HW News - NVIDIA Ada GPU Leaks, i9-12900KS Prepping for 5800X3D, New GPU Power Spec
Posted on April 2, 2022
This week, we have news on the Intel i9-12900KS that's prepping to fight the AMD R7 5800X3D. We also have a fair bit of news regarding the RTX 3090 Ti, and changes coming to the ATX specification as we get closer to PCIe 5.0 devices hitting the market.
We also have another entry in the growing modular laptop market, this time in the form of Prime Computer’s PrimeBook Circular. Elsewhere, we have some information on Intel's ATX12VO 2.0 and a new I_PSU% feature, some images of custom RTX 3090 Ti cooling solutions that weigh in at 3.5 and 4 slots, and more.
As usual, find the news article and video embed below.
01:20 | Huge GN Toolkit Warranty & Artesian Update
Before we get started, two quick updates: First, we just sent an email out to potential employers for the former Artesian staff. It took a few weeks to compile the list of former employees, but we just sent out the info to potential future hiring companies to try and help some of the good staff from Artesian get new placement at companies that are more competently run. We’re just putting this note here because a lot of people reached out both from Artesian and potential future hiring managers, so it’s the fastest way to communicate that it’s taken care of now! We have another video on Artesian coming up soon, so check back for that.
Second: We’ve been manufacturing our toolkits for several years now and we’re excited to announce our first major warranty option on the GN Store! We are RETROACTIVELY adding a 7-year warranty for the 10-piece GN toolkit. This applies to ALL previous orders of the toolkits and applies to orders going forward. You can read the specific policy on the GN store page to learn what’s covered. The toolkit has 10 specifically built and tuned tools by our team for GPU disassembly, water block installation, and PC building, including ground-down hex heads to accommodate small FE-sized screws.
This is just a continuation on our push for quality. We like releasing the highest-quality products we can -- it’s just better economically and environmentally if things are built to last. Ever since we launched the Modmats, we’ve wanted our stuff to last as long as possible, and that carried over to the toolkits. With all this experience manufacturing now behind us, and with the exceptionally consistent quality of the tools, we’re excited to add this coverage.
As we’ve continued to engineer the tools, we’ve made gradual improvements and refinements to the specific chemical mixture for the metals, added aggressive salt spray testing for longevity and aging simulation, and we’re even adding a series of small videos giving tips on our GN Extras channel, including some quick FAQ on how to re-magnetize the screwdrivers if you want re-up the magnetism. It’s very easy to do and we’ll have a tutorial over there.
If you don’t have a toolkit yet, grab one here: https://store.gamersnexus.net/products/gamersnexus-tear-down-toolkit
05:41 | Rumor: HWInfo Lists Nvidia’s Ada/Lovelace GPUs in Upcoming Update
In the “Upcoming Changes” section of the version history page for HWInfo’s popular diagnostic/monitoring tool, several new GPUs from Nvidia are being listed, some of which appear to be from the upcoming consumer-focused Ada/Lovelace architecture. The newly added GPUs are as follows:
Nvidia GH100, GH202, AD102, AD103, AD104, AD106, AD107, GB100, and GB102. It’s worth mentioning that the only “official” GPU in this list is the GH100, which Nvidia most recently announced at GTC 2022. These names also track with what was intentionally leaked from the massive Lapsus leak, so these names are likely legitimate, but that doesn’t mean Nvidia’s plans are set in stone either.
Source: https://www.hwinfo.com/version-history/
https://hothardware.com/news/five-ada-lovelace-gpus-break-cover
07:20 | Intel Core i9-12900KS CPU is $800
Intel’s newest Alder Lake 12-series SKU has now been officially launched. This one is the Core i9-12900KS, with the K-SKU signifying the usual “unlocked” nature and the “S” indicating that it’s a “special” edition. Intel uses this to indicate a highly binned and limited quantity SKU, and the $800 price tag only confirms that.
As expected, the key differences between the i9-12900K and the i9-12900KS are in the base/boost clocks. While the K-SKU ships with a base/boost of 3.2 / 5.1 GHz (5.2 GHz with TVB), the KS-SKU will ship with a base/boost of 3.4 / 5.2 GHz. Furthermore, the i9-12900KS tops out at a 5.5 GHz boost, presumably via Intel’s ETVB (Enhanced Thermal Velocity Boost).
Elsewhere, much is the same: The KS SKU is still an 8+8 configuration under the hood, with eight P cores and eight E cores, though the E cores do benefit from a slightly higher (100 MHz) base and boost speed as well. Intel’s UHD Graphics 770 integrated GPU is still on tap, and the i9-12900KS still comes with 30MB of L3 cache.
