-been-desperate-for/
As I’ve previously written about, right now I’m playing Oblivion Remastered as a sneaky, stabby, arrow-firing elven rogue. And, so far it’s been great. The ranged combat in Oblivion was always more dramatic and visceral than in melee, and it’s been very satisfying for me so far to pepper my foes with arrows from range, hearing that thud of arrow meeting flesh, as well as stabbing them with knives if they get too close.
However, where I’ve absolutely not been enjoying playing as this agile elven rogue is in Oblivion Remastered’s total dearth of interesting light armour options, especially at low levels. Up until now, at level 9, I’ve been stuck in the same old boring leather armor that I got within the first 30 minutes of playing. Simply put, the leather armor is underwhelming visually. It’s not particularly cool and the fact that loads of other NPCs also wear it doesn’t help either. I mean, there are NPC characters dressed far cooler than I am!
Luckily, though, I’ve just had my prayers answered by a very talented Oblivion Remastered modder. Thanks to their sterling work, the awesome-looking Daggerdancer armor is now available to download and, let me tell you after installing it myself, it looks a million dollars. Just take a look at some of the images in this story and you’ll immediately see what I mean. Yeah, fantastic, right!
The Daggerdancer outfit is a modular set of light armor that, once downloaded and installed, unlocks the ability to buy each of its four parts at the Three Brothers Trade Goods store in the Imperial City Market District. Each piece isn’t cheap, costing a few thousand, but neither are they crazy expensive; when I installed the mod I could immediately buy all parts of the outfit and still have a few thousand to spare.
After installing the mod, my character now looks SO MUCH COOLER than she did, and it’s upped my immersion as now I feel I look as cool and deadly as I am in the game, taking out enemies from afar, unseen, while also flying into battle against daedra like a warrior queen. In my mind, the mod’s creator, theenco, deserves a huge hat tip, and especially so as they’ve also created a cool set of heavier armor, too, the Dark Holy Armor, which is also available right now for download.
>> The article has several screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

Stellar Blade Gets PC Requirements, Will Have Denuvo
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/stellar-blade-gets-pc-requirements-will-have-denuvo/
Shift Up has revealed the official PC requirements for Stellar Blade. Moreover, the devs confirmed that the game will use the Denuvo anti-tamper tech. So, let’s see what PC system you’ll need to run it.

Avowed Patch 1.4 Released With Over 350 Fixes & Improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/avowed-patch-1-4-released-with-over-350-fixes-improvements/
Obsidian has released Title Update 1.4 for Avowed, which has over 350 fixes and tweaks, and shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.
>> This patch brings the Arachnophobia Safe Mode.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Patch 1.3 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-patch-1-3-released-detailed/
Warhorse Studios has released Title Update 1.3 for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which packs over 370 fixes, tweaks and improvements. The team has also shared its full patch notes. So, let’s see what this new update brings to the table.

Blades of Fire PC Demo Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/blades-of-fire-pc-demo-available-for-download/
505 Games has released a demo for MercurySteam’s upcoming action-adventure game, Blades of Fire. This demo features the beginning of the game, allowing you to forge your first weapons. It will also let you experience the game’s combat system, fight a big troll, and learn more about Aran’s journey.

PUBG: Battlegrounds Patch 35.2 Released & Fully Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/pubg-battlegrounds-patch-35-2-released-fully-detailed/
KRAFTON has launched Title Update 35.2 for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS on PC. According to the devs, this update brings destructible environments to Taego, and expands tactical tools like vehicle camouflage. It also unifies gameplay elements across maps. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Friday gaming news, part two:

Critical Role's Matt Mercer and Laura Bailey are hosting this year's Future Games Show summer event
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/events-conferences/critical-roles-matt-mercer-and-laura-bailey-are-hosting-this-years-future-games-show-summer-event/
The hosts for Future Games Show's summer showcase have been revealed, and this year we can expect to see Laura Bailey and Matthew Mercer take the stage to guide us through a plethora of video game trailers, interviews, and news. Over 40 games will be featured in this year's showcase too, so if you've been waiting for an update on something there's a strong chance you'll get one here.