Following the blunder by Newegg, Intel came out with a press release clarifying not only the availability but the MSRP as well. According to Intel, the i9-12900KS will become available on April 5, 2022, with an estimated price tag of $739 for 1000 units (basically wholesale pricing), so $800 retail makes sense.
No doubt Intel is trying to head-off AMD’s upcoming Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which will have a veritable pile of L3 V-Cache, which will make things interesting. That chip is set for an April 20th arrival, so Intel can at least boast for a bit.
10:37 | Intel Joins NVIDIA for XeSS + DLSS SDK
NVIDIA and Intel recently announced that they’re collaborating on building an SDK for game developers to implement any form of super sampling technology into games under one inclusive deployment solution. The new SDK is called “Streamline,” and is theoretically a relatively vendor-agnostic, open software development kit that is capable of adding DLSS, XeSS (Intel’s), or FSR to games–or as NVIDIA's diagram phrases it, "NVIDIA Plugins, Intel Plugins, Hardware Vendor #3." AMD hasn't added its name to the list yet, but given that FSR is open source, it may not matter.
The aim is to address the growing issue of having multiple divergent solutions for super sampling, each of which have varying requirements for developer effort to implement in games. Streamline sits between a 3D application and the render API (DirectX or Vulkan). Game devs pipe standard information from the game to Streamline, like "motion vectors, depth, etc," then Streamline does platform-appropriate upscaling, then the frame is rendered out as usual. Developers can still choose to integrate upscaling methods the old-fashioned way, individually, but (on paper) Streamline is a one-and-done solution.
To be clear, Streamline isn’t another DLSS or XeSS or FSR: it's a box to put them in. It is not a supersampling technology itself and is not competing with existing technologies, but is rather a means of implementing existing solutions. It also has nothing to do with RSR, which is an AMD driver-level feature independent of game development that we covered a couple weeks ago.
As for why NVIDIA would do something that packages in its competition, we’d assume it’s because NVIDIA stands the most to gain: right now, if a developer only has time to implement one upscaling method, it should be the almost universally compatible FSR rather than the RT-core-dependent DLSS. By sticking all the upscaling methods in one box, NVIDIA may be able to boost DLSS adoption. Also, it still has the widest GPU market share for gaming, its technology already requires developer effort to implement anyway, and it probably feels its solution is competitive. Finally, this may give NVIDIA some control over standardizing upscaling tech: if the other two companies want to be part of Streamline, they'll need to keep their tech tailored to fit inside it.
Streamline is out now: the SDK has been on the NVIDIA GameWorks GitHub repository since March 19th. DX11 and DX12 are currently supported, with planned future support for Vulkan. If this really does make it easier for devs to add more upscaling options, it's a good thing.
Source: https://developer.nvidia.com/rtx/streamline
Source: https://github.com/NVIDIAGameWorks/Streamline
16:06 | Prime Computer Joins Modular Laptop Revolution
Prime Computer has announced its take on the modular laptop, known as the PrimeBook Circular. Prime Computer’s PrimeBook Circular comes hot on the heels of the Framework Laptop entering the market and seems to be another option in the still-nascent modular laptop market. As a reminder, Dell also followed in Framework’s success and introduced the “concept” of its own modular laptop, but has yet to announce concrete plans.
While Prime Computer hasn't been explicitly confirmed, it seems the PrimeBook Circular could very well be a branded version of Intel’s NUC P14E whitebook laptop design – a point Tom’s Hardware brings up in their own writeup. Furthermore, a YouTube video by Prime Computer detailing its “Circular Modularity” concept all but confirms the new devices are using Intel’s NUC 11 Compute Elements.
That said, the PrimeBook Circular can be configured with modules containing a Celeron 6305 and going up to a Core i7-1165G7. The Modules themselves can be had with varying amounts of RAM, depending on which CPU users select, ranging between 4GB and 16GB. All the modules contain Intel’s Wi-Fi 6 AX201 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Prime Computer is also working on a program where users can sell back their compute modules to Prime Computer, and they will be repurposed for other devices. Additionally, Prime Computer plans to “offset the average 408kg of CO2 used when manufacturing this device to make the product ‘carbon neutral.’”
Source:
https://primecomputer.co/products/primebook-circular/
18:52 | TeamGroup Announces T-Force Siren AIO With Tandem CPU and SSD Cooling
TeamGroup is expanding its line of Siren AIO liquid coolers to include what the company is calling a first: A liquid cooler with tandem CPU and SSD cooling, replete with ARGB lighting. And while SSD cooling is becoming more important with the arrival of PCIe Gen 4 devices, to what extent liquid cooling is necessary, we’re not sure. As a general reminder, it’s the controller on SSDs that needs to be cooled. Flash memory actually ‘likes’ to run hotter when under load, as reducing the temperature too much will reduce the lifespan of the NAND.