A year after Bandai Namco killed its anime MMO, Blue Protocol is getting a second, different anime MMO in the same universe
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/a-year-after-bandai-namco-killed-its-anime-mmo-blue-protocol-is-getting-a-second-different-anime-mmo-in-the-same-universe/
In August 2024, Bandai Namco announced that it was shuttering service and cancelling Europe and US launch plans for Blue Protocol, its anime action MMO that had been playable in Japan since 2023. Players grieved. They wept. In January, they danced in their virtual world's final moments as Blue Protocol went offline forever.
You can imagine my confusion, then, when I received a press release saying that an anime MMO called Blue Protocol: Star Resonance is launching later this year.
After a bit of forensic work, I've pieced together an explanation. Prior to Blue Protocol's shutdown in 2024, Chinese developer Shanghai Bokura Network published a press release announcing that it was developing a new mobile game set in the Blue Protocol universe. Following the closing of Blue Protocol, that mobile game's development was expanded, eventually becoming Blue Protocol: Star Resonance.

Dune: Awakening beta players extracted nearly 9 million liters of blood last weekend, enough to fill 3 Olympic-size, extremely gross swimming pools
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/dune-awakening-beta-players-extracted-nearly-9-million-liters-of-blood-last-weekend-enough-to-fill-3-olympic-size-extremely-gross-swimming-pools/
Funcom has shared some stats on the Dune: Awakening beta that took place last weekend, and players certainly got up to some bloody business. The only substantial water supply in the early game is the blood of your enemies, and in four days of the beta players extracted 8,715,331 liters of blood from fallen foes (and potentially a few unlucky desert mice).
>> Feeling thirsty?

Hideo Kojima says most Death Stranding playtesters told him 'it was a terrible game,' and he's a little bummed Death Stranding 2 is testing way better
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hideo-kojima-says-most-death-stranding-playtesters-told-him-it-was-a-terrible-game-and-hes-a-little-bummed-death-stranding-2-is-testing-way-better/
No matter what reactions a Hideo Kojima game elicits from you, we can all appreciate swinging for the fences. Death Stranding is the sort of game that, in our profoundly risk-averse business, should have never gotten the sizable Sony-backed budget it did, but such is the power of Kojima's name.
Still, I have to imagine someone at Sony broke a sweat when they learned they were funding a delivery simulator that's light on action and heavy on contemplative vistas, especially considering how the first Death Stranding tested before it came out. In a recent interview with Edge Magazine (as shared by GamesRadar), Kojima revealed that most playtesters were repulsed by his post-Konami debut.

Civil war breaks out in Helldivers 2 as players spawn infinite mechs to crash each other's games
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/civil-war-breaks-out-in-helldivers-2-as-players-spawn-dozens-of-mechs-to-crash-each-others-games/
Helldivers 2 players are pleading for people to stop using a newly discovered infinite Stratagem glitch that lets you shower planets in airstrikes.
Something went very wrong with the last patch and messed up how Stratagems normally work: Using a simple combination of inputs, you can now spam them until the game can't handle it anymore. There are videos of people spawning in dozens of ships and explosions that cause their frame rate to tank. Unsurprisingly, this has caused problems for public games. Also unsurprisingly, that's not stopping players from having a field day with it.

Bungie confirms it stole art once again, will undertake a 'thorough review' of Marathon assets
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/artist-accuses-bungie-of-stealing-her-designs-for-marathons-art-i-am-tired-of-designers-from-huge-companies-moodboarding-and-parasitising-my-designs-while-i-struggle-to-make-a-living/
Bungie is, once again, being accused of using the designs of an independent artist without permission, pay, or attribution. In a post on X earlier today, visual artist Antireal said that Marathon's environment art uses design elements pulled directly from her 2017 poster designs.
(...)
Bungie has issued a statement via the @MarathonDevTeam account on X. "We immediately investigated a concern regarding unauthorized use of artist decals in Marathon and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included these in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in-game," the statement reads.

After Helldivers 2, Arrowhead's next game will be '100% funded by ourselves', though CEO Shams Jorjani says there's no hard feelings over Sony's boneheaded PSN shenanigans
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/after-helldivers-2-arrowheads-next-game-will-be-100-percent-funded-by-ourselves-though-ceo-shams-jorjani-says-theres-no-hard-feelings-over-sonys-boneheaded-psn-shenanigans/
Infinite stratagem glitches aside, Helldivers 2 really does seem to've pulled up from some pretty dire times after a chaotic first year. Even if it hadn't, though, Arrowhead would've still very much enjoyed the uproaring success of its first months, which saw it hitting a massive all-time peak of over 450,000 players on Steam alone.
That success, per some Discord messages by Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani, has paved the way for an entirely self-funded game in the studio's future. In response to a player asking Jorjani to make sure the studio's next game is playable in all regions, he replied: "The next game is 100% funded by ourselves so we'll call 100% of those shots."

And now, the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• Raw Fury’s Publisher Sale is here with up to 90% discounts during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20250516_raw_fury_publisher_sale

+Steam

• New World: Aeternum is going to be 30% off until the 19th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1063730/New_World_Aeternum/
• Last Epoch wil have a 20% discount until the 22nd of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/899770/Last_Epoch/
• The Early Access title FOUNDRY will be free to try during the weekend and 50% off until the 22nd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/983870/FOUNDRY/
• Martha Is Dead gets a 70% discount until May 22: https://store.steampowered.com/app/515960/Martha_Is_Dead/
• No Place Like Home will be 60% off until May, the 28th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1472660/No_Place_Like_Home/
• House Flipper 2 will also be free to try during the weekend and will have a 35% discount until the 29th of May: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1190970/House_Flipper_2/
• Doors: Paradox is going to be 50% off until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1622770/Doors_Paradox/
• Shotgun Farmers features a 60% discount until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/604240/Shotgun_Farmers/
• And these are the new sales/events:
  • Publisher Hooded Horse puts its games on sale, up to 50% off. The length of the deals vary between some that will end tomorrow and others that should last until the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/38719421/sale/maysale2025
  • Stardock puts its Galactic Civilization franchise on sale with up to 90% discounts until the 22nd of May: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/28974/sale/galcivfranchisesale
  • Kepler Interactive puts its games on sale, up to 90% off. Fro mwhat I’ve seen, the length of the deals vary between those that will end on the 22nd and the ones that will end on the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Kepler2025
  • Yogscast Games celebrates its Camp Yog’25 Sale where you’ll find demos of some of its upcoming games and also up to 90% discounts that will last between the 22nd and the 29th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/CampYogSale
  • And finally, there’s the Metaroot Publisher Sale… that’s already listed but won’t start until later today for I don’t know how long: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1733110/Of_Life_and_Land/

And that’s it. Until the next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Thanks, thankfully I have them all lol

AMD Achieves Record Server Revenue Share, x86 Desktop CPU Market Share Grows To 28%

https://wccftech.com/amd-record-server-revenue-share-x86-desktop-cpu-market-share-grows/

ASUS ROG announces Strix OLED XG32U series: World’s first 4K WOLED monitors with TrueBlack Glossy film

https://videocardz.com/press-release/asus-rog-announces-strix-oled-xg32u-series-worlds-first-4k-woled-monitors-with-trueblack-glossy-film

MaxSun confirms Arc Pro B60 launching soon

https://videocardz.com/pixel/maxsun-confirms-arc-pro-b60-launching-soon

MSI announces 27-inch QD-OLED 500Hz monitor with AI Care Sensor

https://videocardz.com/press-release/msi-announces-27-inch-qd-oled-500hz-monitor-with-ai-care-sensor

AMD Medusa Point Rumored Core Configuration Leaked; Up To 22 Cores On Ryzen 9 SKUs But IGPU Reportedly Gets Downgraded To 8 CU

https://wccftech.com/amd-medusa-point-rumored-core-configuration-leaked/

Thanks for sharing.

I barely use Discord and have no need for it, but others may take advantage of this deal.

Congratulations on your side-grade and winning the silicon lettery with a great CPU.

Maybe the license Slitherine got to make those games is going to expire? I don't know, but it's a shame.

Thanks for the heads-up.

In case the fact that Nvidia didnt' send review drivers for the launch of the 5060 wasn't already bad enough, it turns out that some outlets have been given access to them to make a preview under Nvidia's conditions.

What conditions? They've chosen the 5 games used, which all support DLSS4 Multiframe, and the 2 GPUs for the comparion, the 2060 Super and the 3060.

NVIDIA grants RTX 5060 drivers access to media willing to publish ‘previews’
https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-grants-rtx-5060-drivers-access-to-media-willing-to-publish-previews

Wow. The confidence they're showing with this card is zero and the depths they can go to hide it are bottomless.

*Edit* I forgot to add that the article has the links to 5 previews.

***

Off-topic: Do I have a problem with my computer or is someone else getting a pop-up message asking to log in and that their info will be shared with pro.vgchartz.com?