While TeamGroup was light on the details with its press release, the company notes that the new AIO will support a large array of Intel and AMD sockets, including the latest LGA1700 and the upcoming Socket AM5. The water block for the SSD is also designed to fit the popular M.2 2280 form factor. The press release shows one image of what appears to be the CPU pump block, and an accompanying M.2 block and reservoir combo.
No word on price or availability, but we’ll see if this idea gains any traction.
Source: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/news/ins.php?index_id=197
20:25 | New ATX12VO Spec: 12VHPWR & I_PSU% Feature
In the wake of increasingly power-hungry GPUs, Intel has both overhauled its ATX PSU specification and introduced version 2.0 for its ATX12VO standard (not to be confused with the updated ATX V3.0 standard). While ATX as a specification has been around for years, Intel’s ATX12VO is still fairly new, with Intel having launched it back in 2020. At the time, ATX12VO didn’t get much traction, but with future graphics cards potentially approaching the 600W mark and the upcoming PCIe 5.0 interface, that’s changing fast.
Intel’s ATX12VO 2.0 is largely a subset of the overall ATX 3.0 spec, but as many have pointed out, not everything from ATX12VO is necessarily applicable to ATX 3.0 and vice versa. Some of the biggest changes to ATX 3.0 are being built around PCIe 5.0, new energy efficiency targets – particularly regarding power draw at idle – and things like the new 12+4-pin 12VHPWR connector.
The new 12VHPWR should power most, if not all, of the future PCIe 5.0 add-in cards, and is capable of delivering up to 600W (or 150W, 300W, 450W). In addition to the 12+4-pin 12VHPWR connector, Intel has also updated ATX12VO 2.0 to include the new I_PSU% feature, which will allow the PSU to report the percentage of power being used.
Intel stated the following:
- A new 12VHPWR connector will power most, if not all, future PCIe 5.0 desktop Add-in cards (e.g., graphics cards). This new connector provides up to 600 watts directly to any PCIe 5.0 Add-in/graphics card. It also includes sideband signals that will allow the power supply to communicate the power limit it can provide to any PCIe 5.0 graphic card.
- New guidelines reflect the PCIe CEM Gen 5 power excursion limit for PCIe 5.0 add-in cards that was published in November 2021. Updated specifications include new DC output voltage regulation that will be necessary for managing new power excursion requirements.
- ATX12VO 2.0 also adds the I_PSU% feature to desktop platforms – delivering an Intel-driven innovation previously available on mobile and server platforms. This feature provides benefits to small form-factor (SFF) systems that can’t employ larger power supplies. It also provides cost efficiencies for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as they are better able to right-size PSU selection to meet system requirements.
23:17 | Custom RTX 3090 Ti Cards Are Huge
That said, images of EVGA’s FTW3 Ultra design show what appears to be a cooling solution that's at least 3.5 slots wide. Additionally, the card has a new rear I/O bracket that also houses the new 16 pin (12+4) PCIe 5.0 connector. VideoCardz also has images showing some of Colorful’s upcoming RTX 3090 Ti SKUs, one of which sports an LCD panel and looks like it could be every bit of 4 slots wide.
Interestingly, Colorful also has a liquid cooled SKU, the iGame Neptune OC, which appears to only require 2 slots. This may be telling, as all of the air cooled SKUs so far seem to require at least 3 slots. So, in addition to what will be a massive price tag, prospective RTX 3090 Ti owners will also need to be prepared to part with a large amount of chassis space.
24:35 | FSP Announces Compliance With Intel ATX 3.0 and PCIe 5.0
Following Intel’s recent news regarding its overhauled ATX 3.0 spec, FSP is among the first (if not the first) PSU vendor to get on board with ATX 3.0 compliance. Additionally, FSP is also touting its working on products that are in compliance with PCIe 5.0. In its press release, FSP makes note of the current situation whereby PSUs will need 3x8-pin to 16-pin adapters to accommodate the new PCIe 5.0 connector.
To that point, FSP claims that its newly updated products in the Hydro G PRO 850W/1000W series and Hydro PTM PRO 850W/1000W/1200W series will all carry the new 16-pin (12+4) connector and “interface.” By interface, FSP may be referring to the sensing logic required inside the PSU, but we’re not clear on that point. Also, FSP also claims it will be updating its packaging so users can clearly identify the new PCIe 5.0/ATX 3.0 compliant models, which is certainly a good step to take.
FSP didn’t mention when the new models would launch, but if we’re guessing, we’d say soon.
Source: https://www.fsplifestyle.com/NEWS220321-62382fced119c/
Host, Editorial: Steve Burke
Editorial: Eric Hamilton
Additional Editorial: Patrick Lathan
Video Production: Keegan Gallick